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Radman
Guest
ROBBIE! ROBBIE! ROBBIE!...OI! OI! OI!...ROBBIE! ROBBIE! ROBBIE! OI! OI! OI!...ROBBIE!...OI!...ROBBIE!...OI!.....ROBBIE! ROBBIE! ROBBIE!...OI! OI! OI!!!!!!!
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Fushitsusha
Guest
Highlight of the night for me - Brumbies players at the rugby club cheering for the Crusaders... 
B
BLR
Guest
Rubbish tactics by Mackenzie, NEVER take the captain off in a game like that....
Good stuff by the Tahs in the first half though, best rugby they have played all season by far....you can really see the influence league has had on them....the Saders didn't play the best however, still managed it...very good game.
F
Fushitsusha
Guest
Rubbish tactics by Mackenzie, NEVER take the captain off in a game like that....
Good stuff by the Tahs in the first half though, best rugby they have played all season by far....you can really see the influence league has had on them....the Saders didn't play the best however, still managed it...very good game.
[/b][/quote]
I think McKenzie getting the sack has been the best thing for the Tahs. It caused him to actually take some risks with the team and promote some real talent.
Anyways, Baxter and Dunning - still rubbish.
S
sanzar
Guest
Good game by the Tahs, they really played above themselves, but in the end they just didn't have the stamina to keep it going... Shame too, because this looked like their best chance of taking the ***le out in years.
Oh well, at least we get Robbie over to our side now .
Oh well, at least we get Robbie over to our side now
.
G
Gay-Guy
Guest
What a final where both teams turned up with their A game!
Gee the Waratahs really showed some amazing defence. They were also quite handy with the ball in hand.
The Crusaders....well....they simply were the Crusaders.
The Crusaders picked up their defence a bit when Thorn went off....when he came back it was that familiar Crusaders defence of old that had been eluding them this year. What a time for their defence to return with 20 minutes to go in the season.
The way the Waratahs attacked in the first half when they did have the ball showed that they had a lot of enterprise at their disposal and highlighted why they deserved to be in the final and how last weeks game was tribute to their team play more than the Sharks imploding. Luckily though for the Crusaders the opportunities with the ball in hand to attack were limited. In the second half when the Waratahs did get enough ball to attack they needed their phases and recycling to be absolutely perfect as the Crusaders were looking at every chance to turn the ball over. Which they did at crucial stages when the Waratahs were hot on attack.
Kurtley Beale going off pretty much stunted the Waratahs attack regarding imagination. That was a big blow for them.
Tuqiri was shut down typically after making a comment that the Crusaders were "breakable" earlier in the week. Best to keep the mouth shut before a game rather than give the opposition ammunition.
Turner showed great pace and great athleticism and skill for his two tries. Another Mitchell but much faster.
Great return kicks from Hamilton at the kick offs as he always made the halfway lline. Why the Waratahs kept kicking it to him thinking he was a bad punter was a bad move. Pity he can't hold onto a ball and fall over the line.
Unfortunate for Brad Thorn to miss out on his try due to punching. I suppose he was frustrated from the ****ling of Vickerman and had had enough.
The Tahs did some bad mistakes under pressure kicking it out on the full from their 22 after the passback. Pressure rugby can bring out these sort of mistakes.
With a 12-3 lead the Tahs needed to push for the knockout blow...they tried but it seemed like the Crusaders who were getting stronger as if they were the team with 12 points. That try in the last few minutes of the half seemed to echo the match the week before.
The Tahs pushed the laws to the limit slowing the ball down and playing offside at the ruck. It was like a test match where they were playing for keeps.
Nice touch bringing Rueben Thorne on at the expense of Brad Thorne.
The after match celebrations pretty much reflected Robbie and the Crusaders....very straightforward and not extravagant by any means. The Crusaders prefer to show the fireworks on the field.
Gee the Waratahs really showed some amazing defence. They were also quite handy with the ball in hand.
The Crusaders....well....they simply were the Crusaders.
The Crusaders picked up their defence a bit when Thorn went off....when he came back it was that familiar Crusaders defence of old that had been eluding them this year. What a time for their defence to return with 20 minutes to go in the season.
The way the Waratahs attacked in the first half when they did have the ball showed that they had a lot of enterprise at their disposal and highlighted why they deserved to be in the final and how last weeks game was tribute to their team play more than the Sharks imploding. Luckily though for the Crusaders the opportunities with the ball in hand to attack were limited. In the second half when the Waratahs did get enough ball to attack they needed their phases and recycling to be absolutely perfect as the Crusaders were looking at every chance to turn the ball over. Which they did at crucial stages when the Waratahs were hot on attack.
Kurtley Beale going off pretty much stunted the Waratahs attack regarding imagination. That was a big blow for them.
Tuqiri was shut down typically after making a comment that the Crusaders were "breakable" earlier in the week. Best to keep the mouth shut before a game rather than give the opposition ammunition.
Turner showed great pace and great athleticism and skill for his two tries. Another Mitchell but much faster.
Great return kicks from Hamilton at the kick offs as he always made the halfway lline. Why the Waratahs kept kicking it to him thinking he was a bad punter was a bad move. Pity he can't hold onto a ball and fall over the line.
Unfortunate for Brad Thorn to miss out on his try due to punching. I suppose he was frustrated from the ****ling of Vickerman and had had enough.
The Tahs did some bad mistakes under pressure kicking it out on the full from their 22 after the passback. Pressure rugby can bring out these sort of mistakes.
With a 12-3 lead the Tahs needed to push for the knockout blow...they tried but it seemed like the Crusaders who were getting stronger as if they were the team with 12 points. That try in the last few minutes of the half seemed to echo the match the week before.
The Tahs pushed the laws to the limit slowing the ball down and playing offside at the ruck. It was like a test match where they were playing for keeps.
Nice touch bringing Rueben Thorne on at the expense of Brad Thorne.
The after match celebrations pretty much reflected Robbie and the Crusaders....very straightforward and not extravagant by any means. The Crusaders prefer to show the fireworks on the field.
S
sambãd5
Guest
very enjoyable game to watch.
was interesting to see how many people put a lazy 5, or even 20 on the tahs to win, and for a team paying $4 they didnt do to badly. usually a tahs 1st half, saders 2nd half would go for around 5 or six so should be a couple of happy punters out there.
but as gg said - the crusaders played like the crusaders. they are a machine. a machine that is well oiled. the tahs had avery good chance of beating them - they had a good lead up, unlike the crusaders who lost to the highlanders and had a bad 1st 20-30min against the canes. the tahs really needed to put the pressure on early and stick with it. its the only way to beat them. pressure and dont make mistakes. well done crusaders on the win.
was interesting to see how many people put a lazy 5, or even 20 on the tahs to win, and for a team paying $4 they didnt do to badly. usually a tahs 1st half, saders 2nd half would go for around 5 or six so should be a couple of happy punters out there.
but as gg said - the crusaders played like the crusaders. they are a machine. a machine that is well oiled. the tahs had avery good chance of beating them - they had a good lead up, unlike the crusaders who lost to the highlanders and had a bad 1st 20-30min against the canes. the tahs really needed to put the pressure on early and stick with it. its the only way to beat them. pressure and dont make mistakes. well done crusaders on the win.
I
Incredible Schalk
Guest
Absoloutely tremendous game, some great skills and tries, but yet again despite maybe not having the cutting edge of a Chiefs or Canes the Crusaders were able to grind out the victory. It was pretty much how i expected, Tahs started very well and got into a 9 point lead but Cantebury just ground them down, could have won by more in the end.
Scott Hamilton played really well, considering he had been out of the team for weeks, he might not have great pace but his skill levels and step are very good. Beale was surprisingly good, credit to the Waratahs, they surprised everyone by their run to the final and had it been in Sydney the result could have been very different.
Congratulations to both teams on completing a super super 14 season.
ELV's approved
Scott Hamilton played really well, considering he had been out of the team for weeks, he might not have great pace but his skill levels and step are very good. Beale was surprisingly good, credit to the Waratahs, they surprised everyone by their run to the final and had it been in Sydney the result could have been very different.
Congratulations to both teams on completing a super super 14 season.
ELV's approved
S
sanzar
Guest
Yeah, definitely agree on that one. Comparing this years S14 final to the negative and dour affair that was the Heineken Cup final, and I think it's pretty clear which was the more enjoyable match to watch.
N
noikz
Guest
You're kidding right? The first half was decent but the 2nd was a yawnfest, that gypsies horse at the end was pretty amusing though.
Watching the Guinness Prem final? Ten times more entertaining, End to end and definitley no need for any Mickey Mouse law changes. Eight minutes left for Leicester to produce a miracle.
B
BLR
Guest
I take it you didn't watch the game, only watched the highlights? It was test match quality.
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noikz
Guest
I take it you didn't watch the game, only watched the highlights? It was test match quality. [/b][/quote]
I got up early to watch it and it wasn't a patch on the Guinness Final, and I'm unbiased to both.
S
sanzar
Guest
You're kidding right? The first half was decent but the 2nd was a yawnfest, that gypsies horse at the end was pretty amusing though.
Watching the Guinness Prem final? Ten times more entertaining, End to end and definitley no need for any Mickey Mouse law changes. Eight minutes left for Leicester to produce a miracle.
[/b][/quote]
I'm in Japan, so I'll have to wait and download that in a few days (wasn't gonna stay out at the pub all night to watch a game I care nothing about).
But I wasn't talking about that game anyway, I was talking about the Heineken cup final and that game was boring as f*** compared to the S14 final (baring that awesome try by Toulouse). Or weren't you paying attention?
I
Incredible Schalk
Guest
Both games were excellent
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Steve-o
Guest
You should be banned for that type of sarcasism!
I
Incredible Schalk
Guest
You should be banned for that type of sarcasism!
[/b][/quote]
B)
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peppers07
Guest
This one of the first super 14 matches ive watched and i thought it was a class game the Crusaders pack won it for them in the second half with countless turnovers the Waratahs should have got that try that they had disalowed i couldnt see anything wrong with it.
G
Gay-Guy
Guest
I class a great game when I see great attack meeting great defence. You can often see this even if they only move about ten metres after 10 phases.
The first half was more open for both teams because they were exploring the weaknesses in each others defence. However in the second half after both teams had their lines breached during that first half they did what truly great teams do....they readjusted their defensive patterns accordingly....so in the second half both teams settled into test match trench warfare.
So how can you tell if it is good attack if after ten phases they have gone nowhere?
- Variations in the runners lines.
- Missout passes and dummy runners.
- Changes in tactics between forwards and backs play.
- Variation between short chips, reverses, grubbers.
- Variation between the crash targets (close, central, wide).
- One on one matchups and numbers crashing
- Pick and go, one off, two off, mauls.
- Reverse plays, inside balls.
Now if a team does all this when they attack even if they are going nowhere...they are a very good team. If they only do a few of these things when they attack and go nowhere...then they are not as good. They are a LIMITED team.
However a great team is a team who can do all these things and RECYCLE possession. Playing with variety is one thing but it is the ability to play with various attacking option and to recycle it back when each attacking option is shut down.
Both team last night showed they could attack with these various methods and also recycle the ball when a phase was shut down. This shows they were both worthy finalists.
Consequently a team who can DEFEND all of this is also a very good defensive team. Both teams showed their knowledge of reading the play when it came to defending the others attacking plays. The also showed the nous to turn it over when they were under pressure on the line.
Tactically both teams kicked for position well and understood when it was on to run or to kick. They also defended well with their defensive lines balanced between rushing to kill a running play or hanging to watch a kick. Ellis for the Crusaders was sweeping very well to cover Beales short range kicking game. The Crusaders though prefered to bomb it over rather than a short chip.
Set pieces were not as predictable as the pre-match predictions said it would be which shows the packs had come to disrupt the opposition as much as possible. This coupled with pushing the laws to the limit at the rucks shows the game was closer to a test match rather than provincial level.
Anyway this is how I judge wheter a game is good or not.
The first half was more open for both teams because they were exploring the weaknesses in each others defence. However in the second half after both teams had their lines breached during that first half they did what truly great teams do....they readjusted their defensive patterns accordingly....so in the second half both teams settled into test match trench warfare.
So how can you tell if it is good attack if after ten phases they have gone nowhere?
- Variations in the runners lines.
- Missout passes and dummy runners.
- Changes in tactics between forwards and backs play.
- Variation between short chips, reverses, grubbers.
- Variation between the crash targets (close, central, wide).
- One on one matchups and numbers crashing
- Pick and go, one off, two off, mauls.
- Reverse plays, inside balls.
Now if a team does all this when they attack even if they are going nowhere...they are a very good team. If they only do a few of these things when they attack and go nowhere...then they are not as good. They are a LIMITED team.
However a great team is a team who can do all these things and RECYCLE possession. Playing with variety is one thing but it is the ability to play with various attacking option and to recycle it back when each attacking option is shut down.
Both team last night showed they could attack with these various methods and also recycle the ball when a phase was shut down. This shows they were both worthy finalists.
Consequently a team who can DEFEND all of this is also a very good defensive team. Both teams showed their knowledge of reading the play when it came to defending the others attacking plays. The also showed the nous to turn it over when they were under pressure on the line.
Tactically both teams kicked for position well and understood when it was on to run or to kick. They also defended well with their defensive lines balanced between rushing to kill a running play or hanging to watch a kick. Ellis for the Crusaders was sweeping very well to cover Beales short range kicking game. The Crusaders though prefered to bomb it over rather than a short chip.
Set pieces were not as predictable as the pre-match predictions said it would be which shows the packs had come to disrupt the opposition as much as possible. This coupled with pushing the laws to the limit at the rucks shows the game was closer to a test match rather than provincial level.
Anyway this is how I judge wheter a game is good or not.
D
danny
Guest
My god that was a complicated way of saying it was tight and you enjoyed it. In that sense I thought it was a decent game and most finals become "trench warfare" due to pressure. I enjoy SH and Nh rugby and Im not keen on all this slagging between the two hemispheres so lets just appreciate the two great games played today by exceptional atheletes.
H
Hamster
Guest
Yawn .... Crusaders win another ***le. Proves how boring Super 14 is after a while that the same teams win it every year. Other than that, well done to Deans and the Crusaders and to Thorn on winning. I'm still waiting for the day the Reds win the super 14..
Does anyone reckons Turners tries are good enough to get him a spot in the Wallabies team?
Does anyone reckons Turners tries are good enough to get him a spot in the Wallabies team?
