Super Rugby: Crusaders vs. Rebels in Christchurch (28/04/2013)

[Darwin]

AMI Stadium, Christchurch

​

 

[InsaneAsylum]

heart says: Rebels are improving, beat the Crusaders last year and will beat them again without carter and mccaw. yay, we can do this!

head says: Rebels are going to get the trashing of their lives and return to melbourne with their tail between their legs.

 

[Gena_ZA]

Your head seems to be on the spot here, Crusader might murder them this weekend

 

[Tekadus7]

Just stick with never ending pick and go and hope for a losing bonus point Rebels.

 

[Darwin]

Crusaders: Israel Dagg, Tom Marshall, Ryan Crotty, Tom Taylor, Zac Guildford, Tyler Bleyendaal, Willi Heinz, Luke Whitelock, Matt Todd, George Whitelock (captain), Sam Whitelock, Luke Romano, Owen Franks, Corey Flynn, Joe Moody.
Reserves: Ben Funnell, Wyatt Crockett, Dominic Bird, Jordan Taufua, Andy Ellis, Dan Carter, Adam Whitelock.

Carter to make his return from the bench, with Crockett, Ellis, and Fruean all rested. I'm hoping that Taufua gets a bit more gametime this week (did he even get on the field last weekend?). I'm not convinced about the midfield combo, but overall I think the Crusaders will be too good for the Rebels...

 

[Darwin]

Good finishing by Guildford - perhaps he can still play rugby after all?

EDIT: And now a nice kick through from him. Was he promised a beer if he plays well?

EDIT 2: Try Bleyendaal. Simple stuff there.

EDIT 3: Rebels on fire. Crusaders have a lot of work to do if they want to win this!

 

[sifplay]

I just love this Rebel team. A bunch of drunks that is like a lucky packet. Can lose by 60 odd one week weeks later they tearing the Saders a new one.

 

[dasNdanger]

Dang...wanted to watch this one live, and fell asleep! Just woke up to see a really shocking score - never expected such a close game. Will have to watch it in full tomorrow. Crusaders really have had to struggle this year - it's not coming easy for them.


das

 

[Darwin]

Crusaders win. Just. They owe a lot to their scrum dominance in the last 20 mins, and Tom Taylor's excellent goal-kicking.

Not a lot of standouts for the Crusaders. Romano was the pick of the forwards, while Todd had a pretty good game too. Crotty continued his strong season at 13, but the rest of the backs were very quiet. Ellis and Carter did help close the game out when they came on with 20 to go.

 

[smartcooky]

Why did we have to wait until the second half of the the last match of the 11th round of Super Rugby before we see a referee willing to penalise teams for offside around the ruck and maul.

Allowing serial offenders to continue to infringe the hindmost foot offside law at rucks and mauls is among the key reasons that open running rugby has been stifled by defences in Super Rugby so far this season.

 

[sifplay]

haha good one. Saders masters at capitalizing on mistakes. Rebels did well. Like a Rebel army they go about.

 

[InsaneAsylum]

well I didn't expect that to happen, pleased with the rebels performance except for the last 15 minutes where they went to sleep. it all started from woodward's penalty kick that went dead. apart from that he had a decent game along with vuna, higginbottam and o'connor. Inman had a solid game, the best i've seen him play.

as for the crusaders, they didn't look their normal self. carter steadied the ship when he came on but they really seemed to miss freuen.

 

[dasNdanger]

well I didn't expect that to happen, pleased with the rebels performance except for the last 15 minutes where they went to sleep. it all started from woodward's penalty kick that went dead. apart from that he had a decent game along with vuna, higginbottam and o'connor. Inman had a solid game, the best i've seen him play.

as for the crusaders, they didn't look their normal self. carter steadied the ship when he came on but they really seemed to miss freuen.

The Saders haven't been their 'normal self' all season, imho. They're fighting hard for every win and losing some shockers. Nothing is coming easy for them anymore. Is it because they need some new blood? Or is it because the other teams have really upped their game and most of the teams are on an even playing field now? Except the Highlanders, poor saps.


das

 

[admartian]

Well done to the Rebels. Higginbotham had a blinder. Shame for that Woodward guy that pretty much collapsed the Rebels' chances.

Carter wasn't flashy or didn't break the game; but he adds a calmness to that backline - can definitely tell a backline led by your average/good 10; from that of a legend. Even though they may not necessarily have been flashy. T Though Blyendaal played well as well. Well done to the kid. Same with Tom Taylor. Guildford had a good game as well.

Crusaders came through as a team. Something the Blues and Hurricanes couldn't/can't do.

 

[easy2288]

I looking forward to Crusaders game this week with Brumbies. Cant see them beating Brumbies.

 

[easy2288]

The Saders haven't been their 'normal self' all season, imho. They're fighting hard for every win and losing some shockers. Nothing is coming easy for them anymore. Is it because they need some new blood? Or is it because the other teams have really upped their game and most of the teams are on an even playing field now? Except the Highlanders, poor saps.


das

Looks like you are contradicting yourself. Refer to your last comments on Crusaders in the following
http://www.therugbyforum.com/forum/...ugby-Force-vs-Crusaders-in-Perth-(13-04-2013)

 

[Gena_ZA]

Crusaders so not going to make the play-offs this year

 

[Darwin]

Crusaders so not going to make the play-offs this year

The Crusaders have been pretty poor this season, but I think it would be a big mistake to write them off. Throw Dan Carter and (even more importantly) Kieran Read into that lineup and you have a very different team. I expect to see the Crusaders All Blacks - (the likes of Dagg, Franks, S Whietelock etc) really start to get into gear as the international approaches too, so I expect they will be a different team in a month or two's time. The Crusaders new game-plan this season hasn't been working that well, but it is a game-plan that can be devastatingly effective.....if executed correctly. Their backline play is modeled on that used by the Canterbury ITM Cup side - a side that has won the ITM Cup for the last 5 years.

There will be a season when the Crusaders finally miss the playoffs, I just don't think it will be this year...

 

[dasNdanger]

Looks like you are contradicting yourself. Refer to your last comments on Crusaders in the following
http://www.therugbyforum.com/forum/...ugby-Force-vs-Crusaders-in-Perth-(13-04-2013)

Firstly, my previous comment was pure speculation.

Secondly, why are you remembering what I say when I don't even remember what I say??! :unsure:

Thirdly, one of my comments that I do remember from earlier in the competition: "I still think that the Crusaders have let their game slip, and from where I sit it feels more like it's due to a bit of over-confidence than any lack of skill." So I saw a problem right from the beginning. Determining the cause of that problem is another subject all together.

Fourthly, I'm a girl so I'm allowed to contradict myself.


das

 

[Gena_ZA]

The Crusaders have been pretty poor this season, but I think it would be a big mistake to write them off. Throw Dan Carter and (even more importantly) Kieran Read into that lineup and you have a very different team. I expect to see the Crusaders All Blacks - (the likes of Dagg, Franks, S Whietelock etc) really start to get into gear as the international approaches too, so I expect they will be a different team in a month or two's time. The Crusaders new game-plan this season hasn't been working that well, but it is a game-plan that can be devastatingly effective.....if executed correctly. Their backline play is modeled on that used by the Canterbury ITM Cup side - a side that has won the ITM Cup for the last 5 years.

There will be a season when the Crusaders finally miss the playoffs, I just don't think it will be this year...

Well they have done nothing to show they wil make it this year whereby the Chiefs and Blues did. They've been scraping "easy to win" home games, and now they go to Canberra, let's see