Super Rugby shake up: Hurricanes dominate and Crusaders in crisis - Phil Gifford

Cormac Daly (centre) of the Reds celebrates winning the Super Rugby Pacific Round 3 match between the Queensland Reds and the Chiefs at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Saturday, March 9, 2024. Photo / Photosport

OPINION

Phil Gifford runs through the talking points after the latest round of Super Rugby Pacific.

When the form charts blow to bits

In a weekend of worldwide upsets, it was hard to pick between the Reds beating the apparently invincible Chiefs, 25-19, in Brisbane, England squeaking past Ireland, 23-22, or, in perhaps the most sensational result of all, Italy’s 31-29 home victory over Scotland.

In Super Rugby Pasifika, it means the only unbeaten team after the first three rounds are the Hurricanes, who disposed of the Blues, 29-21, while the Crusaders are living a nightmare, sharing the bottom rungs of the table with the Western Force.

Hail the Canes

The game in Wellington had brilliance, especially in the slashing breaks by the Canes’ wing, Kini Naholo, and a fascinating individual clash at halfback between the Canes’ Cam Roigard and the Blues’ Finlay Christie.

Naholo scored himself in the 42nd minute, and 15 minutes later ripped through three tackles, then coolly handed the ball on to Riley Higgins, for a try that put the game out of reach.

Roigard and Christie provided a classic contrast in styles. Roigard is the more physical, capable of spotting a gap near the breakdown and having the speed and strength to exploit it. Christie is the passer, lightning fast getting to the ball and clearing it. Which man will best suit the way Scott Robertson wants the All Blacks to play is one of many intriguing selection questions this year.

Touches of a test

There was the feel of test match rugby in the battle in Brisbane between the Chiefs and the Reds. Due respect was paid to the home team by the Chiefs, who generally took goal-kicking options, rather than kicking for attacking lineouts. The approach paid off, with a hard-won 19-18 lead after 56 minutes.

Then, in a moment that managed to combine slapstick comedy with heartbreak, a hopeful long kick from the Reds looked well covered by Damian McKenzie and Etene Nanai-Seturo. But the ball suddenly slewed off the flinty surface, away at a crazy angle from the Chiefs’ defenders, into the arms of Reds’ centre Josh Flook, who loped in for the try. With the conversion it was 25-19 to the Reds, and basically game over.

Folau Fakatava (left) and Sam Gilbert of the Highlanders celebrate their win over the NSW Waratahs at Allianz Stadium in Sydney. Photo / Photosport

Oh, happy day

As the Crusaders’ grim season unfolds, the Fijian Drua steamed past them in the second half in Lautoka, to win 20-10.

Teams travelling better than the current Crusaders have stumbled in the open-air sauna that is Churchill Park on a March afternoon. You need at least a 10-point buffer at halftime to beat the Drua in Lautoka.

At 10-all after 40 minutes on Saturday, the demise of the Crusaders was inevitable.

Where the news gets even worse for coach Rob Penney and his team is that the Crusaders’ first home game, on Friday night, is against the Hurricanes, whose momentum is building every weekend.

For the Crusaders to topple the Canes will take as massive an effort as there has ever been in the team’s impressive history.

The South is rising again

While the 23-21 victory for the Highlanders in Sydney did depend on new Waratahs’ star, Tane Edmed, missing a penalty in extra time, there were more signs that the Landers are in for a better year than 2023 was, when nine of 14 games were lost.

The heart of the narrow win came in the form of staunch defence, Sam Gilbert’s expert goal-kicking, the class of Welshman, Rhys Patchell, at first-five, and a touch of magic from centre Taniielu Tele’a, taking a high pass one-handed, and evading two defenders for a brilliant 64th-minute try.

Cruel but fair

In the Highlanders anxiety stakes, it was probably a photo finish between coach Clarke Dermody, captain Billy Harmon, and star flanker Sean Withy, over who was the most stressed about Harmon and Withy being on the bench for the start of the game in Sydney.

Their offence was apparently minor, arriving a little late for a team meeting. But the best teams are unyielding about discipline. To allow Harmon latitude because he’s the captain, for example, would have sent the worst possible message about some players being more privileged than others.

Still stones in the passway

There’s a lot to like about how Moana Pasifika play the game, and the concept of a better pathway for Pacific Island players is admirable. But it was disconcerting to see the Melbourne Rebels, a group who you’d feel would be unsettled by the dire financial position their club is in, taking the game in Hamilton, 29-23.

Despite having to travel a lazy 5347km to Perth this week, to play the Force, who are zero for three games, will hopefully give Moana a chance to regain composure.

Phil Gifford has twice been judged New Zealand sportswriter of the year, has won nine New Zealand and two Australasian radio awards, and been judged New Zealand Sports Columnist of the year three times. In 2010 he was honoured with the SPARC lifetime achievement award for services to sports journalism.