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Semi Final: Bulls v Crusaders

Welcome on board TRUE LEGND.

Is everyone out there sure you can right of the Crusaders?

Seriously, are you sure you can right them off?

For mine, Crusaders all the way. Sure if they lose it then Big upset but look at the lineup again... are you sure you can right off the Crusaders?
 
to be honest i think that its pretty good that both semis are in sa. in the last few years i have been getting bored of watching the crusaders playing semis and finals at home. sure its great watching them play, they are a great team have great players. but it seems that even the crusaders fans are getting used to this. the number of people attending crusaders game at jade stadium as dropped in the last 3-4 years. i remember in 2002 when almost all home games were a sellout. and the atmosphere seemed amazing on tv. now it seems difficult to even get a final to be sold out at jade stadium.

i know that there will be full house signs up at both semis. this is a great chance for the crusaders to show that they are the greatest franchise/club in the world. im sure the crusaders realise this and will relish this opportunity. they needed some motivation in the last couple of weeks. to win the super14 in sa is all the motivation they need.
 
Hey Thanks bro :) Long time listner, short time caller ...

I only hope they (the crusaders) do win this weekend, there my favorite S14 team because lets face it, there the platform to our All black team our foundation is built off the crusaders outfit. If they win this which i hope they do, It would show the character and the TRUE LEGEND champions they really are

But my decision to stay with the bulls is my head decision, taken into consideration there tails are up, there "D" play style is similar to the crusaders of old "Gang tackle" and ruthless! There loosies are throwing them selves at the ball carriers around the fringes, Because as they say Attack wins games but Defense wins championships... Crusaders are stacked on paper BUT they have alot of obstacles in front of them and that all out weighs how i think they'd win the game

Thats my view...
Cheers

But as i previously said if the crusaders can win over there, thats got to say alot about there character
 
Bulls to win, but not because of the home factor, the travel factoer or anything of the sort. The Bulls players are simply doing more in the games. In terms fo stats they are well ahead of the Saders. For instance, Matfield and Botha have been doing much more than Jack. Spies has been doing more than McCaw, Botha than Flynn, etc.

Conclusion: The Crusaders will be pushed around up front.

In the backs Carter is the key and he is back now from injury now so suggesting he will be the difference is a bit of a risk. Hougard simply needs to feed his centres and back three who I think are as good as the Crusaders. He will kick plenty of ball and do well with this but without feeding his great line running backline he won't contribute to a win.

Bulls by 10 points unless Carter plays out of his skin.
 
First up, TRUE LEGND good to hear your comments on just where the backbone of Kiwi rugby is at, yup for mine it is in the deep dark south, not north of the bombay's as many on this forum would think.
In fact afr from it/

Always good to hear someone say an honest truth in this part of the world (read it and if you disagreee with me - read it again, that goes for all admins that still wish the lived in Auckland but instead live in New Zealands backwater rural community... gee, who could that be?).

Melhor Time, the home ground is an advantage, always. BUT this is the Crusaders, sure they may have been bent over and humped by the Chiefs last week... but so what, for the Chiefs it got them no where.
Where as the the Crusaders just got bit of a shock... can not believe so many are thinking that they are going to get done by the Bulls... wake up guy's it's the Crusaders... if Carter has a bad game there's a few All Blacks in the mix that I'm sure will be showing what the mahi's about.
 
When was the last time Canterbury produced anybody? They stole McCaw from Otago, and with the exception of Carter and Scott Hamilton who is ****, they got their backline from Auckland.

Superior Playing Numbers, as well as producing and fostering more talent than the rest of the country combined and a better History (when was the last time Canterbury won the Shield 63 times in a row?) = True Backbone.

Of course if you don't like it we'll take the 1987 World Cup we won back, as well as all the success in the mid 90's when the All Blacks were preety much the Blues with Merths at Fly Half.
 
you guys didnt want the backline so we took them and made them from decent individuals to good solid team players. thats what canterbury is more of is a team. where alot of pervious auckland sides (well mainly in the last year or two) has been a team of individuals :)
 
And yet this team of "individuals" achieved so much more in a short period than any other region's entire history.

Pit the various great teams of Auckland of the 80's and 90's against the Canterbury's of the 00's and be ready to watch a massacare.
 
i am more thinking of last year and the year before. they hadnt really played as a team.

this year they have come together alot better, but still i think will struggle against the stormers...

crusaders still to take this one out, it will still be a struggle.
 
Last Year it wasn't that, last year it had nothing to do with Team Work - It came down to Team Selection and Coaching. Can't expect a team to play as a cohesive unit if you have Tasea Lavea choking the backs with his refusal to pass and his kicking game which was about as powerful as a 4 Year Olds, the Blues were a much better "team" when Nacewa was at 10 - this year you saw what happened when you had better players in those key positions.

You also saw what happened when the key player got injured and the backline was choked again because the distributor was gone and the coach put a unsuitable player in his place.
 
*cough* crusaders bulls *cough*

lavea played as an individual, not for the team but for himself. As did some of the other players, you cant just pin it on one player.

and i cant say i know what you are talking about

You also saw what happened when the key player got injured and the backline was choked again because the distributor was gone and the coach put a unsuitable player in his place.
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i dont watch the blues very often if not at all.
 
Oh I can pin it one player.

Semi Finals with Lavea - 0/3 Attempts (Things went down the shitter in 04 when Spencer got injured and Tasea got the job)
Semi Finals without Lavea - 1/1 Attempt

And the injury I was talking about was Luke "Mauger is my *****" McAlister.
 
Always good to see that there's still a lot of rivalry out there in NZ, feel sorry for the Bulls though - they seem to be getting left out of this discussion...
 
If the Crusaders are kicking the **** out of themselves in bar-room brawls, they won't have much left for the serious stuff.

Is it all falling to pieces for the ABs?
 
Can anyone lay out the starting player's please? lets have another look on paper...
 
If the Crusaders are kicking the **** out of themselves in bar-room brawls, they won't have much left for the serious stuff.

Is it all falling to pieces for the ABs?
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Yeah... things are going to the **** for the All Blacks because Two Crusaders players, one who will never play for the All Blacks and the other who has only played 10 tests (Zero since 2003), most of them against the likes of Tonga and Italy, were supposedly in a brawl.
 

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