In this week's Sidelines, Scotty discusses the Blues Super Rugby win, the Warriors thrashing at the hands of the Titans, and the imminent All Blacks team announcement.
Relentless Blues energy blows Chiefs away
It was billed as a thriller, but Saturday night’s Super Rugby final was as one-sided as it gets. Few would have predicted the Chiefs would be such possums caught in the big city lights. Pre-match, this correspondent thought their counter-attack and transition play would have the Blues scrambling, but you can’t counter-attack when you don’t have the ball and the Blues, at their physical and dominant best, gave the Chiefs nothing to work with.
There was something more profound and inspiring about the recovery of inspirational leader Patrick Tuipulotu than first imagined. While his presence was always going to be a boost, it would have been long odds to expect a player of the match performance from the skipper just three weeks after damaging his medial ligament. Yet there he was, strapped up with 60 yards of tape, epitomising the hardened edge that this Blues pack has honed over the season.
That effort should be remembered by fans and players alike for many years to come — a testament to Tuipulotu’s pride in the jersey and desire to win. The ovation he received from the big Eden Park crowd was a fitting tribute to the captain he has become. It must also be acknowledged that there aren’t too many Player of the Match medals handed to blokes who play just 58 minutes. Then again, the Blues has this one well in the bag by then.
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There were other heroes on the night. Harry Plummer had spoken this week of making sure the Blues denied the Chiefs any chance to play. His orchestration of the side was expert, and his penalty kick just before halftime (on a 100% evening from the tee) was the dagger in the chest for the visitors. Caleb Clarke was all dazzle and phosphorescence in the wet, collecting a hat trick for his efforts to be in the right place at the right time. Ricky Riccitelli was a menace, making percentage plays that would not have gone unnoticed by forward aficionados.
Twenty-one years is a long time to wait for a title. They may not have to wait that long for the next.
Read more: Scotty Stevenson: There’s life in Eden Park yet — just add people
Razor picks his team, with help from his mates
New All Blacks coach Scott Robertson finally gets to unveil his first All Blacks team this evening, after poring over the potential candidates with his assistants. A new era means new opportunity, and there may be a couple of surprises. We’ll let you at home decide for yourself who will make the full 32-man squad, but a couple of names jump out at Sidelines.
The first is at the back where Reuben Love’s season for the Hurricanes should see him get the nod at fullback. There is a lot of utility value in the likes of Beauden Barrett and Damian McKenzie, and there will be calls for Shaun Stevenson to be given the chance to add to his solitary cap, but Love looks like he has done enough to get his shot.
The other major winner may be Blues hooker John ‘Ricky’ Riccitelli. The former Hurricane has been a revelation with the title-winning side this year, and looks the kind of consistent and technically proficient player forwards coach Jason Ryan could work with.
There will also be plenty of chat about the captaincy, with Ardie Savea and Scott Barrett the two most mentioned names. Savea brushed away questions about the captaincy role over the weekend when he turned out for his club side in Wellington, while Scott Barrett has never directly addressed all the talk.
One thing is for certain, the All Blacks won’t lack for leaders, and a fit and firing Patrick Tuipulotu should not be out of the conversation either.
England fails to impress, likely to progress
If the opening round of the Euros was an advertisement for carefree football, the second round saw teams revert to more survivalist tactics, and the final round of matches will be do-or-die for some. At this point, only three teams have secured their advance to the round of 16: hosts Germany, Portugal and Spain. Elsewhere the bums are squeaky.
This morning, it will be Scotland’s turn to sweat, needing a win against Hungary to secure a berth in the next round. The Scots will still have to rely on being one of the four best third-placed teams as Switzerland possesses a superior goal differential and won’t have the same desperation for success in their final group match against Germany.
England, meanwhile, dominate the headlines for all the wrong reasons, with former players and fans alike labelling the side “dour” and “awful”. Coach Gareth Southgate will have more than the pundits’ remarks on his mind heading into tomorrow’s match against Slovenia. A draw will be enough to advance, but it will not be enough to assuage the mood of the nation after a fortunate first up win over Serbia and a less than compelling draw with Denmark.
The best of the action this week:
Group C: England v Slovenia. Can England find a way out of the doldrums or will the pressure prove too much again?
TVNZ+ 7am Wednesday
Group D: Austria need a victory against the Netherlands to advance but the Dutch can play for the draw to make the round of 16.
TVNZ+ 4am Wednesday
Group F: A winner-takes-all match between Turkey and the Czech Republic will be a must-watch. There is also the small matter of the Georgia facing Portugal. This is Georgia’s first Euros and a win against a tournament favourite could conceivably end the Czech Republic’s hopes.
TVNZ+ 7am Thursday
Warriors destroyed, Johnson in the gun
Yuck. This was as depressing as it gets for the Auckland side. On a night when their cross-city and cross-code rivals lit up Eden Park, the Warriors conceded 11 tries in a 66-6 hiding on the Gold Coast that should have coach Andrew Webster tearing shreds off his team this week.
This was a nothing performance in a game that should have meant the world to the team. With claims on a post-season more hopeful than probable, the Titans match was a chance for the Warriors to regroup and reframe the remainder of the season following a back-to-earth loss against the Storm at home a week prior.
Nope. No energy, no fizz, no defence and zero leadership from the playmakers. The only winner for the Warriors was Mitch Barnett, who was missing due to Origin commitments. The Warriors proved they could win without a number of their leading lights in recent weeks but Barnett has become the beating heart of a pack that was out-muscled and outgunned from the get-go on Saturday. His absence was telling.
And now to the central concern: What is going on with Shaun Johnson? The playmaker started the year as the Warriors biggest asset but there is something amiss in the way he is playing, and in the way the team responds to him. Johnson, on his day, is a world beater, but are those days done? Leeway was offered last week when he returned to the starting line-up, but a player of his calibre shouldn’t have been party to the massacre on the Goldie.
Coach Webster was quick to defend Johnson post-match, instead laying the blame squarely at the feet of his forwards. You can’t question the man’s loyalty, but it must now be sorely tested. The Warriors need a spark in the halves, and on the evidence of the last five weeks, Te Maire Martin looks better equipped than Johnson to light the fire.
Kiwi Robertson taunts USA, wins regatta
Canadian Sail GP Skipper Phil Robertson has led his team to victory in New York, which would have stuck in the craw of US CEO and strategist Mike Buckley. The pair have been trading insults all week, and their dislike for each other was covered in Sail GP’s fly on the wall documentary series.
In a show interview, US Skipper Taylor Canfield said of Robertson, “I’d say Phil is probably more on the arrogant side to be honest. He always seems to be talking down to people like he’s almost above and better than them.”
Robertson won a points victory with his response: “I think the first time I raced against Taylor Canfield was in 2009 and, at that moment, he was an arrogant little college kid. The only thing that has changed since is that Taylor is no longer at college.”
Not to be outdone, the aforementioned Buckley chimed in with this little beauty: “When Phil is good enough to race for his own country, New Zealand, then he can start running his mouth.”
Bless sailing egos.
Not one for backing down, Robertson spent much of the build-up to New York questioning Buckley’s decision to put himself on the US boat, suggesting his presence was harming the Americans’ chances of success. In Robertson’s defence, he has a point. The US team bombed again on home water while Robertson’s Canada won the regatta.
The final event of the season takes place in San Francisco next month, with New Zealand currently leading the series, and Robertson’s Canada in 7th.
What's ahead this week
Keep checking in with 1news.co.nz for extensive coverage of the All Blacks team announcement. The English have fired a warning shot ahead of the upcoming two-test series with a 52-17 demolition of Japan in Tokyo.
It’s all been a touch under the radar, but the Māori All Blacks will have their first match of the season this week when they take on a Japan XV in Tokyo. The side will be announced on Tuesday morning.
Another F1 GP, another chance for Daniel Ricciardo to prove he is still the best option for Red Bull’s junior team. Or, another chance for Liam Lawson supporters to feel his time has come… We’ll have all the coverage out of Spain today.
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