The key to Waikato's miraculous eight day run
Waikato have concluded a dream eight-day run by claiming their third consecutive win and first successful Ranfurly Shield defence of the season, edging Hawke’s Bay 42-22 at FMG Stadium Waikato on Thursday night.
Another spirited performance from Fijian flyer Sevu Reece ensured Waikato head into an eight-day break with the Ranfurly Shield in tow as Jono Gibbes’ men now sit first on the Mitre 10 Cup Championship table – a miracle turnaround after starting their season with three heartbreaking losses.
First Waikato fended off Premiership contenders Wellington 43-31 at home on Wednesday before toppling Taranaki 33-19 at Yarrow Stadium on Sunday to win the Shield for the 11th time in the union’s history.
Back in front of their home fans the Mooloos perhaps saved their best for last, running away victors in a six-tries-to-three onslaught against Hawke’s Bay to complete what once seemed an unfathomable task and pass their most grueling test of the season with flying colours.
The home side held the visitors, led by former Mooloo man Brad Weber, to just one try in the second half to keep the famous Shield locked away and avoid the dubious title of shortest Shield tenure after an inspired 80-minute effort.
It was Hawke’s Bay who jumped out to an early lead through the aforementioned Weber – hellbent on winning the Shield back for his new province – less than five minutes into the match after the diminutive halfback sliced past three would-be defenders on his way to the line.
It looked like the fatigue stemming from the two previous matches was beginning to show, but Waikato answered shortly after through captain Dwayne Sweeney and never looked back.
Connacht-bound Reece turned the game when he scooped up an overthrown lineout ball and scampered away to score before setting up a Jordan Manihera try to close out the half.
Waikato carried a 21-15 lead into the sheds and turned up the heat once they re-emerged. Reece and 18-year-old midfielder Quinn Tupaea were involved in everything as the home side added three more tries to their tally. New signings Jack Stratton and Fletcher Smith continue to find their feet with their new province as well, with the latter grabbing his first tri-colour try late in the second half to complement a flawless display off the tee.
Waikato outclassed Hawkes Bay in almost every statistical category, chalking up 588 metres with ball in hand, making 24 clean breaks and missing 19 tackles over an impressive 80 minutes. Hawke’s Bay put up figures of 280, six and 35 in the same respective categories.
The key to Waikato’s run has been their emergence as a potent attacking force. Conceding an average of 26 points per game during their winning run meant the attack had to be firing on all cylinders. Over the eight-day span Waikato outscored their opponents 118-72 and put 17 tries on the board, four of which belonged to Duane Monkley Medal leader Reece.
Reece said the Shield – long regarded as one of New Zealand rugby’s greatest rewards – has provided Waikato with an extra boost as they continue to turn their fortunes.
“The short turnaround for us, the Shield has been driving us so much because not everyone gets to play Shield games. We’re so privileged to be playing,” said Reece.
“Trying to fight for the Shield against Naki, we managed to win that, now it’s just defending that and that’s what we did.”
Reece also shrugged off the role fatigue has played during the whirlwind week.
“Everyone’s fatigued but it’s what we do. We’re here to play rugby. It’s our job, so get all the recovery done, tick all of those little boxes and we’re good to go,” Reece said.
“We played Wellington, then Naki. We just set a really good foundation from all that.
“Today we got the result.”
As for personal performance, Reece remains humble. His five total tries currently lead the competition. He picked up three against Wellington and managed a try assist against Taranaki despite limited involvement.
“I just try my best every week to stick to the structure and hopefully get those extra tries coming in. It’s a pretty good feeling,” Reece said.
Assistant coach, former All Black and Waikato winger Roger Randle expressed his pride in the young side after the match.
“Just really proud of 15 points in three games against some really quality opposition. Just so proud of our young group getting some rewards over preparation and what genuine preparation is,” Randle said.
“I think it’s been outstanding. Just as a young group it’s been a big step forward in their short semi-professional careers. We do have a lot of club players and we’re fighting up against a lot of Super guys, but we’re punching above our weight consistently. It’s just good for them to get some positive outcomes.”
Randle also spoke of the expectation that comes with holding the storied Ranfurly Shield.
“It was a different feeling going out and challenging for it [the Shield] and then today there was a definite edge around expectation. I think Hawke’s Bay started really well and put us under a lot of pressure and our set-piece didn’t function as well as we could but to get six converted tries, hang in there and run over the top of them in the second half with the quality of our bench which was really pleasing.”
Waikato will now get a breather as they have an eight-day wait for their next match, a conference clash with Bay of Plenty in Rotorua.
“I think it’s important that we’ve got an eight-day turnaround, and we don’t make that a six-day turnaround by letting ourselves down over the next couple of days,” Randle said. “It’s important we enjoy each other’s company tonight with our family and then recover well tomorrow and get a genuine week’s preparation.”
Waikato will next put up the Shield when they host Southland in two weeks’ time. If they can keep up performances like those seen this week, they may not be letting it go anytime soon.
In other news:
Comments on RugbyPass
> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
3 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
34 Go to commentsI 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? 😂
34 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.
34 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.
34 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
34 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.
34 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.
3 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.
34 Go to comments