Pita Gus Sowakulas red-hot form has forced Chiefs coach Clayton McMillan into a forward pack reshuffle for Saturday nights Super Rugby Aotearoa final.
The explosive Fijian loose forward, who was one of the teams best performers last year, missed the early stages of this season with a knee injury and got back into his work with three appearances from the bench, then has been a standout the past fortnight in his two starts at No 8 while Luke Jacobson sat out with concussion.
And that has proved too irresistible for McMillan to ignore for the decider against the Crusaders in Christchurch. Despite two-test All Black Jacobson returning to the back of the scrum, Sowakula has been handed a start at blindside flanker just his second time in the Chiefs No 6 jersey in what will be his 34th appearance for the club.
Luke Jacobson is back from concussion to reclaim the Chiefs No 8 jersey for the decider in Christchurch.
That switch has seen regular blindside Mitchell Brown shifted forward to lock where he filled in capably all of last season which means regular starting second rower Naitoa Ah Kuoi will play from the reserves.
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Pita Gus is one of those guys who I thought was outstanding last week, so he really forced our hand, McMillan said in announcing his team on Thursday.
We know that the locking combination has served us really well… but the decision, to be perfectly honest, was made a little bit easier because Naitoas been out with concussion the last couple of weeks, hes only just passed that on Tuesday. So it was fairly straightforward.
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Mitchell Brown has been shifted into the second row in the Chiefs forward pack reshuffle.
The rest of the side essentially picked itself after McMillan opted to rest 11 frontliners for last Saturdays 39-19 final-round dead rubber defeat to the Blues.
Along with Sowakula, only Bryn Gatland remains in the run-on XV from the one which started at Eden Park, with McMillan noting fellow playmaker Kaleb Trask failed to grasp his opportunity in that game.
In their last meeting against the Crusaders the 26-25 win in Hamilton three weeks ago the Chiefs opted to play Damian McKenzie at No 10 and have Gatland closing from the bench. Asked why they wouldnt repeat the McKenzie move this time, McMillan said:
Were playing slightly different, they’re playing slightly different. Theres pros and cons isnt there. Hes going to do a great job wherever we put him, hes proved that.
Were just anticipating down in Christchurch its a little bit more in the winter months now, itll be dewy, it’ll be cold, potential for rain, so the tactical battle, I think, is going to be really important. So having both Bryn and Damo there I think serves us well in that regard.
Equally, I think the Crusaders are going to kick a lot more than what they have, we saw them sort of transition to that against the Blues [their 29-6 win pre-bye], and Damos by far and away the best man under the ball, really composed and brave, so theres a little bit of that in the selection as well.
On the bench, Bradley Slater edges Nathan Harris as back-up hooker, while with loose forward/lock Samipeni Finau (shoulder) and winger/centre Sean Wainui (hamstring) ruled out after sustaining injuries last weekend, Zane Kapeli and Rameka Poihipi earn berths, while Chase Tiatia is back from concussion.
Dr Brad Miles, a lecturer in Sports Psychology at Canterbury University, talks about the effect having a home advantage will make at the Crusaders’ Super rugby final on Saturday.
For Bay of Plenty and Tonga loose forward Kapeli, its a remarkable rise, but his sensational 80 minutes on Super debut against the Blues secured him a spot ahead of Liam Messam and Tom Florence, who were last week called into the squad as injury replacements.
It was either Zane Kapeli or myself, really, quipped former loose forward McMillan, before softening the blow on 180-game stalwart Messam.
That was a hard decision, whether we went with the experience of Liam or we brought Zane in.
The value in having Zane is that, as you saw last week, he covered lock for 60 minutes, so he can potentially do that again this week, and I guess you always want to prepare for those sort of situations.
And, Liam, for all his experience, the reality is hes played 25 minutes of rugby all year. And I think it would have been a big ask, even though we know the calibre of the man, to go out and front for us in a final.
Hell travel with us and hell be that wise old man in the corner.
AT A GLANCE
Chiefs: Damian McKenzie, Jonah Lowe, Anton Lienert-Brown, Alex Nankivell, Etene Nanai-Seturo, Bryn Gatland, Brad Weber (c), Luke Jacobson, Lachlan Boshier, Pita Gus Sowakula, Mitchell Brown, Tupou Vaai, Angus Taavao, Samisoni Taukeiaho, Aidan Ross. Reserves: Bradley Slater, Ollie Norris, Sione Mafileo, Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Zane Kapeli, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, Rameka Poihipi, Chase Tiatia.
