Here comes the all-Kiwi Super final
OPINION: Anyone not think the Hurricanes are the best team left in Super Rugby?
Partiality aside, it would be a brave person who said the Hurricanes weren’t the semifinalist in the hottest form and didn’t have, by virtue of home advantage, the easiest run to the title. Whether they go on to win it is a different story, but it’s hard to imagine a team better-positioned to do so.
They certainly won’t get a better opportunity to shake off their reputation as one of the competition’s lovable losers.
The Chiefs, Lions and Highlanders all have legitimate championship claims, just not as compelling as the Hurricanes’.
The Chiefs won’t beat themselves but the Hurricanes might. That’s your fear with them.
The Hurricanes’ halves pairing of Beauden Barrett and TJ Perenara are playing with a combination of brilliance and control that people imagined they might one day, but didn’t think they’d actually see. Well, it’s been a reality in the wins over the Waratahs, Crusaders and Sharks in recent weeks and ought to inspire confidence in Hurricanes fans everywhere.
Only, false dawns and unfulfilled dreams are a staple of Wellington sport. That means no-one who’s watched the Hurricanes for any length of time will truly believe they can win this title, until they actually do it.
This isn’t the most-talented Chiefs team of all-time but it boasts the odd remnant of the 2012 and 2013 championshipwinning sides.
In fullback Damian McKenzie, they also have a player capable of matching the freakish things Barrett has been doing for the Hurricanes.
If the Highlanders go on to become backto-back champions, everyone will have to tip their cap to them. From South Africa, to Argentina, Australia and now South Africa again, they’ve hardly been home in recent weeks and that appears the most likely thing to halt their run.
And if you played with Aaron Smith, Lima Sopoaga, Waisake Naholo and Ben Smith you’d probably put your body on the line too. That quartet’s ability to create and take opportunities is amazing at times.
The Lions have earned a reputation as the South African side most-capable of ‘‘playing’’ but it’s not at the speed the Highlanders do. Again, the Highlanders are better than the Lions and it’s only travel that can trip them up. RUGBY: Laurie Mains has predicted the end of the Springboks as one of rugby’s super powers because of the quota system enforced on coach Allister Coetzee.
Coetzee must have half of his quad made up of non-white players by the time of the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
‘‘For my money they’re gone, with racially selecting teams, they’re not going to cut it,’’ Mains told
‘‘With the quota system they have, I think the days of them being top competitors are over.’’
Mains coached the All Blacks against the Boks on South Africa’s return from political isolation in 1992 and oversaw New Zealand’s exciting 1995 World Cup campaign in the republic. He also coached South African Super Rugby outfit the Cats with some success in the early 2000s.
He believes there has been enough time for transformation to take place and feels a merit-based system is the best way to keep the Springboks competitive.
‘‘When I coached over there I could see the reason for it (a quota system),’’ Mains told
‘‘It was a genuine attempt to create opportunities for the black and coloured players and I respected that, because there hadn’t been big numbers of them.
‘‘But heavens above, that’s 15 years ago. And the reality now is that they’ve had plenty of time to develop.
‘‘It no longer needs to be there, it should now revert back to the best players get selected because all of the players in South Africa in the last 15-18 years have had opportunity to develop.
‘‘You can’t go on forever favouring the position of one colour against another.’’
Historically, South Africa remain New Zealand’s toughest opposition. The All Blacks have a 58.24 per cent winning record against the Springboks across 91 tests.
Coetzee opened his tenure with a tough 2-1 home series win against Ireland in June.
He is now preparing the Springboks for the Rugby Championship against the All Blacks, Wallabies and Pumas.
South Africa, a double World Cup champion, bowed out of the 2011 tournament in the quarterfinals and lost last year’s semifinal to the All Blacks.