Super Rugby News

[taniwharugby]

@Bovidae surely, ideally (good planning-wise) if the Chiefs beat Stormers, they would stay in SA for the next match given the all SA affair in the other final, otherwise, if they win, come back to NZ and win, potentially back to SA for the final.

THat scenario is much better for thier chances of beating the Lions than the way it is likely to play out if they win

[Bovidae]

@taniwharugby The next step in my master plan is that the Canes, who should beat the Brumbies, then go to Jo'burg and beat the Lions. They would host the final but would have a return trip to SA to contend with.

[Chris B.]

@Bovidae Why not have the Brumbies upset the Canes....

Lions* could march to the title with victories over the Sharks, Brumbies and Stormers!

I'm getting my bitter asterisk in early.

[NTA]

Every club needs someone like Hodgson.

[Tim]

Interesting to see the Force thrash the Waratahs.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/94774199/retiring-captain-matt-hodgson-tears-up-as-western-force-beat-nsw-waratahs

[Nepia]

@Tim The Tahs really are mud this year. Special Agent Gibson is on track.

[Chris B.]

@Nepia said in Super Rugby News:

@Tim The Tahs really are mud this year. Special Agent Gibson is on track.

Surely a dead man walking?

[NTA]

@Chris-B. Had the full support of the board or something. Sure he'll be fine

[jegga]

Should probably be worried that the aussie teams are so appalling but then I remember the John O'Neill eras and I have no fucks to give.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/94776931/kiwis-25-aussies-0-winless-hopeless-australians-suffer-seasonlong-rugby-drought

[Stargazer]

This is from a SANZAAR post on FB:

QUARTERFINAL 1: Brumbies Rugby v Hurricanes, Friday 21 July, 9.45pm

QUARTERFINAL 2: BNZ Crusaders v Pulse Energy Highlanders, Saturday July 22, 7.35pm

QUARTERFINAL 3: Lions v The Sharks, Sunday July 23, 12.30am

QUARTERFINAL 4: Stormers v Chiefs Rugby, Sunday July 23, 3am

.
This is not from SANZAAR but I found it useful:

[canefan]

Top qualifier without facing a single NZ side? Rubbish. Here's to the canes running rampant on the veldt and putting these pretenders in their place!

[Tim]

How is home advantage decided in the semifinals?

[hydro11]

@Tim said in Super Rugby News:

How is home advantage decided in the semifinals?

The top ranked of the two teams.

[taniwharugby]

So it is:
Top SA 1 Lions vs 3rd SA/Arg/Jap
&
Top Aus Brumbies vs 2nd NZ/Aus Hurricanes

top SA 2 Stormers vs 3rd NZ/Aus Chiefs
&
Top NZ Crusaders vs bottom NZ/Aus HIghlanders

[No Quarter]

The Saders vs Landers game is shaping up to be an absolute cracker. I'm sure a few Cantabs will be a bit worried about that - losses to the Lions, Canes and Landers to finish the season after going unbeaten for so long would be pretty difficult to stomach.

[Stargazer]

@hydro11 said in Super Rugby News:

@Tim said in Super Rugby News:

How is home advantage decided in the semifinals?

The top ranked of the two teams.

Yep, it's easy if the Lions and Crusaders win their QFs, because then the SFs will be in Johannesburg and Christchurch regardless of their opposition. If the Sharks and/or Highlanders win the QFs, you'll have to look closely at their and their opposition's total competition points.

I think - assuming the QF seeding nonsense doesn't apply when determining the ranking and only total competition points are relevant - this will be where the SF will be played:

Lions win: SF in Johannesburg
Sharks win: SF in Durban if Canes lose to Brumbies; SF in Wellington if Canes beat Brumbies
Brumbies win: SF in Johannesburg if Lions beat Sharks; SF in Durban if Lions lose to Sharks
Canes win: SF in Johannesburg if Lions beat Sharks; SF in Wellington if Lions lose to Sharks

Crusaders win: SF in Christchurch
Highlanders win: SF in Dunedin if Stormers beat the Chiefs; SF in Hamilton if Stormers lose to the Chiefs
Stormers win: SF in Christchurch if the Crusaders beat the Highlanders; SF in Dunedin if the Crusaders lose
Chiefs win: SF in Christchurch if the Crusaders beat the Highlanders; SF in Hamilton if the Crusaders lose

[Chris B.]

@Stargazer Surely if the Sharks win and the Brumbies win the SF is in Canberra?

Brumbies will be ranked above the Sharks in the same way they're ranked above the Canes.

Similarly, the Highlanders - no way they're getting a home semi-final. They'll just remained ranked 7th. Reverting back to the points tables for the semis would be ludicrous - surely even SANZAR wouldn't come up with something as bizarre as that!

[ACT Crusader]

@No-Quarter said in Super Rugby News:

The Saders vs Landers game is shaping up to be an absolute cracker. I'm sure a few Cantabs will be a bit worried about that - losses to the Lions, Canes and Landers to finish the season after going unbeaten for so long would be pretty difficult to stomach.

Fear not, we have Hunt

[Chris B.]

@No-Quarter said in Super Rugby News:

The Saders vs Landers game is shaping up to be an absolute cracker. I'm sure a few Cantabs will be a bit worried about that - losses to the Lions, Canes and Landers to finish the season after going unbeaten for so long would be pretty difficult to stomach.

The whole thing is already pretty pretty difficult to stomach. Our prize for topping the NZ conference is a home semi against a full-strength Highlanders side.

I'd hate to see the fucking booby prize in this competition!

This conference structure has backfired monumentally on SANZAR - they have been made to look like incompetent wallies.

[akan004]

@canefan The comp is a joke, I think we all agree on that, but the Canes will not find it easy beating this Lions team in SA. They are a bloody good team.