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Speaker 1: It's the Super Rugby quarter finals this weekend, starting with

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Speaker 1: the Crusaders and Reds. Tonight the Hurricanes are in Canberra

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Speaker 1: taking on the Brumbies, and then we have a repeat

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Speaker 1: of the nail byer match last year from the Blues

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Speaker 1: and the Chiefs on Saturday. Rugby commentator Tony Johnson with

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Speaker 1: me this morning.

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Speaker 2: Hey Tony, morning, Ryan.

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Speaker 1: Good to have you on the show as always. First

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Speaker 1: of all, the you know this lucky loser, the new format.

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Speaker 1: Why are we doing this?

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Speaker 2: Well, yeah, it's not really quarter finals this year, they

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Speaker 2: called qualifying finals. They had to cut it back. They

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Speaker 2: couldn't have eight teams in last year because eight remember

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Speaker 2: we've only got eleven teams this year, that would have

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Speaker 2: been ridiculous, so they've gone for six. I don't think

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Speaker 2: they've got it quite right, but it's probably better to

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Speaker 2: have six and you have a lucky loser, which means

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Speaker 2: the highest ranked of the teams beaten this weekend gets

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Speaker 2: to fight again. And of course if that's the Chiefs,

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Speaker 2: the top qualifiers, they'd still get a home semi final

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Speaker 2: next week. So look, as I say, I don't think

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Speaker 2: it's a flawless way of doing it, but it's a

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Speaker 2: step in the right direction. I'm sure they'll probably re

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Speaker 2: fine it for next year.

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Speaker 1: All right, who are your favorites this weekend?

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Speaker 2: Tony? Okay? Well, first of all, the two New Zealand

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Speaker 2: teams playing at home. Chiefs they play the Blues. Now

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Speaker 2: it's a rerun of last year's final in which the

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Speaker 2: Blues absolutely crushed the Chiefs, so they'll be up for revenge.

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Speaker 2: They are in a better place to do it this

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Speaker 2: year probably. Blues have struggled a bit, but they played

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Speaker 2: their best game of the season last year against last

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Speaker 2: week against the Warritas. Chiefs all the way through have

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Speaker 2: looked the team to beat. So that's tomorrow night in Hamilton,

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Speaker 2: a big one tonight. Crusaders they take on the Reds.

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Speaker 2: The problem with the Reds is that they've got the

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Speaker 2: way to history against them. Nineteen times Australian teams have

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Speaker 2: come to New Zealand over the thirty years of Super Rugby.

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Speaker 2: They've played nineteen playoff games in New Zealand and haven't

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Speaker 2: won one of them. And the Crusaders that get will

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Speaker 2: Jordan Fletcher new All back for that one. And then

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Speaker 2: there's the game between the Brumbies and the Hurricans, and

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Speaker 2: that's the tough one. The Hurricans have to try and

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Speaker 2: win in Canberra, where the Brumbies don't lose many unfortunately

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Speaker 2: for them. After last week a very controversial game, the

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Speaker 2: Brumbies were beaten by the Crusaders, a refereeing decision that's

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Speaker 2: got everyone up in arms, and so the crowd, which

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Speaker 2: can be pretty fair at times, they're going to be

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Speaker 2: riding all over the referee from start to finish. And

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Speaker 2: of course the Hurricans, they have been an outstanding form.

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Speaker 2: I think they are a chance to win it, but

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Speaker 2: it won't be easy. So I think three pretty juicy

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Speaker 2: looking games we've got lined up this weekend.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, not a bad way to go. Not a bad

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Speaker 1: weekend the head and who do you think is going

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Speaker 1: to take out the whole competition?

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Speaker 2: Can you make a call yet?

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Speaker 1: The Chiefs? You said the Chiefs are looking pretty good,

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Speaker 1: have been all season.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I'd still have them as slight favorites. But the

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Speaker 2: thing about this super Raguly this year, Ryan has just

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Speaker 2: been so unpredictable. Teams have really found it difficult to

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Speaker 2: win more than three or four games in a row

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Speaker 2: and there's been a lot of upsets, and so I

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Speaker 2: don't think you can put any thing down for certain.

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Speaker 2: I wouldn't be telling anyone to put any money anywhere

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Speaker 2: at the moment because there's always room for an upset.

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Speaker 2: But I still I do think the Chiefs, particularly if

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Speaker 2: they can maintain home advantage, then I think they are

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Speaker 2: definitely the team to beat, and I'd probably favor a

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Speaker 2: Chiefs Crusader's Final, But you know that depends on the

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Speaker 2: Hurricanes because they have been an outstanding form. They've been

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Speaker 2: so good to watch. They've been playing a dynamic brand

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Speaker 2: of rugby. If they can upset the Brundies tomorrow night,

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Speaker 2: then that carries that on the Any trouble is is

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Speaker 2: that the way the thing's been done with Thug if

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Speaker 2: that's the lucky loser game, you'll get to that game

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Speaker 2: and it won't matter who wins or who loses, which

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Speaker 2: is a bit of a shame on, as I say,

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Speaker 2: I think they've got that wrong. But now I'm still

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Speaker 2: at the stage leaning towards a Chief Crusader's Final. Chief

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Speaker 2: slight favorites, but I think anything can happen from this

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Speaker 2: point and that's the beauty of it.

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Speaker 1: Tony appreciate your time this morning. Thanks as always Tony Johnson,

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Speaker 1: rugby commentator.

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