Un-Australian Activities 2018

[Dan54]

Chiefs should start as favourites in my opinion. They’d have to be my next pick to win the comp behind Canterbury.

I starting to think that too UTG, I think they got the forwards to worry most teams.

 

[Braveheart81]

I starting to think that too UTG, I think they got the forwards Retallick + 7 other guys to worry most teams.

Fixed that for you.

 

[KiwiM]

Speaking as a one-eyed Cantab, given the option of ranking the other teams in the QF in terms of who I'd least like to play, I'd have the Sharks above the Jags, Lions & (sorry guys) 'tahs. To me they're the non-NZ side best equipped to fuck us up in the forwards & if that happens I'm not sure our backs are good enough as a unit for us to win without all that front-foot ball they're used to.

EDIT: worth remembering these teams haven't met in over two years so as Goodhue was saying on CGW last night the Sharks are a bit of a mystery to the CruSadist players & there's only so much the coaches & analysts can do to prepare them for what the Sharks will bring.

Sharks have a very good record v NZ teams this year too - beat 3 out of 4 and the 1 they lost (v Canes) they should have won if not for Canes going length of the field after the siren for the match winning try.

 

[Dan54]

Fixed that for you.

Mate I rate more than just Retallick, any team with Cane , Messam and Boshierin the loosies , with a front row of Taovo,Harris and Big Karl are not too weak in the forwards. They got a useful back or 2, think Weber has really started playing pretty smart, Ngatai,ALB and young Alaimalo (who I think is looking better all the time) perhaps they may just go alright!
And I not mentioning DMac yet!!

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Sharks beat us with 14 men for ~60 min & 13 for most of the final quarter in 2014. Plus it's Beast's 150th just in case they need some extra motivation.

 

[RoffsChoice]

The winner plays the Crusaders.

To be completely accurate they could also play the Sharks, but that was a waste of keystrokes typing that.

More fool me, forgot the weird SF system.

 

[Braveheart81]

More fool me, forgot the weird SF system.

Based on other competitions it seems pretty common in finals systems where every match/series is a knock out that the matchups are pre-determined (NFL, NBA etc.).

NRL and AFL have different systems where some losers don't get knocked out and each round is determined anew based on the seedings.

 

[RoffsChoice]

If it made the scheduling easier, I might get it, but it's much more intuitive to just have highest vs lowest, 2nd highest v 2nd lowest, etc.
The JID Cup had the stupid 1v2, 3v4, loser of 1v2 v winner of 3v4, winner of that game vs winner of 1v2 system, but have seen sense and abandoned it.

 

[Brumby Runner]

If it made the scheduling easier, I might get it, but it's much more intuitive to just have highest vs lowest, 2nd highest v 2nd lowest, etc.
The JID Cup had the stupid 1v2, 3v4, loser of 1v2 v winner of 3v4, winner of that game vs winner of 1v2 system, but have seen sense and abandoned it.

I seem to remember the League competition back in the 50s had this knockout type system where the two winning semi-finalists played out the final, and only if the minor premiers had been beaten in the lead up would they then have the right to play the winner of the final in a grand final. They ditched it in favour of the 1 v 2, 3 v 4, system you describe above iirc.

 

[Hawko]

Lost in all the noise about the conferences is the fact that this is the Jaguares first time in the finals. I know the Lions have altitude, Marx, and a few other goodies in their favour but this jaguares squad can, on their day, tear a team to shreds. This is not over by a long chalk.

Based on other competitions it seems pretty common in finals systems where every match/series is a knock out that the matchups are pre-determined (NFL, NBA etc.).

NRL and AFL have different systems where some losers don't get knocked out and each round is determined anew based on the seedings.

I'm a bit confused by this comment. Does it mean that if the Jaguares and Waratahs win that the Waratahs travel to Argentina for the semi?

 

[Braveheart81]

Lost in all the noise about the conferences is the fact that this is the Jaguares first time in the finals. I know the Lions have altitude, Marx, and a few other goodies in their favour but this jaguares squad can, on their day, tear a team to shreds. This is not over by a long chalk.

I'm a bit confused by this comment. Does it mean that if the Jaguares and Waratahs win that the Waratahs travel to Argentina for the semi?

No. The Sharks and the Jaguares can't host a semi final no matter what the other results are. They will always be the lowest ranked team in their matchup.

 

[Braveheart81]

 

[Dan54]

Christ that a weak Crusaders team, there must be about 4 starters that haven't played test rugby, and only about 3 reserves have. And don't quote me one or 2 that have.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Sharks: 15 Curwin Bosch, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Daniel du Preez, 7 Jacques Vermeulen, 6 Philip van der Walt, 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Tyler Paul, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira. Substitutes: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 John-Hubert Meyer, 19 Hyron Andrews, 20 Wian Vosloo, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Marius Louw, 23 Makazole Mapimpi

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Ross Cronje, 8 Warren Whiteley (captain), 7 Cyle Brink, 6 Kwagga Smith, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Marvin Orie, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Jacques van Rooyen. Substitutes: 16 Corne Fourie, 17 Dylan Smith, 18 Johannes Jonker, 19 Lourens Erasmus, 20 Marnus Schoeman, 21 Dillon Smit, 22 Courtnall Skosan, 23 Howard Mnisi

Jaguares: 15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matias Orlando, 12 Jeronimo de la Fuente, 11 Matias Moroni, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Tomas Lezana, 6 Pablo Matera (captain), 5 Marcos Kremer 4 Guido Petti, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Agustin Creevy, 1 Santiago Garcia Botta. Substitutes: 16 Julian Montoya, 17 Juan Pablo Zeiss, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Matias Alemanno, 20 Tomas Lavanini, 21 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 22 Martin Landajo, 23 Sebastian Cancelliere

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Some Opta facts for CruSadists v Shawks:

* SA teams are 0 from 12 playoff matches played in NZ

* Crusaders have won 17 of their last 21 matches v Shawks

* Crusaders have won all three previous KO matches v Shawks

Perhaps that's why the bookies are offering up to 10/1 on a Shawks win. Ordinarily I'd say Crusaders by 13+ but this being sudden-death I think it'll be a lot closer.

 

[Rebels3]

Saders 20+

 

[Blake]

I’ve never been more confident about a knock out game than this one. Just too many things going the crusaders way: In form, at home after a prolonged run of games at home, almost everyone fit vs Sharks having to travel half way across the world, out of form on the back of an average season where they finished in the bottom half of the table.

Their success against kiwi teams this year is well exaggerated.

 

[Braveheart81]

This would be why the Crusaders are paying $1.06.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[Blake]

True that, 21 point line is okay value.