SF: Crusaders (Good) v Blues (Evil)
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It had to get to this eventually. As sure as night follows day, it wouldn’t be a Super season without the good guys facing off against the evil empire.
Blues look in great form. This forwards are playing with excellent cohesion and their ruck work is second to none IMO. What happens beyond their halfback is where there is some unpredictability and vulnerability.
The Saders have had one of the more up and down seasons of recent times. Age, injuries/foodbills, inexperience, lots of changes. There’s still plenty of class in the side and a belief in what Razor and co have established over many years, but there is vulnerability there.
I’m expecting a very tight game and for the Blues to lead for most of the game with a late comeback and 2 point win to the Saders. Should be an intense match.
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Blues not vulnerable up front anymore and at the lineout, can't be ambushed there like last time (especially without Whitelock and Grace). It will be interesting what tactics both sides bring.
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Easy Crusaders win.
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@KiwiMurph said in SF: Crusaders (Good) v Blues (Evil):
It can't be Paul Williams or Pickerell as I believe those are the refs assigned to Saders and Blues trainings respectively.
I'm picking Berry or Gardner is the ref for this game.
The Blues won't have a better chance than this.
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There was a good point made on the Breakdown last night how the games have progressively become messier at the ruck with the season/weather change with teams flopping, rolling slowly, slowing the ball etc and the refs have moved withit. Showed plenty of examples of stuff that was being actively whistled in early rounds but is being let go now.
Berry is a big culprit, as is Pickerell. BOK and Gardner probably fighting the change which leads to claims of inconsistency (or worse)
Anyway, this aspect probably play into the hands of the Evil (for some reason the title has them the wrong way around). They will be happy if Big Boy Williams is allowed to lie on top of rucks. -
Sam Whitelock may or may not play. Cullen Grace maybe back for NPC.
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@ACT-Crusader said in SF: Crusaders (Good) v Blues (Evil):
it wouldn’t be a Super season without the good guys facing off against the evil empire.
Your thread title doesn't match this text. I hope the plucky Blues can pull off the win against your Thousand Year Reich.
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Pffff.... you mean the age of enlightenment vs the barbarians at the gate.
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No fucking way
i bet big on the Blues to win in Christchurch in mid-May and they scored 3 fucking points. Never again.
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I have mixed emotions over this. On the one hand I want the Saders to win, but on the other I will find it a tad concerning. There are a number of players in the Blues that would make my starting AB 15, more so than the Saders.
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@ACT-Crusader said in SF: Crusaders (Good) v Blues (Evil):
for the Blues to lead for most of the game with a late comeback and 2 point win to the Saders. Should be an intense match.
I reckon the opposite - if we're not ahead when our bench props come on then we won't win.
Huge game for Olly Jager. I was very impressed how he went first game back vs the Drua. If he can stand up vs the Blues, he might play himself into the bolters thread. If he gets done, we're basically farked.
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In last year's final Blues had self-induced weaknesses thanks to Leon MacDonald's poor selections (12, 15, 2, 5) - fortunately he's now waken up and replaced them with bigger players who are more effective against quality opposition - 111kg Ricciteli over 103kg Eklund, 103kg Heem over 96kg RTS/94kg Plummer & 100kg Sullivan over 85kg Perofeta.
Blues are clearly benefiting from these changes (although a year too late) as I was calling for these selection changes before the grand final last year... and unsurprisingly all of those players were ineffective against Crusaders as I predicted, being among the worst performers in the final.
