Go the Chiefs

[PaarlBok]

Interesting, the semis in cattle territory, at this stage I hope the final will be a Bulls (biltong) vs Cow (milk) one! Nothing against the others but this two end at the top and I'd love to see them fight it out in a final.

I prefer the cow, which can give me milk for along time and then biltong when she fades. The bull's range of products is limited to one - rather like those blokes in blue, eh?

Me and my Mrs had a bit of a tussle watching the Sharks vs Brutes game on saturday. Myself wanted the Brutes to win to get the home semi & final but she will never support the Brutes. Not even if they play the Reds or any other team, goes back to Naas Botha days. If you live in SA you cant be other then to admire them, I am jealous just watching those Brute supporters and in Paarl there are plenty. They even have flagpoles with Brute flags at their houses and car number plates "EkSkreeNiWPnie". Their kids have Brutes panties and practise rugby in Brute jerseys. This weekend Pretoria and Hamilton will be special places to be in. Dunno about the Chiefs (RB can fill us in) but I can promise you the Bull Ring will be a 70,000 sell out and the rugby spirit will be fantastic. Trust me if they Saders can topple them this weekend, they will be favourates in the final.

 

[Blue]

Interesting, the semis in cattle territory, at this stage I hope the final will be a Bulls (biltong) vs Cow (milk) one! Nothing against the others but this two end at the top and I'd love to see them fight it out in a final.

I prefer the cow, which can give me milk for along time and then biltong when she fades. The bull's range of products is limited to one - rather like those blokes in blue, eh?

Me and my Mrs had a bit of a tussle watching the Sharks vs Brutes game on saturday. Myself wanted the Brutes to win to get the home semi & final but she will never support the Brutes. Not even if they play the Reds or any other team, goes back to Naas Botha days. If you live in SA you cant be other then to admire them, I am jealous just watching those Brute supporters and in Paarl there are plenty. They even have flagpoles with Brute flags at their houses and car number plates "EkSkreeNiWPnie". Their kids have Brutes panties and practise rugby in Brute jerseys. This weekend Pretoria and Hamilton will be special places to be in. Dunno about the Chiefs (RB can fill us in) but I can promise you the Bull Ring will be a 70,000 sell out and the rugby spirit will be fantastic. Trust me if they Saders can topple them this weekend, they will be favourates in the final.

Haven't been in SA for five years but fark me I would love to travel to Pretoria if the Bulls host the final there.

Pity Qantas fucks Saffers over with the most expensive route per kilometer in the world. Every flight is packed so they charge what they like. (where the up-yours smiley?)

 

[Biffo]

Haven't been in SA for five years but fark me I would love to travel to Pretoria if the Bulls host the final there.

Pity Qantas fucks Saffers over with the most expensive route per kilometer in the world. Every flight is packed so they charge what they like. (where the up-yours smiley?)

You really sure of that?

1) So why doesn't SAA cut prices and get all the traffic?
2) Do Australians have to pay less than South Africans for the same flight?

 

[PaarlBok]

Haven't been in SA for five years but fark me I would love to travel to Pretoria if the Bulls host the final there.

Then you long overdue for a visit. To be on Loftus if the Brutes make the final and they won it first time at home will be prizeless. That place 9in fact the whole SA) will be a cookpot of rugby spirit.

 

[PaarlBok]

Semi Final spirit in Pretoria

Night vigil for Bulls fans

Pretoria - Rugby fever has hit Pretoria! With the Bulls ending on top of the Super 14 log and qualifying for the semi-finals of this year's competition where they will play Crusaders at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, more than 100 people were already in the queue on Sunday night at 21:30 for tickets which only started selling from 08:00 on Monday morning.
Tents, banners and braai's helped to boost the spirits of the early queuing fans on a cold Sunday night, with the temperature expected to drop to three degrees early on Monday morning.

The tickets for season ticket holders, who will be entitled to buy their own seats, go on sale on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The semi-final between the Bulls and Crusaders will kick-off at 15:00 on Saturday with the Chiefs hosting the Hurricanes at 09:35 SA time earlier that morning.

Meanwhile, the stadium management at Loftus will dovetail the final upgrading of the stadium with FIFA, with the first Confederation Cup match at Loftus to be played on June 15 - a mere three weeks after Saturday's semi-final and 16 days after the Super 14 final on May 30, should the Bulls advance that far.

The contingency plans have been in place for some time.

 

[Blue]

Haven't been in SA for five years but fark me I would love to travel to Pretoria if the Bulls host the final there.

Pity Qantas fucks Saffers over with the most expensive route per kilometer in the world. Every flight is packed so they charge what they like. (where the up-yours smiley?)

You really sure of that?

1) So why doesn't SAA cut prices and get all the traffic?
2) Do Australians have to pay less than South Africans for the same flight?

It's a co-share run by Qantas. If you fly directly they set the price and it's always very expensive. I'm sure SAA and Virgin would love to run more flights but Qantas calls the shots. Same as gflying to the States now. Virgin was let into the route and the prices have plummeted.

Someone did a study a while back taking average prices for JHB direct for and compared it to a bunch of other routes and it was consistently much more.

Can't be bothered to dig it up but I know a lot of Saffers fly a long route via Singapore as it's actually cheaper at times which is completely nuts.

 

[Biffo]

I know a lot of Australians and Saffers fly a long route via Singapore as it's actually cheaper at times which is completely nuts.

I used to fly Australia to Southern Africa a lot. I never came across a single case of price of an air ticket being set by nationality on those routes.

 

[Blue]

I know a lot of Australians and Saffers fly a long route via Singapore as it's actually cheaper at times which is completely nuts.

I used to fly Australia to Southern Africa a lot. I never came across a single case of price of an air ticket being set by nationality on those routes.

Where did I say nationality plays any role? Of course it doesn't.

Everyone pays the same.

All I am saying is that the route is so popular becuase of all the expats and the airline is charging whatever they want. Compared to other routes leaving Australia of similar distance, the Johburg route is expensive becuase they know it will remain busy, regardless of what they charge. Don't think they are saying let's screw the Saffers. More like hey, they'll keep paying, hike the price up.

 

[Biffo]

I know a lot of Australians and Saffers fly a long route via Singapore as it's actually cheaper at times which is completely nuts.

I used to fly Australia to Southern Africa a lot. I never came across a single case of price of an air ticket being set by nationality on those routes.

Where did I say nationality plays any role? Of course it doesn't.

Everyone pays the same.

All I am saying is that the route is so popular becuase of all the expats and the airline is charging whatever they want. Compared to other routes leaving Australia of similar distance, the Johburg route is expensive becuase they know it will remain busy, regardless of what they charge. Don't think they are saying let's screw the Saffers. More like hey, they'll keep paying, hike the price up.

You wrote: "Pity Qantas fucks Saffers over with the most expensive route per kilometer in the world". That implies heavily that nationality does play a role. Paraphrased, it reads that QANTAS's charge on South Africans is the highest in the world, per km.

I saw some research that Sydney to Osaka had the highest per km fare on the planet and don't remember seeing Sydney to Jo'Burg getting a rating.

Back to the subject. I used many routes to get from various parts of Asia and Australia to Southern and East Africa for many years, in the search for value for money and for convenience. Via Singapore was a favourite. Another was via Bombay to Nairobi with Indian Airlines. Air Mauritius from Jo'Burg to Melbourne via KL and Singapore was a goody.

I recall that, for quite a while, a traveller from Sydney or Melbourne to Perth (that's Perth WA, not Perth Scotland ) found it cheaper to travel via Singapore wirh overnight stops both ways, than nonstop with Australia's domestic airlines. That still true?

QANTAS seems to be applying the same pricing policy as all established "mainstream" airlines.

Back to the REAL subject: GO THE CHIEFS!!

 

[Blue]

I know a lot of Australians and Saffers fly a long route via Singapore as it's actually cheaper at times which is completely nuts.

I used to fly Australia to Southern Africa a lot. I never came across a single case of price of an air ticket being set by nationality on those routes.

Where did I say nationality plays any role? Of course it doesn't.

Everyone pays the same.

All I am saying is that the route is so popular becuase of all the expats and the airline is charging whatever they want. Compared to other routes leaving Australia of similar distance, the Johburg route is expensive becuase they know it will remain busy, regardless of what they charge. Don't think they are saying let's screw the Saffers. More like hey, they'll keep paying, hike the price up.

You wrote: "Pity Qantas fucks Saffers over with the most expensive route per kilometer in the world". That implies heavily that nationality does play a role. Paraphrased, it reads that QANTAS's charge on South Africans is the highest in the world, per km.

I saw some research that Sydney to Osaka had the highest per km fare on the planet and don't remember seeing Sydney to Jo'Burg getting a rating.

Back to the subject. I used many routes to get from various parts of Asia and Australia to Southern and East Africa for many years, in the search for value for money and for convenience. Via Singapore was a favourite. Another was via Bombay to Nairobi with Indian Airlines. Air Mauritius from Jo'Burg to Melbourne via KL and Singapore was a goody.

I recall that, for quite a while, a traveller from Sydney or Melbourne to Perth (that's Perth WA, not Perth Scotland ) found it cheaper to travel via Singapore wirh overnight stops both ways, than nonstop with Australia's domestic airlines. That still true?

QANTAS seems to be applying the same pricing policy as all established "mainstream" airlines.

Back to the REAL subject: GO THE CHIEFS!!

Yes I meant by implication that the Saffers were getting fucked. Not that they were getting fucked because they are Saffers. Implying that would be fucking stupid.

It's totally overpriced and I hate monopolies with a passion.

 

[PaarlBok]

Well done Chiefs! Must have been heart broken for the Canes, one more game.

 

[Dismal Pillock]

Bugger me, he didn't stick around for long: http://www.connachtrugby.ie/connacht-sign-centre-bundee-aki/#l

**WARNING for those of a sensitive disposition**

The above article makes mention of a certain individual whose name in print may cause heart palpitations and/or intense feelings of dread in and around the Onehunga area.

Namely, the current Connacht head coach.

Please proceed with caution, my fellow Aucklanders.

 

[Bairdy]

Bugger me, he didn't stick around for long: http://www.connachtrugby.ie/connacht-sign-centre-bundee-aki/#l

**WARNING for those of a sensitive disposition**

The above article makes mention of a certain individual whose name in print may cause heart palpitations and/or intense feelings of dread in and around the Onehunga area.

Namely, the current Connacht head coach.

Please proceed with caution, my fellow Aucklanders.

Good on him for taking his chances. Wasn't it only two/three years ago that he was a bank teller? A loss for the Chiefs and a superb acquisition for Connacht, but I couldn't help but think that with the backlog of midfielders in Waikato, he would've been one to hold on to, over, say, Fruen.

Not sure of his aspirations for higher honours for the All Blacks or Samoa, but even if he stayed, I'm sure the NZ midfield depth which contains players like Nonu, Smith, Saili, Crotty, Fekitoa, Bateman, Ngatai etc. (not including SBW), coupled with perhaps the fact he came onto the Super Rugby scene later than most (and doesn't have much representative experience in his schoolboys grades), would have made it quite difficult for him to stay and pursue that dream.

 

[Muttonbird]

That depth is what makes NZ rugby so strong. It is being eroded by European clubs who have nothing to answer to their countries union for regarding growing talent from within. Death by 1000 cuts for NZ.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Bugger me, he didn't stick around for long: http://www.connachtrugby.ie/connacht-sign-centre-bundee-aki/#l

**WARNING for those of a sensitive disposition**

The above article makes mention of a certain individual whose name in print may cause heart palpitations and/or intense feelings of dread in and around the Onehunga area.

Namely, the current Connacht head coach.

Please proceed with caution, my fellow Aucklanders.

It gets worse:

"Wearing a green jersey, rather than black or blue, is Bundee Aki's future ambition.

"Three years from now, the power-packed Chiefs second five-eighth hopes to represent Ireland. Not the All Blacks or Samoa. Ireland.

"After chasing another title with the Chiefs and finishing up with Counties Manukau this year, he will instead take his partner and two children and join former Blues coach Pat Lam at Irish club Connacht.

"And after serving there for three years, Aki hopes to play his way into the Irish national team – coached by New Zealanders Joe Schmidt and John Plumtree – on residency grounds.

"It is the same pathway former Blues and Crusaders utility Jared Payne has followed."

Full story on stuff.co.nz

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

As if the whole Bundee O'Aki thing wasn't bad enough, now there's this:

"Gareth Anscombe has emerged as a prime target for the Welsh national team.

The Auckland and Chiefs first five-eighth is eligible for Wales through his mother, Tracey.

Reports out of Wales claim Anscombe will soon also be targeted by the Cardiff Blues, who are searching for a replacement New Zealand coach.

Kiwi-born Welsh coach Warren Gatland is keen on securing the 22-year-old's services in time for next year's World Cup.

Gatland is said to be anxious to solve his first-five issues 17 months out from the pinnacle tournament.

Anscombe, who has recently taken over from injured All Blacks pivot Aaron Cruden at the Chiefs, underwent surgery on both shoulders last year and is understood to have recently inked a two-year extension through to 2015 with the Auckland NPC team. But he is off contract with the Chiefs at the end of this season.

Anscombe's father, Mark, is currently coaching Irish club Ulster.

A flood of youthful New Zealand talent has been poached of late. Chiefs second-five Bundee Aki has signed a three-year deal with Pat Lam's Connacht and hopes to qualify for Ireland under residency grounds. Hurricanes fullback Andre Taylor is another leaving in his prime for Japan."

 

[qwerty51]

I find it hilarious how Hansen is attacking the players for leaving NZ for opportunities.. it's exactly what he did.`

 

[Bairdy]

Not a Chiefs player but thought this was applicable to this thread, which is being used to detail NZ player movements.

Munster sign Tyler Bleyendaal from Crusaders

The 23 year old outhalf cum centre will join up with the Irish province on November 1st

Munster’s new signing Tyler Bleyendaal.
John O'Sullivan
Sun, May 11, 2014, 13:12

Munster have announced the signing of Canterbury and Crusaders pivot Tyler Bleyendaal on a three year contract. The 23-year-old will join the Irish province on November 1st.

Bleyendaal has made 19 Super Rugby appearances for the Crusaders and represented Canterbury in the ITM Cup on 39 occasions. A former New Zealand U20s player he captained the side to victory in the 2010 Junior World Championship in Argentina.

Read more: http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/munster-sign-tyler-bleyendaal-from-crusaders-1.1791175

A substantial loss for the Crusaders - Bleyendaal is arguably better than Tom Taylor. Sounds like another project player for the Ireland team.

 

[tranquility]

Enormous signing. He is a great talent, and it has surprised me that he hasn't played more super rugby.

 

[waiopehu oldboy]

Enormous signing. He is a great talent, and it has surprised me that he hasn't played more super rugby.

You didn't see much of the first Chiefs game, then.

Seriously, what's going on here? Didn't IRFU bring in a reg that there could only be 1 foreign player IN EACH POSITION across their 4 prov teams? Or are the provs (ab)using the project player exception?