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'It definitely is the toughest period I've been through' - Anton Lienert-Brown opens up on Chiefs' underwhelming season

Anton Lienert-Brown. (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)

In the most important year of his young professional rugby career, Anton Lienert-Brown has found 2019 to be the most difficult season thus far.

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It’s been five years since the 33-test All Blacks midfielder made his Super Rugby debut with the Chiefs as an 18-year-old on the wing against the Bulls in Pretoria, but the 24-year-old rates this, his sixth season with the club, as the toughest he’s endured.

A five-match winless run to open the season was followed by a hopeful three-match winning streak, but after losing key playmaker Damian McKenzie to a season-ending knee injury, the Hamilton-based franchise have fallen to back-to-back defeats.

Lienert-Brown has been a leading star for the Chiefs despite their struggles, as he eyes a spot in the All Blacks’ World Cup squad.

Competing against fellow midfielders Sonny Bill Williams, Ryan Crotty, Jack Goodhue, Ngani Laumape, Ma’a Nonu and Matt Proctor for a place on the plane to Japan in four months’ time, there’s little room for error or inconsistency in this year’s edition of Super Rugby, which makes the Chiefs performances all the more challenging for Lienert-Brown.

Speaking to Stuff ahead of this weekend’s Kiwi derby against the Highlanders in Dunedin, Lienert-Brown expressed his frustration as the Chiefs have fallen to the bottom of the New Zealand conference and second-last on the overall standings with just three wins and 17 points to their name from 10 outings.

“It definitely is the toughest period I’ve been through personally,” Lienert-Brown said.

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“Before this year, we’ve always been in contention for that first spot or second spot on the table and now we’re trying to be in the top eight. So it is definitely something new for me.”

A spot in the top eight won’t come easily either, with a whopping 10 teams separated by just four points between the Australian conference-leading Rebels and the 13th-placed Brumbies.

Trailing the latter side by three points, Lienert-Brown told Stuff that his side need a big showing in the closing stages of their campaign if they’re to appear in the play-offs for the eighth straight year.

“If we are honest, we pretty much have to win five of the next six games,” he said.

“But we want to win them all. It is must-win territory, but we have the belief in this team that we can do that. We just need to get back on track and start playing our game again.”

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That starts at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday when he and his teammates face a Highlanders outfit, featuring Lienert-Brown’s older brother Daniel at loosehead prop, that overcame the Chiefs through a 30-27 season-opening victory at Waikato Stadium in February.

“They’re obviously a team who were in a place we were a while ago, and now they’re on a good run,” Lienert-Brown said in reference to the Highlanders’ five-match losing streak through March and April, followed by two convincing wins against the Blues and Sunwolves over the past fortnight.

“In a way they try to play a brand of footy we do – run the ball hard and a bit of flair in their backs – so we’re going to go down there and try match them physically, and if we do so I think we can win.”

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Nickers 17 minutes ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

I thought we made a lot of progress against that type of defence by the WC last year. Lots of direct running and punching holes rather than using width. Against that type of defence I think you have to be looking to kick on first phase when you have front foot ball which we did relatively successfully. We are playing a lot of rugby behind the gain line at the moment. They are looking for those little interchanges for soft shoulders and fast ball or off loads but it regularly turns into them battering away with slow ball and going backwards, then putting in a very rushed kick under huge pressure.


JB brought that dimension when he first moved into 12 a couple of years ago but he's definitely not been at his best this year. I don't know if it is because he is being asked to play a narrow role, or carrying a niggle or two, but he does not look confident to me. He had that clean break on the weekend and stood there like he was a prop who found himself in open space and didn't know what to do with the ball. He is still a good first phase ball carrier though, they use him a lot off the line out to set up fast clean ball, but I don't think anyone is particularly clear on what they are supposed to do at that point. He was used really successfully as a second playmaker last year but I don't think he's been at that role once this year. He is a triple threat player but playing a very 1 dimensional role at the moment. He and Reiko have been absolutely rock solid on defence which is why I don't think there will be too much experimentation or changes there.

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