Why the Chiefs can take heart from their one-man destruction at the hands of Jona Nareki
Despite the eventual 39-23 loss that the Chiefs suffered at the hands of the Highlanders on Friday night, there’s genuinely good reason for fans of the embattled franchise to feel optimistic following their opening game of the 2021 season.
Because although they were soundly beaten on the scoreboard – suffering their worst loss since April 2019, the nature of the defeat was so different to how they were bested time and time again throughout their first campaign under Warren Gatland.
Last year, the Chiefs managed to, more often than not, dominate the possession and territory stats. With the ball and position they had, however, they weren’t able to produce any sort of penetrative attack. Time after time, players trucked the ball up into the opposition line but there was no incisiveness or creativity to be found and defenders had no problem bringing the Chiefs to ground.
Come the end of the season, the Chiefs had the second-most carries of any team – just behind the Hurricanes. Damningly, however, they were last in the competition when it came to metres gained per carry (2.4 metres) and linebreaks made per carry (one every 27 runs), illustrating how ineffective their attack was despite having mountains of possession.
They also had the second-most 22-entries of the five franchises (again, behind the Hurricanes), but scored the fewest points and the fewest tries. Opportunity after opportunity presented itself – and the Chiefs failed to land the telling blow.
That wasn’t the case on Friday night, however.
Between Samisoni Taukei’aho, Tupou Vaa’i, Luke Jacobson and reserve Ollie Norris, the Chiefs forwards churned through metres on attack – considerably more than their Highlanders counterparts.
They averaged 3.3 metres per carry, which is more efficient and damaging than even the top-ranked Hurricanes were throughout last year’s Super Rugby Aotearoa season.
The backs were also more dangerous, with Damian McKenzie, Etene Nanai-Seturo, Jonah Lowe and replacement Alex Nankivell all regularly finding holes in the Highlanders defence.
As a whole, the Chiefs made more ground than the Highlanders on attack, beat twice as many defenders as their opposition and controlled territory well throughout the game. In their first three visits to the Highlanders 22, the Chiefs scored three times – one penalty and two tries.
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Their calmness and dominance, combined with a little bit of help from the referee in the form of two yellow cards, helped the side out to a 20-6 lead.
Then disaster struck.
On their fourth visit to the Highlanders 22, Bryn Gatland’s attempted chip over the defence was charged down by Patelesio Tomkinson and ricocheted straight into the arms of Jona Nareki.
Ten seconds later, the Highlanders had their first try of the game – and from that point on, everything went pear-shaped for the Chiefs – or at least that’s what the resulting score would have you believe.
Following Nareki’s first try, the Highlanders piled a further 28 points on the shell-shocked Chiefs. The home side managed just a solitary penalty in response. What was looking like a bonus point win turned into a 16-point loss.
But not everything fell apart for the Chiefs in the 50 minutes that followed Nareki’s length of the field try.
Quantitatively, they were still the better side in many facets of the game – including most of the attacking stats.
Yes, some Highlanders players made some worthwhile contributions throughout the game but, by and large, they were outplayed by their opposites.
Except for one clear, exceptional case.
Nareki, the man who kicked off the Highlanders fight-back, was a constant thorn in the Chiefs side and while it wouldn’t necessarily sit well with some traditionalists or will forever claim that no one individual is bigger than the team, Nareki was bigger than the Highlanders on Friday evening – and he was bigger than the Chiefs too.
Nareki ran for 192 metres throughout the game – 45 per cent of the Highlanders’ total 431 metres. He also made five out of his side’s 11 line breaks and beat nine defenders, half of the Highlanders’ total.
It’s not like Nareki was being given exceptional passes on the outside having already flanked the defensive line either – Nareki was both the creator and the infiltrator when it came to breaking through the Chiefs defence.
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In some way, it almost wasn’t too dissimilar to how the Chiefs struggled at times last season. Little moments – be it knock-ons, poor passes or even the bounce of the ball – cost the Chiefs to varying degrees throughout the 2020 campaign and it was a similar story on Friday just with one major difference.
Nareki was the man who generated the little moments.
In the lead up to the Highlanders’ second try of the night, Sam Cane and Tupou Vaa’i missed straightforward tackles on Nareki (at least as far as any tackle on Nareki can be considered ‘straightforward’) before Brad Weber was also bumped to the ground.
For the Highlanders’ third, Anton Lienert-Brown rushed out of the defensive line to shut Nareki down on the 22 but only succeeded in temporarily slowing the winger before he skipped out of the tackle and headed for the corner.
Nareki’s last of the night was his easiest of the bunch, simply having to touch down in the corner off a pass from Mitch Hunt – but not every winger would have managed to slip inside the covering Damian McKenzie.
That wasn’t the end of Nareki’s involvement, however, with the No 11 slinking past generally safe defender Luke Jacobson to almost create one last score for the Highlanders. Jacobson seemingly thought he had Nareki covered until the Highlander accelerated in a flash and the All Black barely laid a finger on him.
While the Chiefs were generally comfortable keeping the Highlanders at bay, it was when Nareki stepped up to the plate that the game was turned on its head.
That doesn’t excuse the result by any means. The loss hands the 2012 and 2013 champions their 10th on the bounce, tying them with the Highlanders for a New Zealand side’s worst-ever losing streak in Super Rugby (though a quarter of the Highlanders’ did come to Australian and South African teams).
Proud men were made to look like fools by Jona Nareki – and there’ll be plenty more defenders who are also stood up by the former New Zealand Sevens rep as the season progresses.
But aside from their struggles with the one-man wonder, new coach Clayton McMillan will be pleased with the overall performance of his side – and next week’s match against the Crusaders in Christchurch may not be as straightforward a result as many will likely be predicting.
One-on-one misses aside, the Chiefs already look a more dangerous side than 2020’s iteration – and that will reap rewards as the completion unfolds.
Comments on RugbyPass
The 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….
65 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!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 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
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to comments