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Aso shines as Canes thrash sorry Cheetahs

By Alex Fisher

Vince Aso grabbed a hat-trick as the Hurricanes inflicted more misery on the Cheetahs with a 61-7 Super Rugby thrashing at Westpac Stadium on Saturday.

The Canes suffered a surprise defeat at the hands of the Crusaders last time out but they quickly got back to winning ways with a comprehensive bonus-point win that included nine tries.

Aso was the star of the show with three scores to his name as the Cheetahs defence was breached all too easily, the South African province slipping to a ninth successive defeat.

Vaea Fifita started the onslaught in the 17th minute with Aso going over for the first time soon after, but the Cheetahs responded and grabbed their only points of the match as Fred Zeilinga converted his own try.

That brief confidence boost after 25 minutes was as good as it got for the Cheetahs as they suffered another heavy loss, their resistance disappearing after the break as the Canes ran in 40 unanswered points to move second in the New Zealand Conference.

Highlanders were equally as impressive against Western Force as another New Zealand franchise claimed a comprehensive victory, by a 55-6 scoreline.

At the half-hour stage, the two sides were only separated by four points but a lack of discipline from Force allowed their visitors to take full control.

Semisi Masirewa and Richie Arnold both spent time in the sin bin in quick succession and that saw the momentum switch, the Highlanders taking full advantage to score 45 points without reply.

Aki Seiuli and Rob Thompson both scored twice as Highlanders claimed a bonus point which could be crucial in the very competitive conference.

Lwazi Mvovo sent the Sunwolves to another defeat as the Japanese side were beaten 38-17 by the Sharks in Singapore.

Mvovo opened the scoring but did not complete his treble until the closing moments with two tries in the final six minutes, adding gloss to an impressive Sharks display.

The visitors finished strong in both halves of Saturday’s clash to take the game away from the Sunwolves.

Ruan Botha and Sibusiso Nkosi both crossed in the space of 11 minutes before the break as the Sharks moved ahead, and a late flurry from Mvovo wrapped up the points.

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Trevor 55 minutes ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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