Scotty Stevenson: On The Sidelines - June 10

In this week's newsletter, Scotty discusses the Black Caps shocker opening to the T20 World Cup, the injury loss of Blues skipper Tuipulotu, and the Warriors' blitzing of the Cowboys in Townsville.

It's not often Kane Williamson's emotional state betrays him in a match but New Zealand’s captain was plainly annoyed at his team’s fielding performance in their opening world cup match against Afghanistan in Guyana.

Williamson cut a more composed figure in the post-match interviews but those who have spent time around the skipper know he may have required several stitches to the tongue, such was the force of his bite during questioning.

The loss had been preordained by the pundits, suggesting New Zealand’s acquiescence to the player requests to spent time with family before travelling to the tournament would cost them in terms of cohesion and match focus. The New Zealanders’ decision to turn down a warm-up fixture was met with raised eyebrows, too.

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If the fielding was bad – and it objectively was – the batting effort was depressing. Finn Allen can set up a victory on his best days but on his off ones his dismissal sets in motion a panic that the side is struggling to shake. Getting off to a flyer is crucial, but outside Allen, New Zealand's top order is more technician than pyrotechnician. That does not in itself render the side set up to fail, but it does make a 'standard' chase harder than it needs to be. To wit: Williamson struck at just 69.2 in his 13-ball innings, while Conway went at 80.0 in his ten-ball effort.

New Zealand will at least have four days to think about how they can make the necessary adjustments before they face the West Indies in a do-or-die clash in Trinidad. This could be the most important selection of Gary Stead's tenure as head coach.

Of course, the New Zealanders won’t be the only ones concerned. England find themselves in uncertain territory in Group B while Pakistan could be packing up after the India match today

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He may not be the most talked about player in the Blues pack, but Patrick Tuipulotu has certainly been one of the most important this season. The team captain, who tore a medial ligament during the weekend's quarterfinal clash against the Drua and who will now face up to two months on the sideline, has been the calm and composed leader the Blues have been able thrive under – a proven performer who has brought a wealth of experience and a clear head to the role.

The Blues will be without him for semifinal - and for the final if they are to topple the Brumbies at Eden Park this weekend – and while they have plenty of options for positional cover, none offer what Tuipulotu has given the team this season.

That will have Vern Cotter and his coaching staff working overtime this week to drill into the game leaders the importance of quiet and effective leadership. The best teams in Super Rugby have those players in abundance. Sam Whitelock was that epic presence for the Crusaders as they won titles for fun, and Tuipulotu had grown into that kind of totemic force for the Blues this year.

The pressure will be on Dalton Papali'i this week to be the best version of himself as captain in what will be a dog fight in the forwards against a Brumbies mob that thrives on close quarter combat. That on-field leadership when the heat is turned up, could be the difference between the two sides.

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There has been a touch of the Jekyll and Hyde about the Chiefs this season but they finally showcased their authentic selves while tearing apart the Reds in Hamilton on Friday night. And the Hurricanes will know they are in for a scrap come Saturday afternoon.

As a contest the opening quarterfinal was over inside 25 minutes such was the ferocity of the Chiefs attack. The Reds were reduced to spectators while Samisoni Taukei'aho (twice), Emoni Narawa and Eteni Nanai-Seturo crossed the line setting up a 31-0 half time score and an eventual 43-21 victory.

The opening half was not without error from the home side but their ruck and counter ruck were outstanding, constantly harassing the Reds at the Breakdown and winning the turnovers that mattered to keep momentum within their control. Head Coach Clayton McMillan said last week that we would see the real Chiefs come play off time, and he wasn’t lying.

There were numerable praise-worthy performances for the Chiefs but there was barely a point scored in the first half that did not have Shaun Stevenson’s fingerprints all over it. Stevenson and McKenzie are the apotheosis of the dual playmaker combination and appear to have discovered the alchemy required to make the gambit work. New Zealand’s national coaches have been trying to find the recipe for years, but the result was often under cooked or poorly seasoned.

Truth is, you probably couldn't concoct it if you tried. All you need to do is put the ingredients together and do nothing else to them. It's the Marco Pierre White theory of play maker selection. In any case, the Hurricanes may have twice taken down their rivals this season, but this weekend they just may face a very different Chiefs.

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There’s never a dull day on the provincial rugby front and fresh from a 'victory' in the New Zealand Rugby Governance duel, the provinces now find themselves in the middle of another fight of sorts, namely what to do with the National Provincial Championship.

Behind the scenes, New Zealand Rugby has convened a working group to assess the Men's Pathways and Competitions structure, and their work is due for presentation (if the original timeline is to be believed) at the end of this month. The working group, independently chaired by strategic consultant, James Morrison, has been tasked with finding ways to rationalise the current system, which draws talent into both Super Rugby and Provincial academies, and to address the ongoing concerns of a competition that no longer draws the eyeballs or broadcast interest.

It is a crucial piece of work that will require a level of consensus that heretofore has not existed in the provincial landscape. It is also a project that has the potential to set in motion a system that further disenfranchises the community game from rugby's high-performance pathways. In short it is a strategic nightmare for a sport that if fighting to keep player numbers in the positive across the entire landscape.

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Doubt has followed the Warriors like night follows day, but the Auckland side did its best to shake that in a 42-12 blitzing of the Cowboys in Townsville on Saturday night. Coming off a bye following back-to-back grinding wins against the Panthers and Dolphins, this was the Warriors unleashed, and the Cowboys had no answer to the onslaught.

Speaking post-match, head coach Andrew Webster said, “It’s the way we wanted to play and it’s what we have been working towards. We knew if we did what we wanted to do we’d come away with the result. I loved how ruthless we were and how disciplined we were.”

There was a lot to love. The Warriors defence forced the Cowboys into uncharacteristic errors, and their defensive effort before halftime, when the Cowboys finally stacked together repeat sets and hammered away on the Warriors goal line, was one of the most convincing periods of play this season.

There is a touch of Warriors 2.0 about this side, expertly guided around the field by Te Maire Martin who has made the halfback spot his own in the absence of veteran playmaker Shaun Johnson. His partnership with Wade Egan and Chanel Harris-Tavita is assured, and continues to provide expert service for the side’s back three.

Much of the focus remains on what Webster will do when all hands are on deck, but it might be best simply to enjoy what the current team is doing. There is a confidence about the side that has seen the flair return and that flair was on show when Dallin Watene-Zelezniak batted the ball back from over the dead ball line to set up Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad in the 69th minute. It was a desperation play at a time the team did not require desperation. That is the hallmark of a team that has found its groove.

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The Black Sticks men were in action in the final of the Nation’s Cup in Poland in the early hours of this morning. Having moved through the tournament undefeated, the side looks to be building well for the Paris Olympics. The Black Sticks women reached the bronze medal match in their Nation’s Cup in Spain. You can catch up on all the action on TVNZ+.

Will we ever know what happened? Football Ferns coach Jitka Klimkova has returned from self-imposed exile after New Zealand Football completed an internal investigation into an employment matter. From an NZF point of view it is “nothing to see here” and they say no further comment will be made.

New Zealanders are once again making a splash in American motorsport with Shane van Gisbergen winning another NASCAR Xfinity race and Scott Dixon atop the IndyCar standings. Be sure to follow their fortunes as both series continue.