Super Rugby Pacific (2022)

[Bada-Bing!]

Go the Blues.

 

[Umaga's Witness]

The Saturday games were Great games in different ways. Hurricanes crusaders, both teams showing good attack and a close game. JORIDE AT 12 AWESOME. Blues dominated chiefs, looked like a top northern hemisphere team putting pressure on at the breakdown and excellent rush defence - thinking Schmidt is having an influence here .

 

[Bada-Bing!]

The Saturday games were Great games in different ways. Hurricanes crusaders, both teams showing good attack and a close game. JORIDE AT 12 AWESOME. Blues dominated chiefs, looked like a top northern hemisphere team putting pressure on at the breakdown and excellent rush defence - thinking Schmidt is having an influence here .

Good to see Jordie having a good game at 12. Can't tell from the highlights. Still, long way off from June and whether the AB selectors would be willing to take a punt with him and say ALB in the centres.

Read a bit about this Fletcher Newell - any good?

 

[Umaga's Witness]

Good to see Jordie having a good game at 12. Can't tell from the highlights. Still, long way off from June and whether the AB selectors would be willing to take a punt with him and say ALB in the centres.

Read a bit about this Fletcher Newell - any good?

Re fletcher, has looked alright but it's very early days so can't comment much there. Will keep an eye out.

Re Jordie , signs are promising. I was a bit disappointed with his first game that he wasn't taking it to the line, but someone else must have been too because he changed that big time. Alb looks like he might be seriously injured - a shoulder thing and he's had shoulder problems in the past. Jordies chances to play 12 depend less on his ability to play 12 and more on how will jordan fares under the high ball against South African or northern hemisphere opposition. Nzers don't get the same practice in super rugby, not because noone kicks it, just because the way kicks are contested is different. Mckenzie, for instance, prior to playing ireland in 2019 was considered one of our best under the high ball. But irelands main tactic that day was for big bodies to be moving at pace in the air, colliding with the comparatively light damian mckenzie who didn't have the same momentum, causing him to really struggle. Typically we choose back three players who in NZ are good under the high ball, they just don't look it in internationals.

Could be Jordie and rieko for the ireland tests. Despite how much we are struggling at test level in the midfield we have a lot of good players, whether they are all quite test level or not is hard to determine but there are many I could see as test regulars
Alb
Havili
Ione
Tupaea
Ennor
Goodhue (injured but coming back)
Rts
T umaga jensen
P umaga jensen
B sullivan
L faingaanuku

Then there's two of the best super rugby players but unlikely test players
Nankivell
B procter

But I guess that's not uncommon for NZ backs. What's more important than talent is experience. You look at guys like bundee aki, not as talented as anyone listed above but has become a much better player through experience playing in top teams than most of the above will ever be. Or Gareth ansCombe, unwanted by any super rugby squad, so like not in the top 15 first fives in NZ, then goes on to do well in wales because he got the opportunity to pnay top rugby.

 

[OllyM97]

Anyone see the Crusaders/Blues game this morning?. Best game of Super Rugby I've seen in years. The Blues were awesome defensively at the end to keep out the Red and Black wave. The Crusaders have been fortunate to win in the last couple of weeks, their luck ran out this time. I felt it should have been a comfortable Blues win but they made the cardinal sin of sitting on a lead and nearly paid the price.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Anyone see the Crusaders/Blues game this morning?. Best game of Super Rugby I've seen in years. The Blues were awesome defensively at the end to keep out the Red and Black wave. The Crusaders have been fortunate to win in the last couple of weeks, their luck ran out this time. I felt it should have been a comfortable Blues win but they made the cardinal sin of sitting on a lead and nearly paid the price.

Looked like a cracking game.

 

[Umaga's Witness]

Anyone see the Crusaders/Blues game this morning?. Best game of Super Rugby I've seen in years. The Blues were awesome defensively at the end to keep out the Red and Black wave. The Crusaders have been fortunate to win in the last couple of weeks, their luck ran out this time. I felt it should have been a comfortable Blues win but they made the cardinal sin of sitting on a lead and nearly paid the price.

Despite the crusaders nearly losing the week before I think they played their best game of the season, and the blues definitely did, so all signs were there for a top game. Crusaders were very good considering they lost thirty people minutes, and you are right that the blues let them back in it.

For all the praise the commentators heaped on beauden I thought Richie was much more consistent, and did special things, so I d give him the win for that contest.

Also, gotta say the blues are starting to look a bit Irish, in a good way, with very good rush defence and clean outs. You'd have to say they still have room for improvement too, so probably favourites for the competition now. I'll wait to see next weeks trans tasman games before I make judgement as to where the brumbies and reds are sitting though.

Well, I got to see Jordie and bailyn like I asked for, unfortunately they didn't set the world alight . I hope they persevere with Jordie at 12 despite only one out of three good games there now. Peter umaga jensen probably deserves a start alongside him now, and maybe he's what the all blacks need too. Not sure bailyn will have time and opportunity to develop his full capability. Next week you could easily see them going away from Jordie at twelve, especially as moorby had a poor game at fullback, but they could always play a back three of goosen, rayasi, and Julian.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Yeah, looked a good game from the highlights and great to see a genuine challenge for the Crusaders.

Was the move for Jordie to 12 before or after he started talking about wanting to play in the physicality of rugby league? Is it a moved designed to keep him sweet rather than what the coach thinks the team needs?

 

[Umaga's Witness]

Yeah, looked a good game from the highlights and great to see a genuine challenge for the Crusaders.

Was the move for Jordie to 12 before or after he started talking about wanting to play in the physicality of rugby league? Is it a moved designed to keep him sweet rather than what the coach thinks the team needs?

I don't know if it has anything to do with rugby league, but it's absolutely just to make him happy, being one of two star players in the team. Jordie has been vocal about wanting to play there and has been putting pressure on all blacks and hurricanes coaches to give him a go there over the last couple of years. It's also where he started in professional rugby .

 

[Bada-Bing!]

 

[Umaga's Witness]

Well, that reds hurricanes game was a strange one. The canes were looking frustrated, if it wasn't for a hit of luck the reds could have run away with it. Instead,. Hurricanes dominated the last 50 minutes but in reality there were a lot of 50 to calls/ non calls that went there way so the match could easily have turned out quite differently. Felt like the ref just rode waves of momentum with his calls. On the other hand, the reds didn't help themselves with their handling.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Glad to see the Brumbies beating the Highlanders even if it is the Highlanders playing at their historical home of.... Melbourne (Covid restrictions I assume). Interest should be much higher if the weakest NZ sides don't routinely spank all Aussies.

 

[Kiwiwomble]

Glad to see the Brumbies beating the Highlanders even if it is the Highlanders playing at their historical home of.... Melbourne (Covid restrictions I assume). Interest should be much higher if the weakest NZ sides don't routinely spank all Aussies.

super round / ANZAC day, all the teams are playing at the same ground

 

[Al Bangor]

Just wanted to share this picture of researchers, scientists and others from the United States and New Zealand playing rugby in Antarctica. I chose this thread to post it on because Super Rugby has a lot of Kiwi fans. I found this picture on Facebook and it said the match was played in 2010 and New Zealand won 6-0.

 

[Kiwiwomble]

Just wanted to share this picture of researchers, scientists and others from the United States and New Zealand playing rugby in Antarctica. I chose this thread to post it on because Super Rugby has a lot of Kiwi fans. I found this picture on Facebook and it said the match was played in 2010 and New Zealand won 6-0.

View attachment 13839

pretty sure its an annual match

 

[Al Bangor]

pretty sure its an annual match

Playing in that climate takes a lot of grit, so I admire those ruggers.

 

[Umaga's Witness]

Glad to see the Brumbies beating the Highlanders even if it is the Highlanders playing at their historical home of.... Melbourne (Covid restrictions I assume). Interest should be much higher if the weakest NZ sides don't routinely spank all Aussies.

Australian teams are better than last year, especially their top three teams, and NZ teams are worse, especially our bottom three teams.

Yeah the canes beat the reds, but i still think the reds are a better side than the canes.

The chiefs easily beat the waratahs but the cards made a difference there.

Will be interesting to see if the NZ teams improve. Strange competition too; even the highlanders can still win it if they manage to get a roll on at the end of the competition .

 

[mania]

having top 8 in this comp qualify is dumb. highlanders can still make the top 8

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

having top 8 in this comp qualify is dumb. highlanders can still make the top 8

It just seems a plan to make it mathematically impossible for there to be no Australian involvement in the playoffs. I think they could have achieved that by a much more elegant manner, but 'conferences' were toxic in Super Rugby apparently (according to fan feedback, but then nobody in Europe minds groups, including the South African clubs ironically), which is probably why they went down this route and only list a single consolidated log.

Super Rugby Stats - Super Rugby

super.rugby

The problem with two thirds of sides making it into the playoffs is it devalues the normal season. I'd argue home field advantage in rugby is quite minimal compared to the NFL (playing conditions) or football (fan impact on refs), if you have a game you don't have to travel too far to that is.

If you must have 8 make it to the playoffs, do something inventive like giving the top 2 a two game bye and 3rd and 4th a one game bye (round 1 of playoffs being just for those ranked 5th to 8th).

 

[OllyM97]

Waratahs claim famous victory over Crusaders

The NSW Waratahs will be keen to impress when they face the Crusaders at Leichhardt Oval.

www.rugby.com.au

blimey, the Waratahs beat the Saders 24-21!. I know the Crusaders rested a few All Blacks but their side should have still been more than good enough to win comfortably.