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Aaron Cruden returns to Chiefs starting lineup for milestone match

Chiefs first five Aaron Cruden. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

The Chiefs return home this weekend to challenge the Crusaders in their final 2020 home game at FMG Stadium Waikato in round eight of Super Rugby Aotearoa.

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Chiefs head coach Warren Gatland has made a handful of changes to his twenty-three for the 7.05pm Saturday evening derby clash.

The Chiefs’ powerful forward pack remains unchanged. In the backline, first five-eighth Aaron Cruden will run out in jersey number ten for his 100th Gallagher Chiefs cap, shifting rookie Kaleb Trask to the bench. The only other changes to the elusive backline will see Shaun Stevenson return to the starting fifteen on the right wing, with Sean Wainui shifting to the left wing following Solomon Alaimalo’s shoulder injury last weekend against the Blues.

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Ross Karl is joined by Brad Weber from the Chiefs and James Parsons from the Blues this week as they reflect on another tight week in Super Rugby Aotearoa and look ahead to another big round of games.

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Ross Karl is joined by Brad Weber from the Chiefs and James Parsons from the Blues this week as they reflect on another tight week in Super Rugby Aotearoa and look ahead to another big round of games.

On the bench, All Black prop Angus Ta’avao returns for his first Super Rugby Aotearoa fixture and will be joined by young lock Naitoa Ah Kuoi who returns after being sidelined with concussion. Waikato loose forward Simon Parker is set to make his mark in Super Rugby named on the bench in jersey twenty for his debut.

Gatland said he is calling for his side to deliver a performance they can be proud of.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDOFOYfA7LN/

“Last weekend I was exceptionally proud of the efforts from the boys. This weekend we need to again strive for a full eighty-minute performance. The Crusaders are a class act and will be hurting from the weekend but as a team we are ready for the challenge.”

“We have plenty to celebrate this weekend; Aaron’s impending milestone, a potential debut for Simon and we have both Angus and Naitoa returning from injury. We hope our fans come out to celebrate alongside us for our final 2020 home match.”

31-year-old Cruden made his debut for the Chiefs against the Highlanders in 2012, two years after his Super Rugby and All Black debut in 2010. Cruden was a key director of the Chiefs’ back-to-back Super Rugby titles in 2012 and 2013. After notching up 89 caps for the Chiefs and co-captaining the team alongside current Chiefs captain Sam Cane, Cruden headed offshore to France in 2017 to play for Montpellier.

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The talented playmaker and accurate kicker announced his return to the Chiefs late last year. Since Cruden’s return to  Super Rugby he has once again been a standout performer. His leadership, experience, and ability to seamlessly direct play have been key attributes in his many strong contributions in 2020.

Cruden said it will be a special moment on Saturday and one of many great moments he has had in the Chiefs jersey.

“I have been very fortunate to play rugby professionally for as long as I have. I have had so many great moments playing and a lot of them have been in a Chiefs jersey. It is a very special team that I feel very passionate about and I am thankful for the opportunity to represent the Club. It has been an absolute privilege to pull on the jersey so thank you to all those involved and for the memories it has brought me.”

Gatland said it was a fantastic achievement and congratulated Cruden on his impending milestone.

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“Aaron is an exceptional player, a great leader and a proud Chiefs man. He has been an influential contributor to this team both on and off the park this year and most importantly a great mentor for a number of these young players. It will be a very special moment for Aaron and the team on Saturday and it is fitting he is able to celebrate this milestone at FMG Stadium Waikato in front of a home crowd. He has been a privilege to coach this year.”

Chiefs: Damian McKenzie, Shaun Stevenson, Alex Nankivell, Anton Lienert-Brown, Sean Wainui, Aaron Cruden, Brad Weber, Pita Gus Sowakula, Sam Cane (c), Lachlan Boshier, Mitchell Brown, Tupou Vaa’i, Nepo Laulala, Bradley Slater, Reuben O’Neill. Reserves: Samisoni Taukei’aho, Ollie Norris, Ross Geldenhuys, Naitoa Ah Kuoi, Simon Parker, Lisati Milo-Harris, Kaleb Trask, Quinn Tupaea.

– Chiefs Rugby

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H
Hellhound 26 minutes ago
South Africa player ratings | 2024 Autumn Nations Series

There is this thing going around against Siya Kolisi where they don't want him to be known as the best national captain ever, so they strike him down in ratings permanently whenever they can. They want McCaw and reckons he is the best captain ever. I disagree.


Just like they refuse to see SA as the best team and some have even said that should the Boks win a third WC in a row, they will still not be the best team ever. Even if they win every game between now and the WC. That is some serious hate coming SA's way.


Everyone forget how the McCaw AB's intimidated refs, was always on the wrong side, played on the ground etc. Things they would never have gotten away with today. They may have a better win ratio, but SA build depth, not caring about rank inbetween WC's until this year.


They weren't as bad inbetween as people claim, because non e of their losses was big ones and they almost never faced the strongest Bok team outside of the WC, allowing countries like France and Ireland to rise to the top unopposed.


Rassie is still at it, building more depth, getting more young stars into the fold. By the time he leaves (I hope never) he will leave a very strong Bok side for the next 15- 20 years. Not everyone will play for 20 years, but each year Rassie acknowledge the young stars and get them involved and ready for international rugby.


Not everyone will make it to the WC, but those 51/52 players will compete for those spots for the WC. They will deliver their best. The future of the Boks is in very safe hands. The only thing that bothers me is Rassie's health. If he can overcome it, rugby looks dark for the rest of the rugby world. He is already the greatest coach in WR history. By the time he retires, he will be the biggest legend any sport has ever seen

2 Go to comments
J
JW 41 minutes ago
'They smelt it': Scott Robertson says Italy sensed All Blacks' vulnerability

No where to be seen OB!


The crosses for me for the year where (from memory);


This was a really hard one to nail down as the first sign of a problem, now that I've asked myself to think about it. I'd say it all started with his decision to not back form and fit players after all the injuries, and/or him picking players for the future, rather ones that could play right now.


First he doesn't replace Perofeta straight away (goes on for months in the team) after injury against England, second he falls back to Beauden Barrett to cover at fullback against Fiji, then he drops Narawa the obvious choice to have started, then he brings in Jordan too soon. That Barret selection (and to a lesser extent Bell's) set the tone for the year.


Then he didn't get the side up for Argentina. They were blown away and didn't look like they expected a fight and were well beaten despite the scoreline in my opinion. Worst performance of the year in the forth game and..


Basically the same problems were persistent, or even exaggerated, after that with the players he did select not given much of an opportunity, with this year having the most number of unused subs I can remember since the amateur days.


What I think I started to realise early on was that he didn't back himself and his team. I think he prepared the players well, don't get me wrong, but I'll credit him with making a conscious choice in tempering his ambition and instead choosing cohesion and to respect (the idea of it being important in himself and his players) experience first and foremost (after two tight games and that 4th game loss). I think he chose wrong in deciding not to be, and back, himself. Hard criticism.


And it played out by preferring Beauden to Dmac on the EOYT (though that may have been a planned move).


I hope I'm right, because going through all the little things of the season and coming up with these bullets, I've got to wonder when I say his last fault is one we have seen at the Crusaders, playing his best players into the ground. What I'm really scared of now is that not wanting a bit of freshness in this last game could be linked with all these other crosses that I want to put down to simple confidence issues. But are they really a sign that he just lacks vision?


Now, that's not to say I haven't seen a lot of positives as well, I just think that for the ABs to go where they want to go he has to fix these crosses. Just have difficult that will be is the question.

23 Go to comments
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