Rugby: Retallick continues rapid rise

Brodie Retallick has been outstanding at all levels of rugby over the past couple of months.
Brodie Retallick has been outstanding at all levels of rugby over the past couple of months.
Ask his coach whether Brodie Retallick should be regarded the best lock in world rugby and Dave Rennie leaves little doubt.

"By a long way, I reckon," said Rennie after Retallick inspired the Chiefs to a vital victory over the Hurricanes on Friday night. "He's just phenomenal."

Indeed, with the form he has exhibited this season, there's no denying Retallick belongs among the top tier in his position, an impressive ascension for a player still only 23.

His all-round effort against the Hurricanes helped the Chiefs' forward pack lay the groundwork for the win they needed to save their season. Now Retallick will be required to do likewise when he runs out at Eden Park on Friday, with another victory essential if the Chiefs are to sneak inside the top six.

And with the way he has performed in the last couple of months -- both for his franchise and while away on international duty -- there is every reason to think Retallick will turn in another virtuoso outing.

The lock was outstanding all over the field against the Hurricanes, strong in the carry, typically vicious in the clean out and staunch on defence. He led his side with 12 tackles, while the Chiefs' lineout, a source for concern throughout much of the campaign, was flawless with Retallick at its heart.

Then there was his match-sealing try, which demonstrated the athleticism and speed that, together with an ever-improving skillset, is threatening to turn Retallick into the complete player.

"The big fella's pretty impressive," Rennie said. "If you look at the amount of work he gets through, the numbers are phenomenal.

"Because he carries and carries aggressively, he can square up defences, but he's good enough to shift the ball and throw it back door. He's massive for us and we need another big one out of him next week."

Retallick was relentless throughout last month's English series, continuing the rapid rise he has made on the international scene since making his debut two years ago.

His ever-presence in the starting XV, along with the work rate he brings to every match, means the Chiefs have been careful to avoid over-burdening their prize asset, wary that his one-speed style could create burn out. In that regard, a week with minimal training, due to a hip injury picked up against the Highlanders, might have been a very good thing.

"We're conscious of the fact that he's played a lot of footy," Rennie said. "But he's in pretty good nick. He didn't train in the week so that was probably why he was full of energy."

For his part, Retallick was happy to focus on the production of the rest of the defending champions' forward pack, reluctant to agree he was playing at a level approaching the peak of his powers.

"I'm not sure about that," he said. "I'm always trying to get better and we needed a big performance from everybody. I'm just trying to do my best and do my job out there on the field

"We wanted to out-muscle [the Hurricanes] up front and we'd talked about how long it had been since our forward pack had dominated or got the edge on the opposition forward pack. I think it was a step in the right direction, especially with the playoffs coming up."

- Kris Shannon of APNZ

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