Super Rugby Team of the Quarter-Finals
As Eric Rush once said, “this is just one man’s opinion”. Please add your picks and your favourites in the feedback box below.
15 – David Havili (Crusaders)
Strong performance from David Havili as the Crusaders had to work hard to eventually get a victory over their southern neighbours. The fullback worked well in the backfield and of course ran a great line to prosper with a try off an exceptional Richie Mo’unga ball. During the game, he became the third player to crack 1000 metres for the season behind Melani Nanai and Semisi Masirewa. Interesting race for an All Black outside back position and the longer you are in the Super rugby race the more chances you have to show your wares.
14 – Cornal Hendricks (Bulls)
What an interesting study in physiology this athlete is. Looks a little top heavy and hulking, but deceives a lot of defenders with his pace off the mark and deft footwork. He has shown in the last few weeks that if you show him the sideline he’ll take you in a way that is rare at top level. A very heart-warming story on how he has fought back from a heart complaint, one of the best for a brave Bulls outfit who never stopped trying.
13 – Matias Orlando (Jaguares)
A key to the Jaguares victories over the Chiefs was that they were able to shut down two key ball runners in Anton Lienert-Brown and Brodie Retallick and the two Jaguares centres (Jeronimo del la Fuente as well) were giants in defence. Also he played a big part in marshalling the defensive kick chase not allowing the super-dangerous Chiefs to counter attack often.
12 – Teihorangi Walden (Highlanders)
Since Tei Walden made it back from injury a couple of weeks ago his partnership with Rob Thompson has been a feature of the Highlanders success and they gave nothing away to the vaunted pair of Crotty and Goodhue, perhaps even getting the better of them over the 80 minutes. Walden has an immense work rate and a telepathic understanding with Aaron Smith with passes on attack close to the line.
11 – Matias Moroni (Jaguares)
In the absence of the fabulous Ramiro Moyano, the Jaguares went for the workman-like Matias Moroni on the wing for the knockout stage and he didn’t let them down. Leading up to the quarterfinal, only the lock Guido Petti had played more minutes than him in the squad. Strong and solid rather than spectacular, having experience out on the park paid off as the Jaguares had to stay patient and focussed against the spirited Chiefs. Salesi Rayasi (Hurricanes) continues his emergence as a gifted, pacy talent.
10 – Richie Mo’unga (Crusaders)
The only way a team will wrest the Super Rugby trophy off the Crusaders is to foil this magician. He seems to have all the skills; kicking, marshalling, running, defending and no one has been able to pressure him so far. There has seemed to have been a presumption that you may be able to bully him but he is so tough and cool headed as well as supremely skilled. No one has knocked him off his game yet and it’s difficult to see it happening. Wonderful replay on TV of him chiselling through two big Highlanders defenders at top speed; that said it all. 23 points, two tries and rhythmical from the kicking tee.
9 – TJ Perenara (Hurricanes)
TJ Perenara is on the top of his game and is a very interesting type of halfback, one who is more reminiscent of a South African like a Joost van der Westhuizen or Fourie du Preez than a typical Kiwi nine. He is tall and deceptively strong. In his 100th Super game in partnership with Beauden Barrett, Perenara stepped up and took a lot on his shoulders. Now has 53 tries in Super rugby, well within sight of Israel Folau’s record of 60.
8 – Pete Samu (Brumbies)
Staggering first half performance from Samu, 75 metres running, five tackle busts, three line breaks and two tries before halftime, then a lie down with a hammy twinge. He has been ruled out to travel to Argentina and that’s a big blow for the Aussies.
7 – Ardie Savea (Hurricanes)
His most influential work was at the back of a scrum that was having difficulty, Savea managed to salvage ball that under most circumstances would have been tough to work with. Would an 8 Savea, 7 Cane and 6 Read trio work for a Rugby World Cup defence? Will Hansen give it a go? He really loves a big imposing six but it is a way you could get the mixture of form players and leadership in to your loose forward combo.
6 – Pablo Matera (Jaguares)
This is one star where you can see the fire snorting out of his nostrils, BUT, over the last few seasons, he has a) learnt to channel it without infringing too much, and b) added some very refined parts to his play. With every hard loose forward, you’d be counting your blessings that he is on your team every time you see him go into contact. Whetu Douglas (Crusaders) had a very good game with a try from a line lout maul and some lovely slick hands on a transfer to Mo’unga for his first try.
5 – Rory Arnold (Brumbies)
There seems to be a rash of rangy locks with brilliant ball skills now, think of RG Snyman, Brodie Retallick and this guy especially. Wonderful offload for Samu’s first try and has a great ability to freestyle through mauls to disrupt ball. Jackson Hemopo (Highlanders) led his team’s bruising defence and ball running and will be missed by the franchise a great deal.
4 – Sam Whitelock (Crusaders)
When you look at the Crusader’s performance, Mo’unga was the standout and the other Crusaders played very supporting roles. For all the magic to happen though you need someone in the basement keeping the furnace white hot and Whitelock is the perfect leader to follow.
3 – Alan Alaalatoa (Brumbies)
Second week in a row, just pipping his brother Michael. At a mid-stage of the second half it was recognised that Alaalatoa led the tackle count with 20. Like Whitelock, he is a workaholic, and with his major competition for the Wallaby 3 jersey being Sekope Kepu and Taniela Tupou, the two most penalised players in the competition, Michael Cheika will be hoping the Brumby stays energetic and injury free in the last stanza of Super rugby.
2 – Dane Coles (Hurricanes)
In an interview this week, Dane Coles acknowledged that some non-Hurricane players had mentioned “hey you’re not a bad guy at all” once they’d got to know him off the field. On the field he is just your worst, poltergeist-type nightmare in a way that Sean Fitzpatrick used to show us; niggly, physical and just a little mouthy. His clash with Codie Taylor will be a fantastic matchup in the semifinal. The All Black hooker spots will be interesting as Liam Coltman is laying down a challenge to Nathan Harris as well, with the Chief conceding at least three penalties in Buenos Aires and not in great control.
1 – Joe Moody (Crusaders)
I have a theory that Joe Moody got away with some interesting scrummaging but hey, he got away with it for the whole game without being penalised so well done to him and the reputation of the Crusaders front row. First scrum, both packs square and Tyrel Lomax got slightly the better of Moody. From scrum two, Moody starting angling in on Lomax and rather than the scrum superiority that was talked about I saw the scrums shear away on the loose head side while Lomax remained perfectly square to the tryline. That will be one more challenge for the Hurricanes pack, sometimes you are up against players as well as their status.
In other news:
Comments on RugbyPass
I think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
5 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
5 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
5 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
33 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to commentsThis is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?
35 Go to commentsWow, didn’t realise there was such apathy to URC in SA, or by Champions Cup teams. Just read Nick’s article on Crusaders, are Sharks a similar circumstance? I think SA rugby has been far more balanced than NZs, no?
2 Go to commentsBut here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.
33 Go to commentsIt could be coincidental or prescient that the All Blacks most dominant period under Steve Hansen was when the Crusaders had their least successful period under Todd Blackadder and then the positions reversed when Razor took over the Crusaders.
33 Go to commentsDefinitely sound read everybodyexpects immediate results these days, I don't think any team would travel well at all having lost three of the most important game changers in the game,compiled with the massive injury list they are now carrying, good to see a different more in depth perspective of a coaches history.
3 Go to commentsSinckler is a really big loss for English rugby.
2 Go to commentsThanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause
33 Go to commentsNo way. If you are trying to picture New Zealand rugby with an All Blacks mindset, there have been two factors instrumental to the decline of NZ rugby to date. Those are the horror that the Blues have become and, probably more so, the fixture that the Crusaders became. I don’t think it was healthy to have one team so dominant for so long, both for lack of proper representation of players from outside that environment and on the over reliance on players from within it. If you are another international side, like Ireland for example, sure. You can copy paste something succinct from one level to the next and experience a huge increase in standards, but ultimately you will not be maximizing it, which is what you need to perform to the level the ABs do. Added to that is the apathy that develops in the whole game as a result of one sides dominance. NZ, Super, and Championship rugby should all experience a boom as a result of things balancing out. That said, there is a lot of bad news happening in NZ rugby recently, and I’m not sure the game can be handled well enough here to postpone the always-there feeling of inevitable decline of rugby.
33 Go to commentsNo SA supporter miss Super Rugby - a product that is experiencing significant head wind in ANZ - the competition from rival codes are intense, match attendance figures are at a historical low and the negativity of commentators such as Kirwan and Wilson have accelerated the downward spiral in NZ. After the next RWC in 2027 sponsors will follow Qantas and start leaving in droves.
2 Go to commentsLike others, I am not seeing the connection between this edition of the Crusaders and the All Blacks future prospects under Razor. I think the analysis of the Crusaders attack recently is helpful because Razor and his coaching team used to be able to slot new guys in to their systems and see them succeed. Several of Razor’s coaches are still there so it would be surprising if the current attack and set piece has been overhauled to a great extent - but based on that analysis, it may have been. Whether it is too many new guys due to injuries or retirement or a failure of current Crusaders systems is the main question to be answered imo. It doesn’t seem relevant for the ABs.
33 Go to commentsharry potter is set in stone. he creates stability and finishes well. exactly what schmidt likes. he’s the ben smith of australian rugby. i think it could quite easily be potter toole and kellaway for the foreseeable future.
5 Go to commentsThis is short sighted from Clayton if you ask me, smacks of too much preseason planning and no adaptability. What if DMac is out for a must win match, are they still only going to bring their best first five and playmaker on late in the game? Trusting the game to someone who wasn’t even part of planning (they would have had Trask pinned in as Jacomb preseason). Perhaps if the Crusaders were better they would not have done this, but either way imo you take this opportunity to play a guy you might need starting in a final rather than having their 12th game getting comfortable coming off the bench.
1 Go to comments