There was an article in the Sydney newspapers over the weekend stating that in an interview with Jake White he was focusing on the finals, he called it ‘forward thinking’ and preparation had to be in place.
He mentioned that it wasn’t worth training for a qualifying game as if it was the last, he was training his Brumbies for the finals.
Positivity has reverberated round the franchise this season and although they narrowly made it over the line, the scoreboard said it all.
Coaches should take note from a man who’s done it all, he has that aura around him and he oozes confidence. If a coach has the right ideas and knows what they are doing the players will follow.
Forward thinking coaches like Jake White and even Sir Graham Henry need to be part of an IRB coaches training panel to enhance the future of world rugby. They can make a difference.
This is the way I saw the past weekend’s rugby.
Crusaders 38 v Reds 9
The Crusaders played one of their trademark finals rugby games with Dan Carter again dominating and dictating play. They came to play and move to the next round, they have been there and done it all before, the hunger is back.
They (the Crusaders) came out of the blocks from the first whistle, applied the pressure, restricted the Reds to minimal possession and made them defend for the first quarter.
Once they had reached that mark, they then started playing ‘hot potato’ with the ball and made every move and kick count.
The confidence generated having Richie McCaw who came off the bench in the second half to test his fitness and skills out – again he didn’t let anyone down, as he seemed to spur them on to the dizzy heights they are accustomed too.
The Reds came to Christchurch with a dream and were unfortunately outplayed in all aspects of the game.
Quade Cooper got a few chances to kick some penalties and try add some respectability to the score board, alas, it was not meant to be. This was one of those ‘men against boys’ games.
Brumbies 15 v Cheetahs 13
To win a finals series game, you have to lose one first. In saying that, the Cheetahs gave a tremendous performance and along with the Brumbies played some wide and expansive rugby, entertaining the crowd and TV viewers.
The Brumbies got through on kicks, some inexperienced indecisions from Strauss and a below par performance.
The Cheetahs outscored the Brumbies two tries to nil, not saying that the Brumbies didn’t have their chances, the Cheetahs defended their line with bravado.
Had ex-Waratah Sarel Pretorius come on earlier, it might have been a different ballgame!! It was a fantastic advert for running rugby as both sides ran at every opportunity with both capitalising on each others mistakes.
The pace and tenacity of the game showed as the Cheetahs scored in the dying moments and had the conversion been successful, extra time would have been called for. Both teams left nothing on the field.
So next week we move on to the semi’s – The Chiefs v Crusaders in Hamilton at Waikato Stadium and the Bulls v Brumbies in Pretoria at Loftus Versfeld
Our young hopefuls are competing in their respective leagues and eisteddfods, gaining the experience required for higher honours to which they can aspire.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
The Crusaders could've had the ball in their attacking half with under three minutes to go. Instead, the Brumbies went upfield, earnt a penalty,…
Tom Wright even said he thought Ben O'Keeffe was "foxing" when he allowed the Crusaders to have their restart in an incredibly dramatic finish…
The Brumbies won 31-24 after a penalty try and yellow card to Quinten Strange for batting the ball dead.
The Brumbies flanker definitely thought he was a chance here. Tom Wright secured a first-half double as the Brumbies led the Crusaders 17-7 after…
"Coach's nightmare!'" Rumour has it the Brumbies fullback only has one hand. Tom Wright scored this special try against the Crusaders and left Justin…
There is a lot of hope around the country, but there's so much more work still to be done.
