Chiefs look to curtail ‘boredom’
The youth of today – they have a bit to answer for, don’t they.
Just ask Chiefs coach Colin Cooper, as he prepares to lead his side into a Super Rugby quarterfinal against the Hurricanes in Wellington on Friday night.
Self-described as ‘old-school’ in his approach, the 59-year-old is dealing with modern-day players with ever-shortening attention spans and an increased willingness to take risks, and he says getting ‘‘bored’’ with taking the simple options is a key reason to why his team have come unstuck at times.
Friday night’s 28-24 finalround regular season win over the Hurricanes in Hamilton was a confidence-booster for an understrength lineup going into the higher-stakes rematch in the capital, but was also a continuation of a ‘first-half fire, secondhalf slump’, that the Chiefs need to try and equilibrate.
Their 21-0 halftime lead at FMG Stadium Waikato now makes it a staggering 80-0 in the first halves of their three games since the June break, while in the second stanzas the scoreline reads 17-65.
Overall this season the Chiefs have won nine first halves, drawn one and lost six, while their second half stats are the same numbers in reverse.
Now, with their season on the line at Westpac Stadium, it’s why Cooper wants to pull the reins in just a touch, and have some gamesmarts come to the fore.
‘‘Sometimes playing big exit plays, and just kicking the ball, these guys get a little bit bored playing like that, and [feel] they’ve got to start running things,’’ he said.
‘‘So it’s just getting that balance. Not cutting their wings, but just sticking to our structure a bit better than we have been.
‘‘We’ve got some real X-factor in the group, so as long as we stay disciplined and stick to our game, we can create.’’
Cooper hasn’t gone on to win competition titles apart from the NPC with Taranaki in 2014, but he has been around playoffs at both that level and Super Rugby on enough occasions to know what to expect on the horizon.
‘‘It’s important we get the week right, so it’s not too heavy, it’s not too full of content, and just having a bit of fun and getting everyone really fresh for the game, rather than throwing a whole lot at them and making it a heavy week like we’ve normally had,’’ he said.
Cooper is also keen to utilise the team’s leaders plenty, noting several had been to the do or die stage of the season before with the Chiefs, with the club now in the playoffs for a seventh successive year, dating back to when Dave Rennie took over as coach in 2012.
One of those who has been there throughout is Brodie Retallick, who not only returned from six weeks out with a pectoral injury on Friday but also stood in as skipper.
The world-class 68-test All Blacks lock has played in the odd match that means a bit, and said containing enthusiasm in the leadup to the big clash would be something to be mindful of.
‘‘It’s definitely something that we need to consider – not getting excited too early. Obviously it’s do or die, there’s that extra added pressure, so as long as we’re nice and clear in the head and don’t over-think it heading into there we should be alright.
‘‘It is exciting when it comes to playoffs – it’s a great buzz, it does change, so it’s something we’ll manage throughout the week.’’