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Five of the best: The top five performers from round six of Super Rugby Aotearoa
By Alex McLeod
It would be no exaggeration to say that the most recent weekend of Super Rugby Aotearoa action was probably the most exciting and compelling round since the competition got underway.
Looking to bounce back after losing their unbeaten title to the Crusaders, the Blues were pipped by the Hurricanes in Wellington thanks to a clutch Jordie Barrett conversion from an Asafo Aumua try on the sideline with just three minutes to play.
That 29-27 victory extended the Hurricanes' winning run to three straight matches, meaning they have well and truly overturned their winless start to the campaign last month.
The real test for Jason Holland's side, though, will come next week, when they travel to Christchurch to face off the undefeated Crusaders who will be fresh and rearing to go off their bye week.
The Highlanders, meanwhile, were made to earn their upcoming week off against the Chiefs in Hamilton on Sunday, fighting back from 24-0 and 31-7 deficits to snatch an unlikely 33-31 win two minutes into injury time.
It was a dogged display of real determination to get themselves back into the contest, and the jubilation seen among the playing and coaching staff illustrated how much the comeback victory meant to the franchise.
The fourth-placed southerners now sit just three points adrift of the second-placed Blues leading into their bye week, but the Chiefs remain a long way off with only four points to their name at the bottom of the standings.
With all that in mind, here are the five best players from round six of Super Rugby Aotearoa.
Ngani Laumape (Hurricanes)
It has to be said that this was probably Ngani Laumape's finest performance since switching to rugby union from the NRL four years ago.
His trademark ability to plough through defenders and leave them in a much worse state than he found them was on full show throughout the encounter, just ask Otere Black and Beauden Barrett.
But we already knew he could do that - what made Laumape's display special was the fact that he showed glimpses of footwork and speed that was previously an unknown aspect of his game.
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Latest Comments
Spot on Ben. Dead right. Havili looked great at 10. Easily the highest rugby IQ of any NZ player these days. Getting a kick charged down is a result of getting used to adjusting your depth to the line at 10, which he will sort out with time. But other than that it was an outstanding first effort in that position this year. I think the NZ media has misunderstood this directive from Razor. Havili might rank behind B Barrett this year, but Beuden is 33 this month and won't last much longer. DMaC is great but flaky and not really a test match animal (his efforts in Dunedin versus Aus last year for example). If Razor can't have Mounga, DMaC is too unstructured for Razor (and is just too small for test rugby). Havili will end up our first choice first five, and in partnership with Jodie will be excellent. Two triple threat operators in tandem, and big bodies and tough tacklers to boot. Jordoe will be the ABs goal kicker. I am an Aucklander and Blues (and Warriors) fan, but Havili at 10 is going to be sensational in time… he can be the best first five in the world by the end of this year. No question.
Go to commentsSharks deserved to be far further back by the last quarter. Their tackling was awful, their set pieces were disappointing, their defensive organization was poor (especially on the Kok side of the D line), they kept making unnecessary errors, and they never looked like cracking the Clermont defense during those first 60m. Masuku kept them in touch, with some help from the Clermont generosity on penalty opportunities. Agree with the writer of this article. It was belligerence, and ability to raise their pressure game just enough, that turned the last quarter into a Bok-style shutout. Clermont have a reputation of not playing the full 80m, and there was a bit of that for sure. But, quite often when the intensity of a team drops off in the last quarter credit is due to the opponent for tiring them out. At 60m, with the Kok try, you thought that just maybe the game was on. At 70m, with the Mapimpi contribution, one felt that Clermont were fading, while facing a team that would maintain the pressure game through the final whistle. Good win in the end, but the Sharks are still playing way below their potential. And with their resources, and a coach that has had enough time to figure things out, they are running out of excuses.
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