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Phil Walter/Getty Images
As much as the Hurricanes tried, they couldn’t contain Blues wing Mark Telea on Saturday night at Eden Park.
It’s easier said than done, but if the Highlanders have any hope of a Super Rugby Pacific upset for the ages against the Blues at Eden Park on Friday night they are going to have to come up with some answers for the Mark Telea enigma.
The Hurricanes certainly could not at a slippery Eden Park on Saturday night when the All Blacks World Cup hopeful slithered from their grasp to run in four stunning tries and effectively consign the Wellington outfit to a road quarterfinal.
Now it’s the Highlanders’ turn in a clash of similar import. The southerners go into the final round of the regular season in the eighth and final quarterfinal spot (23 points), but can still be caught by the Western Force (22), Fijian Drua (21) and Melbourne Rebels (21) behind them. There’s a chance they make it with a defeat, if the Force, Drua and Rebels all trip up as well at the final hurdle (a definite possibility, with all drawn against higher-ranked opponents).
Phil Walter/Getty Images
When Mark Telea finds space, good things tend to happen for the Blues in Super Rugby Pacific.
But a victory would seal the deal for the Landers who snatched a last-gasp victory over the Reds in Dunedin last Friday to keep themselves in contention. That will not be easy against a Blues side who have won six of their last seven and are looking for their own final-round surge to clinch third spot overall.
More so when you factor in the form of Telea who leads the competition in tries (11), clean breaks (21) and defenders beaten (73) and is second in metres carried (1332). As well as Emoni Narawa is playing down the road with the Chiefs, he is the competition’s premier wing with a four-try virtuoso performance against the Canes as Exhibit A.
On Saturday night he unleashed the full gamut of his slippery skills to score a remarkable set of tries to ice the 36-25 victory. At times it was like sorcery as he shrugged free of and danced around defenders (10 beaten on the night, with 4 clean breaks) who seemed to have him dead to rights. And the skills factor in the game-clinching try he notched, running on to Bryce Heem’s grubber, was off the charts.
Blues coach Leon MacDonald acknowledged, on the back of a 156-metre running night the week before against the Reds (11 tackle-busts) and a string of standout displays hitherto, his right wing was a man in career-best form.
“He was the difference really – close to the line or in the middle of the field or wherever he decides to pop up, and that’s probably his point of difference. He’s all over the place. You can’t get away from him – he’s always looking for opportunities, whether he’s off the back of a ruck, whether he’s inside or outside 10, or whether he’s on the edge, he’s dangerous, and he’s hungry to get his hands on the ball.”
MacDonald pointed to the workrate of the two-test wing that has him surely at the head of a crowded field of contenders for back-three spots in the All Blacks for World Cup year.
“It’s his eagerness to get off his wing and look for the ball,” added the coach. “In the past probably wings have felt they needed to wait on the wings for ball to come to them. He’s one of our best guys at popping up and becoming an extra player off his wing.
“But there are other parts of his game. I thought he was fantastic in the air as well. We were putting some high kicks up and he competed really well in there and that was a big part of what we wanted to achieve as well.”
Canes coach Jason Holland concurred: “He’s a quality player. I think what he’s doing defensively too is just as good as what you’re seeing with him scoring tries like he did tonight. He’s definitely a hard man to defend, but it’s possible.”
Telea must be a big part of the Highlanders scout for Friday. They will know the best way to limit him will be to cut down the supply of front-foot ball, and that will be on the forwards. They will also understand the requirement of getting multiple tacklers in his vicinity, with appropriate attention to detail.
The Blues, who will have Beauden Barrett back running the show, are a long way from a one-man show. Think Rieko Ioane, Caleb Clarke, Zarn Sullivan, Bryce Heem and Hoskins Sotutu, among others. They will all have to be watched closely.
But none more than Super Rugby’s most dangerous runner. Forewarned is surely forearmed.
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