How do you solve a problem like Luka Connor?
The Black Ferns hooker has been a weapon off the back of the Chiefs Manawa maul. Connor leads the competition with six tries, the majority scored from peeling off the back of the maul at a lineout and dotting down. She is deadly with the ball in hand, second in the competition for carries (49), and is a general for the forward pack. It is almost a trademark move now, and quite predictable, so Matatu players need to be switched on to it early. Matatu needs to put on early pressure, either sending someone up in the lineout, or make its way through the maul to isolate the ball carrier and attack. Otherwise, Connor is unstoppable. Her efforts do not even cover the Manawa backline — Mererangi Paul and Georgia Daals have scored five tries each.
Get the ball in Renee Holmes hands. The Black Ferns fullback has been in scintillating for Matatu. Holmes is the competition’s leading points scorer (36), second for metres carried (415m), and fourth for carries (46) and clean breaks (6). While her attacking prowess has been fantastic, setting up several tries for Matatu’s winger, she has made a big impact on defence. Never one to shy away from a big hit, Holmes has more often than not lined up her opposition making a break down the middle and made the tackle, stopping the opposition’s flow. It is an underrated part of her game, but one that has proved huge for Matatu. The team will rely on her experience to guide the team at the back, but need to support her too. Finals footy is a different beast and taking the points at every opportunity will be crucial — and Holmes’ goal-kicking accuracy is spot on.
Staying alert
When Matatu and Chiefs Manawa last met, Matatu had a great start and even better finish but went missing through the middle. That allowed Manawa to gallop away with a 46-38 win, despite Matatu’s late flurry of tries. Matatu has scored early in all of its games this season, but then had lapses either side of halftime to let teams back in. Players need to be switched on mentally to continue with scoreboard pressure and unnerve Matatu. That will help the side stay in the fight — and draw on its strengths. Matatu’s scrum has been massive this season — winning 73% of its ball — but it was shaky during the last encounter against Manawa, so experienced players will need to settle. Its never-say-die defence has also been superb, Lucy Jenkins, Cindy Nelles (both 61), Grace Brooker (52) and Kendra Reynolds (51) taking the competition’s top four spots for tackles won. The defensive effort has secured Matatu’s wins and that will be even more critical during the final.
