Chiefs’ skipper to miss game against Jaguares

Brodie Retallick has confirmed he will not travel on the Argentinian leg of the Chiefs’ upcoming Super Rugby road trip.

The Chiefs captain will run out with the side in round six when they meet the Bulls in Pretoria, but will observe one of his All Blacks stand down weeks when the side take on the Jaguares in Buenos Aries in round seven.

While the side heads to Argentina, Retallick will travel back to New Zealand.

“I think it may be one more game than what (the Chiefs and New Zealand Rugby) agreed on but I think (the Chiefs) went back and said that I’d be missing a long distance flight and another week on the road so everyone was in agreement there,” Retallick explained.

“Personally I preferred to do it that way rather than try to take round three off when you’re trying to get back into the game and find your fitness and some momentum.

“The other bonus of not going to Argentina is that it backs on to a Chiefs’ bye week so it’s kind of an extended break in itself.”

Before the side heads on the road, Retallick will tonight lead the Chiefs out on to the turf at Hamilton’s FMG Stadium to take on the Hurricanes.

The other bonus of not going to Argentina is that it backs on to a Chiefs bye week so it’s kind of an extended break in itself. Brodie Retallick

After a horror start to the season, the Chiefs have their eyes on the opportunity to get their season off the mark.

Through the opening four rounds, the Chiefs have gone 0-4 with losses to the Highlanders, Brumbies, Sunwolves and Crusaders. Through that span, defensive lapses and an inability to take care of possession have plagued the side who are conceding an average of 43 points per game.

“It’s been a tough few weeks; no one wants to start the competition 0-4,” Retallick said.

“It’s been a steep learning curve. There’s been talk about that — we didn’t hold the ball, haven’t built enough pressure and from there we’re leaking a lot of tries and a lot of points.

“Last week we turned up with a better intensity especially on the getgo. We’ve just got to keep the self-belief high and keep believing in what we’re doing until we get it right for 80 minutes.”