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Hurricanes vs Tahs

THis match is going to be interesting with the Warratahs desperate to exorise the ghosts of the last saturday and the Canes trying to backup from last weeks gutsy performance that had many a Hurricane fan on the edge of their seats. The Canes will welcome back the likes of Tito and especially Howell after witnessing Gopperths antics on the field, however they will be sweating on Eatons availability as he sat out training today , Cooper believes hes a 90% chance of playing come Friday night I just pray hes right. I don;t expect the Tahs to make the same mistakes as last week and I think the Canes need to improve in some areas like possession. Last Saturday they had only 40% of possession they can;lt afford to repeat that as the Warratah will not be making the same mistake twice. I hope it will be a Crusaders vs Hurricanes final basically a shadow All Black trial in some repects. Go the Canes

Wow what a awesome game!!

Last Saturday night I watched the Hurricanes vs the Warratahs, talk about how fortunes can change which further adds to the unpredictable nature of this competition. I feel no remorse for the warratahs especially after reading on rugbyheaven.com that clock tampering had something to do with the loss. Boy talk about looking for excuses which Australians are developing quite a talent for, maybe they should look into the kicking game that seemed to be going no where and cost them a try , and the inability of their back line to penetrate the defence. oh I also won $100 for my faith the Hurricanes I hope they go all the way. Go the Canes

Is Super 14 losing its edge?

I've been watching the super 14 lately and noticed afew things. First the lack of quality games ( Cats vs Cheetahs comes to mind!) and the gap in skill level and depth between the top tier teams and the rest. Its like we got the Crusaders, Warratahs, Hurricanes and Brumbies then the others which like fill the other vacancies. Last night I watched the Blues play the chiefs and not until the last 10mins of the game did the game start to come alive, I mean are people like myself expected to pay for this crap! My friend texted me from the Blues, Chiefs game and said it was the most boring thing hes been too. In fairness hes not a big rugby fan ( I think he was just chasing this chick hes been raving on about lol) but if NZ rugby or SANZAR want to promote this so called global brand of new age rugby then something has to be done. A couple of weeks ago or longer I watched the Bulls vs Blues ( there goes that man again) , and it was like what I heard Grant Fox comment, "it was like watching under 9's rugby on saturday morning" now when I hear Foxy saying something like that then something is wrong.

Well thats my bit for the week dudes send me back your feed back rugby fans out there!

Highlanders vs Sharks

Brown yet again demonstrated the value of an organised pivot and it was his clever variation of play and pin-point up-and-unders that took it away from the Highlanders.
After a bumbling start in which they conceded a heal against the head to allow the Highlanders to construct Richard Kahui’s opening try the Sharks settled down to play more constructive rugby, with excellent close passing, secure handling and good changes of the angle, than most any South African side this season.
And their first try was not long in coming as strong driving by the pack released the backline and the impressive Odwa Ndungane was able to beat Kahui on the outside before chipping ahead and winning the race to the ball.
Ben Blair and Brown exchanged penalties to keep the teams level-pegging (8-8) but the better chances of scoring were with the Sharks – especially a golden opportunity that went abegging when Johann Ackerman was unable to get the ball down as he loomed over the line.
Shortly after the re-start Blair kicked a penalty to edge the Highlanders in front again but as the match moved into the final quarter Brown brought the Sharks back on terms.
The game was evenly balanced but then it was down to JP Pietersen, who showed why the Sharks coaches thinks so highly of him, to make the crucial breakthrough.
The fullback stepped strongly off his right foot to make a clean break and when he ran into the clear he timed his pass to Henno Mentz, popping up on the wrong side, perfectly to send the wing in for the try.
Although Brown missed the conversion the Sharks were 16-11 ahead and the momentum had swung their way.
Flanker Jacques Botha lost the ball as he was diving over the line after yet another period of purposeful build-up work by the forwards but fortunately the Highlanders had been penalised and Brown stepped up to take the Sharks to 19-11 in front.
And it was to the credit of the Sharks that they continued to play enterprisingly rather than trying to sit on their lead and this positive attitude paid off when the Highlanders failed to control a high kick by Pietersen and the ball bounced straight to Botes who outstripped Ben Blair in the sprint to the line.
This time Brown made no mistake with the conversion and the Sharks had an away win that will be worth its weight in gold at the end of the season.
The Sharks have managed to pick up six points on their tour so far and will doubtless fancy their chances of causing another upset when they take on another side returning from South Africa, the Hurricanes, in the final game of their excursion next Friday.

Scores: Sharks 26 (Odawa Ndugane, Henno Mentz, Jacques Botha tries, Tony Brown 1 conversion, 3 penalty goals); Highlanders 11 (Richard Kahui try, Ben Blair 2 penalty goals). HT: 8-all.

Welcome to my New Zealand Rugby News website

Hi there

As you probably already know I'm a avid rugby fan and having been born and breed in New Zealand you'd expect that! Since I have this passion I would love to share this with others , hopefully with this blog I can provide readers with a indepth analysis of the how the game is played and whats going on in the rugby world at this very time! Check out all the latest goss and news from players and teams in all the major rugby playing nations.