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The Other SupeRugby 2014 Semi-Final - Crusaders v Sharks

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waiopehu oldboy

George Smith (75)
This won't be a repeat of their previous encounter. Crusaders will win by 15+ points. Nadolo to rampage, Dagg to continue form reversal and Read is just all class and will lead by example.

I will remind everyone that I wrote the Saders off after their bad start and was reminded that yes..they do finish well. Me bad!

NZ TAB has Crusaders $1.30 & Sharks $3.30 with a 7.5 start, I tend to think that's about right - the only way I can see it being 15+ is if a Shawk gets sent off and/ or there are multiple binnings. Love to be wrong, obviously, but I just don't see a flogging in prospect.
 

Blue

Andrew Slack (58)
Well if it stops my kids eating the lollies then I'm all for it.

He does look a bit like Piet Van Zyl. I don't know what pisses him off more - that South Africa is going to shit under the ANC or that he can't find a good compound to live in.
What's a compound?
 

Blue

Andrew Slack (58)
NZ TAB has Crusaders $1.30 & Sharks $3.30 with a 7.5 start, I tend to think that's about right - the only way I can see it being 15+ is if a Shawk gets sent off and/ or there are multiple binnings. Love to be wrong, obviously, but I just don't see a flogging in prospect.

That's too confident.

Sharks by 7. Richard gets sent off by one of his own blood brothers, known to some as the "ref".
 

AngrySeahorse

Peter Sullivan (51)
This won't be a repeat of their previous encounter. Crusaders will win by 15+ points. Nadolo to rampage, Dagg to continue form reversal and Read is just all class and will lead by example.

I will remind everyone that I wrote the Saders off after their bad start and was reminded that yes..they do finish well. Me bad!

This is what I hope will happen ^ :)

I reckon this game is going to be really tight.

I really don't see the Crusaders running away with it as many have predicted.

This is what I think will happen ^ :eek:

NZ TAB has Crusaders $1.30 & Sharks $3.30 with a 7.5 start, I tend to think that's about right - the only way I can see it being 15+ is if a Shawk gets sent off and/ or there are multiple binnings. Love to be wrong, obviously, but I just don't see a flogging in prospect.

And that is just mental from NZ TAB. Its going to be much closer than that.

Crusaders by 2 :cool:
 

Sully

Tim Horan (67)
Staff member
We are going live for the Tahs v Brumbies game but it's open for the other semi as well. anyone interested send me your email me your address at sully@greenandgoldrugby.com

I've found a pretty good chat program that could be great for live events.

It's called slack, and there are three ways to use it:
1. The web page - https://gagr.slack.com/messages/tahs-v-brumbies/
2. The android app - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Slack&hl=en
3. The iOs app - https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/slack-team-communication/id618783545?mt=8

The only catch is you have to register an account, and to do that we need your email address.

If you're keen to have a look, and to chat during tonight's match, post your email address below. We'll send an invite and delete your email from the comments as soon as we send it.
 

Benaud

Tom Lawton (22)
And that is just mental from NZ TAB. Its going to be much closer than that.

Crusaders by 2 :cool:


It's mental alright. Sharks $4.60 on Betfair. Still gross unders imo (should be pushing double figures) but if you were crazy enough to like $3.30, there's value there.
 

Braveheart81

Will Genia (78)
Staff member
The odds combined with the spread seem to suggest that the bookies are very confident of a Crusaders win but think it will be close.

I reckon the spread would often be more than that with the underdog paying over $3.
 

Ali's Choice

Jimmy Flynn (14)
Mods please delete if too long, just some thoughts of an excited Crusaders fan who is trying not to think ahead to a possible final next weekend...

This will be the Crusaders best chance to qualify for a final since 2011. Despite being a hugely successful team, the Crusaders have suffered through some relatively lean years since their last title 2008. The vast majority of the current squad have never won a Super Rugby title and will be extremely motivated to win a championship this year, and get that monkey off their back.

People often cite travel as being a huge factor in Super Rugby games, particularly with one team traveling from SA to NZ. But I don’t think it will play a big part in this game. The Sharks will be confident in CHCH, having won there previously this year. Moreover, they left Durban almost immediately after their game last Saturday night and have been in camp in Christchurch since Monday evening, thus giving themselves plenty of time to recover from jetlag and acclimatize.

As with most sudden death, high pressure games of rugby, the result will be decided in two areas, the set-piece contest and the breakdown.

The set piece will be absolutely crucial to deciding the outcome of the match. The Sharks’ victory last weekend against the Highlanders, despite being outplayed in general play, was built around a hugely dominant set piece. Their execution of the scrum, lineout and lineout-maul were scarily accurate and immensely powerful. And they showed that in high pressure games, even relatively limited teams with conservative gameplans can win off the back of dominant set piece.

The Crusaders are the only NZ team that could even contemplate competing with the Sharks’ set piece. Their lineout has been accurate all season, with Whitelock, Read and Bird all offering excellent targets for Flynn and Funnell. With Whitelock and Bird attracting the tallest defending jumpers, Kieran Read will be used heavily by the Crusaders hookers as the 3rd option. Whilst not as tall as either Whitelock or Bird, Read is lighter to lift and has an incredibly long wingspan. He tends to float around the lineout, jumping at 2, 4 or the back, and this makes him a very tough target to mark, especially when he’s partnered alongside two towering AB locks. Willem Alberts is one of the finest locks in SANZAR, and his work both at lineout time and in general play will be absolutely crucial to the Sharks success. Stephan Lewies is a young lock who has had a breakout season at this level. At over 2m tall he’s obviously going to be a key target. Like Read, I also expect the Shark’s no.8 Kankowski to offer a genuine 3rd lineout option and be used frequently. In fact as a one-on-one matchup the battle of the no.8s will be intriguing.

The Crusader scrum has generally been very strong this season, and certainly the strongest of the NZ franchises. Owen Franks has been his consistent self throughout the year, and Wyatt Crockett seems to be enjoying the new scrum rules and interpretations. In Janie and Bismark du Plessis, the Sharks boast two of the strongest scrummaging front rowers in SANZAR. Youngster Thomas du Toit played well in his last match against the Clan, but will be severely tested against Franks. If he can hold his own against the experienced All Black tight head, you’d expect the Sharks to gain a slight ascendency at scrum time.

The battle of the breakdown will be almost as important as the set piece contest. In Jean Deysel and Marcell Coetzee the Sharks boast two classy, hard working and battle hardened flankers who will bring a high level of intensity and physicality to every breakdown contest. Many pundits, myself included, questioned the inclusion of Richie McCaw at the expense of the in-form Jordan Taufua. However haven given this selection more consideration I’ve concluded that McCaw’s superior defensive and breakdown workrate were the principal reasons why he was selected. Taufua offers much more of a threat with ball in hand, but McCaw is still one of the finest defenders in the game and is a constant nuisance at the breakdown despite no longer being the pilfering threat he once was.

Key for the Sharks will be the performances of their halves, in particular young Patrick Lambie. Lambie’s return from injury has been timely for the Sharks. Whilst Frans Steyn manfully held the ship together wearing no.10 in his absence, he lacks Lambie’s temperament and game management. Lambie’s direct opponent is the inconsistent Colin Slade, who has looked brilliant at times this year but also struggled on other occasions. I expect Dan Carter, who is wearing the no.12 tonight, to rotate frequently with Slade into first receiver and then replace him at pivot late in the game.


This won’t be a high scoring affair and tries will be at a premium. Both teams are extremely well organised in defense, and I predict that try scoring opportunities will be few and far between. Goal kicking accuracy will also be extremely important and this is another area that in Frans Steyn, the visitors should hold a slight advantage. Overall I believe this game is too close to call, but I’d love to see a Crusaders triumph.
 

Sully

Tim Horan (67)
Staff member
If you had posted it a few days ago I would have snavelled it for the blog!
 

waiopehu oldboy

George Smith (75)
Try time KR, 10-0 coming up. Sharks looking good with ball in hand but kicking like shit, whodafuck woulda thought that?

EDIT: Frans Steyn channeling Quade Cooper at kickoff time........
 
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