*I am aware this competition finished weeks ago, but I wanted to complete my series of articles and so have written this final review. Hope you enjoy*
Super Rugby Aotearoa has finished, and what a competition it was. I have never seen a rugby tournament with so much consistent quality, intense competition and standout players as SRA did. Unfortunately due to a resurgence of Covid-19 in New Zealand, the final game of the Blues vs Crusaders was cancelled and the Highlanders vs Hurricanes was played behind closed doors- but this didn’t impact how good the rest of the competition was. In this article, I will review each team’s season and my team of the tournament- enjoy!
Final standings
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | +/- | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crusaders* | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1 | +71 | 30 |
| Blues* | 7 | 5 | 1 | 2 | +27 | 24 |
| Hurricanes | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | -11 | 21 |
| Highlanders | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | -30 | 14 |
| Chiefs | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | -57 | 5 |
* Blues and Crusaders Round 10 game called off.
Crusaders
The Champions of the inaugural competition, the Crusaders were without doubt the best team of the lot. Winning 6/7 games, they claimed 30 points in the end (including 2 points for their cancelled match vs the Blues). Featuring a team packed with All-Blacks, both current and developing, they dominated opponents in the second half and nearly always ended up on the winning side. They scored some incredible tries from their potent backline and their younger forward pack, led by Codie Taylor and veteran Sam Whitelock made sure that their set pieces and close-quarter defence was on point. Many younger guys stood out- including wing Will Jordan, flanker Tom Christie and no8 Tom Sanders as well as more experienced players like Richie Mo’unga and George Bridge. The franchise makes up the majority of Ian Foster’s All-Blacks squad with 11 players to their name, and rightly so. The Crusaders are set to continue to dominate Southern-Hemisphere rugby over the next couple of years at least with their young squad, innovative styles of play and excellent coaching by Scott Robertson and co.
Top Players
- Will Jordan (wing/fullback)- Jordan had an excellent season, scoring the most tries (6), running the most metres (724), having the most clean breaks (15) and beating the most defenders (39). He has been rightly handed a spot in the All-Blacks and should get some starts later this year.
- Richie Mo’unga (fly-half)- Mo’unga was the Player of the Tournament and top scorer with 99 points. His ability to single-handedly change results at the last minute massively helped his team and his consistent quality is unparalleled at fly half in world rugby right now.
- Codie Taylor (hooker)- Taylor made 67 successful lineout throws and carried 52 times, making nine clean breaks. He is arguably one of the most dynamic and impressive hookers in New Zealand and the world now.
Blues
The much-improved Blues outfit impressed this year, with a dynamic and impressive forward pack complementing a talented backline who scored some incredible tries. The addition of Beauden Barrett added fire to the already sublime backline, whilst taking pressure off fly-half Otere Black- who played brilliantly in the first half of the tournament before being benched. Wingers Caleb Clarke and Mark Telea lit up the competition with power and pace, whilst centre Rieko Ioane re-established himself as one of the best backs in New Zealand at outside centre. There was plenty of competition at scrum-half, as Sam Nock and Finlay Christie fought for the starting jersey, whilst in the forwards, plenty of names caught the eye. In the front row, props Hodgman and Tu’ungafasi impressed in both the close and open fields, whilst hooker Kurt Eklund was superb in the second half of the tournament. In the second row, Patrick Tuipulotu and Josh Goodue were both brilliant for the Auckland side, whilst the back row was a talent pool- with Akira Ioane, Dalton Papali’i and Hoskins Sotutu all receiving All-Blacks call-ups after fantastic seasons. The franchise have 10 players to their name in the national squad and deservedly so- they were one of the best sides in the competition.
Top players
- Caleb Clarke (wing)- one of the most exciting young prospects not only in New Zealand, but in world rugby too. Clarke lit up the competition with an impressive combination of skill, power and raw pace.
- Hoskins Sotutu (no8)- another huge prospect is 22 year old number 8 Sotutu. Despite an injury halving his tournament, he showed an incredibly broad skillset and devastating style of play- combining power, speed, skills and breakdown work.
- Patrick Tuipulotu (lock)- the Blues skipper was the mainstay of the Auckland outfit and helped them to one of their best ever campaigns with his huge work rate, consistency and leadership.
Hurricanes
The Canes had a quality season, finishing just three points behind second place. The introduction of Jordie Barrett in round 4 seemed to make the difference- with the Wellington side winning 5/8 matches. Forwards Dane Coles, Du’Plessis Kirifi and Ardie Savea all dominated in the tight with huge carries and massive workrates, whilst in the backs TJ Perenara, Ngani Laumape and Peter Umaga-Jensen lit up Sky Stadium with dazzling skills, tries and power.
Top players
- Jordie Barrett (fullback)- The key man for the Canes was unquestionably fullback Barrett- who had a massive impact on his team, kicking points, controlling the attack and igniting tries from his backline. Arguably, had the Taranaki man been in from the start, they might have finished even higher.
- Ngani Laumape (centre)- the All-Black had a great season, showing his class, power and pace as well as consistently running over opposition defences. He should definitely be in the running for the Black 12 jersey later this year.
- Ardie Savea (no8)- the back row came back from injury remarkably- with his never-say-die attitude, relentless energy and breakdown skills. Savea throughly deserves his place in the All-Blacks back row currently.
Highlanders
The side from Dunedin had a mixed season, playing well and coming close in many games- but too often came out on the losing side. They only won 3/8 games- despite much of their attack and even defence being top draw. Hooker and captain Ash Dixon was solid, leading his team well with great leadership and try-scoring abilities. In the back five, locks Josh Dixon and Pari-Pari Parkinson showed their class whilst Shannon Frizell, Dillon Hunt and Marino Mikaele Tu’u made one of the best trios in the competition. Aaron Smith was of his usual high quality and Jonah Nareki and Josh McKay showed extreme pace on the wings.
- Ash Dixon (hooker)- led the side well, scored many tries and was brilliant in lineouts. Dixon had a huge impact on the resilience of his side.
- Shannon Frizell (flanker)- Frizell was excellent in both attack and defence, regularly breaking the gain line and hitting people back in the tackle. Thoroughly deserves his All-Black spot.
- Aaron Smith (scrum-half)- Smith showed why he is still the premium nine in New Zealand with a dominating campaign- making plenty of tackles, igniting attacks and running quality support lines.
Chiefs
The Chiefs had a disappointing season winning no games, although they showed moments of real class and tenacity and were unlucky not to get wins vs the Highlanders in particular. Standout forwards include locks Naitoa Ah Kuoi and Tupou Vaa’i as well as Lachlan Boshier and Sam Cane. Anton Lienert-Brown provided stability and skills in the centres- whilst fullback Damian McKenzie showed quality and composure throughout the competition.
Top players
- Naitoa Ah Kuoi (lock)- Ah Khoi showed plenty of class in the lineout, defence and attack- making him a standout player and a potential All-Blacks candidate- only cut short by his unfortunate injury.
- Lachlan Boshier (flanker)- consistently topping the tackle and turnover charts, Boshier excelled and was one of the key players to miss out on a call up to New Zealand.
- Damian McKenzie (fullback)- despite not being able to showcase his running game much, McKenzie was still class- kicking goals and organising his backline well.
Summary
Overall, Super Rugby Aotearoa was an incredible tournament and provided great entertainment for many fans worldwide in the depths of lockdown. Thank you for reading my analysis and I hope to cover another tournament soon.
