Crusaders v Highlanders
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@SouthernMann said in Crusaders v Highlanders:
@booboo said in Crusaders v Highlanders:
@Darth-Sader said in Crusaders v Highlanders:
@Canes4life said in Crusaders v Highlanders:
@KiwiMurph said in Crusaders v Highlanders:
@Canes4life said in Crusaders v Highlanders:
One massive bright spot for the Landers tonight was TK Howden. Get him black, he has everything we are looking for.
And the chances he actually get picked? About zero
Grace who I didn't even notice will get picked ahead of him.
Grace isn’t big enough to be a lock or hard enough to be a 6
Who?
Reuben Thorne made a create career of Grace like metrics
That’s Reuben ‘Bledisloe winning captain and returning to NZ shores after 5 long years’ Thorne to you
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@Grooter We need to get more Ta$man boys back in the team quick smart!
Macca can probably take a break and let Fern Favourite Fihaki have a run, though.
SBarrett another who probably won't remember that game fondly.
In my mind, there's a correlation between letting someone run out first to celebrate a big milestone - and a shit team performance. If I were a coach I would ban that procedure.
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I couldn’t tell right at the end but did both Williams and Bower play the full game? I don’t think I saw Ponini come on for his debut?
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@ACT-Crusader said in Crusaders v Highlanders:
I couldn’t tell right at the end but did both Williams and Bower play the full game? I don’t think I saw Ponini come on for his debut?
Bower was replaced very late (77 mins). The Highlanders props played big minutes too (73 mins).
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@ACT-Crusader I think I recall the commentary said Calder was on right at the end. Not sure who for.
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@gt12 said in Crusaders v Highlanders:
I have not read the thread but who is this work-experience ref? Fuck me gently, just allows offsides, especially if you wear a red shirt.
Ok, I’m at halftime and fully cannot understand how this ref gets to be at this level. Landers have blown it (or had it blown for them) by not getting enough points with that much dominance (I don’t know the final score yet)
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Alright, well the Saders deserve it for being so ruthless with their 1 entry in the second half and the landers , well, fucking hell, way to throw away a game.
And, no more of this ‘Millar is a future AB’
What a fucking choker. He was terrible and then missed the kick to tie it. -
@darylmitchell said in Crusaders v Highlanders:
@Canes4life said in Crusaders v Highlanders:
This season might not have gone the way the Landers would have liked but man there is some talent in this team to build around. TK, Holland, Tim, Tangitau, Tele'a, JRK, Fakatava and even Cribb was very good tonight.
No mate, you don't understand, whenever a Jamie Joseph-coached team loses the narrative is always he has no good players and Jamie was simply unlucky, it's nothing to do with the coach mate.
Jamie's playing group short of experience you must admit, the only +5 year super players out there were Lowe, Fakatava, de Groot & Tele'a. Flipside Codie Taylor, Bower, Barrett, Grace, Christie, Drummond, Havili, Ennor, Reece & McNicholl. But then again Daryl maybe you're right my standards have dropped. household names Taniela Filimone & Tai Cribb had me thinking my Landers bet would come through.. It didn't damn you Millar I mean Joseph!
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Was at the game last night, brutal loss but story of the season really. Glad we turned up and made a game of it and even better to see the young guys step up.
For those wondering why Taine Robinson was subbed after he scored, he was holding his groin with a very visible limp and had to sit down on the ground as he got to the sideline, not sure if that was shown on TV but it didn’t look good. Hope it’s nothing serious for him.
For me, the guys that stood out for the Landers were Holland and Howden, I honestly don’t think they could have done a lot more than they did, they left it all out there. The whole forward pack proved worthy, Taylor, Cribb and Withy looked good. EDG had a big shift and is showing why he’s an All Black. Lowe, Jim and Tele’a consistent again getting through a lot of work. I was worried when I saw Dunshea was out and Cribb was in but he didn’t put a foot wrong and was impressive.
For the crusaders I thought Ennor had a solid game, very solid on D but Jesus Christ he must be the most strapped up player I’ve seen. Was down every 10minutes in back play so he must be carrying some pretty bad niggles. Definitely a quality 13 when fit and healthy. Tamaiti getting through the 80 at tight head was huge, another big shift for him. Reihana had a great first half but didn’t notice him much in the second, there’s a good player in there for sure.
Im not going to jump into the negatives and point out where it was lost, not needed and I’d rather focus on the good when you consider our season is already over. As I said, story of the season but 1 more game against the Chiefs next week and it’s on to 2026. This core of young guys have grown and really shown over the last 2 weeks they have the ability to be even better in 2026. Plenty to be excited about, just a struggle to constantly have a bigger picture outlook with how many losses we have had this year. I’m excited for 2026 with this group for sure.
On to next week against the Chiefs, here’s hoping we can put in another big performance at home.
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All Blacks forward escapes punishment for 'grub' flying headbutt but could face a hefty ban
Highlanders prop Ethan de Groot could face a lengthy ban which could make him unavailable for the All Blacks' Test series against France.
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@Chris thatd gotta be 3 weeks minimum?
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@Chris said in Crusaders v Highlanders:
Degroot maybe in trouble with the judiciary after footage of a head butt on Jamie Hannah during a clean out has come to light
Yeah I saw that when it happened. Well off the ball.
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I agree with those saying Howden had a big game. If Haig had a game like that I would finally be seeing what some people say about him.
From Crusaders perspective, it was weird. I didn't think they played too badly. I thought they defended well, but when they managed to get the ball back it was often in a shit position and they either made an error or were unable to clear the ball far enough up field.
Rivez did well, but he did make a few errors with his passing. Hopefully that doesn't become the norm.
And Preston's pass was noticeably sharper than Drummond's. Preston has the tools to be handy at a higher level, but he needs to show he can tidy up poor ball, something he has struggled with at Super level.
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@Crazy-Horse Preston's kicking in the final 10 minutes was a bit short of what I'd expect from Dupont (I think Justin was promoting his kicking as being similar) - three poor kicks in a row. Some pretty poor options all round from a team that currently sits atop the ladder.
On the plus side, the team that sits bottom of the ladder really should have tipped us (the team that currently sits top) over at home, so that bodes well for the comp!
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@Chris-B said in Crusaders v Highlanders:
@Crazy-Horse Preston's kicking in the final 10 minutes was a bit short of what I'd expect from Dupont (I think Justin was promoting his kicking as being similar) - three poor kicks in a row. Some pretty poor options all round from a team that currently sits atop the ladder.
On the plus side, the team that sits bottom of the ladder really should have tipped us over at home, so that bodes well for the comp!
Yeah, Preston is still number 2 for the Saders in my mind. Definitely needs to polish up a fair bit, but the tools are there.
