Dalton Papalii, Sam Darry, Finlay Christie and Beauden Barrett looks on after losing the round six Super Rugby Pacific match between Chiefs and Blues. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
Dalton Papalii, Sam Darry, Finlay Christie and Beauden Barrett looks on after losing the round six Super Rugby Pacific match between Chiefs and Blues. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
Opinion:
Super Rugby has issues. It’s nothing new, either.
New Zealand derbies, the Chiefs clinging on for victory over the Blues in Hamilton last night the latest example, sit apart from the vast majority of other fixtures.
While the Reds, Rebels, Force and Waratahs, the latter suffering their fifth defeatdespite a spirited effort against the Brumbies in Canberra, prop up the bottom of the ladder this season, four New Zealand teams again set the benchmark.
From a competitive and diversity perspective, Super Rugby is desperately missing South Africa’s presence and Argentina’s Jaguares.
Sure, the Brumbies deserve to be acknowledged for knocking over their counterparts and the Blues this season. But one contender from five in Australia is a seriously underwhelming contribution.
For a competition attempting to re-establish its presence, the story of four other lackluster Australian teams is all-too-familiar. Once again, they are not in the same league as their Kiwi rivals.
While the Fijian Drua inject life, when surrounded by their buoyant home fans at least, such a frustrating landscape leaves punters pining for Kiwi derbies and turning off other highly predictable results.
Two weeks ago, the Crusaders’ victory against the Blues at Eden Park belatedly set the tone as the early match of the season.
With 17 All Blacks squaring off in a World Cup trial of sorts, the Chiefs and Blues cultivated interest long before kickoff. Handling errors in the persistent rain increased in the second half, yet with enough moments to savour and the contest determined on the final play, these are precisely the matches Super Rugby is lacking.
Damian McKenzie’s influence on the Chiefs from first receiver is one of the major reasons why coach Clayton McMillan’s men maintained their unbeaten six-from-six campaign. Never before have the franchise achieved such a start.
McKenzie initially struggled to recapture his best form after returning from Japan last year but with the skip back in his step, his confidence is fully restored.
McKenzie wasn’t blemish-free, with one drop out sailing over the sideline, but his vision, timing, decision-making, goal kicking and variety of kicks from hand are there for all to see.
Damian McKenzie of the Chiefs gets past Rieko Ioane of the Blues. Photo / Photosport
Beauden Barrett didn’t enjoy his finest evening after committing two errors and blowing a certain first half try, that proved costly with the final seven-point margin, by standing on the dead ball line after a desperate late diving effort from Tupou Vaa’i.
Barrett eventually recovered from those touches, however, to demand the ball and assert his influence in the closing stages. He also helped out Blues captain Dalton Papali’i by sending Sam Cane to the sideline with an accidental knee to the groin.
While he chimed in with his playmaking skills, Stephen Perofeta, likewise, made two uncharacteristic mistakes at the back.
Other individual All Blacks battles lived up to the hype, though, with halfbacks Finlay Christie and Brad Weber going head-to-head with snipes and subtle passing skills.
No 8 Hoskins Sotutu continued his strong carries from the back of the scrum and pinched one lineout to trump opposite Luke Jacobson but Caleb Clarke, with one try and four defenders beaten, was the Blues’ standout performer.
Dynamic Chiefs hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho was as prominent with ball in hand and Emoni Narawa, from the left wing, showcased his superb finishing skills with two brilliant tries.
These are the moments largely absent from the Rebels, Reds, Waratahs and Force.
The Blues enjoyed late impact from Ofa Tuungafasi and Patrick Tuipulotu off the bench but another narrow loss against a quality opponent only enhances the sense they are not the same team as last year when they notched 15 straight wins en route to the final.
Defeats to the Brumbies, Crusaders and now Chiefs all point to a lack of composure and execution when it matters most.
On that front alone, coach Leon MacDonald has his work cut out to restore a significantly stronger mental resilience.
McMillan’s Chiefs conversely enter their bye week in ideal shape. Unlike the Blues, this year’s pace-setters have toppled the defending champions and other title contenders to leave no ambiguity about their intentions.
Scott Robertson has resisted any temptation to rotate his side for the All Blacks’ year-ending test against Italy, naming as strong a side as possible for Sunday’s clash.
