Super Rugby 2017

Bloody tough game. Crusaders definitely had a smarter game plan than the Hurricanes. Not committing more than 1 or 2 players to the rucks preserved their energy.

They needed it all in those last 20 minutes. Took all they had to keep the Lions out.

Definitely feel this Lions squad and coach deserve a trophy. They contribute so much to the spirit of the competition, beyond the pure rugby aspect.

Happy Crotty got man of the match - well deserved.

Solitude said:
Poor Kwagga must be feeling horrible. In a short moment of not thinking he changed a season.
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Reminded me of Sam Warburton in the 2011 World Cup, when he got red for a tip tackle which swung the momentum of the semi final completely. They were well on their way to the final until that moment.
 
Mortymoose said:
That's it? Nothing else? Cat...er Lion got your tongue!

Sorry boet! Such a grand day, reduced to. Zebra steak braai!
Don't worry, there's always Currie Cup!
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It's been a long time that I've been so sad about a rugby game... Agent_Smith's whiskey gesture almost have me in tears that's how emotionally fragile I still am.

Also have a terrible babelas.
 
It's all Kwagga's fault the Lions lost. I dig Kwagga, but I hope he remembers this for a long time.
I'm 99% sure if he was still on the field in the 2nd half, they would've won.

Don't worry Fanie, it's not only Lions fans who are hurting...it's all SA rugby supporters.
(Except for M_H of course, he only cares about the small fry :p )
 
Kwagga aside, once again the small things unhinged an SA side.

At 15 vs 15 they actually had a fair few opportunities and even at 0 - 12 down were in the contest. Unfortunately, they lost the ball far too often in contact just as they started stringing something together and asked questions of the 'Saders.

Not taking the three-points at 3 - 12 was also a bad idea. You take any points you can get your hands on when playing a side from New Zealand.

On to the second half, they go and blow a doozy at the try line.

Take the three-points in the first half, convert the try opportunity in the second and you are looking at a 27-25 game.

That's a lot of ''ifs'' and ''buts'', but the reality is the Lions were their own worst enemy and done a lot of silly little things.
 
thestaggy said:
Kwagga aside, once again the small things unhinged an SA side.

At 15 vs 15 they actually had a fair few opportunities and even at 0 - 12 down were in the contest. Unfortunately, they lost the ball far too often in contact just as they started stringing something together and asked questions of the 'Saders.

Not taking the three-points at 3 - 12 was also a bad idea. You take any points you can get your hands on when playing a side from New Zealand.

On to the second half, they go and blow a doozy at the try line.

Take the three-points in the first half, convert the try opportunity in the second and you are looking at a 27-25 game.

That's a lot of ''ifs'' and ''buts'', but the reality is the Lions were their own worst enemy and done a lot of silly little things.
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Like that famous motivation speech once said... it's all about the inches.... those inches all add up to miles
 
Sl8er said:
It's all Kwagga's fault the Lions lost. I dig Kwagga, but I hope he remembers this for a long time.
I'm 99% sure if he was still on the field in the 2nd half, they would've won.

Don't worry Fanie, it's not only Lions fans who are hurting...it's all SA rugby supporters.
(Except for M_H of course, he only cares about the small fry :p )
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Nea, that is very Harsh. There was no way he could have avoided that contact. And the law clearly states that if the player falls dangerously it's a red card. It is what it is. Lions played well but even if Kwagga wasn't sent off, I honestly think the Lions left their comes back too late. Even with 15 players they started their comeback way too late. Crusaders won fair and square. The Lions showed heart though that second half. For that I will respect them for a long while. They clawed back with 14 players. I though we'll see a 40+point gap when the second half started.
 
Pitbull said:
Nea, that is very Harsh. There was no way he could have avoided that contact. And the law clearly states that if the player falls dangerously it's a red card. It is what it is. Lions played well but even if Kwagga wasn't sent off, I honestly think the Lions left their comes back too late. Even with 15 players they started their comeback way too late. Crusaders won fair and square. The Lions showed heart though that second half. For that I will respect them for a long while. They clawed back with 14 players. I though we'll see a 40+point gap when the second half started.
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I disagree, obviously. :D

As for the harsh thing, next time he'll think twice about running into someone in the air -which would ultimately turn out to be a good thing for the team he plays in. ;) (As the rules stand now.)

That said, I agree with Nick, penalize the player as opposed to the entire team.
 
DWPTA said:
With going back to 15 teams are still staying with the conference system or are we going back home and away against everybody?
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Sticking with the stupid Conferences and the convoluted format they cause.
 
4 week ban from all competitions for Kwagga. So he misses out on some CC; does he miss out on 7's though? Not sure if there are any tourneys in this period either (yes, too lazy to Google :p )
 
Agent_Smith said:
4 week ban from all competitions for Kwagga. So he misses out on some CC; does he miss out on 7's though? Not sure if there are any tourneys in this period either (yes, too lazy to Google )
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Did it deserve the ban? Or is it immaterial once a red is given?
 
McT said:
Did it deserve the ban? Or is it immaterial once a red is given?
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Ugh, it's so tough to say. I guess a straight red will always incur a sanction of sorts and the length will be determined by various factors such as possible past indiscretions, severity of the incident and malice. Kwagga doesn't strike me as the malicious sort and I don't recall him being previously sanctioned so four weeks is probably the minimum punishment for an incident like this.
 
Amanaki Mafi has extended his contract with the Melbourne Rebels for their 2018 season. In my opinion, this is a good move, a good move by not signing with the Sunwolves. The Sunwolves still needs to serve as a platform to trial Japan-eligible players on different levels, albeit they need to be provided with better players from the Top League and universities.

The main issue in signing with the Rebels is the risk of them being removed from the competition, both the Rebels and Western Force are still battling it out. There is also rumour that the Rebels has applied to be a foreign competitor in the Japanese Top League 1st tier.

On a side note, the Sunwolves 2018 player roster is still empty...
 
Fulcrum29 said:
Amanaki Mafi has extended his contract with the Melbourne Rebels for their 2018 season. In my opinion, this is a good move, a good move by not signing with the Sunwolves. The Sunwolves still needs to serve as a platform to trial Japan-eligible players on different levels, albeit they need to be provided with better players from the Top League and universities.

The main issue in signing with the Rebels is the risk of them being removed from the competition, both the Rebels and Western Force are still battling it out. There is also rumour that the Rebels has applied to be a foreign competitor in the Japanese Top League 1st tier.

On a side note, the Sunwolves 2018 player roster is still empty...
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The ARU have been handling this badly. These teams need to know wtf is going on so they can plan ahead.
 
OrbitalDawn said:
The ARU have been handling this badly. These teams need to know wtf is going on so they can plan ahead.
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The rights holders must be very impatient with this by now.

I only hope that the Aussies have their heads in the right place come The Rugby Championship. Cheika picked a new captain, Michael Hooper, and will blood 7 new players into the squad, this to add to the 18 players he debuts since last season. I knew Hooper's time as captain was coming soon.

Going by club by numbers,

Forwards:

Brumbies 3
Reds 5
Waratahs 5
Rebels 3
Western Force 3

Backs:

Brumbies 3
Reds 2
Waratahs 3
Rebels 2
Western Force 3
Other 2

the team is well distributed. Whichever team will be axed, that are 5-6 players that will need a 'new' home. There are players who will have security issues, who will be cut or replaced? Yah, the ARU handled this really bad, see how quick we reacted with the Cheetahs and Kings, they will have little time to secure continuity as they seem to lack a contingency plan.

The Kings though, they may have a competition to play in next year, but they still need employees…
 
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