Mckenzie’s shock switch
Having been nothing if not unpredictable through this Super Rugby Aotearoa season, the Chiefs have now made the surprise call to shift Damian Mckenzie to No 10 for their clash against the Crusaders in Hamilton tomorrow night.
A move called for by many following the team’s opening two losses, and after Mckenzie had run there in preseason, the Chiefs had stuck to their guns in starting their star playmaker in the extra space at fullback, then moving him to first five-eighth during the final 20-30 minutes of games, to get more involved on the ball and attack tiring defensive lines.
But just as it looked like they had settled on a successful system, and well and truly put to bed their recordequalling 11-game losing run with three successive wins, they have shaken things up for their allimportant showdown with the fourtime defending champions, in a move which coach Clayton Mcmillan acknowledges could either be a spectacular success, or blow up in his face.
Mcmillan confirmed the switch was not injury-related, with Kaleb Trask – who has started the past three fixtures at No 10 – available despite leaving the park gingerly early in the second half of the golden-point win over the Highlanders in Dunedin last Saturday night.
Instead, the Chiefs have left Trask out of the 23 altogether, brought Bryn Gatland – who started the first two games at No 10 when Trask was injured – back onto the bench, and handed Chase Tiatia a first start of the season, at fullback, having been a livewire impact man from the bench, before missing last weekend with illness.
‘‘We’ve always known that Damo has the potential to go up to 10, and Chase has done some really good things for us at fullback. It’s been going pretty well for us late in games, so this is the week we see if we can get the same result earlier,’’ Mcmillan said.
There is one other change to the backline, with Alex Nankivell promoted to start at second-five in place of Quinn Tupaea, who is sidelined for six to eight weeks after rupturing an MCL against the Highlanders.
Up front, Lachlan Boshier, who injured a foot pre-season, gets his first action, following a club outing last Saturday. He starts at openside flanker, pushing younger brother, Kaylum, to the reserves, and Samipeni Finau out of the 23.
There are three other non-forced changes to the bench, with wing Sean Wainui recovering from the ankle problem which kept him out of contention last weekend and replacing Shaun Stevenson, prop Sione Mafileo set for his first game in a month following a back injury, bumping out Joe Apikotoa, while hooker Bradley Slater makes way for Nathan Harris in what is a long-awaited return.
Harris, 29, who played 20 tests for the All Blacks between 2014 and 2018, has spent the best part of 18 months out of the game, following ankle and shoulder injuries.
Meanwhile, Braydon Ennor is unlikely to be rushed back on to the park despite confirmation fellow midfielder Jack Goodhue is done for the season with a knee injury.
However, Crusaders coach Scott Robertson, having made sweeping changes to his team to play the Chiefs tomorrow night, didn’t slam the door entirely shut on the possibility of an early return from the knee injury which has sidelined him since last September.
Ennor ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) playing in the North v South match and has long been scheduled to return for the transTasman competition, which starts the week after the Super Rugby Aotearoa final onmay 8.
‘‘He plays club rugby next weekend. So, he gets two weeks. That final, it would have to be a pretty special couple of weeks playing in club footy level to be available,’’ Robertson said.
The Crusaders can book a spot in the May 8 final by beating the resurgent Chiefs, but will have to do it without a raft of first-choice players.