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Chiefs halfback Cortez Ratima on how he fares in All Black race
By Adam Julian
In the penultimate round of Super Rugby Pacific on Friday the Chiefs were beaten by the Hurricanes 20-17 in Hamilton conceding 15 of the last 16 penalties.
By any measure such disciplinary issues are a disaster and perhaps reflective of a team that hasn’t learned the lessons of 2023 where they imploded in the final under the stringent whistle of Ben O’Keefe.
Chiefs halfback Cortez Ratima didn't incur the wrath of officialdom in either match but was right in the heart of the battle against the Hurricanes jousting with veteran TJ Perenara. The two are leading contenders for the All Blacks.
“I don't think I went too bad. Every week is about nailing my role and then looking for opportunities,” Ratima told RugbyPass.
“It was a tough game because it felt like we were defending three-quarters of the time, and if you give away that many penalties it makes life difficult.
“I leave it up to the leaders to deliver key messages around discipline but there is an onus on individuals making the right decisions. The margins are small, different in each game, we've got to be better.”
Few have been better than Ratima in 2024. Despite stiff competition from Xavier Roe, he’s started eight of a possible 12 matches and scored eight tries.
“The competition between all three halfbacks is healthy. We all get on but bring different styles and compete hard,” Ratima observed.
“My time at Hamilton Boys’ High School taught me hard work. We trained mornings and afternoons, too much sometimes, but it prepared me for the demands of professional rugby.”
Ratima was born and raised on a sheep and beef farm in Piopio, 23 km from Te Kuiti. His father Peter-Lee played for King Country, the same stomping ground as Dame Farah Palmer and ‘Pinetree,’ Sir Colin Meads.
Cortez is named after the famous Nike sports shoe developed by Bill Bowerman, an American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc. who over his career trained 31 Olympic athletes, 51 All-Americans, 12 American record-holders, 22 NCAA champions and 16 sub-4 minute milers.
It fits the tenacious, relentless halfback who bench presses 170kg, nearly double his body weight.
Ratima debuted for Waikato two years out of Hamilton Boys’ in 2020. In 2021 he started for Waikato in their 23-20 NPC Premiership final win against Tasman. He has played 38 games for the Mooloos, the same number with the Chiefs (28 wins).
He hopes to emulate Tawera Kerr-Barlow as another Super Rugby-winning Hamilton Boys’ All Blacks halfback.
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Latest Comments
Don't think you've watched enough. I'll take him over anything I's seen so far. But let's see how the future pans out. I'm quietly confident we have a row of 10's lined uo who would each start in many really good teams.
Go to commentsHopefully Joe stays where he is. That would mean Les, McKellar, larkham and Cron should as well. It’s the stability we need in the state programs. But, if Joe goes, RA with its current financial situation will be forced into promoting from within. And this will likely destabilise other areas.
To better understand some of the entrenched bitterness of those outside of NZ and NSW (as an example 😂), Nic, there is probably a comparison to the old hard heads of welsh rugby who are still stuck in the 1970s. Before the days where clubs merged, professionalism started, and the many sharp knives were put into the backs of those who loved the game more than everyone else. I’m sure you know a few... But given your comparison of rugby in both wales and Australia, there are a few north of the tweed that will never trust a kiwi or NSWelshman because of historical events and issues over the history of the game. It is what it is. For some, time does not heal all wounds. And it is still festering away in some people. Happy holidays to you. All the best in 2025.
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