Kiwi referee Ben O’Keeffe raised a number of eyebrows when he stated northern hemisphere teams are now playing a faster brand of rugby than New Zealand.
Because of this, talking on The Breakdown, O’Keeffe stated it was “no shock” the All Blacks had been crushed by Eire and France final yr, after they generated faster ball from the breakdown.
O’Keeffe went additional, saying the Kiwi Tremendous Rugby Pacific sides had thus far been “sluggish” at recycling the ball.
“The sport is sluggish, we aren’t getting that fast ball we’ve had over the previous couple of years.”
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O’Keeffe’s feedback have made quite a few headlines, and high the record of burning questions for Stuff’s rugby scribes to deal with.
What did you make of O’Keeffe’s feedback concerning NZ groups lagging behind the northern hemisphere by way of ruck effectivity and recreation pace?
Richard Knowler: Not a lot, actually. Let’s make a judgement on the difficulty when the worldwide window down right here opens up. However I’ll say this. If groups down right here convey extra of that kick, kick, kick routine from the Six Nations into their performances I’ll spend much more time washing my hair.
Robert van Royen: He is not unsuitable. Nevertheless, the identical cannot be stated concerning a few of his choices throughout the Blues-Highlanders recreation in Auckland final week.
Marc Hinton: I believed he was spot on. And good on him for talking out on a topic that is likely to be laborious to listen to for New Zealand rugby followers, however is the obvious problem in our recreation proper now as we modify to what’s taking place within the north, and even within the “wannabe north”, South Africa. O’Keeffe might have gone additional too. New Zealand’s props lack the ball-playing potential of their northern foes and there are main query marks about our groups’ potential to face as much as the combination of physicality and ferocity served up by the likes of France, Eire and the Boks.
Aaron Goile: For starters, nice {that a} excessive profile referee is voicing such an opinion on the sport. And he would know what he’s speaking about, having been proper within the thick of each hemispheres’ video games. The factor that needs to be famous, although, is this isn’t a good comparability…he’s evaluating take a look at match footy with home motion. The All Blacks’ breakdown work had clearly been a work-on, although, on the again of these losses to Eire and France final yr.
4 losses and simply six tries scored. What’s going on with Tony Brown’s Highlanders?
RK: It might be good to know, would not it? It is laborious to recollect when the Highlanders executed so poorly, regularly. Coincidence ranges shall be down after such a poor begin. It is by no means simple for groups to dig themselves out of a gap when there is a fats egg frying within the W column.
RVR: Add accidents to key gamers Jona Nareki and Billy Harmon to a squad already brief on firepower and 2022 had the makings of a tricky season earlier than it began. Now, Mitch Hunt’s battle for kind, and an appalling lack of execution, is burying them. The lone vivid mild has been midfielder Thomas Umaga-Jensen, and even he’s now dinged up.
MH: Brown’s popularity as a genius of attacking footy has actually taken a blow. However you continue to want cattle in skilled rugby, and the Landers lack a little bit of top-end class and expertise as they seek for a method of recreation that may work for them. Too many errors and unhealthy choices pepper their recreation. However for all that they’re nonetheless aggressive, and may only a few key additions from turning honourable defeats into gritty victories.
AG: It’s not like we needs to be in any respect stunned by this. Since you have a look at the Highlanders’ squad and there may be simply an absolute dearth of star energy. They could have one of many world’s greatest in Aaron Smith, however when your subsequent greatest participant is Shannon Frizell, there simply isn’t the standard that different sides have. It’d be superior to see some trademark Brown trick performs, however in the intervening time he’d simply be blissful if he’s guys might maintain the ball for a number of phases.
With Covid working its method by way of groups, ought to New Zealand Rugby have insisted on the Queenstown bubble being longer?
RK: Sure. Gamers are paid to do a job and, certainly, might have stayed longer. Final time I appeared, Queenstown was hardly a dump. NZ Rugby might want one factor. But when they could not persuade the Gamers Affiliation to agree they might as nicely be blowing kisses into the wind. What we’ve is that this: a multitude.
RVR: They could nicely have. However meaning zilch if they’ll’t persuade the gamers to pack their luggage for an prolonged stint away from residence. What they probably might have performed is timed the bubble for when instances actually exploded.
MH: It appeared odd on the time that they had been bailing out of the bubble proper when instances had been mounting across the nation. One thing simply didn’t add up. Was all of it participant dissatisfaction over the gruelling commute to/from Dunedin? Certain sufficient, the virus has damaged by way of and already created a difficult backlog of matches. Add extra and issues might get ugly.
AG: No, I don’t see what it might actually have achieved. By this time I reckon Covid would have slipped into the ranks of the 300 or so individuals down south anyway. Plus New Zealand Rugby had been in no state to fork out extra dosh to maintain them down there, and gamers have lives outdoors of footy that they want to have the ability to dwell.
Finest New Zealand-based participant by way of the primary 4 rounds of Tremendous Rugby Pacific?
RK: Most likely Pita Gus Sowakula, of Chiefs fame. Busy in all sides, particularly along with his carries.
RVR: Chiefs No 8 Pita Gus Sowakula edges Ardie Savea, simply. Sowakula is the first motive why the Chiefs have been essentially the most spectacular New Zealand staff to this point. His potential to surge off the again of a scrum and trample defenders along with his pace and energy is a deal with to look at. Must make the All Blacks if Ian Foster had been to call a squad tomorrow.
MH: Ardie Savea. Then daylight. The perfect participant in New Zealand rugby has been at his inspirational greatest for the Hurricanes, and his outstanding position of their outstanding comeback victory over the Blues highlighted what an influential determine he’s. No matter they’re paying this man, it merely ain’t sufficient.
AG: Chiefs No 8 Pita Gus Sowakula has been in storming kind in his three video games (taking part in 80 minutes in every), being the highest carrying Kiwi participant and high metre-eater, along with his physicality large in getting his aspect on the front-foot. Ever since coming in as a substitute participant in 2018, the previous basketballer has saved bettering, a lot so now that should be knocking on the door of All Blacks choice. He’s on file as saying he’ll give it until the top of subsequent yr to attain that dream earlier than throwing his lot in along with his native Fiji as a substitute.
What’s your tackle the brief and sharp Tremendous Rugby Aupiki by way of three video games?
RK: It has been wonderful. Regardless of Covid-19 doing its greatest to spoil the social gathering punch, the gamers have contributed to an important spectacle. It is really helpful viewing.
RVR: In brief, entertaining. It’s only a disgrace Covid has stripped again what was already a compact maiden season. What’s clear is ladies’s Tremendous Rugby has received a vivid future, one which is able to hopefully embrace Australian groups sooner reasonably than later.
MH: By means of no fault of anybody concerned, it’s been a contest that has by no means received off the bottom. Simply not sufficient video games and never sufficient of an opportunity for New Zealand’s high gamers to both showcase their abilities, or make the enhancements final November’s tour revealed had been required. Covid squeezed and squeezed this groundbreaking league till all we had been left with was a irritating trace of what might have been.
AG: It’s proven some respectable potential. Even the pre-season recreation between the Chiefs Manawa and Matatū was fairly a cracker, and people two sides then didn’t disappoint in opening the competitors correct, with a recreation that had loads of pace and physicality. The entire Covid state of affairs and lowering video games to 70 minutes and having 10 gamers on benches has diluted the product, although, so sadly it hasn’t fairly been the massive take-off everybody had hoped for.