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The favourite for the Most Valuable Player in this year's Super Rugby Pacific
With the first-ever edition of Super Rugby Pacific just around the corner, the RugbyPass Round Table writers from New Zealand and Australia – Alex McLeod (AM), Ben Smith (BS), Tom Vinicombe (TV), Nick Turnbull (NT), Jack O’Rourke (JO) and Jordan King (JK) – deliver their verdicts on how the upcoming 2022 season will pan out.
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Richie Mo’unga has been the Most Valuable Player of Super Rugby Aotearoa by some distance over the last two seasons, while Queensland Reds flyhalf James O’Connor was voted the best player in Super Rugby Australia last year by the fans.
With Mo’unga sitting out the starting rounds of the competition and O’Connor currently under a Covid cloud, will there be a new MVP in the first edition of Super Rugby Pacific?
Who will end the season as Super Rugby MVP?
AM: It has to be Richie Mo’unga, doesn’t it? Yes, he won’t feature at all for the Crusaders for at least the first three weeks of the competition due to a contractual clause, but his pedigree at this level is undeniable.
The Christchurch-based franchise have won five titles in the last five years, and two individuals have been absolutely vital to their championship-winning campaigns: head coach Scott Robertson and Mo’unga.
You have to wonder just how successful the Crusaders would have been in recent times without either of those two.
Mo’unga has been derided for his inability to replicate his Super Rugby feats in an All Blacks jersey, but his playmaking brilliance has been central to the Crusaders’ glut of trophies, and it wouldn’t surprise to see him shine in another title run this season.
If he is out of action for longer than anticipated, then either one of Beauden Barrett or Rieko Ioane could go close as the hype surrounding the Blues continues to grow.
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However, my money for this year’s Super Rugby Pacific MVP is on Mo’unga.
BS: Beauden Barrett is set for a big year with the Blues as he embarks on what could be the last couple years of his New Zealand career.
The light at the end of the tunnel, being the 2023 Rugby World Cup, is in sight, so knowing that milestone is near may bring out his best again.
His first two years with the Auckland club were non-committal, enjoying his time off in 2020 and heading to Japan for a sabbatical in 2021. It’s now time to give his all to the club.
Refreshed from his time off, he was also back in top form with the All Blacks last year before his concussion against Ireland. Barrett is primed to lead the Blues to the promised land and dominate Super Rugby once again.
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Whether Richie Mo’unga is in the conversation again depends on how long he sits out of the early stages of the season with the Crusaders.
If he is back sooner than later, he will definitely be in the mix for Super Rugby’s MVP as no player shines at Super Rugby level like Mo’unga.
TV: If anyone needed a reminder of what Rieko Ioane is capable of, the converted midfielder brought it in spades in 2021 and was a constant menace for opposition defenders, whether at Super Rugby or international level.
With the Blues boasting the depth they now possess after a few solid years of recruitment, you suspect they’ll push the Crusaders all the way this year and Ioane will play a big part in that potential success.
Given Ioane is now really only entering his third season playing full-time in the midfield, this is when you suspect the 24-year-old is ready to perform week-in and week-out and lead by example.
With other X-factor players like Beauden Barrett, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Caleb Clarke in the back line, defences may have to invest less time in focussing on Ioane, which could open the door for him to run rampant.
NT: I can’t split Michael Hooper for the Waratahs, Sam Cane for the Chiefs or Ardie Savea of the Hurricanes. Each are so important to their respective teams and for their teams’ futures beyond 2022.
I don’t think any of them will be genuine title contenders this season, but if either side is going to win a title within the next five years, it will come off the back of the legacy each of these extraordinary players leave on their younger playing group.
I actually expect each to take their own performances to a new level, and from this three, our competition will find its MVP.
JO: Tongan Thor. Reds powerhouse Taniela Tupou is arguably the world’s best prop right now and will soon command almost $1 million a season.
It’s crazy to think a prop could win Super Rugby MVP though, isn’t it? Unless…
JK: You’d be silly to go past Richie Mo’unga given his track record and influence with the red and blacks. Some may point to his unavailability in the opening rounds to work against him in claiming this award, but I think the opposite is true.
If the Crusaders get off to a slow start, I can think of no better player to have back in the mix and help right the ship.
Should they get off to a flyer, though, imagine how hard it would be to game plan for an in-form team with arguably the greatest Super Rugby player there’s ever been yet to be inserted and waiting to feed off that groove.
Comments on RugbyPass
It’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
2 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
24 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
1 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
1 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
2 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to commentsAnd the person responsible for creating a culture of accountability is?
3 Go to commentsMore useless words from Ben Smith -Please get another team to write about. SA really dont need your input, it suck anyway.
264 Go to commentsThis disgraceful episode must result in management and coach team sackings. A new manager with worse results than previous and the coaching staff need to coached. Awful massacre led by donkeys.
1 Go to commentsInteresting article with one glaring mistake. This sentence: “And between the top four nations right now, Ireland, France, South Africa, and New Zealand…” should read: And between the top four nations right now, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France…”. Get it right wistful thinkers, its not that hard.
24 Go to commentsHow did Penny get the gig anyway?
3 Go to commentsNice write up Nick and I would have agreed a week ago. However as you would know Cale & co got absolutely monstered by the Blues back row of Sotutu, Ioane and Papaliti and not all of these 3 are guaranteed a start in the Black jumper. He may need to put some kgs before stepping up, Spring tour? After the week end Joe will be a bit more restless. Will need to pick a mobile tough pack for Wales and hope England does the right thing and bashes the ABs. I like your last paragraph but I would bring Swinton, Hannigan into the 6 role and Bobby V to 8
24 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can still get in to the Play Off’s. The imminent return of outstanding captain Scott Barrett and his All Black team mate Codie Taylor will be a big boost.There are others like Tamaiti Williams too. Two home games coming up. Fellow Crusader fans get there and support these guys. I will be.
1 Go to commentsCant get more Wellington than Proctor.
2 Go to commentsWhy not let the media decide. Like how they choose the head coach. Like most of us we entrust the rugby system to choose. A rugby team includes the coaches. It's collective.
14 Go to commentsHi NIck, I have been very impressed with him and he seems a smart player who can see opportunities which Bobby V _(who must be an international 6_) doesn’t see or have the speed to take advantage of. If he continues to improve and puts on 5kgs then he could be a great 8. He is a bit taller than Keiran Reid at 1.93m and 111 kgs, so his skill set fits his body size and who knows where it will lead. I hope the spate of Achilles tendon issues have been dealt with by the S&C people. It’s been a very long time since Mark Loane and Kefu stood out at 8. The question is will we be able to hold onto him, if he does make it he will be pretty hot property. I disagree with the idea of letting them go to the Northern Hemisphere and then bring them back.
24 Go to commentsBilly Fulton 🤣🤣🤣🤣 garrrmon not even close
14 Go to commentsDoes the AI take into account refs? hahaha Seriously why not have two on field refs to avoid bias?
24 Go to comments