The Wrap: Finals a rare win for SANZAAR, but is it too little too late?

There was an early shock in Canberra on Friday night: a pitifully small crowd in to witness a final, which was also the last home appearance for Brumbies stalwart Scott Fardy and the long-awaited return to rugby of Christian Lealiifano.

Perhaps it was the locals acknowledging that they didn’t deserve a home final, or perhaps it was just too damn cold, even by ACT standards. When renowned hard men like The Roar’s Brett McKay resort to wearing gloves and a beanie instead of his preferred Greg Norman au naturel style, then you know it must be cold!

What the stay-at-homes missed was an excellent, combative first half from their side and winger James Dargaville scoring after three minutes before the Hurricanes had even touched the ball. The Brumbies looked good running the ball back from deep and were aggressively hunting as a pack in defence.

But by halftime, the visitors had worked themselves back into the contest courtesy of some sweet stepping by Wes Goosen and a perfectly placed header by prop Ben May for Jordie Barrett to run onto and score.

The second half was a strangulation, with the Canes going up another notch in urgency, even if they kept their expansive aspirations in check in favour of kicking to maintain field position. The Brumbies held on for dear life, but only for as long as it took Dane Coles to show in the 68th minute how fortunate the Lions were with the timing of his injuries.

In the end, 35-16 was a fair reflection, and it cemented an unprecedented and scarcely believable 26-0 whitewash for trans-Tasman contests this season.

Referee Glen Jackson introduced one of the new law interpretations, awarding a second-half mark to Tom Banks despite him not calling for it until long after the catch. Jackson’s decision to just ‘go with the vibe’ opens up a whole raft of possibilities for referees.

While we’re on the mark, what is it with the modern practice of players raising their arm after the catch to claim it? No law requires it and, as Banks showed, when you have a telepathic link to the referee, it simply isn’t needed.

(Image: AAP Image/SNPA, Ross Setford)

Judging by the state of his moustache, it seems that Ben Smith is still suffering the effects of his concussion, as is most of his Highlanders team, who continually hit their heads up against the brick wall that was the Crusaders’ defence for no reward.

The Crusaders, revelling in the slop as if their father was a mudder, gave the Highlanders nothing, controlling the tempo and dictating field position throughout. What also impressed was the quality of their handling; there were very few errors on a night they could have been excused for far more.

Chief beneficiary was halfback Bryn Hall, enjoying his best match in a Crusaders jersey. He was kept on for the whole match as a reward for his effort. Flanker Jordan Taufua was another to have a storming match, and also very good for their respective sides were brothers Luke and Sam Whitelock, Sam extending his world record to 208 first-class matches wearing the same pair of jocks.

For a country said to be fed up with Super Rugby and looking to align with the northern hemisphere, South Africa turned on two desperately tight and tense finals showing that, for the Lions, Sharks and Stormers at least, there is still plenty to play for in Super Rugby.

The Ellis Park match was a great final full of pressure, controversy and high intensity. The Sharks will undoubtedly feel that this was a gilt-edged opportunity they let slip, having deservedly led all match until a late Ruan Combrinck penalty goal from 54 metres – ironic given their appalling goal-kicking throughout – snatched the win for the Lions.

Sharks fullback Lwazi Mvovo must have cut a lonely figure on the trip home. On a kick return with four minutes left, with his team just needing to maintain possession and territory, he threw a needless loose pass then compounding the error by lazily not getting back into the defensive line and giving away a soft offside penalty.

His teammates, who had worked so hard to pull off a famous upset, would have had every right to be filthy at him switching off early.

This was no vintage Lions performance, the team clearly missing the influence of their captain Warren Whiteley, but they found more rhythm in the second half and eventually got the job done. But for as long as Ross Cronje starts at halfback over Faf du Klerk, the Lions will lack the fizz and unpredictable spark that was their signature when they were at their best last season.

Also not helping the Lions cause was hot and cold flyhalf Elton Jantjies, who had a real ‘Canberra’ match. He surely can’t play as poorly again next week, although perhaps more time on the training track and less at the hairdresser might be in order.

(AAP Image/Julian Smith)

In last year’s Cape Town final, the Stormers conceded eight tries to the Chiefs on the way to a 60-21 hiding. This time around they held the Chiefs to just one, scored with just five minutes to go, but in a tight match that was enough to make a telling difference – replacement Shaun Stevenson diving over with his first touch off a killer Aaron Cruden pass.

Both teams came with the same attitude to apply intense defensive pressure, which contributed to a number of handling errors both ways and kept things tight on the scoreboard as both sides struggled to break free from their shackles.

As a result, goal kicking took on extra significance. Damian McKenzie, mature and assured at fullback, effortlessly nailed two penalties from long range while SP Marais’ 72nd-minute miss from relatively handy proved costly for the Stormers.

SANZAAR and their convoluted Super Rugby competition is now so despised by so many rugby fans that even if they were to shower fans with gold and unlimited beer it is unlikely that they would receive any credit for it. To use a political quote, “The mob stopped listening long ago”.

But for all of the angst about unfairness inherently built into the competition structure, for the second year running the competition has delivered the four best teams to the semi-finals, with home advantage resting with the two top-ranked sides: the Lions and the Crusaders.

(AP Photo/Mark Baker)

It won’t stop the bleating, but it’s hard to argue against actual outcomes.

Whether that is enough to save Super Rugby from the depths to which it has sunk remains to be seen. Super Rugby badly needs Australia to re-engage with it – code for ‘become competitive again’ – but until the ARU can figure out how to meet their commitment to revert to four teams or else slink back to SANZAAR and admit that they can’t, the competition is left hanging in the breeze.

The longer that situation remains, the more incentive there is for South Africans to say ‘to hell with it all’ and turn their gaze northwards. Even if for now the northern hemisphere competitions are in no position to embrace all of them, what is important is that once South African rugby fans and administrators have made that emotional shift and start following local players in the north as opposed to their local team in the south, Super Rugby as we know it will be in terminal decline – if it isn’t already.

As for an early prediction for next weekend? It seems likely that the conditions will dictate a forwards-based slugfest in Christchurch and a helter-skelter, back and forth, last-man-standing epic in Johannesburg.

Suddenly the Lions look brittle, and the fact that they haven’t played a New Zealand team this year will make things very difficult for them. On the other hand, if the Hurricanes show any of the passivity they brought to the first half in Canberra, they may as well turn back now and go home.

The Crusaders look like a lock for one finals berth. Take your pick for the other.

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