Gallant Chiefs hit back to down
Crusaders captain Scott Barrett has taken aim at the Chiefs for the niggle they employed, but coach Scott Robertson says they simply have to be better in combating it and the game is better for it.
The three-time defending champions were tipped up 25-15 in their Super Rugby clash in Hamilton last night in another typically fiery derby between the two sides, who have built up a fierce rivalry in recent seasons.
The latest epic produced a couple of all-in scraps, with tempers boiling over in the 24th minute when the Chiefs took exception to a Crusaders early lineout drive that could have proved dangerous to the man in the air.
It resulted in All Blacks teammates Sam Cane and Joe Moody squaring off, and ended with all 30 players in the thick of it, and referee Ben O’Keeffe having to settle everyone down.
But while most were quick to laugh off the banter between familiar foes, first-year captain Barrett was in no mood to embrace it.
‘‘I wouldn’t call it scraps, I’d call it handbags, if anything,’’ he said. ‘‘That’s what they want. They try and put us off our game by [the likes of] a rub in the face. It’s all pointless, really.
‘‘I don’t buy into it myself. I want to play rugby. We’re not out there to exchange chat. We talk with actions rather than words.’’
Chiefs coach Warren Gatland said the team had spoken prematch about the Crusaders being the ones to push the envelope and the need to combat that.
‘‘They are comfortable pushing the laws of the game right to the limit,’’ he said. ‘‘That’s why they’ve been champions for the last three years, because they’re very very good at putting teams under pressure and pushing things right to the edge.
‘‘One of the things for me as a coach is that I want my teams to be disciplined, I don’t want them to take a backward step, but I can’t abide foul play in the game of rugby, and I think we need to keep this game as clean as possible.
‘‘It was important guys look after their team-mates and stick up for them, just as long as it’s clean and tough. There was a little bit of argy-bargy, and I think right at the start of the season just shows what the game means to both teams, both teams were desperate for the points.’’
Chiefs captain Cane said it was all about ‘‘just showing we had each other’s backs’’.
‘‘If he’s gone early like that it’s
fairly dangerous for the guy in the air, so we’re just letting him know ‘don’t do that’. And he realises he made a mistake.
‘‘Honestly, in derby matches like this when there’s a lot on the line, emotions and passions running high, little bits of frustration creep in from either team, or whatever it may be, and I suppose it’s a show of solidarity. We’re well aware we’ve got to keep a cool head, it’s just about putting up a united front.’’
Chiefs fullback Damian McKenzie, in his first game back from a long injury layoff, thought it was all ‘‘quite hard case’’, admitting he watched most of the tough stuff from the perimeter.
‘‘That’s what happens in those New Zealand battles. We’re all mates at the end of the day but on the field you’re enemies.
‘‘But, look, everyone will have a laugh about it and grab a drink in the sheds afterwards and chew the fat over that.
‘‘It’s just friendly banter, it’s nothing personal, it’s just a little bit of niggle here and there. It’s good for the game, it gets everyone on edge. It’s good, the boys love it.
‘‘And then it’s about which team can get back on task the quicker, because at times those wee scuffles come about and the old head space can go south so it’s pretty important to just make sure you get back on the right