- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
First up, the battle of the capitals. Canberra and Wellington have about the same number of residents, but one has prettier girls (I am not allowed to say).
The lumbering, least-bumbling, scarcely-penalised, law-abiding, no-woman-no-try, blunt force trauma Brumbies welcome the breezy, errant, impulsive, positively-absolutely line-breaking Hurricanes to the only real inland city in the island continent of Australia.
It’s parliamentary procedure versus artistic license. It’s the 89-try waves of the Barrett and Savea brothers and the Ngani-gainline bullet in the midfield; smashing into the resolute Rorke’s Drift defence of the 40-try Brumbies.
Conversions? We don’t need no stinking conversions, say the Canes. It’s too windy for tees and kicking off tees in Wellington. Trade a three for a five, every time. Run 7.4 metres per carry; spread the ball, because forwards are just big backs and backs are just small forwards.
The home team will bash smash crash dash with manly virtue; but the visitors will woo the ball and romance their way into the semis.
The South Island derby is another classic clash of styles. The Highlanders kicked 148 more times from hand than the Crusaders this season. The Highlanders have kicked more than other team in Super Rugby for the last three seasons.
The only other team who came close to them in kicking is the Sunwolves, this year (but they just have to exit, constantly). The Crusaders kicked less than anyone except the manic-ball-in-hand Cheetahs.
As you might expect, the Crusaders are pass-happy. Not as pass-addicted as the Waratahs and the Lions, but close. Unlike the Tahs, the Lions and Crusaders stick their passes.
(AP Photo/Mark Baker)
This should be a fierce game; Kiwi derbies are much more physical than non-Kiwis tend to imagine. I think it will be a war – the Landers’ howitzers and grenades against the guerrilla forays of the Crusaders, with just a little too much beef by the home team to stave off the wizardry of the Smiths.
The Lions-Sharks redux is an even starker ‘boxer versus puncher’ battle. If the Lions play well, they’ll win. If the Sharks; big, nasty, fast, and lethal pack can make the Lions play poorly, the Sharks will keep it close for their big-matchwinner Curwin Bosch to steal.
The problem for the Sharks is too many things have to go wrong for the Lions for them to win; but we just saw the other Lions outplay a better team at home, so, this might be the shocker of the weekend. Still, the 79-38 try-scored margin is just too indicative of what these teams do under pressure.
The closest match might be at Newlands, where two attack-minded teams staged one of the best games of 2017 in Round 7. Linebreakers all over the park, a lightning-quick Stormer back three with linking forwards; the Chiefs are one of the best counterattacking machines every built.
Similar stats on offloads, line-breaks, penalties conceded, and attack numbers, but one thing leaps out to me: dominant tackles. The Stormers have made this into an attack weapon. 321 dominant tackles by the Stormers this season; 232 by the Chiefs.
The Stormers are the hardest-tackling team in the competition. Siya Kolisi (33), Pieter-Steph du Toit (30), Nizaam Carr (27), Bongi Mbonambi (21), Sikhumbuzo Notshe (18), and Eben Etzebeth (17) load up on carriers.
Not sure about the last quarter-final. At the beginning of the season, the current flyhalf for the home team was 19 and fifth on the depth chart.
But, probably the Capetonians by a whisker.
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.