Waratahs vs Crusaders 2014 Super Rugby Grand Final

[Braveheart81]

I reckon it will be out of Hooper and Beale. Hooper will probably win for the second time in a row.

 

[Badger]

Really like this article about the game from a journalist who is a rugby fan rather than a sports journalist.

People Are Talking About The Waratahs' Super Rugby Win As One Of The Best Games They've Ever Seen

Paul Colgan Today at 11:55 AM

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/p...one-of-the-best-games-theyve-ever-seen-2014-8

 

[Bullrush]

Been a while since I was here....busy with work, family etc etc

First time I've ever supported the Crusaders last nite.....sorry about that Canterbury fans....LOL

Great game to watch, good on the Tahs and it was nice to be backing a losing team and then not really care at the end!! LOL

BRIBNG ON THE BLEDISLOE!

 

[Set piece magic]

It's official. Michael Hooper is captain fantastic

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

I reckon it will be out of Hooper and Beale. Hooper will probably win for the second time in a row.

Does Oz have a Super Rugby POTY award like we do? If so I'd be backing Hooper for that too. On Beale he's certainly been a better 'tah than he ever was a Rebel but I always reckon the gongs should go to the guys who do the tough stuff up front rather than the pretty boys out the back (I was a centre & occasional FB BTW).

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Although he'd largely ignored the defensive backline being offside all night as well, which made the final Crusaders penalty hard to stomach.

I thought Joubert was very Joubert-like (funny, that) in that he allowed the attacking side plenty of leeway at the breakdown (adv 'tahs more often than not) but balanced that by allowing the D lines to be, shall we say very flat (adv my guys a lot've the time). He was consistent throughout which is as much as we can ask for & better than we get most weeks.

I use the "same call other way, how do we feel about it?" test & tbh the only call I was really unhappy with was the Nadolo try but, hey, if you're gonna give George a big gig like that you've gotta expect the odd fuckup, eh?

 

[Braveheart81]

Does Oz have a Super Rugby POTY award like we do? If so I'd be backing Hooper for that too. On Beale he's certainly been a better 'tah than he ever was a Rebel but I always reckon the gongs should go to the guys who do the tough stuff up front rather than the pretty boys out the back (I was a centre & occasional FB BTW).

Yes. Hooper won it last year.

I'm backing him to win again but I think Beale is close.

 

[Quick Hands]

I thought Joubert was very Joubert-like (funny, that) in that he allowed the attacking side plenty of leeway at the breakdown (adv 'tahs more often than not) but balanced that by allowing the D lines to be, shall we say very flat (adv my guys a lot've the time). He was consistent throughout which is as much as we can ask for & better than we get most weeks.

I use the "same call other way, how do we feel about it?" test & tbh the only call I was really unhappy with was the Nadolo try but, hey, if you're gonna give George a big gig like that you've gotta expect the odd fuckup, eh?

It was exactly what I expected from Joubert - which after Peyper last week was a god-send.

We got a great game of rugby and Joubert played his part - the last 2 penalties basically cancel each other out in my book, so margin was the right one.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

It was exactly what I expected from Joubert - which after Peyper last week was a god-send.

We got a great game of rugby and Joubert played his part - the last 2 penalties basically cancel each other out in my book, so margin was the right one.

Agree with the first 43 (?) words of your post, the last 3 not so much.

 

[redveincheese]

Congrats to Tahs fans and the organization. A great year topped off by a fantastic final performance. Well done.

 

[A mutterer]

Just watched replay (2nd time) and played the "I only drink when Richie's offside" game. Feeling comfortably mellow at the moment.

.

I yelled out something similar from the stands repeatedly to the amusement of the crowd

 

[p.Tah]

Watching the replay. In the last 30 secs I was expecting Joubert to penalise us for diving into the ruck. Crusaders were screaming for it but thankfully it wasn't called.

 

[barbarian]

Yeah there was a split second where he clearly thought about it. It would have been really harsh as there was no obvious dive and he hadn't blown a penalty for that all game up until that point.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

God I love this game sometimes:

"The Crusaders' ''biggest fan'' welcomed the team back to Canterbury with ''cuddles'' following their Super Rugby loss.

"The players, some walking wounded, returned to Christchurch Airport from Australia today.

"The Waratahs won a drama-laden grand final 33-32 in Sydney last night with Bernard Foley kicking a 45-metre penalty in the final seconds.

"Among a throng of loyal supporters at Christchurch Airport was Doreen Searle, 92, who holds a special place in her heart for Sam ''Sammy'' Whitelock.

"The Papanui woman said she was ''heart-broken'' for the players.

''I have to give them a cuddle,'' she said.

''That is what I am here for.''

"Searle frequently sends mail to the players and red and black booties whenever a Crusader's baby is born.

"Team members have returned favours over the years, including a bottle of sherry Reuben Thorne gave her for her 90th birthday.

"Searle pours a half glass each game to help calm her nerves."

There's a photo of her giving Andy Ellis his cuddle, she doesn't even come up to his shoulders, must be 5 foot nothing on the old scale.

 

[Dan54]

Ok was in NZ last night (just returned) ,and have to say what a bloody great game of rugby. Was exactly comments being passed around over there today with everyone I spoke to, and while all were obviously backing Saders, I never spoke to one person that was disappointed with the game, or even the result, all felt the Tahs deserved the win, especially after being top dog all year. I know there will be some that would disagree, but I personally didn't meet any. I also thought Joubert reffed well, he generally favours attacking team, I suspect a few would of called for his head if Tahs lost, but that is proof of what I say about ref moaners. Will be good watching replay tomorrow as I watched game with Kiwi commentators so will be interested to hear Aus ones also!
All in all although we go crook at times about S15 being heaps better when it S12 etc, you do tend to forget that a little after what I have thought a bloody good final series starting 2 weeks back!!

 

[The_Brown_Hornet]

The game really did live up to the hype. Even watching the replay I was nervous about the result. So many great performances from members of both teams, but the battle of the back row was one for the ages. Can't help but feel that there is some real momentum building in Aussie rugby now.

 

[Nusadan]

Yes. Hooper won it last year.

I'm backing him to win again but I think Beale is close.

Maybe so for either, but I'll give Phipps something like a MVP for his try saving tackles in both finals matches plus for vast improvements in his general play.

 

[Pfitzy]

It was reported somewhere or other that the corporate boxes all sold out remarkably quickly.


I will accept support from the big end of town, very gladly, thank you. It is one of the few quantitative advantages we have over loig.


It's a bit late in the day to worry about snobs in our game.

Yes, but I'm talking about the other snobs who WON'T go to Homebush and WON'T cheer.

The NRL has shitloads of corporate support BTW - just because its a trucking company instead of a consulting firm doesn't mean their money is any different.

Your time here would be a lot smoother if you'd just agree with me instead of just looking for an argument you can't win

So I hope the Tahs board ramp up their efforts to sign Cheiks to a long term deal (end of 2019 season?). One title is great, but with the foundations of this team, at least another one should be on the cards.

I heard Cheika on Triple M's sport show this morning - they were asking him what his key thinking is about getting results.

He spoke about the fact that there is no one method, and how the coach and playing group have to be right for each other, and give what the other needs at that time. Of course, being the mungo crew, they asked him about Potter over at the Tigers (NRL club or something ) and in among the league bullshit they tried to shoehorn into every sentence* he said "If you're coaching to keep your job, then go look for another job", and how he coaches for the fun of it, and wouldn't rely on coaching sport to pay your mortgage.

Perhaps the most telling moment was his self-described history with fixer-upper clubs, taking an under performing outfit and turning them around in a short space of time. It was unsaid, but he isn't the kind of guy to go long-term on anything and probably feels - like Link - that extended stay of coaching doesn't always equal results.

So the big question is, what happens at the end of Link's tenure? Will Cheika hang around in NSW longer than three years? Opportunities will open up for a guy with Cheika's history, particularly second tier nations like Italy who can benefit from his global experience.

Also hard to fathom why the "victory celebration" is on a Tuesday in the CBD. When they lost in 2008, they managed to get back from Christchurch on the following Sunday morning to meet with the fans at the SFS.

As the final was in Sydney this time, it would have been easier to arrange than in 2008. By having it on a work and school day, it means many people would not be able to make it which is especially disappointing for the kids.

Might be a few dusty players today And Monday!





* Fuck Matty Johns and Gordon Tallis, seriously: after Cheik had signed off, they're straight down the path of "The thing I love about Cheik is he explains everything in layman's terms. Some coaches make it sound like its not just a simple game... uh on BOTH codes yeah, yeah that's right"

Ram it up your shoe-shitting dot you pricks - that was the best game of footy Sydney has seen in years.

 

[Mullos]

Anyone know of any torrents for this game, por favor?

 

[HorseSizedDuck]

How good was the crowd support? What was the peak Georgibel reading on Sean Maloney's Greganometer? Would have gone close to 11.