'You're gonna see a lot of players turning up in different teams'
While the impacts of Covid and injuries aren’t foreign to any of Super Rugby’s head coaches, there’s one new factor that the New Zealand franchises will have to contend with in 2022: the addition of a sixth team in the form of Moana Pasifika.
In years gone by, the top 150 to 200 players in NZ have picked up full-time contracts and when injuries have struck, the next best cabs off the rank have received call-ups and sometimes gone on to make massive impacts throughout the season.
That’s been especially true for the Chiefs. In 2018, a propping injury crisis saw replacement players Karl Tu’inukuafe and Angus Ta’avao brought into the team, with both players earning significant minutes throughout the season and going on to make their test rugby debuts later that year. It was a similar story with Tupou Vaa’i in 2020.
With Moana Pasifika joining the mix this season, however, and recruiting their own squad of almost 40 players, the pool of replacements has undoubtedly been hit hard.
It’s clear already from the pre-season that the majority of the next tier of players are already earning their stripes at the six franchises around the country with the likes of wing Freedom Vahaakolo set to run out for the Crusaders this weekend and loose forwards Tom Florence and Mitch Jacobson suiting up for the Chiefs.
While those players would normally semi-commit to a club once joining up with them at any stage during the season, that’s unlikely to be the case in 2022 according to Chiefs head coach Clayton McMillan.
“I just don’t think we’re going to have that luxury this year,” McMillan said ahead of the Chiefs’ pre-season match with Moana Pasifika. “I think you’re gonna see a lot of players turning up in different teams over the course of the competition.
“That’s something we’ve sort of spoken about as coaches, to maintain the integrity of the competition, to make sure that we’ve got good players and specialist players in certain positions, the only way we can sort of achieve that is to accept that players will be able to move from one club to another through the duration of the season.”
With the six teams all basing themselves in Queenstown for the opening weeks of the competition, as of this weekend, it also means the work done late last year and throughout January could prove crucial down the line when replacement players are called up with little notice, with McMillan indicating the Chiefs will likely travel with just their full-time contracted squad members.
“Our priority in Queenstown will be to take our fully contracted players down there – the exception being if we’ve got a couple of dings in a certain position that opens the door for a replacement player to come down,” McMillan said. “But those guys have got a lot to play for [in this Friday’s pre-season hit-out].
“I think that Covid will definitely play a part in the availability of players through the competition. Injury always plays a part. A lot of the guys that have been in as replacement players through all of the franchises … while they’re probably disappointed to know that their journey might end, at the moment, after the weekend’s games, I don’t think many of them will miss an opportunity to play Super Rugby if they stay ready over the next couple of months.”
McMillan was also complimentary of the work those replacement players have done over the past month, especially with the All Blacks only returning to duty earlier this week.
“I’ve been really stoked with all the guys that we’ve brought in,” he said. “They come in and they’re sponges, they want to learn. And they’ve been critical for us. I think we’ve had a good pre-season. We’ve still got a couple of weeks to go but I’m really happy with where we’re at and they play a big part in that. We’ve got 10, 11 All Blacks that have only just turned up yesterday. Today might have been their first full day of training. So that’s a fair chunk of players and you just can’t move forward unless you’ve got the numbers.
“So those guys played a critical role and they’ve been privy to all the team work we do on the field but also the cultural stuff and everything that we feel makes us special off the field, they’re part of that. And when they leave, we’re sad to see them go and we hope we are able to provide them with an opportunity somewhere down the track when the opportunity arises.”
The Chiefs are set to take on Moana Pasifika this Friday before both sides travel down to Queenstown over the weekend ahead of the February 18 kick-off.
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
20 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
8 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
72 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
20 Go to commentsHas virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
8 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
2 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
15 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
20 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
20 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
20 Go to commentsthe success of the premiership can be summarized by : only 10 teams. It makes a huge difference with the overcrowded top 14 (let us not talk about Leinster and URC…)
2 Go to comments