Super Rugby

[morepork]

This is a bit painful to watch.

[morepork]

Retalika single handedly keeping some shape to it. One of Cruden's long passes comes off and chiefs score.6 up with 3 minutes to go. Pretty ugly stuff but they look like sneaking it.

[rowan]

Chiefs head to Christchurch then...

[rowan]

1st semi looks certain to be the Lions at home to the Canes. 2nd is not so easy to pick, but good chance it'll be Saders at home to the Chiefs.

[canta_brian]

1st semi looks certain to be the Lions at home to the Canes. 2nd is not so easy to pick, but good chance it'll be Saders at home to the Chiefs.

Shame the canes won last week. There would have been every chance that all four nz teams would have made the playoffs. (Auckland as we all know is part of Australia).

[rowan]

We'll see how far ahead of the chasing pack the Kiwis really are when the Canes rock up to Ellis Park.

[rowan]

Unsurprising it's come down to the Lions & 3 Kiwi teams, unsurprising also that those Kiwi sides are the Saders, Canes & Chiefs. I think this scenario became likely even before the regular season was halfway through. Will we see a surprise in the last 3 games of the championship? The Canes v Lions game in Joburg is a 50/50 but I'll take the defending champs, while Canterbury are obviously favourites against the Chiefs, so a win for the visitors there would be a veritable upset.

[rowan]

Interesting point Stransky is making. The Canes will be the Lions' first Kiwi opponents this year. How much of a disadvantage is that going to be to them? All I can say is that, whoever wins at Ellis Park, I hope they win the final

& I'm going for a Canes - Saders final. Anyone else with a prediction

[zer0]

The Lions are a quality side, as they demonstrated last season. While it's not ideal, I don't think playing a NZ side for the first time this season should impact them too much. Especially as that side will be crossing the Indian Ocean a few days beforehand. I think the Lions will win, but it'll probably be close, especially if it's dry. A Lions vs Crusaders final could go either way.

If the Hurricanes do win, however, I'd say they'll lose the final on account of their travel. Comfortably so, if it's against the Crusaders as their pack will just steamroll through the Hurricanes -- which is basically what I expect them to do to the Chiefs.

[rowan]

Yes, it's going to be very interesting. The Lions are an unknown quantity for the Kiwis, and will play the rest of the championship at home, whether it be one or two games. But they were lucky to get by the sharks, and the NZ teams have generally been a cut above the others this year. So I'm expecting a Canes win, the a Lions v Saders final would be better for the competition and, obviously, better for SA rugby as well. On top of which, they would then have home advantage against Canterbury in the final and that could go either way (if the Lions have already beaten the defending champs). I also think the Saders would down the Canes in Christchurch, which would be a bit of an anti-climax - at least, from this fan's perspective...

[rowan]

Saders up 3-0 after 15

Update: 10-3 half an hour gone. Hall with the try.

Apparently Canterbury have never lost a home game in the Super Rugby playoffs. Wow

Update: HT 10-6

Update: 15-6 heading toward the final 1/4

[canta_brian]

Easy win in the end for the saders. Still to make up my mind if I would prefer a home match against the only team yo beat us this year or an away trip to an unknown quantity. Probably the former I guess

[rowan]

Congratulations! Well, this year has been so predictable I think the Saders will win either way. Obviously I'm a Canes man and will be rooting for them, but a final at Ellis Park would also be quite a scenario, given the Transvaalites have never won the thing!

[rowan]

Lions with a much-needed try just before the break but it's 10-22 to the Canes heading into the interval...

[canta_brian]

Book the flights Canterbury. The canes just blew it.

[rowan]

Maalesef! Personally I'm backing the Lions then. Hope they can win their first title. It'll be good for the comp.

[rowan]

TBH, it's the best result for a competition which has been Kiwi-dominated and predictable this year. Now we have an international final at Ellis Park which could easily go either way.

[morepork]

Ellis Park will be white hot. Should be a good dogfight this one. Crusaders easily the best traveling soup team.

[rowan]

I'll take the Lions. It would be kind of ironic in a year which has seen such overwhelming Kiwi domination, but the home-team are obviously a quality side and are hungry for their first title. The pain of 2016 will drive them on. They're in pretty much the same position as the Canes were in last year's final.

[paddy no 11]

The disallowed nanai Williams try was pretty harsh imo

McKenzie is a good bit of stuff

[canta_brian]

So Jaco Peyper to ref the final. Way to go SANZAR, as if this competition didn't look idiotic enough. They have claimed he is the best ref and therefore gets the final. This suggests they see no problem with his performance last week, and guarantees that no matter what happens this week there will be complaints of bias. Either he will be seen as having favoured a SA side (again) or the will be accused of letting Canterbury away with murder for fear of being accused of bias.

[rowan]

SANZAAR has completely lost the plot over the past couple of years. How straightforward it would be to appoint an Aussie ref for this fixture, and then nobody could possibly complain. They already screwed up the competition by trying to squeeze the Sunpoodles into a Southern Hemisphere competition so that 3 good teams had to be sacrificed as a result and the Blues went up to Tokyo and got beaten by a vastly inferior opponent in 40 degree heat. There's some really, really dumb decision-making going on at the moment, and a few heads should roll...

[rowan]

Well done, Laumape!

2017 Hurricanes Awards
Player of the Year:
Winner: Ngani Laumape
Finalists: Laumape, Ardie Savea, Brad Shields
Best & Fairest:
Winners: Ngani Laumape, Matt Proctor, Ardie Savea
Finalists: Laumape, Proctor, Ardie Savea
Rookie of the Year:
Winner: Jordie Barrett
Finalists: Barrett, Sam Lousi, Reed Prinsep
Team Man of the Year:
Winner: Callum Gibbins
Finalists: Gibbins, Reg Goodes, Brad Shields
Super XV Award:
Winner: Geoff Cridge
Finalists: Cridge, Jonah Lowe, Kylem O'Donnell
Milestones:
100 Matches: Julian Savea, Dane Coles
50 Matches: Ardie Savea, Ben May, Chris Eves
International Representatives:
All Blacks: Ngani Laumape, Jordie Barrett, Dane Coles, TJ Perenara, Ardie Savea, Julian Savea, Beauden Barrett, Vaea Fifita
Maori All Blacks: Otere Black, Chris Eves, Mike Kainga, Ben May, Nehe Milner-Skudder, Reed Prinsep, Matt Proctor, Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi
NZ Under 20s: Asafo Aumua, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Kemara Hauiti-Parapara, Alex Fidow
Hurricanes debuts: James Blackwell, James O'Reilly, Jordie Barrett, Pita Ahki, Ben Lam, Reed Prinsep, Toa Halafihi, Hugh Renton, Sam Lousi
Departing players: Mark Abbott (Japan), Otere Black (Blues), Loni Uhila (France), Callum Gibbins (Scotland), Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi (Chiefs), Leni Apisai, Cory Jane

https://www.hurricanes.co.nz/the-canes/ ... rds-night/

[rowan]

So Jaco Peyper to ref the final. Way to go SANZAR, as if this competition didn't look idiotic enough. They have claimed he is the best ref and therefore gets the final. This suggests they see no problem with his performance last week, and guarantees that no matter what happens this week there will be complaints of bias. Either he will be seen as having favoured a SA side (again) or the will be accused of letting Canterbury away with murder for fear of being accused of bias.

Who was the ref in last year's final?

Meanwhile, 5 reasons why SA Rugby Magazine is absolutely sure the Lions will win (they were also absolutely sure they would win last week - and they were right, of course): http://www.sarugbymag.co.za/blog/detail ... gby-trophy

[rowan]

Saders storm out to a 0-12 lead but Lions pull back a penalty. 3-12 late first half. Remember the Canes blew a big lead against the Lions last week. But the Saders are not the Canes...