Super dupa 14 run down by da don of this site

[THE CHIROPRACTOR101]

sup peoples...just thought id do a little more southern hemisphere preaching by saying the most exciting rugby tournament bar world cup and the trinations is on its way...around the corner and ive to a few auckland blues training sessions to note they are looking sharp...its only up to them how they perfom and how they gonna achieve come game time

anywho..being the fan i am and an intelligent observer of our great game..id like to point out that last years tournament was average interms of a kiwi spectator..to the point where it became boring(maybe coz the blues didnt perform to my liking)..anywho it is a longer season and if south africa can get there politics right maybe they can make this a more enjoyable tournament then last years.

im gonna review each team of my country...ive been reading alotta articles and such and ive seen the teams and i reckon we will do well..as usual..nz have won the majority of these tournaments...keep inmind that 30 allblacks will go missing and the teams who are at larger loss are auckland and canterbury...i wouldnt worry too much bowt either though as both harness the best young talent in there provinial and lower grades...

WAIKATO - always been the dark horse in this tournament,loads of talent and a pure home grown grass roots rugby style they will again push for higher accolades..take note that they won the npc and also they have not many allblacks missing...holla,lauaki,bates,anesi and other stalwarts will lift there game in the year of the worldcup..im predicting a very strong start...key players will be there loosies such as lauaki,holla and young gun messam...who some eyes has what it takes to fill the void that zinny left in the 8 jersey(well i dont think so..)
i just dont think they will have a full gallon of gas at the end of this super 14comp...and also becoz they got tasesa lavea :bleh!: ...they will finish 6th

CANTERBURY - they have always been known as slow starters to the comp and it will be interesting to see how slow they are seeing that they will miss two of the best players in the world in daniel carter and richie mccaw..there management team has always had the right balance when it comes to managing the team and that is one area where they have been consistant and more dominant among others...its the coaching and management team itself...with the introduction of there allblacks later on in the season i feel the defending champs will have no problems in defending there ***le..only come finals time..they will be amongst the top4 barring some big injuries to the main players they have got now...with the allblacks re-entering later on they will peak at the right moment it is up 2 whoever faces them in the finals to shut them down..they will finish 2nd

OTAGO - yawn....lol just kidding i just feel otago isnt where its at at the moment in rugby terms,with a crap as stadium and a non-performing football team in the super12/14 tournament its gonna be a long while before they climb that ladder of success..thats the problem they are still building...developing yet none what so ever have showed much results other then giving us carl hayman and anton oliver..hey thats not bad but as a union you would want more right?...they have restricted alot of use of outside provincial players but they should have done that in the 90's...your best player will be from northshore next year and that will be nick evans..what does that say?

otago will finish 7/8

AUCKLAND - it is hard to doubt our talent and our resource of young emerging footballers but easy as pie to criticise our results..yet auckland is forever growing with talent in abundance..so much so we develop them and gift them to other unions..(david smith,viliame waqueseduadua,nick evans) or overseas(carlos spencer,kees meeuws)..hmmm what is the problem???...i dont know entirely but i do know that if we dont make the finals this year then nucifora is out of here...with the returning sam tuitupou and the debutant auckland ice toeava..our backline is as fruitful as ever...well our backline has always had the juice but its down to the old cliche's in rugby...forward dominance and defence...thats all e need to do..take command from upfront and the horsepowerd courvettes at the back will do the rest...and hey guess what guys..NO LAVEA!...that solves 3 quaters of our problem... :lol2tn: ..auckland will finish 5th...if they do what i said they shoud do..dominate upfront and defend like the great wall of china we wil come 3rd....

WELLINGTON - david smith is the future..need i say more!?!..it is not a mistake that auckland let him go,better yet a blessing in disguise...the 20year old will be running off conrad smith and tana umaga..what better way to get experience then to run off a future star allblack in conrad and one of the all time greats in tana...i reckon if he ups his defence in years to come he will follow tanas steps into the midfield..no one hit the d-line as strong as smith did in this years npc..it all depends on his injuries and his game time..other then that he will do great service to wellington.as a team i rate them on par with canterbury going into next years comp...they just lack that killer blow at times...hopefully they polish off there finishing skills..they hold versitile forwards and even more versitile backs which makes them the most versitile team..all they need is proper balance and solid direction from there coaching staff and they shall do fine..wellington for 1st place


theres my little take on the nz side...who wants to step up and shed somelight on there countries progress and progressions?

 

[Mr. Laxative]

The Brumbies:
Their looking bloody good at the moment. Having seen some of their training sessions with just their second stringers it is clear they are going to be a force to be reckoned with next year. It's the final year for greats such as Jeremy Paul (set for his 100th match come the first match of 2007), George Gregan and Stephen Larkham so expect the team to step up and send them out on a really big high. There's some great talent as usual in Stirling Mortlock, Mark Gerrard, Clyde Rathbone, George Smith, Mark Chisholm, Al Campbell and Guy Sheperdson. Keep a look out for some players coming in to the team's framework next year including Julian Huxley (returning from the Reds) and Stephen Hoiles. The younger players should be watched as well: the Faingaa brothers will be awesome when they get their chance and if Christian Lealifaano get some game time he'll be good to watch.

I'm predicting a big season from the boys, with little competition considering the Kiwi teams won't be as strong as usual: 1st Place!!

The Western Force:
Finishing dead last in their inaugural season, they managed to show some glimpses of brilliance. A draw against the Crusaders was the shock of the series and if not for a shoddy last minute call they would have beaten them. Another draw the following week, however was less impressive sharing the points with the lowly Cats. Expect some big things from the Force this year with regulars such as Tai McIsaac, Brendan Cannon, Nathan Sharpe and Scott Staniforth being joined by a very dangerous Matt Giteau who can play just about anywhere.

I'm sure, that this year will be a successful one with a Top 4 finish!


I will put up previews of the Tahs and Reds very soon!!

 

[THE CHIROPRACTOR101]

im looking forward to see the "Faingaa brothers" ,have heard for yonks of there talents so to see them in the big leagues will be very very interesting...is stapleton gonna play for the force this year?

 

[O'Rothlain]

Have the Bokkes picked their other team yet?
It seems retarded to let them practice some sort of relegation system, when everyone else isn't. You need solid brands, teams and players to follow...for rivalry and commercial sake.

 

[THE CHIROPRACTOR101]

i dont know..they are seriously messed up in politics...and im sure it rflects on there crap results on the international field..it was only 2 years ago whn i was praising them and there new brand of footy now they have gone full circle on themselves and stuck back at the bottom...politics...shouldnt determine what the people say..the people should..figures..

 

[Mr. Laxative]

The Reds:
Well, it really does seem that these guys are in trouble. over the past two or three seasons they have lost most of their top players to the Force, the Waratahs and the Brumbies. the list is seemingly endless: Nathan Sharpe, Tai McIsaac, Drew Mitchell, Julian Huxley, Josh Valentine.... and it goes on. But, fear not, with a new coach in Eddie Jones who led them to the recent APC final and some good talent emerging and in some cases staying the 2007 looks a promising one from the northern boys. Really, the fans shouldn't be too concerned after the mass exodus - there is still Chris Latham, Greg Holmes, "Rodzilla", Lloyd Johansson and a new face in league convert in Clinton Schifcofske to lead an otherwise inexperienced, but capable team. expect some surprising performances as the look to regain the great play of years past.
I'm thinking a top half finish here.

The Waratahs:
At first glance the Waratahs may struggle this coming season and there is that ****ling feeling that they will. They have lost an awesome talent (albeit a wasted one) in Rogers, but have gained some in Josh Valentine. Also, there are the regular faces: Lote Tuqiri, Adam Freier, Dan Vickerman (who will be missing for most of the season), who are sure to help. Look out for Kurtley Beale (if he gets a run), Daniel Halangahu and Sam Norton-Knight. Unfortunately a successful season does not seem likely things are sure to happen throughout and with Vickerman already out for most of the season there are always injuries. The 'Tahs have been lucky for the past few seasons and have reaped the rewards, but like every team they must again experience the pain of loss.
These guys will hget 8th or 9th...



Guys, I've decided that I'm going to make an Australian Rugby Wrap podcast and will be releasing the first episode in the new year. I encourage, someone from SA and NZ to do one to keep us all up to date on rugby news in their country.

 

[chook]

For the Tahs, who do you think will play at 10? Hangers, 2Dads or Beale(maybe not Beale as his experience is low)?

 

[Mr. Laxative]

It would have to be either Daniel Halangahu or Sam Norton-Knight. With Beale probably on the bench. I'd say it will be Halangahu, as a fancy Sam Norton-Knight as a fullback. NK was certainly a talent that the Brumbies missed in 2006, but they have more than made up for it this season in Julian Huxley, Christian Lealifaano, Gene Fairbanks and Anthony Faingaa. Also, I forgot to mention this earlier: Watch out for the flyer Francis (pronounced: Franky) Fainifo on the wing when he gets a chance. He is seriously a great player!!

 

[THE CHIROPRACTOR101]

ooohhhh....im keen to see the new rookies from all teams jump on da platform and play footy...everyone watch out for DAVID SMITH...dude embodies a pitbull everytime he has ball in hand

 

[Mr. Laxative]

What team? What position?

The prospect of the new season is too hard to ignore... and with some great talent (new and old) we're going to see some awesome rugby!!

 

[riders of the storm]

What team? What position?

The prospect of the new season is too hard to ignore... and with some great talent (new and old) we're going to see some awesome rugby!!
[/b]

Chiro's talking about the new outside back that Auckland have, apparently he's a freak.

 

[THE CHIROPRACTOR101]

from auckland but plays for wellington..he will only blossom with umaga as his mentor...cant wait now that you guys mention it..it is the year of the world cup so even the old guns will be stepping up

 

[ALLBLACKS]

Yea Chiro was telling me of David Smith like 2 yrs ago LOL. Id like to see hwo Kurtley Goes, I watched him in this Yrs Joeys Vs Newington Classic. Kurtley won the game By himself. Probably the next Larkham as far as Passing Goes. Hes a schoolboy Sprint Champ, Can kick really well, But can He physically handle it with the Big Boys, Will his antics to sometimes try and runa game by himself come through in the super14 ??? Cant wait to see.

 

[Mr. Laxative]

To me he sounds more likie a Matt Burke... and he's come through Joey's as well. Burkey could pass both ways, kick of both feet and tackle very well at such a young age. Some professional players can't even manage this and he 9like we are seeing in Beale now) had it all when he was a schoolboy.

God, I'm looking forward to this season. All the young players will be wanting to impress, all the older heads will want to secure their ticket to France and there is more rugby than ever. Super 14, Autumn Tour, Pacific Nations Cup, the Australian Rugby Championship, Tri Nations and the World Cup.... HUGE!!!

 

[The TRUTH]

This is how i think(or hope) the aussie teams will line up this year.

REDS

15.Latham
14.Schifcofske
13.Tune
12.Johansson
11.C.Brown
10.Barnes
9.Cordingley

8.Roe
7.Croft
6.Chapman
5.McMeniman
4.Horwill
3.Blake
2.Moore
1.Holmes

16.Coutts
17.Hardman
18.Mowen
19.Horwill/Gilbert
20.Berry
21.Cooper/A.Brown
22.Hynes

I like the look of their best XV, i think it's good enough to knock over any team on their day.

As usual ,the problem for the Reds will be their depth and whether or not some of these young guys can step up and do the job when the injuries start to stack up(as they always do).

With a bit of luck i think the Reds have a decent chance of sneaking into the finals

My prediction = 6th/7th



WARATAHS

15.Hewat
14.Saile/Turner
13.Turinui
12.Harris
11.Tuqiri
10.Norton-Knight
9.Sheehan/Valentine

8.Palu/Lyons
7.Waugh
6.Elsom
5.Vickerman
4.Kanaar
3.Baxter
2.Freier
1.Robinson

16.Dunning
17.Polota-Nau
18.Caldwell
19.Lyons/Palu
20.Valentine/Sheehan/Holmes
21.Halangahu/Beale
22.Jacobs

Tahs have arguably the best forward pack(and forward depth) in the comp but look a little too light in the backs without Sailor and Rogers.

Still, i find it hard to imagine these guys not making the finals, but it wont be easy.

My prediction = 4th/5th



BRUMBIES

15.Ashley-Cooper
14.Gerrard
13.Mortlock
12.Huxley
11.Rathbone
10.Larkham
9.Gregan

8.Wallace-Harrison/Tawake/Hoiles
7.Smith
6.Heenan
5.Chisolm
4.Campbell
3.Shepherdson
2.Paul
1.Henderson

16.Ma'afu
17.Palavi/S.Faingaa
18 &19.AWH/Salvi/Hoiles/Tawake,
20.Phibbs/Burgess
21.Fairbanks/A.Faingaa
22.Fainifo

These guys definately look like the best of the Aussie teams, quality and depth in both the forwards and backs.

They can go all the way this year.

My prediction = 1st/2nd

FORCE

15.Shepherd
14.Mitchell
13.Staniforth
12.Giteau
11.Ioane
10.Hilgendorf
9.Henjak

8.Fava
7.Hodgson
6.Brown/Doherty
5.Sharpe
4.Pusey/Vedelago
3.Scott
2.Cannon
1.Hardy

16.Takiari/Whalley
17.McIsaac
18.Pusey/Vedelago
19.Doherty/Brown
20.O'Young
21.MacKay/Pelesasa
22.Cross/Stapleton

The Force have the opposite problem to the Tahs, plenty of world class backs but not enough quality or depth in the forwards.

I hope im wrong but i dont see much chance of us making the finals this year.... But we'll win the lot in 2008 :bleh!:

My prediction = between 5th and 8th

 

[Mr. Laxative]

These are some pretty good predicitions Truth, along with some well though-out line-ups for each team. It seems it has taken a lot of though, but if it didn't don't say so...

I forgot about Heenan in my preview so, the battle for Flanker, No. 8 and Second Row will be tougher than ever now at the Brumbies. Personally I reckon they will have to drop Salvi out with a possible rotation policy with Wallace Harrison and Heenan. It'll be a very tough call for Laurie to decide between Hoiles and Tawake. Both a top grade players, but I think it will have to Tawake - we must not seem to discriminate the disabled (Jone's missing a finger...)!

 

[BokMagic]

From a Saffa perspective: our 5 teams were confirmed in November, with the Cats taking the 5th slot after some sanity prevailed in the SA rugby boardroom- cue huge thunderstorms over Jo`burg!

Here are the teams, and a quick rundown:

-Stormers: the Auckland of SA teams, always overpromising and under-delivering. Will feature one of the most exciting backlines and back rows in the history of the comp, with guys like Gio Aplon, Sireli Naqelivuki, Brent Russell, Bolla Conradie, Jean De Villiers, Tonderai Chavanga, Breyton Paulse and Joe Pietersen in the backline, and the dream back row of Joe Van Niekerk, Schalk Burger and Luke Watson, also look out for promising no8 Robbie Diack and Justin Melck to make an impression. Unfortunately coached by former Hollywood star Fester Adams, who specialises in interesting soundbites, but who has no semblance of a game-plan. Also has the draw from hell, crossing the Tasman twice in a 5-week away leg. Expect the one awesome performance again this year(last year, they were the only side to beat the Crusaders), while they slip into a comfortable lower-table position. The tight 5 is young and exciting, but will probably be out of their depth this season. Prediction- 9th to 12th.

Bulls: they`ll be very hard to beat at Loftus, with 40000 blue-clad okes with horns on their heads and the irritating Afrikaans music blaring out from the PA system. They`ll win more than they`ll lose, on the back of an excellent scrum, lineout and rolling maul. Look out for yet another awesome 2nd row in Adriaan Fondse to capture the early-season headlines in the absence of the injured Bakkies Botha. Also will have Guthro Steenkamp back at loosehead, expect lots of tightheads to be cut down to size by him. An abundance of back row options, especially since the transfer of Jacques Shite Hands Cronje to the Lions. Very poor travellers, so they should just about sneak into 4th place again, only to have their collective arses handed to them in the semi`s by the Crusaders-again.

Sharks: exciting team of youngsters, coached extremely well by Dick Muir. Was the surprise package of last year`s comp- when most were predicting a Super 13th or 14th place, they actually just missed out on the semi`s. Look for a very solid performance by their tight 5- Deon Carstens, John Smit, Kees Lensing, Albert vd Berg, Johann Muller and Johan Ackermann are all grizzly veterans of the dark arts, while the youngsters in the back row(Kankowski and Daniel) might just shine. Also some very handy backliners in Pienaar, Steyn, Barritt, Pietersen, James and Ndungane. Possible brawback- Durban is fast becoming the retirement home of players like Montgomery and now Skinstad. Prediction:5th to 8th, although they might just surprise and pull into the top 4 at the expense of the Bulls this year. Traditionally SA`s best travellers.

Cheetahs: Astute coach in resident DJ Rassie Erasmus( with his lights from the roof show), they feature that which SA rugby teams are legendary for- a very powerful scrum. Also has an excellent 2nd rower in Barend Pieterse, a line-out specialist in the Matfield mould, who could really impress. Will also field possibly the fastest back row in the comp, with Floors and V D Merwe quite awesome to the breakdown. Problem is, once there, they`ll be hard-pressed to assert physical dominance at the breakdown. Handy if unspectacular backline, they`ll do the basics well and should improve slightly on their debut season. Most consistent in terms of player retention of all Saffa teams this season. Prediction: 6th

Lions: ah, the perrenial whipping-boys are back! Anyway, this season they have a coach who can, well, coach. Frans Ludeke has been replaced by Eugene Eloff, former SA U19 coach, and he worked some miracles for the Lions in last year`s Currie Cup, taking them to 8 consecutive wins and the brink of the semi-finals. Has unearthed some potential stars in prop Heinke vd Merwe and centre Jaco Pretorius. Unfortunately, lost inspirational skipper Wikus Van Heerden to the Bulls and "gained" Jacques Cronje, so expect plenty of knock-ons from the new "carrying" no8. Prediction: they`ll probably improve substantially in performance, but anything higher than 11th on the final log will be extremely surprising. 12th-14th

 

[Boggle]

Well there was a practice game between the Stormers and Bulls yesterday at Loftus, which the bulls won 15 -25 (*or 19 -25, I don't know becuase they didn't televise the game and suepsport website gives 2 different scores in the article*).

At any rate it was a pretty good practise match as apparently the lion turned bull wikus van heerden was really impressive and even scored the winning try in the 76th minute, the real important thing though was that Schalk burger played for 56 minutes untill he was substituded to a standing ovation from the loftus crowd.

A stormer having a standing ovation from the loftus corwd... I'm impressed, but then again it was schalk burger.

I pretty much agree with what you said BokMagic except I think with Luke having the year he has had and with him being an excellent leader (*as apposed to the non existant barry from last year, who didn't even play in most of the games*) the stormers might actually finnish to phalf this year.

 

[The TRUTH]

From a Saffa perspective: our 5 teams were confirmed in November, with the Cats taking the 5th slot after some sanity prevailed in the SA rugby boardroom- cue huge thunderstorms over Jo`burg!

Here are the teams, and a quick rundown:

-Stormers: the Auckland of SA teams, always overpromising and under-delivering. Will feature one of the most exciting backlines and back rows in the history of the comp, with guys like Gio Aplon, Sireli Naqelivuki, Brent Russell, Bolla Conradie, Jean De Villiers, Tonderai Chavanga, Breyton Paulse and Joe Pietersen in the backline, and the dream back row of Joe Van Niekerk, Schalk Burger and Luke Watson, also look out for promising no8 Robbie Diack and Justin Melck to make an impression. Unfortunately coached by former Hollywood star Fester Adams, who specialises in interesting soundbites, but who has no semblance of a game-plan. Also has the draw from hell, crossing the Tasman twice in a 5-week away leg. Expect the one awesome performance again this year(last year, they were the only side to beat the Crusaders), while they slip into a comfortable lower-table position. The tight 5 is young and exciting, but will probably be out of their depth this season. Prediction- 9th to 12th.

Bulls: they`ll be very hard to beat at Loftus, with 40000 blue-clad okes with horns on their heads and the irritating Afrikaans music blaring out from the PA system. They`ll win more than they`ll lose, on the back of an excellent scrum, lineout and rolling maul. Look out for yet another awesome 2nd row in Adriaan Fondse to capture the early-season headlines in the absence of the injured Bakkies Botha. Also will have Guthro Steenkamp back at loosehead, expect lots of tightheads to be cut down to size by him. An abundance of back row options, especially since the transfer of Jacques Shite Hands Cronje to the Lions. Very poor travellers, so they should just about sneak into 4th place again, only to have their collective arses handed to them in the semi`s by the Crusaders-again.

Sharks: exciting team of youngsters, coached extremely well by Dick Muir. Was the surprise package of last year`s comp- when most were predicting a Super 13th or 14th place, they actually just missed out on the semi`s. Look for a very solid performance by their tight 5- Deon Carstens, John Smit, Kees Lensing, Albert vd Berg, Johann Muller and Johan Ackermann are all grizzly veterans of the dark arts, while the youngsters in the back row(Kankowski and Daniel) might just shine. Also some very handy backliners in Pienaar, Steyn, Barritt, Pietersen, James and Ndungane. Possible brawback- Durban is fast becoming the retirement home of players like Montgomery and now Skinstad. Prediction:5th to 8th, although they might just surprise and pull into the top 4 at the expense of the Bulls this year. Traditionally SA`s best travellers.

Cheetahs: Astute coach in resident DJ Rassie Erasmus( with his lights from the roof show), they feature that which SA rugby teams are legendary for- a very powerful scrum. Also has an excellent 2nd rower in Barend Pieterse, a line-out specialist in the Matfield mould, who could really impress. Will also field possibly the fastest back row in the comp, with Floors and V D Merwe quite awesome to the breakdown. Problem is, once there, they`ll be hard-pressed to assert physical dominance at the breakdown. Handy if unspectacular backline, they`ll do the basics well and should improve slightly on their debut season. Most consistent in terms of player retention of all Saffa teams this season. Prediction: 6th

Lions: ah, the perrenial whipping-boys are back! Anyway, this season they have a coach who can, well, coach. Frans Ludeke has been replaced by Eugene Eloff, former SA U19 coach, and he worked some miracles for the Lions in last year`s Currie Cup, taking them to 8 consecutive wins and the brink of the semi-finals. Has unearthed some potential stars in prop Heinke vd Merwe and centre Jaco Pretorius. Unfortunately, lost inspirational skipper Wikus Van Heerden to the Bulls and "gained" Jacques Cronje, so expect plenty of knock-ons from the new "carrying" no8. Prediction: they`ll probably improve substantially in performance, but anything higher than 11th on the final log will be extremely surprising. 12th-14th
[/b]

You lost me there

back row = good

backline = average at best


For me, the Sharks look like the best Saffa team, i'm expecting them to sneak into the top 4 this year.

This year is shaping up as the most even Super comp ever,with the absense of the rested AB's there's 8-10 teams with a realistic shot at the finals.

 

[BokMagic]

I don`t want to sound overly pessimistic really, but the only NZ team that`ll really be hampered by the absence of the rested AB`s are the Hurricanes, who rely very heavily on their AB back row, and who`ll be without Umanga also. Certainly the Crusaders will miss some of their star players, but they haven`t been so dominant in the comp. because of their stars- excellent coaches and fantastic structures are what have made them champions- and those are still in place. I really can`t see anyone scooping the ***le from them this year, nor the 1st place on the log.

WRT the Stormers backline, there are several international 7`s stars in their ranks- they`ll score a shiteload of tries, but unfortunately leak plenty too. I still stand by that comment- it`ll be one of the most exciting backlines in the history of the comp. Best? Possibly not, but most exciting, definately.