Praise of the Chiefs

Astounding. Simply astounding.

How can a team start off a season by losing the first three games and then make the finals? The Chiefs have done so, by winning 10 out of the following 11 games. Their only other loss was a hard-fought game in Pretoria, which leaves the count at 10 victories and 4 losses for the Chiefs, and still counting.

What have they done today? They have used their weapons to full efect. Even without May, without Leonard and without Kahui, even suffering a bit in the set-piece. But Sivivatu was attacking from everywhere, Masaga, too. Muliaina being everywhere and Donald kicking and passing wisely. Just unlike Willie Ripia.

I said at the beginning of the season that the weak point of this Hurricanes was at 10. Well, today they lost the game there. Senseless kicking and an accurate Chiefs defense and counter-attack put the Chiefs on top.

Back to 2006 memories for the 'canes as in the final 5 minutes an old foe came back; the fog. Bad omens for a team that had everything to win the Super 14, but this year they came up short. Again.

Congratulations, Chiefs. Robbie Deans predicted a Hurricanes-Crusaders final. I hope he'll be right in at least one name of the two finalists.

Brave Lions should have won

The Chiefs can be pleased. Can be happy, indeed.

8 games gone and 27 points lift them to a place into the top 3. Their bye week comes next and after that, winning 3 games out of 5 should be enough to see them qualify for the semis.

But after impressive wins over Reds and Blues, they can call themselves lucky to have escaped the ropes with which the Lions had tied them early in Hamilton today.

The Lions played great. The Lions played brave. With impressive defense against the expansive approach of the Chiefs, they conceded just 10 points in the first 40 minutes while Pretorius and Fourie dismantled the weak Chiefs defense. Mils Muliaina did have trouble with the number on his jersey and more trouble with the tricky balls the Lions played. Fourie was happy. 10-22 at halftime.

The gap was widened through an interception by the Lions and with 20 minutes to go, the Chiefs saw themselves 19 points behind.

Hika Elliot came in for Aled de Malmanche and the recipe worked. Better throwing at the line-out put confidence on the Chiefs, just what they needed to unleash their backs. One, two, three and four times the Chiefs crossed the line as the look on the eyes of the Lions was of resignation.

The Chiefs were again on top, Donald kicking superbly and not even a drop goal could put the Lions ahead again. Game over.

Chiefs 36 - Lions 29

Fourth place's curse

The fourth place is one of the most desired places when a team look to their position in the ranks.
While positions one and two usually have long-term owners, there's an enormous fight to get the other two positions that qualify for the playoffs.

Last year, there was hardly a week when the fourth placed would not go down to lose the next game and fall to 5th, 6th or 7th. Force, Blues, Chiefs, Stormers and Hurricanes kept fighting to the very last game for the possibility to classify as 4th. In most of the cases, being placed 4th was a curse for the next game.

So must be John Mitchell thinking right now. After last week's display at Canberra and being able to get as far as 4th placed, they have fallen at Hamilton 31-13 to the Chiefs who get 5 points from this one and blow the starting whistle, signalling that their season is finally started. Depending on the outcome of this weekend's games, they may well be just 6 points away from the playoffs. May the others start running as the Chiefs run has already started.

But beware Chiefs. Getting there is not enough. Last year you kept climbing on until you reached the fourth place. Then you fell.

Get classified, but you'd do well to avoid resting at the fourth place.

The Sharks make the semifinals

Low-scoring Sharks managed to dish 7 tries against the Chiefs and gathered a 47 - 25 win that pushes them ahead the Stormers and the Hurricanes for the third place in the 2008 Super 14 semifinals.

Thus, the semifinals will be Crusaders - Hurricanes and Waratahs - Sharks.

Chiefs spoil it against the Lions

The Chiefs have lost against the Lions in what is the greatest surprise of the week so far.

They are out of the semifinals and no one but them is to be blamed.

Lions 33 - Chiefs 27

First warning to the Crusaders

If ever the Crusaders followers, staff and players thought it to be easy, they should, as well as the Sharks, be really aware of how thin is the edge between the success and the downwards-spiral that the Blues are facing.

We all know that the Crusaders were ripe to lose. We all knew that the Chiefs are on fire...

But what we all expect now is the Crusaders to stand and show that their muscle is still the strongest.

Beware, Crusaders. This is the first warning.

Hurricanes win, Chiefs lose.

4 in a row is the number of straight wins for the Hurricanes after defeating the Brumbies at Canberra by 15 - 33 some minutes ago. The Hurricanes are on fire and install themselves firmly on the top 4 places with 18 points.

Let's see if the Waratahs (who happen to rest this week) can keep the pace. The Hurricanes make a halt now and will rest during week 6 just to resume with a hard game against the Crusaders on week 7 before another hard game against the Sharks on week 8.

On the other hand, a very irregular Chiefs team has not only lost to the Stormers at home, but have also managed not to get a single point; 26-35 being the score. It's five games past for the Chiefs now; if they are to be the second-leg champions again, they should start gearing up now.

We have to wait for the main course Blues vs West Force which is served tomorrow. And a sweat cake afterwards: Crusaders - Cheetahs. A pity that the Chiefs self-destructed.

Hurricanes power past Chiefs 39-19

The Hurricanes defeated the Chiefs at Wellington 39-19 and gathered a bonus point due to their six tries scored.


Unlike the first two games, the Hurricanes made less handling errors and converted their opportunities into tries. The Chiefs played well, although own errors condemned them to gather no points today. The Chiefs game, with Muliaina at centre and Sivivatu covering up the full back position shows how important is to avoid injuries early on the season.

I won't cease to repeat what a fabulous third-row the Hurricanes possess. Jerry Collins is simply the best blindside flanker I have ever seen. And today, both Masoe and So'oialo showed how damn good they are. They scored a try a piece and were the leaders at the breakdown.

Next week, the game is in Dunedin. If the Hurricanes win, they will find themselves playing for the semifinals later on. If they don't, it will be a pretty standard season for them.

Super 14 round 1 wrap up

It has not been such a great start of the Super 14 season. Blues and Crusaders won showing an impressive form and gathered a bonus point each while Chiefs, Highlanders and Hurricanes lost. Specially disappointing was the performance of the Hurricanes in Brisbane, the only NZ team unable to score any try.

The Highlanders were close to bounce back and get on with a victory against the Reds during the second half, which makes us think that they are meant to gather some important victories this year.

The post-match comments of some players and coaches and aficionados about the ELVs and their effect are also interesting.

• Monsieur Rugbycan is surprised at the speed that the game is played under the new ELVs.
• Fourie du Preez, on the other hand, is a bit reluctanct to accept these ELVs as this very increased speed drives to more errors.
• David Nucifora is happy with the physical conditioning of his players that ended up high in the second half and reckons intensity as the key factor this season.

Next weeks will be all important for the Auckland Blues as they face the Sharks, Lions and Cheetahs in South Africa and depending on their performance, they could set a foot in the semifinals path as early as round 5.

Clear win of the Blues over the Chiefs

The Blues have shown an impressive display of power with tries by Flavell, Rokocoko, Atiga and Lee to get a bonus points in their opening 2008 Super 14 game against neighbours Chiefs.

The score was 32 - 14.

Which Super 14 side should I support?

Ok, the Super 14 is about to start. In two weeks time the ball shall be kicked and everyone shall be supporting his/her side.

If you just have slightly got the idea of this blog, you won't need me to tell you that I only consider New Zealand sides, but anyway, which New Zealand side should I pick?

This is a very appealing side to me. I like Nick Evans and Joe Rocokoco and I think that Isa Nacewa is going to play a fundamental role for New Zealand in years to come. Besides 2007 Air New Zealand Cup showed how strong Auckland's youngsters are. Thus, they combine players I like and a lot of potential.

Well, the Chiefs would certainly be a good option: they have Stephen Donald, Leonard,... but I think I just could never back someone called "Chief". Should they change their name to "Thiefs" it would be all funnier and I would probably change my mind. History says that the Maori Kingdom created around 1880 was founded in this region and thus the name and symbol of the Chiefs are a maori chief. It's wonderful but... Why did they choose a pakeha word for the team? Interestingly, maori had no word for "King" before the arrival of the europeans, and the movement to appoint a maori chief was called "Kingitanga".

I can't choose the Crusaders. I just cannot. I like the players (Carter, McCaw, Williams, McDonald...) I like the coach... but they are just too successful for me. I could not support the L.A. Lakers nor Roger Federer, so I think I won't be backing the Crusaders.

This is a very interesting option. They have got probably the most capped pack (together with the Crusaders) and their skipper is a player I couldn't like more: Rodney So'oialo. Besides, the great Umaga played for the Hurricanes.

These would have been my last year's choice. In a place whose name reminds me of my favourite book, Nick Evans played for th Highlanders until last season. They used to be a very strong franchise but have somewhat struggled for the last 4 or 5 years... And the future does not look very appealing...

So, Blues, Highlanders or Hurricanes? I think I'm going to support Hurricanes and Blues and perhaps will flip a coin to see who I back on week 14, May the 16th.

This is my choice: What is yours?

BTW: According to the ngata online dictionary, the word in maori for chief is "rangatira"

More power on the scrum and... happier backs?

It's not only Keohane that states that the ELVs are putting more emphasis in good scrummaging. Blues hooker Keven Mealamu also thinks that easing scrums on own feed and difficulting scrums on opponent's feed can mean a definitive edge.

While the South African journalist believes the new laws will benefit the South African sides, Mealamu does not risk any such prediction.

On the other side, the first pre-Season duel among two Super 14 sides has witnessed a Crusaders side triumph over the Chiefs. It is important to recall that both teams have experienced men in their full-of-All Blacks packs. The score, 55 - 33 could mean nothing at all or could be explained by this extra space after the scrum that the ELVs provide.

Are we at the gates of a more spectacular rugby? Or are we just at the pre-Season? Can a new law put more emphasis in scrummaging and still be a bless for hungry-at-tries backs?

Rugbycan blog is right; South Africans should not be so confident on their scrums

(Update at 21:12 GMT: Robbie Deans considers ELVs should reward expansive rugby)

(Update at Jan 28, 10:18 GMT: Robbie Deans enthusiastic about ELVs)

(Update at Jan 29, 09:04 GMT: ELVs get the pass mark of coaches and refferees)

New Zealand Super 14 franchises for 2008 campaign

32 days left and the ball will be in play again with an interesting Blues vs Chiefs at Eden Park.
A great number of players have headed northwards, and quite the same lot of new players are joining the Super 14 for the first time with a lot of new hopes on them. It seems that, as usual, after a World Cup year, it's time for a renovation. Besides, Auckland's Air New Zealand Cup perfect season (they went to win the Cup undefeated) makes us expect anything from the Blues this season.

Here we can take a look to the 2008's squads: I have noted in white the ones that have been capped for New Zealand and in red the new faces of the franchise.

Auckland Blues:
1st row: John Afoa, Tony Woodcock, Nick White, Keven Mealamu, Bronson Murray, Tom McCartney, Chris Heard
2nd row: Troy Flavell, Anthony Boric, Bryn Evans, Kurtis Haiu, Chris Smith
3rd row: Daniel Braid, Justin Collins, Jerome Kaino, Onosai'i Tololima-Auva'a, Nick Williams, Chris Lowrey
Half backs: Danny Lee, Taniela Moa, Chris Smylie
Mid-field: Nick Evans, Isa Nacewa, Ben Atiga, Isaia Toeava, Jamie Helleur, Anthony Tuitavake, Benson Stanley, Lachie Munro,
Outside backs:Joe Rocokoco, David Smith, George Pisi, Jarek Goebel, Rudi Wulf

Waikato Chiefs:
1st row: Ben Castle, Simms Davison, Ben May, Craig West, Aled de Malmanche, Tom Willis
2nd row: Jono Gibbes, Toby Lynn, Kevin O'Neill, Kristian Ormsby
3rd row: Tom Harding, Hayden Hopgood, Sione Lauaki, Tanerau Latimer, Faifili Levave, Liam Messam
Half backs: Brendon Leonard, Jamie Nutbrown
Mid-field: Stephen Donald, Tasesa Lavea, Callum Bruce, Richard Kahui,
Outside backs: Sosene Anesi, Lelia Masaga, Mils Muliaina, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Dwayne Sweeney, Viliame Waqaseduadua

Canterbury Crusaders:
1st row: Wyatt Crockett, Ben Franks, Campbell Johnstone, Ti'i Paulo, Greg Somerville
2nd row: Corey Flynn, Ross Filipo, Brad Thorn, Ali Williams
3rd row: Richie McCaw, Nasi Manu, Michael Paterson, Kieran Read, Reuben Thorne, Mose Tuiali’i, George Whitelock
Half backs: Andrew Ellis, Kahn Fotuali’i
Mid-field:Tim Bateman, Stephen Brett, Daniel Carter, Hamish Gard, Casey Laulala, Caleb Ralph
Outside backs: Scott Hamilton, Leon MacDonald, Sean Maitland, Kade Poki

Otago Highlanders:
1st row: Jason Macdonald, David Hall, Jamie Mackintosh, Clint Newland, Keith Cameron, Chris King
2nd row: Tom Donnelly, Hoani MacDonald, Hayden Triggs, Isaac Ross
3rd row: Craig Newby, Alando Soakai, Steven Setephano, Adam Thomson, Tim Boys, Ezra Taylor
Half back: Jimmy Cowan, Toby Morland
Mid-field: Daniel Bowden, Michael Delany, Aaron Bancroft, Niva Tau’oso, Johnny Leota, Brett Mather
Outside backs: Fetu'u Vainikolo, Lucky Mulipola, Paul Williams, James Wilson

Hurricanes:
1st row: Andrew Hore, Hikawera Elliot, Jacob Ellison, John Schwalger, Neemia Tialata, Tim Fairbrother
2nd row: Bernie Upton, Craig Clarke, Jason Eaton, Jeremy Thrush
3rd row: Chris Masoe, Jerry Collins, Michael Johnson, Rodney So'oialo, Scott Waldrom,Thomas Waldrom,
Half backs: Alby Mathewson, Piri Weepu
Mid-field: Conrad Smith, Jimmy Gopperth, Ma'a Nonu, Tamati Ellison, Tane Tu'ipulotu, Willie Ripia
Outside backs: Cory Jane, Hosea Gear, Shannon Paku, Zac Guildford