This competition has been ‘full on’ for the last 15 weeks, many of us enjoying this high volume of top class rugby each and every week. In this part of the world, it’s our front page news in the Sports section with some accurate, but mostly inaccurate predictions issued [just ask the NZ Herald Rugby expert panel] but try as they might, I can’t be distracted from watching. Not by any State of Origin match or even Premiership final or an FA Cup – no, give me a full weekend of footy during Super Rugby Round 16 thank you. Of course they are all reputable matches and yes you must respect them, but I’ve got a full plate of rugby matches to digest here.

The table had been set for our current Top 6 – including conference leaders and the top 3 qualifying Wildcard sides. They all at this point have a slight advantage over those remaining teams that can ‘just maybe’ push their way up to a front-table seat. One of those being The Lions who faced The Waratahs in South Africa. Such a crucial match, the Lions complimented their best ever Super Rugby season by taking another big scalp and on the cusp of possibly appearing in finals footy for the very first time. Meanwhile back in a cold Canberra, it was an efficient Brumbies side who exhibited smarter rugby against the inaccurate Bulls. The South African side are in the same position as the Crusaders – a shade too far back from the table, but still with a chance. The Brumbies are looking to cement their conference lead, a side accomplished at reaching the qualifying rounds but needing to gather pace to go on to a title reign.

Those two matches were the ideal starter for our ‘rugby feast’ on NZ soil. These monumental New Zealand (NZ) derby matches presented us with a ‘first course’ Friday night [Crusaders v Hurricanes] and then ‘rugby dessert’ waiting for us Saturday night [Highlanders v Chiefs] Each match would impact on the table standings in major ways, with Crusader hopes pinned on a vintage performance from their wounded team. For them, sadly several key leaders were removed through injury, so would that open the door up for the table topping Hurricanes to ‘fry’ the former Champions chances in 2015? Tipsters favored the visitors, so it was a key match-up.

And then it would be a delicious follow-up match on Saturday night from the deep south. A visiting Chiefs side who are just a single point above their opposition in the rankings but were also left without some big names and had lost their Commander-in-Chief, due to a sudden and progressing injury count. A debilitating factor that has affected many teams in different ways over this season, fortunately for the Mainland side, they themselves now had the majority of their side ready to fight off their main rivals for a key 4th Wildcard spot.

Interesting times on the NZ rugby scene [The Blues observed their final Bye] but their was a bright light during the week when Julian Savea and Brodie Retallick re-signed with the union up to the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Good news and hopefully a trend in the right direction; notwithstanding the next World Cup in September/October.

SUPER RUGBY ROUND 16 – NEW ZEALAND CONFERENCE OVERVIEW

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Match : The Crusaders v The Hurricanes

Venue : Trafalgar Park, Nelson

Score : 35-18

Virtually a knock-out match up in their northern Tasman Mako’s territory, a resilient Crusdaers team would have to deny The Hurricanes continuing their fine form. A far superior team in this season, the local supporters would have only wanted to see a fair match-up. They couldn’t bear a ‘walloping’ and it would have been a great place to be in once the final whistle had blown.

This victory was not entirely out-of-the-blue, but it was close to. You don’t usually face a Crusader team on the backfoot, but they were not feeling comfortable and Chris Boyd would have encouraged his team to take full advantage. With men back from injury and concussion and with a record setting season in tow, they are well practiced at the aggressor role with some great wins this year setting them up as being top NZ qualifier, but when the game started it wasn’t the visitors on the offensive.

As mentioned, skipper Read was withdrawn, as too was lock Sam Whitelock and centre Ryan Crotty who had all been ruled out by head knocks suffered in Sydney. Such upset to their starting line-up usually results in a drop off in performance, but on this night it may very well have been the instigator of a fighting spirit from all 23 red players involved. After that near-call against The Waratahs, much preparation from this side now reaped rewards in early parity and a good collection of penalties for Daniel Carter to slot. The kicking boots were on song, so it wasn’t long until the game was at 9-6 and 25 minutes had eclipsed. The visitors had yet to make an effective insertion into the Redzone, but it was still early – maybe they were pacing themselves.

Kicking for territory is a fine art. Not many sides look to kick out in these games, as lineout ball is mostly uncontested. So with Whitelock missing, was offering clean ball to the top placed side a good idea? Normally James Broadhurst is a leader in jumping, with others like Victor Vito and Blade Thomson common targets, but they seemed to be off-target. Luke Romano took his chance with opposition ball and it set the game alight. Quickly spread to dangerous Nemani Nadolo, he went around and then handed on to David Havili who had young Mitchell Drummond in good support. Great early work.

It needed a quick response, the type that a championship contending side can produce when needed. What did occur next was a negative on the game though. In the defensive line Robbie Fruen was looking to tackle Hurricane fullback Neh Milner-Skudder when a somewhat lazy attempt he made was isolated by the match officials. With replays and re-examination under ‘Super slow motion’ it looked worse on closer inspection and Fruen was given a yellow card. Harsh, yes and I will hope this is highlighted to Sanzar officials because it was not anywhere close to a tip-tackle. A shame for it to interrupt a good game, and soon after Dane Coles scored while acting as a winger, receiving the final pass from a positive movement near the end of the half.

Coming back from the break, scores at 16-8 it is usually the first team to score that puts themselves in the driving seat, and that was nearly instantaneous when Nonu noted a gap behind the line. A little pin-point grubber bounced perfectly for Conrad Smith to feed Ardie Savea. He ran the channel, passing for Skudder who repaid him back on the inside, Savea coasting in with 2 fellow ‘Canes players all backing up. That movement epitomizes their combined attacking ability, and during this season it has been usually where they begin to rollover their opposition but The Crusaders players actually stood a little taller now. A credit to this sides culture, they all worked in unison to cover the Fruen loss and to be sure no further points were given away.

With McCaw leading the way, the red and black machine soon got adequate traction and surprisingly made the best attempts at running play. Inside Hurricane territory, they acted in a positive manner and were rewarded in a sustained attacking period. Firstly Nafi Tuitavake crossed after good pressure. Secondly, a Nadolo bust allowed Matt Todd to charge ahead and he managed to crawl over the line. Well played and it was all on now.

What followed at the 70th minute was of comical madness from Nonu. Carter had the ball on a string by now, and his cross-kick landed between two ‘Canes players. Milner-Skudder looked to his senior backline partner, who was blind to the thunderous approach of Nadolo racing in. Shamefully, Nonu tried to shoulder his attempt, but it didn’t deter the big winger who picked up his sixth try of the year. That was also the 4th try bonus point, and with a lead of 35-18 they had a commanding lead that was ultimately too large. And it was the better team that would prevail tonight, as their positive manner and onfield leaders did everything they were able to to retain their finals chances – and more.

While much could be read of the scoreline, with their early penalties and a better attitude, the home side were in control for the majority of the match. Why this Hurricane streak came to an end is questionable, with some direction issues at first-five and a tiring pack, its going to be a critical stage in their campaign. Such plans have to last all 18 rounds for this team to enter the finals in positive shape, and if the can’t respond immediately when facing The Highlanders next Friday, questions over their mental toughness will be asked. Its an important stage for all sides, and this loss was unexpected and unplanned – how they recover is important. Its season defining for sure.

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Match : The Highlanders v The Chiefs

Venue : Rugby Park, Invercargill

Score : 31-9

Doesn’t get much bigger than this. It was pressure stuff, on a chilly and frosty Invercargill evening where these long time provincial rivals would butt heads once again (in Super Rugby livery here) A bit of an upset Chiefs side found themselves at a key point of their season. The earlier loss at home to this very side must have played on the teams mind, so could it be a motivating factor in this clash? A win here would help bolster their chances.

Injury meant Big Maama Vaipula needed to have a big performance in Messams absence. While they did see the return of Michael Fitzgerald, there were some early hints of a Brodie Retallick return that were quashed when Ross Filipo was again deputised in his absence. The forward pack would know their task at hand (dealing with a cold and wet surface) but the backline too had a hint of shuffling in their ranks. The McKenzie brothers had flipped roles; Marty at first-five alongside Anton Lienert-Brown, with the danger man Damian lurking now as fullback.

He faced possibly the best fullback in Super Rugby, in the Highlanders captain Ben Smith. In vintage form, all he needed was a cape really. But he would be in sole charge again, as Nasi Manu was still unavailable and his junior Dan Pryor had done well enough to earn the number 8 jersey again. With a precise pack and tireless workers within it, tackling percentages needed to be above 90% for both forwards and backs. As both teams are driving for the play-offs, they needed to hold out to their opposites for 80 minutes, which is a factor in ‘Landers results recently where they have leaked points, so holding out any possible comeback was going to be pivotal.

A good start was needed, the ruck contest was looking like quite a challenge for each side, so a Chiefs penalty that went wide might have started a running trend all night of frustrations in the tight stuff. Steam rising from the scrums, it was testing conditions and technical skills needed to be on show. In the first scrum, the referee saw Leitch make an infringement that allowed Lima Sopoaga to open the scoring and that all important mental battle had begun. A greater aspect of the modern game now, the home side won that battle early and Sam Cane had been warned to watch his sides penalty errors.

A good ‘too and throw’ encounter between two sides that are attacking naturally, the kick would certainly dominate proceedings tonight. Handling errors meaning the high ball was a clear tactic used throughout, but as soon as the Highlanders saw clear territory it was used well. When attacking the Chiefs line from good relentless phase play, Patrick Osbourne had little space out wide but when Hosea Gear missed his spot tackle, it’s not like he needs much opportunity. He threw off four tacklers to score the first try. Wicked strength and agility. A missed conversion made it 11-3.

Great phase play would be a key tonight, with Waisake Naholo used well, Sopoaga being a good distributor all night and Aaron Smith just following and ordering his men into position which is great to hear after 16 rounds. Opposite him, Augustine Pulu did have some spark but when his side went downtown, too often loose possession cost them big. They lived in the Highlanders half before some McKenzie magic from a Marty grubber landed for Damian nicely to very likely score a key try. But the TMO saw no clean grounding and we were brought back. That increased the intensity, so too did some continuous scrums where each push was halted earnestly by the home team. They played strongly to end the first half with only a single score to the visitors scorecard. Something had to change, so Dave Rennie’s men needed to balance ball-in-hand with good execution in attack. They needed to score early to really make an impact tonight.

Charlie Ngatai did not return for the next 40 minutes, with Tim Nanai-Williams brought in – we all know he loves ‘broken play’ but he needed to play a key centres role now. It required good attention on his opposite Malakai Fekitoa, though it didn’t take long for a kicking dual to result in a blue lineout. With clean ball, it was presented to Naholo who sighted a gap, and he did not need a second invitation. He zigged-and-zagged, opened the backline up and swerved to deceive Bryce Heem. Gone, not a finger laid on him! A big play indeed. one where the All Blacks will have noted that move. With 18-3 on the scoreboard the home fans were being entertained on a frigid evening.

Small errors had begun to mount, and under a referees caution The Chiefs looked ‘gun shy’. The territory disadvantage mounted, McKenzie trying to spark run-returns and on occasion when they threatened, no consistency or special plays resulted to re-awaken the former champions. With time on their side, they took a penalty but it did not counter the territory count. The only brightness they saw on this dull night was when Fekitoa left the park. Not wishing any ill, they could have benefited from Jason Emery having to work besides Richard Buckman – while it appeared as a weakness, Highlanders systems meant professional Super Rugby players should slot-in wonderfully today. Besides a penalty kick, it did not bring any more clear channels or that much required try. After some balance resumed to the contest, the Highlanders just started to make their mark again.

They gelled well, locks and loosies doing well as first receivers, retaining the ball and it prepared them for a lightning strike move that was created with good use of the blind side where John Hardie and Gareth Evans did some fine build-up to set Buckman for his try out wide. It was great reward for a growing confidence in their passing game. They showed more urgency to score their 4th try bonus point when reinforcements were brought in. Ben Smith sighted a gap and beat 3 players over the line. Such a massive influence on this team, he directed traffic all night and then sealed their victory – no wonder he was awarded a ceremonious Maori ponamu stone to commemorate his 100th game last week.

It was a fair old tussle for 65 minutes, but once they knew it was beyond them, I’m sorry to say that The Chiefs laid down tonight. Their culture suggests they should have fought until the end, but their tactics were lax in the final 15 minutes. Out maneuvered, the administration might talk about passion, but it was fair to say their back-up ammunition is not firing. Good people, but not good enough and with a trip to Queensland on their itinerary its looking like a long week of build-up for them. For the victors, they had eclipsed the season record of 10 victories and had done well to resume winning after a long trip. Great kudos to the team dynamic and a well formulated gameplan.

It’s off to Napier for this Dunedin side. With a winning mentality, it will be a great battle with a high performing Hurricanes side who themselves have just suffered a loss. If that is the positive, then the negative will be that key players now need a rest. Fekitoa will need to recover from hamstring issues, but the “Smith boys” will be most missed. Each has no equal in the game today, so their absence from the field will be a tough ask. While it dilutes the attack, it should not reduce the defensive line – that is important, for the replacements must settle into their roles early and identify threats from a wounded Hurricane team.

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Key Results: Brumbies 22-16 Bulls | Sharks 25-21 Rebels | Force 10-32 Reds | Stormers 42-12 Cheetahs | Lions 27-22 Waratahs

In Conclusion.

For my mind, The Crusaders have given themselves a bit of a chance, and if that is just enough to rectify some self-pride in the club then I’m all for that. To salute the players leaving, and while it might be ended against The Blues (in all reality) we should now just hope to see more improvements from our best players, especially as Colin Slade’s injury places Dan Carter at equal first-pick with a fit Beauden Barrett. The challenge for all sides is to counter injury concerns with good performances from both their replacements and their back-up players. The Chiefs are down to locks numbers four and five, so like all sides they hope that every player now steps up a little bit extra.

Going to that next gear is vital, for the calculations get ever more complex from this week and next. A possible 10 points are on offer, so can a side like The Reds now determine the final standings of both Chiefs and The Waratahs futures? And if they could do that to the previous years champion sides, how will that benefit Australian rugby? The complications mean that next week, the Stormers v Lions match is also very important result for all sides. It’s possible the Lions can ‘leapfrog’ their opposition, and that is the great thing about the 2015 competition. After Super Rugby Round 16, we now can see a handful of teams who can determines their, and others final points tallies.

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NZ conference standings | Hurricanes (Position 1st) 57 points | Highlanders (4th=) 48 | Chiefs (5th) 44 | Crusaders 8th) 35 | Blues (14th) 20

Future fixtures – Friday 5th June : Hurricanes v Highlanders, Napier | Saturday 6th June : Blues v Crusaders, Auckland | Sunday 7th June : Reds v Chiefs, Brisbane

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