everybody's gotta reason
Well - it's been a bit more of a predictable start to the weekend for SupeRugby. It all started with the Crusaders playing the Waratahs...The Waratahs who have been 
beating teams like nobody's business. I haven't to admit...it's made me a little wary - a team with a captain as ugly as Phil Waugh just can't be allowed to trample over everybody. Where's the poster child? Oh - maybe it's Tatafu Polota-Nau. A hooker that I think we need to be watching...somebody who I think deserves a shot above Saia Faingaa.
Anyways, more onto the point...
Crusaders (33) vs Waratahs (18)
The score didn't surprise me. With the names on the roster for both sides - it was going to be a clash of the brutes and a show down in who could keep up with the kicks. Let's start with the stuff that's a little off...
1. Crusaders were playing in Nelson instead of Christchurch...that would be like the Oilers playing in Red Deer. The reason is obvious...the home pitch in Christchurch took some damage. But that wasn't the only thing different - along with t
he minute of silence for those lost in the quake (still being observed across the league) - the Crusaders were wearing white and red striped jerserys instead of their standard solids in memory of the miners who died at Pike River Coal mine last year.
2. The majority of the Crusaders were all stubbly and unshaven in support of the people in Christchurch who, 11 days later, still do not have running water.
It was talked about a bit during the week how the results of this game could go in the way of the Waratahs as the majority of the Crusaders have been putting in their lot with the city to help put Christchurch back together in addition to their daily trainings. But Keiren Read assured everyone that they would stop at nothing to win the game. And so was the case.
The Tahs came out of the gates blazing - putting down the first two tries but Dan Carter was fabulous as ever - keeping the Crusaders always within striking distance. Sonny Bill Williams (SBW) has a lot of work on his hands if he is ever to beat the hype that is floating around his name because he sure didn't start the game off well. He gave up weak passes and an interception before finally in the second half scoring his first Super try. I'll be interested to see how he progresses. I have no doubt that he'll settle in but his brute will not necessarily put him in front of Ma'a Nonu for the starting 12 place come the World Cup. He's going to need to be a lot more than just a beefcake in the backline.
Richie McCaw is out for the next month or so with a fractured right foot (surgery). He was possibly expected back for this game but we'll have to wait to see Superman play again. I'm more concerned with him being fit for the RWC in September than I am with the SuperXV.
Blues (41) vs Lions (32)
This was not a pretty game to watch. What the heck?!? This goes back to what I was saying last week about these teams who have roster-great players but they're sucking on the pitch. Blues were obviously favored to win but that didn't stop the Lions from charging through line outs and scoring tries.
Good things...Luke McAllister was at 10. I like Luke. He's cute, solid player, not afraid to hit up hard and straight. I'm happier with him at 10 than Stephen Brett...but I think keeping it that way is a hoop dream. Keven Mealamu didn
't start...I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the large bandage around his head and the head gear he was wearing. He looked like a train wreck. But he came on in the second half. The whole Blues pack had shaved their heads...don't really know what that was about either. And the dude with the fro - Rene Ranger...didn't start either. I'm wondering if the Blues thought that they had this game in the bag and so they were comfortable enough with life to keep some of their big guns on the bench.
Back to the game. The Blues looked all huffy and puffy - literally. They looked out of shape. The commentators kept mentioning that it must have been something about the altitude. I didn't think that the Lions played their games on a mountain.
Rene Ranger comes on with Mealamu and things start turning around...the problem of the Lions isn't solved because Josh Strauss and his massive beard still score a try. The commentators made a comment about him weighing in at 105kg and his beard a solid 5kg. Well...maybe Strauss and his 5kg of real estate can squeak a win out of this season...it would be nice for the Lions to finish somewhere other than last this year.
Chiefs (38) vs Rebels (10)
Finally. A score that makes sense. But I do have to say that I wouldn't be disappointed if the Rebels won. Other than a few players here and there, the Chiefs aren't exactly my favourite team...or even fourth favourite team. Maybe sixth.
Big Concern #1: Mils Muliaina took a
hit to the kidneys at the first kick off and wasn't really the same. He toughed it out for about 20 minutes but it was apparent that he wasn't doing well. I've never seen that man subbed out because of an injury. Get better Mils!
Big Concern #2: The dude at 10 for the Chiefs...Donald Duck himself, that is Stephen Donald. Boo. Bring back Mike Delany.
Continuing Concern #3: Aled deMelmanche. Get the ball to your jumpers!
Chiefs honorable mentions: Sitiventi Sivivatu...the big Fijian for the Chiefs is awesome. I love him. And Tana Umaga - 80 minutes and sensational, rocking hits and just great all around play. I would love to see him run the ball more. He seems to distribute more than run - which isn't wrong but I miss the line breaks that I'm sure players like Ma'a Nonu grew up studying so they could be just like him.
And I like Mike Gerrard for the Rebels. Cipriani is still a barbie doll but he didn't seem to have too many flailing acts this game. Rebels took a lot of terrible calls this game - like two penalties for being ahead of the kicker. Two. That doesn't even get called at my level. Stupid - a team like the Rebels cannot afford to do things like that.
But more than the game - what I want to talk about is the fantastic commentating of this game...here's some of the colour:
"The Rebels are making glacial progress towards the Chief's line"
"There's deMelmache getting up in his grill"
"Byrne is sporting some serious face furniture" - regarding Adam Byrne's beard
"And there's Leonard chasing Gerrard down like a miniature schnowzer"
"I don't know what's worse...Byrne or the Nude Mutts of the Blues, what, did someone lose a bet?" - regarding the Blues' completely shaven front row.
Again - line outs...they were ALL crap.
Western Force (12) vs Sharks (39)
Well - normally this would be a side mention as I don't really follow the Force and the Sharks aren't really a liked team. But this game had so much going on - it's hard not to mention it. And to be fair...Nathan Sharpe, David Pocock, Richard Brown, and James O'Conner all play for the Force and Bissmark duPlessis plays for the Sharks...a
nd he is a solid hooker. Good players as they are...it's not why I'm mentioning this game.
Reason #1: Cummin's mullet. Wow.
Reason #2: Mitchim (13 for Force) dislocated his elbow 7minutes into the game. They showed it over and over again. Every last little dislocating part of it. Which was pretty cool from my perspective but no kidding - super gross for everybody else.
Reason #3 - probably not even 5 minutes later...Pocock promoted someone to the ground and found himself off with a knee injury
Reason #4 - Rory Sidey who had come on to take Mitchim's place speared/extreme dump tackled Odwa Ndungane to the ground got an immediate red card (sent out of the game) and Ndungane went off to the hospital on a stretcher. Sidey will face a judicial hearing this next week but I don't imagine that will go well for him.
Reason #5,6,7 - JP Pietersen (Sharks) off with an ankle injury, Cummins with a yellow card, Eli Mafi off with an injury
With all that said. White who had come on for Pocock had an awesome game. Good hopes for him in the future. But needless to say - this was not a good game for the Force.
Brumbies (26) vs Reds (31)
C'mon! This is just plain ridiculous. There is no way that the Reds should be rallying against the Brumbies. Now, I get that the Brumbies fired their coach this last week (two games into the season) and they promised that the drama wouldn't get the better of them but when Matt Giteau, who I love, can't pull up his socks and get his penalty kicks in...there's no way that they can win...unless the rest of the boys like Adam Ashley-Cooper (AAC), Pat McCabe, Steve Moore (who according to most is Australia's best hooker), Ben Alexander, or a host of any other Wallabie boys can get the seed down across the white line!
Well - the Reds were already missing Chapman for "slapping" Cipriani last week against the Rebels so it's not like they didn't have their own drama this week. And it's not like the Reds aren't without their own headliners either. Will Genia (9), Quaid Cooper (10...I hate his atttitude), Saia Faingaa (2), Anthony Faingaa (12)...who have all sported Wallabie jerseys too.
Some of the blunders of this game weren't limited to Giteau's inability to get the pill between the uprights (which...if he had even gotten HALF of the kicks that he missed, the Brumbies would have won the game). But also included him hammering Speight in the face with a spin pass from three feet away and Ben Alexander getting atleast 3 penalties for dropping his bind in scrums. But he did however, get back on his try scoring war path. Hopefully he stays on it.
I think the whole mishap of this game could be summed up in the Brumbies' mascot, Brumbie Jack, rolling an ankle or twisting his knee in an attempt to get the fans riled up. And the medical staff who should have been assisting injured players, helping Brumbie Jack off the field and to his dressing room.
Awesome.
beating teams like nobody's business. I haven't to admit...it's made me a little wary - a team with a captain as ugly as Phil Waugh just can't be allowed to trample over everybody. Where's the poster child? Oh - maybe it's Tatafu Polota-Nau. A hooker that I think we need to be watching...somebody who I think deserves a shot above Saia Faingaa.Anyways, more onto the point...
Crusaders (33) vs Waratahs (18)
The score didn't surprise me. With the names on the roster for both sides - it was going to be a clash of the brutes and a show down in who could keep up with the kicks. Let's start with the stuff that's a little off...
1. Crusaders were playing in Nelson instead of Christchurch...that would be like the Oilers playing in Red Deer. The reason is obvious...the home pitch in Christchurch took some damage. But that wasn't the only thing different - along with t
he minute of silence for those lost in the quake (still being observed across the league) - the Crusaders were wearing white and red striped jerserys instead of their standard solids in memory of the miners who died at Pike River Coal mine last year.2. The majority of the Crusaders were all stubbly and unshaven in support of the people in Christchurch who, 11 days later, still do not have running water.
It was talked about a bit during the week how the results of this game could go in the way of the Waratahs as the majority of the Crusaders have been putting in their lot with the city to help put Christchurch back together in addition to their daily trainings. But Keiren Read assured everyone that they would stop at nothing to win the game. And so was the case.
The Tahs came out of the gates blazing - putting down the first two tries but Dan Carter was fabulous as ever - keeping the Crusaders always within striking distance. Sonny Bill Williams (SBW) has a lot of work on his hands if he is ever to beat the hype that is floating around his name because he sure didn't start the game off well. He gave up weak passes and an interception before finally in the second half scoring his first Super try. I'll be interested to see how he progresses. I have no doubt that he'll settle in but his brute will not necessarily put him in front of Ma'a Nonu for the starting 12 place come the World Cup. He's going to need to be a lot more than just a beefcake in the backline.
Richie McCaw is out for the next month or so with a fractured right foot (surgery). He was possibly expected back for this game but we'll have to wait to see Superman play again. I'm more concerned with him being fit for the RWC in September than I am with the SuperXV.
Blues (41) vs Lions (32)
This was not a pretty game to watch. What the heck?!? This goes back to what I was saying last week about these teams who have roster-great players but they're sucking on the pitch. Blues were obviously favored to win but that didn't stop the Lions from charging through line outs and scoring tries.
Good things...Luke McAllister was at 10. I like Luke. He's cute, solid player, not afraid to hit up hard and straight. I'm happier with him at 10 than Stephen Brett...but I think keeping it that way is a hoop dream. Keven Mealamu didn
't start...I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the large bandage around his head and the head gear he was wearing. He looked like a train wreck. But he came on in the second half. The whole Blues pack had shaved their heads...don't really know what that was about either. And the dude with the fro - Rene Ranger...didn't start either. I'm wondering if the Blues thought that they had this game in the bag and so they were comfortable enough with life to keep some of their big guns on the bench.Back to the game. The Blues looked all huffy and puffy - literally. They looked out of shape. The commentators kept mentioning that it must have been something about the altitude. I didn't think that the Lions played their games on a mountain.
Rene Ranger comes on with Mealamu and things start turning around...the problem of the Lions isn't solved because Josh Strauss and his massive beard still score a try. The commentators made a comment about him weighing in at 105kg and his beard a solid 5kg. Well...maybe Strauss and his 5kg of real estate can squeak a win out of this season...it would be nice for the Lions to finish somewhere other than last this year.
Chiefs (38) vs Rebels (10)
Finally. A score that makes sense. But I do have to say that I wouldn't be disappointed if the Rebels won. Other than a few players here and there, the Chiefs aren't exactly my favourite team...or even fourth favourite team. Maybe sixth.
Big Concern #1: Mils Muliaina took a
hit to the kidneys at the first kick off and wasn't really the same. He toughed it out for about 20 minutes but it was apparent that he wasn't doing well. I've never seen that man subbed out because of an injury. Get better Mils!Big Concern #2: The dude at 10 for the Chiefs...Donald Duck himself, that is Stephen Donald. Boo. Bring back Mike Delany.
Continuing Concern #3: Aled deMelmanche. Get the ball to your jumpers!
Chiefs honorable mentions: Sitiventi Sivivatu...the big Fijian for the Chiefs is awesome. I love him. And Tana Umaga - 80 minutes and sensational, rocking hits and just great all around play. I would love to see him run the ball more. He seems to distribute more than run - which isn't wrong but I miss the line breaks that I'm sure players like Ma'a Nonu grew up studying so they could be just like him.
And I like Mike Gerrard for the Rebels. Cipriani is still a barbie doll but he didn't seem to have too many flailing acts this game. Rebels took a lot of terrible calls this game - like two penalties for being ahead of the kicker. Two. That doesn't even get called at my level. Stupid - a team like the Rebels cannot afford to do things like that.
But more than the game - what I want to talk about is the fantastic commentating of this game...here's some of the colour:
"The Rebels are making glacial progress towards the Chief's line"
"There's deMelmache getting up in his grill"
"Byrne is sporting some serious face furniture" - regarding Adam Byrne's beard
"And there's Leonard chasing Gerrard down like a miniature schnowzer"
"I don't know what's worse...Byrne or the Nude Mutts of the Blues, what, did someone lose a bet?" - regarding the Blues' completely shaven front row.
Again - line outs...they were ALL crap.
Western Force (12) vs Sharks (39)
Well - normally this would be a side mention as I don't really follow the Force and the Sharks aren't really a liked team. But this game had so much going on - it's hard not to mention it. And to be fair...Nathan Sharpe, David Pocock, Richard Brown, and James O'Conner all play for the Force and Bissmark duPlessis plays for the Sharks...a
nd he is a solid hooker. Good players as they are...it's not why I'm mentioning this game.Reason #1: Cummin's mullet. Wow.
Reason #2: Mitchim (13 for Force) dislocated his elbow 7minutes into the game. They showed it over and over again. Every last little dislocating part of it. Which was pretty cool from my perspective but no kidding - super gross for everybody else.
Reason #3 - probably not even 5 minutes later...Pocock promoted someone to the ground and found himself off with a knee injury
Reason #4 - Rory Sidey who had come on to take Mitchim's place speared/extreme dump tackled Odwa Ndungane to the ground got an immediate red card (sent out of the game) and Ndungane went off to the hospital on a stretcher. Sidey will face a judicial hearing this next week but I don't imagine that will go well for him.
Reason #5,6,7 - JP Pietersen (Sharks) off with an ankle injury, Cummins with a yellow card, Eli Mafi off with an injury
With all that said. White who had come on for Pocock had an awesome game. Good hopes for him in the future. But needless to say - this was not a good game for the Force.
Brumbies (26) vs Reds (31)
C'mon! This is just plain ridiculous. There is no way that the Reds should be rallying against the Brumbies. Now, I get that the Brumbies fired their coach this last week (two games into the season) and they promised that the drama wouldn't get the better of them but when Matt Giteau, who I love, can't pull up his socks and get his penalty kicks in...there's no way that they can win...unless the rest of the boys like Adam Ashley-Cooper (AAC), Pat McCabe, Steve Moore (who according to most is Australia's best hooker), Ben Alexander, or a host of any other Wallabie boys can get the seed down across the white line!
Well - the Reds were already missing Chapman for "slapping" Cipriani last week against the Rebels so it's not like they didn't have their own drama this week. And it's not like the Reds aren't without their own headliners either. Will Genia (9), Quaid Cooper (10...I hate his atttitude), Saia Faingaa (2), Anthony Faingaa (12)...who have all sported Wallabie jerseys too.
Some of the blunders of this game weren't limited to Giteau's inability to get the pill between the uprights (which...if he had even gotten HALF of the kicks that he missed, the Brumbies would have won the game). But also included him hammering Speight in the face with a spin pass from three feet away and Ben Alexander getting atleast 3 penalties for dropping his bind in scrums. But he did however, get back on his try scoring war path. Hopefully he stays on it.
I think the whole mishap of this game could be summed up in the Brumbies' mascot, Brumbie Jack, rolling an ankle or twisting his knee in an attempt to get the fans riled up. And the medical staff who should have been assisting injured players, helping Brumbie Jack off the field and to his dressing room.
Awesome.
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