2015 Super Rugby Grand Final: Hurricanes vs Highlanders

[austingtir]

But Marty Banks scored the drop goal, and he's not in the NZ RWC squad. Will Sopoanga even make the final RWC NZ squad? It will between him and Slade and Slade covers more positions.

All about practise at the end of the day. Carter may not be Johnny at drop goals, but it's all about getting the kicker in position in the pocket to make the drop goal. Invaluable weapon in the arsenal, especially in tight RWC matches in the knockout stages.

There were two drop goals in this match man. Sopoaga would likely of kicked them both if not for a leg injury. Im a huge Slade supporter but in all honestly id be pretty tempted to outright drop the bloke after the saders campaign this year he was bloody average imo. Hansen's obviously seen more of them both so im happy he's making that decision. Personally I dont think we've got anything to loose dropping one estabished first five either Barrett or Slade because we can bring them back at any time and it wont make any difference as they have plenty of experience just like Donald did. Whereas if Sopoaga plays like this in the black jersey we can get him going strong at the start of next season aswell.

And how many season of rugby has Carter seen now? Im yet to see him look as comfortable as Sopoaga with a drop goal and he's attempted alot of them and probably missed the majority if my memory serves me right.

And Marty Banks is a very good player also. He should of got a couple more games during the season.

 

[ruggerbugger]

It felt to me that the Highlanders were just on fire the past month or so. I think they not only played well together, but they were having fun doing so. A team that really enjoys what it is doing tends to be more relaxed and that means fewer mistakes.

That said, I do feel bad for the Canes, but then again I always feel a bit sorry for the defeated team just because I realize how hard they played and how gutted they feel.

das

Well Kearns was right about one thing last week. A champion team will always beat a team of champions. Landers might not have the marquee names, particularly in the forwards, but they fought their way to the championship. Beyond this year, I wouldn't mind seeing Coltman in a Black jersey.

 

[Picking Daisies]

Heartbreaking to lose.

We've had structures and processes in place all season which took us to the final, yet we panicked and deviated from those processes. A tough lesson to learn.

The Highlanders thoroughly deserve the win, they took their chances and stuck to their guns. A hardworking team, a great result for rugby but a bummer for us!

 

[austingtir]

Well Reds and Tahs aside this proves to me Sopoaga is the real deal. You cant win a super ***le without a decent flyhalf guiding the team. History has proven this!

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Hansen is open minded to it. When they interviewed him after his 40 man squad selection he kept talking about it as being a real possibility.

Well of course he would say that. He's not going say Sopoanga has no chance of making it. But assuming Carter and Barritt are certainties, it's likely going to be between Slade and Sopoanga for the 3rd fly half spot. Fact is Slade was taken on last year's November tour, has more international experience and covers Fly half, wing and full back. He is the more likely of the two to make the squad.

At the end of the day you don't need a fly half to score drop goals. Can I remind Kiwi fans that a certain no. 8 who played 20 years ago scored a few important drop goals for the ABs. Jerry Guscott a centre scored one to win the 1997 Lions series. Just spoken with loads of Kiwi fans who still bang on about Cardiff QF 2007 and blaming Wayne Barnes, when the ABs that day didn't have a proper plan in the last 10 minutes to go for the drop goal. Not counting Luke McAllister's dreadful effort from the half way line.

 

[ruggerbugger]

What I was getting at is that it might translate to opportunities for Spoanga in the Rugby Championship. If he and Grant Fox didn't pay such strong accolades then you might be able to take from it that he'd be waiting in the wings and nothing else, but it sounds like he'll get some opportunities - perhaps off the bench, or starting. Maybe even at the expense of Slade.

For the record, I'm not Sopoanga's biggest fan alive. He's good, but I've seen him do some dumb things as well. Personally I think Barrett will get better - he's had injury issues and not much game time, you can't be too critical of him. And Slade simply had the misfortune of being part of an horrifically poor coached backline. I want to see more of Carter. His form towards the end of the Crusaders campaign looked brilliant.

 

[austingtir]

Well of course he would say that. He's not going say Sopoanga has no chance of making it. But assuming Carter and Barritt are certainties, it's likely going to be between Slade and Sopoanga for the 3rd fly half spot. Fact is Slade was taken on last year's November tour, has more international experience and covers Fly half, wing and full back. He is the more likely of the two to make the squad.

At the end of the day you don't need a fly half to score drop goals. Can I remind Kiwi fans that a certain no. 8 who played 20 years ago scored a few important drop goals for the ABs. Jerry Guscott a centre scored one to win the 1997 Lions series. Just spoken with loads of Kiwi fans who still bang on about Cardiff QF 2007 and blaming Wayne Barnes, when the ABs that day didn't have a proper plan in the last 10 minutes to go for the drop goal. Not counting Luke McAllister's dreadful effort from the half way line.

Sopoaga isnt just scoring drop goals. He's actually the most exciting flyhalf in NZ rugby atm for me. Cruden a close second (he's been average the last couple of years imo). Sopoaga has the potential to do it all. He kicks tactically better than Carlos spencer yet he also has some of that crazy flare that Carlos had with the oddball chip kicks. I think some time in the AB enviroment will really do him some good as he's far from the finished article and still only quite young.

As far as im concerned the quicker he's in the enviroment the better. WC be damned.

For the 2007 QF no plan is going to save you VS a ref thats dishing out penalties against you like a rabid animal.....

 

[Every Time Ref]

What a superb game. Highlanders definitely deserved it on the night, apart from a period of late match nerves in the last quarter they were always in control of the game, played at a fantastic pace with better accuracy than the Canes and defended excellently. Their line speed early on was really good, I thought with the pace of the game there'd be holes late on but they were solid throughout.

The half backs stood out for me as an area of difference. This was the only SR game I watched this season so couldn't comment on domestic form generally, but I've never really rated Barrett as a 10 and he didn't do much to change my mind tonight. Sopoaga looked like a very good player, although he noticeably went a bit shaky under the pressure of holding out in the last 15 and I'd like to see what his kicking game's like because there was literally no kicking in that match! Smith also outplayed Perenara by some distance, without even being outstanding himself. Perenara made several mistakes, dithered with the ball at the base a couple of times, his passing was middling and he didn't seem to really run the game. No doubt Smith is the NZ scrummie, not that we didn't know that already.

First time I've seen Milner-Scudder, and although he didn't do much, there were glimpses to make me understand what the hype is about. His footwork, hips and balance look pretty special.

 

[ruggerbugger]

Also, are people mature enough to admit now that there is a HUGE difference between making inroads and easy yardage in a regular weekly Super rugby game and Finals Footy / Test Match Footy / World Cup Foot? The Hurricanes just came up against great defense - totally get that. But EVERY match at test level will be that intense on World Cup year. So no, if possible you select Jane or Dagg. Not Skudder. At the very best, off the bench in the Rugby Championship; sure. Not in a tactical World Cup match. You're not just going to dance your way to the try line like some people seem to think. We couldn't even do that in our own back yard against France. We're not going to travel all the way to England and win the thing by 50 points thanks to someone having one good Super Rugby season.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Sopoaga isnt just scoring drop goals. He's actually the most exciting flyhalf in NZ rugby atm for me. Cruden a close second (he's been average the last couple of years imo). Sopoaga has the potential to do it all. He kicks tactically better than Carlos spencer yet he also has some of that crazy flare that Carlos had with the oddball chip kicks. I think some time in the AB enviroment will really do him some good as he's far from the finished article and still only quite young.

As far as im concerned the quicker he's in the enviroment the better. WC be damned.

For the 2007 QF no plan is going to save you VS a ref thats dishing out penalties against you like a rabid animal.....

Hmmm, just like Andre Watson did to England in the 2003 RWC final. Still, England took the official out the game and still won it. ABs didn't in 2007 and some of their fans still blame the officials, instead of the limitations of the AB game that night, when it got tight. Fact is, games do get tight and drop goals are needed. Does not mean it has to be a fly-half has to take it, although invariably it is.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Utterly insane pace in the first half.

Utterly mystifying decision to award the Dixon try - high framerate, high resolution camera at the perfect angle to show daylight between the ball and the ground, and it's given?!

Would have been happy whichever side won.

 

[austingtir]

Hmmm, just like Andre Watson did to England in the 2003 RWC final. Still, England took the official out the game and still won it. ABs didn't in 2007 and some of their fans still blame the officials, instead of the limitations of the AB game that night, when it got tight. Fact is, games do get tight and drop goals are needed. Does not mean it has to be a fly-half has to take it, although invariably it is.

All I know about the 2003 final was one team involved was so boring it would of been like watching mould grow on a loaf of bread.... So yeah I'll have to take your word for that I guess....

 

[ruggerbugger]

Hmmm, just like Andre Watson did to England in the 2003 RWC final. Still, England took the official out the game and still won it. ABs didn't in 2007 and some of their fans still blame the officials, instead of the limitations of the AB game that night, when it got tight. Fact is, games do get tight and drop goals are needed. Does not mean it has to be a fly-half has to take it, although invariably it is.

Well, there was blame on both sides. We should have been more prepared and approached that whole tournament differently. Clearly we needed a drop goal, because our attack patterns weren't going our way.

But when you don't get awarded a single penalty for almost an entire half of rugby, and it is indeed a tight game featuring a try that should never been given, then yeah - that is quite sickening. People told us we weren't allowed to "moan about the referee." A few years later, people from other nations were moaning the roof down when their respective team dipped out in 2011. So apparently you are allowed to moan about the referee when it suits.

 

[dasNdanger]

Well Kearns was right about one thing last week. A champion team will always beat a team of champions. Landers might not have the marquee names, particularly in the forwards, but they fought their way to the championship. Beyond this year, I wouldn't mind seeing Coltman in a Black jersey.

I wonder how big a role egos play in a game like this? The 'need' for 'a team of champions' to succeed could put them under so much pressure that they will inevitably fail. It's been the bane of the ABs in the past. The Highlanders seemed like a real team this year - no stars to get in the way of each other's glory, but just a bunch of regular blokes having a bit of fun tossing a ball around. I am simplifying it a bit, of course, but I think this was a victory won truly by team, and not individual, effort.

das

 

[TobesHodges]

Ben skeen is a lander fan

 

[TobesHodges]

But seriously hats off to the HL amazing result.. But let's also give credit to the hurracaines, only losing one game all season.. And to the landers who everyone said they couldn't "I said they couldn't", showed they are true champions.. Shows how good and dominant NZ is right now and in a WC year.. Congrats Landers..

 

[William18]

Also, are people mature enough to admit now that there is a HUGE difference between making inroads and easy yardage in a regular weekly Super rugby game and Finals Footy / Test Match Footy / World Cup Foot? The Hurricanes just came up against great defense - totally get that. But EVERY match at test level will be that intense on World Cup year. So no, if possible you select Jane or Dagg. Not Skudder. At the very best, off the bench in the Rugby Championship; sure. Not in a tactical World Cup match. You're not just going to dance your way to the try line like some people seem to think. We couldn't even do that in our own back yard against France. We're not going to travel all the way to England and win the thing by 50 points thanks to someone having one good Super Rugby season.

The Hurricanes ran 680 metres with the ball this week. Last week we only ran 651 metres. Running metres was clearly not the issue tonight. The problem was we ran metres and then dropped the ball. It's incredibly easy to defend if the other team can't do anything with the ball in hand. As it is I think NMS is a better kicker, defender and under the high ball than Jane. He still has to prove it for the AB's of course.

 

[ruggerbugger]

If anyone gets a new cap I'd probably go with Naholo. Little bit more size, but just as effective and stands out a little bit more under pressure.

 

[The Prop]

It was a great game.

The Highlanders came with a great game plan and executed it extremely well. Apply huge pressure at every opportunity and it showed as the Hurricanes seemed to buckle under it.

Some great running rugby by both teams too. Made my Saturday morning a good one

 

[William18]

If anyone gets a new cap I'd probably go with Naholo. Little bit more size, but just as effective and stands out a little bit more under pressure.

Hansen has said that everyone in the squad will get a chance. I imagine we will see NHS at some point.