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RNZ News
25-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
All Blacks watch: who pressed their case over the weekend?
Leroy Carter, Fehi Fineanganofo, Billy Proctor, Brayden Ennor. Photo: PHOTOSPORT Analysis - While the results over the weekend did a bit to solidify the Super Rugby Pacific table, there was plenty to think about regarding the impending All Black squad naming on 23 June. Some are probably a bit more realistic than others, but that's the fun of trying to read Scott Robertson's no doubt unique thought process. So here's a look at whose stocks certainly went up, bearing in mind that the Blues had a bye (which to be honest was probably a good thing because it at least ensured they wouldn't lose). Moana Pasifika felt the wrath of the Chiefs in the ridiculous 85-7 result , a lot of which was finished by Carter. The wing was involved heavily in the middle of the park too and showcased his skill with a very nice kick to set up his third try. Cortez Ratima scores and is embraced by Leroy Carter. Photo: Jeremy Ward/Photosport Of course, Carter benefited from the supremely quick service Damian McKenzie was getting, which allowed the first five tons of time to unleash his backs. Ratima helped himself to a hat trick as well, which was timely considering just how tight the squeeze will be for three All Black halfbacks. Parker probably wasn't on many radars going into this season other than Clayton McMillan's, but his blue collar work ethic and Liam Squire-like physicality looks to be exactly what the loose forward mix can benefit from. It says a lot that he's been keeping incumbent All Black Samipeni Finau on the bench for much of the season. Simon Parker. Photo: Aaron Gillions/ActionPress No, it's not just because he's from the Crusaders. Rob Penney showed no hesitation in bringing the nine test centre straight back into his starting side and Ennor has repaid the faith, especially on defence against the Highlanders in a tight 15-12 win . Ennor had to do plenty of it too, as the Crusaders spent the majority of the game in their own half. Braydon Ennor tackles Timoci Tavatavanawai. Photo: Martin Hunter/ActionPress Another man to shine in the somewhat ugly win was Christie, who did a mountain of defensive work himself. While he's certainly been consistent throughout his career, Christie has never quite knocked on the door of test selection, however the aforementioned loose forward balance may well necessitate a surprise call up. The Hurricanes co-skipper has now officially made an art form of the defensive turnover, this time snuffing out the Reds' last possible shot at scoring in their 31-27 win in Brisbane . Kirifi is in the form of his life and in a team that is coming right at the right time, will his long journey to an All Black jersey be realised or will he be this season's Hoskins Sotutu? Hurricanes Fehi Fineanganofo celebrates. Photo: Patrick Hoelscher OK, this is a little left field as Carter is the former Sevens rep that is on everyone's minds right now. But Fineanganofo, who slipped into the Hurricanes relatively unheralded this season, has been the most efficient finisher over the past couple of rounds. He scored two crucial tries, including the winner against the Reds - a call up would be a surprise but at least you can say Fineanganofo is truly one of the form wingers right now. Not just a statement about being picked, Proctor's performance against the Reds was more of a demand to be the starting centre when the test season begins. The fact that the Hurricanes' fortunes have improved dramatically since he's returned from injury is no coincidence, as Proctor's a deadly range of attacking prowess has been what they were sorely missing. Billy Proctor. Photo: Patrick Hoelscher/ActionPress Despite the Highlanders' loss, Holland's lineout work was again impressive. It's that sort of set piece dependability that Robertson will be looking for while Sam Darry is recovering, and since the Highlanders only have one game left, Holland can probably put his feet up and wait for the squad announcement. The biggest midfielder in the country put in a timely reminder as to why he got everyone excited back in March, with a powerful display on both sides of the ball against the Crusaders. It wasn't quite enough to get the result, but Tavatavanawai showcased his mobility and defensive smarts, as well as his trademark attacking play. You get the feeling though that whatever the case may be, the call on his selection has already been made. You can never have too many first fives, right?
RNZ News
24-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Rugby: 'Frustrating' as Chiefs 'smack' Moana Pasifika 'on the nose'
Wallace Sititi of the Chiefs. Photo: Jeremy Ward/Photosport It was not the result that Moana Pasifika was looking forward to - humiliated by the Chiefs 85-7 at the FMG Stadium in Hamilton on Saturday evening. "Frustrating," was how head coach Fa'alogo Tana Umaga described the 80-minute Super Rugby Pacific round 15 battle - for them, that was. Captain Ardie Savea said it was a smack on their nose. It was a game that the North Harbour side needed to win to cement their spot in the top six. Instead, it became a show of strength, pure brutality and precision by the home side, who shot back to the lead at the top of the competition table, breaking their own records along the way. There were double hat-trick scorers for the Chiefs in winger Leroy Carter and halfback Cortez Ratima. That saw the side ran in 13 tries to Moana Pasifika's one, the side making history in what was their biggest win, and a game where they scored the most points - and tries - in the franchise's history. History shows that their previous highest margin of 56 was achieved in their 68-12 demolition of Moana on the very same ground just over 12 months ago. It was the same game where they had notched their previous best of 10 tries, while their highest score prior to this was in their 72-65 win over the Lions in Johannesburg in 2010. Umaga said their hosts just proved too good and precise. "They didn't give us an inch when we tried to take it," Umaga told journalists at the post-match conference. "They just kept coming back, it really made it difficult for us. There's not much else you can say about that." Umaga said his warriors were dealt a tough blow and spirits were low in the changing room after the massive loss. He said they didn't really fire a shot and it was disappointing for them. "They just got on the roll and we couldn't just stop them," he said of the Chiefs show on the night, in front of 17.666 odd fans. "We let ourselves down and it really hurts." Captain Ardie Savea, who scored the team's only try early in the second half, said they had a lot of lessons to learn from the clash - top of the list was how they could turn things around when they were under pressure. "It's a great lesson on what is actually our mental state when we are under pressure like that, how to find solutions to get us back in the game," he said. "We tried a lot of things and the Chiefs were just too good and they squeezed us out, and they were just ruthless all around the park and smacked us on the nose." Savea said heads were down because the players cared, and that was something he wanted the players to feel heading into the new week, and with one game left against the Hurricanes that could give them a top-six finish. "We look back at the game and see what areas we need to be better in," he added, already turning his focus to the Wellington clash against the Hurricanes. A worry also for Savea was the two yellow cards that went against flyhalf Patrick Pellegrini and lock forward Samuel Slade. "When you're giving penalties away and two yellow cards against the side like the Chiefs, with the form they displayed tonight, that's a challenge for us," he said. "We need to fix that. It is frustrating but something we can fix." Chiefs head coach Clayton McMillan acknowledged the win and said preparation out in the last week gave them the result that fans saw on the field. "Pretty dominant," he said. "We had a real good training week. Our performance reflected our preparation I guess. The set-piece breakdowns, recycle ball, gain line and have them backtracking. We stopped them in their performance when they had a few opportunities." McMillan said Moana Pasifika did not perform the way they have been playing previous to their meet and believes the team will pick up again. Chiefs captain Luke Jacobson said it was "alertness" from everybody and the team is moving in one direction. "Awesome," he said. "Tonight was real alertness from everybody and I fell overall we were moving in on direction, cohesive and on the same track." The Chiefs claimed two sets of hat-tricks through winger Leroy Carter and halfback Cortez Ratima. Other try scorers were Shaun Stevenson, who opened the scoring in the ninth minute, Tupou Vaa'I, Quinn Tupaea, Damien McKenzie, Samisoni Taukei'aho amnd Daniel Rona. The win gave the Chiefs the lead at the top, while Moana Pasifika remain at sixth spot. Next weekend the Chiefs travel to meet the Highlanders, while Moana Pasifika will battle the Hurricanes at Sky Stadium, needing a win there to cement their spot in the play-offs, where the top six teams will feature. At FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton: Chiefs 85 (Shaun Stevenson try 9min, Tupou Vaa'i try 17min, Cortez Ratima tries 21min, 63min, 68min, Quinn Tupaea try 34min, Damian McKenzie try 40min, Leroy Carter tries 45min, 54min, 60min, Samisoni Taukei'aho try 51min, Daniel Rona try 75min, penalty try; McKenzie 9 con) Moana Pasifika 7 (Ardie Savea try 49min; Patrick Pellegrini con). HT: 31-0. In other results in Round 15, Crusaders 15 bt Highlanders 12, Hurricanes 31 Reds 27, Waratahs 22 Force 17.
RNZ News
24-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
No mercy: Chiefs eviscerate Moana Pasifika, retake top spot
The Chiefs' Cortez Ratima scores, and is embraced by Leroy Carter, at FMG Stadium in Hamilton, on Saturday night. Photo: Jeremy Ward/Photosport The Chiefs have destroyed Moana Pasifika in Hamilton, retaking the top spot in Super Rugby Pacific with an astounding 85-7 win. Clayton McMillan's side scored 13 tries to one in the win, which was built on a massive dominance of possession from start to finish. Leroy Carter and Cortez Ratima were both the benefactors of the Chiefs' ruthless aggression, both scoring hat tricks and sending a message to the All Black selectors for the impending first squad naming of the year on 23 June. Carter, who switched over to the Chiefs from the All Blacks Sevens this year, may well have had another one but his first half effort was rubbed out by the TMO. It didn't matter if all three of his had, though. The Chiefs were so dominant that players were queuing up to score, which started with Shaun Stevenson in the eighth minute. From there Tupou Vaa'i and Quinn Tupaea got over, then Damian McKenzie just before halftime. That made the score 31-0, an eerily similar situation to the last time the sides met back in round six. In that match the score was 31-7 at the break, then Moana managed to score four tries in the second half on their way to a 50-35 loss. While Ardie Savea pulled one back for Moana, the Chiefs hit back straight away to trash any thoughts of a repeated comeback. Samisoni Taukei'aho barged over, then Carter grabbed two in five minutes, before Ratima achieved the same feat. Daniel Rona was well rewarded for a really good game when he collected a cross kick to score. Just to rub it in, the game ended with the Chiefs being awarded a penalty try for a scrum infringement. While this is a massive body blow for Moana, it's not quite fatal. They now travel to Wellington needing to beat the Hurricanes next weekend and the Blues to either lose or not get a bonus point against the Waratahs earlier in the afternoon. The Chiefs now hold a one point lead over the Crusaders at the top of the ladder, and can seal the top spot with a win over the now knocked-out Highlanders back in Hamilton on Friday. See how the game played out, with RNZ's blog: Chiefs: 1. Ollie Norris, 2. Samisoni Taukei'aho, 3. George Dyer, 4. Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 5. Tupou Vaa'i, 6. Simon Parker, 7. Luke Jacobson (c), 8. Wallace Sititi, 9. Cortez Ratima, 10. Damian McKenzie, 11. Leroy Carter, 12. Quinn Tupaea, 13. Daniel Rona, 14. Emoni Narawa, 15. Shaun Stevenson Bench: 16. Brodie McAlister, 17. Aidan Ross, 18. Reuben O'Neill, 19. Josh Lord, 20. Samipeni Finau, 21. Xavier Roe, 22. Josh Jacomb, 23. Gideon Wrampling Moana Pasifika: 1. Tito Tuipulotu, 2. Millennium Sanerivi, 3. Feleti Sae-Ta'ufo'ou, 4. Tom Savage, 5. Samuel Slade, 6. Miracle Faiilagi, 7. Ardie Savea (c), 8. Semisi Tupou Ta'eiloa, 9. Jonathan Taumateine, 10. Patrick Pellegrini, 11. Solomon Alaimalo, 12. Danny Toala, 13. Lalomilo Lalomilo, 14. Kyren Taumoefolau, 15. Tevita Ofa Bench: 16. Samiuela Moli, 17. Abraham Pole, 18. Chris Apoua, 19. Allan Craig, 20. Sione Havili Talitui, 21. Melani Matavao, 22. Julian Savea, 23. Jackson Garden-Bachop
RNZ News
25-04-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Super Rugby Pacific live updates: Chiefs v Force
Leroy Carter. Photo: Jeremy Ward/Photosport The top of the table Chiefs are aiming to stay there with a win tonight over the Force, but it won't be as easy as we've become accustomed to. The Western Australians have been bolstered by new players this season and are sitting fifth, kick-off is at 7:05pm NZT. Follow all the action with RNZ's live blog: Chiefs: 1. Aidan Ross, 2. Samisoni Taukei'aho, 3. George Dyer, 4. Josh Lord, 5. Tupou Vaa'i, 6. Samipeni Finau, 7. Kaylum Boshier, 8. Luke Jacobson (C), 9. Cortez Ratima, 10. Josh Jacomb, 11. Daniel Rona, 12. Quinn Tupaea, 13. Anton Lienert-Brown, 14. Emoni Narawa, 15. Shaun Stevenson Bench: 16. Brodie McAlister, 17. Ollie Norris, 18. Reuben O'Neill, 19. Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 20. Simon Parker, 21. Wallace Sititi, 22. Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 23. Kaleb Trask Western Force: 1. Ryan Coxon, 2. Nic Dolly, 3. Tom Robertson, 4. Jeremy Williams (c), 5. Darcy Swain, 6. Will Harris, 7. Carlo Tizzano, 8. Nick Champion de Crespigny, 9. Henry Robertson, 10. Ben Donaldson, 11. Bayley Kuenzle, 12. Hamish Stewart, 13. Sio Tomkinson, 14. Harry Potter, 15. Mac Grealy Bench: 16. Tom Horton, 17. Atu Moli, 18. Josh Smith, 19. Sam Carter, 20. Reed Prinsep, 21. Doug Philipson, 22. Max Burey, 23. George Poolman
