Blues vs Chiefs takes: Jacomb is on the clock and more Sevens X-factor

A final rematch was the highlight of Super Rugby Pacific’s much-anticipated return, and it was again a bustling Eden Park that played host to the festivities.

After a sloppy start in damp conditions, the hosts started to tighten the screws towards the end of the first half and claimed a 14-6 lead at the break.

However, it was the Chiefs who grew into the second half, with Damian McKenzie moving to first-five and inflicting his will with mercurial running and distribution.

25,200 fans packed into a wet Eden Park and many left disappointed to see their reigning champions shot down in just their first encounter of the season.

Here are four takeaways from the game.

Josh Jacomb is on the clock

Narrowing in on this season, if Josh Jacomb is to be the starting No. 10 when the playoffs roll around, he needs to keep Damian McKenzie at bay.

While the opening 50 minutes of the game witnessed some moments of McKenzie flair, it was in the final 30 minutes, after Jacomb was replaced by Emoni Narawa, that the Chiefs found lethal attacking momentum.

McKenzie led the game in four categories with 17 carries, 76 running metres, three linebreaks and two tries. The man’s a fantasy rugby manager dream.

Jacomb’s development is understandably a major priority for the Chiefs, and the injection of McKenzie as the primary playmaker late in the contest is great for changing the complexion of the game heading into the winning moments.

However, when the playoffs come around, given this is a young team who have unravelled on the biggest stage in three of the last four seasons, the 23-year-old Jacomb needs to give head coach Clayton McMillan assurance that he can be that guy when the lights are brightest and the defence is tightest.

So far in his young career, the 2023 NPC champion has proved his resilience and temperament make him very capable of rolling with the punches, but with one of the world’s premier talents in D-Mac behind him, and Shaun Stevenson set to return from a brief sabbatical in Japan in round four, Jacomb must take this opportunity while it is presented.

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Another Sevens star shows out

Leroy Carter was stepping, swerving and wading through tackles throughout his Super Rugby debut, proving to be one of his side’s best throughout his 80 minutes.

While a 65th-minute try was just reward for his efforts, it wasn’t just on attack where Carter made his presence felt. Bruising defence sent Mark Tele’a into touch when the All Black threatened to score in the corner and there were some loose-forward-esque moments around the ruck too, an area Carter appeared to relish.

With star performances from fellow former All Blacks Sevens stars Fehi Fineanganofo and Caleb Tagitau, it’s hard to imagine there won’t be another star following in Rieko Ioane’s footsteps and donning another black jersey in the not-too-distant future.

Replacing Akira Ioane will be done by committee

While Beauden Barrett’s return was the roster change that caught the most headlines over the Blues’ offseason, the departure of talisman Akira Ioane leaves plenty of hard carries to the younger generation of Auckland’s loose forwards moving forward.

Anton Segner has bulked up for the starting blindside role, but Ioane’s mix of physicality and explosiveness is hard to replace. Cam Suafoa and Patrick Tuipulotu were each involved heavily in round one and made some strong post-contact metres, but generating front foot ball in tight was the bread and butter of this team’s success in 2024 and consistency will again be key in 2025.

Hoskins Sotutu’s return is sure to help, but watch this space to see what adjustments are made throughout the season in Ioane’s absence.

Chiefs find their DNA in game one

Chiefs rugby isn’t always pretty. It can be, but the Waikato club’s winningest years have come with a win-by-any-means mentality that doesn’t always win them fans outside of the region.

That grit was evident throughout their second-half surge on Saturday night. In wet conditions, the Chiefs were aggressive around the breakdown, disrupting the Blues’ rhythm any way they could.

Moments of X-factor from their stars contributed heavily to their scoreboard tally, but plays like Xavier Roe’s consecutive tackles on Taufa Funaki as the halfback looked to make a ruck clearance showed exactly the kind of lawbook nous that makes champion teams.