How New Zealand's Super sides aimed up tactically in week 1, plus an all time horror show from Highlanders duo

There was plenty  of interest in the new law variations in the opening week of Super Rugby Pacific as to how sides would tactically handle the shorter set piece breaks, as well as the law keeping those annoying halfbacks in their own boxes.

Here’s how the Kiwi sides handled the start of a new era.

Crusaders vs Chiefs

The first game of the year could well be the last game of the year when the time comes.

All Blacks coach in waiting Scott Robertson got a bit of a lesson from his opposite on Friday night and one call in particular was the winning and losing of the game. The Crusaders were sent out with four players who had not had a run out in the preseason, where the Cantabs racked up a couple of losses, and it showed in cohesion, individual performance and skills execution, but also in the not matching the demands of the faster game.

This game was similar to what we saw in the Ireland – France game in the Six Nations couple of weeks ago. The best part of 80 kicks in play were barely noticed because of the quality of the game overall, but the match was won/lost at the decision/patience table.

After a solid opening stanza in the 10 shirt Damian McKenzie went right off script in the second half of the opening half with errors leading to a Crusader score, a close call with Fraser Newell being held up over the line, and the half ended with the Chiefs hanging on to stay in the game as they were overrun due to not being able to keep the ball.

This is where Coach Clayton McMillan earned his coin. Josh Ioane was inserted at flyhalf, McKenzie went back to fullback and Shaun Stevenson, who was outrageous with ball in hand all night, was moved to the wing.

This left the Chiefs with three quality back field operators and kickers up against Richie Mo’unga and David Havili who were not getting any kicking or back field coverage assistance from their wingers and the kicking duel comprehensively went to the visitors in the second half.

Perhaps the key moment of the match was when Mo’unga lost patience in a kicking duel and chose the wrong ball to run back, and the Chiefs swarmed forward for the turnover, and then dominated field position and the scoreboard from that point on.

It is worth noting that all three of the Chiefs’ second half tries came with Josh Ioane in the 10 slot and he delivered a 40 minutes which many, me included, thought had long gone from his tool kit.

An honourable mentions to some big names: Joe Moody and Ethan Blackadder looked like they had never been away, while Brodie Retallick and Shaun Stevenson backed up a huge performance by Captain Sam Cane.

Highlanders vs Blues

Well, that was a thumping and up-front acknowledging just how good Mark Telea was seems the obvious way to start.

Seemingly determined to ensure his appearances for the All Blacks last year were not an outlier, Telea exploded into 2023 in all sorts of form; quick, strong and with a positional sense both sides of the ball that belies the time of the year. Telea is built for the new law paradigm and in amongst the speed of that Blues back line, the Highlanders won’t be the only ones who suffer from that counterattack threat. The single best winger’s performance for some time and the All Black back field options are overflowing.

As foolish as it may seem, the Highlanders will be more than happy with the performance of their forward pack. They dominated both possession and territory, caused their opposition all sorts of issues at scrum and lineout time, while we will call the maul battle an honourable draw.

Unfortunate timing perhaps that after finally getting together a pack that can weigh in at around 920kgs plus at the same time as the laws change to emphasise pace, but their big pack managed this well.

If there is anything for the Blues to be concerned about going forward it will be the strength of their pack and the second row in particular.

All week prior regular Roarer Otago Man posted the following sentiment in various forms.

“I’m thinking our tight 5 will edge the Blues but we are severely lacking in real confidence in our attack. We could generate a lot of heat on attack but give possession back and the individual skills of the Blues players will result in 80 metre tries.”

This was always the big risk and yet coach Clarke Dermody sent the side out to push passes and offloads against those acknowledged as the best counter attackers in the competition. Well done OM for your foresight, and a spot on the Highlander consultant panel with associated expense account surely awaits you.

While it was pleasing to see the return of Folau Fakatava to the squad after a horrid injury, what followed was worse than poor.

That was the single worst performance I have ever seen from a halfback/first five eighth combination in all my years of supporting the Highlanders. Slow, directionless, clunky, error ridden, but most importantly the soft turnovers conceded were returned for points again and again. The ongoing investment in Mitch Hunt looks like a sunk cost selection. It’s Freddie Burns time down south.

Folau Fakatava. (Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images)

Last week I wrote that resting All Blacks from the highest intensity matches of the season makes zero sense to me. When the Highlanders opening draw of Blues, Crusaders and Chiefs consecutively was announced, telling Aaron Smith to have another few weeks off looked a poor call for all involved.

The pace in that Blues backline is unrivalled in the competition and their execution, AJ Lam aside, was close to flawless in the wide channels, but, and I know its only one game, if that forward pack doesn’t step up, then come the pointy end of the season, the same outcome as 2022 could well be repeated.

Hurricanes away to the Queensland Reds

The final score surprised me. Anyone who has ever been to northern Queensland in February knows all about the heat and humidity and it’s hardly the conditions experienced when you are banging around on the training ground in Upper Hutt.

Right from the start it looked like Hurricanes were setting up to go wide, damn the cliches of earning the right to go forward – get the ball to the rapid guys on the edges and see what happens.

Be it the conditions, early season or a focused start from their opposition, it didn’t really seem to be clicking from the men from the capital but a series of errors from the Reds, from halfback in particular, prevented any real pressure being built upon them.

New Zealand rugby is currently blessed with a swather promising young halfbacks and first five eighths, and in Cameron Roigard and Aidan Morgan the Hurricanes have a couple of diamonds. A single turnover conceded between them while playing a wide game in those conditions is a testament to their combined quality.

It is well worth mentioning the performance of Asafo Aumua as the bench hooker – 61 metres from six runs off the pine is sterling in any game, and Aumua was so dominant that there was no way back from the Reds once he got out there.

If the Blues are the competition’s premier counterattacking side, the Hurricanes will not be far behind. The match stats show Hurricane run metres of 666, indicating a beast of a performance.

Did anyone else hold their breath when Jordie Barrett went down hard late in the piece? He had a big game but his constant desire for contact probably needs reigning in.

Now off we all go for Melbourne for the Super Round and the opening match is the Highlanders vs the Crusaders. I might be late to the stadium on Friday.