NPR

Blues completely blowing this, just ship the ball wide, they got the beating of them there, playing into this tight pick and drive is meat and drink to the Brumbies

ASMO wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 10:34 am Blues completely blowing this, just ship the ball wide, they got the beating of them there, playing into this tight pick and drive is meat and drink to the Brumbies

This. They've been drawn into a macho confrontation with the Brumbies and their execution and patience is not good enough for that at the moment,

When did BB become Ntamack and decide never to run with the ball?

What a complete shitshow this is and now Barrett grubbers away possession 10m out from the Brumbies line.

Long overdue yellow. Every Brumbies tackler simply lies around in the way at the back of the ruck making zero attempt to roll away.

Torquemada 1420 wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 10:38 am When did BB become Ntamack and decide never to run with the ball?

I keep saying….

Kiwias wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 10:39 am What a complete shitshow this is and now Barrett grubbers away possession 10m out from the Brumbies line.

Classic BB.

F**king finally. N mins to do what they should have done when against 13.

Torquemada 1420 wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 10:47 am F**king finally. N mins to do what they should have done when against 13.

I’d move Perofeta to 10, BB can fuck off to 15 or whatever and just hammer the Brumbies who will tire soon after the tackling frenzy they’ve had to lay down. Perofeta will open them up and BB can take the easy ball his team mates will generate.

The Brumbies can’t maintain this game style for another 40. They could have had another card for high contact already. They’ll tire and get messy.

Blues fitness should carry the day. Interesting second 40 coming up.

And that was inevitable. A lack of patience leads to a Brumbies breakaway and a try. Brain damaged stuff from the Blues.
Leon will be having kittens.

Guy Smiley wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 10:44 am

Torquemada 1420 wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 10:38 am When did BB become Ntamack and decide never to run with the ball?

I keep saying….

He’s sticking to his game plan.

WTAF was that reverse, cross field kick from BB? Just abject play.

Torquemada 1420 wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 11:31 am WTAF was that reverse, cross field kick from BB? Just abject play.

The sad truth is that Foster would have got a wee stiffy from that play.

The Brumbies are being wasteful now. They have had a couple of chances to get down field but kicked out in the full and then the knock on after the turnover. Neither side is looking tidy at the moment.

Spare a thought for Marc Hinton watching this. He has assured us that Beauden Barrett is NZ’s best first-five by some distance. “Not even close” may have been the phrase he used. This is the time you need a first-give to control and right now Perofeta looks the better option.

Kiwias wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 11:34 am

Torquemada 1420 wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 11:31 am WTAF was that reverse, cross field kick from BB? Just abject play.

The sad truth is that Foster would have got a wee stiffy from that play.

I’ve enjoyed Merhts actually…. Just so sarcastic and dry. He’s been damning BB with faint damn all night and it’s thoroughly deserved.

Brumbies kicking this game away. None of them are any good, and don't need to be done, but they seem sure that if they keep trying they'll get it right one day......

Blues must be one of the dumbest teams out there, losing that game with all that posession and territory, that is seriously Bath'esque in its shiteness.

Blues getting a lesson in rugby efficiency here.

ASMO wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 11:47 am Blues must be one of the dumbest teams out there, losing that game with all that posession and territory, that is seriously Bath'esque in its shiteness.

I'm hoping this level of dumb translates to the ABs at RWC

Should have been a pen for not rolling away at an earlier ruck on the left.

Blues get a win their stupid did not deserve.

Thats gonna sting the Brumbies some, they had that won.

Beauden is just a cunt

Brumbies captain suggests they deserve an apology from the ref

Torquemada 1420 wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 6:59 am What is this sh*t on the NZ commentary? Pushing viewers to take up gambling?

I truly hope that does not become too prevalent in NZ. Here in Straya, the level of normalisation of gambling is cancerous.

Jb1981 wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 11:36 am The Brumbies are being wasteful now. They have had a couple of chances to get down field but kicked out in the full and then the knock on after the turnover. Neither side is looking tidy at the moment.

Spare a thought for Marc Hinton watching this. He has assured us that Beauden Barrett is NZ’s best first-five by some distance. “Not even close” may have been the phrase he used. This is the time you need a first-give to control and right now Perofeta looks the better option.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/sup ... h-top-spot

This wasn't a vintage Blues performance – they were stymied for long periods – but it was a gritty one. Barrett, the surging Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Telea were excellent.

I guess it’s like one of those double image what do you see things. Except whether it’s two faces vs a hour glass or a genocidal warthog, Marc Hinton would look at it and see a standout Beauden Barrett performance. As a parent I thought I could love unconditionally, but I’ve got nothing on Hinton.

I've seen two games from BB now where he's done pretty much the same thing...

the first half he's in the backline simply to shovel the ball on to the next player. Borderline forward, his passes are weak, ineffective and usually delivered just before that player takes contact. He doesn't take contact himself, nor does he break the line. He barely runs with the ball at all.

After the break he seems to wake up. There will be a few aimless kicks, often either straight down the throat of a defender or aimless chips in behind the line while hot on attack around the 22 or closer with overlaps available outside him. There's usually a gap to run into, either through the work of his teammates in creating space or a tiring defense getting sloppy. The resulting 10-15m dash from for the line will be greeted by the commentators with gushes of 'brilliant'.

Last night Bryce Heem was unsighted in attack until late in the game when he finally got fed a couple of passes from BB with immediate, damaging effect. He has players outside him who don't see the ball because he has no feel or vision for the game outside of looking to use his speed when it's safe and easy.

He does the bare minimum you'd expect from a Test player in Soup rugby and I believe the Blues function better when he's not in the team. I fully expect BB to be the first player chosen by Foster for the tests and that he will, just as was the case last year, get more playing time than anyone else despite being a dud.

Highlanders vs Waratahs kicking off in about 15 minutes.


Highlanders: 1-Daniel Lienert-Brown, 2-Liam Coltman, 3- Jermaine Ainsley, 4-Sam Caird, 5-Josh Dickson, 6-James Lentjes, 7-Billy Harmon, 8-Marino Mikaele-Tu'u, 9-Aaron Smith, 10-Sam Gilbert, 11-Scott Gregory, 12-Thomas Umaga-Jensen, 13-Josh Timu, 14-Denny Solomona, 15-Connor Garden-Bachop
Reserves: 16- Andrew Makalio, 17-Luca Inch, 18-Saula Ma'u, 19-Max Hicks, 20-Hugh Renton, 21-Folau Fakatava, 22-Marty Banks, 23-Fetuli Paea

Waratahs: 1-Te Tera Faulkner, 2-Dave Porecki, 3-Archer Holz, 4-Geoff Cridge, 5-Hugh Sinclair, 6-Langi Gleeson, 7-Michael Hooper, 8-Will Harris, 9-Jake Gordon, 10-Tane Edmed, 11-Dylan Pietsch, 12-Lalakai Foketi, 13-Alex Newsome, 14-Mark Nawaqanitawase, 15-Ben Donaldson
Reserves: 16-Mahe Vailanu, 17-Angus Bell, 18-Paddy Ryan, 19-Jeremy Williams, 20-Ned Hanigan, 21-Rahboni Warren-Vosayaco, 22-Jack Grant, 23-Jamie Roberts

Did Stevenson just say the Tahs were off of the hook? FFS

Really dumb by Gilbert. That was a red card all day.

Tahs leading 19-7 at HT.

Tahs looking far more composed than the Clan

Kiwias wrote: Sun May 22, 2022 5:12 am Tahs looking far more composed than the Clan

Yep, and they win comfortably 32-20.

As has so often been the case this year the Highlanders were their own worst enemies, with poor decision making, sloppy execution, and a criminal failure to look after the ball.

Watched the last half hour of that, found it difficult watching.

Our teams are getting shown up by the Aussie teams much more intent on stripping the ball in the tackle, it’s quite pronounced.

Stopped watching after the dimmest of red cards. Just WTF the Landers' FH thought he was doing? Zero mitigation, the clearest of reds and absolutely what the protocols were designed to eliminate.

MungoMan wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 10:22 pm

Torquemada 1420 wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 6:59 am What is this sh*t on the NZ commentary? Pushing viewers to take up gambling?

I truly hope that does not become too prevalent in NZ. Here in Straya, the level of normalisation of gambling is cancerous.

In the UK too. Here adverts now cheerily extol you to "gamble responsibly" without the faintest trace of irony.

Good news today

The Chiefs, and All Blacks, can breathe a sigh of relief, with Sam Cane having been cleared of any major injury.

There were fears the Chiefs co-captain and ABs skipper could be facing an extended spell on the sidelines after copping a blow to his right knee in his side’s 51-24 Super Rugby Pacific win over the Force in Hamilton on Saturday evening.

However, Stuff understands the veteran openside flanker has avoided any big damage and has instead been diagnosed with a strain.

It is unlikely, however, that Cane will travel with the Chiefs to Lautoka for Saturday’s final regular season match against the Fijian Drua, in order to give the 30-year-old the best recovery and preparation possible for the following weekend’s quarterfinal.

Cane’s absence will be an obvious blow for a Chiefs side, who are likely to need to win in Fiji to guarantee hosting rights for that quarterfinal, but the visitors will still be highly fancied to do the business against the 11th-placed Drua, who are coming off a 61-3 belting at the hands of the Crusaders in Christchurch on Friday night.

The hosts could, however, be dangerous with a nothing-to-lose mood in what will be just their second match in their home country, the first of which saw them roared on by a big, passionate crowd in a narrow 27-24 loss to the Highlanders in Suva three weeks ago.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/sup ... jor-injury

Enzedder wrote: Mon May 23, 2022 6:34 am Good news today

The Chiefs, and All Blacks, can breathe a sigh of relief, with Sam Cane having been cleared of any major injury...

Guy Smiley wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 11:52 am Beauden is just a cunt

Perhaps, but he's quite a popular cunt.

Gumboot wrote: Mon May 23, 2022 7:09 am

Enzedder wrote: Mon May 23, 2022 6:34 am Good news today

The Chiefs, and All Blacks, can breathe a sigh of relief, with Sam Cane having been cleared of any major injury...