Over 30 New Zealand players made their Super Rugby debuts in 2021. Across the nation, which of this year s newbies had the biggest impact for their sides?
Sky Super Rugby Transtasman: Blues coach Leon MacDonald misses training ahead of Rebels clash in Melbourne
13 May, 2021 02:50 AM
5 minutes to read
NZ Herald Focus Sport s Cheree Kinnear gives everything you need to know ahead of Super Rugby Transtasman. Video / NZ Herald
NZ Herald Focus Sport s Cheree Kinnear gives everything you need to know ahead of Super Rugby Transtasman. Video / NZ Herald
Liam Napier is a sports writer for NZMELiam.Napier@nzherald.co.nz
Leon MacDonald s absence from training on Thursday adds another layer of intrigue to an opening round transtasman match in Melbourne the Blues are heavily favoured to win.
Marc Hinton12:38, May 06 2021
Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images
With a 4-4 record, and third-place finish, the Blues have to be disappointed with their Aotearoa campaign.
ANALYSIS: The great enigmas continue to confound. For all the promise dished up by last year’s breakthrough season, the Blues let some nasty old habits creep back in and took a major step backwards this Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign. For the squad Leon MacDonald had assembled, even accounting for the sabbatical of star signing Beauden Barrett, a third-place finish at 4-4, and missing a spot in the final, represents a major failure. Factor in also they were effectively gifted their finale when Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan rightfully sent a B squad north for a match they didn’t have to win to qualify for the final.
Kazuki Himeno named Super Rugby Aotearoa s Rookie of the Year Sorry, but your browser needs Javascript to use this site. If you re not sure how to activate it, please refer to this site: https://www.enable-javascript.com/
The Highlanders Kazuki Himeno runs the ball against the Blues during a Super Rugby Aotearoa game on April 16 in Dunedin, New Zealand. | GETTY / VIA KYODO
Kyodo May 5, 2021
Highlanders No. 8 Kazuki Himeno was named the Rookie of the Year in New Zealand’s Super Rugby Aotearoa tournament on Tuesday after earning the most points from journalists on the competition’s website.
The Japan international missed the Highlanders’ first three games but played a big role in the forward pack through the five remaining games of the regular season, scoring his maiden Super Rugby try on April 16 in a 35-29 win over the Blues.
Chiefs - B Sullivan try; Gatland 4 penalty goals, conversion
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Full time
80 mins - Blues try to AJ Lam
The Blues will get one final chance with a lineout seven-metres out. It s messy from but the home side cleans it up. Nock fires a pass wide to Sotutu who draws a defender before offloading to Lam who crashes over for his second of the evening.
Black can t convert the try as the siren goes.
(BLU 39-19)
79 mins
It s all going wrong for the Chiefs with players in front of the kicker to give the Blues a scrum on halfway with a minute to play.