Mauger questions, answers to come
1. A fresh start for the Highlanders.
Aaron Mauger is the Highlanders’ third head coach in as many seasons, with predecessors Tony Brown and Jamie Joseph now coaching the Japanese national team.
An ex-All Blacks and Crusaders midfielder, Mauger won’t want to encourage talk of this being some sort of transition phase down in the Highlanders’ zone. Celebrating the new era with a win over the Blues in Dunedin tonight would be ideal, obviously.
Especially when the team has the bye next weekend; there’s nothing worse than being forced to sit around twiddling your thumbs following a defeat in your first competitive outing of the year.
2. Which brings us to the Blues.
The word around the Eden Park corridors is that Tana Umaga is negotiating a deal to extend his coaching tenure at the Blues. Umaga, who has been at the Auckland-based club since 2016, has yet to get the side into the playoffs and although you can spin that result any way you like – that he inherited the problem child of NZ Rugby, and Super Rugby conference system did his team few favours – he needs his team to start reaping results.
Meanwhile, the rumour that Roger Tuivasa-Sheck would jump from the Warriors to the rah-rah code has fizzled out. No-one seems too distressed.
3. This is one worth getting in front of the telly for.
Crusaders v Chiefs in Christchurch. We’ve seen enough of these old gunfighters having a dig at each other in the past to know they should give us our money’s worth.
Last year, as the Crusaders rumbled towards the title, the Chiefs suffered consecutive defeats in Christchurch and Fiji. That was then, this is now. Things have changed.
New coach Colin Cooper, with former Crusaders assistant coach Tabai Matson (who also helped Cooper with the NZ Maori side) among his management team, has transferred north from Taranaki to return to Super Rugby while his predecessor Dave Rennie is now working at Scottish club Glasgow.
Could we see fireworks? Possibly. But one thing we do know about Cooper is that he hates silly penalties being conceded through foul play. It’s something his new boys had best bear in mind.
4. Searching for success in Sydney.
Let’s keep an eye on the Waratahs. Last year was a nightmare for Sydney’s flagship team and their coach, former All Black Daryl Gibson.
By the midpoint of the season it was clear the Waratahs were not going to make the playoffs, and Gibson was having poisonous spears chucked at him from every direction. There are few jobs as lonely as that of a coach in charge of a losing sports team. Vic- tory over the Stormers in Sydney tomorrow night is very important.
5. Could be a wet one for the Hurricanes.
The weather forecast suggests the Hurricanes and Bulls might want to pull their respective wet-weather gameplans off the menu in Pretoria on Sunday (NZT).
A bit early for driving mauls, short passes to forwards near the rucks and long kicks into the corners? Not if it is slippery at Loftus Versfeld. Summer rugby can still pack the odd surprise.