Super Rugby News

Bovidae

This would be my 23 (suggestions on who Cooper and co may select):

Hames
Harris
Laulala
Retallick
Bird
Brown/Messam
Cane
Messam/Brown (could be Seu or Ardron)
Weber
DMac
Alaimalo
Ngatai
ALB
Pulu (TNW when fit)
Stevenson
Taukei'aho (they will pick Polwart, whose lineout throwing is crap)
Graham (Ross until then)
Moli
Seu
Boshier
TTT
Falcon
An outside back - Pulu, MMac or Aumua

antipodean

@nepia Gives hope to Blues supporters

G-Man

@mariner4life said in Super Rugby News:

Um, super rugby started last weekend! The fuck?

Only the second tier competition

alt text

Regards,
Lions Supporters

booboo

@antipodean said in Super Rugby News:

I'm happy to see two packs at it like that. The pain in their legs. Means when the ball comes out for a phase or two there's more room.

This. Contest at scrum time. As long as they're not scrumming fo penalties.

Bones

@mariner4life said in Super Rugby News:

looking at that Chiefs roster, not only could i not pick the vast majority of them out of a line-up, i don't even know roughly what positions they play.

Any chance someone could pick out a best 23 for me?

This was pretty funny followed by a post containing a team chock full of internationals. I thought you were either NTA or Mn5.

Milk

@nepia said in Super Rugby News:

@kiwimurph That's a decent looking team which will be decimated by injuries in a couple of weeks and will look like:
2. Harris

You think Harris is going to last a couple of weeks? Cute.

Nepia

@milk said in Super Rugby News:

@nepia said in Super Rugby News:

@kiwimurph That's a decent looking team which will be decimated by injuries in a couple of weeks and will look like:
2. Harris

You think Harris is going to last a couple of weeks? Cute.

I wanted to keep the BoP boy in there since M4L was the one who originally asked.

Bovidae

Here are the refs for R2. Everyone's favourite sevens ref is in charge in Pretoria.

Match : Highlanders v Blues
Date : Friday 23 February
Venue : Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
Referee: Jamie Nutbrown (New Zealand)
Assistant Ref 1:Nick Briant (New Zealand),
Assistant Ref 2:James Doleman (New Zealand)
TMO : Aaron Paterson (New Zealand)

Match : Rebels v Reds
Date : Friday 23 February
Venue : AAMI Park, Melbourne
Referee: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
Assistant Ref 1:Nicholas Berry (Australia),
Assistant Ref 2:Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO : Ian Smith (Australia)

Match : Sunwolves v Brumbies
Date : Saturday 24 February
Venue : Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, Tokyo
Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Assistant Ref 1:Egon Seconds (South Africa),
Assistant Ref 2:Shuhei Kubo (Japan)
TMO :Minoru Fuji (Japan)

Match : Crusaders v Chiefs
Date : Saturday 24 February
Venue : AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Ref 1: Nick Briant (New Zealand),
Assistant Ref 2:James Doleman (New Zealand)
TMO : Aaron Paterson (New Zealand)

Match : Waratahs v Stormers
Date : Saturday 24 February
Venue : Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant Ref 1:Mike Fraser (New Zealand),
Assistant Ref 2:William Houston (Australia)
TMO : George Ayoub (Australia)

Match : Lions v Jaguares
Date : Saturday 24 February
Venue : Emirates Airlines Park, Johannesburg
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant Ref 1:AJ Jacobs (South Africa),
Assistant Ref 2:Jaco Pretorius (South Africa)
TMO :Willie Vos (South Africa)

Match : Bulls v Hurricanes
Date : Saturday 24 February
Venue : Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa)
Assistant Ref 1:Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa),
Assistant Ref 2: Stephen Geldenhuys (South Africa)
TMO : Marius Jonker (South Africa)

taniwharugby

@bovidae can the 'canes overcome the Bulls and rasta!

antipodean

@bovidae said in Super Rugby News:

Match : Bulls v Hurricanes
Date : Saturday 24 February
Venue : Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa)

How? Anne Frank would do a better job.

Rembrandt

@antipodean Not really important but do you mean Helen Keller?

KiwiMurph

There's no way Rasta can be worse than that ref the South African's had last year - Jaco van Heerden. Rasta is worth a go cos he certain to be at least somewhat better.

The same applies to the canned Australian referee Rohan Hoffman - anyone else is a better shout.

antipodean

@rembrandt No. Helen's blind and deaf - like any ref. Anne is hiding in an attic.

Tim

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/101665776/the-hurricanes-have-opted-to-include-beauden-barrett-in-23-to-play-the-bulls

"The All Black management and coaches have no input on when or how, but we have a requirement to give our All Blacks two weeks where they don't play at the end of the week. That's our choice when we do that and why, but they require an additional two weeks rest."

Sapetyvi

@bovidae said in Super Rugby News:

Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa)
> Assistant Ref 1:Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa),
Assistant Ref 2: Stephen Geldenhuys (South Africa)
TMO : Marius Jonker (South Africa)

Wikipedia tells me Marius got his first soup gig in 2014, I think he looked very good early on, wonder why he doesn't get the whistle more

Tim

Interesting blog post:

https://twitter.com/thechasesport/status/966589599077330945

Sapetyvi

@rocky-rockbottom said in Super Rugby News:

i remember a couple of Marius games where he was shady as fuck, not saying he was biased or anything just that he was very, very South African and he was actively doing his very, very best to get his hometown boys across the line, in broad daylight, in front of thousands of his compatriots.

Tell me a South African ref who doesn't do that

Bones

@rocky-rockbottom yeah think I've said before he's actually alright whenever I've noticed him in 15s, shocking in 7s though as doesn't rule on what's actually happening only what he thinks should be happening.

Bovidae

A Chiefs update:

Hames - was ill this week so couldn't train until yesterday
Ardron - had surgery on his hand and is a couple of weeks away from being available

taniwharugby

Some meaningful/less stats courtesy of Niger Yealden.

Been geeking (cos I can) and looking at how NZ teams go in their opening games of Super Rugby in recent times. Here's what stood out to me for each of the five franchises while the number in brackets is the teams win percentage for opening games from 1996 to present day:
BLUES have won their opening game for the last two seasons in a row (55% - W12 D1 L9)
CHIEFS have won five consecutive opening games, all of them away from home; last opening round loss was to Highlanders in Hamilton in 2012 (45% - W10 L12)
CRUSADERS win in last season's opening game was their first since 2012 (50% - W11 L11)
HIGHLANDERS have lost three consecutive season openers, all to NZ teams - Crusaders, Blues, Chiefs in that order (50% W11 L11)
HURRICANES have won just two opening games since 2011 but have played six out of eight on the road inc 4 in RSA, 1 in OZ & Tokyo last year (32% - W7 L15)
Thank you & enjoy the Highlanders & Blues tonight ... as you were

The Silver Fern

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