Super Rugby 2024
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@Bones said in Super Rugby 2024:
What the fuck is with the Aussie obsession with talking to players in the middle of the game? Flicked over to the women's game just now and they've got two players kitted up with phones and a mic for an interview as they walk off for halftime.
Bizarre and really can't see what it adds.
It’s ridiculous. What’s next ? Miking up cricket players for inane chats while fielding ?
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At one stage they were interviewing players after they scored tries.
I remember Henry Speight scoring a try and was gasping for breath as he had a microphone shoved in his face haha.
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I get the feeling that this might just be the round where we finally see the competition take a bit of shape. Blues to me have looked the pace setters (granted the Canes are unbeaten) and after the Chiefs fell over last night, would not be stunned to see the Blues right on the Canes tail after tonight.
The Chiefs have been the opposite of the Crusaders IMO... haven't really played that well for larger stretches (barring the Brumbies game), but have managed to win a couple of tight ones. That loss last night was coming, the fact that quite a few people picked it, even though the Crusaders were the underdogs speaks to that.
The Crusaders will kick on from here, but they won't win the comp IMO. The Crusaders can't play much better than that, even if you sub in their other guys once back fit. Burke makes a difference, but not enough of a difference IMO. I also think their midfield has not been quite near enough.
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@frugby I think the Chiefs and Blues are plating the long game. Both are a bit scarred from 2022/2023 where they were the pace setters throughout the comps those years only to fall at the final hurdle, hence why I don't think the Chiefs have wanted to peak too early so far, and the Blues have also been stumbling along but are happy in doing so.
Yes, the Crusaders bought it yesterday and would have won against most last night and as you said, will most likely kick on from here, but I feel that the Chiefs attitude towards this game was summed up in the team selections, and didn't take this game as seriously as they would have in previous seasons.
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@African-Monkey said in Super Rugby 2024:
@frugby I think the Chiefs and Blues are plating the long game. Both are a bit scarred from 2022/2023 where they were the pace setters throughout the comps those years only to fall at the final hurdle, hence why I don't think the Chiefs have wanted to peak too early so far, and the Blues have also been stumbling along but are happy in doing so.
Yes, the Crusaders bought it yesterday and would have won against most last night and as you said, will most likely kick on from here, but I feel that the Chiefs attitude towards this game was summed up in the team selections, and didn't take this game as seriously as they would have in previous seasons.
I just haven't been that impressed by the Chiefs this year. The Blues just look to be there... their issue in the crunch will be whether their tight five is good enough, but at the moment they just look the best bet to me.
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@frugby I disagree, the Canes have been the pace setters so far, they lead most of the key stats. Even before those outside backs went off in that Blues v Canes clash the Canes looked the better of the two sides. If they beat the Highlanders down in Dunedin tonight you’d find it hard to argue against them being favourites. They’ve managed their squad very well aswell, resting almost their whole frontline team last week and still managed to dominate. A team that can do that will always be one of the favourites for the comp. They’ve got plenty of room for improvement aswell and they’ve only played once at Sky Stadium this year, so plenty of home games to come.
Blues look to have an easier run home so they might get up to first place in the end but right now the Canes are setting the pace but will need to get the W tonight.
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@Canes4life said in Super Rugby 2024:
@frugby I disagree, the Canes have been the pace setters so far, they lead most of the key stats. Even before those outside backs went off in that Blues v Canes clash the Canes looked the better of the two sides. If they beat the Highlanders down in Dunedin tonight you’d find it hard to argue against them being favourites. They’ve managed their squad very well aswell, resting almost their whole frontline team last week and still managed to dominate. A team that can do that will always be one of the favourites for the comp. They’ve got plenty of room for improvement aswell and they’ve only played once at Sky Stadium this year, so plenty of home games to come.
Blues look to have an easier run home so they might get up to first place in the end but right now the Canes are setting the pace but will need to get the W tonight.
Technically speaking, yes the Canes are the pace-setters, but IMO, the Blues look the best. That's an opinion thing I guess, so perhaps pace-setters was the wrong term.
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The bye rounds suck the life out of the competition.
6 games a week is the norm now we have 4 games a week for the next 3 weeks. Maybe they need to spread the byes out more and have minimum of 5 games a weekend?
Not helped by the fact that the two Kiwi teams this weekend are heavy favourites in their matches. Perhaps some derby matches could be saved up for the bye rounds?
The next all kiwi match is April 13th (Canes v Chiefs). The next one after that is 11th May (Highlanders v Crusaders)
The interest in the next month or so really depends on the Aussies providing a few upsets
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@Duluth said in Super Rugby 2024:
The bye rounds suck the life out of the competition.
6 games a week is the norm now we have 4 games a week for the next 3 weeks. Maybe they need to spread the byes out more and have minimum of 5 games a weekend?
Isn't the players association behind this? I remember reading NZPA don't want more than 15 regular games, Super has 14 atm.
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@Bones said in Super Rugby 2024:
@Duluth they don't even need bye rounds.
Agree, isn't that what we have wider squads for? Why must we have byes in a 14 game season.
Even the Top League now features more games (16) than the current iteration of Super Rugby.
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@Duluth when you add in the mandatory rest weeks for All Blacks, it really is a blight on the comp. I mean Shaun Stevenson getting a rest this week because of it is just a sham.
Instead of having games off, they should do it by mins played so atleast ABs can still be involved. Super Rugby and the media harp on about players turning up but how do they expect fans to turn up if All Black's aren't involved.
Take the Crusaders vs Chiefs match last week as an example, fans were robbed of DMac in such an important game, a result that could have been quite different if he was playing.
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@Canes4life said in Super Rugby 2024:
@Duluth when you add in the mandatory rest weeks for All Blacks, it really is a blight on the comp. I mean Shaun Stevenson getting a rest this week because of it is just a sham.
Instead of having games off, they should do it by mins played so atleast ABs can still be involved. Super Rugby and the media harp on about players turning up but how do they expect fans to turn up if All Black's aren't involved.
Take the Crusaders vs Chiefs match last week as an example, fans were robbed of DMac in such an important game, a result that could have been quite different if he was playing.
Mate DMac was crocked last week, so wouldn't have played anyway. I don't get why the mandatory rest hurts comp, and coach worth his salt is rotating his players anyway. Canes are resting players that aren't ABs , it just make sense. I understnd you point on minutes, but from listening to players, the break from training is probably the biggest thing, why all the players disprese on bye weeks etc.
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@Canes4life said in Super Rugby 2024:
they should do it by mins played so atleast ABs can still be involved
I would imagine AB rest isn't just for games so that doesn't really work.
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Kurtley Beale has signed with the Western Force from the Waratahs as injury cover.
