Wynne Gray: Cheers for hard-working stalwarts like Fozzie

Wynne Gray

It was tempting to jot down a bucket list for the Super 14, you know things like the return of rucking, simple laws, finals always in New Zealand.

If Sanzar can do their own thing and organise their series away from the IRB tentacles, it seems logical they can also make their own rules as long as they return to a universal set of laws for internationals. It's tempting but the subject is a little too theoretical.

The next topic is far more earthy, much more direct and about time as most of the folk who wear the Chiefs' regalia would say.

It is in praise of Fozzie or is that Fozzy or Fozzee. It doesn't matter. He's always been called that during a career when he played a thousand games at first five-eighths for Waikato and helped them to all sorts of honours but never quite cracked the All Blacks.

Blokes like Grant Fox, Frano Botica, Jon Preston, Walter Little, Stephen Bachop, Marc Ellis, Simon Mannix and Simon Culhane were preferred in the black jersey and then a young fella called Andrew Mehrtens came along and claimed the job. So not long after Fozzie finished playing in 1998, he dialled into his coaching career.

In year one with the Chiefs, in 2004, he got the side to the playoffs for the first time before they slumped to a series of mid-table finishes. For a while, this season looked no better before the Chiefs graduated to the final. It was a game too far but there was much to applaud about the Chiefs' effort this season.

After three rounds most people had written them off. But to the credit of the staff under Foster and the players under new All Black skipper Mils Muliaina, they battled, fought and then flew to the playoffs. They always had the stellar backs and loosies, the drama was the tight five.

Hika Elliot had been an All Black but he was fourth choice hooker on last year's tour while lock Kevin O'Neill had come off the bench in one test. It was not the greatest set-piece foundation for an arduous tournament and it looked even more grim when the Chiefs were rolled in their opening games.

When the tournament wound up a week ago, the Chiefs were runners-up, though a distant second to the Bulls.

Foster took it on the nose. Like his skipper Muliaina, he spoke directly, he acknowledged the class of the Bulls and their own shortcomings. He was proud and disappointed, he accepted it was a game too far but he was ready for more. So too probably Ben May, James McGoughan, Arizona Taumalolo and Joe Savage. None made the Junior All Blacks but like Foster, the frontrowers made a huge difference after the ropey start to the series. They dug in, they made the scrum work, they offered their zest to the breakdowns and delivered around the field.

Who knows whether this season will be a boost or another blip for Foster and the Chiefs. But away from those uncertainties, time spent with Fozzie is always challenging. He delivers his opinions, he has a keen sense of humour and rarely loses his perspective. His job is high stress and he will take issue with opinions which are vastly different from his own.

It is stimulating to field some of those views just as it has been warming to see his success with the Chiefs this season.