Hats off to Shaun Stevenson who was one of the top Chiefs standout players in the No.15 shirt this afternoon. Every time Stevenson looks for the ball, he runs like a towering Olympic sprinter as if he’s chasing gold. Plus, he adds a touch of soccer through his little kicks before he collected back-to-back tries in between the half-time breaks. Gotta credit the patience when the Chiefs dominated possession for the majority when Stevenson can not only back up and form a shield, but can also cause damage too with thanks to the clear communication given by his team-mates there. Such a brilliant player to watch when 1-2 Rebels players couldn’t stop him by themselves.
How about we look at another standout player in the Chiefs backline through Emoni Narawa on the wide right (No.14 shirt). Like how he got the Chiefs out of trouble earlier in the first half with huge sprint halfway through the Rebels territory, where he found Rameka Poihipi to finish off their opening big score. Then he has done it again this time with a TRY of his own courtesy of a chipped kick assist off Poihipi. He & Shaun formed a destructive attacking Chiefs partnership including backing up Stevenson’s 2nd TRY, where they caused so much damage for the Rebels while staying ahead along the way.
And Carter Gordon has been great once again for another week in the No.10 Rebels shirt, even though they didn’t get away with the win. He’s improving his creative attacking set up well with more Super Rugby experience on his plate, particularly when he tests himself against top-notch opposition. Every time he looks to escape the Chiefs blocks, Gordon communicated well with these quick offloads as long as the numbers are there which contributed to the bulk of the Rebels’ tries throughout the afternoon. Although he may want to work on his kicking/conversions a bit more, but surely he’ll learn from Reece Hodge before he can be one of the Australia’s best fly-halves at both Super Rugby & International level over the next decade.
