Discipline on cards for Chiefs
The Chiefs are vowing to sort out their discipline dramas as their Super Rugby Pacific redemption mission all of a sudden gets serious.
Having navigated their way through the regular season, it’s now business time for last year’s runners-up, with no more second chances come Friday night’s quarterfinal against the Reds in Hamilton.
And while back-to-back losses the past fortnight have failed to dent the confidence of Clayton McMillan’s side, they are well aware they need to sharpen up their act with the officials if they are to give themselves a genuine shot at going one better in 2024.
Last Saturday’s loss to the Blues was the nadir, the Chiefs caned 15-6 in the penalty count, in what was the most penalties they had conceded in a game this season.
Coming off a 13-8 lost count the week prior in the defeat to the Hurricanes, it was the ninth lost penalty count out of 14 games for the side which finished fourth on the ladder.
Prop Aidan Ross copped five penalties alone at Eden Park, and was also the scapegoat to the sin bin for an offside when referee Ben O’Keeffe had issued an early team warning, and admitted it was a major area both he, and the team, had to tidy up.
“Career-high for me, I need to look at myself, and get that right,” the experienced loosehead said. “It’s just ones you can control, especially offside lines, the ref’s going to see it and he’s going to call it, so we just [have to] take it out of his hands ... just take an extra step, [we’ve] just got to be even cleaner.”
Added to that, after the Chiefs went through their first seven games of the regular season conceding two yellow cards and one red, in their next seven they have now copped seven yellows, to further highlight the issue.
“It’s been a focus, we’re trying to get it right, I’d be lying if it wasn’t,” Ross admitted.
“There’s been a theme there, it’s not just the last two games, it’s been over the whole season.
“That will be a key factor going into Friday night, if we can get on the right side of the penalty count it’ll go a long way.”
The Chiefs didn’t win the penalty counts in last year’s narrow quarterfinal win over the Reds or their equally tense semifinal victory over the Brumbies, and they only need to look at last year’s final against the Crusaders to remember just how costly ill-judged defensive errors can be.
That night they were on the wrong side
“If we can get on the right side of the penalty count it’ll go a long way.”
Chiefs prop Aidan Ross
of a 15-8 count and had three All Blacks sent to the sinbin. With 15 players on 15 the Chiefs won 20-3, but the half hour they were down a man they lost 22-0.
“We don’t really think about that too much now, but we addressed it when we came back in for pre-season last year,” Ross said.
As for the 28-year-old himself, even if there were scrum struggles to boot, it wasn’t all doom and gloom at Eden Park, not when he got over for a third career try (in his 85th Chiefs appearance, which this season has seen him become the franchise’s most-capped prop, surpassing ex-chief executive Michael Collins, and allowed him to raise a rare crooked finger in celebration, in a nod to his Te Puke sports club known as the Pirates.
Signed through till 2025, Ross will be eyeing a century of caps next season, while there’s also plenty of drive to ensure he doesn’t go down as a one-test wonder, after a well-earned All Blacks debut in 2022.
“There’s always ambitions, but whatever happens, happens, I guess, it’s for others to decide,” he said. “But I’m just loving where I am playing footy here.
“If you get too consumed in worrying about that kind of stuff when you’ve got a job to do here, you sometimes don’t get that job done.”
Helping Ross keep perspective this season is 11-month old son, Albie (name tattooed on the inside of his arm).
“You’re coming home from pre-match feed and having a nap in the past, where [now] you’re coming home from pre-match feed and making dinner and giving him bathtime and then going out the door,” Ross said.
“So the routine changes up this year. But it’s awesome fun, I love it.
“Hanging out, giving Mum a bit of time off on [my] days off.
“He’s just started drinking fluffies, so I can bring a mate to the cafe now, which is nice.”