Battles for No 10 take new twist
When a coach tinkers with his No 10s it pays to have a good gander through the magnifying glass.
Is he making changes because of injuries? Or is it due to form? Is the playmaker not gelling with those around him, or does the coach want to be clever and play him in another position?
Only three rounds of Super Rugby Aotearoa have passed, and there has already been movement at first five-eighth for the Hurricanes, Chiefs and Highlanders.
It seems early, but each coach has his reasons. We know this: it’s too soon to start babbling about shifting the chairs on the deck of sinking ships.
Yet, it’s a talking point. Teams can live or die, metaphorically speaking, on how the first-five controls the tempo, and executes plays.
The pressure can be intense. Some players are born to rule. Others just fade away.
1. It’s Orbyn Leger versus Kaleb Trask at the Cake Tin tomorrow night.
Hurricanes coach Jason Holland is already in a hole that no coach wants so early in SRA.
Simon Hickey suffered a season-ending injury before SRA began, and Jackson Garden-Bachop has been sidelined with an Achilles tendon injury.
Step up, Leger. Now sit down, Canes fans. Because you’re going to have to be prepared to be in a forgiving mood if Leger makes a few mistakes against the Chiefs.
Leger is recognised as a midfielder, who played seven games for the Blues in 2018. That’s the deal.
Let’s not forget Fletcher Smith. He was on the Canes roster last year, but wasn’t required for the 2021 adventure. So he’s now in Japan playing alongside former Scotland halfback Greig Laidlaw.
2. So what about Trask?
He’s in. Bryn Gatland’s out. Right out, too. Gatland isn’t in the matchday 23, with Damian McKenzie to cover first-five, if required, by coach Clayton McMillan.
Last year the Chiefs had ex-All Black Aaron Cruden and Tiaan Falcon in their squad; both are now in Japan, the latter at just 23 years, having joined Kieran Read at Toyota Verblitz.
The Chiefs tried to steal Wallaby James O’Connor from the Queensland Reds, but his contract couldn’t be broken.
Not good for the Chiefs, maybe, but developing New Zealand talent matters.
3. And what about the Highlanders?
The southerners, who have the bye this week, have employed Mitch Hunt and Josh Ioane at No 10 in the opening rounds.
The big news for this outfit, however, was that halfback Folau Fakatava had re-committed to 2023, despite All Black Aaron Smith being the first-choice No 9.
That’s a huge win for a SRA franchise with the smallest catchment of players to choose from. It also has to be good for the development of their No 10s.
4. The Blues and Crusaders have stuck with Otere Black and Richie Mo’unga as their first-fives.
The respective coaches aren’t expected to blow our minds by ditching Black or Mo’unga from the big game in Auckland, when they name their teams today.
With Beauden Barrett playing in Japan and Dan Carter retired, it’s Black for the Blues No 10 job in 2021. So far, so good.
5. Can the PR types help us with this one?
No sooner had Team New Zealand won the America’s Cup, than NZ Rugby declared Ofa Tu’ungafasi had re-signed through to 2024.
This is a big deal. Prop Tu’ungafasi, who has played 39 tests, is the first All Black to sign through to after the 2023 World Cup. NZ Rugby, rightly, called this ‘‘major re-signing’’.
Yes, it is. But the good news got swallowed up in the tidal wave of copy and sound bites delivered after Team NZ’s victory. Maybe Big Ofa wanted it that way. It’s a mystery.
Score: TNZ 1 NZR 0.