Japan experience on their minds
Canterbury’s dynasty remains alive and kicking – just.
The red and blacks edged Tasman 21-16 in a thrilling semifinal in Nelson last night, advancing to next weekend’s Mitre 10 Cup final against either Auckland or Wellington.
Captain and halfback Mitchell Drummond, via a smart kick and chase, scored the match-winning try four minutes from time, with Tasman fullback Will Jordan in the bin for a deliberate knock-on.
It would take a brave soul to bet against Canterbury snaring a fourth consecutive title, and 10th in the past 11 years.
Having ended neighbour Tasman’s dreams of a maiden national provincial title, Canterbury will now no doubt sit back and root for Wellington to topple the top-seeded Aucklanders in the other semifinal, ensuring the decider will be played in Christchurch.
In what was Tasman coach Leon MacDonald’s last game before he takes up an assistant coaching gig at the Blues, Canterbury fought back from 13-6 down at the break.
With 19 Crusaders across both teams, they quickly reduced the deficit to four points, after Brett Cameron banged over his third penalty of the night a couple of minutes after play resumed.
Tasman first-five Mitch Hunt responded with a penalty of his own shortly afterwards to re-establish the seven-point buffer, before a yellow card to No 8 Mike Curry opened the door for the visitors.
Curry was binned for dragging down a rolling maul, forcing the Mako to get by with 14 men against a team which was starting to smell blood.
Tasman defended stoutly, almost surviving a relentless barrage on their line, with flanker Ethan Blackadder tackling himself to a standstill.
However, Canterbury finally crossed through captain Mitch Drummond in the 65th minute, when he darted down the short-side from a dominant scrum.
While advantage was being played, Tasman had reason to feel hard done by.
Replays showed Canterbury flanker Reed Prinsep held Blackadder, denying him the chance to make a scrambling tackle.
However, despite howls from the crowd as replays flashed on the big screen, the try stood and Cameron’s conversion squared the game up at 16-16.
It took 35 minutes, but the opening try – scored by Tasman captain David Havili – was well worth the wait.
The second-five eighth finished off an impressive 16-phase raid, which started about 40m from the line, by powering onto a flat Finlay Christie pass.
Hooker Andrew Makalio deserved a pat on the back for his part in the try. After all, the 111kg rake flattened Phil Burleigh with a typically violent run to give them the front-foot ball they desired.
The converted try was overdue reward, given they opened up the visitors on numerous occasions but failed to cash in on the scoreboard. This time around, they’ve got two tests - against Australia and the hosts - then it’s off to Europe, where England, Ireland and Italy await.
The All Blacks camp have made plenty of noise about the benefits of spending two weeks in Japan a year out from the World Cup. The way coach Steve Hansen sees it, next weekend’s Bledisloe Cup test is somewhat of a dress rehearsal for next year’s tournament opener against the Springboks.
"We’ve had a couple of weeks off and when we go up to play South Africa it will be after four weeks off, so it’ll be a big match and we have to hit the road running, so we’ll have to see how we go with it."
Hansen said the trip would have benefits for both players and staff when it comes to next year.
"You get up there, you find out what the culture of the place is like, the stadiums you’re going to play in and the facilities you’re going to train in, so it gives you a little bit of a feel for what it’s going to be like and it becomes home, so we’ll get used to home quicker."
With the Bledisloe Cup already stowed away for the year, the European leg of the end-of-year tour is the more exciting one, featuring eye-catching clashes with England and Ireland that could be repeated in the knockout stages a year from now.
Hansen said it was hard not to think about all that lies ahead over the next five weeks.
"You look at today, you look at tomorrow, and then you look at the future, don’t you?
"It"s like any business that you’re in and rugby’s no different.
"We’ve got to get up there, get ourselves set and ready to go for Australia, but then you’re thinking about the Japan week as well, and then you start thinking about what’s coming after that.
"It’s always there, you’ve just got to be able to pull the right balloon down at the right time."
With the test against England coming a week after the test against Japan, the All Blacks have opted for a unique approach.
Thirty-two players will assemble for next weekend’s test with the Wallabies, with 22 heading immediately to London afterwards and 19 fresh faces arriving from New Zealand to complete the squad for the Japan test.
That group of 19 includes 10 uncapped players, selected with an eye on the long-term future of the team. As Hansen put it: "It’s the start of their turn to have a crack at the jersey".
"It’s not just about next year, some of these guys are players that were picked for way beyond next year, so it’s important that they start well and get a feeling for what it’s like and get used to the pressure that comes with being an All Black and the scrutiny that comes with that.
"It can be an overwhelming time for them, so we’ve got to make sure we do that right."
Brodie Retallick injured his shoulder in the All Blacks’ win over Argentina in Nelson at the start of September, but is set to be available next weekend.
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