Saw Cooper's head shot on Barnes for the first time this evening. The dirtbag was very fortunate to only be rubbed out for a week, IMO.
And the Crusaders won convincingly against the Bulls 28-13, the Safas never really looked to really be in control at all in the game, save for about 10 minutes into the second half. More surprisingly through, the Sharks annihilated the Reds in Brisbane as well, 30-17. So we'll have the Crusaders facing the Chiefs in Hamilton on Friday and the Sharks facing the Stormers in Caoe Town on Saturday. Damn, its like our own mini Southern Hemisphere World Cup now, with the best South African team facing off against the best New Zealand team. Although I'm still rooting for the Chiefs next weekend, they're gonna have to do a lot of work to make an impact against the well-prepared Crusaders side that showed up tonight.
And the Chiefs did it, making the final for just the second time in Super Rugby history after winning against the Crusaders 20-17 in Hamilton last night. Now the question will be if the final will be played in Cape Town or Hamilton next weekend. Beating the Stormers at home after flying to Australia and back in the last few weeks may be too much of an ask for the Sharks. Although after seeing how the Sharks completely dismantled the Reds in the Qualifying Final the Stormers may be in for a rude shock tonight. At least the three teams that are still in the running have never won a Super Rugby final yet, which makes for a nice change compared to the Super 14 and 12 where the Crusaders amassed seven victories, the Bulls and Blues three each, and the Brumbies two. With the Reds winning last year, may the winner's revolving door continue to turn for the forseeable future
Sharks got the win and are into the final. Can't say I am too bothered about who wins out of the Sharks and Chiefs. I was going for anyone but the Reds, but that ended last week. News tonight is that Pocock is going to the Brumbies next season (he's also on Q&A on Monday according to the ads). Pleased as a Brumbies supporter, but also a bit disappointed as the Force seem to be completely falling apart. However, as White has shown if you have the right coach and staff the names of the players don't matter as much and I hope the Force can at least fix that up for next year. Looking forward to the RC. It will be interesting to see how the Pumas do. They've done okay in recent RWCs but the Southern comp is a far different beast because of the travel involved.
^ Yep, the Sharks really saved the best for last, that was only the third time this season the Stormers have been beaten, and the first time at home in Cape Town. At the rate the Sharks are producing upsets the Chiefs must be at least slightly worried about their chances in the final. Should be a cracker of a game at least! Looking on the bright side for you Aussies, at least your teams bowing out of the Super 15 early will give Dingo Deans maximum time to whip his troops into fighting shape before the RC starts, because it is looking like you need all the help you get. Perhaps going to a five-team Australian conference was a mistake, as the player base seems to have stretched too thin to make up five reasonably good teams. Just my two cents worth. And yeah, I hope the Pumas do well, too. Isn't Contempomi still confirmed to not be playing in the RC this year? Bad time to leave his national team in the lurch, going up against the three best rugby teams in the world without their captain will be a big ask.
We have a crapload of, at worst, reasonable players chasing money overseas so the "player pool spread too thin" argument has some validity. Then again, the bottom couple of South African sides really aren't all that great either and I don't notice anyone talking about their player pool being too small, so maybe it doesn't have that much validity. It can go either way. I'm becoming increasingly convinced that coaching and the general culture of a side are every bit as important as the ability of the player group. I'm very disappointed that Pocock's leaving Perth; it could be a bit of a death blow for the Force. He's going to a stronger side and that will be good for him, but I wonder at the culture shock he's in for by moving to the lifeless, soulless, atmosphereless shithole that is Canberra. Hopefully he won't regret that part of it, at least.
Congrats to the Chiefs. They won handily against the Sharks who had it against them with their travel for the finals and playing away from home. In the end the best team over the run of the season has walked away with the chocolates.
Yeah, the 37-6 scoreline is a much a result of the travel factor for the Sharks as the skill of the Chiefs. Still, that's the price you pay for finishing in sixth place, and the Sharks did really well to knock off the Reds and Stormers and get into the grand final in the first place. Apart from a couple of silly head-high tackles it really was a solid display by the Chiefs, and a well deserved first Super Rugby title! Now we have a two week break until the Rugby Championship starts, with New Zealand facing Australia in Sydney and Argentina facing South Africa in Cape Town on the 18th of August!