One change for the Chiefs as they prepare for a quarter-final showdown with the Jaguares
The Chiefs have opted for consistency in the selection of their team to take on the Jaguares in their quarter-final match-up.
Coach Colin Cooper has made just one change to the 23 with Tumua Manu returning to the 13 jersey in place of Alex Nankivell.
Nankivell has been bracketed on the bench after leaving the field early in the Chiefs' previous match with the Rebels.
Whilst Nankivell has been the go-to midfield partner for All Black Anton Lienert-Brown in recent weeks, Manu has clocked up some considerable game time in his debut Super Rugby season. In the Chiefs ranks, Manu is third only to Lienert-Brown and Canadian international Tyler Ardron in terms of minutes played this year.
The last time these two sides clashed was in Round 7 of the regular season - also in Buenos Aires. The Chiefs scored a try with only minutes remaining to steal a win from the Jaguares.
The Chiefs were without both Sam Cane and Brodie Retallick in the earlier fixture but have welcomed both players back to the fold in recent weeks.
Cooper was confident that travelling from New Zealand to Argentina won't hamper his team's performance.
“We have had a good week over here, there is plenty of energy in the team especially from our leaders. We know the Jaguares are a quality side. They have performed well, and we have the utmost respect for them," Cooper said.
As a team we need to draw on the confidence we have gained from our past couple of games. We are not strangers to quarter-finals rugby, we just need to stay focused and deliver a performance our fans and whanau are proud of,” said Cooper.
Chiefs: Solomon Alaimalo, Shaun Stevenson, Tumua Manu, Anton Lienert-Brown, Sean Wainui, Jack Debrezceni, Brad Weber, Pita Gus Sowakula, Sam Cane (c), Lachlan Boshier, Tyler Ardron, Brodie Retallick, Angus Ta'avao, Nathan Harris, Atu Moli. Reserves: Alex Nankivell, Marty McKenzie, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, Mitchell Jacobson, Jesse Parete, Nepo Laulala, Aidan Ross, Samisoni Taukei'aho,
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Skelton may be brought back for the Wallabies so that would be the only reason that may hinder Wilson. Easily the form, most skilful and game IQ of any Oz 8. Valentini’s best and favourite position is 6, but lineouts may be an issue with Skelton, Valentini and Wilson. Will be interesting what Schmidt goes for but for me Wilson should be picked on form. Schmidt rewards work rate, skill and consistency. All that glitters every so often won’t be in contention. Greely is one of those players that has a knack of making the right decision. A coach is going to love him because he knows week in week out he’s going to get the job done. The second try Greely wasn’t the guy who made the initial break it was Flook, Greely was at the bottom of the ruck when Flook was off along the sideline. Greely got up and made the effort to catch up with play but also read the play nicely and hit the pass from Campbell at pace and then held the pass beautifully to Ryan.
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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