All Blacks coaches Joe Schmidt, Ian Foster and Jason Ryan during the All Blacks Rugby Championship squad announcement at Te Awamutu Rugby Club. Photo / Photosport
All Blacks coaches Joe Schmidt, Ian Foster and Jason Ryan during the All Blacks Rugby Championship squad announcement at Te Awamutu Rugby Club. Photo / Photosport
OPINION:
An explanation...
Those spouting the myth that rugby is dead only needed to look a couple of places this week.
Te Awamutu Rugby Club was filled to the rafters for the special occasion of hosting the All Blacks squad announcement. It was maybe the only time they’ll host it,and the grounding experience of young kids, club stalwarts and current players there to witness the announcement was special. The sport is in safe hands in the grassroots, and I’m told the interest of the squad announcement coverage was sky high on nzherald.co.nz too.
The second is the sold-out Super Rugby final – demand online was incredibly high, even with the ticketing website having a bit of a mare.
The narrative around the Warriors and the NRL forgets a couple of things – league has a strong grip in Auckland but it loosens around most of the rest of the country, and grassroots rugby remains a much bigger sport than the 13-man game.
I love the NRL but there’s a certain media bubble element to overegging how big it is.
All Blacks coaches Joe Schmidt, Ian Foster and Jason Ryan during the All Blacks Rugby Championship squad announcement at Te Awamutu Rugby Club. Photo / Photosport
A question...
Will the benches dictate the destination of the Super Rugby title?
The Crusaders didn’t really need their bench to impact the last two weeks, whereas the Chiefs have required their impact players to get them home in both the quarter-final and semifinal.
The Crusaders certainly aren’t limping to the finish line given their performance last week, but the grunt work had been done in the first half and didn’t require a boost from the bench – which was supposedly their weak point against a much-vaunted Blues 23.
It is however telling the number of times the Chiefs have won games in the last 10 minutes this season – including against the Crusaders in their last meeting in Hamilton. While the benches look relatively even, the Chiefs needing them to dig deep in the last fortnight could play a key role.
An observation...
Tom Christie is one of the most underrated players in New Zealand rugby and doesn’t seem to be anywhere close to All Blacks selection after missing the cut for the All Blacks XV as well.
The argument could be that because of his frame he struggles to make an impact on the carry – his running metres are dwarfed by other sevens around the country – but his industry on the other side of the ball cannot be denied.
He tops the tackle charts with 218 this season and has made 20-plus tackles in three games. Unsurprisingly the top 10 is littered with opensides, with Sam Cane back in seventh, having played four fewer games.
While the selections of the All Blacks pack this week point to wanting big hitters and handy movers, it seems like a missed opportunity not to involve Christie in the All Blacks XV should injury strike. His match-up with the All Blacks skipper tomorrow night is a head-to-head that also could have a major say in which side is lifting the title.
Tom Christie of the Crusaders. Photo / Photosport
A suggestion...
This is the last time the five foundation New Zealand sides will line up all in Adidas uniforms. The rumour mill suggests Classic Sportswear – who provide for a bunch of NRL sides – has done a deal with all five to take over the Super Rugby apparel from 2024, after the Super Rugby teams were allowed to be excluded from New Zealand Rugby’s arrangement with Adidas.
A prediction...
The Classic Sports logo has a Kangaroo in it, which may be about as close as an Australian gets to winning Super Rugby in the next wee while.
