Crusaders Send George Smith Into Retirement

The Crusaders have ended the Brumbies’ Super 14 season defeating them 40-22 tonight in Christchurch. Having just lost three on the road, and with their own season on the line, the Saders showed their class. They dominated right from the kick off and never looked like losing. They scored 5 tries to 3 securing them an important bonus point victory.

The win sends the Crusaders charging into the semi-finals for their ninth year in a row!

Zac Guildford was my MVP. He had a hand in setting two tries and scored one of his own.

The great George Smith (110 test matches) finished a stellar career with a decent game. In a nice touch his teammates let him have a crack at the final conversion. Unfortunately he dragged it left. I reckon if he’d made it the 28,000 Cantabrians in attendance would’ve roared with delight.

In the post-match interview Richie McCaw credited his long-term rival as a “menace” and “true champion.”

Thanks for the memories George. You’re all class. See you later.

While the boys from Canberra are heading home to lick their wounds, the men in red are probably heading straight back to South Africa.

Spanking at Suncorp Stadium

The Reds declared their intentions last night at Suncorp defeating the Crusaders 41-20. Full credit to Quade Cooper who turned in an MVP performance scoring 31 points.

What happened to the mighty Saders? They were lazy, lazy, lazy. Perhaps they underestimated the Reds. Perhaps the summer heat of Brisbane got to them. But they were their own worst enemies. If errors were points they would’ve won by miles. They couldn’t hold onto the pill. I don’t think they strung together even 3 phases. It was probably their worst performance in years.

So well done to Ewen McKenzie who clearly is working some magic back stage. The Reds very nearly defeated the Tahs last week and slayed a giant this week.

Experts Humbled by 4-Year Old

Too often in this game we hear losing captains blame their defeats on their own inability to perform instead of acknowledging the manifestly superior performance of the opposition. Well here at Rugby Asteroid we aspire to give credit where credit’s due so we wholeheartedly congratulate the Purple Princess for besting our panel of experts in our 2009 Tri-Nations tipping panel.

If you haven’t been following the drama on our other page, the Purple Princess is just 4 years old. Her exposure to test rugby can be defined as ducking under the screen each weekend so as not to obscure her father’s view of the game. She can’t tell a ruck from a maul. She has no idea how to gauge the benefits of matching a left- with a right-footed kicker. During the match between NZ and South Africa two weeks ago she even asked why there were black All Blacks and green All Blacks. Yet despite her limited knowledge of the game she has consistently predicted the outcome of each 3N game better than die-hard fans with decades of experience. She even scored twice as many points as the lone SAFFA on the panel!

One thing in her favour though, she has met Richie McCaw (see picture above).

All Black Redemption – The Long Way Back

It will be a long flight home for Graham Henry and the All Blacks. They went to the Republic hoping to get at least one win and instead they got comprehensively beaten two different ways. There was clear evidence of a change in tactics in the second game played last night in Durban, but the result was the same.

For the first time in Henry’s five years as coach, the ABs have lost three test matches in a single year – and the season has only just started. The Wallabies will smell blood and the next match in Sydney will be hard to win. Lose that and we will have a bona fide losing streak of three on the trot. The last time the All Blacks lost three or more in a row was 1998.

Will the ABs rebound or is this just the beginning of the end?

To answer this question we need to understand the three reasons behind the AB’s rapid demise.

Munster Contest Phenomenal!

If you haven’t seen the Munster-All Black game that was played on Tuesday night, stop reading this post (spoilers galore!) and go watch it. It was the best game of rugby I’ve seen in a long time. Finally, the ABs found a northern hemisphere team that knows how to play real rugby.

New Zealand very nearly didn’t win. Munster were leading until the 75th minute and they, along with their 26,000 Red Army, knew they were on the verge of something historic.

Forget Ireland and that tepid performance at Croke Park on Saturday! This game was about pride in the red jersey and the 15 old men sitting in the VIP seats who had defeated the ABs back in 1978. There were 15 young men on the field who had every intention of joining them.

Munster played with a provincial passion that saw them pile into every break-down and smash loosies and half-backs at every opportunity. Never mind how the scrum held up – it’s what they were doing when the ball came out that impressed me. Fortunately Liam Messam had an MVP-performance at Number 8, but Piri Weepu, captaining NZ for the first time, was frequently hit before he could off-load. Peter Stringer remains a world-class scrum-half in my book and in terms of passion, he had the edge over his opposite number.

The game opened with a haka performed by the four New Zealanders on the Munster team. The All Blacks held back with their’s and watched Rua Tupoki et al. while the crowd went berserk. It was a sight to behold. Who would’ve thought that a haka of four ex-pats could upstage an All Black haka? Just brilliant.

As for the game? It was manic, free-flowing, fast-running, chaotic and barely controlled rugby. For once a northern hemisphere ref let the players get on with it and the crowd loved it. (Promote that man Paddy!) The only time the fans stopped their deafening roar was for kicks. Penalties on both sides were kicked in total silence. Amazing.

This was only the second time the two teams have met since the AB’s scoreless loss on Halloween in 1978 and this was the first return to Thomond Park. The sense of occasion seemed to bring out the best in the Munster boys while the ABs gave me the impression they were playing for black jerseys. There were moments of sublime skills punctuated by dumb errors.

Stephen Donald had an awesome first half then went cold as ice in the second. He missed four kicks in a row, just to keep things interesting. Joe Rokocoko was both hero and villain. He let in Munster’s only try (to Barry Murphy) by being generally AWOL on the left wing most of the night, then scored the game-winning try by playing his position in the dying minutes.

Munster had some nice moves, particularly the one off the scrum that led to a try. But they kicked possession away far too often in the second half. To all the Irish lads out there, hearken now unto the gospel of Richie as preached in Canterbury: “get the pill and hang onto it.”

The ABs looked threatening whenever they got the ball – they just couldn’t hold onto it. There was a sense that the breakthrough try must come at any time, but the Munster boys did all they could to kill the momentum. I don’t know if it was tactical or if they were really playing beyond their limits, but with every stoppage of play in the last quarter there would be 2 or 3 red players on the ground catching their breath, or stretching their hammies. It seemed that every few minutes another player was going off injured. Full credit to the locals for giving it their all.

But in the last 10 minutes the wind went out of the Munster sails. Brad Thorn came on to steady the twitchy Kiwi pack and Mils Muliani brought much-needed composure to the backs. A driving maul from the ABs steam-rolled its way downfield and this led to some sweet-passing and the game-winning try on the far wing.

Munster did have one more shot at winning the game, but an odd kick from the otherwise reliable Paul Warwick ended up in touch and it was all over. It was a great contest from both sides. Munster did their province proud and very, very nearly repeated history.

Note to the NZRU – never go back to Thomond Park!

ALL BLACKS WIN TRI-NATIONS 2008!

What a finale to the Tri-Nations series! The Wallabies bounced back after their horror defeat to the Boks and delivered a swash-buckling performance that had the All Blacks defending their own line time and time again. Just as we predicted, the Wallabies owned the start of the second half but the All Blacks finally broke through scoring 3 tries in a seventeen minute spell. A late try from the inspirational Ryan Cross made it interesting as did a steal in the dying seconds by George Smith. But a counter-ruck from the All Blacks won the ball and Piri Weepu’s kick into touched sealed the game. Final score 28-24.

The Wallabies dominated the scrums and line-outs. Giteau was outstanding setting up the first two tries. Richie McCaw et al. dominated the break-downs while Dan Carter showed he is still the greatest fly-half in the world but stepping up when it mattered.

Richie versus Robbie – Who Will Prevail?

About this time of the week the mainstream rugby sites start analysing the player match-ups for the big game – will it be Giteau or Carter? Mortlock or Nonu? But this week the most compelling match-up is between two legendary Cantabrians, Wallaby coach Robbie Deans and All Black captain Richie McCaw. And what a match-up it is! Will the student out-shine the teacher or does the old dog still have a few tricks left in him?

These two men have a lot in common. Both were born and bred in Canterbury. Both have represented the province and both have played for All Blacks. Neither would be mistaken for a metrosexual male.  Significantly, both made their reputations winning games for the Crusaders and for each other. If Robbie was the brains behind the ‘Saders many championships, Richie was very much the muscle.

In June this year they won the Super 14 again and then parted company. Robbie headed to the West Island to resurrect the Wobblies while Richie resumed his captaincy of a now-broken and demoralised All Black side.

In the last two months they have further established their reps as leaders of men. “Dingo Deans” has had a very decent start to his Australian coaching career with wins over both the ABs and Boks. Meanwhile Richie continues to cement his place among great All Black captains with his phenomenal work-rate and talismanic presence. For NZ the equation is simple: no Richie = no win. As a coach, Robbie leads with words. But for Richie actions speak louder.

So tomorrow these two legends meet to contest the Battle of Brisbane. For Robbie the most important part of the game will be the half-time break. Robbie is a master of the half-time talk. How often have we seen an unfocused Crusaders team come roaring out of the sheds to dominate a second half? For Richie, the key period will be the final quarter, when the pressure really mounts. Some say he choked during the dying minutes of the Cardiff disaster last year. But Crusaders fans also know a Richie-led team usually doesn’t fire until the last 20 minutes.

Who will win, the apprentice or the master? Having watched these two work together for years, my gut says “Richie” and my brain says “yep, it’s Richie all the way.” Bring on Brisbane!

Wallaby Defence – Smells Like…

In their last four games Robbie Deans’s Wallabies have won twice and lost twice. In their two wins they out-scored their opponents by one try in each game. In their last two defeats they were outscored 12 tries to 2. In other words, when the Wallabies have won it’s been close, but when they’ve lost it’s been a thumping.

In 12 days time the Wallabies face the All Blacks at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

In their last four games Graham Henry’s All Blacks have also won twice and lost twice. In their two wins the All Blacks out-scored their opponents 7 tries to 1, but in their two losses they were only outscored by a try in each game. In other words, when the ABs have lost, it’s been close, but when they’ve won it has been in emphatic style.

This year both teams have scored nearly the same number of tries (23 for the ABs, 22 for the Wallabies). But the Kiwis have been far better on defense letting in just 13 tries compared to 21for the Wallabies.

Guess what the Wallabies need to be working on this week?

Wanted: New Springbok Coach

It is a common fate of coaches to be axed when their teams lose. As a former coach myself, I think this is knee-jerk scape-goating. But I’m willing to make an exception for Springbok coach Peter de Villiers. He’s got to go, and the odds are good that next Saturday’s game against the Wallabies will be his last.

Take a Bow Adam Thomson

For those of you unfamiliar with the tall rookie in the Number 6 jersey, Adam Thomson is a recent arrival from Mars. Evidently they make good flankers on Mars for Thomson played like a bigger version of Richie McCaw in his test debut against the English. It wasn’t just that he was involved in everything – the breakdowns, the line-outs, the rock-solid defense. But on a night when the ABs needed someone to step up for their injured skipper, Thomson did. He just didn’t look like a rookie. He looked like he’d been playing at this level for years. This was nothing short of a Cinderella debut for a man who didn’t even play Super 14 last year.

Maybe this is the year of surprise flankers. NZ have Adam Thomson, SA have Ryan Kankowski, and the Wallabies have…?

Did He Jump or Was He Pushed?

Jerry Collins announced his retirement from NZ rugby on the weekend. He said he had made no commitments for the future, but he was done with All Black rugby. You could hear the collective gasp of relief from Irish and English flankers.

The next day we learned that he would not have made the All Black training squad as his form has not been great this Super 14 season. So putting two and two together, one can conclude that Jerry was given the opportunity to commit hari kari to avoid the indignity of being dropped from the squad.

Is it just me or is there something really funny going on here?

First, as to Jerry’s form. He has not played at his usual standard but my understanding was the guy is recovering from rib injury. Any sort of rib injury is incredibly painful. Even minor cartilage damage can make breathing feel like you’re being knived. It’s entirely consistent with Jerry’s character to return to the game earlier than he should and to play through a bit of pain, but no one with dodgy ribs is going to be able to make and give the hard tackles without some loss in ability. So Jerry’s loss in form can probably be attributed to his injury, and injuries heal.

Second, prior to the retirement announcement, every journalist in the country was guessing that Jerry would make the squad in spite of his injury. This is because Jerry brings something to the team that you don’t find in players like Chris Masoe, Keiran Reid, even Richie McCaw. It’s called intimidation. Now I’ve not had the pleasure of standing opposite a Schalk Burger or a George Smith, but I imagine that those who do take a lot of comfort from having Jerry Collins beside them. Even broken, even sitting on the bench, Jerry contributes.

Third, it was my understanding that broken players got a chance to recover. Was a message really sent to Jerry saying “we’re not going to be needing your services even months from now so you might want to think about shoving off?” Where would All Black rugby be today if Richie McCaw had been discarded when he had his string of concussions a few years ago? When did we start shooting our wounded war-horses? No. I find it hard to believe that Jerry would not have been very eligible for inclusion in the Tri-Nations once his ribs had had a chance to heal. Sure, he may not be ready for the Irish in ten days or the English after that, but who in his right mind wouldn’t want Jerry in Bloemfontein or Durban or wherever for the Tri-Nations? No one else told the injured Joe Rokocoko to pack his bags. No, there must be something more going on here.

Having ruled out injury and non-selection as good reasons for Jerry’s shock retirement, there’s really only one explanation left. Jerry wants to head north sooner rather than later. My wife reminds me that Jerry has a child growing up in England or some place. Family factors might be involved. And such is the nature of Jerry’s character that he is not likely to go shopping for contracts while he was currently signed with the NZRU. I understand Jerry had a year to go on his current contract. He was no doubt disappointed with the Hurricanes Super 14 season – they wanted more than a semi-spot. He knew he wouldn’t be able to play in the early tests and no doubt he was well aware of the rising stock of Keiran Reid (Crusaders) and Jerome Kaino (Blues). His current circumstances merely brought forward what he was planning to do all along – join the exodus north.

In short: he jumped.

Super 14 Final Predictions (2008)

A week ago we predicted Crusaders and the Waratahs would win their respective semis. Oddly as it seems now, the Crusaders’ pick went against the tide of opinion, at least here in New Zealand. The majority of talking heads on TV backed the Canes despite their awful record against the Saders. Perhaps it was an urge to pick the underdogs. Perhaps they thought that the Saders’ recent performance in Games That Did Not Matter was an accurate indicator of their likely performance in Games That Do Matter. Whatever, the Saders bounced back emphatically. In statistics it’s called regression to the mean – the great teams always bounce back, just as the mediocre teams tend to slide after brief bursts of glory (I won’t embarrass the Chiefs by mentioning them).

And what of the coming weekend?

In the old days the Tahs and the Saders used to be evenly matched. But lately the wins have been all one-way with the Saders victorious in their last five contests with the Tahs. We expect that trend to continue this weekend. The Tahs were thumped by the Crusaders four tries to one back in March. Although they have had a pretty good run since then – give them credit for beating the Sharks twice – I don’t see them winning in Christchurch. It’s not just the rabid Cantabrian fans – it’s the awful weather that seems to unsettle the Sydneysiders. In 12 seasons they’ve only won in Christchurch once, back in 2004.

Whatever happens, this Saturday marks the end of an era in Christchurch. Half the old players won’t be returning next year and the Great Robbie Deans is heading to the eastern isle to coach the Wallabies. The Crusaders will have the will to win like the Canes saw last night. Yes, the Tahs quite capable of rising to the challenge, but once the Crusaders settle into their slow “boring” brand of pick and go rugby it’ll be nighty-night for the visitors. The Tahs might put on a good show for 40 or 60 minutes, but the game will be decided in the final quarter.

Prediction: Crusaders to win their seventh championship by 10 points.

Our All Black Team of 2008

About this time of the year I pick my preferred All Black team on the basis of performance in the Super 14. I usually stick my list on the fridge where everyone can see it and have a good laugh. “You picked him?!”

I like to take a few risks which is why Anthony Tuitavake is on my team this year. If you haven’t seen him play, think of what you’d get if you crossed Christian Cullen with Ma’a Nonu. (And no, I don’t mean an injury-prone, out-of-control prima donna.) Tuitavake has great pace and the ability to get defenders going in two directions. He’s a bit of a nimbler version of Isaia Toeava. (Note: Last year I picked Isaia Toeava who had a fantastic Super 14 season but then wilted on the international stage.)

I don’t necessarily pick the best player for each spot, but the best for the larger combinations that exist in my head. If you don’t like my choices, feel free to send in your own choice. Just hit the “Leave a reply” button below.

15. Mils Muliaina (reserve: Leon McDonald)

14. Sitiveni Sivivatu (Lelia Masaga)

13. Anthony Tuitavake (Sean Maitland)

12. Stephen Brett (Conrad Smith)

11. Josevata Rokocoko (David Smith)

10. Dan Carter (Stephen Donald)

9. Brendon Leonard (Andy Ellis)

8. Rodney So’oialo (Mose Tuiali’i)

7. Richie McCaw (Chris Masoe)

6. Jerry Collins (Kieran Read)

5. Ali Williams (Ross Filipo)

4. Jason Eaton (Brad Thorn)

3. Greg Somerville (?)

2. Andrew Hore (Keven Mealamu)

1. Tony Woodcock (John Afoa)

Notable omissions:

• Isaia Toeava – long on potential, short on BMT
• Neemia Tialata – too slow and a bit over-rated
• Piri Weepu – I love Weepu, but he’s too inconsistent for the test stage
• Nic Evans – he’s good, but Stephen Donald is a match-winner and deserves a chance
• Ma’a Nonu – he’s a great tackle-breaker, but he takes too much on himself; he doesn’t work well with others
• Casey Laulala – he just hasn’t been as brilliant as he was last year
• anybody from the Highlanders – I was actually thinking of Jimmy Cowan until a week ago

This dream team consists of 5 Crusaders players, 4 Hurricances, 3 Blues and 3 Chiefs.

Super 14 Final Four Predictions: Three Kiwi Teams in the Semis!

It’s that time of the Super 14 season where sports-fans are picking their final four and, as usual, the competition is deliciously intense! With just two rounds remaining, six teams are vying for three of the four semi-final places. (Of course, we need not mention that the Crusaders are sitting pretty on top of the ladder ten points clear of everyone else.) Ranked in order of their tournament points, the aspiring six teams are: Waratahs, Hurricanes, Stormers, Chiefs, Sharks and Blues. To make the final two rounds even more exciting, there are three games where these aspirants are playing each other. These games are…

Round 13: Stormers vs Waratahs (in Cape Town)

Round 14: Blues vs Hurricanes (in Auckland), and Sharks vs Chiefs (Durban)

Who will make it through? Who will join the current S14 champs for an early holiday season? We bring you not one, but three four predictions…

Jim Kaye of the Dominion Post (Wellington) picks: Crusaders, Tahs, Canes, and Sharks.

Dylan Cleaver, of the Sunday Herald (NZ), has the following top 4 in his power rankings of 4 May: Crusaders, Stormers, Hurricanes and Waratahs.

Pick & Go (Team Rankings after 12 rounds): Crusaders, Sharks, Canes and Stormers.

And who do we pick? Wait for it…

Here at Rugby Asteroid – just to be different – we’re going out on a long thin limb and we’re going to predict three Kiwi teams in the finals: Crusaders, Stormers, Chiefs and Hurricanes.

I don’t see the Stormers losing their last two games at home, which is bad news for the Tahs. The Stormers have probably the longest winning streak in the tournament right now – they are peaking at just the right time.

The Chiefs will be coming off a stinging defeat in Perth – I don’t see them losing to the Lions next week. Their biggest game will come in the final round against the Sharks in Durban. On paper, you’d have to favour the Sharks playing in front of their fanatical home crowd. But this year’s Sharks team lacks the character of previous years and I have a nagging suspicion they will wilt under the offensive firepower of the highly motivated Chiefs.

I fully expect the Hurricanes to beat the Force in wild and windy Wellington this Friday. But it will be a real contest for them at Mt Eden the week after that, not just for bragging rights, but for AB jerseys. This round 14 match-up is a tough one to call, but I think the Canes could triumph. The Blues have had an erratic season, their home town is crucifying them on a daily basis, and their coach has already packed his bags for Australia.

The Waratahs have a similar problem with Ewen McKenzie being axed. Having a coach who has nothing to play for can’t be a healthy thing for a team. I predict a cataclysmic ending for the Tahs; the Stormers will munch them in Cape Town and the Reds in Brisbane will play like it’s a State of Origin match.

Of course, we could be wrong about all this. If you’ve got a different pick for the final four, hit the Comments link below and let us know.

Soccer Skills Decide Classic Contest in the Cold

Three weeks ago we predicted that the Sharks would get three “big fat losses” on their road-trip and that’s exactly what happened. Two weeks ago they lost to the Brumbies in Canberra, last week they were thumped by the Waratahs in Sydney, and last night they went down to the Crusaders in a cold, wet game in Christchurch. Coming into the game the commentators made much of the fact that the Sharks had a far greater motivation to win than the Saders, and this was certainly evident with all the yapping coming from the boys in grey. At times the visitors sounded like a meeting of the Women’s League of Knitters. But apart from affecting the refereeing a little bit, nothing much was gained by it.

For years now there has been an intense rivalry between the Saders and the Sharks. Afterall, it’s the best team from NZ playing the best team from South Africa, the Cantablacks versus the Sharkboks. Historically matches between these two teams are close-contests. Since 1998 the Sharks and the Crusaders have played each other 12 times. In 11 of those games the winning margin has been less than 12 points. On only five occasions has the margin been greater than a converted try. Although last night’s game could’ve gone either way, the final margin of 8 points was actually a bit of a blow-out by historical standards.

One way to view a Sharks-Saders game is as a test trial. So who improved their chances of selection last night?

For the Sharks, No.8 Ryan Kankowski (pictured) had another stand-out performance. In one highlight moment he broke the tackles of McCaw, Brett and Laulala before scoring a brilliant individual try. This young man rocketed into a Springbok jumper at the end of last year and will no doubt be seen again in the Tri-Nations. Frans Steyn also played well for the Sharks, tackling well and making clever kicks in play. One wonders why he wasn’t given more of the kicking responsibilities given the sub-par performance from Ruan Pienaar.

For the Saders, Greg Somerville showed good form as did Keiran Reid. Stephen Brett kicked well and Richie McCaw had another brilliant game despite being binned for 10 minutes. Andy Ellis worked hard but at times seemed eager to kick possession away. But the man who decided the match was replacement prop Wyatt Crockett. Putting boot to ball three times Crockett put managed to get himself and the ball over the try-line at just the right time. It was a bumbling, comical passage of play that left several Sharks players face down in the mud and effectively sunk their chances of winning a home semi-final. Brilliant!

The Corey Flynn Show

For those of you who didn’t see the Blues-Crusaders clash on Friday night, you missed quite a spectacle. I’m not just talking about the exciting broken rugby play of the Blues or the rock-wall defense of the Saders, I’m talking about the one, the only, Mr Corey Flynn, who was both the best and worst player on the field.

What did he do? What didn’t he do! He did it all.

His first contribution was a brilliant little try made after receiving an offload from Keiran Reid. At first I thought I was watching Richie McCaw – stocky white boy makes blazing run up the middle – but no, it was Corey Flynn, legs pumping for all they were worth! It was the kind of run that hookers only do once in a long while and Corey did it twice on the night.

Two minutes after that first try he went from hero to zero missing a tackle he should’ve made. This gifted the Blues their first try of the evening. Then back to hero with his second try which was even better than the first.

He got a couple of impressive penalties the result of dubious decisions made under the high ball. In the first one he played the man and not the ball. In the second one he really did try to play the ball but took out the man regardless. It was a bit comical. Just picture a grand piano falling on Wile E. Coyote. The commentators said it probably wasn’t malicious, just clumsy. Well Clumsy Corey had 10 minutes to think about that one in the sin bin.

Here’s what Planet Rugby had to say about Mr Flynn:

Man of the match: All-action hero/villain/hero/villain/hero Corey Flynn!

Moment of the match: Flynn’s second try, the Crusaders’ third, was wonderful to watch

Villain of the match: Two high tackles – one of them as cynical an obstruction as you could see – means the villain is: Corey Flynn!

Take a bow Mr Flynn! You gave us a memorable performance.

PS: Richie McCaw had another brilliant game as did Keiran Reid and Leon McDonald for the Saders. Kade Poki made a brilliant try-saving tackle that should go into the highlight reel. For the Blues Nick Evans’ boot kept them in the game all night long and the brilliant centre Anthony Tuitavake fully justified Nucifora’s decision to bench Toeva.