WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Over the past seven weeks, through both presence and absence, flyweight Damian McKenzie has proven himself indispensable for the Hamilton-based Chiefs as they chase a third Super Rugby Pacific title.
The Chiefs have won four of their first five games this season with McKenzie at the helm. They then rested the All Blacks playmaker for their clash with defending champions Crusaders and became the first team to lose to the Crusaders in 2024.
McKenzie returned on Friday and led the Chiefs to a 68-10 win over Moana Pasifika, the club’s biggest margin of victory in Super Rugby.
The fact that in McKenzie’s absence the Chiefs achieved a feat no other team has managed this year, losing to the Christchurch-based Crusaders, highlighted the costly nature of his absence.
In his presence, the Chiefs scored 10 tries against Moana Pasifika and many were inspired by McKenzie’s forays from set-pieces or broken plays, his ability to break free under pressure and send players into gaps in the defence.
McKenzie converted nine tries to share the club record with Stephen Donald for most conversions in a match. He has 82 points in six games. McKenzie also showed his resilience by getting up and carrying on after a bruising tackle by Moana Pasifika’s Fine Inisi.
McKenzie’s value to the Chiefs is further highlighted by the fact that they have scored more than 320 points in his presence this year, conceding 93. Conversely, they have conceded more points than they have scored when he is not on the field.
The Chiefs gain more yards and beat more defenders when McKenzie is around. While he kicks more often than most playmakers in Super Rugby, he also does so more effectively. His point of difference to other New Zealand playmakers remains the power and frequency of his running.
The question ahead of the mid-year Tests with England is whether new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson will also find McKenzie indispensable. The other leading contender for the All Blacks No.10 jersey is currently Japan-based playmaker Beauden Barrett.
In recent seasons, Barrett has had to move to full-back or to the bench to accommodate Richie Mo’unga at flyhalf. Mo’unga is now also based in Japan and is unavailable for the All Blacks.
In a recent interview, Barrett again stated that he would prefer to play at No.10 for New Zealand this year, setting up a competition for the position with McKenzie.
“This time every year I say I want to play 10,” Barrett said. “The coaches agree on that and you get to the moment of selection and I sort of slip back to 15 and accept it.
“I want to play for the All Blacks, I want to play first five and eight.”
One of the other highlights of round seven was the continued rise of the ACT Brumbies who beat the New South Wales Waratahs 40-16. The Brumbies have now won five games in a row and are level at the top of the table with the Auckland-based Blues and Wellington Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes had a bye in the seventh round and therefore have a game in hand.
The Brumbies have now won their last 12 matches against the Waratahs and remain clearly the strongest of Australia’s five teams.
In wet conditions, the Brumbies pack dominated the Waratahs who suffered when they lost Wallaby prop Angus Bell to a recurring leg injury before half-time.
Rob Valletini ran the ball hard and Noah Lolesio had four penalties and three conversions.
“They made it really difficult for us, especially in those conditions and I thought they did a really good job,” Waratahs captain Jake Gordon said. “They won the ground battles and we defended really well, which was really pleasing. But they put a lot of heat around our injuries.”
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