Super Rugby 2018

The Crusaders may have won, but the Stormers showed moments of greatness. I think my Province will improve as the competition goes on. I was a bit shocked to see de Allende miss tackle idle targets.
 
SA sides in general are not good at playing catch up rugby. Once we fall behind, particularly against NZ teams, we seldom recover.
 
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/...t-sunwolves-no-match-for-powerful-rebels.html

Rugby: Injury-hit Sunwolves no match for powerful Rebels

The Sunwolves found out the hard way Saturday that a move into the Australian Conference has not made life any easier in Super Rugby.

Jamie Joseph's side lost three players to injury in the first 19 minutes and compounded their woes with a poor performance in the set piece as they went down 37-17 to the Melbourne Rebels at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground.

Timothy Lafaele and Akihito Yamada both suffered severe concussions -- as did Sam Wykes in the second half -- and Hayden Parker pulled up with a hamstring injury as the home side lost three key backs before some of the late arrivals in the crowd had even found their seats.

Flanker Yo****aka Tokunaga was forced to play 60 minutes in the unfamiliar position of wing and the re-jigged backline struggled in attack and defense as the power of the visitors took its toll.

"Serious concussions are becoming more common in Super Rugby and it just shows how physical it is," rued Sunwolves head coach Jamie Joseph.

"In our case, I think it is down to how under-prepared we are (given the short turnaround from the end of the Top League season). The other sides have two months to get bigger and stronger, and in the collisions today, we were coming off second best. It's a cause of concern as the season has only just got going."

...

The team plays the Sharks in Durban next week followed by the Lions in Johannesburg a week later, and Joseph -- whose team has one point from two games -- will be hoping for a little more luck during the trip.
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No.

Going back to an article earlier this week,

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/...joseph-into-changes-ahead-of-rebels-game.html

Rugby: Injuries force Joseph into changes ahead of Rebels game

Injuries forced Sunwolves coach Jamie Joseph to make a number of changes Thursday to his Super Rugby side for this weekend's visit by the Melbourne Rebels.

...

"There has been a lot of criticism about why we have so many players, particularly foreign players and this is why," Joseph said of the early season injury crisis.
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Yeah, Joseph, 46 players. 13 now unavailable. Only 1 no.15, only 2 wingers (1 uncapped), zero no.10s, a mostly uncapped centre stable and shaky at specialised locks. Foreign continuity in the backline is where exactly? They do have props, hookers, loosies and scrummies, that is it. Take the criticism Joseph.

The JSRA should have negotiated with the Top League stakeholders than to dwindle on this ‘outsiders’ selection. There are at least 8 very competitive Top League teams, 5 which hosts very good ethnic Japanese and island-based players, only like around 7 players are signed with the Sunwolves which are within this tier 1 league.

Where are Shota Emi, Kosei Ono, Takaaki Nakazuru, Rikiya Matsuda, etc. and these are only some players which plays at Suntory and Panasonic in the backline, there are many more. NTT, Kobelco, Toshiba, Yahama, Kintetsu, Toyota, etc. has big player bases and coaches which are experienced in Super Rugby to push players through to the Sunwolves.

Hopeless, the JSRA messed the Sunwolves up, they should have sticked with Filo Tiatia (and last year’s squad) as he continued to make leeway with the players, happily the man is now coaching at Auckland.

There is no way the Sunwolves will have a good tour to SA, travelling long hours abroad to the Southern Hemisphere and western coast is punishing, play at sea-level and then at high-altitude is exhausting. This squad is doomed. Don’t know what rabbit Joseph is planning to pull deeper into this campaign. I doubt that Kotaro Matsushima, alone, will add glory to their backline.

The Sharks and Lions to destroy them by plus 30 points.
 
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F@k please tell me Andy Capistagno has retired from commentating. I'm gonna kill someone if his still in Durban this season.
 
Being badly let down by the loosies and AdP today, jirre learn how to hold onto or catch a ball
 
We have some farken lackluster journeymen loose forwards as our 'backup'. They fix the scrum and then get let down by these poephols. And the handling by some, christ I dunno.
 
Now it's time for the big game. May we see great rugby and may the best team on the day win.
 
Is it just me or are there much louder cheers for the team in red and black... At Loftus?
 
So far it is not the Bulls from last week. It may have been the poor performance of the Hurricanes which made them look good. The same opinion I have on the Sunwolves from last week against a poor Brumbies team.
 
greg0205 said:
Is it just me or are there much louder cheers for the team in red and black... At Loftus?
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It would take more than 1 good game from the bulls to make up for 3 years of shît
 
Only started watching after half time but good grief, there's an intensity we haven't seen in an SA derby in a long time.

Also, wtf is up with SuperSport's giant banner that covers such a large part of the screen?
 
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