Crusaders 2024
-
@ruggabee said in Crusaders 2024:
@Crazy-Horse said in Crusaders 2024:
@sparky said in Crusaders 2024:
@Billy-Tell Nope but after years and years and years of cocky Crusaders fans. It's very interesting indeed to observe the current state of things.
Besides basking in the Crusaders looking quite poor, what do you find interesting? Hopefully it's more than just nah, nah nah.
I find it interesting just how much difference a change in coach can make (looking at the Hurricanes and Blues here too). Are we seeing how influential Razor was? Are we seeing a team that was more reliant on the missing key players than many realised? A combination of both?
I suspect it is both. I find it hard to believe a Razor coached team with this year's personal and a Penny coached team with last year's personal would have been this poor.
Hoping from an AB perspective it's the Razor factor.
I'm starting to think that Surfer Jesus is no longer a hyperbolic term to describe the Razor.
The team just got unashamedly thrashed by the 12th ranked team. The guy is genuinely a miracle worker having maintained such a cohesive and dominant team-unit performing much greater than the sum of their parts with extremely limited players such as Grace, Havili, McLeod, Ennor, Christie, McAlister, Strange, Gardiner, Drummond, Heinz, etc..
It confirms my long-held belief that these guys were all 'system players' under Razor and were never more than ordinary.
Yeah to borrow a basketball term, many of them were role players who seemed to know what to do and when to do it. It's a sign of a well coached team. We are seeing it now with the improvement at the Canes and the Blues and the continuation at Chiefs.
-
The Crusaders remaining matches (home team first)
Crusaders v Rebels
Crusaders v Reds
Highlanders v Crusaders
Brumbies v Crusaders
Crusaders v Blues
Crusaders v PasifikaIn 2023 five wins go you close to the top 8 (8th, 9th & 10th had 5 wins). 8th place had 24 points
in 2022 four wins was the line (8th, 9th & 10th had 4 wins). 8th place had 23 pointsI think the line might be higher this year with a few more lower/mid table teams getting wins
Crusaders currently have 1 win and 7 points
So looking at what's left surely they are almost 100% likely to win that last match? Very likely to beat the Aussie sides in Christchurch?
So that would be 4 wins and at least 12 more pointsThen they likely just need one win vs Highlanders (away), Brumbies (away) or Blues (home)
So they should still make the finals of this dumb system easily. If they trip up against the Rebels or Reds it'll get interesting though
-
@Duluth Super Rugby need to change the playoff system if they ever want this competition to be credible. The fact that a team with 1 win and 7 losses still has a chance of making the playoffs makes this comp a laughing stock atm. It's a comp that rewards poor performance. Should be top 6 or top 4 considering there is only 12 teams.
-
@Canes4life said in Crusaders 2024:
@Duluth Super Rugby need to change the playoff system if they ever want this competition to be credible. The fact that a team with 1 win and 7 losses still has a chance of making the playoffs makes this comp a laughing stock atm. It's a comp that rewards poor performance. Should be top 6 or top 4 considering there is only 12 teams.
Is it any wonder the NRL is genuinely more compelling to watch at the moment ?
-
@MN5 I wouldn't know because I don't really watch league but probably.
-
@Canes4life I dont watch any league, but by the same token, I have probably watched less super rugby this year than I have, probably ever (1 or 2 games a week, depending on match ups)
I am enjoying when teams visit Fiji though, certainly has the energy the game needs!
-
@Canes4life said in Crusaders 2024:
@MN5 I wouldn't know because I don't really watch league but probably.
I’ve seen about the same amount of league this year as I have Super Rugby but I’m somehow doing really well in an NRL tipping comp despite ( or maybe because of ) watching fuck all games. Life is weird like that.
-
I agree that this is a silly situation, the playoff system is shit.
Buy since your Canes are so fucking fliptastic this year, you’re surely not worried about the Saders pulling out one more starchy performance and sending you guys home right off the bat?
-
@gt12 based on Saturday’s performance I doubt the Canes are shaking in their boots. Still doesn’t change the fact the competition structure is cooked. I said the same thing last year when the Canes weren’t doing as well. They need to change it to at least a 6 team playoff, whoever made it 8 is a moron. Likely NZ bowing down to Aus again.
-
In a series of interviews that Stuff did will all the NZ Super Rugby CEOs, they all seemed completely in favour of the current eight-team system. They expressed some dissatisfaction with other general things to do with Super so don't think it was just them sticking to an agreed line, either.
-
@Mr-Fish said in Crusaders 2024:
In a series of interviews that Stuff did will all the NZ Super Rugby CEOs, they all seemed completely in favour of the current eight-team system. They expressed some dissatisfaction with other general things to do with Super so don't think it was just them sticking to an agreed line, either.
It lowers the bar, making it harder to fail. It's self interest
-
We’ve now reached the “he has the full support of the board” phase
-
@Duluth can they really keep backing Penney if the Saders don't make the playoffs though? I know the Saders have had their struggles, but they still have the cattle to make it into the top 8. Would be a massive failure if they don't.
-
@Canes4life said in Crusaders 2024:
@Duluth can they really keep backing Penney if the Saders don't make the playoffs though? I know the Saders have had their struggles, but they still have the cattle to make it into the top 8. Would be a massive failure if they don't.
Penney walked into a stable franchise with among the top 5-6 squads in the competition.
It's certainly far superior than the Australian sides. Hurricanes, Chiefs, Blues, each have stronger squads... but honestly who else?
Last season under Razor the Crusaders qualified at 2nd spot despite being a walking injury-ward for the majority of the season. Razor had exactly the same group of assistants and management staff (except for one change, Hansen) and ultimately got the most out of his coaching staff unlike Penney. The current squad is IMO strong enough to finish anywhere between 3rd and 6th & challenge most sides in a Semi-Final but they won't because they're so poorly coached.
