Super Rugby Pacific takeaways as All Blacks hopeful equals ‘insane’ record while Damian McKenzie goes full Black Panther and the cost of Reds’ statement win
Our five takeaways from Saturday's Super Rugby Pacific action.
Following Saturday’s Super Rugby Pacific action, here are our five takeaways following the wins for the Crusaders, Chiefs and Reds.
The top line
Clayton McMillan’s Chiefs lead the league standings in the Southern Hemisphere’s premier club competition after five rounds of action. Last year’s finalists completed the season double over the defending champion Blues, clinching a narrow 32-3 victory in Waikato.
In the earlier kick-off on Saturday, Super Rugby’s most successful club, the Crusaders, continued their strong start to the season, emphatically downing the Western Force 55-33 in Christchurch. Rob Penney’s came under the cosh last season after the then-defending champions failed to reach the knockout stages.
However, the revival looks well and truly on track after winning all but one of their opening four games of the year. The only team they have fallen to is arguably the form team in the competition, the Chiefs, and their latest success has been possibly their most convincing performance to date. They outscored the Force nine tries to four with Max Burey’s boot making the scoreline look far more respectable as the 26-year-old racked up 11 points.
Saturday’s final game saw the Reds claim a statement 35-15 victory over their fiercest rivals the Waratahs at Suncorp Stadium. Les Kiss’ side ran in five tries to the Waratahs’ one with a resolute defence keeping the visitors at bay for long periods of time.
Crusaders flyers slay Force
As mentioned above, Penney’s charges looked an entirely different outfit this season and today’s shift was the most telling example of just that as wingers Sevu Reece and Macca Springer scored eight of the nine tries.
Reece grabbed a hat-trick while Springer equalled the late Sean Wainui’s insane record for most tries in a Super Rugby game, crossing five times while setting another try.
All Blacks star Reece doubled his season tally with his three tries and has now scored more hat-tricks for the Crusaders (4) than any other player in the club’s history. He has now also moved ahead of Julian Savea on the all-time try-scoring charts and is just one try off of TJ Perenara (35).
The 28-year-old has clearly lost a touch of pace due to his injuries in recent seasons but showed today that he still has a keen eye for the try line and is a lethal finisher. Reece served All Blacks boss Scott Robertson well during his time with the Crusaders and is proving that he still has much to offer the head coach despite some underwhelming performances in 2024.
Robertson will likely be keeping an eye on Springer too as the winger racked up 25 points in the victory over the Force and assisted a try. It was the 21-year-old’s first appearance of the new season and he certainly laid down a mighty marker.
With Will Jordan grabbing the Crusaders’ only other try of the match, Penney got great purchase from his back-three today with the All Blacks full-back also setting up two tries.
Damian McKenzie guides Chiefs back to winning ways
While the Crusaders donned their Iron Man-inspired jersey in their victory over the Force, the Chiefs pulled on the Black Panther-esque kit and the Blues their Spider-Man get-up and both of the latter teams produced moments akin to the Marvel characters.
Damian McKenzie was the driving force in the Chiefs’ narrow win, using Black Panther-esque reflexes and agility to evade several defenders in the build-up to Daniel Rona’s try with All Blacks snub Shaun Stevenson throwing the most audacious of offloads to send the centre through. McKenzie was in the thick of it again for the second try as he used his heightened senses to canter through the Blues’ defence after the ugliest of passes from Xavier Roe.
Just before the break, it was fellow All Black Mark Telea who channelled his inner superhero with a Spider-Man-esque acrobatic finish in the corner.
McKenzie was at the heart of the Chiefs’ next two scores again before the Blues fought back with the determination of Peter Parker and looked to have landed the killer blow when Stephen Perofeta weighted a pinpoint cross-kick out to Rieko Ioane in the final knockings of the match. But while his kick was on the money, Xavi Taele’s was not as his attempt cannoned off the upright as Spider-Man fell just a point shy of Black Panther.
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Reds hammer Waratahs
Rugby in Australia is far from dead and buried after yet another thrilling Aussie derby as the Reds and Waratahs went hammer and tongs at one another. A derby that had it all; cards, tries, big hits and several fiery exchanges.
Both teams fought for every inch but ultimately it was the hosts that emerged victorious in the small battles and on the scoresheet as Kiss’ charges scored five tries to the Tahs’ two to end the weekend as the top-ranked Australian team.
However, the result looks to have come at a cost with arguably Australia’s finest forward Fraser McReight forced off the pitch with a rather nasty-looking AC joint injury after scoring a blinder of a try. The result brings the Waratahs’ super start to the season to a swift end after the NSW outfit won their opening three matches.
This has been arguably the best start to a Super Rugby season in years and the competitiveness of the Australian teams has been a pivotal part of that being the case. So often in the past these derbies have been dour affairs but that has not been the case at all this season.
Razor watch
Earlier this weekend, Chiefs star Stevenson spoke frankly about his future in New Zealand Rugby with options in Japan and rugby league possibly on the table. The outside back made his first start of the season for the Chiefs and it didn’t take too long for ‘Shooter’ to weave his magic with a simply outrageous offload to set-up his team’s opening try.
The 28-year-old was completely overlooked by All Blacks boss Robertson last year and is already making strides to changing the head coach’s opinion of him. If he doesn’t get a call to the All Blacks again, Stevenson could trade international allegiances to Samoa before next year’s World Cup and frankly put, he is too good not to be playing Test rugby.
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Meanwhile, Robertson will be pleased to see Samisoni Taukei’aho back on the rugby pitch after the hooker missed the entirety of the 2024 international season through injury. The Chiefs front-rower is a nigh-on automatic selection when fit but on today’s evidence, he will be getting strong competition from his clubmate Brodie McAlister.
The 27-year-old hooker was called into the All Blacks squad last November as injury cover but never got on the pitch but is making strong strides to earning a recall. Against the defending champions, he produced another strong set-piece performance while racking up a match-high 21 tackles in his 50 minutes on the pitch.
Tupou Vaa’i enjoyed a breakout year last year but again put in a standout performance for the Chiefs in the second-row while the same is true for Blues veteran Patrick Tuipulotu.
There were other impressive performances in Waikato with Tele’a proving incredibly slippery for the Chiefs’ defence, beating six defenders, with McKenzie evading five defenders on the other side of the pitch.
While Springer and Reece stole the show and the headlines in Christchurch, there were several standout performances from players who could well push themselves into the All Blacks selection frame. Replacement hooker Ioane Moananu was sublime off the bench winning two turnovers and making 30 running metres with ball in hand. Codie Taylor also looks in good nick since returning from injury.
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