Tony Johnson

One of the things that the Blues had been doing really well this season was using the front of the line-out, just securing the ball.

And this is where Anton Segner showed that another string to his bow, that front of the line, that explosive jump that he's got at the front of the line-out.

They were disputing a lot of line-out ball at the front, and if not the front, the middle.

Obviously, we had Sam Darry or Paddy Toi-Pulotu, and they hadn't been using the back ball, which for a while in New Zealand rugby was almost an obsession.

It was almost as if we can't attack on anything else other than back of the line-out ball.

And we used to get ourselves into so much trouble.

You think back to the days of the early 2000s when we'd be up against the Wallabies and then the line out would implode and things would start going wrong.

And then for some reason in the game against the Hurricanes, they went away from it.

So, yeah, look, line-out, it's such an important part.

I mean, as I mentioned, the Blues, I think half of their tries originated at line-out time.

It's such an important part of the game, and with perhaps reducing the number of reasons to have scrums in the game, which I'm not sure how much in favour of that I am, but the line-out just becomes paramount as a launching pad.

But I think we're seeing this year that you don't actually have to chuck the ball down the back for it to be a good attacking ball.

If you've got those sort of variations in your game and surely the most important thing is securing it.

Yeah.

Look, I think in the end that if you look at that, that the way players influence the outcome of an important game, I can't go past David Havili.

Braden Yossi was another name I mentioned.

Just sort of going a little bit off topic here, but boy, you look at the impact for the Reds, how important it is for them at this time of year to have Tate McDermott back.

I think he's been the best halfback in Australia for a while now.

That combination with Carter Gordon, okay, so things went off the rails a little bit for the Reds, but I don't think you can underestimate the impact that having him back on the field does for that team.

Yeah, I know, but I just, it's how they use, I don't know how you rate McDermott, whether I'm sort of over-talking him here, Brennan, but I just think he's a terrific player.