SR T-T FINAL: Blues v Highlanders
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If I were a Blues fan I would be hoping that win spurs them past their decision making problems rather than feeling like they can continue playing the way they do and getting away with it (although the winning streak suggests that size and personnel will pull them over the line eventually).
Clinical they are not and I hate to say it but if they were in Red and Black they would have run away with that game. The tackle stats alone were something like 5:1 at half time. Some terrible decisions and execution when the excitement levels rose.Anyway, we will see next year if they can continue the winning ways.
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Not sure how I feel this morning, almost like the after the 2011 RWC final, just a sense of relief because like that particular final in 2011 the way the 2nd half was starting to play out there was a sense of implosion happening , but getting the clutch moments in the final minutes were huge .
I also thought that the edge the Blues had at scrum time across the whole 80 minutes would be a crucial and so it played out .
So many little moments,Kurt Eklund get back in D ahead of Nareki , Dalton Papalii just getting a piece of Micheal Collins jersey when a break out seemed imminent, and I reckon the big one was Patrick Tuipulotu returning to the field to bring a sense of direction to the team
I see Patty T as a more of lead by example skipper as opposed to an in your ear Ash Dixon type character..Just on the Highlanders , they really are a hearty team , they stayed in the fight and with just a little bit of luck could have got a result ..
Have always thought their heart beat is around Dixon and Smith ..when you consider some of the players they don’t have available,Frizzell,Mikaele Tu’u and Fakatava who were all outstanding through the first part Super Rugby Aotearoa you have got to give them their dues .Finally on the Blues, I don’t think they are anywhere near the finished article despite taking out this title , their pack in the main has bullied teams effectively, but there still remains areas if they are to find the consistency and build a dynasty in the same way the Crusaders have done , they need to address .
So much talent in the backline to come back in with BB,RTS and Caleb Clark I want to see that are develop more as an attacking unit , it can only help NZ rugby .The Crusaders to me are still the benchmark team ,and you can bet bottom dollar this is not going down well within their organisation but on this day I am going to pop a beverage and raise a glass to the Blues..!
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wow, just re-watched the yellow card on Ash Dixon. That is as clear a red as you'll see, how on earth the refs got to the decision they did is incredible. 'secondary contact' my arse; late, high, always high, direct shoulder to head. It's kinda like red card bingo.
There was some origin level whistle swallowing going on out there last night. And the irony is that sort of contact is exactly what is tryin gto get out of the game
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@nzzp glad it wasn’t a Red , would have put a damper on the game , let’s see if the Blues put it on report , if not we move on
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@steven-harris said in SR T-T FINAL: Blues v Highlanders:
@nzzp glad it wasn’t a Red , would have put a damper on the game , let’s see if the Blues put it on report , if not we move on
The whole point of 20 minute reds is to avoid too big an effect on the game. But the ref bottled the call... And the consistency is just a joke from week to week.
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@bones said in SR T-T FINAL: Blues v Highlanders:
@tim said in SR T-T FINAL: Blues v Highlanders:
@bones Several people post his stuff on here. You went off on a post and had no idea what it was about. Settle down and take it.
Yeah I went off, take a chill pill bro.
I find cricket always relaxes me.
Well done Blues, always good when a talented team clicks.
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I've found previously unseen footage of the referees discussing Heem's penalty.
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@nzzp said in SR T-T FINAL: Blues v Highlanders:
@steven-harris said in SR T-T FINAL: Blues v Highlanders:
@nzzp glad it wasn’t a Red , would have put a damper on the game , let’s see if the Blues put it on report , if not we move on
The whole point of 20 minute reds is to avoid too big an effect on the game. But the ref bottled the call... And the consistency is just a joke from week to week.
I'm not sure there's a lot of logic in the 20 minutes for a red - I think the biggest impact is still likely to be ruining the game. Almost every card these days is around clumsiness - so cards are decided to a large extent by dimensions of clumsiness, luck and the referee's balls.
I'd make a red 10 minutes - same as a yellow, but the player doesn't return and goes to the judiciary.
I think that will help with consistency.
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@nzzp said in SR T-T FINAL: Blues v Highlanders:
wow, just re-watched the yellow card on Ash Dixon. That is as clear a red as you'll see, how on earth the refs got to the decision they did is incredible. 'secondary contact' my arse; late, high, always high, direct shoulder to head. It's kinda like red card bingo.
There was some origin level whistle swallowing going on out there last night. And the irony is that sort of contact is exactly what is tryin gto get out of the game
And they were desparate to find a card against against the Blues when Nareki ran obstruction causing the collision.
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@nogusta Yeah it did haha but that's ok, we move on.
Fair to say I nearly died a thousand times in the 2nd half and started throwing furniture around the house to the point where I needed to leave the house for a bit once the Highlanders took the lead, missed the Plummer penalty, only to return to see Blake Gibson crash over in the corner! I thought Black missing that penalty and Sotutu dropping the ball over the line that the Highlanders were gonna claw their way back in it and take it, and sure enough, they nearly did!
Gotta give it to the Highlanders, they were bullied around up front a fair bit, but stayed in the fight and nearly pulled it off. They have a great culture down there with a great set of fans. They'll no doubt win a title in the near future imo.
Stoked for the Blues too. People will say this and that about the comp, but to finally win something of note after years and years of failure and being the laughing stock of the comp is something to be very proud of. It certainly makes moments like this worthwhile for both players and fans. It's great from a fans perspective seeing guys like the Ioane's, Tuipulotu, Tu'ungafasi, Faiane, Gibson, Cowley-Tuioti, Papali'i etc. come into the side as boys and go through the tough times together, and then grow into leaders and take the Blues to glory after a long drought.
Time to take my Blues gear off I think. I've had it on for since before kickoff haha.
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@booboo said in SR T-T FINAL: Blues v Highlanders:
@nzzp said in SR T-T FINAL: Blues v Highlanders:
wow, just re-watched the yellow card on Ash Dixon. That is as clear a red as you'll see, how on earth the refs got to the decision they did is incredible. 'secondary contact' my arse; late, high, always high, direct shoulder to head. It's kinda like red card bingo.
There was some origin level whistle swallowing going on out there last night. And the irony is that sort of contact is exactly what is tryin gto get out of the game
And they were desparate to find a card against against the Blues when Nareki ran obstruction causing the collision.
I'd love to see that footage! If it existed...
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@african-monkey love your work.
Gotta give it to the Highlanders, they were bullied around up front a fair bit, but stayed in the fight and nearly pulled it off. They have a great culture down there with a great set of fans. They'll no doubt win a title in the near future imo.
I'm really not convinced. They were a distant second last night everywhere but on the scoreboard. They only really threatened penalties, and were only in the games as teh Blues coughed up possession and territory on a regular basis. Arguably played their final last week against the Brumbies, but will struggle to score enough points against good opposition I reckon.
As you say, though, great scrappy culture that gets teh best out of their players. Reminds me of the early Brumbies - taking players others don't want and turning them into a strong team.
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@stargazer said in SR T-T FINAL: Blues v Highlanders:
Tbh, I hope Dixon doesn't get cited/suspended. It may be his last year in the Maori All Blacks jersey and he's a great leader. I'd hate to see him miss that!
hard to see that there won't be a ban, but who knows. It's a pity for Ash, but honestly it's a pretty bad tackle
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