Super rugby 2016, the run home

[Dismal Pillock]

Comments:

• Thank god the end of the season is here, longest boring season of Super Rugby.

haha, it's been pretty goddamn exciting from where i've been sitting!

Did you see the Blues run amok vs the Brumbies? Highly entertaining. Looked like the players had a great time. Who knew having FUN would make you more enthusiastic about doing your job.

 

[KevinO]

haha, it's been pretty goddamn exciting from where i've been sitting!

Did you see the Blues run amok vs the Brumbies? Highly entertaining. Looked like the players had a great time. Who knew having FUN would make you more enthusiastic about doing your job.

The only games worth watching have been the NZ derbies, the rest have been crap. Have you watched an SA derby? No cause it puts you to sleep.

 

[Benaud]

What are the odds on all 4 teams remaining after week 1 of the finals being kiwis? In their way:

Lions (A)
Stormers (A)
Brumbies (A)
Sharks (H)

Looking pretty realistic from here...

 

[Braveheart81]

1 vs 8 will probably be Lions v Sharks.

2 v 7 will probably be Chiefs v Highlanders/Hurricanes.

Otherwise it could totally happen.

 

[Benaud]

Didn't the Lions send a schoolboy side over to Argentina to keep their actual players fresh for the finals?

I'd say they've locked in 2nd.

 

[Braveheart81]

Didn't the Lions send a schoolboy side over to Argentina to keep their actual players fresh for the finals?

I'd say they've locked in 2nd.

I hadn't seen that. Definitely a risky ploy.

That said, I think they'll give it a good shake. That is a squad that has gone so well this year. The second string players in those squads tend to rise to the occasion and the Jaguares have been far from good. Will be interesting to watch.

 

[Benaud]

Worth a bet if you reckon they're a show. $5 around the traps to beat the Jags over there. I assumed they would get pumped.

Would ruin my theory if they got up...

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

My two cents worth:

http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/super-rugby-the-road-home-part-6/#disqus_thread

Short version:

Africa: Lions lose to Jags, Stormers & Sharks win with BP
Straya: Brumbies win with BP v Force so 'tahs result irrelevant
NZ: CruSadists beat 'canes, Clan beat Tribe, no BP to anyone

Rsulting QF draw:

1. Crusaders v 8. Sharks
2. Lions v 7. Hurricanes
3. Stormers v 6. Highlanders
4. Brumbies v 5. Chiefs

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Didn't the Lions send a schoolboy side over to Argentina to keep their actual players fresh for the finals?

I'd say they've locked in 2nd.

Like most I was stunned when I read the news yesterday morning & (twice) amended my blog piece accordingly. But on thinking about it, it makes a lot of sense:

1. Why subject your players to by some reports a 60-hour round trip unless you absolutely have to?
2. They could win in BA regardless & will surely be backing themselves to do so, but if not then...........
3. Finishing second doesn't necessarily mean playing an away GF: there's no reason why a NZ side (sorry, Brumbies) couldn't make it from 5th by knocking over the top NZ side in the SF (esp if that 5th-placed side is the Tribe & the top the CruSadists, they've ample form in that regard, including twice this year), and.....
4. Even if they do end up travelling to (in alphabetical order )Canberra, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Sydney or Wellington I'm sure they'll back themselves to emulate their Round 2 win in HamNZ.

So it's obviously a risk but not necessarily as great a risk as it appears at first glance.

 

[Braveheart81]

The year was 2002.

The Waratahs had sewn up second spot on the ladder before their last round clash against the minor premiers, the Crusaders in Christchurch.

They decide that the wise move is to rest all their key players.

Nek minute. Crusaders 96 - 19 Waratahs.

Nevermind, all our good players come back the next week to host the semi-final against the Brumbies.

Nek minute. Waratahs 10 - 51 Brumbies.

Now clearly a trip to Argentina is a whole lot tougher than a trip to New Zealand so the travel is a real issue, but there is a harsh lesson out there about resting players in the final round knowing you've got a home final the week after.

 

[Braveheart81]

Let's never speak of that again.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

^^^^^^^^ funnily enough that was pretty much my second thought (first of course being "WTF? Have PlanetRugby.com's loonies finally taken over completely?" ).

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Looks like there might be some movement on this as early as 2017 with only the Group winners guaranteed a home QF &'the other two awarded on merit:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11673966

Or not:

http://www.planetrugby.com/news/sanzaar-defend-super-rugby-format/

In which their CEO states that, "....... SANZAAR stands by the existing qualification process......."

 

[Jagman]

The year was 2002.

The Waratahs had sewn up second spot on the ladder before their last round clash against the minor premiers, the Crusaders in Christchurch.

They decide that the wise move is to rest all their key players.

Nek minute. Crusaders 96 - 19 Waratahs.

Nevermind, all our good players come back the next week to host the semi-final against the Brumbies.

Nek minute. Waratahs 10 - 51 Brumbies.

Now clearly a trip to Argentina is a whole lot tougher than a trip to New Zealand so the travel is a real issue, but there is a harsh lesson out there about resting players in the final round knowing you've got a home final the week after.

It doesn't always turn out that way, at least not for South Africans. In 2010 the Bulls sent a B team to play the Stormers in the last round (inadvertantly assuring the Stormers and denying the Warathas of 2nd place) the rest is history.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

 

[Braveheart81]

After all that, it's hard to argue that the best four teams aren't now featuring in the Super Rugby semi-finals.

Arguably the two most inform teams are also hosting the semi-finals.