Super Rugby News

Crucial

@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

So best case scenarios for each NZ team are...

Crusaders- win v Highlanders, semi in ChCh, win semi and play Hurricanes who had to travel to SA and back
Highlanders - beat Crusaders, hope Chiefs win and have to travel back for game in Hamilton then play final in wellington against returning Hurricanes.
Hurricanes, beat Brumbies, hope Sharks beat Lions, play semi in Wellington, hope Highlanders beat Crusaders in quarters and claim final at home without much travel
Chiefs - beat Stormers, hope Highlanders beat Crusaders so they get a home semi, hope to get a final against a returning Canes

Kruse

@Crucial So - in short, every NZ team wants every other NZ team to win - except everybody wants the Crusaders to lose.
Plus Hurricanes really, really want Sharks to somehow pull a win against Lions out of their ass.

JayCee

having not watched any of the Lions game this year - are they essentially the same team as last year? Or have they regressed or improved?

Bovidae

I haven't watched any Lions games either, but Warren Whiteley is out for the rest of Super rugby so that will be a huge loss. With Ackerman leaving they won't be lacking motivation to win the comp.

They are not going to be easy to beat in Jo'burg, as last year proved.

taniwharugby

@Bovidae Herald has some stats up today from the RR

Best tackle percentage (Min 70 tackles)
Warren Whiteley (Lions) - 98.1%

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=11891738

No Quarter

@Bovidae said in Super Rugby News:

I haven't watched any Lions games either, but Warren Whiteley is out for the rest of Super rugby so that will be a huge loss. With Ackerman leaving they won't be lacking motivation to win the comp.

They are not going to be easy to beat in Jo'burg, as last year proved.

Yeah, I think if last years final was on Jo'burg they would have won. Canes were lucky to just top the table in the end following the Lions loss in Argentina with a 2nd string side from memory.

KiwiMurph

Match Brumbies v Hurricanes @ GIO Stadium, Canberra
Date Friday 21 July 2017
Kick-Off 19:35 local
Referee Glen Jackson
AR1 Nic Berry
AR2 Will Houston
TMO Ian Smith

Match Crusaders v Highlanders @ AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Date Saturday 22 July 2017
Kick-Off 19:35 local
Referee Angus Gardner
AR1 Ben O'Keeffe
AR2 Mike Fraser
TMO Glenn Newman

Match Lions v Sharks @ Emirates Airlines Park, Johannesburg
Date Saturday 22 July 2017
Kick-Off 14:30 local
Referee Marius van der Westhuizen
AR1 Jaco van Heerden
AR2 Egon Seconds
TMO Marius Jonker

Match Stormers v Chiefs @ DHL Newlands, Cape Town
Date Saturday 22 July 2017
Kick-Off 17:00 local
Referee Jaco Peyper
AR1 Rasta Rasivhenge
AR2 Quinton Immelman
TMO Johan Greeff

taniwharugby

So hometown going to Canberra to ref an Aussie - NZ clash...looking forward to it!

Bovidae

SANZAAR have done some cost-cutting there. Apart from Hometown and Gardner none of the other officials leave their own country.

I'm surprised they didn't wheel out Ayoub for Canberra.

mariner4life

First the Brumbies get a home final after winning like two games all year. Then on top of that they get Hometown as a ref? We get it News Ltd, you really want an Aussie team in the comp for as long as possible. Maybe be a bit more subtle next year aye?

Stargazer

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/94837194/dane-coles-reveals-lowest-point-of-fourmonth-rugby-layoff-i-thought-this-might-be-it

Stargazer

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/94841202/chiefs-midfielder-charlie-ngatai-out-of-super-rugby-quarterfinal-against-stormers-with-ankle-injury

Bones

I get the feeling it would be more newsworthy if Ngatai was actually fit for a game.

Crucial

@Bones said in Super Rugby News:

I get the feeling it would be more newsworthy if Ngatai was actually fit for a game.

Yeah, you've gotta feel for the guy though. Just as his game and position matured and his class was on show he has copped one thing after another.

Bones

@Crucial his whole career more like it!

Stargazer

With Coles already signed through to 2019, it looks like our no. 2 hooker will also stay in NZ. That's a relief, esp because we have to wait and see how Coles gets through the next few weeks/months and there's daylight between Taylor and Harris, Coltman (who are also signed until 2019) etc. It gives the ABs a bit of time to develop the next crop, which is really necessary.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/94948939/all-blacks-hooker-codie-taylor-set-to-stay-in-new-zealand

Stargazer

Player welfare no consideration in Japan? This is just ridiculous. If I remember it correctly, many players also had no break before the SR season.

taniwharugby

for all those muppets saying Jordie shoulda been kicking in the test...oh wait, he's right footed isnt he?

Wurzel

I was relayed an anecdote from an old timer involved in the Lincoln Uni club who was cleaning up after practice one Tuesday and saw Jordie Barrett stay behind, banging over leftfooted droppies from the sideline, 50 metres out.

PN

@Stargazer said in Super Rugby News:

Player welfare no consideration in Japan? This is just ridiculous. If I remember it correctly, many players also had no break before the SR season.

I've never understood this.

If the players felt their bodies needed a rest, they wouldn't sign these lucrative off season contracts.

They are adults who are capable of making grown up decisions. They know their clock is ticking and all of them who choose to play more are doing so out of their own free will.

my 2c

The Silver Fern

Super Rugby News