In this week's newsletter, Scotty discusses all the action at the T20 World Cup, the upcoming Super Rugby finale, and the Warriors going down to the Storm yet again.
Mana wave: Chiefs farewell Canes in semifinal classic
You can’t say you weren’t warned. The Chiefs flicked the playoff mentality switch last week against the Reds, and they kept it on in Wellington on Saturday afternoon, holding off a spirited, and favoured, Hurricanes side with a mongrel attitude and a willingness to play right at the edge of the law.
Losing a player like Shaun Stevenson before the match would have been enough to destabilise most teams, especially given his impact in the quarterfinal demolition of the Queenslanders, but the Chiefs have quietly built themselves into the best transition team in the competition – a hallmark of their title-winning sides of more than a decade ago and it’s a style of play that is based more on attitude than individual skill.
Turning defence into attack requires a heads-up attitude and there is probably no midfielder better than Anton Lienert-Brown at seizing upon opportunity and unleashing offensive plays. ALB hasn’t been as noticeable as Billy Proctor in the midfield this season, but over the last couple of weeks his stocks have soared once more.
The opening Chiefs tries to Samipeni Finau (from a Reuben Love knock on) and Cortez Ratima (from a defensive kick charge) were both examples of the side's ability to create fire from the smallest spark, and they were able to make the moments count time and time again against an ever more desperate Canes team who couldn’t quite find their match.
One thing the Chiefs will have to be wary of as they prepare for a second straight grand final is discipline. Cards to Finau and Captain Luke Jacobsen could both be put down to hot-headed and unnecessary moments. It is one thing to bring aggression, another to cross the line into reckless territory. The Chiefs have now received a table-topping 11 cards this season. They'll be hoping they don't add to that number this weekend.
They’ll also be hoping there's a spare hooker floating around…
It was not exactly a glamour night in Auckland on Friday but with no guarantee of another match this season at their home ground, it was a disappointing to see a paltry crowd in attendance for the Blues’ semifinal against the Brumbies.
As it was, the Brumbies didn’t show up either for the first thirty minutes, so they had something in common with the Blues (ahem) faithful. The result was pretty much assured when Caleb Clarke crossed for the home side's fourth try after just 21 minutes. Noah Lolesio kept the Brumbies closer than they deserved to be with some accurate kicking, while Harry Plummer didn’t quite shoot the lights out in that department.
The second half was at least a more competitive affair, with the sides producing just one try apiece. The Blues were put through a solid defensive workout which they handled with efficiency if not the ruthlessness one would expect from a team with genuine designs on a long-awaited title.
The truth is, this was as convincing as was required for the job, but a sterner test is coming in the form of the Chiefs. One thing can be said, the Blues had no issue with discipline – an important consideration given they were forced to make 202 tackles in the match, 58 more than they made the Brumbies attempt. They would take an 8-6 penalty count and consider it a solid effort.
The opening twenty minutes of the final is going to fascinating, and the Blues have to win it if they wish to go all the way. Senior Sportswriter Patrick McKendry certainly thinks they are in the box seat…
Australia do England a solid. Yes, you read that correctly
Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood had tongues wagging over the last few days following his assertion that his team would prefer England not to advance to the super eight stage of the cricket world cup. That fate was very much in Australia's hands as they faced Scotland yesterday. The notion of an Australian team gaming a result to prevent their ashes nemesis advancing was taken at face value, until captain Pat Cummins provided a PR rescue via the well-trodden "it was in jest" path.
As it was, Scotland had the Australians on the ropes (and Hazlewood likely regretting his joke), amassing 180 in the first innings to provide some grist for the mill, and a genuine challenge. Australia lost David Warner (1) and Mitch Marsh (8) inside the powerplay and when Glenn Maxwell (11) fell in the 9th over, Australia required more than 11 runs per over to claim victory.
Could Scotland dare to dream? Well, yes, but this would be a nightmare orchestrated by Travis Head (68) and Marcus Stoinis (59) who got their team close enough for Tim David to clip a brisk 24 off 14 balls to see the Australians home, and Scotland on the plane.
It was a reminder that as much as Australians love an England failure, they love winning more.
Watching the Australians chase down that total was a reminder of the importance of genuine game T20 game breakers. Can New Zealand, at this moment, claim to have anything like Australia in terms of chasing ability? Or is a dramatic reset required at NZ Cricket HQ?
Warriors let themselves down as Storm rages
It's never a good thing to confuse causation and correlation but the return of Shaun Johnson coincided with a step backwards for the Warriors on Saturday night against the table topping Storm.
The Warriors would have had every right to feel confident they could end the nine-year drought against Melbourne after a mini run of grind out victories culminated in a ritual violation of the Cowboys in Townsville last weekend. The opening twenty minutes had this correspondent convinced that the cloudburst was upon them. Marcelo Montoya’s try from a CNK wonderball surely was further evidence this was the night to end all nights.
Alas it was a night like so many other nights. And the Storm won 38-24.
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy lamented in the post-match that his side's start was the worst he had seen, and he was probably right. Melbourne couldn't catch covid at a Bluff wedding in the opening quarter, but when they finally did find some attacking groove, they immediately put points on the board. Jahrome Hughes got them going, and he kept them going for the remainder of the half, and the match. It was the Hughes show against the Johnson or Martin or neither or both show. What alchemic reactions had begun to bubble in this Warriors side over the last three weeks, suddenly came off the boil. So many players continued their exceptional form – Barnett, Ford, Tavaga, Egan among them – but others seems to retreat into the shadows.
From the shadows came monsters, too. First Montoya's sinbinning with the Warriors just two points adrift, then DWZ's out of character shot on Anderson reduced the side to 11 men. The Storm scored after both cards, the result was then academic.
Andrew Webster called the performance disappointing, and it was from both a discipline and ruthlessness point of view. It was also disappointing to see the stylistic fizz disappear. That's been the most exciting part of the team's resurgence, and they can't let the pop go flat now. Things won't be helped by a ban for DWZ and injuries to centres Rocco Berry and Adam Pompey.
What to watch for this week:
We'll catch up with Kiwi sailor Phil Robertson to check in on the latest adventure of a man who may well be on the edge of reason. If a seven-hour ocean crossing on a foil board sounds like your idea of madness, then you’re probably right.
The US Open comes to its conclusion today with Bryson DeChambeau holding a three-shot lead heading into the final round. The Pinehurst Number 2 course has played as mercilessly as many believed it would, the greens especially challenging for the world’s best. DeChambeau, an LIV golfer, may not be the most popular winner, but he’ll be a very deserving one.
The build up to Super Rugby's showpiece will be intriguing. Many feel the competition and indeed the sport could do more to market itself and this week will be a test of the collective smarts of the clubs involved and the NZR overlords. Given the paltry attendance at Eden Park last week, one can only hope the All Blacks naming doesn't take precedence over the match.
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