Four quarterfinals, four talking points - Scotty Stevenson
Playoff Rugby needs playoff preparation.
The Hurricanes ended the Chiefs’ oily rag campaign on Friday. They did so on their home track where they have lost just once in the last 23 games. A week before, the Chiefs had the chance to put 23 points on the Canes and earn home advantage for themselves, a mission that looked on track when they piled on 21 of those points in a rampant first half display that had the Chiefs fans delighted and the Canes coaches despairing.
The Chiefs did win the game but not by enough. Some pundits suggested they had lost the battle [for home advantage] to win the war the following week. That proved a nonsense. The Chiefs may have been bound by agreements with New Zealand Rugby to rest Damian McKenzie, and took the opportunity to take a cautious approach to the reinstatement of Sam Cane and the selection of Charlie Ngatai, but those decisions were costly in the extreme and played directly into the hands of the Hurricanes.
Playoff rugby needs playoff preparation and the Hurricanes got all of that and more by throwing their best into the last regular season game. That loss, and the lessons learned by their key playmakers from it, gave them all the momentum required. Home advantage took care of the rest. How much better would Damian McKenzie have been for a run a week earlier against the Hurricanes defence? Could Sam Cane have used a few extra minutes to get the body honed for the contact to come? The answers to those questions: Much, and definitely.
The Chiefs ran for 708 metres on Friday night, and forced 42 missed tackles. The Canes ran for 488 metres and forced 18 missed tackles. It is almost unfathomable, given those numbers, that the Hurricanes had the game sewn up well before the full time whistle. Well, unfathomable until you realise their playmakers had the perfect dress rehearsal a week earlier, while the Chiefs’ pivot sat in the dugout itching to be amongst it.
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The Crusaders Are Vampires.
No other team is capable of sucking the blood out of the opposition quite like the Crusaders. There are but three remaining ways to defeat them: silver bullet, sunlight, wooden stake through the heart.
If ever two minutes could sum up a season, it would have to be the two that brought to a close the third quarter of the Crusaders-Sharks quarterfinal at AMI Stadium. Leading 23-10 but having not quite managed to land a killer blow on the visitors, the Crusaders found themselves on the defensive as the Sharks sent wave after wave of prime pick and pop at them, inside their own 22.
It was an old-fashioned pulverising play that may have worked on other teams, but not the Red Velvet Sledgehammer. The Crusaders tackled everything that came their way and, after 20-odd phases, turned the ball over and kicked the Sharks back into their own territory, from which they would barely emerge again.
The Crusaders were happy to give the Sharks width all night – the fool’s gold as it is known – knowing that if they could convince them that there was space there, they would not have to take as many body shots through the middle. The Sharks fell for that far too often, and also dropped the ball 20 times, which know team can do against the Crusaders.
And then they just accumulate points on you and with your dying breath, as every last drop of blood is drained from your carcass, you look up and realise they have but 40 points on you and you have no idea how it happened.
The Lions are still the real deal.
The admirable thing about the Lions is that they just know what they are and they rarely do anything differently. That is why they have been in the grand final the last two years and that is why they will be in the grand final again this year. The Jaguares were kidding themselves kicking early penalties. The Lions go up in sevens.
They won the game on Sunday morning with plenty to spare. They won the game with Malcolm Marx – the hooker, for god’s sake – posting the most running metres for the Lions. That should not be possible, but somehow the Lions do stuff like this and it works. They won the game with Franco Mostert putting up 23 tackles, because that’s what Franco does pretty much every week.
The Lions didn’t actually have to fire too many shots and yet they still put 40 points on the Jaguares, while losing the territory and possession stats and being forced to make almost twice as many tackles. Remind you of any other team?
Home advantage is king
Every privately schooled baby boomer with a background in commercial banking descended on Allianz Stadium in Sydney to watch the Waratahs somehow win a game of rugby they really shouldn’t have against a Highlanders team that really should have but didn’t.
I’ll throw this out there: there is no way that comeback happens at Forsyth Barr Stadium, which is where the game would have been played if games won counted for more than beating the Sunwolves twice. Anyway, now is not the time to complain about a system that absolutely no one likes. The point is this: home advantage is a wonderful thing and the Waratahs know it.
Home advantage is about the crowd arcing up at perceived injustices, and hometown broadcasters repeating incidental acts of nothing a million times on the big screen, and the ball bouncing in ways you know it will, and being able to go back to Coogee for a recovery swim the next day. It’s knowing when you have a 3 on 1 overlap because you know what that picture looks like on your home deck, and it’s the energy of the crowd.
If there was a crowd.
At any of the games.
At all.
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Comments on RugbyPass
Four Kiwis in that backline. A solid statement on the lack of invention, risk-taking and joy in the NH game; game of attrition and head- banging tedium. Longterm medical problems aplenty in the future!
1 Go to commentsGood article, I learnt quite a lot. A big sliding door moment was in the mid 00s when they rejected Steve Anderson's long term transformation and he wrote Ireland's strategy instead.
2 Go to commentsHi Dr Nick! I'm worried that I've started to enjoy watching England and have actually wanted them to win their last two games. What would you prescribe? On a more serious note, I've noticed that the standard of play in March is often better than early February. Do you think this is because of the weather or because the players have been together for longer?
10 Go to commentsMy question in all this brett is who is going to wear the consequences of these actions? Surely just getting the sack isn’t sufficient? A teenager working the till at woolies would probably get taken to court if they took $20 out of the till. You mean to tell me that someone can spend $2.6 million and get away with it? Where was it spent? What companies/people were the beneficiaries etc? How is it just being talked about as an ‘oopsie’ and we all just move on and not a matter of the court for gross negligence, fraud, take your pick…
18 Go to commentslove Manu too but England have relied on him coming back from injury for far too long and not sorted the position with someone else long term . It will be a blessing he has gone . Huge shame he was so injury prone . God speed Manu .
3 Go to commentsI agree with Ben Smith about Brett Cameron. The No. 6 position has to be a monster and a genuine lineout option, like Ollivon, Lawes (now Chessum), Du Toit, etc. The only player who fits that bill right now is Scott Barrett. A fit and fizzing Tuipolotu together with one of the young towers, Sam Darry or Josh Lord, would give Razor the freedom to play Barret at 6.
16 Go to commentsOutstanding article, Graham. Agree with all of it. And enjoy the style of writing too (particularly Grand Slap!).
2 Go to commentsI wouldn't pay a cent for that loafer. He just stands around, waiting for play to come his way. He won't make the Wallabies.
1 Go to commentsGood bit of te reo maori Nic. Or is that Niko or Nikora? On the theme of trees the Oaks v Totara. Game plan would be key. I have one but it would cost you.
10 Go to comments> Shaun Edwards’ You should not have to score 30 points to win a game, as exciting as it is. This statement was surprising to me. It is nonsensical .I guess it is a defence coach speaking. But head coach, defence and attacking coaches all work together. They are inseparable. You score more than the opposition to win. It only needs to be one score. You score whatever the game demands, whatever the opposition demand. You defend whatever it takes. The attack coach needs to be able to clock up 30pts if need be.
10 Go to commentsWho’d have thought, not having Farrell & Youngs kicking the ball at every possible opportunity and playing flat and allowing your centres to run and pass would pay off? No one could possibly have seen this coming. FML. It took a LONG time coming but at least that time has finally come. England need to find a backup to Lawrence. Freeman is the best candidate for me, I see no reason why he can't play 12. He's big, strong, fast and has great hands.
10 Go to commentsLove Manu but he's not the player he was and I imagine Bayonne have paid too much money for him.
3 Go to commentsNew Zealand have not beaten England since 2018 and even that was a pretty close shave.
1 Go to comments“a renewed focus on Scottish-qualified players” Scottish-qualified is another way of saying English. England has development more players for the Scotland national Rugby team in the last 4 years, than Scotland has.
2 Go to commentsThis sounds a lot like the old Welsh rugby proverb “Wales never lose. Other teams just score more points.”
5 Go to commentsFinally,at last, Borthwick has done what the whole of England have been crying out for. Ditch the kick chase and let the players have freedom to attack and run with the ball. It was great to see. Ford played really well and for the first time in ages was 5 yards closer to the gainline which then allowed a more attacking position . Pity it has taken 90 odd caps to do so. However, this has to continue and not be a false dawn . One issue. Marcus. With Ford having one really good game in 5 ,is he the answer long term . Smith puts bums on seats and is terrific to watch . How can you leave him out before he departs for France in disillusion . England are in danger of Simmons , Alex Goode , Cipriani , Mercer and now Smith being unable to get a selection ahead of “favourites” of the management regardless of form . Great to see England play so well .
2 Go to commentsCockerill was an abrasive player in the mould of a Georgian front rower who will have the respect of that pack. Looking forward to seeing what he can do with this exciting team, hopefully they can send a message to unions like Wales that money alone doesn't buy you wins.
2 Go to commentsI like the look of those July matches. Hopefully they'll get some good tests in November too.
2 Go to commentsThis is a poor article, essentially just trolling six nations teams
22 Go to commentsConnaught man? How you can write that without blushing.
6 Go to comments