The Silver Fern

This didn't age well

Great news that the man is back playing!

Lealiifano makes rugby return in Singapore

@MajorRage

Arrived back home from hospital, this morning. I missed most of the SR final due to an asthma attack. I'm okay again, but it was a bit scary for a while. Absolutely bad timing, of course (although I think I know what triggered it), but fortunately we recorded the final on mysky and I just watched it, although it's not quite the same when you know the final score.

I don't have much to add to comments already made. It was a typical final in which defence won the game. Todd and Read were outstanding in the forwards, and Bridge, Mo'unga and Havili in the backs. Lots of dew on the ground and a wet ball can explain some of the bad ball handling, but it has to be said that the Jaguares also made some really stupid mistakes. Their 10 was terrible. Overall, the Jaguares played reasonably well and they'll learn from their mistakes. The Crusaders looked - as expected - the more experienced team. Awesome how they changed their game plan when the first one didn't work and good decision-making when they went for the points when they were on offer. Mo'unga's goal-kicking is outstanding now and that's good for the RWC. Not sure whether some of the other rookies are ready though. Still think Havili should have been named in the ABs.

And then reading this thread .. jaysus. How can a welcome new addition to the Fern with a fresh point of view turn so quickly into an arrogant, trolling twat. Although it was quite hilarious to read how those who responded to his nonsense were referred to as the "Cantab crew & their cheerleaders", considering many of them support other franchises in SR games other than the final and are quite fervent anti-cantabs 52 weeks per year.

Anyway, 2019 SR season done and dusted. I'll put the Crusaders 2020 blog post up tonight (had already prepared most of it). Can't wait for the Mitre 10 cup now, oh, and yes, some international games ...

He may not have been at his best since his serious back injury and surgery in 2017, but IMO he's one of the best no. 8s we've ever had. A true All Blacks great and it has been a pleasure watching him play.

Thanks for all the great moments, Reado. Enjoy spending time with your family, and good luck for what's next.

Haha

@mariner4life said in Hurricanes v Chiefs:

i am going to carry on like an absolute fuckhead.

I seriously don't get why they replace PGS with Frizell. Grace makes way more sense.

I guess his name is already on the squad list of the ABs XV then.

Geez, aren't we all chirpy today! We all know why the ABs are playing tests against Tonga & Fiji, and not against stronger opposition. We all know that Tonga and Fiji (and Samoa) can't field all the players they'd want to have in their squad, and why. And we all know that they wouldn't even be strong enough, if they had all the players they'd like to have.

So what? Why can't you lot just be happy to see the team play? These are exceptional times, so expect things to be different from our usual July Series. Just enjoy the game, even if it's a one-sided one.

@antipodean said in All Blacks vs Springboks I:

Honestly we didn't deserve to win that with our inaccuracy and error rate.

We totally deserved that win. The Boks only kicked and wasted time.

@Dan54 Yep, two judiciary panels and two different offences.

Farrell - dangerous tackle - Law 9.13 - mid-range: suspension of 6 games if guilty
Moala - tip tackle - Law 9.18 - mid-range: suspension of 10 games if guilty

The thing is, Farrell by all means looked guillty and because of the head contact, should have a mid-range starting point, but what Moala did probably didn't warrant a mid-range starting point, because the Canadian player didn't land dangerously (as far as I can see) and they should have applied a low-range starting point of 6 games. I can't remember Moala being a repeat offender, so he'd ended up with a 3-week ban. Farrell is a repeat offender but gets off the hook every damn time, so they'll probably consider him having a blank sheet, too.

Result would and should have (at least) been 3 weeks suspension for both, but we end up with Moala getting 5 and Farrell zero.

Haha, Danny Toala, the player who couldn't get game time at the Canes, scores the winning try!!

An absolute legend of the game. One of the best, ever, has retired.

Maybe the best thing of this announcement is that Scott McLeod will be gone as ABs defence coach.

No more starts for SBW, please.

Haven't read the thread. I'm sorry it has become a bit long. Here are my very long 2 cents:

First, congrats to the Blues and their fans. Monkey is off the back, losing streak in Chch broken. I hope you celebrated big, or are still going to! It was a fun game to watch, although the red card spoilt it for a while, but that's exactly why I think the 20 min red card rule is correct.

My man of the match was Dalton Papali'i, who had a huge game. If Sam Cane wasn't the ABs captain, it would be a close battle between those two for the black 7 jersey. On form, I could see Paps winning that battle.

Props: Moody was good and sad to see him go off injured. I think it influenced the game in that it weakened the already weakened Crusaders pack. Too many lightweight youngsters in that Saders pack. Also good was Hodgman - I hope he's okay - who clearly had the better of Jager. Not sure he'll be back in black this year, though, although I'd pick him over Bower.

Hooker: Taylor was very good. He's gradually getting back to his best form. His line-out throwing was on point and if the Crusaders had a stronger pack, I think he would have scored more than one try off the driving maul. Someone on the Fern predicted that Jackson wouldn't come on. He was right haha. Good try to Eklund. Didn't notice Riccitelli doing something dumb yesterday.

Locks: big Romano, especially his size and experience were crucial in the Blues' pack; he was also hardly penalised for things that deserved penalising (going in from the side, offside). Barrett, see below, but when he's not doing stupid things, he's been the best lock in the country and being sent off hurt the Crusaders big time. It forced an inexperienced 20-year old to play 80 minutes, where otherwise he'd have been subbed off.

Loosies: already mentioned DP; Sotutu also had a great game. Good work rate makes a big difference and he showed he's worth that black jersey. Blackadder and Robinson were very evenly matched and went about their business as they should, but nothing spectacular. Didn't see in last night's game why Robinson is so talked-up by Blues fans. Probably not the game for it. Matera had good impact and should probably have come on sooner.

Halfbacks: Christie definitely the best halfback on the field, but I still find him too flaky and not always taking the right options. Knocked himself (almost) out. I hope he's okay. Bryn Hall needs a break. How terrible was he? I'm not a fan of TTT but maybe he should be on the bench in the next few games. Box kicks, especially when badly executed, yuck.

First fives: BB was good in the first half, but I still don't think he plays like a 10. He's a good ball runner, but his kicking game is awful. Mo'unga, who has looked like playing with the handbrake on all season, took it off when SB was sent off and was his brilliant old self. One missed tackle. Was that the one where he was taken out by Hall? It was costly.

Midfield: Rieko was outstanding. That try saving tackle also saved the win for the Blues, although it was on an rookie lock. If it had been a back , today's story would have probably have been different. But let's not focus on just that tackle, he was great all game. Havili had a weak game on defence, but on attack he was good; again crucial in the creation of tries. The card was a soft one. With the speed they had, it all happened in the momentum of the tackle and I don't think he had a way of avoiding what happened. Anyway, the letter of the law was applied, not common sense, so the card was given. Can't really further argue with that. Braydon Ennor, did he play? Completely invisible and outplayed. Fainga'anuku should have played in the midfield. Didn't see any reason in RTS' 15 minutes on the field of why he should be an AB. He needs more game time.

Wings: Fainga'anuku's strength is wasted on the wing. I like him more in the midfield. Still, a quiet game and he hardly got the ball. I hardly noticed the Blues wings either. I guess it wasn't a game for wingers, unless you're called Reece. Two good tries.

Fullback: I really like Perofeta, but prefer him at 10. Maybe they should swap him and BB. Best fullback on the field was no doubt Jordan. It's such a pleasure to watch him play! I'd really like to see more of Sullivan. Didn't have much impact in his 19 minutes.

Referee: he was mostly good, and Blues fans will be happy. I saw something dodgy that eventually lead to one of the Blues' tries, with Blues players being well offside, that wasn't penalised, but I can't be bothered to go looking for it in the game to see if the ref was right or not. It's good that this Blues' win has brought some excitement back to the comp.

Red card: before the game I already thought he was the main candidate for a red card, and SB didn't disappoint. Same level of stupid shit as Laulala's shoulder hit, so should expect same verdict: red card upheld, 6-week mid-range entry point, 50% reduction for clean sheet, remorse blah blah, and then being offered the extra "head contact coaching intervention" to get a week of his 3-match ban. Sitting out 2 games. I disagree with this, but if Laulala only gets two weeks off, then SB should get the same. Unlike Laulala, SB still has great value for the ABs, he's been the form lock of the comp thus far, so it shouldn't have consequences for his ABs selection.

Overall: great game to watch. The Blues have been steadily building the last few years, with some good recruitment. The Crusaders, I think they've not gone backward, that depth is still there, but injuries and other absences have forced them to bring in young rookies far sooner than I think they planned, and all at the same time, and that has hurt them a bit.
I'd like to see these teams back in the final, with both being full strength. Whether that happens, depends on the games against the Aussies: will complacency set in, how will the officiating affect the games, more injuries, covid etc.

Now waiting for the next game to begin. Have a great weekend everyone!