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Speaker 2: Inside the Game from Every Angle.
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Speaker 4: My name is Elligott Smith, with you as always, and
Speaker 4: we'll changed things up this weekly and napier watching people
Speaker 4: slug it out and reads we've called and Nick Bailey,
Speaker 4: the voice of the Crusaders on Goldsport and iHeartRadio to
Speaker 4: join us. And Nick thinks so much for joining us
Speaker 4: to wrap the week in Super Rugby and beyond Chess.
Speaker 2: Menie, I'm very much the Martin macaulay of Rugby Direct
Speaker 2: Anti after he was drafted in a very late notice
Speaker 2: to fight Joseph Parkers and great to be here. And
Speaker 2: what's been a fantastic opening Fortnite of Super Rugby.
Speaker 5: Well, let's ripen to the weekend.
Speaker 4: It was in starf maybe with the Saturday night action
Speaker 4: from a new Zealand perspective, the Highlanders beating the Blues.
Speaker 5: Twenty nine to twenty one. I mean, you would have.
Speaker 4: Got long odds to have the Blues windless through the
Speaker 4: opening two rounds in their title defense, sunk at the
Speaker 4: bottom of the ladder, but that's where we're at. The
Speaker 4: Highlanders very very good given the hurdles they had to overcome.
Speaker 4: The Blues just really haven't got this title defense underway.
Speaker 4: What did you make of the game Saturday night?
Speaker 2: Yes, certainly speaking, those odds for the Blues being winless
Speaker 2: after a fortnight they had have been very large. Indeed
Speaker 2: one don't they But just on the Highlanders first, I mean,
Speaker 2: what an inspired performance after the scenes pre match in
Speaker 2: tribute to the late Jackson Garden Baship, not only a
Speaker 2: moment's noise as opposed to a moment's silence, but a
Speaker 2: huka as well. I thought that was very moving and
Speaker 2: that really just set the tone for the evening. The
Speaker 2: Blues did score first, and I was thinking, gee, they've
Speaker 2: sort of taken the fizz out early and maybe it
Speaker 2: was going to be a long night for the Highlanders,
Speaker 2: but they just eked their way back into the contest.
Speaker 2: We were starting to win some moments, particularly around in
Speaker 2: the collision areas, and then a couple of standouts for
Speaker 2: mine young Finn Hurley and isn't it great to see
Speaker 2: some real little blokes star and super rugby gets a
Speaker 2: run there at fullback and chances his arm with a
Speaker 2: little chip and chase try contender early on for Try
Speaker 2: of the year and then from there the Highland has
Speaker 2: really got into their work. The other standout for mine,
Speaker 2: I'm sure we're going to get to in a bit
Speaker 2: more depth, was to Mothi Tava Tava Nahwhite. Incredible inspiring
Speaker 2: selection really from Jamie Joseph back at the helm to
Speaker 2: put him in at second five. Has played little to
Speaker 2: no rugby at second five is my understanding off the
Speaker 2: wing and just his impact not only with the ball
Speaker 2: but without over the ball, winning penalty turnovers at the
Speaker 2: breakdown and a co captain as well who really says,
Speaker 2: come on, boys, I'm going to leave through actions here.
Speaker 2: He was exceptional. But for them to do it, as
Speaker 2: he alluded to, Smithy down not only fourteen men to
Speaker 2: the Daniel Lennart Brown Red card, but obviously having go
Speaker 2: to Golden Oldie and being punished therefore because of the
Speaker 2: interpretations of World Rugby's laws to thirteen men. For them
Speaker 2: still to hang on and beat a blue side laiden
Speaker 2: with all blacks was simply outstanding. So Curdos to the
Speaker 2: Landers and a lot of head scratching up in Blues country.
Speaker 4: Well, there's got to be some head scratching, absolutely, because
Speaker 4: they have all these players and they've played very very
Speaker 4: well last season. But I think they're just missing a
Speaker 4: few key pieces and I don't know where exactly. Will
Speaker 4: probably dig into a bit deeper where they're going wrong.
Speaker 4: But on the basis of Saturday night, it fell to
Speaker 4: me like I was always waiting for them to come
Speaker 4: through and take control of the game, whether it was
Speaker 4: at the sixty minute mark, the sixty fifth, seventy fifth,
Speaker 4: and they're just running out of a runway, and I
Speaker 4: figured about seventy eighth minute, this isn't going to happen.
Speaker 4: They're not going to come back and win this game.
Speaker 4: When Rocketswi scored in about the fiftieth minute, I thought, Okay,
Speaker 4: this is when they take charge of the game. Then
Speaker 4: Leonett Brown gets redcarded, but they just looked a little
Speaker 4: bit lost out there on the path.
Speaker 5: They're missing.
Speaker 4: I think a few players up front, Sam Dowry being
Speaker 4: a key one, but there just doesn't seem to be
Speaker 4: a lot of cohesiveness in the game plan, and the
Speaker 4: Highlanders were able to exploit it. Every time it felt
Speaker 4: like they were about to maybe drift out of the
Speaker 4: game or the Blues are about to take charge, that
Speaker 4: the Highders would pull something out, whether it was a
Speaker 4: turnover from Tava Tava Nahwai, that Finn Hurley magic try
Speaker 4: in the second sassory in the first spell, and they
Speaker 4: just won the key moments I thought right throughout the
Speaker 4: night a lot better than the Blues, who pretty much
Speaker 4: won every moment last year. So for the Highlanders, this
Speaker 4: win has got to be a major boost to their confidence.
Speaker 4: They obviously came away with a close loss in opening
Speaker 4: round against the Waratahs in Sydney, but to go home
Speaker 4: beat the defending champions on their own patch, there's a
Speaker 4: sign there. I think that Jamie Joseph is instilled a
Speaker 4: bit of grit in this team already in just two weeks.
Speaker 2: Yeah, very much so. It feels like his fingerprints are
Speaker 2: already all over this team in terms of what their
Speaker 2: identity is all about, in terms of being there fighting
Speaker 2: for every contest and that's shining through across the park,
Speaker 2: just the one all Black and Ethan DeGroot, who was
Speaker 2: one of those injured front rowers that caused those the
Speaker 2: scenes late with the Highland is having to play with
Speaker 2: third team in But just on the Blues, like, if
Speaker 2: we look at the competition as a whole, three hundred
Speaker 2: and seventy four points in the second round of the
Speaker 2: five games across the weekend, what's an average of just
Speaker 2: under seventy five points a game. The Blues, of all
Speaker 2: the teams who have played two matches so far, have
Speaker 2: the least amount of tries in five and it feels
Speaker 2: like they feel like what works so well last year
Speaker 2: in terms of being direct, physical, abrasive, backing the forwards
Speaker 2: and just grinding out results can still get them through
Speaker 2: twenty twenty five. And it still might prove you know,
Speaker 2: it's very early on, but it still might prove to
Speaker 2: be a successful template. But everyone else, it feels Smithy
Speaker 2: is playing this high tempo February razzle, dazzle, quick rock, speed,
Speaker 2: quick ball and you know ball and play stats through
Speaker 2: the roof and rarely chancing the The Blues haven't really
Speaker 2: adjusted to that, there's a lot of kicking. It seems
Speaker 2: a little bit slower, and this is a team that
Speaker 2: has Caleb Clark and Mark tal En, Rico Joanna, So
Speaker 2: I don't know it's quite an identity crisis, but there
Speaker 2: just hasn't been that adjustment to what everyone else is playing,
Speaker 2: and therefore they're a step behind.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think there's definitely signs of that, and maybe
Speaker 4: look as the weather gets a little bit worse as
Speaker 4: the season goes on, the Blues might be able to
Speaker 4: come into their own a little bit more. But it
Speaker 4: just doesn't feel like a cohesive team at this point
Speaker 4: in time. We'll tag into that a little bit more
Speaker 4: in the final four about exactly what is going wrong
Speaker 4: at the Blues. You mentioned to more Tabatava Naway. He
Speaker 4: has had an electric two weeks to start this season,
Speaker 4: and as you mentioned, putting him at twelve has been
Speaker 4: an absolute malester stroke. He's winning turnovers for fun, but
Speaker 4: every time he gets the ball in hand, he's making
Speaker 4: things happen, and he's from my mind, put himself in
Speaker 4: that All Blacks conversation firmly.
Speaker 5: Early on in the season.
Speaker 4: He probably would have been in the mix a wee
Speaker 4: bit last year, but he hadn't a couple of injuries
Speaker 4: here and there. He's aligned himself with the All Blacks
Speaker 4: because he would have been certainly caught up for Fiji
Speaker 4: by this point. But he has been just a relation
Speaker 4: in that twelve josey in the opening two weeks. And
Speaker 4: I also think that being captain as well sits very
Speaker 4: very nicely with him. He's he looks like a real leader,
Speaker 4: confident in doing that and he's playing some great footing.
Speaker 2: A lot of our listeners smith will know Tava Tabanaho's
Speaker 2: game in terms of that explosive power and his ability
Speaker 2: over the ball. Probably what stood out to me most
Speaker 2: on Saturday night down there in Dunedin was that heads
Speaker 2: up play when the Highlanders, I think Tava tabanah had
Speaker 2: actually just won the penalty at the breakdown, they're inside
Speaker 2: their half and the Blues a little bit on the ropes.
Speaker 2: There was no fallback back there. He taps and goes
Speaker 2: from his own ten meter line boots at downfield fifty
Speaker 2: twenty two. I didn't know that Tava tab no I
Speaker 2: had had a kicking game, but like that's another element
Speaker 2: to what is a very rall wounded game, and just
Speaker 2: by having him in the midfield, you know you're not
Speaker 2: limiting his opportunities with the ball or you know, waiting
Speaker 2: for it to get out to his wing. He is
Speaker 2: so heavily involved as say, both sides of the ball,
Speaker 2: gets that first phase carry up over the advantage line
Speaker 2: and then just such a menace there at the breakdown.
Speaker 2: It's worked. Wonders already. I see one of our columnsts
Speaker 2: in the New Zealand Heralds comparing him to the Annu already,
Speaker 2: which might be a slight reach, but look Tabasavanai. For me,
Speaker 2: he's probably the standout player of Super rugby twenty twenty
Speaker 2: five so far.
Speaker 4: Indeed, look he's twenty seven years of age, so he's
Speaker 4: taken a little bit longer to develop maybe than some
Speaker 4: other players, but he is playing some simperid rugby. Had
Speaker 4: time at Mwana Pacifica of course for a couple of seasons,
Speaker 4: now at the Highlanders, and he has started the season
Speaker 4: very very strongly. And you'll players old team this Friday night.
Speaker 4: Let's move backwards to Saturday afternoon and Hurricanes beating the
Speaker 4: Fijian Drewer in a thriller in Napy year by the
Speaker 4: tune of thirty eight thirty four. I don't want this
Speaker 4: to sound dismissive, but I think the Hurricanes won by
Speaker 4: virtue of just being the team that was ahead when
Speaker 4: the game was over, because two minutes later it could
Speaker 4: have been the Drawer leading. Well, five minutes earlier it
Speaker 4: would have been the Drawer. It was just a a
Speaker 4: back and forth game. I'm not really sure what we
Speaker 4: learned about either team, to be honest, from this game,
Speaker 4: other than the fact that cam roy Guard's playing some
Speaker 4: great footy. So's duples could he fear apart from that
Speaker 4: yellow card? But that was super rugby of old, just
Speaker 4: attacking rugby end to end stuff. And the Hurricanes you
Speaker 4: get on the board after their opening round loss, which
Speaker 4: will be a confidence booster for them certainly.
Speaker 2: Well, yeah, you've got your value for money if you
Speaker 2: head along to mcclaim Park and Napier on Saturday afternoon,
Speaker 2: didn't you. It was like an old fashioned game of
Speaker 2: touch where the ball was just being shifted from end
Speaker 2: to end, side to side, and as you say, defense
Speaker 2: was a little bit optional. But the poor old drawer,
Speaker 2: they just can't buy one away from Fiji. I don't
Speaker 2: know quite what it is. As you say, Smithy, maybe
Speaker 2: if the game goes five minutes longer, it's a completely
Speaker 2: different story. They know they bombed a try with an
Speaker 2: early celebration there late in the first half, but they
Speaker 2: play a really exciting brand of rugby and they really
Speaker 2: bring a point of difference to Super Rugby Pacific. You
Speaker 2: nailed it with cam Roy guard and really good to
Speaker 2: see in the Hurricanes Jews. We've seen at the back
Speaker 2: end of last year his abilities with the All Blacks
Speaker 2: after coming back from that horrific knee injury. But he
Speaker 2: created those first two tries, he snipes in from the
Speaker 2: ruck and scores one late and I think his combination
Speaker 2: it's very early days with young Harry Godfrey is effectively
Speaker 2: what third or fourth cab off the rank at first
Speaker 2: five eighth for the Hurricanes. But he started to see
Speaker 2: some signs there of what Harry Godfrey speaking of little
Speaker 2: blokes like Fin Hurley and Harry Godfrey, what a guy
Speaker 2: like him can do on the super apy stage on
Speaker 2: a dry track with the sun out. I thought he
Speaker 2: was very good, created that try just before halftime and
Speaker 2: then scored the match winner, So there's encouraging signs here.
Speaker 2: For the Canes. I still think though, and I was
Speaker 2: looking at some of these statsmithy issues up front, which
Speaker 2: has been something I felt like the Hurricanes addressed last
Speaker 2: year when they effectively finished minor premiers. But their lineout
Speaker 2: and I know they are missing a safer a moa,
Speaker 2: but ten lineouts only five to one, it's pretty hard
Speaker 2: to have a platform to attack from when you set
Speaker 2: piece or that area. Set piece isn't firing work today
Speaker 2: for Clark Laidlaer and his men, but they're underway.
Speaker 4: They are underway, and a lot of the welcome the
Speaker 4: Blues who are lower confidence this week as well. I'm
Speaker 4: liking in that Hurricanes team just the ability to get
Speaker 4: it out wide. And you know, I think Nahrda is
Speaker 4: playing some good rugby kind of after halftime in that
Speaker 4: Crusader's game last week we didn't see a lot of
Speaker 4: even the Haller were finneng and northwar but those two
Speaker 4: players are dangerous whenever they get ball in hand. And
Speaker 4: in terms of fir here, he looks like he was
Speaker 4: superb for the seven side for it for a couple
Speaker 4: of years. He looks like a really promising player in
Speaker 4: fifteen's still adjusting back to that fifteen style of play.
Speaker 4: But I'm really liking what the Hurricanes are getting out
Speaker 4: of him.
Speaker 2: Yeah, speaking the two seven's wingers from New Zealand, Seams
Speaker 2: fairhov On and off For and Caleb Tonguingtow are now
Speaker 2: getting an opportunity at the Highlanders when they have a
Speaker 2: bit of space down those fifteen meter channels lockout. They're
Speaker 2: both lightning and they've they've really shown out in this
Speaker 2: first couple of weeks.
Speaker 4: Let's go to Friday Night and the Reds beating more
Speaker 4: Wana Pacific at fifty six thirty six in Brisbane. Poor
Speaker 4: old Mowana Nick, you scored forty four points in week one,
Speaker 4: thirty six in week two and they have no wins
Speaker 4: to show from it. They can certainly score points. It's
Speaker 4: the other side of the ball, the defense that is
Speaker 4: the worry. Former Wanda PACIFICA you can't ship the number
Speaker 4: of points they have in the opening couple of rounds
Speaker 4: and expect to win too many games. So if you're
Speaker 4: ti umong It, you'll love the attack, but you've got
Speaker 4: to tighten up that defense somehow because they're a pretty
Speaker 4: leaky ship.
Speaker 2: At the moment. Yeah, indeed, and you look at the
Speaker 2: nature of the tries that have been scored on them,
Speaker 2: particularly on Friday night against the Reds, and you know,
Speaker 2: the Reds went to their set piece, they went to
Speaker 2: their line out pushover more with Matt Fasla there at
Speaker 2: the back, and I just look at Mowana's packing on paper,
Speaker 2: you Ardie Savia aside. He can't do it all there,
Speaker 2: you know, and it just feels like in that sort
Speaker 2: of type five and then the other loose forward pieces,
Speaker 2: they're just losing that collision battle and it is a
Speaker 2: reel r Kelly's Hill for that team. Hand somehow tighten
Speaker 2: things up defensively, as you say, they have got so
Speaker 2: many points in them. You know Kiroen tolmoy Filau out
Speaker 2: on that he scored a couple of tries I think
Speaker 2: on the right wing, who's playing a bit of left
Speaker 2: wing as well, but he's a serious challenge out of Tasman.
Speaker 2: They got pace to burn. Good to see Solomon Alo
Speaker 2: Marlow back from rugby league. He scored a try on
Speaker 2: the weekend as well. So the pieces are there, but
Speaker 2: if you can't put it together up front, the old cliche,
Speaker 2: you're not really going anywhere in this competition. So yeah,
Speaker 2: some work needs doing in those areas for Mowana to
Speaker 2: be competitive, that's the bottom line.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it was interesting as well to see Artie Savier
Speaker 4: move to open side flank on the weekend as well,
Speaker 4: where we haven't seen a lot of him in recent times.
Speaker 5: I just you're right.
Speaker 4: I hope they don't sort of use Artie Savier as
Speaker 4: the band aid to try and keep this pack together,
Speaker 4: because he's such a better player than that. But I
Speaker 4: hope they don't use him just to fill in holes
Speaker 4: and try and go, well, maybe if we move this
Speaker 4: piece around, we'll be better this week. Givevadi can play
Speaker 4: seven or eight or maybe even blindside. You know, he's
Speaker 4: better than obviously a band aid situation, so they've got
Speaker 4: to figure out how to get the best of him.
Speaker 4: We'll also, you know, figure out the balance of that
Speaker 4: pack at some point over the next few weeks in
Speaker 4: this competition.
Speaker 2: Just on the Reds, the mcwright, McDermott mcbrothers, if you
Speaker 2: want to call them that, I thought, you know, that's
Speaker 2: the first opportunity we've had to see them, And just
Speaker 2: on the whole with the Australian teams, the demise of
Speaker 2: the Rebels and bringing the four together. I think as
Speaker 2: a collective they've all risen. We haven't touched on the
Speaker 2: Force being two from two beating the Brumbies as well,
Speaker 2: but they've got some really nice pieces and have that
Speaker 2: good balance between having that four dominant pack able to
Speaker 2: bully some teams up front and then having some real
Speaker 2: excitement out wide. So I know the Reds are the
Speaker 2: next team I'll see down here in christ Chitch Sunday
Speaker 2: week and I think they'll be near the top of
Speaker 2: the log when it comes to Ossie team's at the
Speaker 2: back end of the season.
Speaker 4: Yeahed the four forty five points two weeks in a row,
Speaker 4: one point when last week, three point when this weekend,
Speaker 4: similar to Mawana Pacifica. But they're on the winning side
Speaker 4: of the Leiga after both weeks. You know, it's it's
Speaker 4: a case of will outscore you. You know, however, what
Speaker 4: have you throw at us? And to go to canber
Speaker 4: and put forty five points? There's no easy task, no.
Speaker 2: These and these are the fine margins of super Apia Pacific.
Speaker 2: There's no easy beats. And I was going to James Marshall,
Speaker 2: the Crusader's assistant coach last week, you know, and we're
Speaker 2: going to get onto the Crusaders shortly, but there's you know,
Speaker 2: one mistake can quickly be seven points, you know, and
Speaker 2: that can that can decide a match and the Crusaders
Speaker 2: found that out the hard way last year. But look,
Speaker 2: it's great for the competition. We're seeing very close games.
Speaker 2: I know we had a couple of blowouts, but but
Speaker 2: the three others eight points or less. So I think
Speaker 2: that's what the viewer wants to see.
Speaker 4: Well, let's go to the biggest blowout of the competition
Speaker 4: over the through this two weeks so far. And you mentioned,
Speaker 4: you know, stringing tries together in terms of conceding that. Well,
Speaker 4: the Chiefs managed to do that on the weekend seventeen
Speaker 4: all at one point and then they go bang bang
Speaker 4: two tries in the space of three minutes in the
Speaker 4: game was effectively gone at that point, is Crusaders caller?
Speaker 4: What did you see from that performance in Hamilton?
Speaker 2: Well, firstly, just on the Chiefs. What just a freight
Speaker 2: train and avalanche, wasn't it?
Speaker 1: Like?
Speaker 2: As you mentioned seventeen all, I kind of kicks that
Speaker 2: penalty after what was potentially a contentious moment where he
Speaker 2: was pulled back by Josh Lord after that line break,
Speaker 2: no yellow card penalty, only seventeen all but the games
Speaker 2: and the balance, and then from there just the way
Speaker 2: that the Chiefs ran with intent and purpose. I'm going
Speaker 2: to get to the Crusaders in a second, but I
Speaker 2: looked initially with the loss of Wallace Atiti and thought,
Speaker 2: you know, that's a pretty big out for a side.
Speaker 2: You know that, you know he was their star last
Speaker 2: year to get all the way to the Grand Final.
Speaker 2: But a guy like Simon Parker stepping up in a
Speaker 2: massive way for them in these first two weeks. And
Speaker 2: then when they lose Luke Jacobson early, they've got Sam
Speaker 2: a Penie Finale on the bench. They lose Rama Kapoi
Speaker 2: Happy early, they got Quintu Pyra on the bench. Clayde
Speaker 2: McMillan's strength and depth of that Chief's unit is and
Speaker 2: they just blew the Crusaders away. They made them pay
Speaker 2: for some pretty ordinary moments, and they are rightly on
Speaker 2: its early days. But the leaders in this competition like
Speaker 2: the way the Chiefs particularly are going about their second half.
Speaker 2: What stands out for me Smith is two weeks and
Speaker 2: now Blues and Crusaders. They've scored eight tries in in
Speaker 2: the second half and conceded just the one and that
Speaker 2: was Antonio Chellphone sort of falling over when the game
Speaker 2: was absolutely gone. So they're a scary prospect and if
Speaker 2: they can keep at this level, it's going to take
Speaker 2: something pretty pretty scary to stop them.
Speaker 1: It is.
Speaker 4: You look at that bench that they put out on
Speaker 4: the weekend as well, wasn't as many all blacks as
Speaker 4: the week before. But something that Claude McMillan's doing very
Speaker 4: very well is just balancing the bean Chan's bringing on
Speaker 4: semipenny fee now for these in these games, I know
Speaker 4: we end up playing seventy three minutes and then Quinta
Speaker 4: Pie played seventy odd but a lot of these players
Speaker 4: you're bringing on are quasi and just the depth that
Speaker 4: I don't think you know, as many New Zealand super
Speaker 4: Aby coaches have embraced. You know, a lot of them
Speaker 4: mentioned about the bomb squad, the Chiefs bomb squad, you know,
Speaker 4: taking a leaf out of South Africa and Russi Erasmus's
Speaker 4: bomb squad. But I don't think New Zealand has been
Speaker 4: wise enough to play with a full eighty minute mentality
Speaker 4: and believing that the final thirty minutes is just as important,
Speaker 4: if not more important, than the first fifty minutes in games.
Speaker 4: And maybe we're just seeing a sign of that now
Speaker 4: with Claydon McMillan and what he's doing around the way
Speaker 4: that he's balancing his bench. You know, you would have
Speaker 4: expected someone like a Cortizratama to have started these first
Speaker 4: two games where has come off the bench and he's
Speaker 4: making a real impact. So I just think it's maybe
Speaker 4: a little bit of a mind shift maybe that clad
Speaker 4: McMillan might be leading around some of these New Zealand coaches.
Speaker 2: Well, you just look at the fatigue in the game, Smithy,
Speaker 2: with these with these score lines, you know, there's just
Speaker 2: so much opportunity there to exploit fatigue, and I think
Speaker 2: that's what the Chiefs did so well, you know, it
Speaker 2: was unfortunate for the Crusaders. They lose Fletcher Null to
Speaker 2: a late mouthguard Hia Trigger at halftime, and poor old
Speaker 2: said martinga who's probably fifth or sixth cab up tight
Speaker 2: head prop down here in Crusader's country, gets his opportunity.
Speaker 2: He's only been with the team a hand full of
Speaker 2: weeks and the scrum collapses and he was targeted in
Speaker 2: a big way. And you know, just being able to
Speaker 2: do that and see that and balance your squad. It
Speaker 2: can't be done for every team. Teams just some squads
Speaker 2: just don't have that depth. But as I was just
Speaker 2: touching on the floor, like the Chiefs, it's scary how
Speaker 2: far down you go in every position where they can
Speaker 2: lean on and they've still got guys like Sean Stevenson
Speaker 2: SAMMASONI take a halt to come back into the mix.
Speaker 2: So very encouraging on the Crusaders though, and I do
Speaker 2: want to touch on it, like, yes, the Chiefs, you know,
Speaker 2: put them away, but you look at how some of
Speaker 2: those tries began, you know, James O'Connor not finding touch
Speaker 2: off a penalty one on one, soft misses and tackles,
Speaker 2: missing those collisions, chancing their arm on pushing the pass unnecessarily.
Speaker 2: I think it was O'Connor again intercepted by Ammoni Nadoe
Speaker 2: boots it downfield. He then wins the turnover and they
Speaker 2: score off the next phase. So there was just little
Speaker 2: moments there, and I know the Crusaders are really trying
Speaker 2: to push this up tempo you know, play what's in
Speaker 2: front of you, offload the ball, recycle quickly style of rugby.
Speaker 2: But it felt like they're at that point in time,
Speaker 2: particularly when they went to their bench early where it
Speaker 2: was seventeen all and they just needed to play the
Speaker 2: percentages and you know, not every one of these fifty
Speaker 2: to fifty passes are going to come off like they
Speaker 2: did in round one against the Hurricanes. So I think
Speaker 2: there was a real lesson learned there for the Crusaders
Speaker 2: that if you want to play this attacking style and
Speaker 2: on the other side to this defensive style which is
Speaker 2: just all hell breaks loose with ol Miller shooting up
Speaker 2: out of outside center and basically leaving Chafee Hackey marking
Speaker 2: three minute times out on the flanks, that you're going
Speaker 2: to have to adjust accordingly because you're going to get
Speaker 2: found out by a team with the quality of the Chiefs.
Speaker 5: Indeed, so you very interesting.
Speaker 4: After a couple of weeks in Super rugby, it is
Speaker 4: clear the Chiefs are now, you know, the team to
Speaker 4: beat through two weeks, things might change and shuffle around,
Speaker 4: but they've laid a real statement, where As I think
Speaker 4: you look at the rested ladder and obviously there are
Speaker 4: three teams still to get a win, but it feels
Speaker 4: like a lot of that might shuffle around because there
Speaker 4: are teams that can beat each other at the moment.
Speaker 4: You know, a lot of these results are unpredictable. We'll
Speaker 4: get to some tipping after our breaking in a moment
Speaker 4: or two. But it feels like the Super Rugby competition
Speaker 4: is really unpredictable at the moment.
Speaker 2: It certainly as yeah, and I think has alluded to before.
Speaker 2: Since the rebels have moved away no more, we're now
Speaker 2: in a position where the Australian teams, you know, the
Speaker 2: talent pool is and it's spread as wide it's now
Speaker 2: they're much more competitive. The drawer is still offer plenty.
Speaker 2: You know, the Highlanders with the lift that Jamie Joseph
Speaker 2: has provided, they're now you know, can beat a Blues team.
Speaker 2: For them, it's just about consistency. So it's a tip
Speaker 2: as nightmare this competition. But that's what it's all about,
Speaker 2: I know listening to you guys over the last year.
Speaker 2: So we want jeopardy in this competition. We don't want
Speaker 2: a situation where we can sit here and go it's
Speaker 2: going to be Blues Chiefs come June and we'll see
Speaker 2: who makes up the rest or previously the Crusaders. It's
Speaker 2: the Crusaders to lose. So I think Super Rugby as
Speaker 2: a whole is actually in a really good spot. And
Speaker 2: I think more broadly speaking, you think, particularly given what
Speaker 2: probably their biggest competitor being the NRL starting this week,
Speaker 2: it couldn't have been a better start this first fortnight
Speaker 2: while the NRL is waiting to fire up.
Speaker 5: That's right.
Speaker 4: It will be interesting once we get a few more
Speaker 4: Aussie New Zealand games. We've seen a lot of derbies,
Speaker 4: I think four in the first couple of weeks of
Speaker 4: the competition. It'll be interesting to see how things shakedown
Speaker 4: after that. But you're right, there's been quality that the
Speaker 4: first couple of weeks and I think the best start
Speaker 4: to Super Rugby in years. One thing I did want
Speaker 4: to touch on Nick before we take a quick break
Speaker 4: was this rule. On Saturday night Solou and Ethan de
Speaker 4: group both of the Park Daniel and it Brown gets
Speaker 4: red carded and we go to Golden Oldie scrums and
Speaker 4: we were messaging on Saturday night around It's one of
Speaker 4: those things that we don't see too often in rugby,
Speaker 4: but the Highlanders had to drop a player basically because
Speaker 4: they were the ones that triggered the Golden Oldies scrums,
Speaker 4: so it got them a bit of a mess, and
Speaker 4: then they managed to come out on the other side
Speaker 4: and win it, which is remarkable but one of those
Speaker 4: old rugby rules that only come out once in a
Speaker 4: blue moon and had everyone scratching their heads.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I got into a good old little back and
Speaker 2: forth on Twitter x whatever you call it these days
Speaker 2: with Ryan Nixon. Shout out to Ryan who does some
Speaker 2: great work there at the North Arbor Rugby Union around
Speaker 2: educating referees and educating me. As it turns out, so
Speaker 2: that law you know he was explaining to me is
Speaker 2: basically put in place so you can't manipulate being overpowered
Speaker 2: at scrum times sort of feigning injuries. Front rowers go
Speaker 2: off and then there's no punishment for them going to
Speaker 2: a Golden Oldies and the team that's been dominant aren't
Speaker 2: all of a sudden no longer having that advantage. What
Speaker 2: I'd like to see though, is I think common sense
Speaker 2: needs to prevail, as you mentioned, so they had their
Speaker 2: tight head come off with the failed HIA that's completely
Speaker 2: out of their control and Ethan dig By all means
Speaker 2: was buggered with some sort of leg injury. So yes,
Speaker 2: Lennard Brown is the one that he's a front rower
Speaker 2: too and he's committed that red card defense. But it
Speaker 2: should be fifteen on fourteen in my view anyway, It
Speaker 2: shouldn't be then fifteen on thirteen. As it turns out,
Speaker 2: it's all in material and it makes the Highlanders went
Speaker 2: even more impressive. However, I think that's just one of
Speaker 2: those little oddities where you just tied it up, get
Speaker 2: a bit of twink out at a line and we
Speaker 2: don't have some sort of fascal situation like we did
Speaker 2: on Saturday.
Speaker 4: Well, the thing is, I completely agree because one of
Speaker 4: the arguments in this, the whole twenty minute red card,
Speaker 4: the augment against is a players will we target players
Speaker 4: will target a quality player from the opposition because it's
Speaker 4: only a twenty minute deterrent. You still be off the
Speaker 4: park for twenty minutes, or someone will off the park
Speaker 4: for twenty minutes, but they're able to replace them. But
Speaker 4: I don't buy that for a second. So on the
Speaker 4: reverse of that, if you're taking off a player when
Speaker 4: you have lost players through injury, and also yellow card.
Speaker 4: I think you don't quite get the balance of that.
Speaker 4: If you're doing it on one side for a discipline
Speaker 4: reactually on the other you've got to balance it out
Speaker 4: that way.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, and just on that too the Blues. It's talking
Speaker 2: about that game management. They didn't recognize that if they
Speaker 2: just went for scrums, albeit golden oldies scrums, they would
Speaker 2: have had a two man numerical advantage in the back line.
Speaker 2: Yet they went to the line out. Yeah, head scratching,
Speaker 2: to say the least, very head scratching.
Speaker 4: And clearly, well, you know, the players on the part
Speaker 4: should be smarter, but I'm not sure how there wasn't
Speaker 4: a message they didn't get down ground level as a
Speaker 4: result of that. Will take a break here on Rugby Direct.
Speaker 4: Come back on the second half of the podcast after this.
Speaker 3: This is Rugby Direct, a podcast for real rugby fares,
Speaker 3: power babies talk.
Speaker 4: You're back with Rugby Direct powered by Habit Health. Time
Speaker 4: now for our final four. Let's change tax slightly. The
Speaker 4: sevens still ongoing as we record this in Vancouver, but
Speaker 4: over the weekends Mikayla Break became the all time leading
Speaker 4: tri scorer on the women's seven circuit the question I
Speaker 4: have for you, Nick, is she underappreciated.
Speaker 2: I'm gonna say yes, And that seems crazy to say,
Speaker 2: but I think it's by virtue of the Black Ferns
Speaker 2: being you know, Laiden with stars Black Fern and sevens
Speaker 2: as and the Black Ferns. But you know, for so
Speaker 2: long it's been what's Porscha Woodman Wickcliffe doing, or Sarah
Speaker 2: Herony or Stacy Woker and michaela Blinde. Mikayla Brake is
Speaker 2: you know, on the end of so much fantastic work.
Speaker 2: But in her own right, she is an absolute superstar.
Speaker 2: And you know, to be now clear of Porsche is
Speaker 2: phenomenal and look personally, someone who loves both codes pretty
Speaker 2: excited that she's going to chance rumon an NRLW as well,
Speaker 2: which it's only twenty nine years old, Elliott, and I
Speaker 2: feel like, I know you've seen a lot of the
Speaker 2: SEVENS program, so you'll be able to probably put it
Speaker 2: in better words than me, But she's she's got so
Speaker 2: much still to offer to this program. And you see sometimes,
Speaker 2: particularly in the men's game, sort of that twenty seven
Speaker 2: year year age where it feels like, oh the pace
Speaker 2: sort of of the players start losing a bit of
Speaker 2: pace out wide, but if anything like, she's just got
Speaker 2: speed to burn and she's such an asset to New Zealand.
Speaker 2: So yeah, I think she is a bit unappreciated.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I've got to agree.
Speaker 4: She is phenomenal and just one of those underpreciated players
Speaker 4: that just keeps delivering.
Speaker 5: You know, five tries and one half against Island on
Speaker 5: the weekend.
Speaker 4: She had to get three in the game to take
Speaker 4: the record out right where she had two in the
Speaker 4: space about three minutes, bags another one and then grabs
Speaker 4: a couple more before halftime. And what I really like
Speaker 4: about her as well, she's adding extra elements to a game.
Speaker 4: You mentioned, you know, she's twenty nine years of age,
Speaker 4: probably got one more Olympic cycle in her which is
Speaker 4: the current one after her stint with NRRAL later in
Speaker 4: the year. But she's adding strings to a game. She's
Speaker 4: now doing a little bit of goalkicking as well, and
Speaker 4: it wouldn't surprise me maybe just to see it move
Speaker 4: into the middle at some point over the next couple
Speaker 4: of years, because there are going to be players that can,
Speaker 4: you know, perhaps overtake it. With that pace out wide,
Speaker 4: she still have absolute pace in the middle of the part.
Speaker 4: But she may just perhaps after she come back from sevens,
Speaker 4: just look to adapt to a game a little bit
Speaker 4: further and maybe moving to the middle. It's going to
Speaker 4: be fascinating to see how she comes back after that
Speaker 4: stint with sevens. Sorry with with the nral W a
Speaker 4: bit later on the year, quick word as well. The
Speaker 4: men's sevens losing to Spain in the quarter finals, there
Speaker 4: are some real issues. I know we're in the early
Speaker 4: stages of an Olympic cycle neck but not liking the
Speaker 4: way that the men's team is playing at the moment.
Speaker 2: It doesn't read well does it to lose to Spain
Speaker 2: in any form, any format of rugby for a New
Speaker 2: Zealand representative team. And look, I know, as you alluded
Speaker 2: to their new Olympic cycle, relatively new coach and Tamasia summer,
Speaker 2: but I think yeah, a real sort of stern look
Speaker 2: is required into that men's set up, and maybe some
Speaker 2: pretty significant change is required given how much we prioritize
Speaker 2: other Olympic events.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's right, top number two in the final four.
Speaker 4: How's your your fantasy team going two weeks? And who
Speaker 4: your best buy has been? Because I had battle of
Speaker 4: a weekend. How did your team go?
Speaker 2: Well? Look, the Bewley's Battlers were flying in the inns
Speaker 2: in me League. In round one I had the lead
Speaker 2: over Foxton Fizz, which I'm i'm led to believe is
Speaker 2: Liam Napier, the co host of Rugby Direct, usually by
Speaker 2: just a solitary points, but yet similar I got too
Speaker 2: cute with unlimited transfers that I tried to pack my
Speaker 2: team full of what I thought was ideal matchups and
Speaker 2: went with Hunter, Paisami and Leniki Tail for example in
Speaker 2: the Reds and the Brumbies, and they scored about ten
Speaker 2: points combined, so not as good. But look, I think
Speaker 2: it's been a great addition. Certainly around the workplace here
Speaker 2: in christ Church is a bit of chatter, but what
Speaker 2: a cooler chat about who's in your fantasy team and
Speaker 2: what not? Cam Royguard, I'm glad I stuck with him.
Speaker 2: There's a fair amount of excitement to get Kyle Preston
Speaker 2: in the mix after his hat trick in round one.
Speaker 2: But roy Guard served me well with those two triss
Speaker 2: and a tryver's own at the weekend and points of
Speaker 2: roy Guard not too bad, not too bad, so McKinsey's
Speaker 2: the second top score He's been my captain throughout the
Speaker 2: season so far. But I'm going to put you on
Speaker 2: the spot here. Do you know who the top scorer
Speaker 2: is through two weeks.
Speaker 5: No, I'm going to guess and say it is Will Jordan.
Speaker 2: No. It is an outside back and he plays Form
Speaker 2: ONEA PACIFICA and his name is Kliroen Tomoy full out
Speaker 2: and he's only about four million, I think, so he's
Speaker 2: almost I must have at this point in time. The
Speaker 2: budget for your team is a one hundred million, So yeah,
Speaker 2: get Kien and I think he's four tries in two games,
Speaker 2: and yeah, he's some talent. Certainly, the points are skewed
Speaker 2: towards the back three, so that's where you're really going
Speaker 2: to load up, I think week to week and make
Speaker 2: sure you get that right.
Speaker 4: You're not getting much out of locks. It doesn't seem
Speaker 4: like a game made fantasy. It doesn't seem like game
Speaker 4: made for locks. On the basis of what I've seen,
Speaker 4: I think I've got eighteen from Holland and nine from
Speaker 4: three be law to on the weekend.
Speaker 2: Colin Grace, somewhat strangely, is a lock in fantasy so
Speaker 2: maybe that's one you need to exploit their smith.
Speaker 4: I'll look at that for the weekend. I think number
Speaker 4: three we touched on this a bit earlier. But what
Speaker 4: is going wrong at the Blues?
Speaker 2: For me?
Speaker 4: I think the missing Kida Yanni big time in that
Speaker 4: pack both sides of the ball. He was electric last
Speaker 4: year in Super Rugby. I don't know that the Blues
Speaker 4: anticipated missing him as much as they have in the
Speaker 4: opening rounds. Sam Dowry is a big loss for them,
Speaker 4: but I also think their back line is looking really
Speaker 4: clunky at the moment. I don't know that I'd be
Speaker 4: sticking with Harry Plumber and Boden Barrett in that ten
Speaker 4: to fifteen combination. I think you need to get Boden
Speaker 4: involved in the game a little bit more. Maybe Plumber
Speaker 4: moves back to twelve. Obviously, Petafetta is injured so to
Speaker 4: Sullivan at the moment, but I don't know that they've
Speaker 4: got the makeup of that run on side exactly right
Speaker 4: at the moment, and they're missing a bit of tenaciousness
Speaker 4: in that four pack. What are you seeing is going
Speaker 4: wrong at the Blues at the moment?
Speaker 2: Nick, Yeah, I was going to ask you as if
Speaker 2: you look the Blues call around that ten to fifteen
Speaker 2: combination and we are seeing you know, the ten to
Speaker 2: fifteen dual playmaker has been around for a number of
Speaker 2: years now, but it just doesn't feel like the balance
Speaker 2: is right in terms of the orchestrator of this attack.
Speaker 2: And yeah, I do under two. Obviously, Harry Plumber's got
Speaker 2: a lot of money in the bank from last year,
Speaker 2: and you're not going to leave someone like Bowden Barrett out.
Speaker 2: But yeah, when guys come back to they look at
Speaker 2: Plumber at twelve, Barrett ten, Parafeta fifteen, something like that.
Speaker 2: It's just sort of feels too many chefs in the kitchen.
Speaker 2: And I touched on it earlier too, just around the kicking.
Speaker 2: I just think, especially in these early rounds from what
Speaker 2: we've seen from everyone else, they probably just need to
Speaker 2: put the boot away a bit. Those two Boden Barrett
Speaker 2: kicks straight down thin Hurley's throat led to tries and
Speaker 2: in an eight point games, just some aimless kicking and
Speaker 2: little decision making there can be the difference between a
Speaker 2: win and a loss.
Speaker 4: Agreed, and the midfield's not quite clicking for me either.
Speaker 4: I do rate aj Lamb as a player. I think
Speaker 4: he's excellent. I think was quite close to getting an
Speaker 4: All Blacks all up in the back end of last
Speaker 4: year as well, was doing some training with them, and
Speaker 4: I think twelve is his position. Bryce team out injured
Speaker 4: for the season and what might be maybe his last.
Speaker 4: But Lamb and Yanni aren't clicking at the moment, and
Speaker 4: that in turn is affecting the kind of ball that
Speaker 4: Caleb Clark and Mark Talia are getting on the edges
Speaker 4: of the games. You know, Mark to Lea, I think
Speaker 4: ran for about fifteen meters on the weekend, which is
Speaker 4: not going to get it done. Clark for forty, which
Speaker 4: is also not going to get it out.
Speaker 2: I think that was one breakout.
Speaker 4: And so when you're not getting it out to these
Speaker 4: dangerous players, you've got to look in midfield and go
Speaker 4: what's going wrong there? But just as a whole from
Speaker 4: nine to fifteen, it doesn't feel like any part of
Speaker 4: that back line is clicking at the moment.
Speaker 2: It's early. I wouldn't panic and wrap up your Super
Speaker 2: Apia Winners tickets on the Blues just yet, but it
Speaker 2: brings me to a point around Rico Joanni and can
Speaker 2: you hear your thoughts just quickly too on this one,
Speaker 2: like that, this is a guy who's just had a remarkable,
Speaker 2: fantastic career both in Blue and black, but he does
Speaker 2: have his detractors, particularly around his distribution, Like is he
Speaker 2: under pressure at the moment?
Speaker 4: Well, I think he's got to be under pressure because
Speaker 4: we've seen the kind of players that are standing up
Speaker 4: across the state of the competition at the moment in
Speaker 4: the midfield, not only at center, but also second five,
Speaker 4: you know, to more of the tava tava nahwe He's
Speaker 4: made twelve his own over a two week period. Why
Speaker 4: couldn't he make thirteen his own in an all Blacks jersey.
Speaker 4: You know, if he's going to take to twelve like
Speaker 4: a duck to water, who's to say that he couldn't
Speaker 4: also move out one and do the same thing there.
Speaker 4: I think, you know, we've seen Quinta Pie come back
Speaker 4: really really well across the back line as well. Twelve
Speaker 4: and thirteen. Leonet Brown I think has had an excellent
Speaker 4: start to Super Rugby. I thought he was superb against
Speaker 4: the Crusaders on the weekend. So if you're Rico Jouani,
Speaker 4: I think you do have to come in for a
Speaker 4: little bit of pressure, a little bit of criticism over
Speaker 4: the way that the opening two weeks have gone, and
Speaker 4: there is a level that needs to be met by
Speaker 4: all Blacks players, and I don't think he's quite hit
Speaker 4: that as ye in this competition.
Speaker 2: Yeah, like he's not alone in that Blues team in
Speaker 2: terms of all Blacks who haven't five from the opening round.
Speaker 2: But yeah, look, i'd back him to bounce back. But
Speaker 2: it just as it's been an interesting observation to me
Speaker 2: that it just hasn't. Certainly I'll cross that back line.
Speaker 2: It isn't firing.
Speaker 5: Topic number four in the final four.
Speaker 4: We'll have a chat with Kendrick Coxage Black fans legend
Speaker 4: on the program on the podcast in a few moments time.
Speaker 4: But who wins Super Rugby or Picky? Which gets underway
Speaker 4: this weekend?
Speaker 2: Nick, Look, I think the balance of power still lies
Speaker 2: in and around the Bombay Hills. Elliott I saw the
Speaker 2: Blues racked up there on a cricket score against Chief
Speaker 2: Munuah in a preseason game, and yes it is preseason,
Speaker 2: but just look at the strength and depth again in
Speaker 2: those squads. It is a sprint Super Rugby, Opicky, But
Speaker 2: the Blues we mentioned Porsha Woodman Wickcliffe. But that's a
Speaker 2: pretty handy addition for them, isn't it. And look my
Speaker 2: Mata two down here, a couple of good INDs getting
Speaker 2: Hannah King back, really looking forward to seeing what she
Speaker 2: can do after a really solid year under her about
Speaker 2: getting an opportunity up there at Hurrick Poler. The Bremner
Speaker 2: sisters reunite, so they've they've got some talent too. But
Speaker 2: but I just get the sense that it's Blues Chiefs manna,
Speaker 2: if you will, And and it'll take some beating for
Speaker 2: for the for the Polar or Matitu to come through
Speaker 2: over the top of one of those two.
Speaker 4: Look on the basis of what I've seen in preseason,
Speaker 4: and that is a little bit here and there, I think,
Speaker 4: I think you're right. You know, the Chiefs are blowing
Speaker 4: out on the weekend, but there will be better as
Speaker 4: they get back into competition. There's a lot of new
Speaker 4: faces in the new combinations in the mix. The Blues, though,
Speaker 4: I think of the team to beat. You know, when
Speaker 4: you can add pullshit Wooden Wickliffe into your team, you know,
Speaker 4: it's a it's a hell of an inn to have
Speaker 4: to an already championship winning team. But as we've seen
Speaker 4: from the Blues Men, you know, sometimes things can go
Speaker 4: off track when you're coming into the Fenia title.
Speaker 2: Yeah, titles aren't one with pre season predictions. You've got
Speaker 2: a front. Games aren't played on paper, as I hear
Speaker 2: tracked out every now and then Smithy's So we shall
Speaker 2: wait and see, but very much looking forward to it
Speaker 2: a lot like the fact that from another two perspective anyway,
Speaker 2: you know they're gun to Nelson, which is great. There's
Speaker 2: a doubleheader here next week in chross Church as well,
Speaker 2: so getting around the Matto and yeah, like it's been
Speaker 2: a fantastic addition. It's sort of going from strength to
Speaker 2: strengths and now we have the situation where the winner
Speaker 2: will play the Australian winner in a standalone final, so
Speaker 2: it's treading in the right direction.
Speaker 4: Well, probably a good opportunity on the back of talking
Speaker 4: about Super Rugby or Picky to bring in a Black
Speaker 4: Funds legend to rugby direct Kendrick cox Age joining us
Speaker 4: on the podcast. Kendre, I think so much for your time.
Speaker 4: I'm always an exciting part of the season when Super
Speaker 4: Rugby or Picky is around the corner.
Speaker 6: Yeah, it's very exciting. I'm looking forward to clicking off
Speaker 6: this weekend. I think it's been a World Cup year
Speaker 6: and the players that the coming through, it's going to
Speaker 6: be an absolute rapper of a season.
Speaker 4: How much does that World Cup Carrott, you know, being
Speaker 4: dangled in front of both current Black Funds players they
Speaker 4: haven't played for the Black fans before, just increase the
Speaker 4: intensity of what we might see over the coming weeks.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 6: I think the overall competition obviously is messive with the
Speaker 6: World Cup year, but I think for the players they'll
Speaker 6: be heavily focused on their job with their super side,
Speaker 6: but also knowing that there's a big selection piece in
Speaker 6: a World Cup at the end of it. You know,
Speaker 6: everyone goes into a World Cup and pre season training
Speaker 6: is another level.
Speaker 4: There's been a bit of movement, as there always is
Speaker 4: in the off season. What's your read on I suppose
Speaker 4: the off season transfers and maybe who's benefited the most
Speaker 4: out of some of those changes.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean there's always a few a few changes
Speaker 6: and people are looking for some game time and whatnot,
Speaker 6: and being a World Cup year, you want to you know,
Speaker 6: you've got to play to be seen so well, I think,
Speaker 6: you know, there's there's there's a great players across the
Speaker 6: whole board. I think a month or two have done
Speaker 6: well with like a highly rade mety kind of player
Speaker 6: to watch and pull her from obviously the Hurricanes region,
Speaker 6: and then the likes of Atlanta Lola here who's decided
Speaker 6: to move north to the Blues for some game time
Speaker 6: as well. So there's been there's been a few that
Speaker 6: have kind of mixed across it. But in terms of
Speaker 6: players to watch, I think across like the Chiefs would
Speaker 6: be probably they the prop she's awesome player, Braxton Star
Speaker 6: and some McGhee young player with the Blues, very talented,
Speaker 6: obviously plays a bit of sevens too, and she's a
Speaker 6: young girl coming through. And then I'd say the Canes
Speaker 6: players Elanor plump King, she always you know, she she's
Speaker 6: she's a quality player on the on the flanks. And
Speaker 6: then Matter two would be a Holy Holly Ray Metti
Speaker 6: I think would probably be the players. She's probably the
Speaker 6: player to watch for for MATERA two.
Speaker 4: Yeah, those are some players. Keeping on Ellen Or plump
Speaker 4: King was superb last year in the f PC. She
Speaker 4: had a breakout season, absolutely dominated in that competition, you
Speaker 4: know for the Blues, you know there are championship team
Speaker 4: is that he didn't so twenty twenty five obviously target
Speaker 4: on the back is championship teams always have, and then
Speaker 4: they go out and ad some talent like Porsche woodmen Wickliff,
Speaker 4: which isn't a bad player to put on the books
Speaker 4: when you've already won a title.
Speaker 6: Yeah, exactly, and you know what Porch is going to bring,
Speaker 6: you know, like any team, you know obviously with the
Speaker 6: first asat team sport, but if you've got Porscha Wood
Speaker 6: will workloff on your team, you know you're probably going
Speaker 6: to go pretty well. So on paper, I think the
Speaker 6: Blues probably have the best side in terms of depth
Speaker 6: across positions as well as across the whole one to well,
Speaker 6: probably one thirty players, I've got to be honest. So
Speaker 6: on paper they definitely that probably the best side.
Speaker 5: It's going to be fascinating.
Speaker 4: And then there's the additional trans Tasmin Final which will
Speaker 4: be at the end of the competition, which is just
Speaker 4: adds a little bit extra. Hopefully in the future there's
Speaker 4: a combined competition of some sort, but to have that
Speaker 4: is I think a great initiative. That must be something
Speaker 4: you're looking forward to as well.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I think that's exciting and you know, anything that
Speaker 6: kind of adds a bit a bit more meaningful competition
Speaker 6: the you know, with the Aussies and hopefully in the
Speaker 6: future the Opeki becomes extended. And you know the reason
Speaker 6: kind of reason for having a crossover game. I can
Speaker 6: see how the teams kind of go against each other
Speaker 6: and then look to explore what it could look like
Speaker 6: in the future and if there's potential there the combined
Speaker 6: with Australia.
Speaker 4: And you can hear a lot of the super rugby
Speaker 4: or picky action on gold Sport and iHeartRadio from this
Speaker 4: weekends before we go on Rugby, Dirigulet's get into our tipping.
Speaker 4: Now you are going to take hold of Liam's steps
Speaker 4: for the week which is a lot of pressure. Five
Speaker 4: out of ten we've picked so far in the competition,
Speaker 4: both of us, Liam picked the Chiefs to beat the
Speaker 4: Crusaders over the course of the weekend, and we both
Speaker 4: picked the Reds and Hurricanes to get the job done.
Speaker 5: And we both picked the Blues and brum Bees to
Speaker 5: get the job done. Who didn't.
Speaker 4: So after two weeks, five of ten matches for both
Speaker 4: of us, So a bit of pressure for you Nick
Speaker 4: this week taking on Liam's tipping. You know he'll be
Speaker 4: listening and next time in christ which you know he
Speaker 4: may have something out for you if you don't get
Speaker 4: things right here. But let's see how we get on
Speaker 4: Maana pacificat against the Highlanders Friday nights at North Harbor
Speaker 4: Stadium to get round three underway.
Speaker 5: What do you reckon?
Speaker 2: I think I'll take the points over for that one.
Speaker 2: But this is a tip in competition where we're picking
Speaker 2: who's going to win. So look, I think on the
Speaker 2: balance of what we've seen, particularly at the weekend, that
Speaker 2: the Highlanders should be too good. But it has been
Speaker 2: a bit of a story for them in terms of
Speaker 2: backing up after a big win, not taking the foot off.
Speaker 2: So I will put my faith though, and the Highlander
Speaker 2: is beating Mowana on the road, I.
Speaker 4: Tend to agree, although yeah Mowan have been scoring points.
Speaker 4: If they can tighten up that defense, I think it
Speaker 4: could be a cracking game. But you can't go past
Speaker 4: the Highlanders. Wartars drew a nine thirty five Saturday Sorry
Speaker 4: Friday Nights in Sydney. You know the drawer probably got
Speaker 4: a bit of confidence out of that loss to the
Speaker 4: Hurricanes on the weekend, but again, they don't travel particularly well.
Speaker 4: Do the Wartars fresh off the by beat the drawer?
Speaker 2: I think they do. Yeah, the post Boys Super Rugby
Speaker 2: Joseph Saul is going to take the Waratars to two
Speaker 2: and o. As you mentioned the drawer. Yeah, no, wait
Speaker 2: until they're back in Fiji before I tip the drawer.
Speaker 4: I'm with you, Chiefs Brumbies, Chiefs go three and O.
Speaker 4: What do the Brumbies come back and spoil things?
Speaker 2: The fun in Hamilton four thirty five kickoff as well,
Speaker 2: looking forward to to this one and getting a real
Speaker 2: good assessment where the Brumbies are at after Yeah, losing
Speaker 2: to the Force, but the Chiefs Chiefs for me Hamilton, Yeah,
Speaker 2: I need I need to throw something in the in
Speaker 2: the works. Yeah maybe maybe this game.
Speaker 4: Well, Hurricanes Blues Saturday night, Sky Stadium, which way you're leaning?
Speaker 2: Look, I know that Liam Napier is from the region,
Speaker 2: so it might be blastphe me if I was to
Speaker 2: go Blues. So I'm going to I'm going to go
Speaker 2: the Canes. I think I thought the Blues were going
Speaker 2: to bounce back at the weekend and they didn't. And
Speaker 2: I think there's a bit more than just a couple
Speaker 2: of band aids to be put over this team to
Speaker 2: get to some quick fixes. So I think the Hurricanes
Speaker 2: are going to beat the Blues.
Speaker 5: I'm going to go the Blues. So there we are.
Speaker 5: We are different on that front. The Blues surely can't
Speaker 5: go oh and three in their title defense. You wouldn't
Speaker 5: have thought. Surely, not all the Crusaders did last year.
Speaker 4: I was gonna say, and there is President, there is President,
Speaker 4: and final game of the Round fours v Reds Saturday
Speaker 4: night in Perth.
Speaker 5: This is a really interesting one. I'm going to go
Speaker 5: the Force.
Speaker 2: What so you ll, let's go completely different on these
Speaker 2: last two games, just really juice things up and it
Speaker 2: could be still even by the end of it. But yeah,
Speaker 2: I'll go the Reds. But yeah, I think it could
Speaker 2: be another one of these eighty point games where it'll
Speaker 2: just be whoever's in front of the final whistle.
Speaker 4: Indeed, we'll mark that down and we'll see how we
Speaker 4: get on next Monday on Rugby Direct. Finally, Rugby Direct
Speaker 4: Metal voting three to two ones the best three players
Speaker 4: over the course of the weekend from New Zealand based franchises, Nick,
Speaker 4: if you got some three two ones to dishout.
Speaker 2: For us three two ones? Okay, I forgot this in
Speaker 2: my notes actually, but I'll just go righttle off the
Speaker 2: top of my head. I think Tavatavahi, his influence can't
Speaker 2: be understated, and had to have to be my player
Speaker 2: of the round. I almost want to get Finn Hurley
Speaker 2: in there as well, so maybe we'll give three to Tavatavanai,
Speaker 2: one to Finn Hurley and two to Simon Parker at
Speaker 2: the Chiefs thoy were my standouts from the weekend.
Speaker 4: I'm going three tomorrow at Tavatavannahwai as well, two to
Speaker 4: Quinn to payer for me, you came off the benuel
Speaker 4: were I played seventy minutes, but I thought he was
Speaker 4: just superb over the course of the weekend, and giving
Speaker 4: one to Damian McKenzie as well, who I think is
Speaker 4: just in some sublime form over the first couple of
Speaker 4: weeks of the competition and is playing some great rugby
Speaker 4: and you know, directing the Chiefs around the park really
Speaker 4: really well, whether it be from fifteen or from tennis.
Speaker 4: Slotting in there later on in games. I think he's
Speaker 4: playing some excellent rugby.
Speaker 2: Nick.
Speaker 5: Has been a pleasure having you on Rugby Direct.
Speaker 4: Thank you so much for your time, and I'm sure
Speaker 4: we'll get back on over the course of the season
Speaker 4: as well.
Speaker 2: Cheers Elliott. Always a pleasure, and yeah forward to going
Speaker 2: back to my listening as opposed to hosting. As much
Speaker 2: as it has been nice to be here with you
Speaker 2: this afternoon.
Speaker 4: It has been right be Direct, powered by Habit Health,
Speaker 4: tackling all your aches and pains from sport and work.
Speaker 4: We're back next week with or another edition in our podcast.
Speaker 4: Thanks very much to Last and Bars English for pulling
Speaker 4: this all together. We'll see you next time.
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