2014 Super Rugby Final: Waratahs v Crusaders

[InsaneAsylum]

As a Melburnian, I normally hate all things Sydney and at the start of the season I was thinking "here we go again, another year of the tahs talking the talk and finishing in the bottom half of the table". To be honest the Rebels beating the tahs last year at AAMI park was just awesome, however I have to congratulate the tahs for what they've achieved this year and I know they will win. The Crusaders are also deserved of their place in the final and are going to be the tahs biggest threat this season, but I think raw emotion will get the tahs over the line especially not having won a ***le and after going down to the Crusaders in the final a few years ago.

The game will be awesome. so many class players/big powerful players on the field at the same time. mccaw read carter nadolo dagg skelton potgeiter hooper palu beale folau naiyaravoro

 

[RoosTah]

I think you are really selling the Waratahs short sanzar.

They have the best offense in the league by quite some margin if the statistics are any indication. They have the best defense in the league again by the numbers. They not only have the highest points differential in the Super XV but they have the highest differential in the competition EVER, think about that for a second.

Look at the above, plus the fact that they are playing at home and they are clearly the favorites to win the competition.

In my opinion, they only have only major weakness and that is the line-out since Dennis has been out which no doubt the Crusaders will look to exploit.

I think we have be streaks the better back-line and I would also give the forwards an advantage to the Waratahs so I'm still taking the Tahs by 10 points.

I hear your point about the finals being Crusaders territory and that we've under performed here but the Crusaders haven;t won since 2008 and all records are meant to be broken.

I'm not sure if has been said on the forums yet but the biggest concern I (and apparently quite a lot of people) have for the finals is that it is going to be played at ANZ over Allianz, which is effectively taking away a lot of the home ground advantage.

You know, I don't buy that whole thing about playing away from the SFS kills the home ground advantage. It really comes down to how well it's marketed - if we could somehow get 80,000 fans decked out in blue screaming their lungs off it'd ala State of Origin it'd certainly make the place a bit of a cauldron. And whilst the NSWRU are just hoping for 50k+, with 22k sold in the presale yesterday and even some Leaguies getting interested you just never know what can happen.

As for the teams themselves, like I said, I think this is the best Waratahs team I've ever seen. But all the same, you're only as good as your last game and to be honest I feel like the Crusaders probably look the more complete side right now. They can do all the things the Tahs can, but have a powerful set-piece and a brilliant tactical kicker. That's what worries me.

That said, if the 'saders revert to the "side-shuffle" crap they tried against England we could win by 15. I just don't think they will now that their first XV is playing.

How much of a boost to the Sydney NRC team's attendance will a Waratahs win be, SANZAR?

It'll be interesting to see, but you'd have to think it'd have some knock on effect. It's just a matter of whether people will naturally want to follow on from Super Rugby to a third tier... and with the test season I'm not 100% sure they will. Hope they do of course, but it'll take time to build a real and enduring interest.

Foley's not really about the tactical kicking his game management revolves around running the phases with the 9 running the tactical kicking game.

He's a brilliant player though, i'm a huge fan of him, he's a great example of how people can benefit from working on the 7's service, and his work rate is incredible, his engine doesn't stop.

Yeah, I'm a massive fan too - top bloke as well and always has a smile on his face. He's a pretty handy goal kicker too, but has a habit of missing the first couple before nailing the rest.

 

[Big Ewis]

So same squad for the final for the Waratahs for the final, no changes:

Waratahs:
15 Israel Folau, 14 Alofa Alofa, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Rob Horne, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Stephen Hoiles, 5 Jacques Potgieter, 4 Kane Douglas, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Tola Latu, 17 Paddy Ryan, 18 Jeremy Tilse, 19 Will Skelton, 20 Mitch Chapman, 21 Pat McCutcheon, 22 Brendan McKibbon, 23 Matt Carraro, 24 Taqele Naiyaravoro, 25 Peter Betham (two to be omitted).

 

[Jaguares]

Twitter Account of Waratahs: "NSW GOES CRAZY FOR TAHS TICKETS! Over 38,000 seats gone for @SuperRugby Final v @crusadersrugby at @ANZStadium."

Can Tahs supporters beat the record Super Rugby crowd?

The record Super Rugby crowd figure is 55,000, when the Bulls beat the Chiefs 61-17 at Pretoria's Loftus Versfeld in the 2009 finals. The Tahs' record home crowd of 40,449.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Only 55k?!
Is that due to stadium size?

 

[Jaguares]

Only 55k?!
Is that due to stadium size?

According to the official website of the stadium, the capacity is 51,762:

I'm not sure if that day were more people of the stadium's capacity but was a full stadium.

Bulls vs Crusaders, semi-final 2009:

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Jeeze, I never realised that SH stadia were so small - the Premiership gets 60-80k+ several times a year, with the final, double-headers and wembley games.


I suppose that's the issue with home, rather than national, stadia being used for the final though.

 

[ratsapprentice]

This final is being played at the ANZ - 80 odd thousand capacity.

 

[goodNumber10]

The first two lions tests were only 52,499 & 56,771 each.

the third test was 83,702 though, and i think a new record for the aussies.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Oh.

Ouch.

 

[Jaguares]

The first two lions tests were only 52,499 & 56,771 each.

the third test was 83,702 though, and i think a new record for the aussies.

Noooooooo, Australia has the record Rugby Union crowd: 109,874 against ABs at the old ANZ Stadium (Olympic Sydney Stadium). They also have the second highest crowd in Rugby Union's history: 107,042 against ABs too. Here is the list:

http://stats.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/records/team/highest_attendance.html?id=1;type=class

The former Olympic Sydney Stadium was bigger, in the Olympic Games of 2000 had a capacity to 110,000 but then in 2003 Aussies shortened the stadium to reduced the capacity to 83,500. I'm not sure why, maybe because a stadium to 110,000 it's more expensive and in a country with only 20 million inhabitants have not justified such a HUGE stadium.

The former Olympic Stadium - Sydney 2000:

Capacity: 110,000

With the changes, now the stadium holds 83,500. The stadium lost 26,500 seating.

 

[Draggs]

I'm going to go on SMH and GAGR and play Aussie excuse bingo.
-Rugby is the 29th most popular sport is Australia
-State of Origin just happened
-Garden expo in Sydney same day
-Lions tour
-Bob Dwyer might be there

 

[RoosTah]

I'm going to go on SMH and GAGR and play Aussie excuse bingo.
-Rugby is the 29th most popular sport is Australia
-State of Origin just happened
-Garden expo in Sydney same day
-Lions tour
-Bob Dwyer might be there

- Well the first one is at least fair (if massively exaggerated) - Rugby League and AFL absorb the bulk of talent in the country when it comes to the football codes. So it's hardly a surprise that people often wonder how strong the Wallabies or Super Rugby teams might have been if guys like Buddy Franklin, Kurt Tippett, Greg Inglis, Cooper Cronk or Jarry Hayne had played Rugby.

- Not sure what Origin has to do with anything... well and truly done and dusted

- Garden what?

- Lions tour? Wasn't that a whole year ago?

- Well Bob Dwyre is a distraction...

 

[RoosTah]

Jeeze, I never realised that SH stadia were so small - the Premiership gets 60-80k+ several times a year, with the final, double-headers and wembley games.

I suppose that's the issue with home, rather than national, stadia being used for the final though.

True enough.

I'd like to think Sydney could pack out the 80k ANZ Stadium in homebush, but sadly it's a famously hated place to watch footy here and frankly the support for rugby in Sydney remains terribly niche (think of Union in Australia as being like Rugby League in the UK - just more spread out).

 

[Kapa O Pango]

Waratahs by 7, because Michael Hooper is one handsome guy.

 

[Icemn]

Jeeze, I never realised that SH stadia were so small - the Premiership gets 60-80k+ several times a year, with the final, double-headers and wembley games.


I suppose that's the issue with home, rather than national, stadia being used for the final though.

that is because we (other than England) have to still work (jobs) we don't have India running our countries, so you cab have bigger stadiums that is filled everyday because your citizens can go watch sports everyday...

 

[Jaguares]

Crusaders team named:

1. Wyatt Crockett
2. Corey Flynn
3. Owen Franks
4. Dominic Bird
5. Sam Whitelock
6. Richie McCaw (c)
7. Matt Todd
8. Kieran Read
9. Andy Ellis
10. Colin Slade
11. Nemani Nadolo
12. Dan Carter
13. Ryan Crotty
14. Kieron Fonotia
15. Israel Dagg

Reserves:

16. Ben Funnell
17. Joe Moody
18. Nepo Laulala
19. Jimmy Tupou
20. Jordan Taufua
21. Willi Heinz
22. Tom Taylor
23. Johnny McNicholl

ANZ Stadium set to be a sea of blue for Super Rugby final:

A State of Origin-esque sea of blue, an Australian Super Rugby crowd record and the biggest take-up of corporate packages since the Manchester United exhibition match say ANZ Stadium will be the furthest thing from a ''neutral venue'' when the Waratahs take on the Crusaders this Saturday.
As Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder and countless New Zealand pundits latched on to the notion the All Blacks' 54 per cent win record at the Homebush Bay venue would take the sting out of the Waratahs' home ground advantage this weekend, match organisers were putting the finishing touches to a plan to ensure it will do anything but.
ANZ Stadium will be turned sky blue, a ''Tah-Train'' NSW Rail carriage will transport match-goers to the stadium free of charge, Cathy Freeman Park will be bathed in blue floodlight and even the Crusaders' team hotel in the Olympic Park precinct will be cloaked in Waratahs colours.

Ticket sales were expected to reach 50,000 overnight on Wednesday, with Suncorp Stadium's 2011 final mark of 52,000 looking vulnerable and leaving plenty of time to break the all-time Super Rugby record of 55,000.
Interest in corporate packages left stadium officals gobsmacked, with 195 of the venue's 230 suites and boxes sold on Wednesday.
Stadium general manager of sales and sponsorship Shane Stoddard said interest from the big end of town was the biggest the stadium had seen since 2012, when tickets to Manchester United's pre-season exhibition.
But the Australian Rugby Union will also have been heartened to learn that 50 per cent of tickets sold on the first day of general sale were bought by people outside the traditional rugby communities of Sydney's northern and eastern suburbs.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/anz-sta...lue-for-super-rugby-final-20140730-zyk92.html

 

[Big Ewis]

Previous Results (Warratahs):
2013: Crusaders won 23-22 in Christchurch
2012: Crusaders won 37-33 in Christchurch
2011: Crusaders won 33-18 in Christchurch
2010: Crusaders won 20-13 in Christchurch
2009: Crusaders won 17-13 in Christchurch

PR's Preview article:
http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_9401513,00.html



Oh and, I'll just drrrrrop this here......

 

[RoosTah]

that is because we (other than England) have to still work (jobs) we don't have India running our countries, so you cab have bigger stadiums that is filled everyday because your citizens can go watch sports everyday...

Well yes, and also the combined population of Australia and New Zealand is still less than half of the UK, so we don't quite have that critical mass to fill big grounds on a regular basis (particularly in Australia where rugby is a minor sport).

 

[iINDOMINUSxx]

Previous Results (Warratahs):
2013: Crusaders won 23-22 in Christchurch
2012: Crusaders won 37-33 in Christchurch
2011: Crusaders won 33-18 in Christchurch
2010: Crusaders won 20-13 in Christchurch
2009: Crusaders won 17-13 in Christchurch

PR's Preview article:
http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_9401513,00.html



Oh and, I'll just drrrrrop this here......

View attachment 3081

always a first