<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="African Monkey" data-cid="611700" data-time="1472887103">
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<p>That would <strike>have to</strike> be <strike>contender fo</strike>r the worst game of the year.</p>
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<p>I was at the game and concur with most of the above. The first half was all stop start with practically no phase going above one or two before someone made a mistake or a penalty was awarded. I don't know how players like Brad Shields and Vaea Fifita can go from looking like real decent players to the "who the hell are these guys" that we have seen in the last two Wellington matches. They certainly are nowhere near the standard they played at during the Super Rugby season. Whether it is because they are still a little fatigued from that or whether they played well above themselves or whether the game plan employed by Coach Va'a is wrong for their strengths I don't know but they are streets away from where they were just a month back. At least Fifita still won all his lineouts with contemptuous ease, pity Wellington didn't call every lineout for him though.</p>
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<p>The new tall kid Walker-Leawere is hard to get a handle on as I thought he was supposedly the next big thing but all I have really seen from him is sort of a lumbering carthorse type player when he has the ball in hand. Probably being a bit unfair on him but he just looks a bit ponderous to me at this stage. Even Peter Umaga-Jenssen was quiet tonight and he is a kid I have seen play really well at club level but was not able to show up tonight. In fact you could say that about the entire Wellington side if being brutally honest, doing nothing of note but certainly plenty of forgettable things. That they did not manage to score a try pretty much sums up everything. There was someone in the midfield who stone cold dropped perfectly catchable passes twice when under no pressure at all, maybe Sean Treeby by a process of elimination but whoever was responsible it was something a paid professional player should not be doing. The scrum immediately started going Harbours way once Alex Fidow was wheeled on with about ten minutes to go, no more needs to be said there. Don't get me started on Sam Lousi!!!!</p>
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<p>On the other side Harbour weren't exactly looking likely to run away with the match, despite Wellington doing their best to encourage them to win so they too must have their supporters tearing their hair out (if they have any left after these last few seaons!). All in all it was one of the dreariest, disjointed, penalty infested, error ridden games of rugby played at an unbelievably slow pace I have had to endure. One wonders how many of the paltry attendence of three thousand and a few will be back for another serving of that slop.</p>
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<p>Despite everything written above there is still a team worse than the two on display tonight believe it or not. I shudder what to think Auckland will do to my mob come Wednesday night so shite are the Bay's displays so far.</p>
