Super Rugby

[morepork]

How long till the Ioane boys move to Canetrbury?

Keep your dirty poaching mitts off you southern son of a sea serpent.

You should put this under the picture of your bully. She has the perfeck expression for it.

[rowan]

Jags open the scoring in BA and lead the sharks 3-0 midway through the first half. This is undoubtedly the second most important tie of the weekend and may well determine the 8th Q-final spot behind the 4 Kiwi teams, the other 2 conference winners and (probably) the Rebels. Jags are a point up on the Sharks in 8th place and a win here would really put them in a good position with three rounds remaining.

Trivia: Jags are currently the only non-Kiwi/non-conference leader in the comp with a winning record.

Moyano with the opening try. 10-0. Vamos Jags!
& he's in again. 2 for the left winger. 17-0. Jags are for real this year, folks!

Lock Ruan Botha scores right on HT for the visitors and keeps their hopes alive. HT 17-7 Jags.

Ramiro Moyano


Sharks strike first in the 2nd half and its 17-10 with half an hour remaining. Game on!

[rowan]

Sharks are right back in this now. 2 penalties early in the 2nd half makes it 17 - 13 Jags . . .

Home-team is unquestionably dominant but bungling its chances and giving away penalties. Approaching the final 1/4 now.

Finally - lock Pagadizaval gets the Argies' 3rd. No conversion. 22-13.
Nope. Took a while but the TMO overruled it. Back to 17-13.

Record crowd of 20K

Jags in again. Provided it stands, that should seal it.
Right wing this time - Delguy. 24 - 13
5 mins to play & Sharks down to 14 with Both sent off for a dangerous tackle.

Bonus point try for the home-team. Moyano's hat-trick & that could be crucial in the race to the playoffs.

FT 29 13

Delguy

[rowan]

At least my 2nd favorite team won this week - and the playoffs are now firmly within their grasp. The Jags have received a bit of flak since joining the comp but I'm not sure why. They've shown steady improvement, finishing 13th (out of 18) in their debut season, and 10th last year - which is a lot better than the Sunpoodles, for instance - and now they're a good chance to make the playoffs in just their 3rd season. I'd call that a real success story!

[rowan]

So looking at the Jags schedule they have a bye next week then intra-conference ties against the Stormers at home, @ the Bulls & @ the Sharks. They will want to take maximum points in the former, because that two-game tour could prove tricky, esp. if the Bulls & Sharks are still in it. But let's also remember the Argies completed a remarkable tour of Australasia earlier in the season, winning all 4 games - most notably against the Chiefs in Hamilton. Therefore you'd back them to win at least 2 of their remaining 3 games, which should see them reach the playoffs for the first time. & they're also within striking distance of the Lions, just 2 points behind the conference leaders...

[J Dory]

How long till the Ioane boys move to Canetrbury?

Keep your dirty poaching mitts off you southern son of a sea serpent.

You should put this under the picture of your bully. She has the perfeck expression for it.

She's getting on, but still a handful.

[J Dory]

Appologies for any epilepsy triggered, I'm new to this gif creation shit.

[rowan]

Tahs ended the Aussies' drought against Kiwi teams last week and are on the way to making it 2 in a row with an early 14 - 0 at the Chiefs. Are they the real deal? Or are the Chiefs and Landers just a bit shoddy this year? Oh, Chiefs just pulled one back. 14-7 midway 1st half.

Chiefs lead 19-14 at HT. Great fight back after the early 0-14 deficit.
24-24 headed into the final 1/4. Sounds like a great game, but I'm watching Hong Kong thrash Malaysia right now (see global results thread for live feed).

[Lizard]

Chiefs Mana! Great game.

[rowan]

Yes, Chiefs and Otago get home against the Aussies, meaning its still only one win for the Aussies against the Kiwis in the last 43 encounters. They seem to be getting closer but. The Chiefs might just make an impression in the playoffs, tho I don't see the Landers going very far this year...

[rowan]

Sounds like a humdinger in Pretoria, but the Bulls have just scored what might be a clincher as the Brumbies collect a red card. 28-24 with 10 to go.

But, no, it's the 14-man Brumbies, currently 2nd bottom on the table, who strike back to lead 28-38 in the final minutes
& that's the FT score

Meanwhile, couldn't bring you the Canes' highlights this week due to technical difficulties (not sure they have internet in the South Island yet), but here's the Jags - on 6 in a row, and this following their remarkable unbeaten tour of Australia & NZ. They look set for the playoffs and might cause some problems there too. 20K in the stadium

[rowan]

Lions edge Stormers in Cape Town. Red card for the hosts undoubtedly helped their cause. Result leaves them 6 clear of the Jags, although the South Americans have a game in hand.

1. Crusaders 13 11 0 2 409:236 50

2. Lions 14 8 0 6 457:392 40

3. Waratahs 12 6 1 5 366:313 31

4. Hurricanes 12 10 0 2 382:237 45

5. Chiefs 12 8 0 4 346:269 37

6. Highlanders 12 8 0 4 320:304 36

7. Jaguares 13 8 0 5 340:341 34

8. Rebels 12 6 0 6 334:340 30

9. Sharks 13 5 1 7 370:381 28

10. Stormers 14 5 0 9 349:382 25

11. Bulls 13 5 0 8 349:388 24

12. Brumbies 12 4 0 8 269:324 20

13. Reds 12 4 0 8 247:360 19

14. Blues 12 3 0 9 288:377 17

15. Sunwolves 12 2 0 10 279:461 10

[rowan]

It's going to be tough for the Chiefs and Otago to maintain 5th & 6th places as both have to face the competition's runaway leaders, the Crusaders and Hurricanes, in the last few rounds. So the Jags might very well supplant one or both of them if they maintain current form. That could land the South Americans with a tough Q/final away to either the Canes or Saders, however (whichever doesn't top the table). The Chiefs and Otago would then wind up with NSW and the Lions, which could theoretically lead to an all-NZ semis. The race for the 8th Q/final spot is currently led by the Rebels, who have a game in hand over the Sharks and two games in hand over the Stormers. The 8th Q/finalist will land either the Saders or Canes (away) in the playoffs.

[Lizard]

Don't forget that the Chiefs and Highlanders have a game in hand over the Crusaders

The top 8 finish as follows:
CRU (50): Chi, Hig, Blu
LIO (40): Sha, Bul
WAR (31): Red, Reb, Sun, Bru
HUR (45): Hig, Bru, Blu, Chi
CHI (37): Cru, Hig, Bru, Hur
HIG (36): Hur, Chi, Cru, Rebs
JAG (34): Sto, Bul, Sha
REB (30): Blu, War, Red, Hig

No side is out of the competition in theory. A clean sheet with some big, big margins and with bonus points could technically see the Sunwolves go ahead of the Reds on points difference.

[rowan]

I hadn't looked at the Rebels schedule, but that's a fairly light run in, even for an Aussie side. They should win a couple of those and edge the Sharks out for a playoff spot, especially as the Durban outfit has a couple of tough derbies coming up.

[rowan]

So the Saffas take a break this week with the Boks meeting Wales in DC. Canes will need to rebound mentally from last week's lost with a win in Otago to stay theoretically level with the Saders, who have a tough outing themselves, facing the Chiefs in Hamilton. Both of the frontrunners ought to win, but certainly nothing should be taken for granted, and a slip up by either could really prove costly in the race for top spot. Meanwhile, the Rebels will need a win in Auckland to stay in contention for the playoffs, NSW should overcome their old rivals in Brisbane to maintain their lead in the Aussie conference, and ACT ought to deal with the hapless Sunwolves in Canberra but look to be out of the playoffs picture regardless.

& following that there's a break of a few weeks for the summer tours . . .

[rowan]

Wheels just came off the Canes. That's it for this season. They'll make the playoffs but are not championship-winning material, regrettably.

[morepork]

The hapless hurricanes.

[J Dory]

Must suck to be a Canes fan.

[rowan]

Must suck to be a Canes fan.

Indeed. They should never have been the last of the Kiwi teams to win the trophy, and now they don't look too interested in winning it again. In saying that, they're clearly second on the table and still good for a home quarter. Nothing too sucky about that. It's just that the last couple of games have shown up their weaknesses - most notably lack of leadership and inability to break down a solid defense.

[rowan]

Looking at the schedule the top 4 Kiwi teams all have a tough final few rounds, mostly involving derbies - so at least one or two of the others are going to lose ground as well; that much is certain. In fact, I'd be surprised if even the mighty Crusaders come through without a loss. So if the Canes get their act together and take maximum points from ACT and the Blues, there could be a lot riding on their final fixture of the regular season, against the Chiefs. It's really going to be interesting, and just a shame we'll have to wait a few weeks after this weekend while those pesky internationals hold things up . . .

[rowan]

Impressive win for the Saders in Hamilton. Will be tough for the Canes to catch them now. On the flipside, it helps keep the Canes clear of the chasing pack.

[rowan]

So that's how they stand with just the ACT - Sunwolves game tomorrow before the summer recess

1. Crusaders 14 12 0 2 443:256 54

2. Lions 14 8 0 6 457:392 40

3. Waratahs 13 7 1 5 418:354 35

4. Hurricanes 13 10 0 3 396:267 45

5. Highlanders 13 9 0 4 350:318 40

6. Chiefs 13 8 0 5 366:303 37

7. Jaguares 13 8 0 5 340:341 34

8. Rebels 13 7 0 6 354:350 34

9. Sharks 13 5 1 7 370:381 28

10. Stormers 14 5 0 9 349:382 25

11. Bulls 13 5 0 8 349:388 24

12. Brumbies 12 4 0 8 269:324 20

13. Reds 13 4 0 9 288:412 19

14. Blues 13 3 0 10 298:397 17

15. Sunwolves 12 2 0 10 279:461 10

[rowan]

Brumbies down the Sunwolves 41-31 in a match which had zero bearing on the playoffs picture.

[rowan]

QRU CEO Richard Barker has stepped down, effective immediately.

It's understood Barker told Reds coaches of his decision after their loss to the Waratahs on Saturday night, informing players and QRU staff on Monday morning.
QRU COO David Hanham will step into the top job in Barker's place, with the search for a new CEO now on.
QRU chairman Jeff Miller thanked Barker for the two years he spent in charge and wished him the best moving forward.
"Richard and I have been discussing the QRU’s future requirements for a couple of months, given the changes that he has implemented here over the past two years.

Story continues here: http://www.rugby.com.au/news/2018/06/04 ... s-reds-ceo