And the rugby continues, and the cream raising to the top (I can say that now that the Kiwi sides are starting to look better, sans All Blacks and all)! Rugby still not the highest scoring you could hope for, but between the excellent defence, and the at times amateur handling and decision making of the teams, to be expected. There will be higher scoring matches as the season carries on to be sure, All Blacks starting to play, and combinations. polished! I hope....
Hurricanes 11-10 Brumbies @ Wellington
Phew, that is taking it the limit isn't it, scoring after the hooter went to win the game. But a win's a win eh?
Thoughts though, the Hurricanes in that second half started to look like the Hurricanes of old, and I don't mean that 2005-2006 version, but the 1990's version. That is not a good version. The 90's version used to fling the ball around like headless chooks, not worrying about anything like forward domination or unleashing the backs when good ball is won, they just spun it, and hoped for the best. Well, the best was a win this time, but if they play like this on a regular basis, the life of a Hurricane fan might start feeling a little like a Chiefs fans life, not that flash!!
Good to see Neemia Tialata back himself for the corner flag late in the game, moments before Waldrom scored the winning try. No just rumbling along to set up the next breakdown, but pinning his ears back and going for it. A pity his opposing 'wing' was also a prop and the collision threw them into touch. Would have been nice to see a wing stuck in the Tialata train headlights!
Ma'a Nonu, what got into his head? Does Tana look like a 60 nkilo halfback that needs protection from bullies? Does Tana look like he needs help in any kind of skirmish? I mean, Tana has in the past single bagedly bashed flankers into tears. He does not need help Ma'a, OK? So put your bully boy big man on main street act away. A yellow card for that sort of stupid stupid act is not what is going to get you into a match day 22 come RWC time. So actually, perhaps that is a good thing that he is behaving like a retarded bogan on speed at the moment, and not in a knock out game in just a few months...
Davis Smith, pace to burn, his drift off the Brumby centre to skittle Rathbone text book back defence. I would assume that it was actually, as backlines are not really a specialty of mine, and neither is defence...
A win though, and an exciting game for the closeness alone, but neither team at the moment looks like a championship winning combination.
Highlanders 25-24 Stormers @ Dunedin
Hoorah! A four try bonus point for the Clan for the first time in 23 games or something, but don't you dare accuse them of boring rugby!! Finally got to see the Clan in action, and well, really wasn't missing much was I! There forward pack pretty solid, front row stronger than I thought it would be, but certainly not the unit that it is when Hayman and Oliver are involved.
The Highlanders backline was pretty handy too I have to, and surprisingly, admit. One notable exception though, and mainly on defence. Please stand up Mr C Hore. I was watching the game with a first five of days gone past, and an expert at the art of avoiding tackles, while looking like he was making tackles. Hore's attempt on that big arse Stormers lock who scored their first try was poor, but looked like he was doing his job, the heroic cover tackle on the mutant tree with legs. However, moving forward to the tackle may have been a better option Charlie, and would have probably stopped the try. It would have also hurt a lot more!
With the Blues next week, in Auckland, a good confidence building 'W' onto score sheet for them. They'll need the boost, as their record at Eden Park over the last ten years, as both Otago at NPC level, and Highlanders at Super level, has not been great has it!!
Blues 38-13 Reds @ Auckland
Whining Eddie had little to whine about after this game, and the demolition job the Blues put onto the Reds.
Hell of a frustrating game to watch though, as the Blues turned down penalty shot after penalty shot as the game wore on. Sure, they were wanting the try scoring bonus, but a team that watches the score mount against the every couple of minutes (as it would have happened they were giving away penalties that often), would soon drop their bundle, and the bonus try would have been scored earlier I reckon. Any time three points are gifted to you, to take with no expenditure of blood, sweat or tears, well, it is down right rude not to take it! The Blues were very rude!!
Well done the Blues forward pack. They progressively dismantled Whining Eddie's pack as the game went on, giving Eddie no chance at all of bitching to the Refs at the end of the game about getting penalised despite being really, really, really REALLY good, and beating the pants off the opposition!
And aren't those Reds props big fat bastards. The 125 kilo reserve prop for instance. One hundred and twenty five kilos. That's a hell of a lot of lard to cart around the footy field isn't it! The Aussies seem to have gone over the top looking for props. Just finding the biggest fattest bloke walking down the street and telling him free pies if be puts these boots on, and listens to the Ref quote a four hundred line instruction on how to prop is probably not the best way to do it. The easiest, but not the most effective!
Classy displays from Nacewa again for the Blues, along with his midfield pairing of Toeava and McAlister. That pair the shape of things to come in black in a year or two perhaps? Maybe even sooner. Captain Flavell produced the goods once again, ably supported by Kaino, Taumoepeau and Afoa. Afoa and Taumoepeau at scrum time doing a bloody good job at scrum time - along with angry man Whitcombe!
Force 24-25 Lions @ Perth
What do the Force have to do to get a win at home? Score more points than the opposition, obviously. But they can't. So they'll probably beat the Waratahs in Sydney this week, as it is away from home.
Bulls 30-27 Chiefs @ Pretoria
What do the Chiefs have to do to get a win at all, home or away? Poor bastards went to the 80 minute mark ahead of the Bulls, but couldn't last those last few seconds as Habana scored the match winning try. Up until that moment, Habana had been Masaga's bitch, two tries to the young Chiefs flyer, and in general not looking like an international class winger, let alone a Super 14 one. But last laugh to Habana and the Bulls.
Reffing. What do you do to these bloody people, the IRB, and anyone else involved in their shit house 'interpretations' this season? This time, Marty Holah, who looked to be getting back into form, and not giving away penalties every two seconds was the victim. His tackle, and spring to his feet to steal the ball, and getting penalised for it was mind boggling. Not only was he the tackler, thus allowed to have a go at snatchg the ball from anywhere, he had in fact got back to an onside position anyway, he was square on to the try line, and should have been earning a penalty, not giving one away that gave the Bulls a short term lead.
Chiefs started this game on fire, before being doused, and then coming back again, before being pipped at the post is a quick synopsis of how the game went.
OK, so can anyone tell me why Tom Willis is starting for the Chiefs at the moment? Zero impact around the field, lineout throwing that makes Grenade Face look good, what less could you ask for? That Chiefs lineout was the worst I have seen it for years. The dancing around shit, Willis looking like a stunned mullet waiting to throw, throwing off beam, missing targets, targets not being there - the whole thing had to make you wonder if the Chiefs actually train these things...
Player watch...
Donald still mixing the good with the bad. Not quite 'sublime to ridiculous' level, as nothing he has done this season has been sublime. More like not terrible to terrible from this week. Lasting the distance as the Chiefs have no other option, tested at any rate, for the ten jersey. Or perhaps they have named all the ten jerseys 'Donald' already, thus they can't drop him. There is no truth to the rumour that Mrs Donald is in charge of the jersey naming...
Sione Lauaki was not too shabby in his return game - not at the level that he can get to when fit though, not by a long way, but a good enough effort first off the bat. Marty Holah as mentioned above was looking like the real Marty again, the accuracy back in his game. Bates, well, Mr Consistency as usual.
Keith Robinson, typical honest effort, and just as honestly I would except not very happy with his game, and especially that lineout of the Chiefs. But like Lauaki, happy to make it through the 80 minutes (happy like Lauaki, not 80 minutes like Lauaki, who managed maybe 50 odd minutes), and no doubt better to come.
Masaga - quality wing play from the little fella, bloody hell he's quick.
Cheetahs 28-29 Crusaders @ Bloemfontein
I actually missed most of this game as I was watching the Paddies dispatch the Poms in the 6N, what an excellent game that was, and well done the Englsih to hold on over those last 20 minutes as the Irish threatened to take their score over the 50 mark.
Anyway, Crusaders, started to look like the Crusaders of old, and the performance must have put a shudder through the remaining teams that have to play them. Things finally clicked for the All Black-less Crusaders, passes stuck, moves worked, and in general it was a good day to be a Crusader.
One game left in Boerland for the playing through champions, and if they win that, then a semi finals berth looks in definite sight. A real worry with the quality players returning from R&R shortly.
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