'There'll be no punches held back': Whitelock and Retallick set for rare showdown
If you weren’t excited enough for the clash for the clash between the Crusaders and Chiefs on Saturday evening, the head-to-head between Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick will make for an enthraling contest in of itself.
After spending two years in Japan, Retallick is back with the Chiefs this season and will take on the Crusaders for the first time since March of 2019, when the Crusaders dished out a 57-28 thrashing to their opposition in Christchurch.
Whitelock was absent from that match after skipping the opening month of the tournament in preparation for the Rugby World Cup and also missed the prior match between the two sides, meaning he and Retallick haven’t squared off on a rugby field since the opening round of the 2018 competition.
Whitelock and Retallick reunited with the All Blacks last season, which was a relief for many a Kiwi fan, but the chance to see New Zealand’s two premier locks go tête-à-tête should have those same punters licking their licks in anticipation. For Whitelock himself, going up against a teammate and friend will add an extra dash of enjoyment to Saturday night’s clash.
“It’s always great to play against some of your buddies but there’ll be no punches held back, obviously,” Whitelock said ahead of the match. “It’s great knowing them personally but it just means that there’s probably a little bit more of a desire to go out there and play well against your opposition.
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“In saying that, at the same time you can’t be obsessed with who you’re playing against because you don’t actually come up against them all that often. The way teams play now, lineouts, you’re marking different people the whole time. Same with the open field. But it’s just something you’ve got to be aware of and if you do get an opportunity to hopefully get one over your mate, well you try take it any day of the week.”
Despite the limited opportunities that will likely present themselves for the two powerhouses to clash on the pitch, Whitelock and Retallick will undoubtedly prove pivotal to their team’s fortunes in Christchurch.
The Crusaders currently sit second on the Super Rugby Pacific ladder with three wins from three matches while the Chiefs’ defeat at the hands of the Blues’ last weekend means they’re treading water in eighth place. Given the Crusaders’ relatively comfortable run so far, Retallick will be out to do what he does best – getting under the skin of his opposition and disrupting their flow. That might mean pushing the boundaries in contact, whether that’s in open play or at the breakdown, and the Crusaders will have prepared for what looms as an immensely physical contest.
“Any player wants to stick to their strengths and Brodie knows what his strengths are,” Whitelock said. “He’s obviously a very intelligent football player and brings that physical edge. That’s what he wants to do and it’s on us as Crusaders to not allow him to play to his strengths but sometimes talking about it’s one thing and actually doing it’s another.
“The main thing for us as Crusaders is we’ve gotta nail our own systems, our own things we’re trying to achieve, and then deal with that if that comes. We can’t get too worried around looking after one person with the opposition, we’ve got to make sure we sort our own stuff out first and then that normally sorts anything else out.”
The Crusaders and Chiefs have enjoyed a fierce rivalry over the past decade and the visitors will be looking to get revenge over the Crusaders for last year’s Super Rugby Aotearoa final, which ended 24-13 in the home side’s favour.
Saturday night’s match kicks off at 7:05pm NZT.
Comments on RugbyPass
Ben Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
86 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
14 Go to comments