Damian McKenzie’s super tackle is the STECO Rugby Play of the Week

KEO: I wanted to give it to a South African from a South African team but the Bulls just did not arrive for the URC final against Leinster in Dublin. I watched the URC final, the Gallagher Premiership final and Super Rugby Pacific’s two semi-finals.

ZELS:  So were your choices from the Premiership final or the URC final, the ones you like.

KEO: There’s one from the URC final. There’s one from Super Rugby Semi-Final. And there’s one from another Super Rugby Semi-Final. And I admit, I haven’t picked one from the Premiership final.

ZELS: None from the Premiership final?

KEO: Nothing that speaks to the filter for the STECO Play of the Week, which must speak to their product drive for sustainability and shaping the future. Their power tools are a given but it is which play screams sustainability, for a player, a team or a presence in a competition and which one is so influential it can shape the future. And I thought the Premiership tries, with the exception of Finn Russell’s intercept and offload for a Bath try, the rest were kind of boring and fairly predictable in how they evolved into five pointers.

ZELS: No Top 14?

KEO: I watch a lot of the highlights clips of Top 14 but this past weekend my focus was in Dublin, Twickenham, Christchurch and Hamilton. In the context of play-offs and moments, Jordie Barrett’s try for Leinster was world-class. Just what he did, his anticipation to read the play, to back his natural instinct and kicking skills to boot it ahead, then the chase, the pace and the patience get the dive and bounce in sync. Try time. It was a special effort. Zels, your guy Will Jordan, also showed his individual class with a step and a score and his try-scoring would be definitive for a Crusaders win, given they had to defend 38 penalty advantages in the last five minutes, and then defend another three phases on the last play of the game.

ZELS: So who?

KEO: D-Mac. If we are talking that STECO is about shaping the future, then his try-saving tackle on Tom Wright could well shape their season. It was such a lift for the Chiefs and it was a moment that could shape the future of McKenzie’s All Blacks season, as he battles for the No 10 jersey with Blues All Blacks veteran Beaten Barrett. He is my STECO player of the week  and that moment is my STECO Play of the Week.

ZELS: I thought it was fabulous. Clutch moments came through in a big way. People love D-Mac for his creative ability to create trials out of nothing and his, um, his handing skills and his stepping skills. But that was a huge moment of defence to come across against, uh, probably the Brumbies best player, you know, in terms of who they’ve got, mate, as you know, I’m a huge Tom Wright fan. So I thought it was a massive moment in that game. Any chance the Brumbies had of come coming back into that thing disappeared when D-Mac made that tackles. So he’s a worthy winner.  But we have to give Bath’s Springbok Thomas du Toit a shout out for scoring in the 23-21 Premiership final win. He scored in last season final, which Bath lost 26-21 and he has scored 21 tries in the past two seasons for Bath. Remarkable for a prop.