Don't call it a comeback

[Cameo]

Haha easily done. Just half time now and a good game so time to get into it

[twitchy]

Yeah I was out by an hour cet vs gmt. I'll watch the second half.

[Puja]

Bloody hell, that looked like a good game.



Puja

[zer0]

Yeah was a good game. While it probably gave Cas an aneurysm, it was quite entertaining to see a NZ derby end with two drop goals in about as many minutes.

Them windy bitches is gon' get rekt though.

[morepork]

Yeah was a good game. While it probably gave Cas an aneurysm, it was quite entertaining to see a NZ derby end with two drop goals in about as many minutes.

Them windy bitches is gon' get rekt though.

I look forward to the Auckland Grammar Old Boys ruining DCs reputation in a tired wave of inevitability.

[cashead]

Yeah was a good game. While it probably gave Cas an aneurysm, it was quite entertaining to see a NZ derby end with two drop goals in about as many minutes.

Them windy bitches is gon' get rekt though.

Why would I get an aneurysm?

And why wouldn’t I be happy to see a Harbour lad humiliate the Hamilton filth?

[J Dory]

Anyone have links to the full replays? From the highlights both games looked awesome. Loved the Canes players including Barrett in the try celebration.

[cashead]

Who's your form XXIII for the week?

Mine is
1. Aidan Ross (Chiefs) - Solid game across the board, with good discipline
2. Dane Coles (Hurricanes) - Shone in a losing effort, although lineouts were still a bit wonky.
3. Ofa Tu'ungafasi (Blues) - Worked hard as the cornerstone of a dominant scrum, and had his usual busy night with ball in hand.
4. Pari Pari Parkinson (Highlanders) - Some significant carries and a serious shift in defence, did just about everything asked of him as a lock.
5. James Blackwell (Hurricanes) - Underrated performer of the week, with the equal highest lineout steals, and a decent shift in defence.
6. Tom Robinson (Blues) - Usual all action around the field, with several noticeable carries, and a real nuisance at the lineouts
7. Dillon Hunt (Highlanders) - Easily the form 7 right now, with the highest number of tackles and turnovers won.
8. Hoskins Sotutu (Blues) - High metres with ball in hand, busy on defence, and a couple of cheeky turnovers. What more could you want?
9. TJ Perenara (Hurricanes) - Big performance with plenty of carries, and a seriously great running game. Would be the no. 1 halfback in any other country.
10. Otere Black (Blues) - Would have silenced doubters with an excellent kicking performance, both off the tee and from hand, always putting the forwards in the right part of the field. Excellent percentage game in the first half, before getting lively in the second.
11. Caleb Clarke (Blues) - Badly exposed in Dane Coles' try, but made up for it with some big metres on attack, causing real trouble for the Hurricanes. Had a hand in a couple of turnovers too.
12. Anton Lienert-Brown (Chiefs) - Typically industrious night on attack and defence, and kept the Chiefs in the game all throughout.
13. Rieko Ioane (Blues) - Some inaccuracies in defence, but made plenty of metres on attack and smart distribution throughout the night.
14. Mark Telea (Blues) - An extraordinary 10 defenders beaten, with a solid defensive shift as well. Constantly stretched the Canes defence throughout the night.
15. Beauden Barrett (Blues) - "Best 10 in test rugby" is also not a bad 15 either, constantly popping up on attack, and making a nuisance of himself for the Hurricanes. Blues legend Beaudy. Has a nice ring to it.

16. Asafo Aumua (Hurricanes) - Big performance in a short amount of time off the bench. Some very telling runs - definitely one of the best front-row ball carriers around.
17. Daniel Lienert-Brown (Highlanders) - Busy shift off the bench, and kept up a solid effort by the Highlanders pack.
18. Naitoa Ah Kuoi (Chiefs) - You certainly can't blame him for the Chiefs' loss, as he put on a decent defensive shift off the bench. Did what he could.
19. Isaia Walker-Leawere (Hurricanes) - One of the stand-out young locks, who definitely was value-added off the bench.
20. Dalton Papali'i (Blues) - Came on earlier than expected, and put in a decent performance at 7 for the Blues.
21. Finlay Christie (Blues) - Got the most time as a replacement 9, so here by default. The Blues certainly didn't lose anything with his introduction.
22. Aaron Cruden (Chiefs) - Industrious performance off the bench. The Chiefs may have lost, but not due to a lack of effort on his part.
23. Bryn Gatland (Highlanders) - Only really did one thing, but boy, what a big thing he did.

[Cameo]

Blues team out - pretty much the same except Akira Ioane gets a start (as does Papali'i).

A major border lapse but despite some panicky (and misleading) headlines, no sign of Covid having got back into the community so no reason to expect any changes to the rules allowing fans in.

[morepork]

How long is the quarantine period upon arrival from overseas? Still two weeks or do they test and give you less if you come back negative?

Asking for a friend...

[cashead]

2 weeks, now under military supervision.

[morepork]

What about testing? I cannot find any technical information on the specific kits they are using there, and the application of the testing done in quarantine seems....messy. I want to plan to get back sometime next year, but I am pretty confident the US will still be awash in community virus then. I can sample and run a diagnostic myself at work, but I would need to know what specific kit they are using in NZ. The Ministry of Health website is crap.

[cashead]

You're tested for symptoms at arrival, and either taken to a quarantine facility or a managed isolation facility (i.e., a hotel) where you stay for a couple of weeks. I think you're meant to get tested every so often during isolation.

The managed isolation was being handled poorly because, it turns out, people running this shit had no experience or know-how, and is currently being handled by the military since a couple of days ago, when a bunch of largely isolated breaches happened at around the same time (a family of 6 were allowed compassionate exemption and 2 of them did a runner - both have been caught and test results came back negative while 2 sisters were given compassionate exemption when their mum died during their managed isolation, and it turns out they'd been lying about being symptomatic, went against ministry directions and met up with a friend, etc., so no more compassionate exemptions for anyone).

My brother works at a hospital, and he got tested once a week during the nationwide lockdown and Level 3, although in his case, it was via tongue swab rather than shoving a swab up his nose. One of my heads of dept had to do the latter when she got sick during lockdown, and she said it sucked.

[Cameo]

Yeah, you don't need to do any testing yourself. You will (if everyone does their job) be tested on day 2 and 12 after arrival.

[morepork]

Yeah, you don't need to do any testing yourself. You will (if everyone does their job) be tested on day 2 and 12 after arrival.

I'd feel more comfortable checking things out before getting on a plane at this end, and if I use the same PCR kit as approved and used in NZ (which seems an unreasonably difficult thing to get an answer to), then everyone has that much more confidence. Where I work does PCR-based assays on viral genomes routinely and I'd rather not rely on Raewyn at the Mangere novatel.

[morepork]

In hindsight, I do come across as a bit of a wanker with that post. Sorry.

[Doorzetbornandbred]

In hindsight, I do come across as a bit of a wanker with that post. Sorry.

Your gonna have to help us all out here and tell us which post precisely...

[zer0]

A very Crusaders-y win for the good guy Blues tonight. Had about 2% possession, but still scored the only try to lead at halftime, while Tana's chad defence forced the virgin Chufs attack into speculative >50m penalty shots. The Blues attack turned up about 50 minutes late, went close to scoring a razzle dazzle try, before turning it on to close out the match with the late try that featured Sotutu LARPing as Stephen Larkham.

Good shit.

Though I've no idea what Papali'i got penalised and carded for. Looked no different to half the Chiefs turnovers in that first half.

[Lizard]

Yeah, you don't need to do any testing yourself. You will (if everyone does their job) be tested on day 2 and 12 after arrival.

I'd feel more comfortable checking things out before getting on a plane at this end, and if I use the same PCR kit as approved and used in NZ (which seems an unreasonably difficult thing to get an answer to), then everyone has that much more confidence. Where I work does PCR-based assays on viral genomes routinely and I'd rather not rely on Raewyn at the Mangere novatel.

I'll see if any of my Dr acquaintances can tell me what test is being used.

We had a message from a friend of my wife yesterday. She and her family have come home from Aussie and were in managed isolation at a reasonable, business-type hotel in the middle of Auckland. She had the misfortune to cough during a check-up and the whole family got bunged off to the high-security, full-isolation at Jet Park, which if you don't know it is a sort of glorified long-term car park with beds out by the airport. Not only is the entrance locked and manned by security guards, inmates are not even allowed key-cards for their own rooms to make sure they stay in. If their tests come back clear, apparently they will be allowed back into medium security.