2014 Super Rugby: Crusaders vs Brumbies (Round 12)

[Jaguares]

15 Israel Dagg
14 Johnny McNicholl
13 Kieron Fonotia
12 Ryan Crotty (c)
11 Nemani Nadolo
10 Colin Slade
9 Andy Ellis
8 Luke Whitelock
7 Matt Todd
6 Richie McCaw
5 Sam Whitelock
4 Dominic Bird
3 Owen Franks
2 Ben Funnell
1 Wyatt Crockett.

15 Jesse Mogg
14 Joe Tomane
13 Tevita Kuridrani
12 Christian Lealiifano
11 Robbie Coleman
10 Matt Toomua
9 Nic White
8 Ben Mowen (c)
7 Jarrad Butler
6 Jordan Smiler
5 Sam Carter
4 Scott Fardy
3 Ben Alexander
2 Stephen Moore
1 Scott Sio

 

[Gena_ZA]

Pick of the weekend games, great clash between two inform teams

 

[Shaggy]

Crusaders to win this one (narrowly) due to home ground advantage .... of course, I'm not biased at all

EDIT - I see Keiran Read is out with concussion again, as per this Plant Rugby article http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3824_9290575,00.html

Crusaders skipper Kieran Read has been forced to withdraw from Saturday's Super Rugby clash with the Brumbies due to concussion.

The All Black number eight has failed to fully recover from the head knock that forced him off the field against the Chiefs two weeks ago.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen will no doubt be concerned as this is the second time this season that Read has been forced to miss a game after taking a blow to the head against the Hurricanes back in March and missing the fixture against the Lions a week later.

The news means that All Blacks captain Richie McCaw could make his return from a two-month absence at number eight, thus allowing Crusaders head coach Todd Blackadder to leave the in-form Matt Todd at openside flank.

.... Personally, I think they'd be better starting McCaw on the Blindside, and starting Jordan Taufua at number 8

Edit:- here's the crusaders side courtesy of the NZ Herald site http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=11247659

Read is indeed out with Concussion, McCaw starts on the blindside, Luke Whitelock starts at number 8, Crotty retains the Captaincy

The Crusaders team to play the Brumbies at Christchurch Stadium on Saturday, kick-off 7.35pm is: Israel Dagg, Johnny McNicholl, Kieron Fonotia, Ryan Crotty (c), Nemani Nadolo, Colin Slade, Andy Ellis, Luke Whitelock, Richie McCaw, Sam Whitelock, Dominic Bird, Owen Franks, Ben Funnell, Wyatt Crockett. Reserves: Corey Flynn, Tim Perry, Nepo Laulala, Luke Romano, Jordan Taufua, Willi Heinz, Tom Taylor, Nafi Tuitavake

Edit Again - here's the Brumbies side from Planet Rugby http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3824_9289794,00.html

Brumbies: 15 Jesse Mogg, 14 Joe Tomane, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Christian Lealiifano, 11 Robbie Coleman, 10 Matt Toomua, 9 Nic White, 8 Ben Mowen (c), 7 Jarrad Butler, 6 Jordan Smiler, 5 Sam Carter, 4 Scott Fardy, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Scott Sio.
Replacements: 16 Siliva Siliva, 17 Ruan Smith, 18 Ruaidhri Murphy, 19 Jack Whetton, 20 Tom McVerry, 21 Michael Dowsett, 22 Andrew Smith, 23 Pat McCabe

 

[Jaguares]

Richie McCaw as blindside flanker?? WTF???!!

Crusaders to win this one (narrowly) due to home ground advantage .... of course, I'm not biased at all

EDIT - I see Keiran Read is out with concussion again, as per this Plant Rugby article http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3824_9290575,00.html

Crusaders skipper Kieran Read has been forced to withdraw from Saturday's Super Rugby clash with the Brumbies due to concussion.

The All Black number eight has failed to fully recover from the head knock that forced him off the field against the Chiefs two weeks ago.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen will no doubt be concerned as this is the second time this season that Read has been forced to miss a game after taking a blow to the head against the Hurricanes back in March and missing the fixture against the Lions a week later.

The news means that All Blacks captain Richie McCaw could make his return from a two-month absence at number eight, thus allowing Crusaders head coach Todd Blackadder to leave the in-form Matt Todd at openside flank.

.... Personally, I think they'd be better starting McCaw on the Blindside, and starting Jordan Taufua at number 8

Edit:- here's the crusaders side courtesy of the NZ Herald site http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=11247659

Read is indeed out with Concussion, McCaw starts on the blindside, Luke Whitelock starts at number 8, Crotty retains the Captaincy

The Crusaders team to play the Brumbies at Christchurch Stadium on Saturday, kick-off 7.35pm is: Israel Dagg, Johnny McNicholl, Kieron Fonotia, Ryan Crotty (c), Nemani Nadolo, Colin Slade, Andy Ellis, Luke Whitelock, Richie McCaw, Sam Whitelock, Dominic Bird, Owen Franks, Ben Funnell, Wyatt Crockett. Reserves: Corey Flynn, Tim Perry, Nepo Laulala, Luke Romano, Jordan Taufua, Willi Heinz, Tom Taylor, Nafi Tuitavake

Edit Again - here's the Brumbies side from Planet Rugby http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3824_9289794,00.html

Brumbies: 15 Jesse Mogg, 14 Joe Tomane, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Christian Lealiifano, 11 Robbie Coleman, 10 Matt Toomua, 9 Nic White, 8 Ben Mowen (c), 7 Jarrad Butler, 6 Jordan Smiler, 5 Sam Carter, 4 Scott Fardy, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Scott Sio.
Replacements: 16 Siliva Siliva, 17 Ruan Smith, 18 Ruaidhri Murphy, 19 Jack Whetton, 20 Tom McVerry, 21 Michael Dowsett, 22 Andrew Smith, 23 Pat McCabe

Thanks for the lineups, mate!

 

[BlackandYellow]

Crusaders to win this one (narrowly) due to home ground advantage ....
...The Crusaders team to play the Brumbies at Christchurch Stadium on Saturday, kick-off 7.35pm is: Israel Dagg, Johnny McNicholl, Kieron Fonotia, Ryan Crotty (c), Nemani Nadolo, Colin Slade, Andy Ellis, Luke Whitelock, Richie McCaw, Sam Whitelock, Dominic Bird, Owen Franks, Ben Funnell, Wyatt Crockett. Reserves: Corey Flynn, Tim Perry, Nepo Laulala, Luke Romano, Jordan Taufua, Willi Heinz, Tom Taylor, Nafi Tuitavake

Crusaders to win...while fielding fourteen run on players?
Of course, if they play Matt Todd at 7 they would make a full 15 a side team.

I want the Crusaders to win but I'm not sure they have it. The Brumbies are pretty good and the Crusaders have been hot and cold and were lucky to escape with a win last week.

(The ref called that final penalty right on the dot of halfway, if anything a half meter over the half way line right smack in the middle of the pitch. He let it go a couple phases and then blew the penalty. He then ran 15 meters toward the sideline and a meter or two behind the halfway line and turned what should have been a difficult 50m straight kick from the midpoint into a practically impossible kick from behind the halfway on an angle. I couldn't believe it and thought I'd missed something. I rewound and watched that piece of play five or six times and there was no reason, apart from incompetence, to make the mark where he did. It was a massive injustice. There has been some bad refereeing this year but that was one of the worst.

At another point in the game the ref robbed the Chiefs of about 20 metres. There was a clear and obvious knock-on at the 22 by the Crusaders the ball bounced around for a few seconds before a second Crusaders knock-on at the 5m line. The Chiefs played at it but had no advantage and got a scrum...on the 5m line. The original knock on back on the 22 was completely ignored though you would struggle to find a more clear and obvious knock on. I like both of those sides equally but I was sure that ref had money on the game.)

I will be cheering for the Crusaders this week and hope they do it, but I think the Brumbies will be too good.

 

[Shaggy]

Crusaders to win...while fielding fourteen run on players?
Of course, if they play Matt Todd at 7 they would make a full 15 a side team.

I want the Crusaders to win but I'm not sure they have it. The Brumbies are pretty good and the Crusaders have been hot and cold and were lucky to escape with a win last week.

(The ref called that final penalty right on the dot of halfway, if anything a half meter over the half way line right smack in the middle of the pitch. He let it go a couple phases and then blew the penalty. He then ran 15 meters toward the sideline and a meter or two behind the halfway line and turned what should have been a difficult 50m straight kick from the midpoint into a practically impossible kick from behind the halfway on an angle. I couldn't believe it and thought I'd missed something. I rewound and watched that piece of play five or six times and there was no reason, apart from incompetence, to make the mark where he did. It was a massive injustice. There has been some bad refereeing this year but that was one of the worst.

At another point in the game the ref robbed the Chiefs of about 20 metres. There was a clear and obvious knock-on at the 22 by the Crusaders the ball bounced around for a few seconds before a second Crusaders knock-on at the 5m line. The Chiefs played at it but had no advantage and got a scrum...on the 5m line. The original knock on back on the 22 was completely ignored though you would struggle to find a more clear and obvious knock on. I like both of those sides equally but I was sure that ref had money on the game.)

I will be cheering for the Crusaders this week and hope they do it, but I think the Brumbies will be too good.

LOL ... I copied the line up straight from the Planet Rugby site like I said, so I guess I replicated their error

Welcome to the forum Black and Yellow ... are you a Taranaki supporter by any chance? (Black and Yellow are their colours)

EDIT - Just read the other thread you posted on "Black and Yellow" ... All Blacks and Hurricanes?

Yes, one side is always going to be "lucky" and the other "unlucky" in a game decided by 1 point ... I've got to the point where I don't look too hard at the footage over again (unless they are replaying over and over for me), because mistakes are made, and they usually go against both sides.

I don't doubt that this one will also be close ... I made my (biased) prediction based mostly on the improved Crusaders performances, and that the Brumbies haven't won in Christchurch for a while (2004). Having said that, the Brumbies toured very well last year, so ... game on

The loss of Kieran Read is a big blow ... I don't have a problem with Richie playing at Blindside, because Matt Todd is in such good form. I'm a little bit concerned with the choice of number 8, because it means they will rely on Richie to carry the ball more

... glad to see Crotty keep the Captaincy too ... he's done a pretty good job in Read's absence

 

[BlackandYellow]

Yeah I didn't account for the home ground advantage. I'm definitely not certain, hoping that the Crusaders will do it.

I'm a Wellington man, Lions and Hurricanes.

 

[Darwin]

Match of the weekend for me. Having McCaw back is sure to be a lift for the other players, though I'm not expecting too much from him (as he takes quite some time to get back up to speed after injury these days). I think the Crusaders would have been better off with Taufua at 8. He impressed against the Chiefs in their last match, bringing some physicality to the loose-forwards that has been missing all year. I'm surprised the Brumbies couldn't find any room for Pat McCabe in the starting lineuo - Lealiifano played well last week, but McCabe has been outstanding this season.

It's a hard game to call, but I'm picking the Crusaders to sneak the victory... though that may just be because I want them to win!

 

[Shaggy]

Match of the weekend for me. Having McCaw back is sure to be a lift for the other players, though I'm not expecting too much from him (as he takes quite some time to get back up to speed after injury these days). I think the Crusaders would have been better off with Taufua at 8. He impressed against the Chiefs in their last match, bringing some physicality to the loose-forwards that has been missing all year. I'm surprised the Brumbies couldn't find any room for Pat McCabe in the starting lineuo - Lealiifano played well last week, but McCabe has been outstanding this season.

It's a hard game to call, but I'm picking the Crusaders to sneak the victory... though that may just be because I want them to win!

I'm with you on the Taufua selection ... they need him with no Read there. With regard to Lealiifano, I think he needs some game time to get up to speed too, particularly with his goal kicking, and I guess they can bring McCabe on if he isn't firing.

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

Match of the weekend for me. Having McCaw back is sure to be a lift for the other players, though I'm not expecting too much from him (as he takes quite some time to get back up to speed after injury these days). I think the Crusaders would have been better off with Taufua at 8. He impressed against the Chiefs in their last match, bringing some physicality to the loose-forwards that has been missing all year. I'm surprised the Brumbies couldn't find any room for Pat McCabe in the starting lineuo - Lealiifano played well last week, but McCabe has been outstanding this season.

It's a hard game to call, but I'm picking the Crusaders to sneak the victory... though that may just be because I want them to win!

You're obviously forgetting about the Chiefs Lions match

 

[austingtir]

You're obviously forgetting about the Chiefs Lions match

I dunno after that blues game im almost convinced the Chiefs are going to slide down the NZ conference table. They should be 5 points ahead (blues) by the end of this weekend but man they are going to need every one of those to keep ahead of them and the Highlanders. The NZ conference this year is just way way tougher than last year. Basically nearly every game for the NZ teams from here out is critical if they want to play in the finals. Its crazy the Saders and HL are at the bottom but they both effectively have two games in hand to pass the blues and Chiefs.

But some very telling games this weekend thats for sure will really get a feel after this weekend for how its going to run out....

 

[Jaguares]

Mmm... for me Brumbies by 10

Match of the weekend for me.

I think the same, bud. "Crusaders-Brumbies" is a kind of Aussie/Kiwi derby in Super Rugby

 

[Thehotrod]

Mmm... for me Brumbies by 10



I think the same, bud. "Crusaders-Brumbies" is a kind of Aussie/Kiwi derby in Super Rugby

Is this the wrost field in New Zealand rugby?

 

[austingtir]

Crusaders doing it easy... almost amazingly easy compared to how much trouble the Chiefs had against this bunch but then if you think about it the Saders dominated the Chiefs forwards in both matches and imo were a bit unlucky at times to come out worse on the scoreboard.

Put pressure on this Brumbies forwards pack and it looks like the give penalities away like lollipops.

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

Is this the wrost field in New Zealand rugby?

What's wrong with it?

 

[Jaguares]

Booooooooooooring first half, lads. I expected more from the aussies. I'm going to sleep, here are 01:35 AM.

Cheers

 

[dasNdanger]

I've been watching, and I have to say that I'm fairly impressed so far by the Crusaders. They lost, what? Three players in the first 18 minutes? I thought that the Brumbies would be walking all over them, but that's not the case. With 15 minutes to go a lot could still happen and the Brumbies could still take it, but they'd really have to work some magic to do so.

das

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

Not any more

 

[dasNdanger]

Aaand the 'Saders score with a man down. Yeah - this is their game, for sure - maybe their best showing this season (seeing as how they've been crap at getting bonus points so far).


das

 

[BlackandYellow]

Well I certainly didn't pick that demolition job.

Someone ask Sam Whitelock how rugby ball tastes.