ALL BLACKS v PUMAS

C'mon the NZ press. All you are doing is feeding the pigeons.  Any rugby fan worth his salt would support Graham Henry advising  the Pumas.  We need this Championship to be up and running in no time.  For the All Blacks as a brand and a team we need more competition for when the likes of the Wallabies and the Boks lose form.  It's great supporting the world's winningest sports team...but I want some competition! It's no fun winning easy.  it's no fun knowing just putting on your boots is half the game won.  I always coached my guys to enjoy a 15-12 loss more than a 60-0 win.  I played rugby for the sport, and I support rugby for the sport. I support the All Blacks for the sport. Is there seriously anyone with a problem with Sir Ted giving the Argies a helping hand?

Onto the game itself and some journos trying to drum up some readers are suggesting the "fast improving" Argentina are a serious threat.  That the underperforming "Carter-less ABs" are a potential victim for the Henry-advised Pumas.  Everyone is a potential victim.  Anyone who buys a Sunday paper is a potential victim.  Anyone who doesn't wear a condom is a potential victim. Hell, anyone who wears a condom is a potential victim.  Of course the Argies could turn in a great performance, and coupled with a dismal one from New Zealand could possibly spell defeat for the All Blacks.  Possibly,...but not probably. 

The ABs have been round the block too many times to throw this game away.  There are enough new faces that want to win, want to uphold tradition, and want their places to let this be anything else.  Don't point to Carter's absence when Cruden was the form 1st5 of the SuperXV.  Don't point to any of the earlier made replacements, who would challenge for a place in any other international team.  Sonny has gone but the nous of Conrad Smith are worth 2 tries to any team added to the performance only he can bring out of Nonu.  Savea is a potential matchwinner or matchloser but I don't think Argentina have the kick & chase game to exploit there. And the almighty Dagg will have to learn to pass the ball...without a doubt something raised by Hansen over the past 2 weeks. Lock for lock great xp for Retallick but Vito will have to stand up versus some traditional hardnosed forwards.

Graham Henry please help the Pumas.  NZ needs you.

The Rugby Championship

Thank god for the Argies! They are, Sonny Bill aside, the only thing bringing interest to the reformatted Tri Nations.  I seriously hope the Boks can put on a lot better show than to date. How sad are the Wallabies if even when large parts of the 1st test's 2nd half it was a 5point ballgame no one actually thought they had a snowball's? I never got nervous...a strange feeling in a 5point ball game vs a nemesis. The bad news/good news(?) is that, as Hansen says and all can see, the All Blacks aren't just not playing well,...they are also controlling the game.  If South Africa can't front up it is going to make the Championship look ridiculous. SANZAR (does it have a new name?) are fortunate to have contract in place for the next few years because I couldn't see pay tv lining up for the present product.

South Africa and Australia dropping to northern hemisphere standards will severely damage the game here. There will have to be some competitiveness to the last 2 editions of the present contract or the ABs will have to look for something else, something new to tickle the tastebuds of not just the paytv operators, but the paying public.Argentina, while going to improve, are never going to be decent opposition for the ABs in the next few years.  Maybe we will have to disband the All Blacks and limit them to Barbarian style invitation matches? New Zealand could enter 2 rugby teams into the international game....the NZ North and NZ South.  That, in the long run, would just make New Zealand rugby stronger and the gap between the best and the rest would widen, though I imagine the inter-island edge would dramatically increase local interest in the game.  I remember as a kid the "patriotism" I felt while watching my often beaten South Island team vs the always favourites, North.

New Zealand dominance doesn't just threaten world rugby,...it threatens New zealand rugby.  Any ideas?

Super Rugby Crunchtime

Few things open yet. A real possibility of 3 South African teams in the finals with the top 3 from the republic having 3 home games.

Chiefs really need to win to keep home advantage through the finals, while the Hurricanes are playing for a finals spot if other results go their way and could do some serious damage to NZ's title aspirations taking away a possible home advantage fianl from the Chiefs.

Brumbies have to get past a rejuvenated of sorts Blues who finally have some players back from injury.

Crusaders bogey team has often been the Force...but at home they should get through and most kiwis will be expecting them to lift their game as they traditionally do.

Bulls get the easiest ride through but need to make sure that doesn't come back to haunt them. The Lions may well feel they have as much riding on this as the Bulls. From Currie Cup champs to SuperXV chumps here at least is a chance to salvage some pride (and wreck the Bulls' season).

Sharks have a real threat in a derby of sorts vs the Cheetahs and could be sent spiralling out of the competition.

Reds have their traditional derby vs the Waratahs and will hoping the home advantage is enough to swing the ledger their way in a tough game to pick.

Most will be expecting the status quo with teams 3 to 6 which will mean home minor semis respectively for the Brumbies  and Crusaders vs the Sharks and Bulls. As always home advantage will have a huge bearinbg on the outcome of the finals but the republic teams are no longer the push over they once were away from home.

Personally hoping for the Chiefs to go all the way...be nice to have a 3rd different champion from NZ and the Chiefs have the experience (including the 2009 final thrashing received from the Bulls) and the players to take this through. If they are on their game their biggest threats come from within NZ...the Hurricanes threatening to derail the run to a home final and, the possibility of meeting the Crusaders somewhere along the line.

Springboks v Poms

Plaudits to the Poms, always managing to come back and stay in the game everytime we thought it was all over. I'll also tip my hat to JP Pieterson, I've always ridiculed Bok supporters, saying he wouldn't make a NZ S15 team but on recent form he has to be 1 of the form wingers in the game. Now it only remains for him to pull his horns in a bit, all his post tackle pushing & attitude is reminiscent of a South African forward. It belittles him.

All Blacks Ireland 2nd test

My grizzle here is the gulf in refereeing habits between north & south. You saw it last week and Owens put in the same performance 2nd time up.  This Irish team would get penalised out of the game in S15 or the Tri Nations. Their unwillingness to clear away from the tackle area takes inhibits the All Blacks greatest weapon of quick ball. The ABs clearly came out in the 2nd half to be more aggressive at the ruck and to make up Owens' shortcomings. It started strongly enough but it's energy sapping stuff and is always going to be hard yakka keeping that up for 40. In contrast was the Wallabies Wales affair was twice the game to watch. The Welsh got stung a couple of times early on for not getting clear but learnt quickly.  A Southern Hemisphere ref and we saw a game of action over 80mins fuelled by quick ball.