Dour mismatch backs argument around too many teams
On a day when New Zealand Rugby hinted there was too much rugby in New Zealand, the Chiefs and Moana Pasifika mounted a convincing case for contraction.
A dour match at Mt Smart Stadium was won by the visitors, who moved to third in the Super Rugby standings. But the real winners were those who chose another way to spend their Friday evening.
Moments of true quality were almost matched by the number of yellow cards received by the hosts, the two handed out doing little to affect an outcome never in doubt.
The Chiefs had averaged 56 points in their four wins over Moana Pasifika. The teams’ last meeting resulted in a franchise-record 68-12 walkover in Hamilton.
The fact the margin remained short of that mark owed mainly to two factors: the Chiefs were missing the inspiration of Damian McKenzie, while Moana Pasifika defended well in the first half.
But the fact that type of moral victory was much more likely than a real victory represented a problem: Moana Pasifika have now lost 19 of 20 games against Kiwi opposition.
NZR general manager of professional rugby Chris Lendrum was warning the provincial unions when he told the Rugby Direct podcast that “we’ve got too many professional teams in New Zealand”.
Yet nothing about this encounter suggested this fixture was integral in a world offering more options for eyeballs than ever. Instead, the lack of them inside Mt Smart Stadium was impossible to ignore.
The comparison to a team with a three-decade history is both unfair and unavoidable. This was Moana Pasifika’s first match of the season at their ostensible home ground and the venue could not have looked more different to the vibrant sights that accompany a Warriors game.
A casual viewer would tune into the Warriors and not know the colour of the Mt Smart seats. In contrast, the sea of blue providing the background last night was more notable than anything that happened on the field.
The scarcity of noteworthy events on the field bore some responsibility.
While the opening 40 minutes were closely fought, as the Chiefs took a 12-0 lead to halftime, that description might as well be a euphemism for dull.
The second spell featured in the first 30 seconds more spark than everything that had preceded, as Etene Nanai-Seturo produced a spectacular solo effort. That, though, produced the byproduct of immediately quashing any intrigue about a potential upset.
Josh Jacomb laid on the fourth of his side’s seven tries, the highlight of an encouraging second start for the Taranaki first-five, while dynamic No 8 Wallace Sititi led a dominant loose forward trio.
That pair, 23 and 21 respectively, spoke to a promising future for the Chiefs. The same cannot be said with conviction about Moana Pasifika but captain Sama Malolo offered an optimistic tone.
“We’re only an organisation that’s been around for three years and everyone knows that the Pacific’s got a lot of heart,” Malolo told Sky Sport. “The boys brought that [last night] but we’re just lacking in those details. Rugby’s a detail sport: a lot of detail in the breakdown, a lot of detail in the set piece. If we can get that right, we’ll finally be a force to be reckoned with in Super Rugby. We’ve just got to believe and for the people out there: don’t stop believing in us, too. Because we’ll get there some day.”
What the rugby landscape looks like when that day comes remains to be seen.
Moana Pasifika 7 (Anzelo Tuitavuki try; D'angelo Leuila con)
Chiefs 43 (Quinn Tupaea, Josh Jacomb, Etene Nanai-Seturo, Anton Lienert-Brown, Simon Parker, Luke Jacobson, Liam Coombes-Fabling tries, Josh Jacomb 4 cons)
HT: 12-0.