Dare to win
The Blues-Chiefs game had all the intensity decades of rivalry between Auckland and teams in red, yellow and black have established over decades. With less than five minutes to go and the Blues ahead 15-12, it felt a given that the tough, risk-free style that took the Blues to the title in 2023 would pay off.
Instead, we saw what in the tight, nerve-wracking circumstances had to be the try of the round, to seal the game for the Chiefs. Forty metres from the tryline, there was a surge from potent Chiefs loose forward Samipeni Finau. At 115kg, he’s a lot bigger than when he played fullback at St Peter’s School in Cambridge. But the explosive pace is still there, and when he passed the ball to halfback Cortez Ratima, there was a clear path for Ratima to sprint 30m for the try that clinched the game.
Man of the match
Chiefs lock Tupou Vaa’i at his best is a dynamic presence in all areas of the game. Against a powerful Blues pack, he was polished in the lineouts and a constant menace with the ball in hand. At 26, the former Wesley College head boy has hit his stride as a lock, and it’s easy to picture him appearing not only in next year’s World Cup for the All Blacks, but carrying on to the 2031 Cup in the United States.
Impressive return
Among many impressive performers for the Blues was 33-year-old midfielder Peter Ahki, back from a decade of club rugby in Europe. The Tongan international, as you might have expected, was cool under pressure and his time with a powerhouse like Toulouse in France could make him a key man when the knockout stage of the Super season arrives.
One for the book … and Jamie
The Highlanders played against the Crusaders with the same physical commitment their coach Jamie Joseph brought to the field when he was an All Black in the 1990s.
Nobody epitomised the attitude of the Landers more than co-captain Timoci Tavatavanawai, who appears to have been born without a fear gene. It helps that if you were designing a physique for a contact sport like rugby, you could use him as a perfect blueprint. Every edge of his body looks steely and potentially painful to tackle, but what really elevates him is his work ethic. It is, as I noted here a year ago, basically like having a fourth loose forward when Tavatavanawai is in the No 12 jersey. How the All Blacks season will pan out for him with Joseph, as seems highly likely, coaching the All Blacks, is a fascinating prospect.
Hail the local hero
It felt entirely fitting that the penalty goal to win the match was kicked by Landers first five Cam Millar. You couldn’t get much more of a local hero than Millar, a graduate of Gore High School and Otago Boys’ High School. He was outstanding for Otago last year in the NPC and, under what had to have been huge pressure on Friday night, was immaculate in delivering the victory.
The race has just begun
Does the Dunedin loss mean the Crusaders might struggle in this year’s competition? No. Super Rugby, as noted many years ago by Robbie Deans, is a marathon, not a sprint, and while an unexpected loss at any time stings, much better it be now, not at the knockout end of the competition. Coach Rob Penney and his team demonstrated their resilience last year by winning the title after a mediocre 2024. It would be a surprise if the ACT Brumbies next Sunday, and the Chiefs the following weekend, didn’t have to deal with a substantial Crusaders backlash.
Don’t miss the chance
There are certain once-in-a-generation players who make it worth going to a game just to see them. Those of us lucky enough to have seen Sir Bryan Williams in his prime in the 1970s will never forget his sidesteps, which were so wide they basically took him, in the blink of an eye, from one postal zone to another.
Our rugby is graced now with another riveting star in Will Jordan. His try for the Crusaders in Dunedin was a perfect example of his amazing talent. He never looks to be under pressure, but, as three Highlanders defenders could tell you after Jordan’s try, in full stride he basically becomes David Copperfield and vanishes, leaving thin air in the space he was occupying. Even if you’re not a Crusaders fan if the chance comes to see Jordan play this Super season, don’t miss it.
Let’s hear it for Moana
Playing the Drua at home at what is basically the outdoor sauna of Churchill Park in Lautoka has proven too much for a lot of very good Super teams. So it was a terrific effort for Moana Pasifika to dominate from start to finish on Saturday and take away a fully deserved 24-point victory.
A special pat on the back for the new captain, the man with the best name in the competition, Miracle Faiʻilagi. Taking over from a Moana legend in Ardie Savea could have been inhibiting. Instead, Faiʻilagi looked born to the role.
Phil Gifford is a contributing sports writer for NZME. He is one of the most respected voices in New Zealand sports journalism.