SupeRugby Final 2011: Queensland Reds V Canterbury Crusaders

[kiap]

Harris is 8 from 8 when he kicked. I did a piece on Carter and kicking difficulty http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/07/01/arron-cruden-a-better-kicker-than-dan-carter/

"I have a database of place kicks from the last ten years from a variety of competitions and professional rugby union kickers... My database provides a map of the field so the element of difficulty such as distance, angle, conditions can be applied."

:thumb RuckinGoodStats, that is kicking awesome!

Any thoughts of putting this on-line?

One of the guys who posts on PR (NZ based and with an IT background) has the excellent webpage pickandgo but he has data on rugby teams, not rugby players.

 

[ACT Crusader]

Crusaders to win 96-19...

 

[ChargerWA]

Followed by Richie succesfully negotiating peace in the middle east

 

[Tangawizi]

I just hope that come 9am on Wednesday morning, there are 25,000 Reds fans logged into the Ticketek website to snap up the remaining tickets before the Saders fans get in. Would much rather it be a sea of Red than a sea of Red & Black.

 

[tigerland12]

I was expecting so many Blues fans last night, but it appears most of the Brisbane Kiwi population is from Christchurch.
I hope the Brisbanians, Brisbanites and Brisvagens get their tickets before the Kiwi's!

 

[TOCC]

i went to the Blues vs Reds in 2009 and there were definetly far more blues fans present back then there was on Saturday night..
Maybe the Reds have converted a few of the kiwis over the years..

 

[qwerty51]

Wasn't that match in 2009 in Auckland? And the power went out?

I think Link should seriously consider Harris at 12 just for kicking. Can't afford Quade missing points in this match.

 

[Ruggo]

Reds won well but have several things to work on. That has to be a positive as we can be better. The other thing that is positive is that differences between the Blues and Crusaders are nowhere as major as the Stormers and Reds. The Crusaders have alot to do in that regard.

Forget Harris and we take our chances with Quade kicking. Bringing a player back from injury straight into the final is just crazy and much more risky than any goal kicking issues. Quade has to aim for the inside post and not the black dot. That is his problem.

 

[Ruggo]

Wasn't that match in 2009 in Auckland? And the power went out?

I think Link should seriously consider Harris at 12 just for kicking. Can't afford Quade missing points in this match.

Albany. Barnes had a blinder at 10 I remember.

 

[Nusadan]

Reds won well but have several things to work on. That has to be a positive as we can be better. The other thing that is positive is that differences between the Blues and Crusaders are nowhere as major as the Stormers and Reds. The Crusaders have alot to do in that regard.

Forget Harris and we take our chances with Quade kicking. Bringing a player back from injury straight into the final is just crazy and much more risky than any goal kicking issues. Quade has to aim for the inside post and not the black dot. That is his problem.

We can only look at what happened with the Blues on the weekend what with Lachie Munro being picked ahead of Ranger solely for his goal kicking skills...

 

[Spewn]

The main hurdle for the Crusaders will be their dreadful away strip. You can't have the premiers wearing that grey and red tripe. It should be outlawed in the Super 15 rules. If they can overcome the embarrassment, I fear the Reds won't be able to stop them particularly in the centres.

 

[tigerland12]

Harris won't be fit?

Morahan is the only one with a possibility of a return

 

[TOCC]

Harris wont be back, i would be hesitant in changing up the combination as well, Morahan may come onto the bench at the expense of Chambers, but i dont reckon Link will bother.

Is Johno Lance a kicker?

Wasn't that match in 2009 in Auckland? And the power went out?

I think Link should seriously consider Harris at 12 just for kicking. Can't afford Quade missing points in this match.

might have been 2008 then, cant really remember

 

[Ignoto]

I fear the Reds won't be able to stop them particularly in the centres.

Isn't that what people said several weeks ago and nothing really happened?

 

[TOCC]

had to have a laugh at this jounalism in one of the auckland newspapers:

Cooper has the reliable hands of a bone china delivery man, allowing him to thread passes accurately over long distances. He combines it with footwork to rival Michael Jackson in his moonwalker phase.

 

[RugbyInterest]

No team has won the competition without playing at their home ground, either. I don't think statistical history means much to the Crusaders.

Footy games are won on the field not on paper (or the newspapers for that matter) and statistics don't count for zip in a final. It all comes down to who has the better tactics and plays the game in front of them ON THAT DAY. The Reds have been the best at that all year but the Crusaders have a habit of winning when it really counts - shapes up as one hell of a game

 

[Lindommer]

When was the last time the Crusaders had an away final?

Beat the Brumbies in Canberra in 2000, the last of three successive away finals' victories for the Saders.

Addendum: those were the wins, the Saders lost GFs in Auckland in 2003 and Canberra in 2004.

 

[RugbyInterest]

In fairness, I wouldn't want to rely on Lance as a goal kicker. He could have won the last 2 Premier Colts premierships with his kicking but has been found wanting. He has matured this year but kicking to win at S15 level would be a hell of an ask.

 

[Athilnaur]

At first I was impressed with the Sader's commanding defence, but was surprised at the lack of Stormer commitment. Maybe the Sader's choked them out, but my sense was they did the unthinkable for a Saffa side and gave up. Too many players ducking injuries with RWC year? Maybe the loss of Burger proved crucial there. In the end the Sader's were cruising, tho I'd like to see tackle counts, maybe they worked harder than it looked.

One thing is certain, the Reds will be a whole new ballgame for the Sader's. My money is on the Reds unless the Sader's pack and centres can starve them out.

 

[Newter]

At first I was impressed with the Sader's commanding defence, but was surprised at the lack of Stormer commitment. Maybe the Sader's choked them out, but my sense was they did the unthinkable for a Saffa side and gave up. Too many players ducking injuries with RWC year? Maybe the loss of Burger proved crucial there. In the end the Sader's were cruising, tho I'd like to see tackle counts, maybe they worked harder than it looked.

One thing is certain, the Reds will be a whole new ballgame for the Sader's. My money is on the Reds unless the Sader's pack and centres can starve them out.

The Stormers haven't been much chop this year. Quite overrated. They lost to all the decent sides, even the Bulls.

I suspect the Crusaders forwards will completely dominate the Reds lightweight pack and it will have no effect on the result.