Chiefs 26 v Stormers 35

Anyway, the first game of the weekend saw the Chiefs get beaten by the Stormers.  No real surprise there, even I managed to tip that game.  The Chiefs players continued to get injured at a frightening rate too, which again, is no real surprise, as being a Chief is synonymous with injury.  I expect that all these replacements players would be having second thoughts about accepting their selections, asking their agents is there anyone else that they can play for, anyone...?

Anyway, a game the Chiefs were always 'in', but were never really going to win, thanks to making more mistakes than the local rippa-rugby juniors in 80 minutes.  Kicking the ball dead from penalties, missing tackles, missing more tackles, bad passes, worse catches, crocked throws, wrong options, you name, the Chiefs did it.  And not just once, time and time again.  And not just in this game, it has been going on all season.  The biggest crime though, that has happened at least three times that I can recall, is the kicking dead from penalties.  Yes, our old mate Mr Stephen Donald guilty here,  He must have been a slow learner as a baby - one of those kids that burn themselves on the hot over ten times before he realises that it hurts and don't bloody do it!!

The other crime though has got to be Ferrit Foster and his insisting on a five forward, two back bench.  With the injury curse that the Chiefs have, it has now burend him twice.  The Chiefs ended up with reserve hooker Vern Kamo on one win, and a halfback out in the midfield.  Sure, that is fine if you are playing club rugby, but FFS, Super 14 here boys and girls, sort your shit out.

The final score of 26-35 was not that much of a hiding, but in a game that they should have won, it might as well have been 50-0.  I am struggling to think of anything good from the game for the Chiefs, anything at all, and can't find a single thing.  Their lineout were rubbish (Tom Willis' throwing has gone to the dogs), scrums average, back play about as accurate as a blunderbuss.  About the only thing you could not fault was their guts.  Despite cutting their own throats time and time again, they guts'ed into it for 80 minutes.  Plenty of endeavour and heart, just lack of skills and aplication.

Brumbies 15 v Hurricanes 33

Who'd have thunk it, after five weeks of the Super 14, the Hurricanes four wins from five, and third on the log, behind the undefeated Sharks and Crusaders?  Not me, that's for sure, not after they looked even worse than the Chiefs in their round 1 loss to the Waratahs.  but there you go, funny old game rugby, from zeros to heros in a month - and only the second time in 12 seasons or so that they have won 4 matches in the trot too!!  Last time they managed that they ended up in a final.  We think they did, not that anyone could see it thanks to a fog, but that is another story altogether!

Anyway, they thumped the Brumbies in the end, in typical Hurricanes fashion, on the back of turnover ball and a 100 metre try.  After that try, when the Brumbies were hot on attack and only down by a few points, it was all over - a 14 pointer sort of thing! 

It was a vastly improved display from the Hurricanes though, their forwards got the better of the battle up front, and they actually created some nice tries, as opposed to feeding off turnovers and errors for all their points.  Although two of their tries, the long range heartbreaker, and the first of the match, from 60 metres were from turnovers.  The first one very special to an old front rower, with prop Jacob Ellison making the tackle, and getting the turnover ball, and then watching the magic as 60 metres down the field a five pointer was scored.  He played a bloody good game in his first start for the Hurricanes, well worth keeping an eye on this lad - mobile, makes lots of tackles, and was not beaten up at scrum time, although the Brumbies had a second string prop on thanks to injury.

So two turnover tries, and three made by just playing good old fashioned rugby, one to Andrew Hore close in from a ruck, and a couple to Masoe, one a close ruck crash, and the other from a scrum move.  All very nicely done.

A much better effort than last weeks piss poor game against the Highlanders, but still plenty to work on, but more stps in the right direction, and another tick added to the win column for the season,

Stand out players, Ellison and Hore of the tight five had big games, and the loose trio, as per usual were into everything like pigs into shit.  Why Clark is there I don't know, he and Thrush both look overawed still at this level.  Old campaigner Upton must be champing at the bit to get onto the field.  In the backline, no real standouts but for Conrad Smith, who week in and week out is putting the goods out there for the world to see.  Straight running, rock solid defence, correct option taking, he is a man to build a Hurricane backline around for sure.  The back three all had their moments, Paku looking good, as did Gear at times too. 

Stand out players for the wrong reasons.  All Blacks Piri Weepu and Neemia Tialata.  Hard to work out which one is the halfback and prop, they are both so far out of condition.  OK, a bit harsh on Weepu, but he is not in a rich vein of form at the moment.  Looks hard to see why he was ever an All Black, let alone a potentially great one (I thought anyway).  Tialata, well, get fit you fat bastard.

Blues 17 v Western Force 27

One man team, never.  But from the moment Nick Evans went from the field with a sore jaw, it was game over, as the Blues gave the Western Farce their first win in New Zealand.

That injury, coupled with the return from South Africa, and playing at Albany, a fired up Force, saw a second half capitulation that is the Blues down to the ground.  All flash and no substance...

So while no single part of the game was horrible (apart from the reffing of the breakdowns, but that is a curse for both teams, in fact all teams in all the games as the refs try and learn how to rule the new laws, but I digress), everything was off by just a few percentage points (thanks Eddie Jones), and that as a whole added up to a ten point defeat.

It was not helped by Troy Flavell's spray at the ref at one stage of the game when he was done for a WWF slam tackle on the Force halfback I think i twas.  Sure it was a shit call, but hell, you're the bloody captain Troy, show some control.  When your captain loses his nut on the field, it does not help the side as a whole.  Even worse, ask Mr Schulk Burger, it can earn you a little holiday just when you don't think you need one...

There were good individual performances from Blues players, Mealamu was back to his ball running tricks of old, Woodcock and Afoa were also full of running, Afoa in particular looking like a centre three-quarters with a nice outside break at one point in the game.  Kaino and Williams didn't let the side down either, and when you think of it, in the pack, no one player really played badly, it is just the units and the overall cohesion that seemed to be missing.

In the blouse division it was pretty much the same.  Strong games from Tuitavake, Stanley, Toeava, and Rokocoko, but as a unit, the backs lacked their polish and punch.  Toeava into first five was not all bad, and if he played there regularly, I am sure he would be right at home there.  But he doesn't, so in this game, he wasn't!

Tuitavake on the wing keeps looking more and more like an All Black to me too.  His defence at times is brutal, borderline in fact, and we all know his finishing ability.  I would much prefer him on the wing as opposed to a Nonu.  Also like Nonu covers centre if needs be.  Certainly not a first choice option there (centre), but in an emergency situation after a couple of injuries I am sure he would let nobody down!

Anyway, two losses on the trot for the Blues after looking like world beaters over the first three rounds.  Can they bounce back against the resurgent Stormers next week?  not without Nick Evans I am picking.

Crusaders 55 v Cheetahs 7

Well, how fat do you have to be before you are not fit enough to play Super rugby?  The answer is very very very fat, as the Cheetahs loosehead prop looked like he should have, or rather did, retire three seasons ago, and has gone to seed.  Ronnie Uys is his name, and it is a surprise that by the end of the game there were not a few halfbacks orbiting around him, a man that big must create his own gravitational field!!  He did though jog around and hit a few rucks and mauls, and lean on a lot more.  He was also bent in half backwards in a tackle that has seen Wyatt Crockett cited.  Anyway, it was entertaining to watch that fat a bloke play that high a level rugby, and see why they shouldn't.  I tried to watch his off the ball work, but he was so far behind play that on TV you saw him about as often as you did the touch judges!!

OK, fat bloke bashing aside, the Crusaders, with five of their regular pack on the bench were far to string for the Cheetahs, as expected.  The bench forwards loved being on the field, hooker Ti’i Paulo in particular had a rampaging game.  There is a franchise a couple of sides north that could do with a player like that, but I digress.  Reuben Thorne was quality too on the side of the scrum in his first start of the season, and big Brad Thorn looked like he had not been away from the XV game for a minute as he bashed and smashed his way around the field.

The back division was quality as per usual, even after the loss of Brett with a shoulder injury, MacDonald slotting into second five like the veteran that he is without the blink of an eye.  Casey Laulala must be getting more than a casual glance from the Henry Cartel too, his play this season has been quality, and consistently so - probably that consistency that has let him down in the past,

It was interesting that MacDonald slotted into 12 so easily too, and I am sure that not only we muggins at the Fern were taking notice.  I am sure I recall some one eyes talking MacDonald up as an All Black second five this year, and well, lets see what happens over the next few weeks if he gets some regular game time there.  It would be disappointing though, as he has been on fire at fullback, and Mils Muliaina seems to have dropped off the radar playing for the Chiefs, and at centre.

Reds 40 v Bulls 8

The Bulls managed to lose to the Reds, after beating them by 92 odd points in their last meeting.  How kak is that!  Good work them, but it sure stuffed up my tipping...

Lions 8 v Sharks 16

In Boerland, the unbeaten Sharks carried on their merry way, beating the Lions in their own den, as expected.

So the two 'upsets' for my tipping, the damn Reds and Blues, but otherwise a pretty good weekend of rugby, especially if you take the reffing out of it...