Super Rugby Players Of The Round: Semi Finals

Tupou Vaa’i – 1 Point

The Chiefs put the Crusaders to the sword on Friday with a 49-12 win, marching onto the grand final in the process, thanks to a dominant effort up front and an extraordinary ability to execute in the Crusaders’ halfback. Tupou Vaa’i was involved in both of those factors, with the All Black lock putting in a memorable 80-minute performance, with his defensive strength and his workrate around the park really helping the Chiefs hum. He was involved in the hosts’ first try of the night, carrying off a lineout play, before Lalakai Foketi put Kyren Taumoefolau away in the corner, but Vaa’i’s own try 20 minutes later was the main highlight. Liam Coombes-Fabling found some space behind the Crusaders’ kick chase, as he dinked a chip over the defence and collected it himself, and Vaa’i was on hand to receive the supporting pass from Foketi to stroll over and finish off a thrilling try. His impact in the second half was more understated, but his core stats illustrate how big of a role he played in this contest: game-high 15 carries and 14 tackles (including two dominant tackles).

Asafo Aumua – 2 Points

New Zealand’s stocks at hooker are looking strong at the moment, which made Asafo Aumua’s rampaging performance on Saturday night a timely reminder to Dave Rennie that he is a legitimate starting option for the All Blacks. Strong ball-running was one of the themes of the Canes’ win and Aumua provided that in spades, as he has done all season long. His highlight moment coming in the 53rd minute, as Kini Naholo expertly put Aumua in some space in the tram lines, and Aumua did the rest, fending off Torian Barnes before steamrolling Stephen Perofeta for the try. That was just one of Aumua’s many barnstorming runs on the night, as he led the team with six defenders beaten in his eight carries, while leading the forwards with 61 running metres. His lineout throwing was mostly accurate and he had an equal team-high 13 tackles to cap off what was an outstanding stint from the hooker.

Cam Roigard – 3 Points

Cam Roigard has been a bundle of energy since returning from injury in the last round of the season and he was simply too sharp for the Blues’ defence to handle in the semifinals. His first real mark on the game came just two minutes in, opting for a quick tap after being taken in the air in his own half, seeing the Hurricanes break into the Blues’ 22 and set up Jordie Barrett’s opening try. Roigard then got a try of his own early in the second half, powering his way over in the left corner, and just minutes later Roigard’s box kick caused issues for the Blues at the back, resulting in a five-metre scrum for the hosts which Josh Moorby scored off. Equally as importantly, Roigard’s constant darts around the fringes of the breakdown and his ability to pick out the right runners gave the Blues’ defence all sorts of headaches and always kept the Hurricanes moving forward, and the halfback’s kicking was largely on-point.

Du’Plessis Kirifi – 4 Points

Much like with Cam Roigard, Du’Plessis Kirifi was a huge factor in the Hurricanes’ success on Saturday. Well known for his nous around the breakdown, Kirifi again did his job in that part of the game, but his impact was much more widespread. He was a big part of the Hurricanes’ hot run early in the second half, as the bulky openside used his strength and smarts to help the Hurricanes successfully counter-ruck deep inside Blues territory, seeing Roigard barge over the line. Minutes later, Kirifi then provided a delightful no-look ball to the hard-running Moorby to power his way over and give the hosts a 31-14 advantage. Add to that his early try via a lineout drive, another counter-ruck deep inside Blues territory to set up Aumua’s try, 10 carries, 11 tackles, one try assists around two turnover wins, and it’s clear to see just how good Kirifi was in the win.

Damian McKenzie – 5 Points

The Chiefs were a thing of beauty to watch in their first half beatdown of the Crusaders, and a lot of their success was thanks to Damian McKenzie. It took a while for the star first five-eighth to warm into the season, but he’s well and truly found his form when it has mattered most. Following on from a thrilling 26-point haul against the Reds in the Qualifying Finals, McKenzie was again excellent in the semifinals, with his threatening carries, open field kicking, clearances, passing and playmaking all combining to help the hosts to six first half tries. His grubber kick behind the Crusaders’ defence sparked the play for Taumoefolau’s second try inside the opening 15 minutes, and his fingerprints were all over much of the Chiefs’ attacking work from then on, breaking the line, getting the hosts deep into Crusaders’ territory and providing plenty of deft passes, including sending Leroy Carter through a hole for a try at the half-hour mark. The game died down significantly in the second half, meaning Dmac’s impact was much less significant from there, but he continued to keep the Chiefs comfortably in front, with his 7/7 night off the tee ensuring the visitors never got close, to see the Chiefs stroll into the GF.

Leaderboard After Semi Finals

1st Fehi Fineanganofo 15
2nd Leicester Fainga’anuku 14
3rd Cam Roigard 13
T-4th Damian McKenzie 10
T-4th Ruben Love 10
6th Fraser McReight 9
7th Callum Harkin 8
T-8th Du’Plessis Kirifi 7
T-8th Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens 7
T-8th Max Jorgensen 7
T-11th Caleb Clarke 6
T-11th Carlo Tizzano 6
T-11th Ryan Lonergan 6
T-14th Billy Proctor 5
T-14th David Havili 5
T-14th Lucas Casey 5
T-14th Miracle Faiʻilagi 5
T-14th Patrick Pellegrini 5
T-14th Taha Kemara 5
T-14th Will Jordan 5
T-21st AJ Lam 4
T-21st Charlie Cale 4
T-21st Codemeru Vai 4
T-21st Dom Gardiner 4
T-21st Filipo Daugunu 4
T-21st Jock Campbell 4
T-21st Kyren Taumoefolau 4
T-21st Reon Paul 4
T-21st Sid Harvey 4
T-21st Timoci Tavatavanawai 4
T-21st Wallace Sititi 4
T-32nd Ben Donaldson 3
T-32nd George Bell 3
T-32nd Ilaisa Droasese 3
T-32nd Peter Lakai 3
T-32nd Sevu Reece 3
T-37th Asafo Aumua 2
T-37th Caleb Tangitau 2
T-37th Cortez Ratima 2
T-37th Dalton Papali’i 2
T-37th Devan Flanders 2
T-37th Frank Lomani 2
T-37th Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula 2
T-37th Isikeli Rabitu 2
T-37th Josh Beehre 2
T-46th Josh Moorby 1
T-46th Pasilio Tosi 1
T-46th Patrick Tuipulotu 1
T-46th Seru Uru 1
T-46th Torian Barnes 1
T-46th Tupou Vaa’i 1
T-46th Vaiolini Ekuasi 1
T-46th Xavi Taele 1