[2017 Super Rugby] QF1: Brumbies vs. Hurricanes (21/07/2017)

[Caitlyn Jenner]

Great to see Coles back out there too! In that last quarter he showed us what we've been missing all year... such a great player!

 

[Penne Rara]

Coles is such a superb asset to the Canes. It takes real talent to show that four months out of the game won't have an impact on your form. Dane Coles, what a player!

Goosen played really well too, Ardie was carrying the Canes forward during the second half, nearly all by himself! And what a change it is to see a hard-performing TJ for once!

 

[Bluemoon]

Enjoyable first half of open and high intensity rugby. Thought the Brumbies struggled to maintain that intensity in the second half, then made a lot of unforced errors and the canes did what they do best out wide. Brumbies missed two conversions in the first half and got over the line at the end of it but didn't get the ball down... got to convert those opportunities when it's knock out rugby.

I think the blueprint to beating the canes was there in the first half, really good rugby.

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

I'd like to see statistical evidence to confirm/dispove whether NZ teams (club, ABs) raise their performance on the 2H or whether other teams drop theirs. It is unclear to me.
I see a crystal clear trend: 2H performance of NZ teams is through the roof. I refuse to believe it has to do with training/stamina. It is just mind blowing to even consider that one country can have such an edge due to better training. If that is not it, then what is it?

 

[Penne Rara]

Bench quality and good bench management play a good part I reckon

 

[nzlizard]

Brumbies played well in the first half, Hurricanes owned the second half.

How **** was the crowd through, Brumbies didn't deserve the home game but they got it due to the conference system and then couldn't find any fans.

 

[galumay]

A predictible comfortable win for the Canes, Bush Ponies were only there because of the stupidity of the conference system - highlighted by the fact that now the Canes will likely travel to SA to play a team that 'finished' top of the ladder even though they didnt play any NZ sides in the entire season!!

I was surprised with the closeness of the first half, Canes were a bit slow to get going and the Brumbies gave it there absolute everything for the best half they have played this year. I thought the writing was on the wall late in the first half when they failed to get the points after Tumaga-Allen was given a rest on the naughty boy's chair.

Great to see the Cane's 3rd winger, Coles back on the paddock, Ardie was immense, carrying tacklers like flies as he

 

[Caitlyn Jenner]

I'd like to see statistical evidence to confirm/dispove whether NZ teams (club, ABs) raise their performance on the 2H or whether other teams drop theirs. It is unclear to me.
I see a crystal clear trend: 2H performance of NZ teams is through the roof. I refuse to believe it has to do with training/stamina. It is just mind blowing to even consider that one country can have such an edge due to better training. If that is not it, then what is it?

It comes down to bench quality. Such is the depth of NZ sides that the bench players are often just as good as the starters, so when they come on they add to the performance rather than taking away from it.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

The better side will also generally attack more than their opponent in the first half. Attacking seems to use less energy and to me explains why weaker teams particularly struggle in second halves.

This is really stark with Italy who in the 6N often have very credible first half scoreline as but then die. Yet in matches where they are able to attack in the first half rather than just fight for their lives (e.g. recent ones with Fiji and Australia) they retain their energy levels more and do better in the second half.

I don't think that applied in the case of this particular game though because the Brumbies had a good first half.


Oz completes their winless disaster of a season against NZ. I don't like to kick a pony while it is down but I'm unclear what aspect of the Brumbies off the field makes them untouchable and means the Rebels and Force (who get comparable crowds and are in much bigger potential markets) are the only teams in the firing line. Is it the stadium, the youth systems, connections to senior members of the ARU?

 

[unrated]

The better side will also generally attack more than their opponent in the first half. Attacking seems to use less energy and to me explains why weaker teams particularly struggle in second halves.

This is really stark with Italy who in the 6N often have very credible first half scoreline as but then die. Yet in matches where they are able to attack in the first half rather than just fight for their lives (e.g. recent ones with Fiji and Australia) they retain their energy levels more and do better in the second half.

I don't think that applied in the case of this particular game though because the Brumbies had a good first half.


Oz completes their winless disaster of a season against NZ. I don't like to kick a pony while it is down but I'm unclear what aspect of the Brumbies off the field makes them untouchable and means the Rebels and Force (who get comparable crowds and are in much bigger potential markets) are the only teams in the firing line. Is it the stadium, the youth systems, connections to senior members of the ARU?

Never mind off the field. On the field they finished first out off all the Aussies. That alone should guarantee them safety. Super rugby wants competitiveness and the Brumbies are the best Australian team this year.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Never mind off the field. On the field they finished first out off all the Aussies. That alone should guarantee them safety. Super rugby wants competitiveness and the Brumbies are the best Australian team this year.

True, but the Force had the same win/loss record as the Brumbies and are still in the conversation. Brumbies players would be reallocated to other sides so their talent wouldn't be lost.

 

[unrated]

True, but the Force had the same win/loss record as the Brumbies and are still in the conversation. Brumbies players would be reallocated to other sides so their talent wouldn't be lost.

Yea and on that basis I believe the force should not be cut.
Actually on more than one basis.
The last team in should be the first one out . In an Australian context that would be the rebels.

The reds and Brumbjes has a bit too much history to kick out so easily.

 

[galumay]

I have long argued the Brumbies or the Tahs are the natural choice if you are cutting a team, The NSW team probably needs to be Sydney based so I would suggest the Brumbies go. Maybe call the Sydney based team the NSW Brumbies to keep people a bit happier.

That way we would retain a Qld, NSW, Victorian and WA side.

The history and when they joined really means nothing in this day and age, all teams are just business franchises and players show almost no loyalty to any particular franchise. The big picture needs to be looked at, and if we want to rebuild rugby in Oz then we need a spread across the states, 2 teams in NSW never made sense anyway.

 

[smartcooky]

A very special post-match moment from Friday night's game

Perenara is often criticized for being a bit of a knobhead, but these are some classy comments from him.

 

[smartcooky]

If you are arguing markets then its the Rebels that must be cut.

While Melbourne is a big market, that market is saturated with Australian Rules Football, and whatever else is left of the market is taken up with Football and League. The Victorian market is so saturated with Aussie Rules that even VFL, the second tier of AFL, draws bigger crowds and greater sponsorship than League. Trying to market union to Victorian sports fans is like trying to market refrigerators to Eskimos... a pointless exercise.

 

[RedruthRFC]

is like trying to market refrigerators to Eskimos... a pointless exercise.

I hate myself for not being able to let this pass, but.....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/26/AR2005042601144.html

 

[Nubiwan]

Brumbies played well in the first half, Hurricanes owned the second half.

How **** was the crowd through, Brumbies didn't deserve the home game but they got it due to the conference system and then couldn't find any fans.

Canes benefitted from a couple of pretty bogus first half tries (nice header), but ran out easy winners in the end. Brumbies look like they shot their bolt after 40, as they did against the CHiefs.

Tough one coming up against the Lions, and they will have to be sure they get off the plane for that one. Took them 40 minutes to get going at Brumbies. Lions might be too far gone, if they start the same in SA. Going to be tight.

As for crowd, bit of a bust crowd at the Crusaders Highanders in fairness, though the weather was gnats, and sounds like there has been some poor weather all round. I was still a bit surprised by the vacant pughs.

 

[mania]

happy with TJ. kept his mouth shut and got to work
coles. say no more. isthis class or what
julian - sorry buddy u gotta go. youre becoming a liability hogging that jersey and wasting oxygen

 

[mania]

A very special post-match moment from Friday night's game
Perenara is often criticized for being a bit of a knobhead, but these are some classy comments from him.

this doesnt change the fact that TJ can be a knobhead, but at least that knobhead is screwed on properly.
TJ was good in this game, was all business and no mouth.
poor lealiifano hoping to come back and save the brumbies.

 

[smartcooky]

....bit of a bust crowd at the Crusaders Highanders in fairness, though the weather was gnats, and sounds like there has been some poor weather all round. I was still a bit surprised by the vacant pughs.

You are probably not aware that it wasn't just a bit of bad weather. There was a state of emergency in place in Christchurch. People were being evacuated from their homes, as there was extensive flooding in parts of the city. People were cut off and couldn't drive anywhere. Bus services were off, and taxis were at a premium and like private cars, could not get to a lot of places to pick people up. Even walking was out of the question. There were at least 3500 people who had bought tickets but could not get to the ground, and of course, the walk up crowd (usually accomodated in the south east and north west open stands behind the in-goals) was virtually non existent in those circumstances, which is why they appeared largely empty.