Super Cooper has the Chiefs humming
It’s time for the many Colin Cooper doubters to raise their hands, gobble some humble pie and admit they were foolish to knock his appointment.
Because Cooper, an unpopular choice as Dave Rennie’s replacement when it was announced in 2016, should be credited for what he’s done with a team many gave little chance at the beginning of the season.
All Blacks Aaron Cruden and Tawera Kerr-Barlow had just left to bank Euros, loose forward Michael Leitch signed with the Sunwolves, and tryscoring machine James Lowe departed for Irish club Leinster.
The Chiefs have regressed. They’re no chance, the naysayers said.
To think that was before the Hamilton-based team was ravaged by injuries in the early part of the season, particularly in the tight five.
If anyone needs reminding, they lost locks Dominic Bird, Mitchell Brown and Fin Hoeata for the season. The same goes for props Aidan Ross and Atu Moli.
All Blacks prop Kane Hames hasn’t played all year due to concussion, and probably won’t, at least for the Chiefs, while Mitchell Graham is unlikely to play again in 2018. Tighthead Nepo Laulala has missed most of the season after breaking his forearm in round three, but could be back this weekend.
Utility back Tim Nanai-Williams was also scratched early, while All Blacks Brodie Retallick and Sam Cane have both missed their fair share of games through injury, to name a few more.
That’s a ton of wounded cattle, and that’s not even covering all bases.
But the Chiefs didn’t fold. Instead, they’re somehow in a pretty handy position to finish second in the New Zealand conference behind the Crusaders and grab a home quarterfinal.
Given the Hurricanes are imploding, you have to like the Chiefs’ chances of beating the Brumbies at home this weekend, before toppling the once-hot Canes at the same venue in the final round.
Credit Cooper, the third-choice replacement for Rennie behind fellow Kiwis Joe Schmidt and Vern Cotter.
It seemed nobody in Waikato wanted the quietly spoken 59-year-old, not after he took a stacked Hurricanes team to four semifinals and a final between 2003 and 2010 but failed to win a championship. Losing a Mitre 10 Cup semifinal to Tasman with Taranaki last year didn’t help his cause. Then the Chiefs were routed 45-23 by the Crusaders in round one.
Cooper was destined to be a disaster, and he’d never see out his three-year contract, the keyboard warriors said.
But they’ve gradually been hushed, helped by character-building wins such as their 41-28 come-from-behind win against the Bulls in round five, and their 27-22 win against the Highlanders in round seven.
They were nothing compared to what went down in Durban in round 14, when the Chiefs, both because of injury and an All Blacks training camp, had to play the Sharks without 20 of their 38 originally contracted players.
The Sharks had just flogged the Highlanders at the same venue and nobody thought the Chiefs would come close. Somehow, a barely recognisable mob of men in Chiefs jerseys lost by only four points. Again, credit Cooper and his coaching staff.
It’s clear what they call ‘‘Chiefs mana’’ is still prevalent post-Dave Rennie.