Make the most of star turnout
The blanket availability of All Blacks is set to end after this week, as confirmed by All Blacks coach Ian Foster.
Some will continue to play in the coming weeks, but make the most of it before a mega All Blacks squad is plucked from the competition ahead of the Rugby Championship.
Enjoy it before it’s plundered
All Blacks coach Ian Foster will soon add another 11 players to his squad for the Rugby Championship in Australia, blowing it out to a whopping 46.
Yes, the Mitre 10 Cup, on a high with All Blacks turning out for their provinces the first two weeks, will be vastly different down the stretch.
The reality is that the All Blacks spending nine weeks away from home for the November-December competition in a Covid-19 world means the mega squad is a must.
However, there will be frustration among fans when their team is stripped of players, particularly fringe All Blacks who won’t even see the field in Australia.
Decimating the back end of the competition was put to Foster earlier this week. His response: internationals do not normally even line up for their unions.
True, but 46-man All Black squads and nineweeks on the road aren’t the norm.
Timing of restrictions couldn’t be worse
You couldn’t script it worse for provincial union bosses eager to ease the financial pain Covid-19 has inflicted.
All Blacks are running around in droves for the first time in two decades, yet they can’t open the gates and fill out their stadiums due to the on-going level 2 restrictions across the country.
Canterbury chief executive Tony Smail must have buried his head in his hands on Monday afternoon when it was confirmed restrictions would extend, ensuring there will be no packed out crowd in Christchurch to watch Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett go head-to-head in tomorrow’s Ranfurly Shield challenge.
And, when restrictions are likely dropped to level 1 outside of Auckland on Monday night, the blanket availability of All Blacks ceases.
Let’s hope punters are still eager for a live rugby fix.
Beauden Barrett v Richie Mo’unga
If you only watch one match this weekend, make sure it’s the Ranfurly Shield clash between Canterbury and Taranaki in Christchurch.
Another chance to watch All Black pivots Mo’unga (Canterbury) and Barrett (Taranaki) go head-to-head is the primary reason, but not the only one.
It also marks Jordie Barrett’s first game against Canterbury, who he helped win a title in 2016, while a raft of other All Blacks, including Sam Whitelock, Codie Taylor, Tupou Vaa’i and George Bridge, will also feature.
It’s also a rematch of the 2017 Shield match in Christchurch between the teams, when Taranaki turned a 31-7 deficit into a remarkable 55-43 win.
The man who sealed the win – wing Manasa Mataele – by charging down and returning a Mo’unga kick, now plays for the red-and-blacks.
Hope for Southland
There’s cause for optimism for long-suffering Stags fans.
No doubt still buzzing after last week’s win against Hawke’s Bay – just their second scalp in their last 32 matches – they ought to take a gander at their schedule.
Southland do not play premiership heavyweights Canterbury, Wellington or Auckland this year, while Tasman should be stripped of their All Blacks when they play on October 25.
The ticker they showed to rebuff raid after raid against the Magpies last week was perhaps a sign things are on the rise in the deep south.
A good showing against Bay of Plenty in Rotorua on a hard, dry track this weekend is the next step.
Eden Park belter
Put the gardening off on Sunday afternoon and tune into the final match of round two, because there should be fireworks when Auckland host Wellington.
Without restrictions, you have to think a hefty crowd would have turned out at New Zealand’s largest stadium, given it’s got all the ingredients: afternoon match, All Blacks galore, powerful rivalry, fine weather forecast.
Wellington, smarting from a 53-28 defeat to Waikato, will be far from toast if they drop another match, but expect last year’s runners-up to bring the heat after last week’s stinker.