The Brumbies employed an effective strategy against the Blues. Photo / Getty
The Brumbies employed an effective strategy against the Blues. Photo / Getty
OPINION:
Phil Gifford presents six talking points from the latest round of Super Rugby Pacific.
Flair alone won’t do it
The Blues let themselves down in their 25-20 loss to the Brumbies.
Coaches age early when penalties are being awarded in the sort of relentless succession they were against theBlues in the early stages of the game. A one-eyed Kiwi couldn’t even have the satisfaction of blaming an Aussie ref, given that Ben O’Keeffe, who in the first 10 minutes had the Blues down to 13 men, comes from Marlborough.
The Brumbies provided a cruel lesson, one better learned now than later in the season. No matter how gifted your attackers are, they need a base to work from.
In their glory days, in the early 2000s, the Brumbies usually only ran the tactical gamut from A to B. Kick for territory, rumble the ball up, and if you score a try with a rolling maul, kick penalties. It was tedious then, it’s pretty tedious now, but as the Blues found out, it works. How the Blues learn to deal with relentless efficiency may decide their season.
Two bright spots for the Blues
Tom Robinson’s 50-metre dash for his 29th-minute try was the sort of explosive brilliance that keeps you hooked on the game. A forward shouldn’t be able to out-run backs. When they do it’s a moment to treasure.
Hopefully it was only cramp that saw Roger Tuivasa-Sheck limping off in the 80th minute. Until then he played like a man who had decided that it was time to stop almost hiding his huge gifts by seeking to always set up others. Tuivasa-Sheck the open-field runner is a sight we’ll hopefully see a lot more of this season.
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was impressive for the Blues. Photo / photosport.nz
The first-half version looked fantastic
The Chiefs of 2023 were sensational in the second half against the Crusaders last weekend, and in the first half against Moana Pasifika in Melbourne. What was a little weird was that as the bench rolled out in Melbourne, what had been a deserved halftime lead of 38-3 gradually drained away until, although the final winning margin of 52-29 was still comfortable, Moana basically owned the second half.
Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan’s not a man who panics, but he’ll be running a very close eye over how things stopped progressing when the old-school core of Brodie Retallick and Sam Cane left the field.
The name fits
There’s rarely been a more impressive debut performance than the fearless, dynamic display against the Chiefs by 23-year-old Moana’s Miracle Fai’ilagi, the first player signed by the team directly from Samoa.
Fai’ilagi has speed, skill, and carries plenty of raw-boned strength in his 103kg frame. But what impressed the most as he challenged international veterans like Cane, was his work rate. Success in professional rugby will allow Fai’ilagi to assist his family back home, and, after just one game, it’s obvious he’s committing heart and soul to the task.
The sad side of sport
The story of Pita Gus Sowakula, who was back to his explosive best in Melbourne, is tinged with sadness. The Lautoka-born loose forward would be a huge asset to Fiji at the World Cup this year, but two tests as a substitute for the All Blacks last year mean he can’t be considered. He was quickly discarded by New Zealand, and, in the brutal world of cross-country representation, his chance to shine in the Cup in France is lost.
Pita Gus Sowakula shone against Moana Pasifika. Photo / photosport.nz
Will Ardie plead mitigation?
Now it’s been announced that Ardie Savea’s throat-cutting gesture will be examined by Sanzaar’s foul play review committee tonight, it’ll be interesting to see if Savea continues to apologise, say he’s sorry he got it wrong, and leave it there.
When you examine the video it’s clear Savea is not happy about something being said by Rebels halfback Ryan Louwrens. It might need more beeps than South Park for public consumption, but it would be fascinating to hear the dialogue between Savea and Louwrens that sparked the thumb across the throat.
Would it be a get out of red card gaol? Probably not, and Savea may choose to follow the path set way back in 1999, when Andrew Mehrtens, after dropping a goal in Pretoria that snatched a one-point win for the Crusaders over the Bulls, fired off a double-handed middle finger gesture to the noisy local crowd.
Mehrtens, like Savea, a player who played his whole career without a penalty for physical foul play, apologised straight after the game. Five days after the match in Pretoria, the New Zealand Rugby Union announced there’d been an investigation. They wouldn’t reveal details but it was believed Mehrtens had been fined, for a sum that’s never been disclosed.
