Wheels spinning

Super Rugby Aotearoa: Round 6

Apr 07, 2021

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Tip-On!

If you want to hear more about the #StopAsianHate rally that took place in Auckland a couple of weeks ago, you can listen to an interview with organiser Steph Tan here or watch a short film by cinematographer Daryl Wong here.

If you missed my analysis of how Wayne Smith’s Kobelco Steelers play the game on thechaserugby.com at the end of last week, you can read it here.

All in-game data per ESPNScrum unless otherwise stated.

Long shot

By the end of the Highlanders’ upset win in Christchurch on Friday, the outcome felt oddly comprehensive.

Often when you’re left shaking your head at an unexpected result on the rugby field, Gain Line Analytics director Ben Darwin pops up on Twitter to inform you that close analysis of the two teams’ starting line-ups would have led you to adjust your expectations markedly — but the Crusaders’ first loss of 2021 couldn’t even be explained by a lack of cohesion.

The home side has averaged 3.3 line-up changes from game to game in Super Rugby Aotearoa this year, compared to the Highlanders’ average of 6.5 — and the Southerners dropped 6 players for disciplinary reasons ahead of this game too.

However, one change Scott Robertson last week did make didn’t pan out exactly as hoped. The reintroduction of George Bridge to the outside backs (in a less familiar spot on the right wing) was the only alteration to the backline between 10 and 15, and the All Black appeared to struggle to connect with those around him as seamlessly as usual.

Bridge had 12 attacking touches1 — a number of them positive — at Orangetheory Stadium, but also turned the ball over 5 times. For context, he has appeared 61 times for the franchise in Super Rugby competitions since Robertson took over at the start of 2017 and never once conceded more than 3 turnovers in a game.

Fullback Will Jordan was also profligate, making 30 touches but turning the ball over 3 times, and Richie Mo'unga’s individual total of 4 turnovers matched in 77 minutes his total from the team’s first 4 games of 2021 combined. (This is a reasonably common occurrence for Jordan — he has had 3 or more turnovers conceded in 4 of his 18 starts for the team since his debut in 2019 — but a rare one for Mo'unga: in each of the 2017 and 2018 seasons, he had a pair of games with 4 or more turnovers, but had only one such outing in both 2019 and 2020.)

Across the board, it was one of the Crusaders’ poorer games with ball in hand under Robertson, and the tendency of his charges to spurn possession was something the head coach highlighted himself after the game.

While the home side turned the ball over once for every 5.5 combined kicks and carries they completed — their second-worst Super Rugby performance under Robertson by that metric — on the other side the Highlanders were able to control the ball and exert pressure:

This disparity was exacerbated by the fact that the away team also dominated the kicking exchanges — another point noted by Robertson after the game.

And the Highlanders were able to play in this fashion — content to push the Crusaders back and dare them to run the ball from deeper areas — because of the fact that they accumulated points early and often via the boot of Mitch Hunt. (The Crusaders were behind on the scoreboard from the 12th minute onward — and at least a converted try behind from the 24th minute onward.)

As Argentina displayed against the All Blacks in Parramatta last year and the England men’s team have shown for long periods of Eddie Jones’ time in charge, rugby can be a fundamentally different game if you’re able to establish an early lead and play in a way that minimises risk. By giving themselves that buffer in the first half and continuing to control location and ownership of the ball throughout the contest, the Highlanders put Scott Robertson’s side in an unfamiliar position on Friday — and consigned the Crusaders to comfortably the heaviest defeat of the head coach’s tenure.

Foreign fields

Last weekend, there were 105 Kiwis playing in top-level competition overseas:

Loose threads

In case you missed it on Twitter this week

Ben Smith showing he’s still got skills in the Top League
2022 Blues recruit Roger Tuivasa-Sheck getting involved in the New Zealand Warriors’ attack in a number of different ways

Quick hits

The announcement of a trans-Tasman bubble (allowing quarantine-free travel between Australia and New Zealand) from 19th April is good news for Super Rugby Trans-Tasman, which is scheduled to start on 14th May. New Zealand Rugby also acknowledged today the strong possibility that the lifting of restrictions could mean a Rugby Championship hosted in both countries later this year, rather than going ahead with a single-host model as in 2020.
The bubble will be good news for the All Blacks Sevens and Black Ferns Sevens teams too — but, in the immediate future, both teams will get back on the field in Wellington this coming weekend at Takiwhitu Tūturu. Recent school-leavers Caleb Tangitau and Fehi Fineanganofo have been named in one of the men’s squads for the weekend’s invitational tournament — a commitment that may rule them out of some of the upcoming Super Rugby Aotearoa Under 20 competition — with teenager Jorja Miller in the women’s ‘Black’ team. The Black Ferns 15-a-side squad are also sending a selection to compete, with the presence of ball-playing front-rower Krystal Murray drawing particular attention.
One Black Ferns prospect who won’t be taking part in this or any rugby this year is Martha Lolohea, with the Canterbury winger indicating on social media this week that she will be “taking a step back from rugby this season” because of concussion issues. It’s a sobering story in light of the fact that women may be more at risk of concussion and its associated impacts than men, and a reminder of the importance of gathering more data on head injuries in the women’s game so that accurate safety assessments can be made. In this context, studies like the one announced last week by World Rugby, New Zealand Rugby and the University of Otago — which will draw participants from both the men’s and women’s games — are welcome.
More reporting on Silver Lake’s proposed NZR investment by the NZ Herald this week revealed additional detail on the private equity firm’s plans to monetise professional rugby in the country:
“It is understood their key means to do this will be building, owning and operating an OTT streaming platform that will afford subscribers unique All Blacks content, opportunities to buy discounted products as well as live broadcasts of tests and archival footage. It will effectively be a souped up, next generation version of the existing allblacks.com. They also want to create offshore All Blacks centres of excellence where people can pay to access intellectual coaching and leadership property and better execute the core areas of broadcast, sponsorship, licensing and merchandise.”
There was also the suggestion that Silver Lake may be looking to invest in multiple governing bodies outside of Europe in the same way that CVC have been building out a rugby portfolio within the continent:
“Japan, USA and Fiji have been identified as potential investment opportunities, while it is thought Silver Lake will soon confirm they have bought stakes in Rugby Australia and South Africa Rugby.”
Meanwhile, the media itself became one of the stories of this week after Ardie Savea (and others) took to social media to decry the way Stuff had covered the suspension of Josh Ioane (and others) by the Highlanders for a disciplinary breach. (Paul Cully of Stuff subsequently published a spirited defence of his and colleague Hamish McNeilly’s journalism.) There’s quite a lot to unpack here: there is clearly a real story to be covered underneath everything — Ioane et al. wouldn’t have been made unavailable for last weekend’s game if there wasn’t — and the Highlanders don’t appear to have dealt with the issue particularly proactively. (This “poor engagement” from the franchise with the media doesn’t seem to be a one-off either.) Savea’s comments, however, raise the issue of proportionality, and whether it was truly necessary to follow up on the story in the depth that Stuff (and other outlets) did — especially given that the details that emerged from their additional reporting (while not particularly flattering to Ioane and his friends) were pretty mundane. In truth, it’s not difficult to see why Savea might interpret this episode as the latest instance of a player (of colour) getting a fairly raw deal from reporters.
Auckland winger AJ Lam — brother of former Hurricane Ben — made his debut for the Blues in their win over the Hurricanes on Saturday, and could be in line for a move up the franchise’s pecking order of outside backs later this year. Stuff are reporting that Caleb Clarke and Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens are both in the running to be involved with the All Blacks Sevens team at the Olympics in July — a commitment that may mean missing some or all of the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman competition. Clarke has been given the 11 shirt for all 5 of their Super Rugby Aotearoa games so far this season, with Lam, Emoni Narawa and Bryce Heem likely to fight it out for a starting role in his absence.
The Chiefs, meanwhile, have an even more pressing gap to fill, with the news that captain and openside Sam Cane may be ruled out for up to 6 months with a pectoral injury suffered against the Blues. Thankfully for Clayton McMillan, Lachlan Boshier and Mitchell Karpik are both due to return from their own injuries this coming weekend; according to Neil Barnes, shifting Luke Jacobson from 8 to 7 is another option for the team. No official replacement has yet been announced for Cane, but a number of back-rowers have been involved in the franchise’s wider squad so far this year: Counties Manukau blindside Viliami Taulani completed preseason with the team, while Sam Slade, Alamanda Motuga (both provincial teammates of Taulani) and former contracted Highlander Zane Kapeli — who was turning out for the Hurricanes Hunters a month ago — have also been involved with the Chiefs Development team in recent weeks.
The Crusaders will finish off the first day of action at the Super Rugby Aotearoa Under 20 tournament this weekend with a match against the Blues, and their side’s head coach Dan Perrin formally announced his squad last week. Back-rower Anton Segner and outside back Chay Fihaki are two of the obvious names to watch out for, but keep an eye on Blair Murray too: he’s an electric fullback who could keep Fihaki out of the 15 shirt if he’s released from Scott Robertson’s senior squad for the week. Murray is joined by fellow New Plymouth BHS alumnus Jone Rova but there’s no room for their former teammate Jack Parker, a highly-rated first five who’s part of the franchise’s Academy. With vice-captain Ollie Lewis as their likely first-choice fly-half, Parker will have to wait for next year along with a number of other Academy prospects in their first year out of school: lock Jamie Hannah, number 8 George Methven, scrum-half Joel Lam, and midfielder Isi Saumaki have also been omitted.
The Highlanders unfortunately haven’t made an official announcement of their U20 squad, but fan page Highlanders Region has obtained an unverified copy. Fabian Holland — a lock out of Christchurch BHS — and Noah Hotham — a scrum-half out of Hamilton BHS — are two promising signings for the franchise (as noted previously), while midfielder Giovanni Leituala and loose forwards Arese Poliko and Sean Withy have all already played NPC rugby.
Ngani Laumape is the latest All Black to be linked to a move offshore, with the Hurricanes second five-eighth being lined up by Stade Français as a replacement for Gaël Fickou according to the French media. Stuff’s Paul Cully made the point earlier this week that Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s move could push Laumape even further down Ian Foster’s midfield depth chart and impact his decision-making; Liam Napier of the NZ Herald reported earlier this year that the coaching staff may consider the league fullback in the 12 or 13 shirt in union. If the rumours have any substance, head coach Jason Holland may be keeping a close eye on proceedings at the U20 tournament in Taupō this week: Wellington’s Riley Higgins and Hawke’s Bay’s Jordan Thompson-Dunn are two impressive young players in Laumape’s position.

Attacking touches = kicks, passes, carries and offloads