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The Super Rugby final will see Retallick's rugby journey come full circle

(Photo By David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Born and raised in North Canterbury, Brodie Retallick will face the team he grew up watching and the team he has faced the most in his storied Super Rugby career come Saturday’s final.

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All roads to the Super Rugby trophy go through the Crusaders, it was the case in Retallick’s debut season with the Chiefs and is again true this season.

Retallick will square off with Sam Whitelock, who he holds the record for most experienced locking partnership at the international level with, for the final time before the two conclude their New Zealand careers side by side at the Rugby World Cup in France.

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“He’s always a competitor,” Retallick told Stuff. “And he’s been around so long, because of his skillset and how good he is at doing it.

“Obviously we’ve played a lot of test matches together, but it won’t mean much come Saturday, that’s for sure.”

Since his Chiefs debut in 2012, Retallick has had a simple message in mind, one emphasised by then coach Dave Rennie: “Winning every one-on-one battle.

“And I guess that’s what rugby’s all about, eh. So from those early years that was the message – don’t lose a one-on-one battle, and that’s just the way it was.”

That mentality saw the big lock debut for the All Blacks just months after debuting for the Chiefs and only a year removed from a U20 World Rugby championship win, a rare collection of accomplishments for a 12-month span.

Now a centurion for both club and country, Retallick is hoping to hear Waikato’s cowbell chorus soundtrack another Super Rugby title win – as they did in 2011 and 2012 – before he returns to the Kobe Kobelco Steelers in 2024.

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“Last week it kind of dawned for me, if we lost that was it, I started to pack up a little bit.

“What better way to play your last game in a final at home? And hopefully, the result takes care of itself. But it’s awesome to be here, it’s been a long time since I’ve played in a Super Rugby final.

“Obviously we’ve been successful on the field, but I think a lot of that comes from what we’re doing off the field, we’ve got a great group of guys. So it’d be good to convert the two, have a good bunch of guys in a good environment, and also get the result.”

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The Chiefs will put in a performance inspired by Retallick’s legacy and inspired to give the All Black the dream send-off he deserves.

Regardless of the result, when Retallick boards that flight for Japan, he’ll leave knowing that the Chiefs are in safe hands. Young All Blacks Tupou Vaa’i and Josh Lord will assume the locking partnership and embark on their own journey, hoping for it to be as fruitful as their mentor’s.

“I guess from where I was when I first walked in the door to now is probably a world apart,” Retallick said. “As you get older you learn some life lessons and experiences, I had a family since then, and I guess with confidence and time in the saddle, you grow.

“It’s provided me so many experiences. A lot of stuff that people don’t get the chance to do, I’ve been lucky enough to do.

“I’ll enjoy the memories.”

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TI 2 hours ago
All Blacks player ratings vs Italy | Autumn Nations Series

Rieko took literally years to turn from a defensive liability at 13 into a guy, who’s defensively sound as it befits the position. And it all came at the cost of him being much less of an offensive threat, than what he used to be. Proctor is a natural 13, he handles, passes, and kicks way better than Rieko ever will, he just isn’t as fast.


It’s unfair to judge Tupaea on the handful of games he’s had in 2022 before he got nearly crippled by a Wallaby lock. What could Tupaea/Proctor pairing be, if they got the same amount of chances as Jordie/Rieko?


Because no matter how you spin it, playing a player outside of his natural position is a poor asset management. No matter how talented he is, he still competes against players who had years and years of practice at the position. And if said guy is so talented that he actually CAN compete against specialists, imagine how much better still he could have been, if he had all those years to iron the toothing issues at the position. It just drives me mad.


Two things I hate in rugby union beyond description: aping after league, and playing players outside of their natural position. Especially considering, that they all admit they hate it, when they’re allowed to speak freely. Owen Farrell spent 80% of his international career at 12, saying every time when asked, that he is a 10 and prefers to play at 10. Those players are literally held at a gunpoint: play out of position, or no national jersey for you.

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