Top 4 - Super 14

[Rugby Rat]

Waratahs
Hurricanes
Sharks
Highlanders

Yep.. No Crusaders in 2009. Also I tip the Highlanders to have their best season for some time and will enjoy watching them demolishing opposition scrums along the way.

 

[Lee Grant]

Highlanders to make the bottom 4 not the top 4.

Crusaders will make the top 4 as will the Hurricanes and Sharks. Sharks the smokey to win.

Can't pick the 4th one but Tahs in with a chance if all their experienced players stay healthy. Injuries to Baxter, Caldwell, Mumm, Palu and Benn Robinson can't be thought about as we don't have the same flexibility that we had with Elsom, Vickerman and Lyons present.

Brumbies to perform better than we think. Reds to move up but not enough to get to the middle. Am concerned about the situation at the Force.

But I'm the world's worst tipster.

 

[Rugby Rat]

The Tahs forwards just need to hold their own. A solid front row and Wallaby scrumhalf will take them a long way.

Baxter
Frier
Dunning
Mumm
Waugh
Palu
Robinson
Fava ( Old but could be OK for a sub with 20 to go )
Polotau - Nou
Caldwell

I'd almost call that the full Wallaby... Does need a couple more 4 sure. A Brown, Pocock, 3M, Hoiles or Horwill would be handy.

Then Burgess
Carter
Beale
Turner
Tiquiri
Tahu

The new lad Ratu.

Not as dominant on paper without Rocky but still a solid base unit that will go very well.

As for the Highlanders. They did beat the Crusaders last year and were only just pipped by the canes and Tahs. Where there's smoke and Jimmy is now an AB.

 

[Lee Grant]

You're a bit out of touch Rat.

Dunning is out for the season and Ratu is out for 2 months - and since Playford has already been hired as backup the big fella won't be playing this year.

Benn Robinson would be ahead of Dunning at LHP anyway, but imagine 3 injuries: Mumm, Palu and Baxter, just for example. The wonderful flexibility we had last year with Dunning, Kepu (also out for most of the comp), Vickerman, Elsom and Lyons (who played in the 2nd half of the 2008 comp) is gone out the window.

Yep Cowan is a good player, and is now captain, and the the T5 were good last year, but they won't be in the top 4 because they don't have the cattle in their 1st XV nor a strong squad outside of it.

 

[Rugby Rat]

What cattle the Highlanders did have in 2008 managed to beat the saders...

If I could draw a line to that of Cronulla Sharks in 2007. Just missed in a few games then in 2008 they won the close ones and ended closer to top than bottom. I, like you, will digress tho...

Yes.. A little out of touch with Super 14 injuries yet somehow me thinks that Baxter/Robinson/Mumm and Waugh will stand the test. Palu maybe not...

 

[Lee Grant]

Any team can beat any other on their day, but to get in the top 4 you have to have a lot of good days.

The Highlanders didn't.

 

[fatprop]

Highlanders will struggle again, they have bugger all

Crusaders, Hurricanes, Sharks in the top three

Blues, Brumbies & Tahs (very subject to keeping the prime cattle on the field) in a battle for the 4th spot

 

[Lee Grant]

That's pretty much my thinking fatprop.

Maybe chuck in the Bulls too. Dunno if the Ponies will be that high, but I hope they are.

 

[Rugby Rat]

Jamie Mackintosh (Southland) VC
Clint Newland (Otago)
Chris King (Southland)
Anthony Perenise (Hawke?s Bay) (D)*
David Hall (Southland)
Jason Rutledge (Southland)
Hayden Triggs (Otago)
Tom Donnelly (Otago)
Josh Bekhuis (Southland)*
Ross Kennedy (Otago)
Adam Thomson (Otago)
Tim Boys (Southland)
Alando Soakai (Otago)
Stephen Setephano (Otago)
George Naoupu (Hawke?s Bay) (D)*
Jimmy Cowan (Southland) C
Sean Romans (Otago) *
Daniel Bowden (Otago)
Matt Berquist (Hawke?s Bay) (D)
Jason Shoemark (Hawke?s Bay) (D)
Jayden Hayward (Otago)*
Johnny Leota (Otago)
Kendrick Lynn (Southland)*
Brett Mather (Otago)
Lucky Mulipola (Otago)
Fetu?u Vainikolo (Otago)
Ben Smith (Otago)*
Israel Dagg (Hawke?s Bay) (D)*

Wider training Squad

Keith Cameron
Peter Mirrielees
Paul Grant
Scott Cowan
Chris Noakes
Aaron Bancroft
Pehi Te Whare
Karne Hesketh


Umm.. Sorry to burst your bubbles. The Otago side has probably the strongest team squad of the lot. They are all very tough lads that know their rugby. I can forsee them tearing more than half of the Super 14 packs apart.

Anyways. We will soon see.

 

[fatprop]

Rat

That isn't a great squad

 

[Ash]

Lee - couldn't agree more. That Highlander squad doesn't look strong to me at all. Some decent forwards - Mackintosh, Newland, Donelly and Tompson. Beckhuis went very well in the NPC (well, the 3 games I saw of him) and may be one to watch. Solid forwards, yet no real players that are first choice All Blacks. But outside of Cowan, their backs are average or below and will be very reliant upon Cowan and Vainikolo. Solid pack, below average backs. Competitve, maybe. Bottom half for sure.

Sharks, Crusaders, Hurricanes, Blues look the goods from the non-Aus teams - maybe the Stormers too.

Time to shove my opinions on you all...

Credit to the Brumbies - to me, they are the one Australian team that looks stronger than last year at this point in time. Good signings especially with Moore, and they've thrown off some of their ineffective grafters in the pack. Friend also looks like a good acquisition, at least from a forward's POV. In the backs, they've lost Huxley, but gotten back Rathbone and Fairbanks, plus signed Mafi to replace the more journeyman Playford (who ironically heads back to the Tahs).

The Tahs forwards look their most fragile now in a long long time. A forward injury anywhere outside of hooker and there is a noticable step back.

The Brumbies I think are the smokey of the Aus teams - they have a good chance of beating the Tahs and finishing the top Aus team.

Reds I am hoping "improve" to post a solid mid table position of around 7th or so. I think it's the best we can hope for them, but even if the Reds finish 8th, I think you can call that a good year in comparison to the last 5 - 6.

Force? Same old internal problems, and lack of a good front row. Sharpe and Hockings won't be able to carry the tight five. Good back row with rising stars Pocock and Brown; good signing in Valentine; and still the best backline in Aus (Valentine, Gits, Staniforth, Cross, Mitchell, Shepherd, JOC (James O'Connor)). Yet could probably finish bottom of the 4 Aus sides. Backline depth is also a major concern - Daruda, Pelesasa and co aren't a shade on the starters.

 

[Rugby Rat]

Auckland
Canterbury
Wellington
Hawke's Bay
Waikato
Southland
Otago
Taranaki
North Harbour
Northland
Tasman
Manawatu
Bay of Plenty
Counties

Top half finishers in the world's strongest National rugby comp .

We will soon see.

 

[Aussie D]

Ash, think the Reds will surprise everyone this year and make the semis.

Think the other team to watch will be the Chiefs - has Foster learnt how to get them firing from the start or will it be a case of deja vu?

 

[Rugby Rat]

Reds have a huge gap problem. The same gap always appears against everyone but the Bulls.

When they do address the problem gap, opposition teams simply rip serveral holes in the defence until a huge gap appears.

 

[formeropenside]

I will be interested to see if the progress Sharpe made in 2008 holds onto the S14 paddock for the Force.

 

[RugbyReg]

As for the Reds. They did thrash the reigning champions last year and were only just pipped by the Cru and Tahs. Where there's smoke and Quade and Hynsey are now Wallabies.

 

[formeropenside]

As for the Reds. They did thrash the reigning champions last year and were only just pipped by the Cru and Tahs. Where there's smoke and Quade and Hynsey are now Wallabies.

Just as importantly, can Greg Holmes avoid injury and keep the Reds scrum solid. We really missed him in the second half of last year, and Coutts was not much of a replacement.

 

[fatprop]

Auckland
Canterbury
Wellington
Hawke's Bay
Waikato
Southland
Otago
Taranaki
North Harbour
Northland
Tasman
Manawatu
Bay of Plenty
Counties

Top half finishers in the world's strongest National rugby comp .

We will soon see.

Auckland, Canterbury & Wellington will be ahead of them

 

[Rugby Rat]

That's the point. In NZ, good rugby players do in fact grow on trees. The Highlanders draw upon 3 experienced sides. All of which are above average. Simplistic weight of numbers.
There is a good historical reason their home ground is called "The House of Pain"

Anyways, I expect a very "forward" showing in 2009.

 

[Lee Grant]

There is a good historical reason their home ground is called "The House of Pain"

Well not for the Tahs. They've won the last 3 there or was it 4? For them it was the house of gain.

But keep on Rat. You could be right. If Bradbury could win an Olympic gold and Bangladesh beat Oz in an ODI, the Highlanders could surely get into the top 4 teams of the Super14 this year.

But like those happenings: it's not very likely.