There is a reason why Aaron Cruden's All Black-ship has already sailed
Aaron Cruden didn’t end up in France by accident.
His behaviour, for a start, had become an embarrassment and distraction to the Chiefs and All Blacks, never mind the quality of his rugby.
Cruden is a good player and it’s nice that he’s getting a Super Rugby farewell, but let’s not use a game and a half of footy as the basis to re-write history.
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The first five-eighth had a poor series against the British and Irish Lions in 2017. Cast in the role of finisher, Cruden’s performances off the bench lacked authority and accuracy and (even worse) took too much ball out of Beauden Barrett’s hands.
If All Blacks coach Steve Hansen had his time again, you suspect he’d have kept Barrett at 10 in those games rather than pushing him out to fullback to accommodate the ineffective Cruden.
Chiefs coach Dave Rennie was one of the all-time Aaron Cruden enthusiasts, dating back to their days in Manawatu. But even he came around to the idea that Damian McKenzie deserved to be the Chiefs’ first-five instead.
So off Cruden went to club football in France where, almost from the very beginning, reports emerged that his body was breaking down and form was ordinary.
Would he come back to New Zealand? Maybe he could reunite with Rennie, now that he’d gone to Scotland? Anywhere but France – where no-one appeared to rate him – sounded like a good option.
The Kobelco Steelers, in Japan, offered the 31-year-old a superannuation plan, after Montpellier got rid of him early, which has also afforded him a stint back with the Chiefs.
Again, that’s nice. When a team and player have shared some good times, no-one begrudges them wanting to get back together again.
But let’s not forget why Cruden left or pretend he’s played nothing but blinders all his life. Sure, he was handy in the Chiefs’ week two win over the Crusaders but compared to who? The fullback filling in at first five-eighth for the other team?
If Cruden, even at this stage of his career, isn’t a better 10 than David Havili, then he needn’t worry about semi-retirement in Japan. He should give the game away entirely.
What about week one, when Cruden got lucky with a kick or two in the comeback win over the Blues? Overall he was okay, but anyone can look a real game manager when the opposition first-fives are the erratic Stephen Perofeta and Harry Plummer.
The idea that these performances merit Cruden selection in the All Blacks – notwithstanding the inconvenient fact he’s contracted in Japan – is just laughable. I get that we’re all in the hyperbole business and talking points, no matter how absurd, help generate online clicks, but let’s not make fools of ourselves.
The fact that new All Blacks head coach Ian Foster was prepared to entertain the idea, while making a television appearance last week, probably speaks for itself.
Watch: Ian Foster discusses whether Cruden will be considered for the All Blacks
New Zealand’s best first five-eighth – Beauden Barrett – is yet to play this season, while heir apparent Richie Mo’unga has had a couple of outings. Not fit enough to kick goals, Mo’unga still looked pretty bloody useful as the Crusaders beat the Blues last Friday.
Beyond them, McKenzie will be a pivotal playmaking option for the All Blacks this year, having recovered from knee surgery. On 2018’s Northern Tour, McKenzie was just about New Zealand’s only attacking threat and, barring injury, you imagine he would have played fullback again last year with Barrett at first five-eighth.
With Mo’unga offering an option off the bench, that’s surely all the game-drivers the All Blacks need. If not, then there’s always room for a Jordie Barrett or Havili in the reserves as well.
Quite why Cruden would be required too is a mystery.
That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy his Super Rugby swansong. In all honesty, with he and McKenzie in the mix, and Warren Gatland as head coach, the Chiefs ought to be good enough to win the whole competition.
But that’s enough. There’s no need to add a final All Blacks chapter as well.
Some guys leave New Zealand before their time. They have family or financial issues to consider, or a rival player or unsympathetic coach blocking their way.
Cruden’s not one of those. He’d been given a good crack – 50 tests worth to be exact – without ever quite making the All Blacks’ No.10 jersey his own.
It’s been a good career and he should be proud, but let’s leave it at that.
Former Hurricane Michael Fatialofa makes a massive step towards recovery:
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> 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.
7 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.
45 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?
8 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.
8 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.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 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 comments