Boshier not turning over a new leaf
Chiefs loosie stays true to his ball-winning ways
He was one of the standouts in Super Rugby 2020, in a losing team, no less, but could not get a look-in with the All Blacks.
This season, Lachlan Boshier is promising to again shine at the breakdown, where he was prolific in snaffling turnovers for the Chiefs, and not try be something he is not.
“You don’t want to be someone else — you can only be yourself,” Boshier says. “Everyone is a different player and there’s different types of No 7s around. I’m happy with how I play the game, and if other people aren’t happy with that, then so be it.”
As an openside in New Zealand, comparisons are inevitable. From Richie McCaw to All Blacks and Chiefs captain Sam Cane, this country has been blessed by superb No 7s and leaders.
Yet observers couldn’t rave enough about Boshier last year. Near every breakdown, it seemed he snaffled the ball faster than a seagull on hot chips.
The Taranaki fetcher was particularly prominent before the Covid-19 shutdown. When Super Rugby Aotearoa (SRA) returned, a new set of breakdown interpretations, designed to increase speed and improve safety, left him and other opensides such as Blues and All Blacks flanker Dalton Papalii scratching their heads.
With 58 penalties dished out in the first SRA round alone, fans and players alike were left fuming.
“They stuffed around with the laws last year and it put a dent in the game,” Boshier says. “It was frustrating the way they played around with the breakdown. It took a few games to get right.
“I don’t know why they’re trying to change things so much — they’re obviously trying to make the game better, but at the start of Super Rugby Aotearoa, they brought in all these new law interpretations, and then halfway through, it’s back to normal. Mentally, that drains you as well — it becomes frustrating.”
At this point of pre-season, Boshier has learned little about how the breakdown will be policed this year.
“We haven’t had any comms yet. Closer to the games, we might hear a few things, but it’s not until you get into it do you see how it rolls. It’s about who adapts the best to it.”
Despite his impressive decision-making at the breakdown and link play throughout 2020 alongside Cane, Boshier struggled to leave a lasting impression on the All Blacks selectors.
His sole reward came in cracking the North Island squad for the revived fixture against the South, only to be left out of the 23-man team, with Papalii and Ardie Savea preferred.
Later in the test season when Savea was absent from the Tri Nations on paternity leave, the All Blacks overlooked Boshier in favour of Hurricanes openside Du’Plessis Kirifi, suggesting he got the nod for his superior defensive physicality and ball carrying.
“I haven’t had too many chats with those sorts of guys,” the 26-year-old says of the All Blacks selectors. “You can only play as well as you do while you’re out there.
“There’s definitely plenty of competition in the loose forwards around the country. You can only control what you do, so I’m always trying to be a better player. The rest takes care of itself.
“I’ll just keep going with what I’m doing and slowly progress in most areas. I’m pretty happy with how my game is at the moment. I really loved my footy last year; keeping it well balanced is key for me. We’ve got some good coaches at the Chiefs so I’ll keep working with them to grow my game.
“The confidence grows every year. They always talk about experience and I’ve been in the game long enough to understand that now. I’m definitely getting more comfortable every year.”
Cane’s presence necessitates Boshier to again put his 108kg frame to work for the Chiefs largely from No 6, where he faces competition from twotest All Black Luke Jacobson, who has seemingly recovered from concussion issues that forced him home from the 2019 World Cup without playing a match. Boshier doesn’t mind what number he wears, saying little changes other than hitting a different ruck.
Having Cane around has its benefits, too. Last year, whenever Cane made a hit, Boshier was invariably on his shoulder to scrap for a turnover.
“He’s always open for a chat and a bit of feedback here and there. We bounce off each other quite well.
It’s great having his wealth of experience around and his leadership is massive. It definitely helps me and all the other boys.”
The Chiefs had a dire SRA campaign last year, losing all eight games in Warren
Gatland’s first year at the helm. While some poor officiating decisions did not help in the tight Kiwi derbies, Boshier’s attitude sums up their intent to rectify the ledger this season.
The presence of younger brother
Kaylum, another loose forward, in the
Chiefs squad this season only fuels motivation.
“We’ll take a bit of a chip on our shoulder into this year. There are no excuses — we’ve got to be better.
“It was definitely a tough season. We were going pretty well before Covid but we then couldn’t get anything going.
It didn’t feel like that, the boys were working hard and the genuine feeling in camp was positive; no one was dropping their heads. It was just a shame we couldn’t get a win. We were close a couple of times but we’ve got to be more clinical than that.”
Clayton McMillan stepping in to the head coach role for Gatland on an interim basis, before switching to assistant next season, has instigated a refreshing change.
“He brings a new edge to the group. He’s got that tough man side to him. He brings new ideas, new drills, so the boys are enjoying that changeup. He’s been really good to have around.
“He’s definitely hands on and the boys love that. You can easily go to him and ask a few questions and he’s happy to get stuck in at training.”
The Chiefs will hope it’s a case of new year, vastly improved results, but as New Zealand’s best turnover exponent, don’t expect Boshier to change the traits that worked so well for him last year.