Super Rugby 2024
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@canefan I’ve got us winning in Auckland but losing in Waikato. Just a gut feeling. I feel like we’ll win one of those games so either or.
My reason for the Canes beating the Blues is I think the forwards will cancel each other out. I had the Canes and Blues backs pretty square as well but now with Reiko Ioane ruled out that sways it towards the Canes for me.
If I had to match up both teams for that game by position it would be as follows:
Props: adv Canes
Hooker: adv Blues
Locks: adv Blues
Loose forwards: adv Canes
Halfback: adv Canes
First five: adv Blues
Centres: adv Canes
Outsides: even -
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The Reds are good example of how much more competitive this year is
They've played all NZ sides once. They've beaten the Chiefs, Highlanders & Crusaders. They pushed the other two NZ sides. The Canes needed extra time to win and the Blues won the game with a late surge
The reason they are only in 5th is because they've been tipped over by sides they'd be expected to beat - the Force & Moana Pasifika.
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@Duluth said in Super Rugby 2024:
The Reds are good example of how much more competitive this year is
They've played all NZ sides once. They've beaten the Chiefs, Highlanders & Crusaders. They pushed the other two NZ sides. The Canes needed extra time to win and the Blues won the game with a late surge
The reason they are only in 5th is because they've been tipped over by sides they'd be expected to beat - the Force & Moana Pasifika.
I have mentioned this before, and I am still wondering- is the closer comp this year a sign of stronger Aus teams or weaker NZ teams? Probably a bit of both.
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Canes stronger
Blues marginally stronger
Chiefs maybe slightly weaker? I don't think they've peaked yet though
Highlanders the same or marginally stronger -
Highlander individuals might be stronger....but as a team im not so sure
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@Duluth said in Super Rugby 2024:
Canes stronger
Blues marginally stronger
Chiefs maybe slightly weaker? I don't think they've peaked yet though
Highlanders the same or marginally strongerYeah can't really argue with that.
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@Crazy-Horse said in Super Rugby 2024:
I have mentioned this before, and I am still wondering- is the closer comp this year a sign of stronger Aus teams or weaker NZ teams? Probably a bit of both.
This is something the Aussie revival fallating media drum up every season in an attempt to drive greater interest in the comp, this cope/denial has been going strong for the last 3 years since SRP formed. Bargaining and pleading with themselves that this long awaited Australian rugby resurgance is just around the corner.
They jump on every single opportunity to push the narrative that the 'gap is closing' after inconsequential solitary upsets like Canberra where the Canes players clearly hadn't turned up mentally and had rotated their squad after going to Fiji, yet there's absolute crickets after those demoralising record defeats to the Blues (46-7) and Chiefs (46-12) respectively.
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@ruggabee said in Super Rugby 2024:
They jump on every single opportunity to push the narrative that the 'gap is closing' after inconsequential solitary upsets like Canberra where the Canes players clearly hadn't turned up mentally and had rotated their squad after going to Fiji, yet there's absolute crickets after those demoralising record defeats to the Blues (46-7) and Chiefs (46-12) respectively.
I'm not sure what makes Canes loss to Brumbies inconsequential.
If Canes lose on Saturday that means they lose top spot. Part of the reason why would be because they lost to Brumbies in Canberra.
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Stuff's 'power rankings'
For some reason it's not Knowler writing them this week
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@KiwiMurph said in Super Rugby 2024:
@ruggabee said in Super Rugby 2024:
They jump on every single opportunity to push the narrative that the 'gap is closing' after inconsequential solitary upsets like Canberra where the Canes players clearly hadn't turned up mentally and had rotated their squad after going to Fiji, yet there's absolute crickets after those demoralising record defeats to the Blues (46-7) and Chiefs (46-12) respectively.
I'm not sure what makes Canes loss to Brumbies inconsequential.
If Canes lose on Saturday that means they lose top spot. Part of the reason why would be because they lost to Brumbies in Canberra.
I meant inconsequential towards supporting this narrative being pushed that the Australian teams are 'closing the gap'. The Hurricanes result was much less to do with the Brumbies, it was the complacency and mentality of a Hurricanes side that had won a franchise record number of matches on the trot and were simply going through the motions at that point, they had clearly checked out mentally - add to the fact GIO stadium is a terrible uninspiring venue to play at, the Hurricanes haven't won a game there for 7 years, and even the season Hurricanes won the competition (2016) they lost 53-10 because Canberra stadium is a depressingly negative shithole of a venue that seemingly drains the energy and enthusiasm out of our players.
This (27-19) result was an insignificant one because the Hurricanes were going to lose that week or the next, it was simply a matter of probability and the variables of consistent weekly preparation and maintaining consistency in backing up in high performance sport over a long period of time without a drop-off, it said very little about the Brumbies, they got fortunate to exploit a mentally checked out Canes team. It was circumstantial and not an accurate reflection of where the Brumbies sit.
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this is the arrogance kiwis get accused of, anything but give credit to other teams, when NZ teams punish teams for making mistakes we call it ruthless....when someone does it too us they were lucky to take advantage
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Waratahs secure ex-Wallabies and ex-Pumas props on SOS loan deals
The NSW Waratahs have secured former Wallabies prop Pone Fa'amausili and ex-Argentine international Enrique Pieretto on loan deals.
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@ruggabee said in Super Rugby 2024:
because Canberra stadium is a depressingly negative shithole of a venue that seemingly drains the energy and enthusiasm out of our players.
Despite the fact the game this year Brumbies vs Canes was played in lovely sunshine in the middle of the day.
Don't let facts get in the way of a good story.
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An article about how various small tweaks in SR laws add up to a big impact in the quality of matches
Speeded-up Super Rugby Pacific provides blueprint for wider game
New innovations since 2022 such as the shot-clock have produced less 'dead time' and a product that shows what rugby could look like.
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@KiwiMurph said in Super Rugby 2024:
@ruggabee said in Super Rugby 2024:
because Canberra stadium is a depressingly negative shithole of a venue that seemingly drains the energy and enthusiasm out of our players.
Don't let facts get in the way of a good story.
Ironically that seems to be the case every SRP season with the inevitable fluffing of the Aussie side's credentials, the Brumbies are so spineless away from GIO playing NZ opposition I think they'd sink to this Crusaders side in Chch, the only reason they will finish (3rd) above Chiefs is because this current half-assed format hands them a disproportionate amount of games against other aussie sides.
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"If the Super Rugby Pacific regular season ended today, Hurricanes would meet the 4-6 Fijian Drua in a quarterfinal in Wellington."
"There would be no second chance for the Hurricanes if they were to slip up in the quarterfinal, even if they had won twice as many games as the Drua during the regular season."
"As things stand, four Super Rugby teams have won more games than they lost this season. Five have a positive points differential."
"The Crusaders have won two of their 10 matches yet they only need one win to jump back into the top eight."
That says it all really...
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@ruggabee change it to a top 6. Top two teams get a week to rest before hosting semi finals while the other four battle it out in the quarters. Atm there isn't really any advantage of making the top two apart from hosting.
If the Canes had to play the Crusaders in a quarter this year, so be it. I think our side, with our set piece and the great balance with our loosies/backs, I think we'll have no problem taking care of them at home. It would be a different story if we had to go down to their stadium in those miserable winter conditions that give them such a big advantage at this point of the season.
