Super Rugby - June break matches
-
<p>14-7 at halftime.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Crusaders lineout has been very poor - they have Tupou at lock, Princep at 6 and Taufua at 8 - so Barrett the only good option. Both packs weighing in at well short of 800kgs!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Highlanders have looked a bit the better team, but lots of mistakes from both teams in the wet. They're both trying to play footy though.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Marty Banks looking the most assured on the park. McKenzie has been very ordinary - lots of involvement but his early kicking was awful and he's since been rag-dolled a couple of times. Havili with two bad misses.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="broughie" data-cid="590789" data-time="1466655734">
<div>
<p>Marty Mckenzie is really not that good. He is erractic and inconsistent. Good enough for club rugby. Why Canterbury pick him up I have no clue. The fact that he is bounced from franchise to franchise says it all. </p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>Canterbury? He won't be playing Mitre 10 Cup for Taranaki this year?</p> -
<p>My viewing got increasingly interrupted.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Out the corner of my eye, Thompson made a good breakout that led to a try to Toma (who I was increasingly starting to watch - looked sharp). Hunt got one back for the Crusaders from close range. Nadolo missed the conversion - 28-12.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And then I saw no more except the final score - Highlanders added a couple of tries to make it a bit of a towelling - 40-12. Will catch the last 20 minutes on replay.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Crusaders had a lot of possession, but looked less incisive than the Highlanders. I'm not too upset we don't have Matson as a Head Coach. Despite that he's got our backline looking a bit sharper this year, he doesn't seem to have a great eye for selection, or much innovation about him c.f. Tony Brown.</p> -
<p>By my count, 8 'Northland' debutants in the starting 15, 2 have played ITM Cup for other provinces; Breen - Otago and MAtich - Auckland....3 on the bench have played for Northland before.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="https://scontent-syd1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13524429_1316389991723595_4128013513025725152_n.jpg?oh=a1fae74b4653dd67cdde57179074972e&oe=57EEA90D" alt="13524429_1316389991723595_41280135130257"></p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Chris B." data-cid="590796" data-time="1466660377"><p>
My viewing got increasingly interrupted.<br><br>
Out the corner of my eye, Thompson made a good breakout that led to a try to Toma (who I was increasingly starting to watch - looked sharp). Hunt got one back for the Crusaders from close range. Nadolo missed the conversion - 28-12.<br><br>
And then I saw no more except the final score - Highlanders added a couple of tries to make it a bit of a towelling - 40-12. Will catch the last 20 minutes on replay.<br><br>
Crusaders had a lot of possession, but looked less incisive than the Highlanders. I'm not too upset we don't have Matson as a Head Coach. Despite that he's got our backline looking a bit sharper this year, he doesn't seem to have a great eye for selection, or much innovation about him c.f. Tony Brown.</p></blockquote>
<br>
Hard to criticise the backline play too much Chris when it's freezing cold and the pitch is a bog.. There were even puddles starting to form.<br><br>
mitch hunt had a good cameo, looks promising. <br><br>
Marty Mackenzie was terrible, fukafuka was just as bad. -
<p>Holy f*ck, the conditions in Melbourne for the Rebels v Hurricanes match (being played as I type) are really terrible:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cln49vAXIAA1d7c.jpg" alt="Cln49vAXIAA1d7c.jpg"></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yes, that's water on the field. Heavy rain according to the Rebels Twitter feed.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Stargazer" data-cid="590834" data-time="1466673352"><p>Holy f*ck, the conditions in Melbourne for the Rebels v Hurricanes match (being played as I type) are really terrible:<br><br><img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cln49vAXIAA1d7c.jpg" alt="Cln49vAXIAA1d7c.jpg"><br><br>
Yes, that's water on the field. Heavy rain according to the Rebels Twitter feed.</p></blockquote>
Cold snap moving across the country too. Going to be snow in the blue mountains they say. <br><br>
Playing rugby at night, in the wet, in the cold? Fuck that, I'm an Aussie! -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NTA" data-cid="590845" data-time="1466676050">
<div>
<p>Cold snap moving across the country too. Going to be snow in the blue mountains they say.<br><br>
Playing rugby at night, in the wet, in the cold? Fuck that, I'm an Aussie!</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>I don't see the cold and rain as a (potential) problem, but that field! Although, AAMI Park in Melbourne is not much better! :think:</p> -
<p>Box Hill in Melbourne floods with some rain, well for that matter so does Norths in Brisbane...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I played at Melbourne Uni on thew weekend and it was a bit of a mud bath too.</p>
