Roar Guru
Joined September 2014
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I am an avid All Black fan living in Madrid far from my native land of the long, white cloud but all too near to everything related to football. Speaking about rugby is my necessary outlet.
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Thanks for all your work, Oliver.
Back in the amateur days, touring sides often played club sides. They were often competitive matches because the clubs played together often and it showed in their combinations.
I’d say most top club sides around the world would trouble most international sides and I don’t see any problem with that. What I do have an issue with is more and more international sides looking like clubs in terms of the makeup of their sides. It should be much more stringent the qualification rules for national sides.
Six talking points from the Super Rugby final
Key moment was the Hall Havili double team on Moroni.
Think it was the same man who arrived a fraction too late to a grubber kick in the second half.
Slight chances but that’s what feeds a team’s belief. Jaguares failed to convert chances into points.
Crusaders had faith in their scrum and breakdown and were able to tick the scoreboard over and hold firm in their defence. Not pretty but certainly effective.
Sharks were able to tick the scoreboard over in their draw. That was the difference tonight.
Jaguares were distraught in the dressing room but that’s how it should be. Need to channel that hurt into wins next season. I expect them to be front runners next season as well but a lot wiser if they reach the finals.
Crusaders fight past Jaguares to make it three straight Super Rugby titles
They’re big losses. Especially in terms of negating the strengths of the bench. You cannot replace experience. The Jaguares will certainly target the new centre pairing.
But Ennor could equally be a more destructive force in midfield than either Crotty or Goodhue. He has deceptive pace and runs good lines.
Mo’unga would’ve been the one loss I would’ve been worried about. Barrett’s mobility will be sorely missed but Romano is physical and has good, soft hands for such a big lump of lumber.
Super Rugby final: A rocky journey to Christchurch
Some would say the Crusaders winning again would be boring.
I remember the tedium of being knocked out of the finals in the Blackadder era.
Perspective is everything I guess.
I for one have enjoyed the rise of the Jaguares this year. But now that they face my beloved Crusaders defending their imperious home finals record, there can be only one outcome.
Winning never gets boring. It’s like waking to yet another sunny day. The rain one day will dampen the festivities but you make your hay while you still can.
And hey, winter evenings in Christchurch are not optimum hay making conditions, but that just makes the harvest that much more special.
2pac wrote That’s just the way it is. He only ever dreamed of being known as 2-3peat.
Super Rugby final: A rocky journey to Christchurch
Hola Carlos,
Whenever you see those faces in the shadows, fear is a natural reaction.
Barrett and Crotty out even that up to an extent.
Super Rugby history worth celebrating. Or I’d have thought so…
Thanks, Brett.
The Jaguares have been timing their run like racehorses.
The Crusaders shout out of the gate this year with intent. The Jaguares ambled out, ate some grass and stopped to smell a flower or two.
Exaggeration aside, they warmed to their task. But now, approaching the finishing line, they scorched past the Brumbies and left them for dust. Who would put money against them pipping the Crusaders at the post?
And, as Brett says, this year probably sums up overall achievement. Looking like mid-table prospects, they’re now in their first final. There’s a lot to learn in Super Rugby. It’s not the intense Rugby Championship, where you have to be on-the-ball from the get-go. You have to choose your moments and try to be as consistent as possible.
Lately, there’s no one left standing more consistent than the Jaguares. So congrats on making it to the final and all the best for the match. No complaints from me whoever lifts the trophy. It will be richly deserved.
A por ello!
Super Rugby history worth celebrating. Or I’d have thought so…
As a Crusaders fan living in Madrid, I prefer to be known as the Atlético of football.
Other teams might have bigger star players, but it is all about the team and the pride in the jersey.
That was how their first unlikely victory came about over the much more fancied and star-studded blues. That ethos became the bedrock of the franchise. It’s all about the team and the red and black colours.
Aúpa, Crusaders!
Jaguares face David and Goliath battle against rugby's Real Madrid
Were the Brumbies intimidated by the sheer size of the crowd after playing in front of much smaller crowds? They just seemed shell shocked in those opening minutes and the Jaguares looked amped and focused.
Jaguares hammer Brumbies in Super Rugby semi-final
Nice one, Brett.
Whatever the reasons, this year’s Super Rugby has had something right the way through it: uncertainty in the results.
That makes for compelling viewing, so it’s fitting that this year’s semi-finalists bring the same level of unpredictability to their respective matches.
I am hoping for a Crusaders Jaguares but, in line with your article, I wouldn’t mind if it were a Hurricanes Brumbies final.
No, wait. Strike that. Crusaders Jaguares final for me. 😉
Four very deserving winners to lift the Super Rugby cup from here
Any long-haul flight with a major time zone difference at the other end is an issue. No matter how much you’re used to it.
Finals is about preparation. Travel disrupts that. Of course it’s possible to overcome that but it’s far from ideal.
Seven talking points from Super Rugby Round 18
The first four were locked in. Mathematically, there wasn’t much room for placing elsewhere for some teams but it’d be interesting to entertain other matches.
Jaguares Sharks
Hurricanes Highlanders
Brumbies Bulls
Crusaders Chiefs
Not sure any of the home fans for those matchups would be too happy about that but as a neutral they’d make for enthralling entertainment.
Super Rugby finals Week 1 fixtures: Who plays who, where and when?
That would certainly be the ideal way to make it into an away final, with no significant travel.
Seven talking points from Super Rugby Round 18
And when I mean home final, I mean all of the elimination finals and not just the Grand Final.
Blackadder’s problem was that he failed to secure that top spot through the finals. He always won the finals at home but couldn’t win those away matches.
Seven talking points from Super Rugby Round 18
If they are in the final, the other team facing them will have done some serious travel.
The only team capable of travelling and winning a final away thus far is the Crusaders.
If they can get past the Highlanders and, most probably the Hurricanes, they should be playing the Jaguares as that’s the closest to an English ‘h’ you’ll find among the finalists.
Seven talking points from Super Rugby Round 18
A sobering statistic for the other seven finalists: the Crusaders have never lost a home final.
Records are made to be broken, of course, but the longer they go on, the more intimidating they become.
I wouldn’t have wanted to face the Chiefs as they definitely have momentum on their side and the Crusaders are coming off a bye. But this season was set up by the Crusaders defeating the NZ teams at the beginning of the season. Their hiccups, including the draw against the Sharks, have come from teams they were expected to beat.
That suggests to me when they’ve had pressure on them to win, they’ve delivered. Much like their home finals record.
Seven talking points from Super Rugby Round 18
Great piece, Geoff.
My mother died shortly after my father. What it said on the death certificate was not the root cause.
People talk about the brave battle against cancer and rightly so. My father battled leukemia for ten years and I’m grateful for every extra day after the doctors initially gave him less than a year.
Depression, in my view incorrectly placed under the banner of mental health, does not evoke in others anywhere near the same amount of empathy. A lot of this can be attributed to the lack of knowledge and the complexity of this issue.
Anything that sheds light on this matter and brings out more understanding and a willingness to clearly identify what is a major problem is most welcome.
And congrats to the organizers and supporters of this event. Rugby may be a bruising sport but it has the power to heal on and off the field.
A message to all rugby players: It’s ok to be not ok
The rules in football have always had the advantage of being simpler than the laws of rugby.
Even so, I’ve directly seen a few contentious calls. The big advantage with football is that the crowd isn’t privy to what the ref sees. Rugby should really remove home ground editing of the big screen and not put any replays.
And, as Geoff mentioned, there shouldn’t be any different footage offered to the viewer at home.
The Wrap: It’s all about the rugby FFS
Good to have the Wrap back, Geoff.
The introduction of VAR in football has provoked a similar reaction. People believe that technology should remove all contentious decisions.
The fact that there are long delays and people still can’t come to a universally accepted decision is the main gripe. Things in slow motion suddenly appear far more dubious than in real time. Ironically the pressure to make the right decision is unwittingly the system’s downfall. Any reason not to award the try? Okay I’m sure I can find you a good reason…
The Wrap: It’s all about the rugby FFS
I’ll rise to the challenge, Neutral.
This one from Mataele: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2DAEcynjw7Y
Still don’t understand the physics of the pass.
The Wrap: It’s all about the rugby FFS
Something tells me the changes next year won’t bring the level of excitement and picking bafflement that we’ve had this year.
Regardless of the mandatory rests for the World Cup, we haven’t had one team dominating the conference with the possible exception of the Crusaders. That has largely been brought about by the lack of home ground advantage. Something that has baffled us all. Much like Goodhue’s hair, it begs the question why.
Of all the teams to reach the wildcard spot, the Waratahs would be my last pick. Even the Sharks would be ahead of them as Razor’s strange tactics of keeping the ball in hand would probably be changed. The Waratahs seem to cast some unusual spell against the Crusaders.
Like you say, Brett, given the year we’ve had, it’s fair to say expect the unexpected.
Five weeks to go: The Super Rugby run home
Thanks, RT. I must confess I did enjoy that.
Winning breeds confidence and smiles. We’ve seen a few more smiles on the Blues players this year but everything seems a lot easier when you string victories together.
You score lots of meat pies, you get that sparkle in the eyes.
The Crusaders are enjoying their rugby and that reflects in their performances. When the pressure to win is not so acutely felt, you try things and they invariably come off.
Reece stars as classy Crusaders thump Lions
Yes, fair enough, CUW. But they’re not Crusaders. 😉
Reece stars as classy Crusaders thump Lions
You’ve been busy writing, Zanden.
Thanks for the articles on a resounding couple of performances for the NZ franchises.
The Highlanders seem to have clicked of late and it seems the halves are building a better understanding between each other, and this is building a more fluid attack.
Really impressive to hold the Sunwolves to 0 and score so many. An amazing performance that makes you think where were these types of performances before.
Highlanders humiliate hapless Sunwolves in Tokyo rout
Thanks for all your work, Geoff.
Razor is apparently big on connections and that comes across in your article.
They certainly are a bright spot in a town down on luck. They bring great pride and show that resilience and support can be rewarded in the long run.
The Wrap: The Crusaders do it once again for Christchurch