Things are back into full swing in the world of Super Rugby and the finals are just around the corner.
In these final two weeks it’s all about building momentum, nailing down the best finishing spot that you can and avoiding injury. Unless of course you already know you’re going to be watching the finals from the couch!
So with these very different levels of expectation and ambition, what have been the main talking points from Round 18 of Super Rugby?
No finals? No problem!
It would be very easy to assume that the teams right at the bottom of the table would be putting up little defence in these final few rounds. Obviously though no one has turned the Reds or the Bulls that they have nothing to play for.
Both were able to knock over teams this weekend who are currently in qualifying positions on the ladder and did so with a combination of grit and class.
In a competition that is so often abused for being so one-sided and dominated by Kiwi sides, it was fantastic to see teams from Australia and South Africa racking up good wins over more highly rated opponents.
For teams like the Reds and Bulls, it’s wins like these that can really help them set the right tone for the off season and beyond.
You don’t have to be crazy to be a Brumbies fan, but it helps
In the past few weeks the Brumbies have finally given their faithful fans something to cheer about in 2018.
After a really disappointing season they’ve put in some much-improved performances in the last four rounds including a great win over the Hurricanes and this weekend they pushed the Chiefs very, very close.
While fans’ spirits might have been improved by this effort, there must be a voice at the back of their minds screaming “Where the hell has this been all year?!”
Against the Chiefs we saw the Brumbies at their best and worst. Some great passages of play, some forward dominance and some good scores… and at the same time over 18 errors in 40 minutes of rugby and poor execution when it really counts.
For the sake of the mental health of their own fans, the Brumbies have got to get rid of this terrible inconsistency next year and put in the performances week in week out that we know they are capable of and it can’t all rely upon David Pocock!
(Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
How much would you pay/beg for Ben Smith to join your team!
If you didn’t watch the Crusaders v Highlanders game this week then take a moment have a look. You’ll see the usual pattern of the men in red and black putting in another relentless performance and another win, but amongst that you’ll also see yet another fantastic game from Ben Smith.
Not only did he score a lovely try but he was everywhere and never ever stopped giving his utmost for his team.
His incredible value to any team was highlighted when he chased down Manasa Mataele who for all money looked like he was about to score yet another try after a great break away.
To be clear – the game was over and the Highlanders were dead and buried. Ben Smith’s effort to chase down the Crusader speedster was going to have absolutely no impact on this game or arguably the season at all.
Yet that thought didn’t even seem to cross his mind and he pulled off a fantastic covering tackle and prevented his side from losing by more than they were going to anyway.
His rugby skills are well known and while he might never be a current day Christian Cullen, Ben Smith’s value to the Highlanders goes so far beyond his rugby ability and he would be an asset that any team would love to have.
Can anyone really figure out how to beat the Crusaders?
It’s not a new discussion but given the fact that we’re about to enter the finals it’s worth asking – does anyone know how to beat these guys from Christchurch?
Of course they’re not perfect and of course they are beatable but more often than not they put in 60 minutes of very good rugby week in week out.
Against the Highlanders on Friday they made their fair share of errors – 10 handling errors, 10 penalties conceded and missed over 29 per cent of their tackles – but despite that they squeezed a Highlanders side filled with talent like a boa constrictor and took their opportunities fantastically well.
If you search through articles about the Crusaders you will most likely find the words relentless and ruthless used in good number and that’s for a good reason. So how do you beat them? Has anyone found that blueprint to unlock their defence and restrict their points machine?
(AP Photo/Phil Magakoe)
Tahs attack will scare many while their defence will not
Scoring over 70 points in a Super Rugby game should not be ignored. Yes it was against the Sunwolves but even then there are plenty of good sides who have not got anywhere near that number of tries against the Japanese this season.
But that’s hardly a talking point. What is arguably worth discussing though is the errors they still make even when they are dominating an opponent.
Almost 25 per cent of tackles missed and two line outs lost is not good enough against the worst side in the competition. Against the quality sides in Super Rugby those sort of stats will be associated with a loss.
If they can tighten up in these key areas then they could be a threat in late July as they have some great talent who can unlock any side, but they’ve got to close the barn door!
No coffee for the Rebels – coffee is for closers
The Rebels have had their best season ever in so many ways and there’s lots to be positive about for the Melbourne side.
However, if they want to make that next step up then they really need to win games like the one against the Reds this weekend.
Much of their play was good but 12 handling errors and 16 penalties given away was always going to make things very difficult for themselves.
They have got to own those key moments in the game. As an example – against the Reds there were 23 minutes to go, it was a one-point game and the Rebels have a one-man advantage for another eight minutes to exploit.
They were close to the Reds line and had a huge opportunity to score, take the lead and make their sprint for the finish line.
However poor execution and a good hit from Higginbotham meant the chance went missing in action and the Rebels momentum was snuffed out. That’s got to change.
(Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
TMOs – are you in or out? Make your minds up!
One of the most frustrating aspects of the officiating this season has been the role of the TMOs and the inconsistency in the way it’s delivered.
In some games we get a TMO who provides his view once the referee has asked for it. In other games though we get TMOs who are acting like Jiminy Cricket whispering advice in the referee’s ear whether he’s asked for it or not.
As always rugby fans just want consistency but this weekend we, yet again, didn’t get that.
Come the finals the competition can’t have this lack of clarity otherwise some of these decisions or lack of decisions are going to decide some of the most important games of the season and that is not a good look for the sport.
cinque
Guest
With the suggsted "improvement", it would be CRUSADERS - Rebels HURRICANES - Jaguares CHIEFS - Highlanders TAHS - Lions If they go with the home teams, semis would be CRUSADERS - Tahs HURRICANES - Chiefs then presumably CRUSADERS - Hurricanes/Chiefs
Lara
Guest
Exactly, so you will have the Canes play the Chiefs in the playoffs....two of the best teams in the comp, with more points than the some conf winners , had a harder schedule, but no biscuits for a hard season...that is what I mean by feeling a bit flat.
P2R2
Roar Rookie
no - if you hold 1-2-3-4 at the top then that is what it should be...this giving a leg-up to AUS and SA teams sucks
MH01
Guest
Actually no - cause the second one should have also been a red, but the ref introduced the concept that not much force was used.....so yellow. Seems the laws are not so clear when it comes to dropping a player on the head like what happened to Gordon
MH01
Guest
Agree reffing killed what could have been a great game - not disputing the red, though at least be consistent , cause if the ref is going to bring force into it, you can argue the first was also a yellow if you compare to a player that is lifted and driven into the ground . That game, second was a worse tackle deserving a red . Not that is mattered cause red or yellow it was just 10 min left on the clock, so at least be consistent - the game was already ruined after the first red
Paulo
Roar Rookie
Reverse, you can watch it in the player on this page, he does release the player, he isn't 'driven', but is more flipped due to momentum. Foleys hand is on the ground as he rotates and his shoulder impacts first, then his head. Not saying it wasn't Red worthy, but I think the way the impacts happened, the second offense was potentially worse due to the impact and the way energy would have been transferred into the tackled players body. Irrelevant though as to whether the 2nd one needed a Red card, as a YC removed from the game anyway. The difference to last weeks card and this one is the impact. The offense is roughly the same, the main difference in sanction is how the tacklee hits the ground. If last week he had landed on his head, the card would (should) have been Red.
cuw
Guest
the moment they said head contact = red card , it put handcuff on the ref. but the issue is - once in a while the suits come out of their air conditioned holes and make a ref look silly. when they said gardener was wrong they also said this : " World Rugby also reaffirmed it stance in dealing with instances when two players are challenging for a ball in the air: – If a player is not in a realistic position to gather the ball, there is contact and their opponent lands on their back or side – yellow card. – If a player is not in a realistic position to gather the ball, there is reckless or deliberate foul play and the player lands in a dangerous position – red card. " now i wonder if there is similar guidelines for a tackle where the player lands n the head. becoz on both times in the Japs match players landed on heads and two different cards were given. it is also arguable if there was lifting involved in either case. i thought the first one Foley spun sideways , rather than being lifted and in the second was more of a neck roll than a lilift. it was interesting that the clash REDS match between Higginbothom and another was deemed a fair contest - though even the aussy commentary though the other guy was not in a position to catch the ball. i though the precedence for a red card was set when SONNY BILL was sent off in the LION test. the player ddid not suffer much - but the ref gave a red for head contact. by that definition we shud be seeing a hell of a lot red cards. i saw Lavanini get hammered on the face ( for a change :P ) and all the Bulls player got was a penalty ..... there is zero consistency in the game - no wonder people like to watch footy :D
Worlds Biggest
Guest
Glad there is something riding on the Tahs v Brums game. Second spot up for grabs so important the Tahs nab this.
cuw
Guest
they will not go back to round robbin. a team like BLUES will then have a good chance of ending among the top 8. atm they are down becoz they play NZ teams and lose to them - 7 losses and will be 8 next week ( so half of their 16 matches is against NZ teams ; so if they played just 4 their chances of winning shud improve.) then u might have basically 5 NZ teams and 3 others in the finals round. which is not what TV companies want. ideally they wish for the wolves also to be up there - so that TV viewers have some interest in the next round of games :D soo then will realize that many good players are lost becoz of too many games . already Sam Whitelock is looking older than his age. his woorkrate has dropped , it is clear to see. i mean how many times this season did he run thru a backline - like he did a couple of years ago? whereas Brodie and Ben Smith and Read look recharged after rest. when will these suits realize players are not machines and fatigue has set in due to too many games??
cuw
Guest
Foley was not above horizontal. it was more of a spinning tackle rather than a lifting tackle. unfortunately it seemed as if the touch judges never saw any bad in aussy play but saw all hell with wolves play. the ref also shud have been told that it was not a lifting tackle - it was a driving tackle. i for one doubt a running defender can lift a running attacker that easily. most of the time the lifter will be stationary . or slow moving. the lifting above horizontal and turniing a player requires different motions - but it is easy to drive someone back or just flip. dont forget - we are talking of heavy objects being lifted.
Fin
Guest
I see it the same as the Reds Rebels game st the start of the season. Higgers gets a red that technically probably a red but pretty soft, later in the game Tui spears Genia and only gets a yellow. The second offence was worse than the first but the Ref is reluctant to issue a second red card. IMO in both games the ref and TMO have used some descretion for the sake of the contest on the second offence but not the first. It’s almost like WR has said crack down on offences that put the players head at risk but don’t give two red cards because that will upset too many fans. Red card rules need to be readdressed ASAP.
cuw
Guest
if u really go by the strict LAWS - that was not a lifting tackle. he spun Foley and drove him into the ground. am sure at least two simillar tackles happened during the weekend - if not more . as someone said above - the Tanaka tackle was a little worse , because it wasa neck roll . rugger really needs to look at the role of these so called assistant refs - who seem to do nothing much from the time they were just touchies. i think in the game Ben OK reffed , there was a forward pass of about 2 meters which the touchie missed in front of his eyes. and in the game Peyper reffed , they needed a TMO to look at a forward pass - which any decent touchie will have spotted , specially when standing right in front of the play. i get a feeling that most of these refs are afraid to make calls - either becoz they may look silly if it is wrong once the TV replay comes on , and/ or becoz they think it is easier to let is pass andd then have a TMOcheck. i remember the time when cricket initially used TV ump - such thing used to happen , coz the field umps thought better let TV ump make decision , and get it right than look silly when the replay came on. thankfully now that thinking has almost gone and they make good decisions on field.
Reverse Wheel
Guest
So hard to know, wouldn't be surprised if the brumbies beat the tahs and they end up hosting Highlanders. Would not be happy about that, Highlanders would be fired up and looking for revenge, and I haven't forgotten our last semi in 2015. A win would then mean a trip to joburg. Then back to nz. So much rests on the brumbies game....
ozinsa
Guest
I saw the tackle as it happened and thought red card. Nothing after changed my mind - lifted beyond parallel, landed on his head. Red card all day. Tanaka might have been lucky but doesn’t make the red call wrong. As for Hanigan holding a jumper for 40 minutes -if he’d held Leitch’s jumper, he wouldn’t have strolled in for a try.
Reverse Wheel
Guest
And a wheelchair?
Reverse Wheel
Guest
You make a good point. Except for the bit where you ignore that the tackles were absolutely nothing alike. The reds one was above horizontal but he immediately released him and he didn't land dangerously. The wolves player never released and Foley landed hard on his head and neck.
cinque
Guest
Could there be a slight compromise for next year? The conference system will be here for a while. Give the conference leaders a final spot, where they finish on points. If they finish as they are now, Crusaders, Hurricanes, Chiefs, Tahs get home quarters. The top two get home semis. Would that appease the Kiwis?
cinque
Guest
Philipbotham would be one great player. Philip is solid, has grunt, high work rate, bit of a log. Higginbotham is lazy, makes errors, but understands the game and does some great things, like that try-saving hit and the offload to Dauganu.
cinque
Guest
Hope that nobody except me is warped enough to consider the following scenario: The liftee - on the way down - makes a split second decision "to take one for the team". He doesn't break his fall, hoping for a red card.
Baz
Guest
I agree with what you are saying but think you could be a little more concise. Appreciate the absence of punctuation and sentence structure. Both are entirely over rated. Nice summary.