Super XVIII 2016

Richard Hillman

This is like sevens. Wonderful game to watch

pickarooney

Is there any site with highlights at the end of the round?

JPNelsforearm

pickarooney wrote: »

Is there any site with highlights at the end of the round?

There are a few YT ones, but YT seems to be cracking down as all the good users seems to have disappeared, they really only show tries, dont give a feel for the game at all, you are better off not watching them lol.

All the Brumbies highlights I saw on YT left out their awesome 30m+ maul

AbusesToilets

pickarooney wrote: »

Is there any site with highlights at the end of the round?

r/rugbyunion will probably have link to highlights soon enough.

That ref clearly had no interest in reffing the scrum, knees on the deck all day long. Breakdown bit of shambles as well. Cracking win for the Jaguares, love the way they play.

Yeah_Right

My 2 cents on the Blues.

Not going to get over excited about the Umaga era as JK started with a win over the Crusaders I believe, before everything went to ****.

Hall at HB and Gibson at 7 look good. Had heard good things about both but this is the first time I'd had a good look at them.

Good to see Luatua, Tupolotu and Parsons. All had good games.

The back 3 look like they could tear some teams apart if they click. They're young so confidence will be vital.

A midfield of Ranger and Moala could be devastating and potentially an AB midfield but they've a long way to go before that will happen.

I'm not sold on Ihaia West as a 10. There's a Madigan feel to him. I would like to see more of McGahn.

Overal a good start but I'm not ready to blow my cookies yet. If they continue like this, Eden Park will fill up and the atmosphere will be amazing.

Richard Hillman

Fantastic game of rugby. I know the Cheetahs are not all that but what a great statement.

It's a shame the Sunwolves are on at the same time as Ireland.

Kiwi_knock

Richard Hillman wrote: »

Fantastic game of rugby. I know the Cheetahs are not all that but what a great statement.

It's a shame the Sunwolves are on at the same time as Ireland.

The Sunwolves are on at 4 in the morning, if you are that dedicated.

swiwi_

sydthebeat wrote: »

God I've missed super rugby!

5 very different but excellent tryouts in the first half. Crisp fast hard rugby.....

Hall and Gibson looking good for blues, Ben smith not often put on his ass like he was.

West being put under a lot of pressure.

Half backs for landers controlling very well....need to cut out the first up missed tackles though.

Just watched the game and it's just 25% than anything I've seen north of the equator since the RWC. Fast, accurate, purposeful, you name it.

I can only assume it's the quality of player on offer - the Celtic Nations all have Kiwi coaches and we see nothing like it really.

One thing that is immediately clear is that NZ teams generally eschew repetitive one-off-the-rucks that northern teams seem to favour. There is a lot of ball straight out wide to the midfield rather than keeping it in close.

If I could only take one thing onto a desert island, it would be Aaron Smith's pass.

Happy days, Super Rugby is back!

Hagz

I tried researching pitch dimensions to compare between Super Rugby venues and Northern Hemisphere rugby venues and came up with absolutely nothing. There just doesn't seem to be any information on pitch diameters for individual grounds.

Would I be right in thinking that Super Rugby is played on wider pitches than European rugby?

sydthebeat

Much tighter affair you'd morning between crusaders and chiefs.

And good point swiwi, just watching this morning and more often than not the pass off the back of the ruck is usually to 15m away ... And after two crisp passes they're nearly half the pitch over.

Perhaps it simply is a drier track and drier ball though

sydthebeat

15 - 8 crusaders at ht

swiwi_

sydthebeat wrote: »

Much tighter affair you'd morning between crusaders and chiefs.

And good point swiwi, just watching this morning and more often than not the pass off the back of the ruck is usually to 15m away ... And after two crisp passes they're nearly half the pitch over.

Perhaps it simply is a drier track and drier ball though

Yeah, I'm not going to lie, this game has been less impressive. Too much kicking, but I expect a bit more in the 2nd 40, especially given the heat which will tire the players.

The Crusaders pack is warming my heart (but I was never worried about the pack for the season, it's the backs), and Moanga has started well enough at 10. Cruden looks sharp.

sydthebeat

The games opended up a bit more this half, but Jesus there's so much kicking away of possession..... Very different to yesterday's games.

sydthebeat

Just realised byrce heem is gone to worcester.

bilston

The Chiefs kicker has a risky routine!

swiwi_

Tell you what Syd the 2 playmakers for the Chiefs is working well. McKenzie has taken a lot of first phase ball.

I really really don't like Fonatia. Just smothers every crusaders attack. I wish havili was there who is wasted at 15.

Larbre34

Currently at Waratahs v Reds, Tahs very decent but Reds have nothing, really poor

LuckyGent88

Larbre34 wrote: »

Currently at Waratahs v Reds, Tahs very decent but Reds have nothing, really poor

Starting to make some bit of a comeback. Tahs have dropped off in intensity and have made plenty of changes.

Tahs hit back with a try though so game over. Some five by Beale though

Didn't get to see the earlier game but good result for chiefs to get an away win first up. Encouraging signs for the crusaders I guess.
How did the new number ten go??

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Did Los Jaggies win then?

Pudsy33

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Did Los Jaggies win then?

By a point, 34-33

Jacovs

Never cared this much about a rebels-force result before. :pac:

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

That's a pretty tasty try.

https://twitter.com/SkySportsRugby/status/703351033234386944

sydthebeat

Wooden spoon for me after the first round in the predictor competition. O dear

thomond2006

I read Southern Kings have been barely able to put together a squad. They got whacked today at home so no surprise then!

JPNelsforearm

thomond2006 wrote: »

I read Southern Kings have been barely able to put together a squad. They got whacked today at home so no surprise then!

Well seeing as their last squad went unpaid for close to half the year and SARU was called in to sort it out, the answer was to sack the lot of them and draft in as many cheap or contracted Currie Cup players on loan as possible! No wonder they find it hard to attract players, some Saffas came back from France to play for the Kings and were left high and dry owed money and sacked by the SARU. Carlos Spencer is owed a years wages irrc.

Complete disaster of a franchise, the usual ANC/SARU cronyism, pigs at the trough, screw everyone below you attitude.

swiwi_

Hagz wrote: »

Would I be right in thinking that Super Rugby is played on wider pitches than European rugby?

LuckyGent88 wrote: »

How did the new number ten go??

Don't think so Hagz. Clutching at straws comes to mind.

He was grand LG88 - better than Barrett, not as good as Sopoaga, West or Cruden. Crusaders midfield was a bit meh.

pickarooney

Why were SA so hell bent on getting a sixth team when the existing teams are poor, their best players are all going abroad and they have no money to fund them?

The Force, Kings, Sunwolves are all too weak for this competition.

Yeah_Right

Hagz wrote: »

I tried researching pitch dimensions to compare between Super Rugby venues and Northern Hemisphere rugby venues and came up with absolutely nothing. There just doesn't seem to be any information on pitch diameters for individual grounds.

Would I be right in thinking that Super Rugby is played on wider pitches than European rugby?

They might look wider due to some of them being dual purpose cricket and rugby grounds. This means the stands are further back and that can give the impression that the playing surface is wider.

thomond2006

JPNelsforearm wrote: »

Well seeing as their last squad went unpaid for close to half the year and SARU was called in to sort it out, the answer was to sack the lot of them and draft in as many cheap or contracted Currie Cup players on loan as possible! No wonder they find it hard to attract players, some Saffas came back from France to play for the Kings and were left high and dry owed money and sacked by the SARU. Carlos Spencer is owed a years wages irrc.

Complete disaster of a franchise, the usual ANC/SARU cronyism, pigs at the trough, screw everyone below you attitude.

Aside from what you mentioned above, does South Africa even have the depth to support six teams? It doesn't help that the ZAR is extremely weak, hence the number of players overseas.

JPNelsforearm

thomond2006 wrote: »

Aside from what you mentioned above, does South Africa even have the depth to support six teams? It doesn't help that the ZAR is extremely weak, hence the number of players overseas.

I think they do have the depth, but there are so many mitigating factors that have eaten into that depth. The rand would be the immediate culprit for the general weakness of SA squads across the board and the decline in quality of the CC. But the problems are systemic and go much deeper then the Rand imploding.
Before the Rands recent implosion SA had the guts of 350 players in France alone, I havent seen nor heard any recent figures on that. That has more to do with the structure of SA rugby which has replaced racism with another type of cronyism.

A lot of those players are essentially forced overseas due to "transformation directives", eg fifty percent of all academies must be "non white", same with playing squads. The teams have been massaging the figures to get around this for years, but its being enforced and the toll is visible in the numbers coming through declining. A lot of players are essentially told, "you have no future here", and English and French clubs at all levels hoover them up.

In the case of the Kings its top down corruption that did for them, ANC cadres appointed at all levels to promote black rugby in Eastern Cape, instead, they cream off the money leaving the Kings broke and no black players being funded in addition to leaving the guts of thirty professionals out of work/owed money.

SA should be a rugby powerhouse, they produce enough players to offset losing the "mid ranking" players overseas, the only problem is that production line is grinding and those "mid ranking" players that make up CC squads/extended SR squads are either, not being recruited, quitting the game altogether, or heading overseas due to the political mess the SARU has made of transformation.
The SARU could have funded coaching and facilities in the townships and at black schools, they handed the money over instead, the money is getting short and now the politicians are imposing the blunt instruments to appease the mob which will further eat into the player base and drive away sponsors at the lower levels.


South Africa of ten/fifteen years ago could have fielded six teams, they barely have two and half teams of SR ready/competitive teams at this point and it'll only stabilse once the rand does, I cant see them ever recovering to the point they dominate international and club rugby, the impediments are too large. Too many structural issues, corruption power bases etc to navigate.

I know coaches and players still over there, they are pretty pessimistic about the direction rugby in SA is going. Im giving you the condensed version here as I could write a book on it lol.