The race to replace Beauden Barrett: Who starts for the Blues in their 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa opener?
There are little more than four weeks until the new Super Rugby Aotearoa season kicks-off, and all five teams across New Zealand are deep into their pre-season campaigns.
For the Blues, the summer months provides them with a chance to lay the foundations to push forward and attempt to finish one place better than last year as they eye their first title since 2003.
Should they clinch either the Super Rugby Aotearoa or Super Rugby Trans-Tasman competitions, it would be quite the achievement given that they will be without star playmaker Beauden Barrett.
The two-time World Rugby Player of the Year is enjoying his six-month sabbatical in Japan, leaving head coach Leon MacDonald without the man who took Super Rugby by storm when he announced his move to Auckland from the Hurricanes in 2019.
Instead, MacDonald has to look elsewhere to fill the first-five and fullback roles, the two positions Barrett donned in his maiden campaign with the Blues last year.
However, Barrett’s foreseeable departure allowed MacDonald to prepare well for his absence, as reflected by the depth of quality within his first-five and outside back stocks.
In the form of veteran first-five Otere Black, the Blues have a trusted and reliable operator in the No. 10 jersey who partnered Barrett in a playmaking axis in five of the franchise’s seven Super Rugby Aotearoa matches in 2020.
Entrusted as the Blues’ primary first-five prior to Barrett’s arrival, Black stands as the leading candidate to resume his duties in the No. 10 jersey in a year where the team will rely on his experience and leadership in a backline brimming with youth.
Where that leaves the exciting Stephen Perofeta remains to be seen.
Equally adept at first-five and fullback, the 23-year-old was often deployed in the No. 15 jersey to work in tandem with Black in the pre-COVID-19 edition of Super Rugby last year.
In fact, the Blues were undefeated in the four matches Black and Perofeta were paired up with each other in playmaking capacities until the competition was suspended in March.
It’s not unreasonable, then, to suggest their pair were key in the franchise’s success that saw them fit in fourth spot with five wins from seven matches at the time of Super Rugby’s suspension.
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Both have played at this level for quite some time now, and with contrasting styles of play – Black is more conservative, with Perofeta possessing greater attacking attributes – the duo seem natural fits to start at No. 10 and No. 15 come their season-opener against the Hurricanes in Wellington on February 27.
But, as mentioned earlier, MacDonald has prepared well for the season-long loss of Barrett, and has taken that opportunity to recruit Zarn Sullivan.
The 20-year-old was a star for Auckland en route to their runners-up finish in the Mitre 10 Cup, where he primarily played at fullback.
It’s at first-five where his future lies, though, having played there as a schoolboy and at representative level, and it’s for that reason he looms as promising prospect capable of slotting straight into the Blues’ dual-playmaking axis.
MacDonald hinted last month that Sullivan could be in line for extensive game time with Barrett out of the selection frame, when he singled out the 1.93m, 101kg youngster as his player to watch for the coming season on The Conversation podcast.
“We’ve got some young players that we’ve signed coming through, who’ve got a lot of potential. I’m pretty excited about some of our younger talent coming through – at fullback in particular,” MacDonald added.
The competition between Sullivan and Perofeta for the No. 10 and No. 15 jerseys is intense enough, but once the additional threats posed by first-five Harry Plummer and fullback Emoni Narawa are taken into account, it seems no player’s place in MacDonald’s starting side is guaranteed.
Even more intriguing is which wings will join Sullivan, Perofeta or Narawa in the Blues’ back three.
If there are any certainties, it would be breakout All Blacks powerhouse Caleb Clarke, who took Super Rugby Aotearoa and international rugby by storm in 2020.
Recently voted by RugbyPass as the best wing in Super Rugby, Clarke has the left wing spot down packed, but who starts on the other wing is anyone’s guess.
In his debut Super Rugby season, Mark Telea started in every match and scored seven tries to make himself at home on the wing.
That should place him as a frontrunner to join Clarke as the two wings, but given how heavily the Blues are stocked out wide, Telea’s place could be taken by any one of in-demand teenager Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, Northland veteran Jone Macilai-Tori or Auckland star AJ Lam.
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Rieko Ioane’s seemingly permanent shift to the midfield makes the back three equation a bit easier to dissect, as he will likely resume his solid partnership with TJ Faiane in the middle of the backline.
Don’t rule the talented Tanielu Tele’a from impressing either in the midfield or on the wing, though, as he looks to bounce back from a 2020 season that was robbed from him by injury.
At halfback, Finlay Christie finished last season as the best No. 9 at the Blues, and probably the fourth-best in the country, as evidenced by his selection as Brad Weber’s back-up for the South Island in the North vs South match.
That should ensure his place in the starting is retained, with fan favourite Sam Nock and Blues Bronco champion Jonathan Ruru jostling for a spot on the bench.
In the pack, the Blues boast some of the strongest depth in the country at both prop and in the loose forwards.
The addition of Nepo Laulala from the Chiefs gives the side four current All Blacks to pick from each week.
A regular starter for the Blues and All Blacks, Ofa Tuungafasi is likely to start the season as the preferred tighthead over Laulala, while Alex Hodgman and Karl Tu’inukuafe interchanged frequently in the pecking orders of their respective sides last year.
The back row trio of Akira Ioane, Dalton Papalii and Hoskins Sotutu was destructively brilliant for the Blues, and it’s hard to imagine MacDonald deviating away from those three when the season kicks-off.
However, one-test All Blacks flanker Dillon Hunt has moved north from the Highlanders, Blues veteran Blake Gibson constantly pushes for starting honours and cult hero Tom Robinson always impresses when not injured, so the competition for the flanker and No. 8 roles will be relentless all season long.
Kurt Eklund leads the charge to claim the starting hooker role after earning selection for the North Island and Maori All Blacks following a successful debut year with the Blues.
Meanwhile, in the second row, captain Patrick Tuipulotu could be partnered with any one of Josh Goodhue – a standout in Super Rugby Aotearoa – or experienced operator Gerard Cowley-Tuioti.
Keep an eye out for highly-touted lock Sam Darry, who made headlines by opting to join the Blues rather than stay in his native Canterbury with the Crusaders.
Potential Blues line-up for first match of 2021 season
1. Alex Hodgman
2. Kurt Eklund
3. Ofa Tuungafasi
4. Patrick Tuipulotu
5. Josh Goodhue
6. Akira Ioane
7. Dalton Papalii
8. Hoskins Sotutu
9. Finlay Christie
10. Otere Black
11. Caleb Clarke
12. TJ Faiane
13. Rieko Ioane
14. Mark Telea
15. Stephen Perofeta
Reserves:
16. James Parsons
17. Karl Tu’inukuafe
18. Nepo Laulala
19. Gerard Cowley-Tuioti
20. Dillon Hunt
21. Sam Nock
22. Zarn Sullivan
23. Tanielu Tele’a
Comments on RugbyPass
Very unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
2 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to commentsI had not considered this topic like this at all, brilliant read. I had been looking at his record at the Waratahs and thought it odd the Crusaders appointed him, then couple that with all that experience and talent departing and boom. They’ve got some great talent developing though, and in all honesty I don’t think anyone would be over confident taking them on in a playoff match, no matter how poor the first half of their season was. I think they can pull a game out of their ass when it counts.
2 Go to commentsNot a bad list but not Porecki and not Donaldson. Not because they are Tahs, or Ex Tahs, they are just not good enough. Edmed should be ahead. Far more potential. Wilson should be 8 and Valentini 6. Wilson needs to be told by his father and his coach, stop bloody running in to brick wall defence. You’re not playing under the genius Thorn any more. He’s a fantastic angle runner. The young new 8 from the Brumbies looks really good too. The Lonegrans are just too small for international rugby as is Paisami, as is Hamish Stewart at 12. Both great at Super Rugby level. Stewart could have been a great 10 if not for Brad Thorn. Uru should be there and so should Tupou. Tupou just needs good Australian coaching which he hasn’t been getting. I don’t think Schmidt will excite him.
3 Go to commentsIf he wants to come back then he should. He will be a major asset to the younger locks and could easily be played as an impact player off the bench coming on in the last 30. He is fit, strong and capable and has all the experience to make up for any loss in physical prowess. He could also be brought back with a view to coaching within the structures one day. Duane Vermeulen played until he was 37 or 38. He is now a roaming coach within the South African coaching structures. He was valuable in the last world cup and has been a major influence on Jasper Wiese and other young players which has helped and accelerated their development and growth. Whitelock could do the exact same thing for NZ
10 Go to commentsBrett Excellent words… finally someone (other than DC) has noted that Hanigan is very hard and very good at doing what Backrow should do… his performance via the Drua sauna was quite daunting for those on the other side… very high tackle count… carries with good end result… constant threat to make a good 20-25 meters with those long legs… providing his mass effectively to crunching the Drua pack… Finally he is returning to quality form… way to much injury time over the last 2 years… smart-strong-competent in his skills… caught every lineout throw aimed at him and delivered clean pass to whoever was down below… and he worked hard for the whole 80 minutes… Ned has to be in the top 5 for backrow honors… He knows what is required as he has been there before…
20 Go to commentsI think Sam Whitelock should not touch a return with a bargepole. He went out on a high, playing in the RWC Final. He would be coming back into a team that will be weaker than last years, and might even be struggling to win games, especially against the Boks. Stay in France, enjoy another year with Pau, playing alongside his brother.
10 Go to commentsRyan Coxon has been very impressive considering he was signed by WF as injury cover whilst Uru has been a standout for QR, surprised neither of those mentioned
3 Go to commentsIt’s the massive value he brings with regard team culture/values, preparation, etc. Can’t buy that. I’m hoping to see the young locks get their chance in the big games though.
10 Go to commentsAll good, Gregor, except that you neglected to mention Sam Darry amongst that talented pool of locks. In fact, given Hannah’s inexperience and the fact that Holland won’t be eligible until next year, Lord and Darry might be the frontrunners this year, to join Barrett, Tuipoluto, Va’ii and possibly Whitelock. In fact there might be room for all of them if Barrett played 6 (like Ollie Chessum).
10 Go to comments