Round 10 of Super Rugby has wrapped up and the likely finalists are starting to firm and it looks likely we will see the exact same eight as we did last season but potentially in different overall finishing positions.
Highlanders find their spark, Stormers have lost theirs
After a disappointing outing last weekend, it was widely expected that the Stormers would pull their socks up this week against the Highlanders but it was not to be for the South African side as they arguably put out a worse performance against the home side that have finally seemed to click into gear.
Seemingly shot of confidence, the Stormers have lost their spark they displayed in the earlier rounds of this season back in the republic and I cannot help but think that this side has purposely looked to play conservatively on their tour on New Zealand.
After a quality opening period against the Crusaders the Stormers opted for a shot at goal from a penalty and down 17-7 against the Highlanders, they decided to do the same thing.
I am firmly of the belief, as the match between the Chiefs and Bulls in Hamilton demonstrated earlier in the year, that if you are going to win matches in New Zealand you had best be prepared to back yourselves and look for the try line or you will end up being put to the sword and so it has proven.
The purpose and confidence has disappeared from the cape men and I don’t see how they will retrieve it but shifting Pieter Steph Du Toit back to lock from blindside flank would be a good start, a selection perhaps indicating their conservative mindset.
The Highlanders, on the other hand, put a performance out on the park that many punters have been expecting from this side earlier in the year and living up to their pre-season billing as a tournament favourite.
However it seems likely that fourth place within the conference is still likely with only one match against the Crusaders left within the conference, they will need a fair few results to fall their way but with the current form of the Australian conference, a wildcard place now looks certain.
The Kiwi conference is about to get real
With the Crusaders and Chiefs recording further wins this weekend, along with the Highlanders, four New Zealand sides look comfortable to make the finals but it is in what order that is the most interesting, with the coveted top spot still realistically in the grasp of the Crusaders, Chiefs and Hurricanes.
With games scheduled between all of those three sides, twice for the Crusaders and Hurricanes, this is where the overall standings are likely to be decided and you can mark these matches down as must see affairs.
Perhaps even more so for the Lions, who are sitting pretty within their African conference and will be hoping these sides make a mess of each other so they can claim outright top spot on points and see all of their potential final matches played in Johannesburg.
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Reds and Waratahs play out a cracking derby
While it has unfortunately become customary to not expect an awful lot from an Australian derby match, the Reds and Waratahs bucked that expectation on Saturday night in Brisbane playing out a thrilling encounter.
It saw the Waratahs prevail in the end with a fighting comeback to secure a three-point victory, helped out in the end by Bernard Foley’s boot, and the Reds ill-discipline proved costly in conceding 16 penalties to 4 being the ultimate difference, though I must say, it was an incredibly unbalanced officiating performance.
None the less, several brilliant tries were scored in a match featuring plenty of passion and tension as both sides fought tooth and nail to keep their seasons alive and was a much-needed boost to the Australian landscape and for the Waratahs in particular, kept their hopes alive for winning the Australian conference.
Jaguares fail their litmus test
The Jaguares hosting the Sharks this round looked to be a significant match up in terms of their individual conference but also in terms of deciding who would have the upper hand in the race for the African wildcard playoff spot and despite having the home ground advantage.
The Jaguares went down to the Sharks in Buenos Aires in a hard fought contest and now sees the Sharks build an eight-point lead over their Argentinian rivals.
It was a disappointing result for the Jaguares who, while certainly not out of it, will need a number of results to fall their way and look to have a much harder draw over the closing rounds when compared to the Sharks and look destined to have to wait until 2018 to book their first playoff opportunity in Super Rugby.
And to really rub it in, how is this for an after match interview of Guido Petti, when after the loss was asked by the interviewer:
“Guido, you have been defeated for the first time here at home and the fourth defeat in a row, how does it feel?”
Damn that’s cold.
Brumbies falter
The Brumbies hosted the Blues in Canberra on Sunday afternoon looking to further their lead within the Australian conference and become the first Australian side in 2017 to record a win over a Kiwi rival but it wasn’t to be, the Blues managing a bonus point win away and stretching the winning streak to 15-0 for New Zealand sides over their antipodean cousins.
It was a hard fought encounter if a bit scratchy from both sides, the Brumbies suffering from not being able to find the try line, relying on the boot of Wharenui Hawera to keep them in touch from the tee but in the end the Blues had too much firepower for the Brumbies to counter.
For long-suffering Blues fans, a pleasing result to finally see their side convert a tight contest into victory, and dare I say it, Waratah and Reds fans may be quietly pleased with that result.
So that wraps up some thoughts on this Round of Super Rugby with five major talking points to consider and this week I have one more item for digestion, the ridiculous, no, ludicrous penalty awarded against Oliver Keeble for his ‘foul play’, where Gareth Evans ended up falling awkwardly after Keeble pushed him away when Evans landed on him during a lineout.
I mean, honestly it was just a stupid decision from the match officials and lacked any modicum of common sense.
What else was Keeble supposed to do? Utter nonsense and if a penalty had to be awarded, it would have made infinitely more sense to penalise the Highlanders Dan Lienert-Brown for failing to support his jumper.
What’s more, the Highlanders ended up scoring shortly after and while I would not say this was a match-turning decision as I have no doubt the result would have been much the same regardless, it was an unnecessary distraction and showed the game has a way to go to get the balance right in its on-field officiating.
Until next week then!
ClarkeG
Guest
And in the Cheetahs - Crusaders game there was the ridiculous over rule of the Cheetahs try by the TMO for an alleged forward pass. Regards the players talking to the refs. The refs could partly solve this problem by not continually coaching and yelling at the players and yelling out justification for their decisions as play continues. There were even several times during the weekends game where I heard referees saying thank you or well done to players during play. For heavens sake...they are refereeing full blown professional players - not kids down at the local rec. In the High v Stormers match ref Jackson yelled the ball was out of the ruck and then as a Highlander player moved towards the ball from an onside position he yelled out leave it...go figure. Also there were a couple of clear instances in different matches (one by a Highlander) where the ball was kicked in the ruck and the referees saw no problem (and there was no problem). However this is exactly what Hanigan of the Waratahs was YCd for a couple of weeks ago.
ClarkeG
Guest
I don't see this continual need for passes to be checked when the referee and his assistant are in a far better position to make a call than a guy watching a replay on a tv screen showing views generally from unfavourable angles.
Nicholas Bishop
Expert
Fleck was a guy we targeted with Wales, because you knew he was capable of a 'headless' moment, although he was undoubtedly a talented centre. You can see that personality trait in the Stormers now, exemplified as you point out by the PSDT selection.
davSA
Guest
Hi Nicholas .......and making typical outdated SA type selection decisions. ( PSDT on flank for starters) . Then try and play an open game with a Lock forward in the flank position. Nobody mention the phrase speed to breakdown to the coach ....Whew. ! Its borderline scary ......It shows an impulsiveness that is as you say reckless....Do something daft it may pay off. .I also think you may be a lot closer to the truth than even you may realise when you allude to this being Flekkies personality coming out.
Nicholas Bishop
Expert
Nice one Digger! Yes the Stormers play was reckless to the point of suicidal at times - a bit like Robbie Fleck in his playing heyday! They seemed determined to try and prove that they could live with the NZ type of game and turned over a mountain of ball in inviting positions as a result. Meat and drink. Perhaps they need a calmer hand on the rudder?
Cuw
Guest
" The men from Port Elizabeth continued where they left off against the Waratahs last week by delivering arguably their best-ever performance in their 44-3 home win over the Rebels. Generally viewed as South Africa’s weakest franchise, the Kings’ recent win was an historic one as it’s the first time that they have won two games in a row in the competition and it is also their biggest win since their debut season in 2013. "
piru
Roar Rookie
Remember also that that same quake robbed Christchurch of it's RWC matches. It was a dark time for Canterbury. The Crusaders were the ray of light for us all - even those of us far from home
Old Bugger
Guest
C'mon guys, a bit harsh aye? At the very least, when one player literally ends up on top of another player's shoulders in a lineout, then surely, you'd expect the player underneath would try and assist the player above, to return to terra firma in the safest possible manner. This would be the first principle of rugby safety, to be expected and a display of intent - play hard but also, play safe. But no, what does Keeble do - he pushes the offending Evans leg hanging over his shoulder in such a manner, that it sends Evans, shoulder first into the turf. Luckily for Evans it was his shoulders that he landed on and not, his head but even then, I'd toss a coin, on the outcome. IMO, 9 times out of 10, a referee would make the same call - while there is always a brutal expectation in rugby, if there is an opportunity to play it safe, then that should be the first principle and intent, that applies. Keeble could have done an Mtarawira play and held Evans upside down, if that would've helped Evans land on the ground, in a safe landing. IMO, Keeble was lucky he didn't get a card but that's because he didn't, cause the incident however at that precise moment when he pushed Evans leg away, he could've been magnanimous and garnered the plaudits, if he attempted to assist rather than, inflict. As we have seen in the past, accidental cause is no excuse, when seeking retribution, from a referee's wrath. I wondered immediately after, what may have happened if the outcome of this incident, was Evans leaving the field on a stretcher? Another great read Digsy. I struck out big time this weekend - the Cheetahs didn't ankle tap the Saders; the Canes didn't give themselves an upper-cut while enjoying their break but I'm sure they enjoyed watching an upper-cut delivered during the HW boxing bout; and the Chiefs, didn't get their BP which was, the most disappointing outcome. Three (3) strikes as they say, and you're out!! Bugger.....
Highlander
Guest
Bingo!!!!
Highlander
Guest
I thought Phipps was pretty solid overall but he had his usual, 1 unforced knock on at the base, 1 pass along the ground, and 1 pass straight up in the air that put Foley under all sorts. His is a consistency issue, but he is consistent with that.
Fionn
Guest
"Sometimes I think the EPL has it right when it is determined by season performances and not finals." The fairest system is actually a round robin where you play every team home and away, and there are finals, it is simply done on a ladder. That being said, it makes for boring viewing because by halfway through the season there are usually only 2-3 teams in with a chance of winning. The reason why the Champions League (and SR, European Cup, etc) are more exciting than the Premier League is because almost any team can still theoretically win the competition from here. The Premier League's system is fairer but only really benefits the top teams. It is all hypothetical to say that the Crusaders would have beaten the Reds were it played in New Zealand, and in my opinion pretty disrespectful. It is like when people try and put a little caveat above Federer's Roland Garros (French Open) title by saying that he didn't play Nadal. He beat Soderling in the final, who had beaten Nadal. You can only beat the man/team that you play. That being said, I think it is fair to say that it is easy to see that it might have gone differently were it played in New Zealand.
Quin
Guest
The Automatic home ground is what bugs me the most. If this was changed I don't think there would be as much discontent around the traps.
Quin
Guest
It's nit nit picking at all your post was rather wide sweeping and opened up different views. It actually was the round robin game where the Crusaders lost after a call the ref admitted he got wrong. Had they got that win they would have had home advantage for what that was worth in 2011 a final anywhere in NZ would have been all but impossible to win. The Reds were a great team in 2011 but they IMO were certainly not the best team. How often in sports does that happen where the best team doesn't take home the spoils? Sometimes I think the EPL has it right when it is determined by season performances and not finals. In saying that in 2011 the Reds would still have won although the defaulted Hurricanes match and the loss at Suncorp which as I said above the ref admitted making the wrong call would have changed the season standings.
Rugby Tragic
Guest
Ok I think you are knit picking but please allow me to clarify ..Best team ... "on the day" won ...... as is usual. Score board at the end of the day demonstrated that 18-13 to the Reds. The Crusaders played their quarterfinal in Nelson (v Sharks), their semi final in Capetown (v Stormers), and final in Brisbane in consecutive weeks. There were no excuses from their coach Blackadder, in the Crusaders who had to fly more than 96,000 kilometres that season, when the fatigue set in The point I have endeavoured to make is that in my opinion, no other team in the competition could had achieved even getting to the final other than the Crusaders that year. If you disagree with that, fine, I have no issues.
Digby
Roar Guru
Thank you Harry. Nice pic. Was expecting a different one. Does Fleck stay?
Digby
Roar Guru
Yip. The auto qualifier does not bug me as much as the automatic home ground advantage.
Digby
Roar Guru
Thanks jarijari and maybe you are right but I am hesitant to suggest it will be as one sided as many are predicting.
Digby
Roar Guru
No, current form does not bode well unfortunately.
taylorman
Roar Guru
The elephant in the room is going to be back this week as the Brumbies sit on the table ahead of the Canes, Chiefs, Highlanders and Blues. Boring, but certainly inevitable. There are now two clear divisions rather than conferences.
Digby
Roar Guru
That did make me laugh too.