Super Rugby: Hurricanes - Chiefs in Wellington (13/07/2012)

[TRF Mr Fish]

Chiefs may actually be better off come the finals for losing this match. I think playing Brumbies in Hamilton and Stormers in Cape Town is a better draw then playing the Crusaders and Stormers in Hamilton.

 

[Keithmurdoch]

Yeah I was thinking that too, hopefully Crusaders do a job in Cape Town, the final happens in the Tron and Cantabrians end up with a heavy case of 2011 deja vu.

Something's wrong with a competition when everyone in the top 6 wants to play the team in nominal third place.

 

[Darwin]

Chiefs may actually be better off come the finals for losing this match.I think playing Brumbies in Hamilton and Stormers in Cape Town is a better draw then playing the Crusaders and Stormers in Hamilton.

I'm not sure about this, as getting second doesn't mean they will avoid the Crusaders - in fact I personally think they are more likely to face the Crusaders now in the semis (then have an away final against the Stormers if they manage to win). Being second means they face the highest ranked qualifier in week 2 of the playoffs - this will only be the Brumbies if the Brumbies win their first round playoff match against the Bulls/Sharks/Hurricanes/Reds, and the way the Brumbies have been going recently I don't think they would be favourites against any of those teams (even at home). Interestingly the Brumbies have only beaten 1 of the top 8 teams this season (the Hurricanes) - they have lost to the Bulls, Sharks, Reds (twice), and Chiefs, while they had a bye against the Crusaders and Stormers.

There is still a (remote) chance that the Brumbies wont even make the playoffs if they fail to secure a point against the Blues today....

 

[Keithmurdoch]

I know there are a lot of ifs - neither Sharks or Bulls had the greatest of tours this year though, hopefully Brumbies (or Reds - I don't mind either way after watching the Reds last week) can pull one out of the bag.

Interestingly enough, first game after crossing the Indian Ocean this year Sharks lost to the Tahs and the Bulls sqeaked out the Rebels by 6 points!

 

[Amobokoboko]

Pretty gutted with the loss but on the other side I'm really happy with the season the Canes have had so far. Everybody asking question at the start of the season when some of the stars left. Great finish so far.

 

[Larksea]

absolute bullcrap TOM call the chiefs lost the game on. I don't know what's happened to TMO calls. I used to think they were ok and usually going upstairs meant the correct decision was made but this is not the case. There was no evidence at all that the ball was grounded over the line and it did look like Barlow did prevent it getting over and the idea is in rugby that benefit of the doubt does go to the defending team. And there was clearly doubt as he looked at every angle a number of times, if there was actually any evidence of grounding then he would have given it quickly.

worst thing is that makes it two weeks in a row,either one and both costing the Chiefs top spot I think this one being worse than last weeks because at least Elis got the ball over the line, Coles did not. To me who plays who doesn't matter what matters is home advantage. Going over to play a final in SA is is a hard thing to do and is worth a lot of points for home team advantage.

On a positive note the chiefs do look really good, they should have beaten the Crusaders and they look like the team everyone is talking about and it must be said this later part of the season the hurricanes have been seriously impressive. And these tough finals like games will be good preparation for finals rugby.

However the big talking point for me was Cruden vs. barrett

now I think Barrett gave Cruden an absolute schooling and it was actually Barrett's goal kicking that kept the canes close enough for them to get lucky after the final hooter where Cruden again missed goals you would have expected him to get.

Either way . Compare this being Barretts first season is super rugby to Cruden's first season 2 or so years ago. Barrett's season has been far away better, no question about it.

Messam was brilliant again, like last week another effort that deserves a win. Compare hoe often his name popped up compared to Vito or Levave. The sting in his defense is great. stopping big guys in their tracks. Been interesting this season. Usually Messam starts the season really strong and in the later rounds drops off a bit after playing basically every min of every game. This year he seems to be lifting his game late in the comp.

Barlow was brilliant but again to be he looks quiet in the last quarter of the game and he seems to make more mistakes in that time. IMO Renee is making a massive mistake not using Leonard in that time - he's the best bench halfback in NZ right now and I think his form suggests he should be starting with Barlow coming on in the 2nd half.

For the Canes, Lam was outstanding for a while before he was injured. Coles maybe had one of his better games ever, Savea looked really good, Masaga is pretty good with one on one defense but he struggled, lots of guys struggled to tackle Savea - once even SBW looked like he got a bit out muscled by him. Really impressive. All round really good pack effort.

 

[donmcdazzle]

However the big talking point for me was Cruden vs. barrett

now I think Barrett gave Cruden an absolute schooling and it was actually Barrett's goal kicking that kept the canes close enough for them to get lucky after the final hooter where Cruden again missed goals you would have expected him to get.

Either way . Compare this being Barretts first season is super rugby to Cruden's first season 2 or so years ago. Barrett's season has been far away better, no question about it.

Barrett kicked 5/9 (56%) and Cruden kicked 4/7 (57%) so it seems like Cruden had a better night with the boot? They were both still below par in that area.

You seem to have something against Cruden, I haven't seen you praising him very often when he has had the best season a Chiefs 1st 5 has ever had. The Hurricanes rugby writer even gave him player of the season this year.

Barrett had a number of good offloads on attack, but gave away an intercept try (to Cruden no less). The one thing I noticed being there was how often the Chiefs got quick ball and didn't get it to the backs, which is one area Kerr-Barlow has been annoying me all season. He needs to get the forwards out of the road and clear it quicker, the ball the Chiefs backs got was static with defenders lined up. Compared to the Hurricanes who spun all their quick ball (and made good yards as a result).

The main advantage Barrett has had this year is that he has been given the luxury of starting every game. Cruden didn't even get that luxury last year. I'm sure it is much easier to develop and create partnerships with the midfielders when you start every game.

 

[Larksea]

kicking %age is not everything, one thing it does not show is range. Kicking %age wont show how Cruden's range is not great and he doesn't take shots other 10's like Barrett would.

Cruden has had a great season but I think it needs to be put in perspective. He's had things pretty good in front of what I think is the best chiefs pack maybe ever in super rugby and outside him is I think maybe the best regular 12 the chiefs have ever had (and 13 when Kahui was fit). He's basically had the 10 position to himself and taken every kick at goal for the chiefs. as a "first receiver" he basically receives the ball the least of any 10 in super rugby in terms of percentages and when he does receive the ball he passes it the least. Which basically means he saves himself for when the players in front of him have created fast ball or space out wide.

I don't mean to be overly negative about Cruden, he is a uniquely intelligent on field asset with fantastic vision - in that aspect he is one of if not the best around. Just with everyone in a buzz over him I just think his performances need to be put in perspective. IMO as far as first fives go in NZ this season Barrett has been the star of the show, I think the overall skill set and potential he has I believe overshadows what Cruden has done. Scares me to think how good the Canes will be in the comming years. Now they are a team people want to be part of and they have maybe the best/youngest 9/10 combo in super rugby and a forward pack that has made huge improvements through this year.

I dont see Barretts missed tackle count as a major issue. Interesting TJ perenara pointed out that it was because of a flaw in the canes defensive pattern which explains why Barretts tackle stats have improved alot since the early season games. I have no doubt that in time he will be far better in Cruden in that area who although is a committed defender he will always struggle because of his size and he's the only chiefs player who appears in the missed tackle list.

 

[donmcdazzle]

kicking %age is not everything, one thing it does not show is range. Kicking %age wont show how Cruden's range is not great and he doesn't take shots other 10's like Barrett would.

Cruden has had a great season but I think it needs to be put in perspective. He's had things pretty good in front of what I think is the best chiefs pack maybe ever in super rugby and outside him is I think maybe the best regular 12 the chiefs have ever had (and 13 when Kahui was fit). He's basically had the 10 position to himself and taken every kick at goal for the chiefs. as a "first receiver" he basically receives the ball the least of any 10 in super rugby in terms of percentages and when he does receive the ball he passes it the least. Which basically means he saves himself for when the players in front of him have created fast ball or space out wide.

I don't mean to be overly negative about Cruden, he is a uniquely intelligent on field asset with fantastic vision - in that aspect he is one of if not the best around. Just with everyone in a buzz over him I just think his performances need to be put in perspective. IMO as far as first fives go in NZ this season Barrett has been the star of the show, I think the overall skill set and potential he has I believe overshadows what Cruden has done. Scares me to think how good the Canes will be in the comming years. Now they are a team people want to be part of and they have maybe the best/youngest 9/10 combo in super rugby and a forward pack that has made huge improvements through this year.

I dont see Barretts missed tackle count as a major issue. Interesting TJ perenara pointed out that it was because of a flaw in the canes defensive pattern which explains why Barretts tackle stats have improved alot since the early season games. I have no doubt that in time he will be far better in Cruden in that area who although is a committed defender he will always struggle because of his size and he's the only chiefs player who appears in the missed tackle list.

That second part is speculation, but you could at least admit that your point about the kicking keeping the Hurricanes in the game was wrong (and obviously coloured by your preference for Barrett).

I don't think anybody other than someone with a personal preference for Barrett would say he has had a better season than Cruden. The Chiefs forwards have been decent but they have hardly been dominating. The scrum has had wobbles all year. And I've repeatedly pointed out the fact that Cruden was ITM cup MVP with Frankie Bryant outside him for Manawatu so saying that the midfield is why he is good is redundant.

 

[admartian]

I remember seeing Cruden when he first started for Manawatu and then the Hurricanes - didn't think he had much of a range then. But he's definitely improved now. TBF, I don't think Barrett has all that much either - or at least, some kicks he doesn't strike it all that well and look laboured (for kicks that aren't terribly long for a S15 player.

Both are still young and can improve. Not everyone can start out with Frans Steyn's leg, or even DC's or Luke McAlister's.

 

[Darwin]

absolute bullcrap TOM call the chiefs lost the game on. I don't know what's happened to TMO calls. I used to think they were ok and usually going upstairs meant the correct decision was made but this is not the case. There was no evidence at all that the ball was grounded over the line and it did look like Barlow did prevent it getting over and the idea is in rugby that benefit of the doubt does go to the defending team. And there was clearly doubt as he looked at every angle a number of times, if there was actually any evidence of grounding then he would have given it quickly.

worst thing is that makes it two weeks in a row,either one and both costing the Chiefs top spot I think this one being worse than last weeks because at least Elis got the ball over the line, Coles did not. To me who plays who doesn't matter what matters is home advantage. Going over to play a final in SA is is a hard thing to do and is worth a lot of points for home team advantage.

I agree that the Chiefs were very unlucky with the TMO call - I couldn't see a single frame where it clearly showed the ball grounded, so I'm not sure how the TMO could have awarded the try. However it is the Chiefs own fault for getting themselves in that position - with less than 2 minutes to go they had the ball on about there own 10m line, and rather than just keep the ball in close and grind out the victory they kicked the ball out and handed the Hurricanes the chance of scoring. I can't understand what was going through their heads at that stage - if they want to win the competition for the first time they are going to have to be a bitter smarter than that!

On a positive note the chiefs do look really good, they should have beaten the Crusaders and they look like the team everyone is talking about and it must be said this later part of the season the hurricanes have been seriously impressive. And these tough finals like games will be good preparation for finals rugby.

However the big talking point for me was Cruden vs. barrett

now I think Barrett gave Cruden an absolute schooling and it was actually Barrett's goal kicking that kept the canes close enough for them to get lucky after the final hooter where Cruden again missed goals you would have expected him to get.

Either way . Compare this being Barretts first season is super rugby to Cruden's first season 2 or so years ago. Barrett's season has been far away better, no question about it.

Yeah the schooling he gave him when he passed straight into Cruden's hands for an easy 7 points was particularly impressive :lol: I didn't think Cruden was at his best (hopefully a good week off will help him recover from his achilles injury), but despite that I thought Cruden and Barrett were very even. Based on this seasons form though Cruden is miles ahead - he has been by far the best 10 on display this entire competition, and I'd suggest it has been one of the most dominant displays by a NZ 10 in Super Rugby for many years. I definitely agree that Barrett's performance this season has been very impressive for a rookie (far better than Cruden's first season in my opnion), but he still has a long way to go before he gets to Cruden's level.

Messam was brilliant again, like last week another effort that deserves a win. Compare hoe often his name popped up compared to Vito or Levave. The sting in his defense is great. stopping big guys in their tracks. Been interesting this season. Usually Messam starts the season really strong and in the later rounds drops off a bit after playing basically every min of every game. This year he seems to be lifting his game late in the comp.

I thought Messam was ok, but I certainly wouldn't describe his performance as 'brilliant'. He did some very good work on defense, but he wasn't very effective at all with ball in hand, often struggling to make it to the advantage line. In contrast Vito looked like breaking the line with every touch of the ball - he did make a couple of errors, but he was easily the best loose-forward on display in my opinion (followed by Shields and Messam)

That second part is speculation, but you could at least admit that your point about the kicking keeping the Hurricanes in the game was wrong (and obviously coloured by your preference for Barrett).

I don't think anybody other than someone with a personal preference for Barrett would say he has had a better season than Cruden. The Chiefs forwards have been decent but they have hardly been dominating. The scrum has had wobbles all year. And I've repeatedly pointed out the fact that Cruden was ITM cup MVP with Frankie Bryant outside him for Manawatu so saying that the midfield is why he is good is redundant.

Agree 100% with you there Don.

 

[Larksea]

kicking was pretty even on the scoreboard but to me Barrett looked more confident kicking in those conditions. And IMO he clearly has more range, I think Cruden turned down at least one shot that Barrett would have taken because if range. Overall I thought barrett had slightly harder kicks at goal and Cruden I think missed one he definitely should have got.

obviously that intercept was a victory to cruden but it had a fair bit of luck involved and because Cruden did not commit to actually tackling anyone if he did not take that ball it would have been a clear line break for the canes may have seen the canes score at the other end. Savea with support would have been hard to stop.

Think maybe the area Barrett was strongest was his carrying and distribution in general play. While Cruden sits back and lets others do the hard graft, Barrett steps up and runs most of the Hurricanes plays. he just seemed involved in the game a lot more.

yes I am a barrett fan, but it's not without reason. As I said Compare Barrett this year to Cruden 2 years ago (when he was barretts age) there is no comparison IMO. Barrett is miles ahead of where Cruden was. And no cruden did not get much gametime is first year. mosty because a lot of that time he simply was not good enough and his goal kicking was 50/50 at best. I do think Barrett's potential is far above Cruden's. And I recon by the time Dan Carter is finally ready to make way for someone else Barrett most likely will have realized some of that potential and leap-frogged Cruden in the pecking order.

on messam, I didn't think his job in that game was to carry the ball close to the ruck he looked like he was running a lot wider than he has been and playing as a link-man/distributor rather than crash ball. Where he made his impact was on defense. Vito was good too but compared to Messam he went missing for periods. Though I hate making comments like that without seeing stats. Will have a look.




- blah, I can't find good stats, though the coupe if sites I did fine had messam scoring More Virtual points than Vito, most of any loose forward so I guess I'm not totally bias ?

though Cruden Did get a few more Virtual points than Barrett so maybe I am? That intercept try would be the one thing that nudged him ahead, though that involved a fair bit of luck and huge risk if it does not pay off so I don't weigh it too much.

 

[admartian]

yes I am a barrett fan, but it's not without reason. As I said Compare Barrett this year to Cruden 2 years ago (when he was barretts age) there is no comparison IMO. Barrett is miles ahead of where Cruden was. And no cruden did not get much gametime is first year. mosty because a lot of that time he simply was not good enough and his goal kicking was 50/50 at best. I do think Barrett's potential is far above Cruden's. And I recon by the time Dan Carter is finally ready to make way for someone else Barrett most likely will have realized some of that potential and leap-frogged Cruden in the pecking order.

I actually agree with this too. I have no stake in the Barrett/Cruden sweepstakes as I'm a big fan of both for different reasons. To me, Aaron is ahead in terms of stability at test match level.

But I believe Beauden's ceiling in terms of potential is higher.

Come RWC 2015, I foresee Barrett (if all goes to plan in his development) at 10 with Carter at 12 (assuming we don't see a bolter in 2 1/2 years time at the position).

 

[Darwin]

kicking was pretty even on the scoreboard but to me Barrett looked more confident kicking in those conditions. And IMO he clearly has more range, I think Cruden turned down at least one shot that Barrett would have taken because if range. Overall I thought barrett had slightly harder kicks at goal and Cruden I think missed one he definitely should have got.

obviously that intercept was a victory to cruden but it had a fair bit of luck involved and because Cruden did not commit to actually tackling anyone if he did not take that ball it would have been a clear line break for the canes may have seen the canes score at the other end. Savea with support would have been hard to stop.

Think maybe the area Barrett was strongest was his carrying and distribution in general play. While Cruden sits back and lets others do the hard graft, Barrett steps up and runs most of the Hurricanes plays. he just seemed involved in the game a lot more.

yes I am a barrett fan, but it's not without reason. As I said Compare Barrett this year to Cruden 2 years ago (when he was barretts age) there is no comparison IMO. Barrett is miles ahead of where Cruden was. And no cruden did not get much gametime is first year. mosty because a lot of that time he simply was not good enough and his goal kicking was 50/50 at best. I do think Barrett's potential is far above Cruden's. And I recon by the time Dan Carter is finally ready to make way for someone else Barrett most likely will have realized some of that potential and leap-frogged Cruden in the pecking order.

on messam, I didn't think his job in that game was to carry the ball close to the ruck he looked like he was running a lot wider than he has been and playing as a link-man/distributor rather than crash ball. Where he made his impact was on defense. Vito was good too but compared to Messam he went missing for periods. Though I hate making comments like that without seeing stats. Will have a look.




- blah, I can't find good stats, though the coupe if sites I did fine had messam scoring More Virtual points than Vito, most of any loose forward so I guess I'm not totally bias ?

though Cruden Did get a few more Virtual points than Barrett so maybe I am? That intercept try would be the one thing that nudged him ahead, though that involved a fair bit of luck and huge risk if it does not pay off so I don't weigh it too much.

You can't find any good stats, or you can't find any stats that support your point of view?
There are plenty of stats sites out there, it is just that all of them show that Messam wasn't very effective with ball in hand

Here are a some stats from a couple of sites. There are obviously diffences between the two sets of stats, but they both tell the same story - Vito was far more effective with ball in hand, but Messam made slightly more tackles.

Scrum.com
Messam: 18 handles - 10 passes, 8 runs. 7 metres gained, 1 defender beaten. 15 tackles made, 2 tackles missed. 1 turnover conceded, 1 penalty conceded.
Vito: 13 handles - 4 passes, 9 runs. 76 metres gained, 2 clean breaks, 1 defender beaten, 1 offload. 10 tackles made, 1 missed. 1 lineout won.

Ruggastats.com.au
Messam: 9 runs, 30 metres gained, 0 linebreaks. 19 tackles made, 2 tackles missed. 1 penalty conceded, 1 turnover conceded.
Vito: 9 runs, 94 metres gained, 1 linebreak. 14 tackles made, 1 tackle missed. 3 turnovers conceded.

 

[Larksea]

M= 18 handles - 10 passes
V= 13 handles - 4 passes

basically proves my point, that messam was playing as a link man trying to put players into space rather than taking the ball to the line - hey someone's got to do it because Cruden seems to leave it to everyone else... other games he works the blindside more commits to the line and gains a lot more meters. What Messam does with ball in hand seems to vary with the game plan/opposition.

It shows the game plan rather than his ability to get over the gain line. Where the Canes used Vito for that the chiefs would likely have used SBW. and had Messam Cleaning up.

Stats also show without question who had the higher workload.

also shows how there is such a big variation between what stats you look at. I've also seen how if a commentator gets a players name wrong like they often do then that ends up being a mistake in the stats.

Stats also don't show ruck arrivals. pretty critical stat for Loose Forwards, an area Messam is strong in and I think the area that separates McCaw from basically anyone else in world rugby.

 

[donmcdazzle]

kicking was pretty even on the scoreboard but to me Barrett looked more confident kicking in those conditions. And IMO he clearly has more range, I think Cruden turned down at least one shot that Barrett would have taken because if range. Overall I thought barrett had slightly harder kicks at goal and Cruden I think missed one he definitely should have got.

obviously that intercept was a victory to cruden but it had a fair bit of luck involved and because Cruden did not commit to actually tackling anyone if he did not take that ball it would have been a clear line break for the canes may have seen the canes score at the other end. Savea with support would have been hard to stop.

Think maybe the area Barrett was strongest was his carrying and distribution in general play. While Cruden sits back and lets others do the hard graft, Barrett steps up and runs most of the Hurricanes plays. he just seemed involved in the game a lot more.

though Cruden Did get a few more Virtual points than Barrett so maybe I am? That intercept try would be the one thing that nudged him ahead, though that involved a fair bit of luck and huge risk if it does not pay off so I don't weigh it too much.

Highlighted bits show the bias tinge to your viewpoints. If Barrett looked more confident how come he didn't get more over? Looking more confident doesn't really matter too much if you can't get any over. He also missed one right next to the posts on front of me. Also, the shot at goal Cruden/the captain turned down was about 30 metres out so wasn't one he turned down through lack of distance, he did hit the post from beyond 40 from what I remember?
I'm not going to say Cruden has Francois Steyn or even Carter's range, but goal kicking isn;t a good place to attack his game as he has been fantastic this season (much better than Barrett).

Everything involved in making decisions on the field involve luck, and speculating what may have happened after that is pointless. What if one of Barrett's offloads had gone to ground in broken play? Masaga could have picked it up and gone 50m nobody would catch him. It's easy to twist that sort of thing any way you want.

The last thing is what I hit on, namely that Kerr-Barlow's weakest aspect is clearing the ball to the backs when it is on to do so. To blame Cruden for lack of involvement when he doesn't control the ball coming from the breakdowns is targeting the wrong guy. I often get frustrated with the lack of ball KB gives to Cruden opposed to how many runners he feeds off the rucks, or how many pick and go's he allows to be taken. When Aaron Smith plays at halfback Cruden gets the ball a whole lot and runs the show, e.g. the whole Turbo's season, test against Ireland.

Maybe Messam should stop trying to run the ball the whole time and run off the backs like Cruden who would be able to put him in space.

 

[nickdnz]

I'm a big Beuden Barrett fan, but in honesty I thought Cruden had a better match. Barrett didn't have his best game in my opinion. His biggest asset this season has been his decision making but there were quite a few times when he passed to a forward to take contact when there were options out wide. Part of this is clearly because Frae Wilson and to a lesser extent Chris Eaton are not up to it in terms of distribution, so he didn't get as much time with the ball as he could. He wasn't bad, but I thought the Chiefs put him under a lot more pressure, which the Canes scored from patient pick and goes and setmoves near the line, than their usual counter attacking magic and fast ball play (which was still alright, but not as good as it has been).

A similar thing could be said that Aaron Cruden's delivery was a little laboured. Kerr-Barlow is a very good runner and I'd take him over Leonard any day of the week, but I think compared to Peranara and especially Aaron Smith, his delivery is quite slow, often taking a step before passing.

Also Larksea, I don't understand your dislike of Aaron Cruden. It's fantastic to have both Cruden and Barrett at this stage, but every criticism I'd have had of Cruden has been changed. I use to think he'd take the ball to the line too often before setting up a play, but I'm pretty sure he's in the top five players in try assists and has now shown very good vision both in passing and tactical kicking. His goal kicking has improved massivly, I wouldn't say he's got amazing range but he usually very consistant. He can also clear a ball considerably further than he could a few seasons ago. You also claim defensively he's too small (a claim you made about Conrad Smith a couple of seasons ago). Realistically I think he's been the Chiefs best player my some distance and is the reason they are in the playoffs when last season under Donald I'd be suprised if they didn't finish behind the Highlanders.

I sometimes feel that you look for the faults in players like Kerr-Barlow and Cruden because of your admiration of Leonard and Donald. I think most would agree that in both performance and potential, the former are better than the latter.

 

[Icemn]

i knew the canes was going to do the vark stormers a favour a game i actaully wanted the canes too lose... stormers don't deserve to be on top... i hope "rugby"wins the competition... and not a team that actually kills rugby and park the bus... hope the chiefs or saders take it, or even the sharks... man if only the canes won the cheetahs in that game where they actaully had a 30point lead . the canes did well overall this season, or well they performed way better than expected... think the blues underfiring actually helped... this conference system actaully sucks, cuz the Nz teams end up taking each other out in their 8 local (nation) games... like i said luckily the blues was the team to rape (pardon the expression) and they were a given 4 if not 5 point early in the season... come next year it will be much more difficult for NZ teams... where other nations have 2 if not 3 given teams to rape in their conference... the NZ teams take each other out in their conf and will need to look for points in the other 8 games against a diff nation... now SA wants to bring in the Kings... 60+ points x 2 (home and away) for the SA teams playing this team...

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

Now SA wants to bring in the Kings... 60+ points x 2 (home and away) for the SA teams playing this team...

It will be almost like the NZ teams playing the Blues this season hey

 

[Icemn]

It will be almost like the NZ teams playing the Blues this season hey

I see 1 game vs the crusaders.... 1 game you can write home about... 47 pd win...


Blues 18 v Crusaders 19
Chiefs 29 v Blues 14
Blues 25 v Hurricanes 26
Highlanders 30 v Blues 27
Hurricanes 35 v Blues 19
Crusaders 59 v Blues 12
Blues 20 v Highlanders27
Blues 34 v Chiefs 41