Players of the year
1. Hoskins Sotutu. Transformed into a relentless, ruthless machine at the back of the scrum for the champion Blues. Desperately unlucky not to make the All Blacks.
2. Caleb Clarke. Formed a lethal combination with fellow Blues winger Mark Tele’a, and scored a hat-trick in the final. Has taken some time to mature but is now looking like a world-class finisher.
3. Damian McKenzie. It was not his night in the final but the wee wizard’s efforts were vital in getting the Chiefs that far.
Rookie of the year
Easy choice this season. Chiefs tyro Wallace Sititi made everyone stand up and take notice. What a future for the rampaging loose forward, who played his way into the All Blacks.
Best game
Ideally, it would have been the final, but what shaped as a barnstormer turned into a one-sided job as the Blues ran riot over the Chiefs. So let’s go for a tie. On May 11, we were treated to two rippers. Firstly, the Blues pipped the Hurricanes in a thriller at Eden Park that we all felt might be a preview of the final. A couple of hours later, the Highlanders pulled off their signature win of the season as they broke a horrific losing run against New Zealand teams by beating the Crusaders 32-29.
Best try
Let me choose one scored by the Highlanders, and one scored against the Highlanders. Way back in round one, the Highlanders put Moana Pasifika to bed at Forsyth Barr Stadium with an old-fashioned dazzler from the ends of the earth. Sam Gilbert started with a break from inside his own 22m, and Jona Nareki carried on before offloading to Folau Fakatava. The cheeky halfback flicked an outrageous behind-the-back pass to Billy Harmon, who passed it to ... Gilbert, for the try. The other try I liked was from the Chiefs against the Highlanders in Hamilton. A high bouncing ball was scooped up by Damian McKenzie on the halfway line. He sprinted down the left flank, drew four defenders and popped it to Cortez Ratima, who threw a massive step on Fakatava and scorched through.
Best news story
The Crusaders falling to bits! Closely followed by TV1 making the most out of a run-in with coach Rob Penney. Inject it into my veins.
Three things to improve
1. Get the Jaguares back, pronto. Super Rugby will limp through a season with 11 teams following the collapse of the Rebels, but it needs to have 12. The Argentinians are competitive and the time zone is workable. Just do it.
2. Bring in some form of talent equalisation. A draft or a transparent salary cap is essential. Change the rules so any player can join any Super Rugby team and stay eligible for their national side. There must be more player movement to both sustain a competitive league and generate some public narrative.
3. Make the coaches a bigger part of the game. No more cameras panning to a glass-enclosed box to see a bored-looking bloke clicking at a laptop. Get coaches on the sidelines, like Premier League football or basketball. Make them part of the show.
Meikle’s New Zealand XV
Super Rugby 2024
15. Ruben Love (Hurricanes)
14. Mark Tele’a (Blues)
13. Billy Proctor (Hurricanes)
12. Jordie Barrett (Hurricanes)
11. Caleb Clarke (Blues)
10. Damian McKenzie (Chiefs)
9. TJ Perenara (Hurricanes)
8. Hoskins Sotutu (Blues)
7. Dalton Papali’i (Blues)
6. Samipeni Finau (Chiefs)
5. Isaia Walker-Leawere (Hurricanes)
4. Patrick Tuipolotu (Blues)
3. Ofa Tu’ungafasi (Blues)
2. Asafo Aumua (Hurricanes)
1. Xavier Numia (Hurricanes)
Reserves: Ricky Riccitelli (Blues), Ethan de Groot (Highlanders), Sam Darry (Blues), Peter Lakai (Hurricanes), Brayden Iose (Hurricanes), Cortez Ratima (Chiefs), Harry Plummer (Blues), Sevu Reece (Crusaders).
