RugbyRebels

rowan wrote:& this, ladies & gentlemen, is what the table looks like when the Canes don't have a game in hand against the Saders.

1. Hurricanes 10 9 0 1 331:179 41

2. Lions 11 6 0 5 362:306 31

3. Waratahs 9 5 1 3 269:231 25

4. Crusaders 10 8 0 2 322:170 38

...

This is a good illustration of the insanity of the current format.

Neither the second not third place team deserve to be anywhere near the top of the table. Look at the pathetic state of of their record. The Waratahs are barely breaking even. Several better teams sit below them on the table, because reasons ...

Yes, I said there'd be upsets, but I wasn't expecting that kind of score. The Aussies have been as woeful as ever this season. No sign of a recovery at all.

In saying that, the Tahs are currently leading the Saders in Christchurch, but the hosts have just scored to close the gap to 24-29 midway 2nd half.

& Foley misses a penalty from in front which would have provided an 8-point cushion.

Saders score a converted try to lead 31-29 & with just minutes to play Foley misses another easy penalty. Tahs are determined to throw this one way - or at least Foley is...

FT 31-29. Saders out of jail. Foley deserves to be roasted in the Aussie press this week.

Landers make a strong start against the Lions, 14-3.

Just read that the Blues are now on a 16-game losing streak against their Kiwi rivals. Wow! & to think they were the team to win the first two tournaments...

Did Folau strike a blow for jesus?

Stormers 9 Chiefs 15.

Still the three nations are distinctly a class apart, and I do think this is one of the main reasons enthusiasm is waning.

rowan wrote:Stormers 9 Chiefs 15.

Still the three nations are distinctly a class apart, and I do think this is one of the main reasons enthusiasm is waning.

That in combination with knowing that 2 or 3 of the best teams will be deprived of a place at the top, and even the supporters of their unworthy replacements can only expect a drubbing when they get to the pointy end of the competition. This format ruins the competition for everyone except the winner.

& this is how the table looks at the conclusion of this weekend's competitions (Bulls just edged the Sharks in Pretoria):

1. Crusaders 11 9 0 2 353:199 42

2. Lions 12 6 0 6 389:345 31

3. Waratahs 10 5 1 4 298:262 26

4. Hurricanes 10 9 0 1 331:179 41

5. Highlanders 10 7 0 3 290:248 32

6. Chiefs 10 7 0 3 283:214 31

7. Bulls 11 5 0 6 297:296 25

8. Rebels 11 5 0 6 294:327 25

9. Jaguares 11 6 0 5 257:304 24

10. Sharks 11 4 1 6 329:328 24

11. Stormers 12 5 0 7 303:330 23

12. Reds 10 4 0 6 198:304 17

13. Blues 11 3 0 8 264:345 17

14. Brumbies 10 3 0 7 207:254 16

15. Sunwolves 10 1 0 9 240:398 6

morepork wrote:Did Folau strike a blow for jesus?

blow for jesus?

That's some kind of new religion!

Taste of the Lord's wine my son.

Realistically:

1. Hurricanes 10 9 0 1 331:179 41

2. Crusaders 11 9 0 2 353:199 42

3. Highlanders 10 7 0 3 290:248 32

4. Chiefs 10 7 0 3 283:214 31

5. Lions 12 6 0 6 389:345 31

6. Waratahs 10 5 1 4 298:262 26

7. Bulls 11 5 0 6 297:296 25

8. Rebels 11 5 0 6 294:327 25

9. Jaguares 11 6 0 5 257:304 24

10. Sharks 11 4 1 6 329:328 24

11. Stormers 12 5 0 7 303:330 23

12. Reds 10 4 0 6 198:304 17

13. Brumbies 10 3 0 7 207:254 16

14. Blues 11 3 0 8 264:345 17

15. Sunwolves 10 1 0 9 240:398 6

You want to explain how a team with 16 points goes ahead of one with 17?

Game in hand. Same reason the Canes are ahead of the Saders here. But I guess the Brumbies are not so certain of picking up points in that extra game, so maybe I should've left them in 14th.

So? Standings don't take "game in hand" into account, and it's not a given that they'll win their next game. Aside from that, it just comes off like your dull Hurricanes boosterism.

Do the Crusaders have more points than the Hurricanes? Yes or no?
Do the Blues have more points than the Brumbies? Yes or no?

That's the only metric that should be taken into account.

Funny to take a look back at the inaugural Super Rugby season's final standings. The Reds, Blues, Bulls, Sharks & Brumbies filled out the top 5 respectively, while the Saders finished rock bottom, followed by the Stormers, Lions, Canes and Landers respectively. Almost the reverse of the current situation!

The official version:

Canes and Saders have easy games this weekend and should continue to hold their comfortable lead over the chasing pack. Hard to see anything but a Wellington-Canterbury final this year, although the playoffs may prove tricky for the team that doesn't top the table. Canes really need to be mindful of that. Provided they get home advantage through the playoffs, they should be on course for their second title, and perhaps avenge the South Islanders for that somewhat farcical defeat in the fog of 2006. But due respect to the Cantabs, who clearly know how to win titles, having amassed more than the SA & Aussie conferences combined...

10 IN A ROW FOR THE CANES, 40 IN A ROW FOR KIWIS V OZ

But, jeez that was close !!

It was an odd match. Despite being close throughout, I never had any doubt that the Hurricanes would win. So much so that I barely paid attention. Same would've applied were it the Crusaders.

I'm happy that it was close. As you may have shrewdly detected, I'm a Canes fan, but the priority at the moment has to be a more competitive league, and I'd rather see the Canes battling for their wins than strolling to lop-sided wins. So this was best case scenario from that perspective. Canes win, but the Reds hopefully proved last week's disaster in Tokyo was an aberration.

You mean the 63-28 pumping by the Sunwolves? That result?

So we're roughly 5 rounds from the finish and the playoffs picture is starting to come into focus, though the race for top spot between the Canes and defending champion Saders is really going to be interesting. In fact, the two teams go head-to-head in Christchurch next week, and that could well decide it. Nonetheless, it's a tough finish for both sides with Kiwi opponents in every round with the solitary exception of the Canes' clash with ACT in Canberra in a few weeks. So anything could happen. But right now it looks like both the Canes and Saders will host quarter-finals, along with the Lions and NSW. Otago, the Chiefs and the Rebels (first time?) are likely to be among the visiting teams, while the final spot will almost certainly be one of the SA Conference teams (Jaguares included), and that's shaping up as a real dogfight! The Reds, Blues & Brumbies are still in the equation mathematically but will require a dramatic improvement in form, while the hapless Sunwolves are already out of it - once again.

1. Hurricanes 11 10 0 1 369:213 45

2. Lions 12 6 0 6 389:345 31

3. Waratahs 10 5 1 4 298:262 26

4. Crusaders 11 9 0 2 353:199 42

5. Highlanders 10 7 0 3 290:248 32

6. Chiefs 10 7 0 3 283:214 31

7. Rebels 11 5 0 6 294:327 25

8. Jaguares 11 6 0 5 257:304 24

9. Bulls 11 5 0 6 297:296 24

10. Sharks 11 4 1 6 329:328 24

11. Stormers 12 5 0 7 303:330 23

12. Reds 11 4 0 7 232:342 18

13. Blues 11 3 0 8 264:345 17

14. Brumbies 10 3 0 7 207:254 16

15. Sunwolves 10 1 0 9 240:398 6

Canterbury get the job done in Auckland. Next week they host Wellington. That's going to be huge

By the way, I read that the Canes have equaled their own record with 10 wins in a row and drew the biggest crowd of the season so far with over 16K for the Reds.

Tahs take a 22 point lead over the Landers into the final 1/4 in Sydney. Is this it then? Are the Aussies about to snap their 40-game losing streak against the Kiwis ??

Folau on fire! NSW are cruising now. 41-12 inside the last 10.

& that's the FT score. The Aussie nightmare ends! Well done, Tahs - who also take a massive step toward the Aussie conference title and home-advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

& now we have the Sharks ahead of the Chiefs headed toward halftime . . .

15-10
25-17 final 1/4
FT 28-24. Sharks win.

I wouldn't say the wheels are coming off the Kiwi juggernaut just yet, but this is better from the Aussies & Saffas.

Brumbies really taking it to the Lions now. Wow! It's like the good ol' days again - upsets and thrillers galore!!

Lions lead 28-24 in the final 1/4

A couple of cards pretty much ended the Brumbies' prospects, however, and it's 35-24 with just a few minutes to play.

Yes, it was Arnold's high tackle on Jantjies that brought a red card out, swiftly followed by a yellow.

Lions now 42-24 with time just about up.

So looks like the top 4 teams all win this weekend. But, interestingly, only two of the Kiwi teams managed to do so...