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It’s easy to imagine every rugby fan, no matter their colours, enjoying the way Damien McKenzie plays his rugby. Even so, there are many in New Zealand who doubt his pedigree as an All Black: ‘too small, too brittle, too brilliant’.
Too brilliant? Meaning flashy but prone to the odd thing not coming off? Hey, I’ll take that any day, as would Chiefs fans who had McKenzie to thank for escaping with a 16-16 draw against the Blues in Auckland.
What McKenzie has is durability. He did not miss a game last season, bouncing straight back up from a rib-missile from Augustine Pulu. He also is blessed with electricity and pace, as evidenced by his slicing try right on half-time.
He has a cool head too; his cross kick to Johnny Faauli for the thrilling, tying score was perfectly thought out and executed. If he had his time again though, Faauli might consider not aiming his dive at the camera in the corner but heading inwards, somewhere more adjacent to the posts.
In truth, had Aaron Cruden converted the try it would have been a travesty. The Blues are without a win against a New Zealand franchise this year (sound familiar?), but they deserved every bit of this draw and, had Piers Francis not missed a late penalty from a handy spot, the game would have been theirs. It’s scant consolation but on a wet night, over 120 run metres from Rieko Ioane was an outstanding effort.
The Force showed the benefit of a couple of nights in their own beds, emerging from an entertaining scrap with the Reds as the more organised team, with better composure and discipline to play to their game plan. 40-26 was, in the end, a fair and just reflection.
No. 9 Michael Ruru enjoyed his best Super Rugby match, always seeming in control, marshalling his forwards in that old-fashioned halfback way, and using his raking left foot to great effect on the exit from defence. Halves partner Peter Grant deserves credit too, if only for his astonishing tackle on Nick Frisby, preventing a certain try.
After some early backline promise, the longer the match went the more the Reds backs faded out of the game, the rolling lineout maul becoming their only real attacking threat. But it was their horrible discipline that hurt coach Nick Stiles most, with Frisby and Eto Nabuli receiving yellow cards, too many tackles slipping too high, and a ridiculous offside penalty when three players obviously ahead of a kick somehow all believed that the officials wouldn’t notice.
(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
The Sunwolves get a soft run from many fans, this writer included, partly because they have the cards stacked heavily against them, partly because their home fans are awesome and partly because they (usually) attempt to play a good brand of attacking rugby.
Perhaps every team is excused an off day, but this Wolves effort against the Cheetahs was easily their poorest this season. Without inspirational No.8 Willie Britz, it was as if coach Filo Tiatia had sent them out solely to test their defence: ‘every time you get the ball boys, drop it or grubber it back to them so they can keep running at us’.
Primary offenders were flyhalf Yu Tamura and fullback Kotaro Matsushima, who might do well to consider that if you’re going to get your hair cut in the style of a toilet brush, best you don’t play like your next job will actually be cleaning the dunnies.
That the Cheetahs were only ahead by 7-0 until the stroke of halftime spoke volumes for their inadequacies as well. In the end they blew it out to 47–7, in a game best quickly forgotten.
A far more enthralling contest ensued in Dunedin, with the Waratahs, for good portions of the match, looking as fluid and dangerous as they have all season. They showed clever – if long overdue – thinking, in finding a way to get Taqele Naiyarovoro one on one with Ben Smith, close to the line, with a lovely long pass from Nick Phipps off his left hand setting up the try.
But the big aircraft carrier was exposed in the second half, too slow on the turn to stop Tevita Li scoring off an exquisite Malakai Fekitoa chip. Last week’s star, Siua Halunukonuka, was denied a spectacular try by lacking a half yard of pace and forgetting this time to goose-step, although he had the presence of mind to lay the ball back inches from the line, to ensure the try anyway.
That try was one disputed by Tahs fans, although not in the same league as the first half score by Richard Buckman, who was somehow ruled to be onside from a deflected kick when the evidence suggested otherwise. Better news was a cameo full of spunk and spark from halfback Jake Gordon, earning him two nice tries.
(AAP Image/Craig Golding)
In the end, the Highlanders won, not because of the officials, but because they ramped up their effort at the breakdown in the second half, and harnessed their considerable scoring power. Theirs will almost certainly be an away final, and their opponent, whoever that will be, will not have it easy.
In Melbourne, predictions of a rout were off the mark, the Rebels scrapping hard to win the second half 12-10 against the high-flying Crusaders, although the visitors had already made the game safe, leading 31-7 at halftime.
Afterwards, I suggested to Crusaders captain Sam Whitelock that he’d put the 13 jersey on by mistake, such was the regularity and ease with which he roamed the wide channels. Whitelock modestly replied that it was just one of those nights when the ball goes your way a bit. Even so, it was what he did with it, his handling and his awareness, that impressed.
The ball also ran the way of fullback David Havili, impressive in sparking play from the back with sharp, elusive running and handling the heavy contact as well. This is a team that seems perfectly balanced and in harmony with each other. They play at pace, relentless in both attack and defence with their willingness to keep the contest ticking over.
They have some tough games ahead but you sense that this is a special team in the making.
There were no prizes for guessing the Rebels’ standout player, No. 8 Amanaki Mafi yet again putting in a superhuman shift, seemingly everywhere across the park. His long run and one-handed pass to send Marika Koroibete in for his second try brought the house down; an all too rare ‘wow moment’ for the Rebels this season.
(AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Things turned dark however in the 72nd minute, when Sean McMahon reeled away from innocuous looking contact in severe pain. The early diagnosis is a dislocated and fractured wrist which will have him back on the sidelines for an extended period. Horrible luck for the Wallabies, and for a dedicated young man who deserves better.
In Pretoria, the Hurricanes scored from the kick-off, a try to the player that match caller Owen Nkumane infuriatingly kept referring to as Jodie Barrett. I know they’re a talented family but don’t try and tell me their sister is in line for the All Blacks too?
The ‘Tongan Bear’ Loni Uhila was busy, superbly laying on two tries with quick hands, but in the end, the Hurricanes struggled to dominate the match to the extent they might have hoped. This was in large part due to a determined effort by the Bulls, who played positively; flyhalf Tiaan ‘the Lighthouse’ Schoeman and centre Burger Odendaal running hard and often.
Durban offered an old-fashioned arm-wrestle, the up-and-down Sharks eventually getting the result over the Stormers, 22-10, due to a disciplined and effective defensive effort.
Of all the potential finalists they are the most limited in scope, but where they can stay in the scrap, as they did in the match, and against the Brumbies in Canberra, they can be hugely effective.
The Stormers are starting to disappoint a couple of times too many, the magic of their pulsating home win against the Chiefs growing more distant by the day. Their defeat means that the Blues, languishing in last place in the New Zealand conference, remain ahead on points of two of the three conference leaders.
Two nice finishes from the pacy Tom Banks helped the Brumbies secure a bonus point win against the Jaguares, all but securing their spot at the top of the Australian conference. This has been a valuable short tour for the Brumbies, working their way out of a flat period, and finding better balance to their play.
The conference isn’t done and dusted yet, but their destiny is well and truly in their own hands, and there would need to be a remarkable set of events to allow any of the Waratahs, Force or Reds to sneak through at the death.
There’s an old saying that if you can’t say anything good about someone then it’s best not to say anything at all. In which case I’m not going to say anything about the Jaguares.
Finally this week, to the north, where the Pro 12 and English Premiership were both decided. Celtic league honours this year rest with Wales, the Scarlets completing an impressive six tries to three win over Munster.
In front of 79,000 fans at Twickenham, the final between a Kurtley-less Wasps and the Exeter Chiefs was an epic, Wasps ahead by 20-17 and 90 seconds away from the title when No.8 Nathan Hughes plucked the ball out of a ruck despite referee JP Doyle imploring him not to do so.
It was a shame for Hughes who, for the rest of the match was a one-man wrecking machine, leading Wasps back into the match after Exeter’s enterprising start.
Twenty additional minutes was a burdensome grind for two already exhausted sides, Exeter prevailing with a penalty goal, after minutes earlier being denied by the TMO what looked suspiciously like the winning try. Final score 23-20, and further evidence that the club game in England is in rude health.
The French Top 14 final will be held next weekend between Toulon and Clermont-Auvergne, who beat La Rochelle and Racing 92 respectively. Perhaps we will see a repeat of a strange moment in the first semi-final where Toulon centres Mathieu ‘Big’ Bastareaud and James ‘Brand’ O’Connor deliberately head-butted each other in a moment that was either over-excitement or sheer stupidity.
Judging by the amount of peroxide ‘the Brand’ has washed through his hair, my money is on the latter.
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