Super Rugby Aotearoa's top five players from round three
The Blues and Crusaders have emerged from another bruising round of Super Rugby Aotearoa as the only two sides in the league still yet to taste defeat following their respective wins against the Highlanders and Chiefs over the weekend.
Playing in front of a healthy crowd of around 30,000 at Eden Park, the Blues have now recorded an impressive seven straight victories dating way back to their last-minute win over the Bulls in Pretoria way back in February.
It’s a similar situation for the Crusaders, who continued their charge towards a fourth consecutive title with an opportunistic 18-13 win over the Chiefs in slippery conditions in Christchurch.
The results leave both sides in first and second place on the Super Rugby Aotearoa standings as they remain on track for a collision course meeting at Orangetheory Stadium on July 11.
With all that in mind, here are five of the best performers to grace the field in the weekend’s most recent round of action.
Caleb Clarke (Blues)
Building on his exceptional return to the competition from the All Blacks Sevens environment, Caleb Clarke strengthened his case for a full All Blacks call-up with a dazzling performance in the Blues’ 27-24 win over the Highlanders.
In an emotionally charged display in the wake of his grandfather’s death, the 21-year-old wing produced arguably his best performance in a Blues jersey.
Clarke’s explosive showing is reflected in the 77 running metres he accrued – the second-most of the round – which contributed to the four defenders he beat, two lines he broke, two offloads he threw, the one try he assisted and the other try he scored.
He has proven to be no fluke on defence either, as he completed seven tackles from nine attempts and snared two turnovers for his side.
With Ben Smith now gone and Rieko Ioane plying his trade in the midfield, there are two outside back spots available in the national set-up, and Clarke must surely be leading the charge to fill one of those holes.
Dalton Papalii (Blues)
After missing out on last year’s World Cup squad, Dalton Papalii is showing the All Blacks selectors what they missed out on with a string of energetic outings that have contributed heavily to the Blues’ run of success.
The 22-year-old loose forward has come into the starting side for the club following the first round injury to Blake Gibson, and it would come as no surprise to see him stay there even if the more experienced openside flanker returns fit and firing.
Papalii’s off-the-ball persistence and work rate was enough to earn him two tries, 41 running metres and two clean breaks – all of which are figures that can’t be toppled by any forward throughout the round.
Couple that with a defensive accuracy that saw him miss just one tackle from 10 attempts, and the three-test All Black is making a compelling case to return to the international arena.
Will Jordan (Crusaders)
Included in last week’s iteration of this series after his whirlwind efforts against the Hurricanes in Wellington, Will Jordan is named as one of the competition’s top five players again today after his match-winning performance against the Chiefs.
Renowned for his incredible finishing ability, the 22-year-old fullback paired up with All Blacks wing Sevu Reece to score a pair of expertly-taken tries on either side in half-time to ultimately win the Crusaders the match in dire conditions.
Prior to the two long-range scores started by Reece and finished by Jordan, the game had been devoid of any attacking excitement, but that’s a quality that either one of those two speedsters can offer in bucketloads.
While Reece has already been capped for New Zealand, Jordan’s international debut must not be too far off, especially if he continues to play like he did on Sunday, when he ran for a round-high 98 metres, beat four defenders, broke the line twice and didn’t miss a tackle.
Whether he gets a look-in for the All Blacks – with Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie, Jordie Barrett and David Havili all in competition for the No. 15 jersey – remains to be seen, but it will surely be too cruel to exclude him come the end of the year.
Marino Mikaele-Tu’u (Highlanders)
It’s been a steady rise to national recognition for Highlanders No. 8 Marino Mikaele-Tu’u, who first joined the Dunedin franchise in 2018 and had limited opportunities throughout the past couple of years.
That was until this season, where he has been granted a starting role in the absence of Luke Whitelock and Elliot Dixon, and there’s no doubting he has taken his opportunities with aplomb.
The 22-year-old’s fierce attacking demeanour was again on show at Eden Park over the weekend, as he ran for 36 metres – second to only Papalii of all the forwards – and broke a tackle to register a line break.
Standing at 1.91m and 115kg, Mikaele-Tu’u’s physicality was beneficial for the Highlanders on the other side of the ball as well, as he made six of his eight tackles and snaffled two turnovers for his side.
His Blues counterpart Hoskins Sotutu may have been stealing the limelight in recent weeks following some barnstorming matches of his own, but with Mikaele-Tu’u nipping at his heels, the All Blacks No. 8 isn’t sewed up just yet.
Shannon Frizell (Highlanders)
Amid all the hype about the next generation of talent coming through, it’s easy to forget about one of the less heralded All Blacks incumbents – Shannon Frizell.
For all the anticipation that surrounds the likes of Mikaele-Tu’u, Sotutu and Cullen Grace, it seems like nine-test loose forward Frizell has become an afterthought of sorts while the rookies and sophomores of Super Rugby Aotearoa take centre stage.
The 26-year-old sent out a firm reminder of his abilities on Saturday night, though, as he played a shining role in the Highlanders tightly-contested defeat.
On attack, he managed to bag himself a try to keep his scoring run against the Blues in Auckland alive – that was his fifth from three matches – while also beating one defender and running for 15 metres.
But it was on defence where his value was felt the most, as he completed 13 from 14 tackles to sit second in the round on the tackle count and send a message to Ian Foster’s team that he is still keen on his place in the national squad.
Comments on RugbyPass
“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
3 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
2 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
3 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
3 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
3 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
2 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to comments