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Live blog: Super Rugby Pacific Round Five

(Photo by Dave Rowland/Getty Images)

The fifth round of Super Rugby Pacific is in the books. Relive all the action in the live blog below, or check out our round recap here.

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Super Rugby Pacific Round Five headlines

Brumbies unbeaten streak comes to an end

Crusaders winger steals the show

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Waratahs nightmare start to 2023 season continues 

All Black ‘work horse’ impresses for Chiefs

Highlanders win big against Fijian Drua

World-class veteran steals the show for Landers

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Hurricanes blow Moana Pasifika away

Canes winger continues brilliant form in SRP

Brad Thorn’s Reds fall to Rebels in thriller

Force no match for new-look Blues

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Perofeta shines in the No. 10 for Blues

Key team news

All Blacks Beauden Barrett, Finlay Christie, Caleb Clarke, Rieko Ioane, Nepo Laulala and Dalton Papali’i weren’t considered for this match due to the national teams resting policy.

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Alex Hodgman and James Lay have also been ruled out due to injuries – Hodgman is out for the rest of the season while Tuivasa-Sheck is set to miss “at least a month.”

In total, the Blues have made 12 changes to their starting XV. Playmaker Harry Plummer with captain the team from inside centre.

As for the Force, they’ve made four changes to their run-on side. Among the changes, Sam Spink will start at outside centre for the Perth-based outfit.

Round Five MVP votes (3-2-1)

Crusaders vs Brumbies – Leicester Fainga’anuku (Crusaders), Codie Taylor (Crusaders), Richie Mo’unga (Crusaders)

Waratahs vs Chiefs – Brodie Retallick (Chiefs), Emoni Narawa (Chiefs), Samipeni Finau (Chiefs)

Highlanders vs Fijian Drua – Aaron Smith (Highlanders), Sam Gilbert (Highlanders), Nikora Broughton (Highlanders)

Moana Pasifika vs Hurricanes – Salesi Rayasi (Hurricanes), Ardie Savea (Hurricanes), Kini Naholo (Hurricanes)

Rebels vs Reds – Monty Ioane (Rebels), Brad Wilkin (Rebels), Josh Flook (Reds)

Blues vs Force – Stephen Perofeta (Blues), Mark Telea (Blues), Anton Segner (Blues)

MVP candidates leader board

11 pointsShaun Stevenson (Chiefs)

6 points – Brodie Retallick (Chiefs), Hamish Stewart (Force), Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes), Lachlan Lonergan (Brumbies), Leicester Fainga’anuku (Crusaders), Richard Hardwick (Rebels), Richie Mo’unga (Crusaders), Tevita Ikanivere (Drua)

5 pointsCam Roigard (Hurricanes), Jordan Petaia (Reds), Mark Telea (Blues)

4 pointsCarter Gordon (Rebels), Damian McKenzie (Chiefs), Emoni Narawa (Chiefs), Iosefo Masi (Drua), Josh Flook (Reds), Langi Gleeson (Waratahs), Sam Gilbert (Highlanders)

3 points – Aaron Smith (Highlanders), Andy Muirhead (Brumbies), Dalton Papali’i (Blues), Hoskins Sotutu (Blues), Lachie Anderson (Rebels), Kini Naholo (Hurricanes), Ryan Lonergan (Brumbies), Salesi Rayasi (Hurricanes), Thomas Umaga-Jensen (Highlanders)

2 points – Ardie Savea (Hurricanes), Brad Weber (Chiefs), Codie Taylor (Crusaders), Danny Toala (Moana), David Havili (Crusaders), Du’Plessis Kirifi (Hurricanes), Harry Wilson (Reds), Luke Reimer (Brumbies), Rhys Van Nek (Brumbies), Taj Annan (Reds), Tane Edmed (Waratahs), Tom Wright (Brumbies)

1 pointAbraham Pole (Moana), Alex Nankivell (Chiefs), Anton Segner (Blues), Beauden Barrett (Blues), Eroni Sau (Drua), Finlay Christie (Blues), Josh Moorby (Hurricanes), Len Ikitau (Brumbies), Levi Aumua (Moana), Liam Wright (Reds), Mark Nawaqanitawase (Waratahs), Max Jorgensen (Waratahs), Nikora Broughton (Highlanders), Ollie Callan (Force), Rob Valetini (Brumbies), Sam Whitelock (Crusaders), Samipeni Finau (Chiefs), Samisoni Taukei’aho (Chiefs), Stephen Perofeta (Blues), Tim Anstee (Force)

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A
AllyOz 2 hours ago
How the Lions found their roar, and disproved a popular Australian theory

Umm…really not sure about Les. I like the way the Reds are playing under him most of the time. But they seem a bit all or nothing at the moment. They have one way to play and if that starts going wrong, they don’t seem to have a plan B. I think they have gone for LK because he is as close as they can to keeping JS for the full four year term and through the RWC. But he hasn’t really ever won anything and he is 60 years old and been in the coaching game for 20 years, so I understand the trepidation some people have. I think it will be OK but that is based more on hope than anything else. I think for financial reasons and also so that they don’t leave Queensland without a coach, that they have delayed his start. I would have preferred that he, at the very least, did the Northern Tour with JS and then took the reigns - it seems less than ideal to delay his start date until after June 2026.


A lot of Oz fans are anti-Cheika - his last 18 - 24 months weren’t great. I personally would like to see him coach Australia again. I think he has consistently proven he is our best qualified coach and I think he is better than when he was there in 2019. A lot of people think that Raelene Castle was a good administrator but I am not in that camp. The Israel Folau situation and the impact it had on some other Polynesian players (Kerevi and Tupou are both on record for saying it caused a split) would have also been extremely difficult to manage. As a former coach (in lower grades) I can’t imagine how I would have been able to handle that side of things in terms of team unity, the demands of the press, and all the additional pressure it placed on the unit.


So, my choice would be to bring Cheika back, but after 2027 (if someone else doesn’t emerge in the meantime). I see LK as part of the JS era (sort of Obama/Biden vibes). Cheika will want to revolutionise and, while I think that will be fine, I don’t think 18 months out from the next RWC is the time to do it. We did that with Eddie and it had diabolical results and I think we are all a bit gun shy about doing the same thing again.

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