Long time people,
What a cracker year if you are a rugby supporter isnt it? Feel for the players though because unless you were int he Australian conference, the Super 15 was forkin tough.
Super 15
Best team won in the end without a doubt. My Blues, dissapointed once again, but I wasnt too bleak because I have had a few years of preparation! The saddest thing about that team is the fact that they talent and ability aplenty, just execution kills them. Their Semi final against the Reds was littered with silly mistakes, it may have looked like a hiding on the scoreboard but it was one or 2 silly options taken or opportunities missed that killed it as a contest. The Reds on the other hand were composed and took their chances. The other semi-final was another huge dissapointment. I really hoped and wished for more of a contest from the Stormers, but instead of producing a storming performance, it was hardly a drizzle!
My team and I am sure many people's team of the tournament was the Crusaders, if you watch rugby and know the benefits a home match on players psyche, you will appreciate how monumental their efforts were to get as far as they did. A win would have been deserved and a proper fairy tale, but the travel, requirements of coming to SA and back again would have been just one hurdle too far. but hats off to the red and blacks.
A lot of South African players really stood out for me, most of them from the Cheetahs, Ebershon (spelling) twins, Sarel, Riaan, Ashley. Lions showed patches of getting back to the top of the food chain. They have a good side. Chilliboy was the business, Bjorn Basson the leading try scorer. Keegan, Mvovo and Lambie also put their hands up. What the S15 also showed was that some people are just tired, tired in the sense that they are past it. Victor, bakkies, Pierre, John, Bryan, all pap. Duane, too predictable.
In summary I am quite over this S15 format, whats wrong with everyone playing everyone? This prolonged, ITM cup and Currie Cup is not quite working for me. The Australian conference was a bore, dont think i watched many of them. 4 points for a bye, i mean really? Wrong year to implement the extended comp, but alas it is what it is.
Tri-Nations
21 players INJURED, how stupid are we? But alas, you know the team that PdV took along with him wasnt the dumbest move ever, guys definitely need a rest, you saw the flatness the ABs displayed against the Fijians, they may have won, but it was all but convincing. The Bok team to Australasia was a team that performed in the S15, but guys and girls lets not be silly, Deon Stegman and Wynand Olivier, i mean really!!?? Are those fools Bok material? I think not! The game last saturday, showed some definite ineptness, and i have defended PdV endlessly, but yep, he and his merry bunch are clueless, properly! Kick and chase game plan, i mean thats sooo 2009, lets move on!
That being said, i think they will be more competitive against the Blacks on saturday. They would have learnt from their mistakes. Have a whole lot more urgency at the break downs and shore up their defensive system.
Ausies, all i can say is Quade Cooper! He is the new Carlos Spencer and then some! Genia as well is just on fire. They lost to Samoa and let me take a few minutes to dwel on why that should not be a suprise, or rather it should be the norm. I wish that Fiji and Samoa would be able to keep some of their top players. They have a great team at the moment, i guess because the bulk of their team has overseas experience (France, UK and NZ) but if you look at this list, some of the biggest and best All black players have Samoan ancestry (courtesy of Wikipedia), namely:
All Blacks (past & present)
John Afoa - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1062)
Sosene Anesi - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1054)
Ben Atiga - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1037)
Graeme Bachop - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 885)
Stephen Bachop former rugby player for Manu Samoa & All Blacks (All Black number 925)
William Birtwhistle - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 652)
Andrew Blowers - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 956)
Olo Brown - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 910)
Frank Bunce - former rugby player for Manu Samoa & All Blacks (All Black number 915)
Eroni Clarke - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 919)
Jerry Collins - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1002)
Christian Cullen - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 952)
Ross Filipo - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1070)
Alama Ieremia former rugby player for Manu Samoa & All Blacks (All Black number 942)
Michael Jones - former rugby player for Manu Samoa & All Blacks (All Black number 882)
Jerome Kaino - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1050)
Josh Kronfeld - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 943)
Pat Lam former rugby player for Manu Samoa & All Blacks (All Black number 928)
Casey Laulala - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1048)
Keith Lowen - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1020)
Lelia Masaga - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1092)
Chris Masoe - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1059)
Aaron Mauger - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1013)
Nathan Mauger - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1008)
Keven Mealamu - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1026)
Brad Mika - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1024)
Dylan Mika - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 982)
Mils Muliaina - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1033)
Ma'a Nonu - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1031)
John Schuster - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 889)
John Schwalgar - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1071)
Kevin Senio - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1058)
Dave Solomon - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 415)
Frank Solomon - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 387)
Rodney So'oialo - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1028)
Benson Stanley - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1102)
Jeremy Stanley - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 963)
Joe Stanley - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 874)
Neemia Tialata - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1060)
Filo Tiatia - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 993)
Isaia Toeava - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1064)
Ofisa Tonu'u former rugby player for Manu Samoa & All Blacks (All Black number 957)
Mose Tuiali'i - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1042)
Va'aiga Tuigamala - former rugby player for Manu Samoa & All Blacks (All Black number 900)
Richard Turner - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 917)
Tana Umaga - rugby player & former captain for the All Blacks (All Black number 961)
Victor Vito - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1103)
Bryan Williams - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 689)
Sonny Bill Williams - rugby player for the All Blacks & former Kiwis rugby league player, boxer (All Black number 1108)
Rudi Wulf - rugby player for the All Blacks (All Black number 1077)
Some big names here ey?! Samoan rugby is on the rise, they have some really big names who opted for their roots as opposed to AB jerseys, Kahn, Paul Williams, Mapusua to name but a few, so if theu get their story together it could be a touch WC for SA and Wales. The win has made the group pretty interesting.
Anyway I am not noremally htis bullish about the Tri-nations, but I think this one is a 2 horse race, NZ/Oz, even when the 21 injured players are recovered when Oz and NZ get here, they may well struggle to get traction because they wouldnt have had much match fitness. If we (NZ) beat Oz in the first game the title is ours again. This weekends game, if last weeks is anything to go by will be won by the Blacks. I dont think it will be easy, because the Blacks arent on fire either so they will have to raise their game. The Boks were dismal and will have to get a game. Motivation to prove naysayers wrong will be there and they will need no more motivation than to pip the ABs at home in the year where they host the World Cup
I really hope that its a contest on Saturday if the Boks win it will make life very intersting, it will do the ABs some good too, because then they will have that air of invincibility pierced and more work would have to be put in or for the tounament and beyond
Later...
