Super Rugby News

[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

[Tim]

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12000642

[Bovidae]

NZR are really bending over for Hansen aren't they?

[gt12]

@bovidae

Doesn’t this happen every time a World Cup rolls around? I know it’s only 2018, but there’s plenty of rugby and everyone knows that the ABs will be missing at some point (or they should, anyway). That’s one of the reasons why I’m so worried for the Chiefs this year - we are bare once they aren’t there.

[Bovidae]

@gt12

Isn't Hansen meant to be a Super coach?

Look I'm in the ABs first camp, but these camps usually happen in the year of the RWC don't they?

I'd just make it a blanket rule that no ABs can play the week of the camps so it's fair to all teams, and it becomes one of their rest weeks.

[Stargazer]

@bovidae How is this fair to all teams, when some teams have way more ABs than others?

[gt12]

@bovidae

They signaled at the end of last year that there would be camps this year and next. I’m not sure why anyone is surprised?

[Bovidae]

@gt12

So they should have scheduled the camps for when all NZ teams were playing in NZ/Aust. That would have resulted in minimum disruption to the teams, and travel for the ABs. It's called compromise.

[SammyC]

@tim said in Super Rugby News:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=12000642

That’s bulshit, if I were a chiefs fan I’d be livid.

[Stargazer]

That number of 8 ABs from the Chiefs squad doesn't take into account of the possibility that Weber - if he has a good season - might be selected as the third halfback.

[Stargazer]

Three players will front SANZAAR judiciary hearings on Sunday after a brutal opening to Super Rugby across the Australian and New Zealand conferences.

The Blues' Antonio Kiri Kiri and Reds players Scott Higginbotham and Lukhan Tui will all answer charges deemed to have met the threshold for a red card, a ruling only the Queensland skipper received on Friday night.

Meanwhile in Dunedin, Kiri kiri spent 10 minutes in the sin bin following a high tackle on Highlanders fly-half Lima Sopoaga.

But that is not the incident for which he will answer, the citing commissioner instead slapping the Blues replacement with a foul play charge, specifically "physically abusing a player by striking them with his head".

That incident is alleged to have occurred in the 67th minute of the Blues' 41-34 loss to the Highlanders.

http://www.espn.com.au/rugby/story/_/id/22558666/super-rugby-three-players-cited-australian-new-zealand-conferences

[pukunui]

I saw that incident with kirikiri. Surprised they didn't have a look at it. It was after he had come back from his yellow too. Not the smartest thing to do after already sitting on the sideline for 10 mins.