Blues v Highlanders
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Sunday 14 March, 3:35pm
Eden Park, Auckland
Referee: Mike Fraser
Assistant 1: Brendon Pickerill
Assistant 2: Ben O’Keeffe
TMO: Paul Williams
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hoping for at least a closer one, last years one at eden park was pretty epic, think we will have settled a bit after the games with the chiefs
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@kiwiwomble said in Blues v Highlanders:
hoping for at least a closer one, last years one at eden park was pretty epic, think we will have settled a bit after the games with the chiefs
Blues forwards should win this for us I expect. Our forward pack looks lethal this year, really solid. I think our mental fragility is disappearing, too.
Hoping for
Akira to have a dominant game
Front row to crush it in the scrums (again)
Forwards don't give Aaron Smith any decent ball! -
@nzzp said in Blues v Highlanders:
I think our mental fragility is disappearing, too.
Looks like it. There appears to be a lot more belief that they can win against anyone, or dig themselves out of a hole if they have to. The changes at the top must have started it and Rangi does have an air of confidence about him. The old clichés about "culture change" "winning leads to winning", etc. hold some water. The opposite is of course also true and it was disappointing, as a Blues fan, how slow the organisation was to change things and get out of the funk. I suppose the random wins papered over the cracks enough to maintain the the status quo but it was obvious to most people that something was rotten in the state of the Blues.
It will be interesting to see how the Chiefs manage it (sorry Chiefs guys, but you aren't doing a lot of winning), all of the teams have been there at some point - even the 'saders were awful at the beginning.
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@snowy I keep banging the drum, but to me it's started with the new board and cascaded downwards.
The board sacked Tana, and put in Leon
they put a broom through the administration
they healed relationships between the partner unions
they have driven re-engagement with the fans, and setting the goal of what the team is aspiring toall the good stuff on the field comes out of this. We're finally seeing accountability in roles, and successful recruitment, etc. It's great - and it's setting us up for an extended period of success.
it's these people:
Don MacKinnon (Chair)
Richard Dellabarca
Andy Roberts
John Hart
Sam Lotu-liga
Grant Graham
Stuart Matherthe contrast with a dysfuncational board of a few years ago is stark.
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@nzzp said in Blues v Highlanders:
We're finally seeing accountability in roles
It's hard to ask the players to be accountable when the coaches, administrators etc weren't
I agree about the board. Both the previous coaches had three years to make a positive impact but both failed and the team actually regressed. The boards reaction? They wanted to appoint Kirwan/Umaga for a fourth year.
In both circumstances rugby interests on the board (the unions) didn't have enough votes to sack the coach but they could veto the appointment and force NZR to get involved. The second time the NZR got involved they did it properly.
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@nzzp Completely agree. When I said the "top" I meant the board, and it has filtered down to the coach and as @Duluth says the players. Hard to see them as the bottom of the chain as they are the most visible, and blameable (is that a word?) apart from us supporters. They are the lowest rung and cop it the most. Nobody listens to us fans anyway, even when we were shouting from the rooftops about the upper echelons of a failing system.
The right people are selecting the right people all the way down now it seems. A functioning organisation that some might call a "team". I'm certainly pleased that we appear to be on the right track, but I will be much happier if we actually win a trophy. Beating the 'saders would be step in that direction and any small steps are welcome after the last decade (plus) of misery.
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@snowy said in Blues v Highlanders:
The right people are selecting the right people all the way down now it seems. A functioning organisation that some might call a "team". I'm certainly pleased that we appear to be on the right track, but I will be much happier if we actually win a trophy. Beating the 'saders would be step in that direction and any small steps are welcome after the last decade (plus) of misery.
Winning comps is damn hard, but it is the ultimate aim. That said, building a healthy organisation that challenges for championships consistently is what you'd have to make the KPI. Crusaders have the legacy and structure to build good teams... and they've been blessed with a string of world class 10s, and the quality around them to nurture their development. No getting chucked in at 19 or 20 to win games and lead a team turnaround. Very few players have that capability.
Mo'unga arguably won them that comp last year, his performance in the last 20 against the Blues was ridiculous. If he gets injured, you're starting to talk about Mitch Hunt levels of backup... anyone triggered yet
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@nzzp yes they have the best 10 in the country (i'll ignore your descriptor) but right now the biggest advantage teh Crusaders have, and it's linked to my point on the Chiefs thread is
They have the only real veteran tight 5 in the country. Because 4 of them are AB squad members.
When you look at the average ages of the starting tight 5s, the Crusaders' is 30, the Hurricanes' is 24, the Chiefs is 23, the Highlanders is 27. Only the Blues go quite close at 28 (pretty much everyone is 28). That's a massive advantage in a tight game.
To be a success you need to build good players, and hope they get test jerseys, or you are back to square one really quickly.
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Speaking of trophies - the Gordon Hunter Memorial Trophy is obviously up for grabs across the two games between Blues and Highlanders (perhaps 3 games if there is a round 3 of SRA).
With the Highlanders losing it last year I can see them coming out of the blocks hard in this game.
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@kiwimurph said in Blues v Highlanders:
Speaking of trophies - the Gordon Hunter Memorial Trophy is obviously up for grabs across the two games between Blues and Highlanders (perhaps 3 games if there is a round 3 of SRA).
With the Highlanders losing it last year I can see them coming out of the blocks hard in this game.
I bloody hope so, Gordie was a top bloke and i want to see that back down south
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@kiwiwomble It ook us almost 10 years to get it so hopefully it stays put
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@african-monkey ...i like the spirit...but i cant like the post
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@kiwiwomble I'll like your post instead
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Highlanders want to strike first against Blues at Eden Park
Firing from the outset would be the Highlanders goal in Auckland on Sunday when playing the Blues in Sky Super Rugby Aotearoa.
"Assistant coach Clarke Dermody said in both their opening games the Highlanders had been points-down after the first quarter. "
....and the majority of games last year, or at least that how it felt, glad they finally spotted that
i cant remember the last time we properly bossed a game from start to finish...not sure a resurgent blues will be the first but i like we're going to try
