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Talking points from Super Rugby Round 15

Ben Lam of the Hurricanes. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)
Expert
27th May, 2018
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3713 Reads

We’re only four rounds away from the end of the regular season and one week away from the international break, which means every game matters in the Super Rugby competition.

Round 15 has thrown up some fantastic rugby and plenty of topics to discuss.

Red cards kill the game…except when they don’t
There’s been a lot of debate recently about how red cards can absolutely kill a game of rugby. For many fans, having a team reduced to 14 men for the remainder of a game is just too big a penalty and ruins the entire contest between the two sides.

In the Stormers v Lions game the impact was clear to see. Raymond Rhule was sent off for the Stormers when they were leading by ten points and playing well. Within 28 minutes the Lions had scored 19 points and clinched the game.

This was harsh for the Stormers, who were arguably the better side for much of the game and yet walked away with a loss against their rivals.

On the other hand, the Brumbies showed in their match against the Bulls that a red card doesn’t mean you have to give up all hope. In the 63rd minute with just one point between the teams, Folau Fainga’a was sent for an early shower. In the next 17 minutes, the Brumbies scored two tries and won the game comfortably.

It was an incredible performance considering the Brumbies have struggled to win games when they’ve got 15 men on the field, let alone 14.

So should red cards really mean you’re gone for the rest of the game, or is there a different punishment that should be considered?

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A tale of two Reds
Moving on from red cards to Red Queenslanders, Brad Thorn’s boys continue to confuse all Super Rugby fans. Two weeks ago they were torn to pieces by the worst side in the entire competition. Last week they almost beat the second best side in the comp and this week they were two minutes away from drawing with the Highlanders.

How one team perform to such different levels across just three weeks of rugby must be confusing to both their coach, their fans and probably themselves as well. It’s often said that the best teams have a very small gap between their best performance levels and their worst. The Reds, however, have an ocean.

If this young side stays together though and keeps learning, then they could be quite a threat in years to come as long as they recruit well when it comes to the fly-half position (#bringbackquade).

Hamish Stewart

(PATRICK HAMILTON/AFP/Getty Images)

It’s the small things that matter
As Al Pacino has taught us all, life is a game of inches and the Tahs will know this better than anyone after this weekend. They were both impressive and very frustrating against the Chiefs and many fans will have been pulling their hair out.

In the opening 15 minutes or so the guys from NSW ran in two very nicely worked tries and were looking great. Throughout the game the Tahs created good opportunities and played some really good rugby.

But in a few key moments, they made simple errors; errors that ended up costing them the game. Things like kicking out on the full (Izzy, Foley, I’m looking at you) or not controlling the ruck when in their own 22 ended up meaning that the Tahs went home empty handed and their winning streak ended at one game.

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The key players for the Tahs are also the key players for the Wallabies and they are going to need to be sharper when Ireland come to town.

The Rebels will not go away
As unlikely as it might have seemed ahead of the season or when they started to lose game after game, the Rebels are still in contention for winning the Aussie conference and qualifying for the finals. A good win against the Sunwolves this weekend has put them just one point behind the Tahs.

They’ve got some challenging games in their run in including a great clash against the Tahs in Round 17 so there’s still a lot for them to do, but if players like Dane Haylett-Petty, Coleman and Hodge can maintain some good form and Will Genia can return quickly then they will definitely fancy their chances of making the finals.

Experience beats talent
The Crusaders game against the Hurricanes was supposed to be the game of the round. The two top teams of the competition would surely put on an incredible matchup for us all to enjoy.

v Blues CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND - MARCH 17: Owen Franks of the Crusaders charges forward during the round four Super Rugby match between the Crusaders and the Blues at AMI Stadium on March 17, 2017 in Christchurch, New Zealand.

(Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)

In the end, the terrible rain really made it quite hard for both sides to play the expansive rugby that we hoped for but we did see further evidence of why the team from Christchurch are going to be very, very hard to beat.

With the conditions so terrible, the Crusaders adapted perfectly and did the basics so well for 80 minutes. The Canes, however, kept trying to play a more expansive game and it never came off.

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Too many handling errors and not enough clever rugby saw the Canes slip further and further behind the reigning champs. Obviously, I’m not saying that the Crusaders don’t have the talent or that the Canes don’t have experience, but on Friday evening the Saders showed how the best sides are able to switch styles when the needs arise and still deliver Plan B, C or D to the highest standards.

It’s been an accusation levelled at even some of the top international sides like England or the Wallabies that they aren’t able to switch game plans when Plan A doesn’t deliver, but the Crusaders showed that they have that ability and the rest of the competition need to figure out how to cope with that quickly.

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