You Shall Not Pass! A Toast To Stephen Donald, The Gandalf of Waikato Rugby
Appearing every few years when New Zealand needs him most, Stephen Donald once again struck fear into the hearts of his country’s enemies last night. Don Rowe places the man they call ‘Beaver’ amongst the finest we’ve ever seen.
Last night Stephen Donald drew a line in the turf over which the entire nation of Wales couldn’t step. Battling a heinous cramp and the vampiric embrace of Father Time, Beaver defended the considerable honour and dignity of Hamilton and the greater Waikato region on just one leg, securing the first Super Rugby victory over a national team and continuing a trend of performing on a Dumbledore level in terms of clutch performances.
With eight of the Chiefs’ All Blacks missing, Stephen Donald was a conspicuous name in a lineup dominated by anonymity. But just as he did when Aaron Cruden left the field on the fateful night of the 2011 World Cup final, Beaver once again rose to the occasion, making hit-ups in midfield, slotting goals without error and even crossing the line in an attempt at an ultimately unsuccessful try near the end of the first half.
It began in the sixth minute, just inside the Welsh half of Waikato Stadium – surely soon to be renamed the Beaver Dam. Taking the ball from Brad Weber at midfield, Donald stepped off his left, slipped a tackle, snuck an offload back to his halfback and preceded to nail the resulting conversion, as well as every kick he attempted thereafter.
On defense he remained tireless, charging the Welsh line deep into their 20th phase on attack. When Welsh captain Sam Warburton left the field shortly into the second half, Beaver remained at his post in a completely Alpha move that will likely see the Welsh captain emotionally and physically diminished in his third game of the week this Saturday.
For those who lived through the era of the ‘Griefs’, when Waikato Stadium seemed permanently shrouded in dark winter fog, this was a particularly proud moment.
The Welsh, led by their starting captain, thoroughly thrashed by a B-level ‘baby Chiefs’ team playing under a guy the world spat on and wrote off as finished almost five years ago – the faithful will be rapturous even now, from Ohaupo to The Outback, Mercer to Mount Maunganui.
Presumably World Rugby will also update their rankings to seat the Chiefs at their rightful #5, one place above the Welsh and several places north of fellow Beaver victims France.
Elsewhere on the park there were bursts of brilliance, particularly from Taleni Seu, who managed to strike a Welsh player in the testicles with a well placed grubber in the 74th minute, a kick which also set up Tony Pulu for a sneaky try to seal the deal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGIGgw1bmYA
No man can win a game of rugby on his own, and it was a superb effort across the board, but it’s names like Churchill we remember throughout history and not those of the average grunt. Just like Churchill, written off in the First World War as some inept butcher, Stephen Donald returned once in 2011, and last night again in the face of serious shade to deliver the goods when his region needed him most.
But the victory cost him dearly. Like Gandalf, who left Middle Earth at the culmination of the Third Age victorious but depleted, Beaver limped from the field in the game’s dying minutes, bathed in glory but in pain nonetheless. He would not convert the last two Chiefs tries, both scored in the last five minutes, but he didn’t need to. Despite creating a small leak in the early second half, the Welsh proved utterly incapable of bursting the dam and never came close to flooding our fertile plateau.
For that, Stephen Donald, we raise a crate bottle of Waikato in your honor, and drink with a hearty “mooloo”.
Comments on RugbyPass
To me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
30 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
30 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
30 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
30 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
30 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
30 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
30 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to commentsI think he is right, SBW is respected in RSA. The guy who never stood up is a worm. Sseems lots of NZ SBW hate, you do the crime do the time.
17 Go to comments