2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa - Round 3

[Oliver Madden]

Saturday 13th March 2021

Venue: Orangetheory Stadium
Time: 7.05pm (NZ)

Sunday 14th March 2021

Venue: Eden Park
Time: 3.35pm (NZ)

 

[Oliver Madden]

Predictions:
Crusaders v Chiefs - This is going to be a beating. Crusaders by 25 points.
Blues v Highlanders - The Highlanders always raise their game at Eden Park and I fancy them to pull off the upset. Hopefully this game will be like the two games between these two last season which were fast and frenetic.

 

[The Seeker]

Crusaders
Blues

 

[The Seeker]

 

[Kiwiwomble]

Big match for the Landers, think we have the bye next week so going in with another win wold be huge

also playing for the Gordon Hunter Memorial trophy, he was a stop bloke and i want to see that back down in Dunners

 

[Oliver Madden]

Big match for the Landers, think we have the bye next week so going in with another win wold be huge

also playing for the Gordon Hunter Memorial trophy, he was a stop bloke and i want to see that back down in Dunners

i knew they played for a trophy against the Blues but I couldn't remember the name. Didn't the Landers hold it for quite a long time before last year?. The results have been fairly predictable so far. I'm thinking this is the first game when there is a fair chance of an upset. Come on the Landers hope they pull it off.

 

[Kiwiwomble]

it actually went back and forward quite a bit until 2012 when we won it back and held onto it until last year

Gordon Hunter Memorial Trophy - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

i think the Blues are still firmly the favourites, theyre a different beast to the one we've seen over the last decade...and even then it was hard to beat them at home

good close game is the target within a try in the last quarter and then anything can happen

 

[Kiwiwomble]

bit of a change around, i thought MMT had been firing quite well

Collins might have been my preferred 13 once paea got injured but im nervous for his first start of the year against a good blues team

and i'll say it every week..sio? another card last week and still starts, whats TUJ got to do to get a run?

and no Alaimalo, will have t have a look around to see if he has an injury

is it me or does Hugh Renton look like hes in his earl 40's, 24?!

 

[Umaga's Witness]

bit of a change around, i thought MMT had been firing quite well

Collins might have been my preferred 13 once paea got injured but im nervous for his first start of the year against a good blues team

and i'll say it every week..sio? another card last week and still starts, whats TUJ got to do to get a run?

and no Alaimalo, will have t have a look around to see if he has an injury

is it me or does Hugh Renton look like hes in his earl 40's, 24?!

View attachment 9697

I think the landers like ensuring they have a strong bench even if it means sacrificing the starting lineup. 6 2

on paper they're not going to beat the blues, but they do play an exciting brand that could cause an upset.

a shame Dillon hunt left and now can't get a start for the blues. It must have been for family reasons because it was always going to be much tougher to get playing time.

clearly punivai is there to tackle Clarke.

Is squire injured?

Don't all Hughs look older than they are? Seriously

 

[big ginger 8]

bit of a change around, i thought MMT had been firing quite well

Collins might have been my preferred 13 once paea got injured but im nervous for his first start of the year against a good blues team

and i'll say it every week..sio? another card last week and still starts, whats TUJ got to do to get a run?

and no Alaimalo, will have t have a look around to see if he has an injury

is it me or does Hugh Renton look like hes in his earl 40's, 24?!

View attachment 9697

Any reason Regan isn't playing? Haven't been able to watch SR so far due to the TV rights and work but I saw he made the team of the week last week.

 

[Kiwiwomble]

I think the landers like ensuring they have a strong bench even if it means sacrificing the starting lineup. 6 2

on paper they're not going to beat the blues, but they do play an exciting brand that could cause an upset.

a shame Dillon hunt left and now can't get a start for the blues. It must have been for family reasons because it was always going to be much tougher to get playing time.

clearly punivai is there to tackle Clarke.

Is squire injured?

Don't all Hughs look older than they are? Seriously

yeah, hunt is a bit of a loss and I feel for him professionally, he was pretty epic last year and I honestly think another good year may have given him a shot at the abs if cane was to get injured again

I think they'll just be resting squire, still coming back from all his issues

Any reason Regan isn't playing? Haven't been able to watch SR so far due to the TV rights and work but I saw he made the team of the week last week.

I think it basically he wasn't intended to be first choice and he might need a rest, MSR and Dickson would have been first choice before MSR got injured

 

[Kiwiwomble]

Regan not playing for the bravehearts so must be rest/injury and hopefully not the latter

Alaimalo obviously not injured

good to see Ayden Johnstone and PPP back playing as well as and Hineno gettign on the pitch

 

[Not Mike Brown's Sock]

I think the landers like ensuring they have a strong bench even if it means sacrificing the starting lineup. 6 2

on paper they're not going to beat the blues, but they do play an exciting brand that could cause an upset.

a shame Dillon hunt left and now can't get a start for the blues. It must have been for family reasons because it was always going to be much tougher to get playing time.

clearly punivai is there to tackle Clarke.

Is squire injured?

Don't all Hughs look older than they are? Seriously

Never really understood the Hunt signing if it wasn't for family and not much money. Really well stocked back row already

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

Some rather questionable calls from the ref and tmo. What's the worth of the captain's challenge if the tmo sees something that didn't happen.

 

[Oliver Madden]

Some questionable calls but apart from the first 15 minutes there's only been one team in it I'm afraid.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

 

[The Seeker]

 

[Kiwiwomble]

bit of a **** afternoon, had been looking forward to watching that

 

[Umaga's Witness]

What did you all think of akira's pass? He passed spiral right to left and the left and the left tip was always behind the right tip. I've been trying to work out (need to actually try it out) if I was standing still so as to negate any momentum effects could I manage to pass the ball forward and to the left yet have the left tip behind the right tip? I guess I could, but if I passed a long way to the left could I?? I'm not sure. Maybe I could.

they should just change the law to make it that it isn't actually allowed to go forward. It's too subjective.

 

[Kiwiwomble]

i thought it was ok, i can understand the debate and i think its a good example of how they've fiddled with the rules and ended up making it worse rather than better

the idea of forward or backwards out of the hand is too subjective, ive seen people start talking about relative velocities and momentum vectors...that strikes me as our game has got too complicated.

I would honestly they rather just said it cant go forward at all and support players had to run much deeper etc as thats seems a much more simple line on the field graphic to answer it, but ive had this debate and realise i am in a minority apparently it is actually impossible to throw backwards when running that fast...not more difficult...actually impossible

i would have let it go but i would let a lot more stuff go than they pull up, slow mo make almost everything look worse