Super Rugby week 15 talking points: confident Tahs, awkward All Blacks and Crusaders with hammers

Sport360 staff 00:27 26/05/2018
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  • (L to R) Jordie Barrett, Sam Cane, Brodie Retallick and Liam Squire at the All Blacks camp.

    Awkward roomies, Waratahs aiming high and a player downing his tools to lace up his boots feature in our Super Rugby talking points for week 15.

    Keep your enemies close

    Someone had a sense of humour when allocating rooms for the All Blacks training camp at the start of the week – Crusaders players were forced to share with Hurricanes.

    For three days they trained, ate and swotted together as team mates before heading home to prepare to be enemies in Friday’s top-of-the-table Super Rugby clash.

    “It’s a unique and different challenge,” observed All Blacks fly-half Beauden Barrett, the only Hurricane to be spared the awkwardness by rooming with Damian McKenzie of the Chiefs.

    Ahead of the crucial contest, likely to decide the top qualifier, Barrett said it was all about switching the mindset to fit the situation.

    “The Crusaders like to hang out together. They’re a tight group. It’s all about breaking them up. I was doing my best to get in amongst them,” he said after dining with a table full of Crusaders including his brother Scott.

    Crusaders fly-half and fledgling All Black Richie Mo’unga said teaming up with the Hurricanes in a pivotal game week had its challenges.

    “We’re all in the same team ’til we leave the premises. But there is slight banter going around which is always fun and healthy.”

    Tahs eye title tilt

    NSW Waratahs have set their sights high after breaking Australia’s Super Rugby 40-match drought against New Zealand opposition, with fly-half Bernard Foley saying the Sydney-siders believe they can win the title for the first time since 2014.

    The Waratahs lead the Australian conference, putting them in the box seat to claim a top-three spot in the play-offs, and Foley said they were capable of maintaining the form that saw them down the Highlanders 41-12.

    “Everyone’s saying how good it was that it’s finally happened (ending the losing streak),” Foley said ahead of Saturday’s match against the Chiefs.

    “But for us it’s something we haven’t spoken about because we know we can be doing it each week.

    “It’s something this team is capable of… we have to do it regularly and we’ll take the congratulations and the back-slapping at the end of the season when we’ve won this competition.”

    Crusader King puts hammer down

    Injury and suspension weakened the Crusaders ahead of Friday’s blockbuster against the Hurricanes, which is likely to decide the top-ranked play-off team.

    Skipper Sam Whitelock and centre Ryan Crotty were out with concussion, while the reigning champions’ front row was missing Owen Franks and Joe Moody (both suspended) as well as Tim Perry (hamstring strain).

    Coach Scott Robertson drafted in veteran prop Wyatt Crockett, along with Chris King, a part-timer with a regular job as a builder.

    “He’s put down the tools, dropped the old hammer and here he is, back in for about the fourth time,” Robertson said.

    The Hurricanes had their own problems, with Matt Proctor’s sternum injury forcing Jordie Barrett to play at centre.

    Nehe Milner-Skudder replaced Barrett at fullback, opening up a spot for Julian Savea on the right wing.

    Wounded Stormers worry Lions

    Lions coach Swys de Bruin has jokingly cursed Tokyo outfit Sunwolves for beating the Stormers last weekend, saying it would make it harder for his team to win in Cape Town.

    “Stormers will be desperate to restore pride after losing to Sunwolves in Hong Kong,” De Bruin said of a side that have won five matches and lost one at home this season.

    “It is going to be a typical South African derby in Cape Town… a real arm-wrestle,” predicted the coach who succeeded Gloucester-bound Johan Ackermann this year.

    Lions, the 2016 and 2017 runners-up, are unbeaten in 20 matches against South African opponents since losing 35-33 away to the Bulls three years ago.

    Desperate measures for desperate times

    The Brumbies are desperate to get back to winning ways and need crowd support to achieve it.

    After a paltry 5,283 spectators turned up for their last game in Canberra – their second worst turnout ever – they are now appealing to fans’ charitable side.

    In a bid to get more people through the turnstiles, the club will donate AUD$15,000 to three charities if 15,000 fans brave the winter weather on Sunday week against the Sunwolves.

    Brumbies hooker Josh Mann-Rea said the target was achievable despite dwindling interest in Super Rugby and the Brumbies, who have won just three from 11 this season.

    “I know what it’s like in winter down here, you’re not just fighting a bad performance — you’re fighting winter and the cold winds,” he said.

    “I’ve played in games here where we have cracked 20,000 so I think it is achievable, for sure.”

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