The Silver Fern

@antipodean pissed away a 16 point lead. Their sports psychologist must be under some pressure.

@Siam Sky does play the NZR bills so they're unlikely to give you more than a minimum to encourage you to buy from sky

@Tim Only got about 10 mins.

I quite like Laban.

My issue with Lose is when he starts yelling when someone scores a try. I understand it is good to get excited for big plays but the guy literally starts yelling into the microphone - dial it back a bit.

Rebels now in danger of a Shark attack removing them from finals

In theory the Brumbies are still in the hunt as well.

Rebels 35 (Highlanders)
Brumbies 29 (Chiefs, Tahs)
Sharks 32 (Stormers, Jaguares)

Blues should give it to Schmidt in 2020 if he’s interested.

@chris-b said in Rebels v Crusaders:

@nepia said in Rebels v Crusaders:

Also re: Wessels, I know we're happily shooting the messenger because of when the message arrived, but the Super Rugby draw can be messed up sometimes, and I think supporters of every team have felt that at some stage of the competition.

There's no doubt that at some points during the season every team gets a tough turnaround or its byes unevenly spaced, or a series of tough games, but that's a reality of playing a competition across five countries spread around the world.

I don't have too much sympathy for Dave, though, because I'd say the Rebels have probably the easiest draw of any team this year, along with the Brumbies. They're playing in the easiest conference, they get two games against the Sunwolves and six against other Australian opposition and they haven't had to go to Argentina.

He should take a look at the Jags' schedule, or the Sunwolves, or the Blues.

Edit: And the Rebs miss playing the Chiefs and Lions while the Brumbies miss the Blues and the Stormers.

I reckon there's a good chance they've got the easiest draw of anyone! 🙂

Only problem is that they don't get to play themselves. Those would be easy points.

@bones Yes in 2015. They also beat the Chiefs and Crusaders in Chch that year.

@dice ha funnily that is actually not that bad, not being bale to clear our line has been an issue for years now for us, so we have gone from erratic 10's with no distance to an erratic 10 who can kick for miles...definite improvement 🙂

@gunner said in Rebels vs. Reds:

Can’t believe what the game is coming to. That was not bad enough to warrant a red card by any stretch of the imagination.

He's done three things wrong - he's gone high, with no arms and then neck-rolled the guy into the ground. How dumb do you have to be?

Fuck him.

I have no problem with him being red carded.

Edit: for some reason I hadn't seen those other angles - no question after those!

@taniwharugby Hard to say for sure, but I think Macilai will probably be OK. Might depend on what happens with Seta.

Sione Fifita has been with the Crusaders for two seasons and hasn't (I think) played a minute for them and, as far as I know, he's been fit and available for most of this season.

Digby Ioane has looked good when he's played, but he's no spring chicken (nearly 32).

On the other hand, there's some promising young wings floating around ChCh and Nelson. Caleb Makene and the Faingaanuku bros. for three.

😉

Home coach Tony Brown — who had also wound up the “un-Australian” Brumbies a week earlier — then twisted the knife with some brutal press conference honesty.

“It was good to score those tries and put away one of the weakest teams in the competition,” said Brown, the former All Blacks five-eighth.

@mariner4life said in Rebels v Chiefs:

@Nepia not even close? Nonu's last few years were unreal. Run threat, pass threat, a kicking game, and defensively hard. I reckon it's a valid discussion (after Horan was undisputed for years)

Nonu had a key ingedient that probably gets overlooked a lot , intimidation

@KiwiMurph said in Hurricanes v Rebels:

@NTA said in Hurricanes v Rebels:

Would suggest that Rebels Coach Tony McGahan is about to "get the full backing of the board" if these results continue.

You called it.

Despite the Rebels losing their opening two rounds to the Blues and Hurricanes and conceding 127 points to anchor the ladder, Melbourne owner Cox said Melbourne coach Tony McGahan had his full support.

http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/sport/2017/03/melbourne-rebels-too-valuable-to-australian-rugby-union-to-scrap-team-owner.html

Set the clock - he's on notice.

Visinia played at the Vailima Marist 7s (Samoa) last weekend for the same team as Zac Guildford (Stallions).

Edit: Joe Tupe, Antonio Kirikiri, Sam Vaka (to name a few) played in that team as well.

Ruthless stuff from the Crusaders, but fucking awful defence from the Rebels.

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="cgrant" data-cid="581737" data-time="1463955652">
<div>
<p>Humm. Seu is far from reliable as far as defense is concerned. Can't stop the men running at him in their tracks and always concedes a few meters. Missed his tackle for Harris try.</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>He simply needs to bulk up. I believe he's not far north of 100kg, and given how tall he is, you get a sense for much bulk he can add to his frame. Give him a couple of years then he will really be in the ABs sights.</p>

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="booboo" data-cid="576009" data-time="1462019832"><p>
I know.<br><br>
Exactly my point.</p></blockquote> <br><br>
just further to that I'm just some random on the internet.<br><br>
Not an ex-All Black taunting other countries on the commentary.

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="hydro11" data-cid="573032" data-time="1460886537">
<div>
<p>Yeah, I meant 4 teams. I remember ages ago there was a discussion about the turf at Westpac stadium. They reckon it wouldn't cope if there was to be an NRL team at Westpac - the turf would just be too heavily used.</p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>I wonder what the turf at Westpac looks like now then, after the Bulldogs v Warriors game from last night. Didn't watch that game ...</p>

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NTA" data-cid="569709" data-time="1459727779"><p>Well, I think there are a few factors in play.<br>
 <br>
This is Gibson's first shot at the big time, and therefore he's less likely to be as confrontational as Cheika was. As with the Reds post-2011, the feeling in Tah land is that now we've done it once, let's not upset the apple cart in order to do it again.<br>
 <br>
What is shows is that personnel is not enough, and that AAC and Kepu - though maybe moreso Douglas - were important. <br>
 <br>
Blades' appointment was met with a few raised eyebrows, as was the acquisition of Ta'avao. Though in fairness the scrum was a lot better than it has been in past weeks. <br>
 <br>
One problem is that we started the season picking a THP at LHP and that has now marked us for the rest of the season. The penalty from the last scrum of the game shows that more than anything. That was, at worst, a reset, because from where I was sitting, the Rebels THP played Paddy and the AR like a fiddle. <br>
 <br>
The main issue is that we're playing the same plan we had two years ago when we won, and it isn't working, and hasn't worked, for over 12 months. The Rebels set up their first try with a nice load of Pick n Go before going wide, and getting a back on forward.<br>
 <br>
The Tahs are still trying to hit 2nd Channel with a forward, and then running laterally in the backs, without understanding that people are wise to this, and know to cut down the space of guys like Skelton and Lousi and Palu, and just drift on Folau and Foley and Beale.<br>
 <br>
Rebels did the basics well, and still could have lost that game despite all the Tahs' ineptitude. The didn't score on the second half, didn't have much territory, and didn't kick that well. But they tackle their arses off and waited for (inevitable) mistakes.<br>
 <br>
Doesn't matter how you win, really, but neither side is going to ring up huge gates with those kinds of performances.</p></blockquote>
<br>
Ta'avao responsible for two of the Rebels tries. Timani swatted him off like he was an u-65kg winger. An improved scrum doesn't make up for that.