State of the Nation

Things aren't looking too bad.  They say when Auckland rugby is strong, All Black rugby is strong.  All Black rugby is strong.  Auckland has seen better days.  Much better days.  So maybe we should start from the bottom up.

It's the old cliche.  Trotted out time and again. Every Otago team is greater than the sum of its parts.  You could even have uttered this early season but not now.  Yes, there's still the two Smiths and new AB Fekitoa playing their main parts.  But there's a host of others who are thrusting their names forward for national selection.  The 2 wings, Naholo and Osbourne, together with Ben challenge as the best back 3 in the business, with only the Hurricanes to have a word about that.  Osbourne has been in the AB camp before.  Now he is twice the player.  Getting involved he is guaranteed gain line and recycled ball.  That extra time he stays on his feet as he plucks off another metre compliments the All Black style perfectly.
Buckman may never be an AB but if you were selected on heart and effort he'd be the 1st name on the teamsheet.  Asked to fill in the midfield he's done so admirably and you get the feeling he'd play prop if asked. As error free a footballer as you get and then some.  This guy is a thinker and the way he pounces, Barracuda is a nice fit. In the pack they are hardly no names.  Coltman's stock is rising but if there's one player that epitomises this team it's Elliot Dixon.  Perhaps another to fit into the "never an AB" category but this guy shirks nothing and is at the forefront of everything.  Asked to fill in across the backrow he does it with ease, while obviously his best game comes at 6.

Craig Joubert carried the Lions home over the 2nd 40 on the weekend and a recent loss to the Brumbies shouldn't deter.  Master plan by Joseph to fit in his compulsory All Black rest weekends versus a conference front runner.

 

Elliot Dixon

Up to Crusader country and we have the greatest team in pro rugby history that doesn't quite know whether its time is done or not.  Forget the availibility of McCaw and Carter.  This team has struggled since letting Fruean go.  This team seems bereft of ideas when they have no big guy to punch holes at pace out wide.  Enter Nadolo and we have another beast on our hands.  Problem is if he isn't firing the team isn't.  Then getting ball to your winger with some space to work with is another story.  They have missed Dagg.  He has unfairly copped criticism this year but when he has been on the paddock he has looked at or near his best, finding gaps in oppositions' defences out wide and initiating singlehandedly the linking attacks we know the Crusaders are famous for.  Slade is pushing as the best #10 in the comp but apart from that the 3/4s are struggling to get over the advantage line.  Tom Taylor was a short time All Black but I doubt we'll see him there again.  He's very much his ol' man, ie. Mr Dependable.  Bit tough on him being asked to be the Crusaders' handyman but he stifles the attack.  At 15 he is nothing more than your old time fullback, just the last line of defence.  He brings no attack to the team at all.  Up in the engine room and the Red & Blacks have a wealth of riches.  They just need to sort out their pretty boys.  Is it too late?

Jordan Taufua - worth putting a higher number on his back?

Across the Cook Strait into capital territory and we have a revelation.  This team has looked nothing other than finals material since round one.  Wonderkid Barrett pulling the strings and growing with every minute, the new found stepping "Super Rugby is easy" whizzkid at 15 Milner-Skudder, and 2 wide flanks in Savea and Jane and you've got some serious fire power.  Nonu in the form of his life and the ageless Conrad Smith, all fed by TJ Perenara finally pushing for the AB 9 jersey?  In the pack the only worry will be Thrush,....can he keep his jersey?  My money would say no.  Broadhurst is outperforming him in every aspect.  A backrow of Vito, Shields and Ardie Savea means no place for Blade Thomson.  This guy is dynamic and must be pushing for a black jersey of his own, forget the yellow one. Up front it's all good with most the fatties on the selectors' radar.  The biggest threat to a maiden Super title is losing a home knock out match to a fellow Kiwi team.

The name says it all. Blade.

Heading on up State Highway 1 to Chiefs territory.  Still a champion team but playing like a champion every 2nd game.  Lowe pushing hard for a black jersey, pops up everywhere, a powerhouse wing with a boot to match and capable of holding his own at fullback.  Nanai-Williams has been chasing the AB dream all his life and despite this being his best season his at times frail defence is all that's holding him back.  Sonny Bill in midfield has been unusually quiet and the work he does creating can go unnoticed.  Cruden maybe isn't the big loss people think if the Chiefs would fill it with the younger MacKenzie brother. Belying his slight frame this boy can light up a game.  Far too quick for any of the tight 5 this kid can dart through keyholes.  Messam has finally muscled up over the last season or 2, Retallick is Retallick, much more than a workhorse.  Big Ben still hanging in for that black jersey, he seems capable of 80 to me and throws himself around.  Not sure what the final criteria is the selectors are looking for.

 Damian MacKenzie....blink and you'll miss him

Over the Bombays and a coaching frustration.  The simplest game plan Kirwan could put in place is order zero offloads.  The Blues would still win half their games this way.  The amount of spilled ball is terrifying and surprised Sir John still has a head of hair.  This is like watching bad games from the Hurricanes of old over and over again.  Some classy backs right through from 11 to 15.  Bowden was a godsend so we'll be wanting him back quick sharp. Moala, off field problems seemingly behind him, should be being watched by Hansen and co.  If they seriously want to continue down the Nonu-C.Smith road then Fekitoa doesn't fit the concept.  Wing come inside-centre Moala is your man.  A beast, ball in hand, the only player that comes close to Nonu's bustling pressure relieving crash game. Piutau will be sorely missed.  Up front Luatua is playing for his life and is hoping to step up in Kaino's absence.  Akira Ioane is the one to watch.  19 years old and already sitting 120kg opponents on their proverbials with powerful runs, icing it nicely with some 3/4 like swerving runs out wide.  The question here is will the selectors be willing to blood a kid in the lead up to the Cup?  Tuipulotu is a one man wrecking machine but his offloads have to be restrained.  If he can get that right he is going to be an important cog at the Cup with the modern game. New look Tu'ugafasi looks good to me.  As big as today's props come at 120kg and 195cm, just ticked over 23 will the selectors also be ready to take a gamble here?

Akira Ioane

  

All up New Zealand rugby is looking pretty good despite the exodus.  A lot of untried players at international level pushing for a part.  We haven't seen how they stack up playing at the elite, but neither has anyone else.Things are looking pretty damned good.

An aberration. The Real Deal part 2

Don't write them off.  This Hurricanes side is still all that.  A costly Ardie Savea error in the opening minutes certainly came back to haunt the Canes and was the losing of the match.  But there was much more to it than that.  They still coughed up points and definitely gifted some to the Waratahs.  The Hurricanes resorted back to their dirty old habit of playing catch up everytime they got their mits on the ball.  Silly offloads and risky passes, that in front of a rushing Waratahs defence were always going to spell trouble.  But this team is still the best in the comp.  This was a game they dominated and should have been 20 up after 20 minutes.  They still have that new found defensive edge.  They still have an in form Nonu and Julian Savea.  They have a courageous 9 in Perenara who is playing himself into the world cup.  And what about that covering tackle on the monstrous Will Shelton?  Gutsy. They have some depth and talent through the pack, not the least of which is the dynamic Blade Thomson who must be being looked at. And don't forget the new whizzkid on the block, Milner-Skudder.  Where did he get that name? Who cares?  This kid could dance his way through a hailstorm.  Check out his twinkle toe maneuver on the seasoned Ashley-Cooper.  Hyphenated surname versus hyphenated surname.  And a committed AC was left grasping at air going to ground while Milner-Skudder had already waltzed past him. And his "hook" pass is the next big thing after the Sonny Bill offload.

 Blade Thomson

It is time to trot out that old line about sometimes a loss is more important than a win.  In this case it is the case.  The Hurricanes had to get that out of their system.  That nasty flashback to seasons gone by.  The frustrating Hurricanes of old.  Better now than later.  Now they can get back to the drawing board and reset this season's system into play.  I wouldn't put my house on them but at least the garage.

The Real Deal

Hurricanes supporters have had reasons to get their hopes up before.  It's been that way since day one of official professional rugby with the 1996 Super 12 season opener when the Hurricanes combined with the Blues to put on the best advertisement the competition could have hoped for in a 28-36 loss, drifting off to finish 9th while the Blues went on to take the inaugural title. 2 years later the upped the ante to get us far as the semis before falling to the Brumbies in the stronghold that is Canberra. That was followed by a pocketful of midtable finishes until the 2003 season where they were one of 3 NZ teams to make the cut, with only the Brumbies in 4th spoiling Kiwi domination, before going down as many have before and after them to the Crusaders in Canterbury country. 2 seasons later they followed it up with another playoff spot only for the Crusaders to show them who was boss, the Hurricanes for many years struggling to show the class necessary for the big games versus big time opposition. Welcome to the inaugural Super 14 season and the team from Wellington made it easier on themselves by finishing the season strongly, taking 2nd spot behind nemisis Canterbury before going down 19-12 in an ugly (if you can call ugly what you can't see) encounter in a fog ridden final at Jade Stadium.  2008 was another semi appearance yet again to be haunted by a history making Crusaders outfit while in 2009 they had the joy of finishing above the Red and Blacks only to fall to the Chiefs in Hamilton in another NZ dominated playoffs.

What a joy....the Paekakariki Express, Christian Cullen

The new 6 team playoff set up that came along with the 2011 Super XV did the Hurricanes no favours with the team, to date, failing to make the cut.

They've had some great players, Captain Fantastic Tana Umaga, Jonah Lomu, the irrepressible Christian Cullen, that shark above water Lome Fa'atau, Jerry the Terminator Collins, cannonball Norm Hewitt, Weepu, Roger Randle, and a score of other ABs or nearly ABs from teams gone by that are too many to name. In the early 2000s they had a team stacked in the backs with the likes of Lomu, Cullen, Umaga, Nonu, Fa'atau, Alatini, and a pack comprised of Collins, Masoe, Vanisi, So'oialo, Tito and Hore but still couldn't match it versus the giants of Super Rugby.  Giants perhaps being the appropriate term as having a backline to dazzle and a lightning fast loose trio counted for nothing when the tight 5 was too small and inconsistent.  Even of recent years it's been same old same old for Wellington fans with a backline to entertain if they actually got any front foot ball. And let's not forget the turmoil surrounding the Hammett Nonu saga.

Lome Fa'tau

So roll along 2015 and what are we seeing? 3 victories on the trot: 2 in the republic and the 3rd a banana skin win on the return in Perth.  Bye round up then back to the unpredictable 'Canes of the past?  Hammett has moved on no doubt leaving the team in a better place mentally than it was prior to his arrival.  The return of the prodigal son in Nonu.  A backline reminiscent of seasons past with class from A to Z,  6 All Blacks, even a new Jonah who is worth one individual try per game, and a choice of 15s of whom surely one will pull on the black jersey.  The bye has come perfectly for the Hurricanes.  Yes, they are injury free, but this break will allow them to take stock and they will come back feet firmly planted and frothing at the bit.

Beast Mode

So what about the pack? The return from the republic of John Plumtree with some good old hardnosed South African defence creeping into the training and playing systems is evident and now the Hurricanes have a complete team.  They may have had some luck with both results in South Africa but you ride with those and if you can stay in the game that's the nature of the beast (regarding rugby officialdom these days...).  Gone are the days of helter skelter from their 22.  Gone are the frustrating cough ups any time a roll did get on.  And gone are the soft turnovers and leaky D.  Watch any one of the 'Canes games to date.  It's the pack that's standing up.  They have frontrowers who are all knocking on the All Blacks' door. They are knocking ball carriers backwards with aggressive defence and attacking the tackle areas intelligently otherwise spreading the defence from touch to touch.  Any turnover spells danger in Super Rugby and any turnover to the Hurricanes screams look out!

The scary thing is they haven't even worked on their attacking systems yet.  But the markers have been set in place and to finish your road trip unbeaten sitting pretty at the top of the table is unthought of for any team in seasons of late.  This team now has the confidence and belief and is ready to unleash.  Look out Super XV.  Come finals time this team will be there. This team is the real deal.

The King isn't dead

If your local betting agency is offering odds on McCaw's future get in there.  A lot of speculation about what, no buts about it, the greatest rugby player there has ever been is going to do post world cup.  It's long been well documented that King Richie has no ambitions to cash in, even for one season, on the the lucrative French market.  Certainly nobody would begrudge him that, and personally seems a strange decision as nobody would even look at it as McCaw filling up his pockets with French euro, but a chance at another playing and life experience before hanging up the boots.  After all, you're a long time dead and though Richie certainly wouldn't have any troubles finding would be sponsors to pay for a globe trotting lifestyle attending rugby matches and tournaments everywhere, every rugby player knows being in the mix is a complete other world.

Long live the King

Not many AB captains have been known nationally by their first names.  Tana would have been the first and and Richie the second.  Captain Fantastic and King Richie.  Picked as a 20 yr old by John Mitchell (at least he got something right) for the end of year 2001 tour amid criticism, McCaw went on to claim the MoM award in his first ever international and played all 3 tests that tour and only 1 season later was voted Newcomer of the Year by the International Rugby Players Association. He'd go on to win 6 NPC trophies with Canterbury, 4 Super titles (as well as 4 losing finals and 5 semis),  and 9 Tri Nations/Rugby Championships, and to date, 1 World Cup.  Without this coming season he has 120 All Black victories (and 2 draws from 136 matches) and has captained the ABs more than a staggering 100 times.  He may be slowing up but he has evolved.  His effect on the match is no less such is his experience added to the mana he holds with the match officials.

Untouchable:2 yellow cards in 13 years of international rugby

This is a guy who could travel the world on his laurels but seems that doesn't sit right with him.  Remember this is a guy who turned down a royal wedding invite and a knighthood because rugby came first.  It's all of this that makes me come to one conclusion.  Is Richie going to cash in on a one off season in Europe lapping up French wine and the Mediterannean sun on the Côte d'Azur? No, he isn't.  Is he going to sign on for the NZRU in some type of mentor role?  A possibility, definitely hard to see him letting go 100%.  Or has Hansen put out a call to arms?  Woodcock, Mealamu, Carter, Conrad Smith, Nonu.....all gone post cup.  Plus a number of fringe players.  It will be one of the biggest rebuilds ever for the All Blacks despite Hansen's neverending effort at building depth and experience.  The 2016 All Blacks will need Richie more than ever before.  The NZRU are going to front up with the biggest contract they have ever undertaken, place it under their captain's nose and tell him the fate of the nation depends on him.  And Richie won't be able to say no.  One more year to bring through the new brigade.  To expose them to that "no man left behind" culture that has developed with McCaw at the helm.  The NZRU will ramp it up and Richie is not able to leave the ABs in the lurch.  2016 All Black captain, Richie McCaw 150 test matches.

Had to find a place for this one

Kid Barrett

Beauden Barrett...the best there is

Last year I'd never have dreamed I'd be saying this.  The kid was just too much of a turnstyle in defense to merit an All Black jersey.  How things have changed.  He isn't a brick wall but what 1st5 is?  What he does do now is put his body on the line.  And with his startling turn of pace he can pull down defenders from behind like no other player.  Who can forget the corner tackle on Le Roux?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9EYDtG0sZo

This kid is currently sitting at the pinnacle as the world's top rugby player.  Never mind the battle with that Kiwi battler, the gutsy little Aaron Cruden, Barrett has now surpassed Carter as the most influential number 10 in rugby today.  This kid can find the smallest of gaps and drive a cadillac through them.  He's now making his tackles, kicking goals with apparent ease, and setting his outsides on fire in a way that hasn't been seen since Andrew Mehrtens.  He turns something into nothing every game, creating for himself or his dangerous outside backs.  I wouldn't say he alone is the reason for the Hurricanes' revival (a skilled up Julian Savea, a brutal Broadhurst, and finally being able to follow a gameplan have all played their part) but he has come of age this season and is tipping the scales towards his team in any game he plays.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLr6f_Y5wTo

The litmus test was the 2013 Rugby Championship.  The Springboks up and bruising, looking for a 4 try bonus point win to steal the trophy out from NZ's noses.  Beauden Barrett on for Cruden, 1 hour into the game and the Springbok captain runs over the top of Barrett to give the South Africans their 4 try bonus point going up 27-24 and really put the heat on the ABs.  2 minutes later and the wonderkid steps up, giving De Villiers the perfect riposte leaving him grasping at air before dancing his way past 4 more defenders to the tryline to hand New Zealand the trophy, in what should have been the IRB's try of the year in perhaps the greatest game of rugby ever.  As it was he took the prize for his try versus the French. People now sit up and take notice.  You're witnessing something very special.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KfwRQ38dxE