Hooker stars in Taylor-made Crusaders win Canes halfback embraces Perenara pressure
Jonathan Taumateine offers a nervous laugh at the prospect of roaring at his Hurricanes captain Ardie Savea and other senior forwards in the middle of Sky Stadium.
‘‘It’s a big role to take on but once we’re out on the field that’s part of it,’’ said a grinning Taumateine, who dons the Hurricanes No 9 jersey for the first time tonight, against the Blues.
‘‘I’ll just have to give it to them. If they give me the evils then so be it, just doing my job.’’
There’s equal parts nerves and excitement, the 24-year-old from Counties-Manukau says, stepping into the sizeable boots of TJ Perenara. Part of Scott Robertson’s 2016 New Zealand Under-20 squad with fellow Hurricanes Jordie Barrett, Peter Umaga-Jensen, Asafo Aumua and Alex Fidow, Taumateine played twice off the bench last year in Napier and Dunedin and was behind the now-injured Jamie Booth in the pecking order.
Perenara’s departure to Japan also opened up a captain’s vacancy which Savea embraced, coinciding with his 100th match for his beloved Wellington
franchise in their Super Rugby Aotearoa opener.
‘‘We’ve encouraged JT to be himself, it’s his team, run us around and tell us what to do,’’ Savea said.
‘‘It doesn’t matter if you’re talking to me or anyone, you boss us around. He’s the new man, he’s got the opportunity and I’m really excited for him.’’
New halfback, new captain, and a novelty for the Hurricanes as they play their first season opener in Wellington in eight years.
That was also against the Blues, a 34-20 defeat in 2013, before they jetted to Durban, Johannesburg, Canberra, Tokyo, Pretoria, Sydney and Cape Town in round one. Covid-19 put a stop to all that, and the Hurricanes face the first of what could be six matches against the Blues this year if the transTasman bubble doesn’t open soon. Last time they met was a cliffhanger, a 29-27 win to the hosts in the battle of the Barrett brothers, with Jordie kicking the winning conversion in July.
The gravity of the occasion sank in for Savea yesterday in the warm sun at the Cake Tin, after the jersey presentations and speeches, his older brother Julian back starting for the Hurricanes for the first time since July 2018.
Savea jnr vividly recalled his debut in 2013 against the Waratahs at the stadium, particularly his big brother scoring in the corner by the players’ entrance.
‘‘He’s in the best nick I’ve seen him, he’s happy and looks like he’s free and just playing the game, and that’s a dangerous Bus. I’m very excited to share the field with him again.’’
Of the captaincy, Savea said: ‘‘It can be quite overwhelming at times, but I’m learning to embrace it.’’
Perenara aside, the Hurricanes have a familiar look and coach Jason Holland could even afford to leave All Blacks callups Du’Plessis Kirifi and Peter Umaga-Jensen on the bench.
Holland went for bulk and lineout options with his loose trio of Savea (7), Devan Flanders (8) and Vaea Fifita (6),
A standout performance by All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor has ensured the Crusaders started the year just like they finished the last one – with a win against the Highlanders.
In front of a crowd of about 15,000 at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin last night, Taylor produced 67 minutes of high quality that was the foundation of his side’s 26-13 victory.
With his head down, he was in the middle of a dominant Crusaders scrum. With his head up, he was a menace with ball in hand all night, scoring a brilliant first-half try from a 35-metre midfield break that showcased his pace and helped the Crusaders to a 14-10 halftime lead during a game in which they never trailed.
For the Highlanders, the performance was something of a mirror image of last year, with execution letting them down at key times.
Liam Squire was brought on for the last 20 minutes and immediately made his presence felt, but their scrum was under pressure for most of the night.
They were also denied a try after 65 minutes when the officials picked up a knock on by replacement halfback Folau Fakatava, but their inability to make the Crusaders pay when under pressure summed up their evening.
Sevu Reece’s sharp finish in the 47th minute to give the Crusaders a 19-13 lead was nothing less than he deserved as he crashed over from a clever offload from that man Taylor.
Since the Highlanders last won against the Crusaders, in 2017, only once have they managed to get within 10 points of the champions.
The scorelines might have masked the closeness of some of those fixtures, but the Crusaders have always had an extra gear to kick away from their southern rivals.
So it proved again with replacement hooker Brodie McAlister scoring from a lineout drive to seal the game at 26-13 with six minutes to go. Scott Barrett copped a late yellow card for the Crusaders, but it was too little too late for the home side.
and said the skipper would still feature a lot at No 8 this season. Billy Proctor got the 13 jersey alongside Ngani Laumape, and fullback Barrett will likely finish the match at first five-eighth as designated backup to Jackson Garden-Bachop.
The Blues are without Beauden Barrett but are bookmakers’ favourites with their abrasive pack and gifted individuals such as Hoskins Sotutu and Caleb Clarke who made giant strides last year.
Another tense, tight encounter beckons and it could come down to the respective boots of Barrett or Otere Black.