Super Rugby News
-
I wonder if there will soon be some jockeying to get into 6th position, and face the Waratahs or Rebels in quarters, given the poor form of all 4 Australian franchises recently? Seems like Crusaders and Hurricanes are fighting for 1st and 4th unless the Lions step up a gear and top both. Looking at the remaining matches it looks to me like the Bulls, Chiefs and Highlanders will be fighting for 5,6,7 with the second Aussie team in 8th. The Sharks or Jaguares would need a fantastic run home to sneak into the quarters.
It all makes the choice of who to rest when, very intriguing indeed. And the Highlanders v Rebels and Lions v Bulls matches in the last round might have some huge complications in jockeying for positions. i.e. win and get a worse draw for finals series...
-
@arhs The Lions have quite a tough schedule over the next few weeks - away from home against the Reds, Canes and Highlanders. Plus I don't think they're as dominant against their SA compadres, so right now I'm not overly worried about them.
So far, the top four NZ teams have all won their home derby games against one another and beaten all other comers - except for the Canes losing to the Bulls in Round 1.
So might end up a four-way dogfight, though Chiefs and Highlanders still have their SA tours to make. Hurricanes have to play all three of their NZ rivals away from home. Chiefs, Crusaders and Highlanders each have two of their remaining derby matches (excluding the Blues) at home.
All in all, as a Crusaders fan I'm pretty happy with our position, but basically no-one can afford many slip-ups.
I reckon the team that tops the table will probably do it with three losses - certainly not more than four and possibly just two (or one if you're the Canes).
-
A wrist injury is set to sideline Hurricanes hooker Asafo Aumua for the next three months. Aumua has had surgery on the fracture and faces six weeks in a cast. The Hurricanes then expect the 20-year-old to require a further six weeks rehabilitation. The injury was suffered in the team's 38-37 win over the Sharks and leaves them pretty thin at hooker. Captain Dane Coles is also out until July, at the earliest, with a knee injury, so Canterbury's Nathan Vella has been drafted in as the Hurricanes' third hooker, behind Ricky Riccitelli and James O'Reilly.Aumua and Coles both attended Monday's All Blacks "foundation" day in Wellington, even if neither are close to playing. On the Coles front, Plumtree said even a return in late July "was a bit of an unknown." Eleven Hurricanes were at the foundation day, including halfback TJ Perenara and wing Nehe Milner-Skudder. One's very near to a return to playing, while the other's not due back until late June. Perenara is able to do things such as lift weights, but his knee ligament injury will keep him out of footy for another four to six weeks.In terms of the June break, the Hurricanes expect a ruling within a day or two about whether flanker Brad Shields will be free to play for England. Shields has sought a release from New Zealand Rugby, who are understood to be close to a decision.Milner-Skudder, meanwhile, will either play in Thursday's Hurricanes Development XV game against Japan A in Levin, or when the Hurricanes host the Sunwolves at Westpac Stadium on Friday. "His return to play will probably be 20 or 30 minutes. It will either be off the bench for us, or a start up there [in Levin]," said Plumtree. Milner-Skudder's comeback from shoulder surgery will be offset by the absence of fellow wing Wes Goosen. He broke his jaw in the team's 25-13 win over the Chiefs and faces six weeks out. Second five-eighth Ngani Laumape definitely won't play against the Sunwolves. He still needs his two All Blacks-mandated weeks off, while first five-eighth Beauden Barrett and lock Vaea Fifita are both due another one. A decision about whether Barrett or Ihaia West will play first-five on Friday still hasn't been made, apparently. -
Pierre Schoeman cited for alleged bite
Schoeman is alleged to have contravened Law 9.12: A Player must not physically or verbally abuse anyone. Physical abuse includes, but is not limited to biting, during the match at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on 21 April 2018. Upon further investigation of the incident, the Citing Commissioner deemed in his opinion the incident had met the Red Card threshold for foul play.What an idiot.
-
The bit about Aumua isn't new (see the article I posted yesterday), nor the call-up for Canterbury hooker Nathan Vella to join the Canes as their 3rd hooker.
Hurricanes and All Blacks hooker Asafo Aumua will miss the rest of the Super Rugby season with a wrist injury. The rising 20-year-old has undergone surgery on a fracture which had forced him to miss the last-start win over the Chiefs. Aumua is forecast to spend six weeks in a cast and the same period of time for full rehabilitation, meaning a late August return to rugby.Canterbury hooker Nathan Vella has been added to the Hurricanes squad and will back up Riccitelli and James O'Reilly..
TJP's injury is more of a worry, esp for the Steinlager Series.Meanwhile, All Blacks halfback TJ Perenara has also had his return date pushed back as he recovers from a knee ligament injury. The delay places a cloud over Perenara's availability for the three-Test series against France in June. -
-
@dice said in Super Rugby News:
I wonder when Pulu is back. He was reported to be out for 6 weeks, but it's almost 8 weeks since his injury.
Maybe this week!
Blues Rugby
The official home of the Blues rugby team. Buy tickets and merchandise, get the latest news, view results and go behind-the-scenes with our players.
-
@stargazer said in Super Rugby News:
Pierre Schoeman cited for alleged bite
Schoeman is alleged to have contravened Law 9.12: A Player must not physically or verbally abuse anyone. Physical abuse includes, but is not limited to biting, during the match at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on 21 April 2018. Upon further investigation of the incident, the Citing Commissioner deemed in his opinion the incident had met the Red Card threshold for foul play.What an idiot.
Six-week ban for Pierre Schoeman
Bulls prop Pierre Schoeman has been suspended for six weeks after being found guilty of biting a Melbourne Rebels player over the weekend. A SANZAAR Judicial Committee Hearing found Schoeman guilty of contravening Law 9.12 – A Player must not physically abuse anyone. Physical abuse includes, but is not limited to Biting, after he was cited during a Super Rugby match at the weekend. The incident occurred in the 58th minute of the match between the Bulls and Rebels played at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria last Saturday. The SANZAAR Judicial Hearing held via video conference on Tuesday was heard by the Judicial Committee of Adam Casselden SC, Eroni Clarke and De Wet Barry. In his finding, the Judicial Committee Chairman Adam Casselden SC ruled the following: "Having conducted a detailed review of all the available evidence, including all camera angles and additional evidence, including from the player and submissions from his legal representative, Attie Heyns, the Judicial Committee accepted the player’s guilty plea and upheld the citing under Law 9.12 – A Player must not physically abuse anyone. Physical abuse includes, but is not limited to Biting. "With respect to sanction the Judicial Committee deemed the act of foul play merited a low-end entry point of 12 weeks. However, taking into account mitigating factors including the player’s early guilty plea, his good character, his good disciplinary record and his remorse the Judicial Committee reduced the suspension to a period of six weeks." -
Stormers beat the Rebels 34-18
-
so, HT in the Reds game and all those expecting a thrashing are on the money, looks like you may have (like me) picked the wrong team...
24-0 HT
-
@taniwharugby I think it is reasonably safe to say that this year's Super Rugby final won't be played in South Africa, unless the SA teams - against all expectation - beat their Kiwi opponents in the QF and SF. They won't finish top of the table.
-
-
@stargazer but like you said, this Lions team is a long way from the 2016/2017 version right now...
-
-
@chris-b said in Super Rugby News:
Worth watching Brad Thorn. Another who's been through the Crusaders system and apparently prepared to wield the axe over "disruptive influences". Seems to be getting a few results - at least compared to last year.
Did you start a job in the Crusaders PR department and not tell anyone?
How's Gibson going with the Waratahs?
-
Reds almost give it up and the Lions get a losing bonus point.
-
