Super Rugby team of the week:
Six Blues and no Crusaders. That is very unlikely to happen again in Stuff’s Super Rugby team of the week, and no doubt the Hurricanes are preparing themselves for a steely Crusaders side in Wellington on Friday.
Nonetheless, that is a fair reflection of last weekend’s action.
Leon MacDonald’s side are far, far from the finished article but they look better and more patient than last year, with the likes of the talented Melani Nanai cutting out the silly errors.
The Chiefs’ recovery, which began against the Hurricanes, continued but the dreaded ‘player management’ protocols make this weekend’s trip to Argentina particularly tricky.
Here is Stuff’s selection from round six.
15. Damian McKenzie (Chiefs): Was creative and purposeful from the back and clearly enjoyed the dry track and afternoon kickoff in Pretoria.
14. Ben Smith (Highlanders): Yes, he played at fullback but moves to his All Blacks position on the wing this week because he was too good to ignore. Threatened to cut the Blues to pieces at times.
13. Tumua Manu (Chiefs): Ran for a game-high 79 metres for the Chiefs but I liked his draw and pass in the buildup to Solomon Alaimalo’s opener. Learning on the job.
12. Ma’a Nonu (Blues): If we were selecting on stats alone the Chiefs’ Alex Nankivell would get the nod but how can you put a price on Nonu’s experience? Got better as the game went on, too.
11. Rieko Ioane (Blues): Playing like the best wing in the world at the moment. Can he lead the Blues to the promised land of the Super Rugby finals? They are now up and running.
10. Beauden Barrett (Hurricanes): Can’t be easy playing behind a pack that is beaten almost every week but scored