The Silver Fern

More questions than answers for mine. The Sharks were pretty pants in that first match, wait then suddenly(in the first half anyway) they managed to turn it around and gain relative parity in just 3 days? Just how good are the Lions?? On evidence of the Sigma Lions and the Sharks matches - has SA rugby gone backwards?? And the biggest question of all - will we see any meaningful test rugby in 2021??

Red card in my books, but he did it out of stupidity, nothing else. I was upset because I wanted Louis Schreuder to play the whole game. The better 9 was on the bench. Thought the Stormers played much better then against the Blues. The defense was back to normal and Trokkie (Trokkie is afrikaans for truck) (nr8) had a massive game. Now we understand why Notshe moved to the Sharks.

Comedy ending .... 87 mins and still going. Ref seems desperate to get the refs a try. When is advantage over? Pen advantage 25 out reds player muffs it on the line ... advantage over, surely? Ref finally gets them their try.

@booboo said in Rebels v Sharks: Afternoon rugby! How good? Trouble shit that is the requirement to run errands with Mrs Boo and stop somewhere for a coffee in the arvo. Wouldn't have if game was a NZ team admittedly. But it was cool to sit on the couch of an arvie after gardening and watch footy. Reminded me of late season NPC.

@Bones Former sharks coaches with the Canes? Anyway I like seeing it.

@ACT-Crusader poor @booboo

@Jaguares4real said in QF4: Brumbies v Sharks: @Stargazer said in QF4: Brumbies v Sharks: Can't make up my mind on whether I want to watch this game. Whoever wins, is likely to lose to the Jaguares anyway. There's hope for this forum still Trust me, there's not. We're all reprobates. Particularly @reprobate

@Canes4life and the rest

Never forget fellas [image: 1557667519090-c733eaac-73ab-47f4-b75b-906c727e027d-image.jpeg]

@Chris-B said in Crusaders vs Sharks: I have a sneaking thought in the back of my mind that we should perhaps be pretty desperate to win this Cup, because who knows whether we'll have teams capable of winning in the future. If you use Nonu as being the yardstick of a "Golden Generation", this is the last hurrah. But, more particularly, four more years of Whitelock and Retallick looks some distance off and I don't see many obvious replacements coming through - other than size-wise Triple-P. Yeah - but if you threw Piutau and Luatua into this team, they'd probably go to that next level. We have thrown up the talent, we just struggle to keep it.

The Slice Man...

Seems a bit harsh on Brits to not just be a yellow, didn't seem a lot he could do other than protect himself. https://twitter.com/bencoles_/status/1112085992314494977?s=19

@chimoaus if rest of the world you mean T14, GP etc, then I would disagree. Some of the rugby on display in those comps is pretty dire at times, particularly the defence. If you are referring to test rugby then trying to compare a couple of Super rugby rounds at the start of a RWC year, is probably not fair. No doubt there are some issues to sort through, but it’s only two rounds.

@antipodean Yeah they won't go anywhere as all their play is off the cuff and they make the Blues look half decent at defending rolling mauls. Once you take the Sunwolves on up front the rest will take care of itself.

Ennor seems to have put on a few kilograms of muscle without losing his speed. He was impressive in his outing against the Sharks.

Chiefs put up a decent account for themselves all things considered. https://www.facebook.com/SuperRugby/videos/1698181690217043/

Yeah it was just a DC drop goal last time, great stuff. Ireland, SA, Eng (if Eddie pulls his head out of his arse ASAP and drops some oldies and bloods some newbies), ABs even OZ cos they're always there or there about come RWC.

@nzzp said in Hurricanes v Sharks: @kiwipie said in Hurricanes v Sharks: 2 things I have noticed about the Sharks one of the big things for me is their defence is strong. Players just seem to run into a brick wall when they hit the line - and often go back. Noticeable against the Blues, and often against the Canes as well. Good footy to watch. Jean-Luc du Preez is monstrous.

@nepia said in Blues v Sharks: @chester-draws said in Blues v Sharks: @kiwimurph said in Blues v Sharks: @chester-draws They lost Gareth Anscombe, apparently not good enough for the high standard the Blues expect (but OK for a championship with the Chiefs). Anscombe doesn't fit your narrative, he was a fullback at the Chiefs and the 10 running the show was closer to Carlos than the examples your giving here. He was a 10 who was only good when he stood flat and took on the line. Standing deep and shovelling it on works in the NH, but not at Super level. Also, he was a bit of a midget from memory. That said, he basically won a game for us in SA, but that was one fo the few times he ran the ball occasionally

Coles v Marx is going to be epic. Two best hookers in the world right now.