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Crusaders

Wow!! What a game that is at Leichhardt Oval when the Waratahs upsurge a brilliant upset v Crusaders in front of their home supporters. Well, it’s the home ground they’re playing right now for the rest of this season before they move back to the brand new Allianz Stadium next year. They fired off really well with a 17-0 lead in the first-half. Although, the Crusaders began to rebound, but a series of ill-discipline saw the Tahs slip past them towards the homestretch with the win they deserve. The final score is a three-point margin, 24-21.

Hats off to the Tahs when they’re able to get away early off the back of the Saders mistakes, thanks to their fierce attacking shape. Now they may have experienced a couple of lost penalties after half-time when the Saders began to bite back with a couple of tries. However, they have to credit the opposition’s 14 men towards full-time thanks to the late Hamish Dalzell’s red card; when the Tahs were able to extend their lead before they held the Saders off in the end.

And the Crusaders are unlucky with a tough narrow loss away from home in Sydney. They made up so much lost time after a scoreless run from the opening 40 minutes. A couple of changes from the bench helped them sniff around the radar in a late bid to overtake the Tahs. But a couple of ill-discipline errors and lost penalties held them back, especially with the red card from Hamish Dalzell in the 67th minute. And the Saders being forced to play 14 men right until full-time ultimately paid the price where the Tahs exposed this huge weakness via the penalty try. It just wasn’t their night when the Saders weren’t functioning at the start before they left it too late despite scoring back in the last 40 minutes.

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It’s safe to say that the Waratahs badly needed Angus Bell by their side at tighthead after his red card last week v Chiefs was overturned via appeal, as his presence played a huge part in this upset win v Crusaders. He’s such a brilliant contributor when helping out his team’s attack going forward, having both joined the ruck/maul to stop the Saders from turning over, as well as smashing through each bit at their defensive half. And his hard work tells everything about him where his talk-up & physicality saw the Saders pay the price over several ill-discipline errors. He’s such a brilliant role model the Tahs fans has in stall between now and the near future.

Next up is Lalakai Foketi down at the inside midfield engine room in the No.12 Tahs jersey. He never stopped running throughout the full 80 minutes, having came in to contribute the Tahs attack as a support player. He credits to a brilliant read towards the opposing team’s body language; that way, he shielded a couple of Saders defenders that gave them an idea on where to plant the TRY line, which played a part of the Tahs’ impressive match-up.

And Sione Havili Talitui has been a great addition since he came on for Dom Gardiner in the 2nd half. He knew his Crusaders team needed to make up some lost time, having squeezed his way past the Tahs danger zone with one TRY and an assist. There’s so much physicality to unpack when he desperately called out his half-back, before he piled some damage that threw the pressure back at the Tahs. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late when it comes to a tough result through the mirror. But he would’ve made a difference if he was given a chance to change the game as a starter on the second row alongside Sam Whitelock.

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2022 is a big shakeup for super rugby. The competition includes three new teams and is now exclusive to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Despite the changes, this season should still be incredibly exciting.

Australian Teams

The closest thing we have had to super rugby over the last three years was the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman series last year. It was a series in which the Australian teams struggled massively, only winning two games against the five New Zealand teams in the competition.

It looks likely to be another year where Aussie teams will struggle. The Brumbies once again look to be the pick of the Australian teams despite the Reds winning their first domestic title in Super Rugby Australia last season. The Queensland Reds will be looking to compete thanks to a variety of international players like Taniela Tupou and Tate McDermott.

The Waratahs, Force and Rebels will all be looking for spots in the knockout stages, but it will not be easy. The Waratahs do see captain Michael Hooper return for 2022, but they still look to be towards the bottom end of the table. Both the Force and Rebels have lost a lot of test experience over the last year and it will sadly hurt them this season.

New Zealand Teams

After dominating the Trans-Tasman series last year, it looks to be another Super Rugby season dominated by Kiwi teams.

Favourites for their fourth title, the Crusaders have a wealth of international talent led by two time reigning player of the year Richie Mo’unga. Their talent also includes Will Jordan, Sevu Reece, George Bridge as well as recent addition Pablo Matera. They may have some competition for their fourth title in a row.

The Blues are welcoming back Beauden Barrett, while still having internationals like Rieko Ioane, Nepo Laulala and Dalton Papalii. They come into 2022 off the back of winning the Trans-Tasman series. The Chiefs could be a surprise this season despite the losses of Damain Mckenzie and Lachlan Boshier. The Chiefs have one of the most talented set of forwards in Super Rugby which could dominate any team on any day.

The Highlanders and Hurricanes both have a huge amount of talent on the squads. But the Highlanders will struggle having lost a third of their starting XV from the Trans-Tasman final. They have a brilliant leader in Aaron Smith, but will struggle to progress in the tournament. Similar situation for the Hurricanes with some major losses coming into the season. But the Hurricanes add Dom Bird and TJ Perenara and could surprise a few people this season.

Two New Pacific Teams

This season features two new teams, both based in the Pacific Islands. After many years of lobbying, the Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika will join Super Rugby. Starting with the Fijian Drua. They have had a difficult preparation for Super Rugby due to COVID issues, meaning the squad is based on the NSW North Coast as they could not prepare in Fiji. It looks like the team will need some time to adapt to Super Rugby’s intensity. Their squad contains Olympic champions Napolioni Bolaca, Kalione Nasoko and Meli Derenalagi. Don’t be surprised if Fijian Drua make a push for the knockout stages this season.

The second new team is Moana Pasifika, made up of players from New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga and Australia, including 18 former or current internationals. Much like Fijian Drua, it will be a season of getting used to Super Rugby for Moana Pasifika. 110 capped Australian Sekope Kepu is captain for the 2022 season, bringing a huge amount of experience to the new team. Moana Pasifika will be very exciting in the upcoming season, but don’t expect them to be near the top of the table come the end of the season.

The Loss of South African Teams

The reshaped 2022 Super Rugby does not include any South African teams, after their Super Rugby licenses expired after the 2020 season. It does seem odd going into a Super Rugby season without the Bulls, Sharks, Lions or Stormers. Their exclusion opens the floor up a lot for either the New Zealand teams to take over or opportunities for the new teams or the Australian teams to step up.

Super Rugby is going to look very different this season. Losing the South African teams is big for the competition. Despite not competing with them domestically, South Africa is still playing against New Zealand, Argentina and Australia in the Rugby Championship. It does show some disjointed thinking when it comes to Super Rugby’s thinking. But the 2022 changes bring plenty of opportunities for Pacific Island teams who have been trying to get into Super Rugby for years.

Predictions

In this new look Super Rugby, it looks as if it will be a few years until the new teams or the Australian teams can compete with the talent of the New Zealand teams. 2022 looks to be a similar story.

Working from the bottom up, I think the four teams that are likely to miss out on the knockout stages are most likely to be the Rebels, Force, Waratahs and Moana Pasifika. These teams just don’t have the talent to move any higher. In terms of the teams to get stuck at the quarterfinals, I could easily see these teams being the Hurricanes, Highlanders, Fijian Drua and the Brumbies. The Brumbies could be the surprise package this year, with the talent their squad possesses.

But this season will be dominated by the New Zealand teams. The Reds will be the exception to this, looking likely to at least reach the semi-finals. In an emotional season, the Chiefs will also be targeting a semi-final push, but it may be slightly too difficult for them to get past either of the two teams left.

These two aren’t exactly surprising to anyone who has followed Super Rugby over the last five years. The Blues welcome back Beauden Barrett after his time in Japan, the team has talent in all areas. But the Blues don’t quite have the two time reigning Super Rugby Player of the year.

I think at the end of the season, the Crusaders will lift their fourth title in a row. A team with Richie Mo’unga, Will Jordan, Sevu Reece, Sam Whitelock and Joe Moody is too much talent for any team to compete with when you reach the knockouts. The Crusaders will win their fourth title in a row.

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It may be difficult for me to keep up with a few sporting events at the same time in a busy weekend which is so huge to cover so had to rest up at times with managing my body. But I will put in a summary of what we have seen so far from Week 5 of the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman.

First of all, we will start with the Crusaders here and they may have won all five games so far in this cross-border competition between the Australian and New Zealand teams. That includes yesterday afternoon’s encounter v Melbourne Rebels at Leichardt Oval, New South Wales at 52-26. But they unfortunately did not meet the 33 point margin & bonus point requirements to pip The Blues for next weekend’s final.

It did not go the Crusaders way when The Blues had a big head start v Western Force in the 1st half at 28-0. The Aickland-based side were almost blown off by the Force’s fantastic comeback after the break alone but not enough time to catch up in the end at 31-21. So it’s an all New Zealand showdown once more at Eden Park & see who will take home this trophy ahead of the International leg which kicks off next month.

Then we go to Brookvale Oval for the final regular Super Rugby Trans-Tasman game as NSW Waratahs welcome The Chiefs from Waikato. Chiefs pulled away with the early lead before the home team registered a late first touch just right on half-time thanks to a Will Harrison cross kick that sent Mark Nawaqanitawase flying up high. But it’s the visitors who stole the show when Sean Wainui collected a whopping five tries at 7-40 that sums up the Tahs frustrating 2021 test.

We were excited to see them battle against the Kiwi counterparts beforehand after a wonderful 10 weeks of Super Rugby AU. But it’s no fun seeing the Australian teams fall way behind with only two wins out after five rounds in the 2021 Super Rugby Trans-Tasman which saw all five of them out of the Top 2 almost immediately. There are some good moments however when it comes competing against the best, and it will benefit them in the long term from 2022.

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Last night was the best of both Super Rugby sides in each country. One from Australia and the other across the ditch. It is Queensland Reds take on Crusaders at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Perfect timing to commemorate the 10 year anniversary. When they battled it out for the 2011 Super Rugby final at the time. And Queensland trumped the most successful Super Rugby team for the major win.

Unfortunately it was not the same however when it comes to this game. Which is Round 2 of 5 in the 2021 Super Rugby Trans-Tasman. The defensive shape is one of the strengths Queensland have picked up. Which saw them win a few penalties. And eventually got it going with a couple of tries in the final 40. But for the majority they were disjointed in their attacking run. There was really little to no decoy runners around them through the channels. It backfired their passage of play that failed to bridge towards the execution. Thanks to the brilliant read from the Crusaders the away team got away with plenty of points on the board. Before it was way too late to catch up after the full 80.

On the other hand Crusaders were simply outstanding on all areas. They defended really well off the Reds impatient attacking test. It has gaps and holes around their corner. Which demonstrates poor communication & passage of play. And took advantage to their own mistakes. From there the away team were able to remain patient on the run home. Before Crusaders ultimately got around the Reds wall that accrued a whopping 60+ points. Richie Mo’unga has been sensational in the playmaker role via the physicality & kicking. So does Sam Whitelock on the second row who cancelled the Reds conversion plans. And Sevu Reece continues to light up with the executions on the right wing. That is how you see the best of attacking football which entertains their own fans.

The final score is 28-63. As none of the five Australian Super Rugby teams have yet to make up a win in this competition. While all five NZ sides have stiff competition towards the Top 2 spots going into Round 3. It can be awesome to have the best of both franchise/provincial clubs facing each other. Especially when we have saw this returned for the first time in 12-14 months. But so far it is not the same balance/competitiveness we hope to see on the field. It will take time for these teams here to adjust going into the 2022 season. As there is no South African clubs in there anymore. It may be a sigh of relief to Australia when they have a big job of closing the gap to AFL & NRL. Especially with Nine & Stan coming onboard this year that changed everything on TV/Streaming. We are just in the early stages of rebuilding the exposure of rugby union in Australia. That is why they are putting their bid to win the 2027 Rugby World Cup. And that would mean compensating the broken promises where they fell off after 2003. For now all we have to do is support these teams up with three rounds left. Maybe the final if one of the Australian sides did end up in an unlikely Top 2 finish.

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Richie Mo’unga is so outstanding in the playmaker role tonight. Such an important presence for both club and country. Which is the Crusaders & All Blacks. Having made a hat-trick of touch scores. And endless accuracy of kicks into the goal.

He has all the attacking tools that made into a superstar player. Look at his read of the Reds poor passage of play. While trying to build some momentum in their attack. There was no one close to the home side to pick it up. As Richie mistaken them with the intercept/turnover. Before he got around the Reds half. And pulled them away from miles towards the touch line. Not one player has even caught him.

Got to say that Richie is just too good both home and away. You cannot get away with his physicality. As well as the pace that supported the execution. Some from himself. And some to his team-mates that helped his side build a big score. The communication is key to set up decoy runners close to him. And take it to the next level. It is something the Reds did not do much to stay in contention. With Richie in there he is 100% the complete package.

Sevu Reece

Who should be the other Crusaders duo after Richie Mo’unga? And that person belongs on the same backline group as him. We will go for Sevu Reece who plays on the right wing. And he has been electric as always tonight in Brisbane.

The communication and attacking setup has been spot on. Especially when the Reds were struggling to match what they demonstrated. No support runners around them to continue playing with the ball. He noticed that and ultimately punished them. After Reece touched the ball down.

Then that momentum remained tip top after the break. Nothing much really improved from home side. Even with the ball on hand. Where the Reds won the penalty for the line out kick. Reece cancelled this with the ball met just outside his zone. Before his Crusaders side were patient. And struck gold with another attacking masterclass. With David Havilli made the cross kick into the right short side. In which was easy for him to find that touchdown. There is one word to describe him tonight. And Sevu Reece is very descriptive to any defender. As seen with the Reds poor 40-60 mins run.

Harry Wilson

It is hard to see the Reds experience another big loss. Not an easy start to the Trans-Tasman leg. They do not have to face the Australian sides again. It may be exciting when it comes to racing the NZ teams. But so far it is not been very easy.

The best Reds player tonight alone is Harry Wilson. Where he plays in the Number 8 role. So part of the back row in the forwards pack. A good start is there when it comes to the defense. Having seen his side win a couple of penalties.

Although he was involved a lot more during the 2nd 40. Such as a touch try himself. As well as an assist to Suliasi Vunivalu not long later. Harry brings plenty of physicality. Not just to protect his forwards. But he can make up the meters to eat the Crusaders own half. While Harry made a couple of positive contributions. Sadly it comes down to disjointed executions. When it comes to a whole Reds team for the majority. There is little to no talk up going forward. Which saw their passage of play being cancelled. That prevented them from making up these executions. And it is something they need to look at next week.

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Glad to see the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman leg going ahead. When New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arderh gave the green light yesterday. So Australia and New Zealand are allowed to travel each other. Without the need to quarantine in return for just both of us.

The earliest we can travel to NZ begins on April 19. Which is just right ahead of Anzac Day on April 25. I cannot wait personally to see one of the New Zealand teams come here. And battle against the best of the Australian sides. We might be on the closing stages of the Super Rugby AU at Week 8. Two weeks of round-Robin match ups. Followed by a Qualifying Final & Final. The Aotearoa portion catches up just after six rounds of play. With four weeks left followed by the one big final.

Then we have the condensed five round competition. Plus the Final before the International Tests come in. It will be the best sides of both countries. I would love the Super Round to happen. Where all 10 teams get to play a week in the one venue. But it will not happen for just this year. Fingers crossed for 2022 though.

It does not mean we will be able to go to another state. Or pop up a weekend in the Ditch before going home on Sunday.

There is no better time right now to see Crusaders v Brumbies. Two of the best in each end. As well as Blues v Reds where they both resurged in their own domestic portions. It will benefit the best of Australia and New Zealand. Helping each other out to test these limits. Which is going to be more competitive. And even entertaining in the long-run. That would finally see the Wallabies win the silverware off NZ every few years.

Although the Super Rugby AU has been wonderful since mid-2020. You have all five Australian teams batting out for the one title. It makes most sports fans here reignite the game. With more exciting rules via the 50/22 or 22/50 kick. Plus the Goal Line Drop Out. More free kicks. And the Golden TRY through extra time.

But the only weakness is this competition runs for 10-12 weeks. Unlike the Aussie Rules & Rugby League. The full transition into a 20-24 week Trans-Tasman comp from 2022 will help. Teams such as South Africa, Argentina & Japan are not there anymore. Which saves long travel times and overnight stays up. That is no more.

Image Reference: Wikipedia

And I am saving it on Friday May 14 as the opening date. Highlanders face the Queensland Reds in Dunedin. As well as sometime during any of the five rounds on-site. We just cannot wait to watch both as a fan and update here on this blog!

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