Final: Chiefs v Crusaders
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@Stag said in Final: Chiefs v Crusaders:
That game was the best advertisement yet why Cane should not be the AB captain. Should be Whitelock this year and Barrett going forward.
Interesting take. The only really strange strategic or tactical error came when we kicked for goal from 53 out. Cane was off the field by that time and so was Weber. We were let down but I won’t blame Cane for going for a turnover two metres out from our line.
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The Crusaders' wall in the last 7 minutes won the game.
Not what I expected, which was for us to battle stoically for 60 mins but lose in a battle of attrition to a team with better players, with one of World Rugby's most feral home crowds getting under the head of the officials with those godawful vuvucowbells.
But, no. What we got was an awesome contest, margin on a knife-edge all game, and it all hinged on playing smarter. What the Crusaders needed with a B- squad was to reduce it to an arm wrestle and then take their chances, and pray for mistakes or brain implosions from the opposition. And luckily the Chiefs were pretty fucking stupid most of the match. Right in front of the ref. They were the better team in flashes in the first half, and for the first 11 minutes or so of the second, but they were given heaps of chances to play smarter and blew it. There's probably more than half a dozen deliberate decisions taken by the Chiefs in the second half that with the benefit of hindsight they would have done something different.
And the Crusaders kept them close, played to their strengths, played down the right end of the field, were patient and disciplined, and stole it.
In an arm wrestle sometimes the key head-to-heads become critical, where key players are utilised or targeted and nullified, and tonight in a couple of key places were edged or dominated by the winners.
Mo'ounga > Dmac
Whitelock > Retallick
Christie > CaneThe best team won the final and are champions.
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@Canerbry said in Final: Chiefs v Crusaders:
The Crusaders' wall in the last 7 minutes won the game.
That was epic. We made 30-40 metres without the ball and reduced the Chiefs to playing one-off the rucks and seemingly playing for time. The Crusaders found a second wind and it some them the game.
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@KiwiMurph said in Final: Chiefs v Crusaders:
@Canerbry said in Final: Chiefs v Crusaders:
Whitelock > Retallick
Surely the far bigger discrepancy was
Scott Barrett > Vaai
Scooter was everywhere whereas Vaai was nowhere.
Barrett > Whitelock > BBBR he was immense and MotM. All around the field
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@KiwiMurph said in Final: Chiefs v Crusaders:
@Canerbry said in Final: Chiefs v Crusaders:
Whitelock > Retallick
Surely the far bigger discrepancy was
Scott Barrett > Vaai
Scooter was everywhere whereas Vaai was nowhere.
Whitelock's work at lineout time was unsurpassed.
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@KiwiMurph said in Final: Chiefs v Crusaders:
@Canerbry said in Final: Chiefs v Crusaders:
Whitelock > Retallick
Surely the far bigger discrepancy was
Scott Barrett > Vaai
Scooter was everywhere whereas Vaai was nowhere.
Absolutely.
I'm not sure that Mo'unga was actually better than Dmac either and Christie versus Cane is well, anyway.
The thing that worries me about Mo'unga (and I'm happy to recognise that the Chiefs and other Super teams give them these opportunities) is that the Saders get downfield and in great positions off piggyback penalties and poor discipline.
His kicking game and manipulation of the field of play is not usually the reason that his team gets in the position to get points. Once they are there, he is lethal and tonight he was good in helping them get one good try, but if the Chiefs had better discipline, I think we'd easily be giving the kicking game to the Chiefs. That's a AB concern IMO.
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@Donsteppa said in Final: Chiefs v Crusaders:
Very flat. I was expecting us to win if it was an arm wrestle, otherwise I expected a Crusaders win to be much less close on the scoreboard.
Likewise. I was worried that if it was close that with the way we have played in second halves that the Chiefs class and pace would trouble us in the latter stages.
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@Canerbry said in Final: Chiefs v Crusaders:
The Crusaders' wall in the last 7 minutes won the game.
Not what I expected, which was for us to battle stoically for 60 mins but lose in a battle of attrition to a team with better players, with one of World Rugby's most feral home crowds getting under the head of the officials with those godawful vuvucowbells.
But, no. What we got was an awesome contest, margin on a knife-edge all game, and it all hinged on playing smarter. What the Crusaders needed with a B- squad was to reduce it to an arm wrestle and then take their chances, and pray for mistakes or brain implosions from the opposition. And luckily the Chiefs were pretty fucking stupid most of the match. Right in front of the ref. They were the better team in flashes in the first half, and for the first 11 minutes or so of the second, but they were given heaps of chances to play smarter and blew it. There's probably more than half a dozen deliberate decisions taken by the Chiefs in the second half that with the benefit of hindsight they would have done something different.
And the Crusaders kept them close, played to their strengths, played down the right end of the field, were patient and disciplined, and stole it.
In an arm wrestle sometimes the key head-to-heads become critical, where key players are utilised or targeted and nullified, and tonight in a couple of key places were edged or dominated by the winners.
Mo'ounga > Dmac
Whitelock > Retallick
Christie > CaneThe best team won the final and are champions.
You’re deluding yourself. Had the score correctly been 15-20 with seven to go, Crusaders would have had to try and score a try from general play, something they’d failed to do for 73 minutes.
What they did do was accept the gift from heaven, which allowed them to put the wall up.
Duff decision for Chiefs to go for sticks with five to go.
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@Canerbry said in Final: Chiefs v Crusaders:
Also needs to be noted, the pathetic performance of the crowd at the presentations has removed any moral high ground over crowd behaviour from a huge number of posters here for decades.
I didn't get to see it, but if the crowd was booing, that's really unacceptable and not cool at all. Regardless of the result, that was a good game of footy. I wish we had won, but you guys are pretty fucking good.
Edit: By the way, I checked social media and here is a direct quote from another Chief's supporter, so please don't take instances as indicative as the wider trend amongst supporters:
Was a great game. Very close & could've gone either way. Have to say, very disappointed with the Waikato crowd, booing the Crusaders when they went up for their medals. Not much sportsmanship shown. -
@TJ said in Final: Chiefs v Crusaders:
Pretty pathetic end to an awesome game with the crowd booing the refs. To watch that game and come away whinging about the ref is everything wrong with rugby these days.
The assist coach was whinging in his half time TV interview, that was utterly class less
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@TJ said in Final: Chiefs v Crusaders:
Pretty pathetic end to an awesome game with the crowd booing the refs. To watch that game and come away whinging about the ref is everything wrong with rugby these days.
The unassailable fact is that, between the ref, touchies and TMO, Crusaders were improperly credited with seven points.
Whereas the Chiefs were denied a try by the same group on quite technical grounds.
On any objective analysis, either both or neither ought to have stood. So either Chiefs 20 -- Crusaders 18 or 27 -- 25.
That is what is wrong with rugby nowadays: glaring mistakes using technology yielding an incorrect result.
Or put another way, while the Chiefs were the better team, they weren't sufficiently better to overcome officiating mistakes and three yellow cards.
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