Super Rugby

[rowan]

& the Jaguares again succeed where Aussie teams failed. 41-14 over the Cheetas in BA. They've got 3 wins against the Saffas already, whereas the Australian teams combined only have 1. A marvellous weekend of rugby all round (so far)

[Lizard]

The Hurricanes were superb. The Lions will be pleased that they have them during the test series so they will be without their All Blacks. Jordie Barrett looks as much a freak as his older brother (who, by the way, needs to up his goal kicking game considerably).

Ngani Laumape looks interesting, too.

[rowan]

Chiefs, Canes & Lions definitely looking like the cream of the crop again, still not convinced by the slow-starting Saders, while the Stormers and Jaguares are the other teams off to a good start. I'll be thrilled if the latter make the play-offs.

It's been a great weekend for rugby, anyway. I'd like to have seen Italy win - or at least score some points! - but that result aside it was all good news on both the international and Super Rugby fronts for me

[zer0]

Someone has applied the IRB rankings formula to the entirety of SR, and this is the latest standings:

[Spy]

Cool. There are more Lizard's around than you might think. Have they produced a power graph over time? Some of those teams would have varied a lot, while you'd think the Crusaders in particular would be a pretty steady line.

[Spy]

Had a quick look at the site. Couldn't see a full graph, but you can select individual teams and look at their track. The Blues and Chiefs are like bouncing balls, with the Blues getting a little lower at each peak and the Chiefs getting higher. The Crusaders are consistent as hell. The Lions are like a rolling ball along the bottom of the table, with a bounce up in the past couple of years.

Cool idea. I like stuff like this.

[Lizard]

Cool. There are more Lizard's around than you might think. Have they produced a power graph over time? Some of those teams would have varied a lot, while you'd think the Crusaders in particular would be a pretty steady line.

This guy is my hero. He even has the Raeburn Shield stats.

[rowan]

Someone has applied the IRB rankings formula to the entirety of SR, and this is the latest standings:

Nice work!

[rowan]

NEW EPISODE OUT NOW! Please listen on http://www.jrugbypodcast.com/ We talk to Kyodo news journalist, RIch Freeman, about the Sunwolves season so far, our best 15, and outstanding issues surrounding the squad. We also delve into Jamie Joseph's recent comments on taking over from Eddie, the rise of Chinese rugby, and whether Ayumu Goromaru will ever play for Japan again. Picture provided by fsg-art.jp/rugby/'

[rowan]

Still no news? In this case, no news may be bad news, indicating the organizers have thus far failed to come to an agreement. My hunch remains that no teams will be culled - not for 2018, anyway. It's too late in the piece now.

"Super Rugby: Sanzaar silence deafens"

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/ar ... d=11823522

[rowan]

I've always been a big fan of the Force personally and hope they remain:

The embattled Western Force Super Rugby franchise have launched a A$10m [£6.09m] fundraising drive to save it from possibly being cut from the competition as early as next year.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugb ... 45211.html

[rowan]

Hurricanes Development? Get an imagination! Call 'em the Zephyrs !!!



Go Zephyrs!! Definitely has more of a ring to it than Go Development side!
(In honor of the iconic automobile that became synonymous with Kiwi bogan culture in the 70s)



Levin is the excitement capital of the world

I covered a Super Rugby warm-up there once and Christian Cullen scored two tries. I got to know guys like him and Tana Umaga pretty well, and also Carlos Spencer - though he was with the Blues. Also interviewed Bull Allen once - very nice fellow!

[zer0]

Second half in Christchurch was a total cripple fight.

[rowan]

7-time champs looking ominous, and didn't have to come from behind for once as they blitzed the Force 45-17 to get round 5 underway.

[rowan]

Instead it was the Tahs who came from behind, for a 25-32 win over the battling (but improving) Rebels in Melbourne.

[rowan]

Kiwi teams pulling further and further ahead of the competition in Super Rugby - Lions notwithstanding. Even their weakest side is far too good for the other teams. Blues cruise to a 38-14 win over the Bulls. Bit of a shame, really. It was more competitive in the old days.

[Lizard]

NZ's worst team beats Australia's best, in Australia.

NZ teams now 9 from 9 v foreign opposition.

[zer0]

Which begs the question of, who will be the first to blemish the national record? All five franchises are playing international opponents in Australasia next round, so there's a real chance that it'll be 14-0 by the end of next weekend.

Alternatively the Highlanders WWI level casualty ward might catch up with them, and/or the Blues may spontaneously Chernobyl themselves. Though both are at home, so should be favourites for both matches. Outside of those two matches, I don't see the high-flying Chiefs, Hurricanes or Crusaders losing to the Bulls, Reds or Waratahs, respectively.

[rowan]

I'm just not sure this championship will be around much longer in its current form if the Kiwis continue to open the gap on the others. Let's see how the Sharks & Stormers do. Right now the Aussies have hit rock bottom, that's for sure.

[rowan]

The Sharks just held off the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein for a 30-38 win. They're looking fairly impressive at 4-1; same as the Lions; while the Stormers at 4-0 give the Saffas are fairly impressive looking trio at the top there. It's going to be very interesting when they start playing the Kiwis. Aside from the latter, only the Saders & Chiefs remain unbeaten after 5 rounds, though the Canes also look good on 4-1 and are very much in the hunt to defend their title. The Jags have a big one tonight against the Reds with every prospect of consolidating on their promising start to the season. At this stage, all of the Aussie teams have losing records, with the Brumbies actually atop the conference with a 2-3 record. But even more woeful are the Sunwolves and Kings, the former now the only team in the championship without a win on 0-5. These really are the 2 teams Super Rugby needs to dispense with.

[zer0]

I watched the opening quarter or so of their match, and the Sunwolves were very entertaining.

[rowan]

Did they manage to get more than a few dozen fans into the stadium this time?

Sunwolves 31 - 44 Stormers - The Sunwolves let a 14 point lead slip and go into a two week break with plenty to ponder. Check out our match report here: http://www.jrugbypodcast.com/sunwolves/ ... 4-stormers #Sunwolves #SuperRugby #JRugbyPodcast #rugbyjp

[zer0]

No, but it was played in Singapore, not Japan. Their playing games in Singapore is ridiculous.

[rowan]

Indeed.

Jags V Reds just kicked off. In the absence of the Canes, this is the big one for me this weekend. VAMOS JAGUARES

[rowan]

Jags 7 Reds 0 midway 1st half

12-0 half an hour gone

15-3 early 2nd

22-3 apporaching hour mark

22-8 into the final 1/4