Super Rugby Aotearoa: Five Talking Points from Round 3

Wing Caleb Clarke carries for the Blues against the Highlanders

Credit: Phil Walter/Getty Images

Round 3 of Super Rugby Aotearoa is done and dusted, and in some ways it seems like more of the same.

With patterns already starting to emerge in the Kiwi competition, the third round of matches saw the two unbeaten sides extend their records for another week, with the Chiefs under Warren Gatland consigned to their third defeat in as many outings.

The Blues ground out a thrilling 27-24 win over the Highlanders in Auckland, while the Crusaders claimed their second win in as many games in the competition over Gatland’s Waikato men.

However, we all know by now that rugby is never what it seems on the surface, and both games saw ebbs and flows that on another day could have seen very different results come forward.

Here’s a look at the big talking points from Round 3 of Super Rugby Aotearoa.

Games are not won in the first half

One theme was common across both of this weekend’s games - comebacks that might have been.

In both games, one side stretched out to a dominant lead - the Blues led 22-10 at the break at Eden Park, while the Crusaders were up 18-3 at the three-quarter stage at Christchurch Stadium.

However, the old adage that games are not won in the first half came to the fore in both clashes as the Highlanders and Chiefs respectively launched second-half comebacks against their dominant hosts, with both giving themselves shots at a victory that minutes before would have seemed very unlikely.

While Leon MacDonald and Scott Robertson will certainly have had words to say to their sides about letting such dominant positions get edgy, it will give Aaron Mauger and Warren Gatland food for thought that their sides were able to reverse the flow of games and put themselves back in the frame.

However, the reality is the two losing sides just gave themselves too much to do against opposition that seem to have the hang of closing results out. After all, as the saying goes, games can’t be won in the first half - but they can be lost.

Caleb Clarke does his grandfather proud

There was one real standout player from the weekend’s matches, and it came on the first night in Auckland as Caleb Clarke played the game of his life.

Coming back from losing his grandfather on game day, Clarke was absolutely everywhere as the Blues found their third win.

He pointed to the sky in dedication after scoring the game’s opening try through pure determination, and he wasn’t done there as he broke the game open to set up Rieko Ioane.

Speaking after the game, Clarke said: “It was a big day losing my grandfather just before kick-off. It was a bit hard and it was a bit iffy whether I was going to play.

“But I know he would want me to play so I just dedicated that game to him – that was to you grandpa.”

I hope he would permit us to say that his performance at the weekend was one anyone connected to him would have been proud of.

Giving Leon the credit he deserves

A commenter on last' week’s Super Rugby roundup made a very valid point about my assessment of the Blues - that I had spectacularly failed to give head coach Leon MacDonald and his team enough credit for their role in the Auckland revival.

This is an imbalance I would like to redress now because while it was not their most impressive nor resounding win so far, the Blues’ clash against the Highlanders served up a perfect example of the job that coaching staff have done.

With the Blues up by three going into the dying minutes, the Highlanders were camped in the Blues’ 22 with scrums, penalties and lineouts flowing from the whistle in favour of the Dunedin outfit.

In years gone by, I would defy even the most ardent Blues fan to say they would have held out under that kind of pressure - but here they did it with aplomb and in that comes the great achievement of Leon MacDonald summed up.

In defence, he has instilled discipline, graft and commitment into all his players, and in attack he has given them a perfect balance of structure and freedom, and given each of his players the best platform to show their best - take the performance of Caleb Clarke as a perfect example.

So I apologise to Leon and his crew for not giving them the proper credit earlier, because it is entirely deserved.

The Crusaders just possess X-factor players

Sevu Reece of the Crusaders makes a break against the Chiefs

Credit: Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images

This is hardly going to be a stunning revelation but it’s just true - one of the thing that sets the Crusaders apart in a hotly-contested New Zealand competition is the presence of guys across the park who can break games open.

Never has this come to the fore more than in a rain-lashed game in Christchurch, in which moments of true quality were fewer and further between and therefore much more needed.

It was apparent from the word go last week as they started fast against the Hurricanes, and on this occasion two first-half incidents reminded us forcibly of that.

First, the play by Sevu Reece to collect Richie Mo’unga’s cross kick and streak away to ultimately set up Will Jordan for his first try, and then Mo’unga himself dinking a lovely ball over the rushing Chiefs defence in overtime at the end of the half that, while not successful on this occasion, on another day would have put the ‘Saders away again.

Players who can produce those kinds of plays are such a valuable commodity wherever you play your rugby and all the Kiwi sides have them - but at the moment the Crusaders just seem to have more of them. Jordan showed a bit of it for his second try early in the second half as well.

What is apparent is that the Crusaders are going to take some stopping - but as mentioned, it’s a brave man that backs them not to get halted at some stage.

Otere an All Black? The playmaker battle hots up

The burgeoning combination between Beauden Barrett and Otere Black may have Ian Foster interested

Credit: Photosport

One of the big success stories of the early rounds of this competition has been the form of upstart Blues first-five Otere Black.

His great form continued as he managed the Blues to their hardest-fought win so far, and his rise has shone a light on what promises to be a fascinating battle for the playmaker jerseys at international level.

He may not have been the outstanding player on the park with some iffy placekicking noticeable - Dalton Papali’i and Caleb Clarke have much stronger claims for that honour - but what he is starting to show is class.

Sharing the playmaking burden with Beauden Barrett has undoubtedly helped him pick his moments and play to his strengths, but it is becoming more and more apparent that everything he is doing, he is doing well.

It is true that the All Blacks are already stacked with playmaking options - Beauden, Richie Mo’unga and Damian McKenzie to name just a few - but the relationship Black is building with Barrett.

I would wager it will have Ian Foster interested as he weighs up his options.

Aaron Cruden returned to a starting berth for the Chiefs and would hope to press his claims for an All Black recall.

He came back in style with a driving performance, but he will now need to keep his feet to be holding his own with the best.

As if underlining that exact point, Richie Mo’unga reminded us all exactly what he’s made of in the same game, with some typically intuitive attacking kicks as well as superb game management in tough conditions.

Mitch Hunt was at the centre of the Highlanders’ revival in Auckland, although he too is on the outer in terms of consideration for international selection at this stage, and the Hurricanes do not currently really have a horse in that race for the time being.

However, the emergence of Black and his burgeoning relationship with Beauden is sure to be turning some heads and is setting up a fascinating sub-plot within Super Rugby Aotearoa. Stay tuned.