Chiefs v Crusaders, Round 17 @ Suva

[waiopehu oldboy]

Huge game this, winner will likely go on to win the NZ Conference, the Australasian Group & potentially top seeding for the playoffs. Loser will need to win both their remaining matches & need the winner to drop a game in order to regain top spot & could even miss the cut altogether if other results don't go their way e.g. Hurricanes knocking over the 'tahs.

Can't see Cane or Retallick playing for the Tribe given their June Test workloads, nor Cruden, Tamanivalu or Ngatai recovering from their injuries in time. Allardice definitely won't play, needing knee surgery. Whitelock only played two Tests so could possibly be rested next week, but you'd think two or all of Moody, Crockett & Franks will be rested, as will Read & possibly Dagg. Crotty has pretty much been ruled out already.

 

[ACT Crusader]

Not sure about the resting of players WO. I haven't heard any directive coming from the AB camp or the franchises.

I'd say the game is too important to rest players.


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[waiopehu oldboy]

^^^^^^^ I'd agree, but the Smiths didn't travel to Africa & the stuff.co.nz story about it implies that the entire AB squad is due some rest. Obviously I'm hoping that for our guys that's next week v Rebs.

On re-reading the report on the match v Clan in Oamaru, Marty McK was a casualty & probably won't be available for Suva.

 

[galumay]

Huge game for the Chiefs in the context of the season, hope they can get up for this one, but its a big ask against the 'Saders.

 

[ACT Crusader]

The Gallagher Chiefs travelling squad for Fiji is:

FORWARDS:
Kane Hames
Siegfried Fisi’ihoi
Hiroshi Yamashita
Atu Moli
Hika Elliot
Nathan Harris
Dominic Bird
Brodie Retallick
Taleni Seu
Sam Cane
Tom Sanders
Mitchell Brown
Lachlan Boshier
Jacob Skeen

BACKS:
Brad Weber
Tawera Kerr-Barlow
Aaron Cruden
Stephen Donald
James Lowe
Toni Pulu
Andrew Horrell
Anton Lienert-Brown
Seta Tamanivalu
Damian McKenzie
Sam McNicol

------------------
Not considered for selection: Nepo Laulala, Mitchell Karpik, Pauliasi Manu, Sam Henwood, Johan Bardoul, Glen Fisiiahi, Maama Vaipulu, Michael Allardice, Rhys Marshall, Mitchell Graham, Tevita Koloamatangi, Michael Leitch, Chase Tiatia, Charlie Ngatai, Augustine Pulu (All Blacks Sevens) and Shaun Stevenson (New Zealand U20s).

 

[Hawko]

Not considered for selection: Nepo Laulala, Mitchell Karpik, Pauliasi Manu, Sam Henwood, Johan Bardoul, Glen Fisiiahi, Maama Vaipulu, Michael Allardice, Rhys Marshall, Mitchell Graham, Tevita Koloamatangi, Michael Leitch, Chase Tiatia, Charlie Ngatai, Augustine Pulu (All Blacks Sevens) and Shaun Stevenson (New Zealand U20s).

That's a very, very long injury list. All other things being equal you'd have to mark the Saders as strong favourites.

Charlie Ngatai is still not fit to play. That must be a major worry for him as he is dropping down the AB pecking order week by week; and his concussion is just not healing, with all the long term worries that brings.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Match officials:

Referee: Andrew Lees (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Rohan Hoffmann (Australia), Will Houston (Australia)
TMO: George Ayoub (Australia)

Full list for Round 15 here:

http://www.planetrugby.com/news/super-rugby-match-officials-round-15/

 

[ACT Crusader]

Chiefs team named. Beaver starting ahead of Cruden and Elliot ahead of Harris

CHIEFS: Damian McKenzie, Toni Pulu, Seta Tamanivalu, Anton Lienert-Brown, James Lowe, Stephen Donald, Brad Weber; Tom Sanders, Sam Cane, Taleni Seu, Brodie Retallick, Dominic Bird, Hiroshi Yamashita, Hika Elliot, Kane Hames.

Reserves: Nathan Harris, Siegfried Fisi'ihoi, Atu Moli, Mitchell Brown, Lachlan Boshier, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Aaron Cruden, Sam McNicol

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Crusaders: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Jone Macilai, 13 Kieron Fonotia, 12 David Havili, 11 Nemani Nadolo, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Matt Todd, 6 Jordan Taufua, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Scott Barrett, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Wyatt Crockett
Replacements: 16 Ben Funnell, 17 Joe Moody, 18 Mike Ala'alatoa, 19 Jimmy Tupou, 20 Jed Brown, 21 Mitchell Drummond, 22 Mitchell Hunt, 23 Sean Wainui

 

[2bluesfan]

This is going to be a cracker - can't wait! Chiefs by 7.

 

[mst]

Match officials:

Referee: Andrew Lees (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Rohan Hoffmann (Australia), Will Houston (Australia)
TMO: George Ayoub (Australia)

Full list for Round 15 here:

http://www.planetrugby.com/news/super-rugby-match-officials-round-15/

Take 2 on the Ref's:

Nick Briant
AR1Paul Williams
AR2Jamie Nutbrown
TMOGlenn Newman

 

[mst]

Expensive party.

Super Rugby resumes on Friday with a historic match in Suva Fiji after a $2.3 million investment from the Fijian Government.

Further to this Fortress Information System has stepped in with a $1 million corporate sponsorship of the event.

But the ROI could be worth it: - The match has the potential to be seen by as many as half a billion people and the Fijian Government says the direct economic benefits has been estimated to be in excess of 19 million dollars.

Read more: http://www.superxv.com/fiji-government-chipping-2-3m-chiefs-v-crusaders-clash/#ixzz4CxY9JgLb

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Take 2 on the Ref's:

Nick Briant
AR1Paul Williams
AR2Jamie Nutbrown
TMOGlenn Newman

That'll teach me to believe anything on planetrugby.com! Both sanzar.com & superxv.com have an all-kiwi lineup for Suva so majority rules

 

[Braveheart81]

But the ROI could be worth it: - The match has the potential to be seen by as many as half a billion people

This is the silliest line of the piece.

Surely the potential TV audience for this Super Rugby game is no different than any other.

 

[MarkJ]

And I'm not sure how 80 minutes of footage of a stadium in Suva is going to encourage people to travel to/invest in Fiji. Perhaps they should have played the game on a beach with a few palm trees in the background instead.

 

[Braveheart81]

It's pretty easy to get $19m of economic benefit because it really isn't that much.

A couple of thousand people travel from NZ to watch the historic match and spend a week in Fiji on holidays and you are halfway there.

 

[mst]

Let them dream the dream.

For Fiji and Fiji Rugby ever dollar is important, so though their estimates seem a little on the inflated side but hope they reap some rewards.

 

[swingpass]

Terrific game so far. Cru dominate opening 20 but cant score. Chiefs pretend to be Fiji and pop on two quick tries from not much
17-3 just on half time, but Cru score after the siren 17 - 10

 

[swingpass]

Chiefs defence winning this for them. 20 - 13 less than 5 to go

 

[swingpass]

23 - 13 at fulltime, no BP for the Crusaders