Latest / Rugby Direct / Rugby Direct Ep 229

Transcript

Rugby Direct Ep 229 · Rugby Direct

0:09
Speaker 1: You're listening to a podcast from News Talks at B.
0:12
Speaker 1: Follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio,
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Speaker 1: Straight down the Middle, Trusty try get inside the game
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Speaker 1: from every end goal. It's Rugby Direct with Elliot Smith
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Speaker 1: and Leo Napier powered by News Talks ed B.
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Speaker 2: Welcome in too, Rugby Direct powered by Habit Health Physio
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Speaker 2: booked today and stay in the game these weeks. So
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Speaker 2: just piling up big time flying by Lea Napier. Good
0:48
Speaker 2: to have your company once again on Rugby Directs.
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Speaker 3: Great to be back.
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Speaker 4: Elliott says, we build to the business end, and I
0:55
Speaker 4: think some of the Rugby are seeing, certainly from the
0:58
Speaker 4: New Zealand teams building towards that climax as well.
1:02
Speaker 2: Certainly is let's touch on that first and foremost. The
1:05
Speaker 2: Hurricanes forty five over the Highlanders twenty. He ate this is.
1:09
Speaker 2: It was a cracking performance from the Hurricanes, at least
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Speaker 2: for the first half hour thirty five minutes and then
1:15
Speaker 2: in patches in the second half. You go out to
1:18
Speaker 2: a twenty one nil leads and looked asough it could
1:20
Speaker 2: have been anything at one point, but the Highlanders outscored them.
1:25
Speaker 2: From a certain point. And look, you know, it was
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Speaker 2: the last game of the season, they had nothing to
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Speaker 2: play for, but it wasn't entirely the hurricanes best performance
1:33
Speaker 2: of the season. What did you make of it?
1:36
Speaker 3: Yeah, I totally agree.
1:37
Speaker 4: I think there's some vulnerabilities, clear vulnerabilities for the Hurricanes.
1:40
Speaker 4: I think maybe they were guilty of it all coming
1:44
Speaker 4: too easy too early, as you say, got out to
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Speaker 4: a twenty one nil leads, Josh Morby and others just
1:50
Speaker 4: cutting the Highlanders to shreds, and I think they got
1:53
Speaker 4: a bit free wheeling, a bit loose. And yeah, they
1:57
Speaker 4: were rarely guilty of allowing the Hondas to come back
1:59
Speaker 4: into that game. The Hurricanes had an early advantage with
2:04
Speaker 4: Daniel Lenna Brown's red cards, so a one man advantage
2:08
Speaker 4: for twenty minutes, and then they self destructed to a degree. Look, there,
2:14
Speaker 4: scrum was a major major issue. Ethan the grout went
2:18
Speaker 4: to town on Pasilio Tossi Angus Taraval when he came on,
2:22
Speaker 4: had a big impact as well. Rackety Stones went to
2:25
Speaker 4: the bin after the Hurricanes scrum kept getting penalized. I
2:29
Speaker 4: think the Hurricanes conceded three tries from scrums. Lucas Casey
2:33
Speaker 4: another big performance. So the Hurricanes also lose Devin Flanders
2:38
Speaker 4: to a pretty nasty head not from that general Lennard
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Speaker 4: Brown incident. So I don't think they'll be overly satisfied
2:45
Speaker 4: with that performance. I think the hand has outscored them,
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Speaker 4: like you say later in the game the second half
2:51
Speaker 4: and the Hurricanes conceding yellow cards.
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Speaker 3: But look, they locked up top spot.
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Speaker 4: They still produced that attacking style that they've showcased this year.
3:01
Speaker 4: I think internally there'll be a lot of questions and
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Speaker 4: I don't think they met the siens that they put
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Speaker 4: out so far this share.
3:07
Speaker 2: And they also did it without Fai fitting on an
3:10
Speaker 2: Alfo as well, and brought some players back in you
3:12
Speaker 2: know more we played fullback. There was no Calum Harkin
3:15
Speaker 2: on the weekend. What did you make of that red card? Incidentally, look,
3:19
Speaker 2: Leonett Brown, he's one hundred and forty centimeters eighty hundred
3:24
Speaker 2: and forty one hundred and eighty four centimeters. He is
3:27
Speaker 2: one hundred and thirty odd kgs. Know how much lower
3:31
Speaker 2: can he actually get when he's approaching a tackle against
3:34
Speaker 2: Devin Flanders before the physics of the human body actually
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Speaker 2: come into play.
3:39
Speaker 4: It's difficult isn't it. This is a rugby type incident
3:43
Speaker 4: that often occurs. There's split seconds to the side's how
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Speaker 4: upright you're going to be. But in the modern game
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Speaker 4: it is a red card. I think that's the way
3:55
Speaker 4: it's officiated. That was clear hit on head. He probably
3:57
Speaker 4: could have been a wee bit lower, so I don't
4:00
Speaker 4: think there was a lot of mitigation there, and unfortunately
4:06
Speaker 4: it is a big punishment. But it's a twenty minute
4:08
Speaker 4: red cards and super rugby anyway, and I think that's
4:11
Speaker 4: about right to be honest. Deevin Flanders, it was a
4:14
Speaker 4: pretty ugly incident in the ends. I'm certain he'll be
4:17
Speaker 4: missing this week and it wouldn't be surprised if it's
4:20
Speaker 4: even a bit longer.
4:21
Speaker 3: What about you, do you think it was fair?
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Speaker 2: Well? I agree to the letter of the law it
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Speaker 2: was fair, but I do think there's just not a
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Speaker 2: lot of common sense being taken into these decisions by
4:31
Speaker 2: the TMO in the referee. You know, yes we want
4:36
Speaker 2: to protect the head. That's absolutely sacrecying, but there's nothing
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Speaker 2: really Daniel lennot Brown can do. He can get absolutely
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Speaker 2: lower and make the tackle there, but at some point
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Speaker 2: there are going to be rugby collisions. It was ugly
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Speaker 2: and obviously Flanders didn't return for the rest of the evening.
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Speaker 2: But I just wonder that we are being so over
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Speaker 2: officiated now to the point of trying to catch these
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Speaker 2: things that you're just never going to stamp it out.
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Speaker 2: I think across the board, the tackle will heights have
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Speaker 2: got so much better over the last five plus years
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Speaker 2: since World Rugby's clammed down on it, but there are
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Speaker 2: still going to be certain instant like this that I
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Speaker 2: just don't know what you're gaining by putting out a
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Speaker 2: twenty minute red card for those it wasn't malicious. Yes,
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Speaker 2: look maybe he could get a little bit lower in that,
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Speaker 2: but at some point you're just not going to catch
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Speaker 2: all of these these instances in the game, and there
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Speaker 2: are going to be quote unquote rugby incidents.
5:29
Speaker 3: Yeah, I do agree about that.
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Speaker 4: I think there should be a ruling around intent and look,
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Speaker 4: technique should come into it as well, but there are
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Speaker 4: always going to be there sintince. I think back a
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Speaker 4: number of years now too, when the All Blacks played
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Speaker 4: England's in Daneta and Angus Tartaveil Copter red cards for
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Speaker 4: basically a collision that he had no control over a
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Speaker 4: head on heads and he's gone. So I would like
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Speaker 4: to see things ruled more around intents. But there is
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Speaker 4: an onus on tacklers these days, around technique, around getting
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Speaker 4: as low as possible and avoiding those he contacts.
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Speaker 3: But sometimes they are unavoidable too.
6:13
Speaker 2: While we're at it, Lucas Casey's first try being ruled
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Speaker 2: out all the one that he was scrubbed from when
6:19
Speaker 2: he came off the mall and off the scrum rather
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Speaker 2: and scored. We're getting down to the real minute details. Look,
6:26
Speaker 2: there was separation there. I won't deny that, but I
6:29
Speaker 2: just kind of feel that we're looking for reasons to
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Speaker 2: scrub tries out more than actually award tries, and you know,
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Speaker 2: to me, I would have just awarded it. I don't
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Speaker 2: think there's enough there to suggest that he lost control.
6:42
Speaker 2: There was probably separation, but you know, in the act
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Speaker 2: of grounding sometimes you know that does happen. Or am
6:47
Speaker 2: I being just too relaxed about these things Limb.
6:51
Speaker 4: That's probably a fine line call, Elliott, But look behind
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Speaker 4: us have had plenty of favorable calls throughout history and
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Speaker 4: Wellington when it comes to try scoring.
7:01
Speaker 3: So I've got no beef for that decision.
7:04
Speaker 2: Okay, interesting decisions. Yeah, yeah, that's what eleven years ago.
7:07
Speaker 2: Yeah really I I spoke on the day after and
7:10
Speaker 2: he reckoned. He got it down interesting.
7:13
Speaker 4: From the absolutely did not, and I think if you
7:15
Speaker 4: ask him these days over a pint, he'd probably he didn't.
7:20
Speaker 2: The Highlanders changing up the run on props or the
7:24
Speaker 2: run on front row for the game very very late
7:27
Speaker 2: in the peace, deciding to bring to Groot and Co
7:31
Speaker 2: off the bench rather than start them. What did you
7:34
Speaker 2: make of that? From Jamie Joseph? It was a late
7:37
Speaker 2: switch and obviously put Daniel Lennard Brown into the run
7:39
Speaker 2: on team that he wasn't necessarily expecting to be or
7:42
Speaker 2: hadn't been scheduled to be, and then his front row
7:46
Speaker 2: partners as well, coming on to start the contest rather
7:49
Speaker 2: than ended with Henry Bell and Solamu. And obviously Jamie
7:54
Speaker 2: Joseph can bring on Groot of our and dan Jack
7:57
Speaker 2: Taylor with half an hour also of the game gone.
8:02
Speaker 4: It's clearly something that's behind as they'd seen there. I
8:05
Speaker 4: put my fantasy rugby team in a bit of jeopardy
8:07
Speaker 4: because I had Ethan the group in there, and I
8:10
Speaker 4: am leading the Rugby Direct competition just to slide down
8:13
Speaker 4: in there. But look, the Harness scrum has been the
8:16
Speaker 4: best across the competition.
8:18
Speaker 3: All.
8:18
Speaker 4: Yeah, they've obviously struggled, but they've got the most penalties
8:21
Speaker 4: from that platform. And maybe Jamie Joseph wanted to target
8:26
Speaker 4: rackety Stones and look they got the pay from it,
8:28
Speaker 4: and then didn't they bring in those to grout and
8:31
Speaker 4: tarvo on. So you'd have to say smart decision at
8:36
Speaker 4: work for them. It didn't win them the game. But
8:39
Speaker 4: when you've got a weapon like that, you do everything
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Speaker 4: you can to utilize it. I'm not sure about the
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Speaker 4: rules of the logistics of those late changes when you
8:48
Speaker 4: name a team on a Thursday and pulling a bit
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Speaker 4: of a swifty later in the match or pre match.
8:55
Speaker 4: Maybe he's taking a leaf from Russia Rasmus's book.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, look, I didn't like it because the end. Look,
9:02
Speaker 2: you can't predict these things, but the Hurricanes were twenty
9:04
Speaker 2: one mil up, twenty eight seven up at that point
9:07
Speaker 2: in the game was gone. Yes you've got a powerful scrum,
9:11
Speaker 2: and yes they had better scrummages than rackety Stones in
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Speaker 2: coming up against you know, weaker opponents, and Tavita Baffaloo potentially,
9:20
Speaker 2: but the game was done, so you've given yourself a
9:25
Speaker 2: twenty one nil head start to the opposition. So look,
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Speaker 2: I thought it was a little bit cute from Jammie.
9:30
Speaker 2: Joseph didn't really like it and don't think it necessarily
9:33
Speaker 2: paid off because they were chasing the game at that point.
9:37
Speaker 2: Mauana Pacifica going down to the Reds. This was a
9:39
Speaker 2: heartbreaker from a Moaner perspective, thirty three to thirty one
9:43
Speaker 2: and final home game at North Harbor Stadium. Look, they
9:46
Speaker 2: were up for it, Mauana Pacifica, no doubt about that.
9:49
Speaker 2: They came back from what twenty eight to seven down rallied.
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Speaker 2: I thought that was pretty impressive the way they did
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Speaker 2: come back from that deficit, but just let themselves a
9:59
Speaker 2: little bit too much work to do.
10:02
Speaker 4: It was a great comeback, wasn't it. And it was
10:04
Speaker 4: interesting because you thought one's last home game probably in history,
10:12
Speaker 4: with their franchise likely to fold at the end of
10:14
Speaker 4: the year, a lot on the line, with a lot
10:17
Speaker 4: of people, everyone potentially moving on the coaching staff and
10:20
Speaker 4: a number of players who have already signed for rival franchises.
10:25
Speaker 4: The last time game at home you'd think that ten
10:27
Speaker 4: or that emotion at the start, but maybe it was
10:30
Speaker 4: about overwhelming and they certainly found their feats and the
10:34
Speaker 4: second half came back and raddled the Reds and through
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Speaker 4: some real physicality in their defense. I think in attacking
10:40
Speaker 4: the breakdown they had some success there.
10:43
Speaker 3: But then yeah, up death.
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Speaker 4: Fortunate for Wine it would have been really nice for
10:48
Speaker 4: them to potentially finish on that note. I think it
10:52
Speaker 4: also says a lot about where the Reds are at.
10:56
Speaker 4: Very patchy performance from them. They were largely at full strength.
10:59
Speaker 4: Carter Gordon was goods but I just can't see any
11:04
Speaker 4: of these Australian teams genuinely challenging come playoff time.
11:08
Speaker 3: So unfortunate for one, isn't it? That could be it
11:12
Speaker 3: for them?
11:13
Speaker 2: Yeah, Brumbies this weekend, but look, we still haven't heard
11:17
Speaker 2: anything about the future of this team, and the longer
11:20
Speaker 2: it goes on, the less likely it appears that they
11:23
Speaker 2: will be rescued. It seems to have gone very quiet
11:26
Speaker 2: on that front. So look, they're going to try and
11:29
Speaker 2: rally and get up for a tricky game against the
11:31
Speaker 2: Brumbies in Canberra, and the Brumbies have potentially something to
11:35
Speaker 2: play for in terms of that playoff seeding by the
11:38
Speaker 2: time they get to Saturday afternoon. So look, yeah, you
11:41
Speaker 2: just feel feel for the players, for the coaches. I
11:43
Speaker 2: think Tara among has been very honest around this whole thing.
11:45
Speaker 2: He was very good again last week when he spoke
11:47
Speaker 2: to media. But it doesn't feel like there's any rescue
11:51
Speaker 2: coming to save more one up Pascificer.
11:55
Speaker 4: No, and it's hugely unfortunate for the purpose of that team,
11:59
Speaker 4: the purpose that it was meant to help Samoa and Tonga.
12:06
Speaker 4: But it's just incredibly difficult to see some form of
12:09
Speaker 4: white Knight coming in to save them and having longevity
12:12
Speaker 4: around that in terms of not just next year, but
12:15
Speaker 4: projecting throughout the next five years and some sensibility for
12:20
Speaker 4: Super Rugby. So look, I've heard a number of those
12:23
Speaker 4: guys have already been picked up, a couple by the
12:25
Speaker 4: handas sounds like Michael fire Lungy will go to Japan
12:30
Speaker 4: and a few others aboard as well, and obviously tana
12:33
Speaker 4: Umong is joining the All Blacks. But you know, they've
12:37
Speaker 4: still got a pretty hearty group, even if it was
12:40
Speaker 4: small of fans there at the weekend in Albany. So
12:44
Speaker 4: it's a real shame that that franchise hasn't worked to
12:46
Speaker 4: this point.
12:47
Speaker 2: It is indeed, and on Friday night Crusaders beating the
12:50
Speaker 2: Chiefs thirty six thirty two in christ Church an absolute
12:54
Speaker 2: thriller of a Super rugby match. Look, there's been some
12:57
Speaker 2: great games this year. This was another one and it
13:00
Speaker 2: was tip for tat right until the very end. And
13:04
Speaker 2: it's hard not to look at that twenty two twenty
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Speaker 2: two or fifty twenty two from David Villy and go boy,
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Speaker 2: that is a match winning kick, you know, just under pressure,
13:15
Speaker 2: pulled something out of nothing. And you know his team
13:18
Speaker 2: later on, just despite the fact they didn't get the
13:20
Speaker 2: line out, go on and win with him scoring the
13:24
Speaker 2: winning try, cracking game under the roof in christ Church
13:27
Speaker 2: and the Crusaders keep alive there their bid for home
13:29
Speaker 2: playoff in week one.
13:31
Speaker 4: Our magic game, wasn't it, Elliott? Probably the match of
13:34
Speaker 4: the year. That might be recency bias, but I had
13:37
Speaker 4: a bit of everything. And the Crusaders and Chiefs have
13:42
Speaker 4: a long standing recent rivalry, don't they. The Crusader's now
13:46
Speaker 4: winning three in a row against the Chiefs, including last
13:49
Speaker 4: year's final. They went to Hamilton earlier this year and
13:52
Speaker 4: scored thirty six on ancer points. I think that was
13:54
Speaker 4: in a round two just done the Chiefs then, and
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Speaker 4: I'm still trying to work out how they actually won
13:59
Speaker 4: that game, because the Chiefs was supremely dominant in so
14:03
Speaker 4: many aspects, particularly upfront with their powerful ball carrying semis
14:08
Speaker 4: Ony Takyajo Wallace a TC and others really getting them
14:12
Speaker 4: on the front foots and providing that platform. They pressured
14:16
Speaker 4: the Crusaders lineouts, particularly in the first half, and their
14:21
Speaker 4: swarming defense was another aspect that really came to the fore.
14:26
Speaker 4: But look, the Crusaders, I think it's just that character,
14:29
Speaker 4: isn't it. They seem to be on the rack a
14:32
Speaker 4: number of times and then they would just summon the
14:35
Speaker 4: CounterPunch and just stay within reach. And that's what happened
14:38
Speaker 4: at the death as well. I think the Chiefs will
14:41
Speaker 4: rue I think it was Josh Shacob one costly late era,
14:44
Speaker 4: and obviously they didn't have Damien McKenzie. But David Heavily
14:48
Speaker 4: I think he hasn't had a great season, but that
14:52
Speaker 4: was an outstanding performance all around. There was one instance
14:56
Speaker 4: when he held up one of the Chiefs ball carriers
14:59
Speaker 4: almost single handedly to get a turnover. He had a
15:02
Speaker 4: hand in the number of tries and then really stepped
15:05
Speaker 4: up at the death, didn't they so too with that
15:08
Speaker 4: fifty twenty two. It was a good seventy meter kick
15:10
Speaker 4: and then he scored the try to boots and I
15:14
Speaker 4: think that could be the victory that gets the Crusader's
15:17
Speaker 4: home advantage, Elliott. So in the context of Super Rugby Pacific,
15:22
Speaker 4: it was a massive result.
15:23
Speaker 2: It was, and you're right, I tend to agree the
15:26
Speaker 2: Crusaders just hung tough and sometimes you've got to do
15:30
Speaker 2: that because they were outplayed certainly for the first forty
15:34
Speaker 2: to fifty minutes of the game. That's, you know, the
15:37
Speaker 2: Chiefs of score, the Crusaders would score, the Crusaders had score,
15:39
Speaker 2: the Chiefs would score, and everything the Crusaders did, it
15:42
Speaker 2: felt like the Chiefs had an answer to it. The
15:45
Speaker 2: Crusaders had more entries into the Chiefs twenty two, came
15:49
Speaker 2: away with a few points on average from each entry,
15:52
Speaker 2: but they just managed to stick in the contest. That's
15:55
Speaker 2: despite the line out being a bit of a shambles
15:57
Speaker 2: for the Crusaders. Cody Taylor had an off night potentially,
16:01
Speaker 2: although the hooker always gets blamed when the line out
16:03
Speaker 2: doesn't get functioning. I know that Rob Penny said late
16:07
Speaker 2: on that because they had Cody Taylor and Manel Miller
16:10
Speaker 2: led you out in the park that Cody Taylor was
16:12
Speaker 2: supposed to have thrown that last line out that they
16:15
Speaker 2: botched before Jacob knocked it on. They got a little
16:18
Speaker 2: bit rattled in those last couple of minutes they took
16:21
Speaker 2: that bizarre shot at goal as well. Yet in spite
16:24
Speaker 2: of everything, they just found a way. And sometimes that's
16:27
Speaker 2: what you got to do, not only in the regular
16:30
Speaker 2: season but crucially liam with the playoffs to come as well.
16:32
Speaker 2: You got to hang tough and find your moments when
16:34
Speaker 2: they when they open up.
16:37
Speaker 4: Absolutely, it's about coming up clutch when it matters most
16:41
Speaker 4: the Chiefs did that earlier this year knocking over the
16:43
Speaker 4: Hurricanes in Hamilton.
16:45
Speaker 3: And yeah, you've just got to do what it takes.
16:48
Speaker 4: And like you said, the Crusaders were outplayed in a
16:52
Speaker 4: number of different aspects, but they still had a number
16:54
Speaker 4: of individual performances. I thought Lester, while he was penalized
16:58
Speaker 4: a couple of times at the breakdown, was prominent agame
17:02
Speaker 4: with ball on hands. Jamie Hannah continues to be mister
17:06
Speaker 4: consistent for the Crusaded seven Reefs. His best performance of
17:10
Speaker 4: the year was highly involved on the edge. Will Jordan
17:13
Speaker 4: I thought had a bit of a muted return and
17:16
Speaker 4: potentially a flare up of that carpentery.
17:18
Speaker 3: Again, how concerning is that?
17:20
Speaker 2: It is concerning. Look, they've managed to find a way
17:23
Speaker 2: to win without him in the last few weeks against
17:26
Speaker 2: the Blues, they went close, against the Hurricanes, obviously didn't
17:29
Speaker 2: win that game, won against the war Retars without him,
17:32
Speaker 2: because that had been the big question mark, can they
17:33
Speaker 2: win games without Will Jordan because the evidence was stacking
17:36
Speaker 2: up and saying that they couldn't. I think it is
17:39
Speaker 2: a big loss for them. Waiting to hear hopefully some
17:41
Speaker 2: details later on today around the nature of that injury.
17:45
Speaker 2: But you know, Johnny mcnicholl has slotted in. He played
17:50
Speaker 2: on the wing for a lot of that game on
17:52
Speaker 2: the weekend, scored a couple of tries. He's a serviceable option.
17:55
Speaker 2: He's looking a bit old in the two th old
17:58
Speaker 2: Johnny mcnichkell, but you know he brings experience to the
18:01
Speaker 2: back and with Shae Fie Hackey there, I think it's
18:04
Speaker 2: a better settled back three if you've got free Hackey
18:06
Speaker 2: alongside mcnichkell, even if you do lose Will Jordan, but
18:09
Speaker 2: hopefully for the sake of the competition more than anything,
18:12
Speaker 2: and obviously all Blacks aspirations that injury is not too
18:15
Speaker 2: bad and maybe we see him for the first week
18:17
Speaker 2: of the playoffs and whoever they manage to match up
18:20
Speaker 2: against them.
18:21
Speaker 3: Yeah.
18:21
Speaker 4: Absolutely, Look, I think while Will doing wasn't it at
18:25
Speaker 4: as best, he did show touches of class. There was
18:27
Speaker 4: that one long ball skip pass for McNichols seconds and
18:32
Speaker 4: I think he is integral to sparking that Crusades attack.
18:35
Speaker 4: So maybe he doesn't play this week and that they
18:38
Speaker 4: try and get him back for the playoffs, obviously a
18:41
Speaker 4: big match with the Canes to determine home advantage in
18:44
Speaker 4: third place.
18:45
Speaker 3: Also, just Christian Leo where there.
18:47
Speaker 4: I thought he's been outstanding in recent weeks, highly involved,
18:51
Speaker 4: great work, ethic, ball carrying, line out, defense, really.
18:55
Speaker 3: Does it all.
18:56
Speaker 4: Certainly from a super rugby perspective, at that level, he's
19:00
Speaker 4: an elite player.
19:01
Speaker 2: He is indeed, Look, the knock has probably been his size,
19:04
Speaker 2: but he doesn't let you down and this is work right,
19:07
Speaker 2: This is what Dave Rinnie is keen on and he
19:09
Speaker 2: is just everywhere on a rugby field when he's playing.
19:12
Speaker 2: And he had a weird old years last year. You
19:15
Speaker 2: know you got what the two or three opportunities in
19:17
Speaker 2: that French series off the top of my head. Then
19:20
Speaker 2: wasn't seen again right until the very end of the year,
19:23
Speaker 2: wasn't used particularly well, came in and out of the
19:26
Speaker 2: All Blacks set up. Wouldn't surprise there's a lot of
19:28
Speaker 2: competition for loose four places, but wouldn't surprise me to
19:31
Speaker 2: see maybe his time come again. Maybe a bench in
19:35
Speaker 2: back roll. I don't know what will say you.
19:37
Speaker 4: Yeah, potentially he's probably I think in the Anton Segna camp,
19:42
Speaker 4: but around being on the fringe looking in at the stage.
19:46
Speaker 4: But if you continue to put those consistent performances out there,
19:49
Speaker 4: you keep your name in the frame. The loose forwards
19:52
Speaker 4: is tough, isn't it so stacked? And when there's others
19:56
Speaker 4: make you say perhaps with a bit more size and physicality.
19:59
Speaker 4: I think that's that's really valued come test rugby level.
20:03
Speaker 4: But it's going to be a big year for the
20:05
Speaker 4: All Black's going to use plenty of players and he's
20:07
Speaker 4: certainly putting himself in the frame.
20:08
Speaker 2: Indeed he is quick break and we're back with more
20:10
Speaker 2: after this on Rugby Direct. You're back with Rugby Direct.
20:14
Speaker 2: Time now for the final four for Rugby topics. Leam
20:17
Speaker 2: the Highland of season is over because they've got the
20:21
Speaker 2: buy this weekend. Rate it out of ten? Was it
20:24
Speaker 2: an improvement on last year? Yes?
20:26
Speaker 3: Or not?
20:28
Speaker 4: Look, they're probably going to finish what won maybe two
20:31
Speaker 4: spots higher than the wooden spoon they had last year.
20:34
Speaker 4: I don't think there's a great case to say that
20:35
Speaker 4: they've overly improved. They lost Fabian Hollins, Dylan Pledger and
20:42
Speaker 4: a couple of others throughout the season, but I haven't
20:45
Speaker 4: seen enough to say that they actually did improve, so
20:49
Speaker 4: a lot of work to do. It sounds like it's
20:50
Speaker 4: going to be a massive turnover again, both in the
20:53
Speaker 4: coaching staff and the playing ranks, which worries me. You
20:56
Speaker 4: do want to have some form of cohesion to build
20:59
Speaker 4: year on year. I don't think changing half your roster works.
21:03
Speaker 4: That takes a couple of years to come together. Takes
21:07
Speaker 4: a while for players to to gel, to come together
21:11
Speaker 4: with new systems, So I have some big concerns about
21:15
Speaker 4: sothern franchise and how they rebuild, how they improve, and
21:20
Speaker 4: I'm not seeing enough under Jamie Joseph to say that
21:22
Speaker 4: they are justistically improving. The scrum was their real weapon,
21:25
Speaker 4: but I think they've struggled to get the best from
21:27
Speaker 4: their attack and a season that started with a massive
21:30
Speaker 4: win over the Crusaders sort of been largely downhill ever since,
21:34
Speaker 4: isn't it.
21:35
Speaker 2: It has been, And I think they have gone They're
21:37
Speaker 2: going to finish higher than last year, but I almost
21:39
Speaker 2: think they've gone backwards compared to last year. Last year
21:43
Speaker 2: they came close to piping the Hurricanes on a couple
21:45
Speaker 2: of occasions. Now, the Hurricanes obviously better this year, but
21:49
Speaker 2: they've been tanked both times against them, and their performances
21:52
Speaker 2: this year. They were close on a number of occasions
21:56
Speaker 2: against New Zealand teams last year. They think the Crusaders
21:58
Speaker 2: they lost by three in christ Church in twenty twenty five,
22:03
Speaker 2: and yes they beat them this year, but they were
22:05
Speaker 2: a lot closer, it felt like, to winning those big
22:07
Speaker 2: games last year in twenty twenty five. This year they've
22:11
Speaker 2: picked up wins against teams that they'll probably be expected
22:14
Speaker 2: to win, but the fall and off in those games
22:16
Speaker 2: against New Zealand franchises. Look as you said, no Pleager,
22:18
Speaker 2: No Holland has affected them big time. They struggle with
22:22
Speaker 2: their recruitment, but I just don't know that they're being
22:26
Speaker 2: coached to play a game plan that's going to win
22:27
Speaker 2: them enough games. So yeah, I think a step backwards
22:30
Speaker 2: for them last year. I'm going to give them a
22:32
Speaker 2: four out of ten. The question number two interesting question.
22:36
Speaker 2: If you of the Hurricanes and the Chiefs locked into
22:39
Speaker 2: spots one and two respectively, do you rest players this
22:42
Speaker 2: week or do you keep them ticking over with game
22:45
Speaker 2: time ahead of the Super Rugby playoffs.
22:49
Speaker 4: I think there's a discussion to be had around the
22:51
Speaker 4: trade offs between momentum, combinations cohesion in terms of retaining
22:57
Speaker 4: and promoting players you starting teams, and it could be
23:01
Speaker 4: different for different players. Maybe the Chiefs want to get
23:05
Speaker 4: Damien McKenzie back in the mix. I'm sure he'll be
23:07
Speaker 4: keen missing that match last week, and I think, well
23:11
Speaker 4: Josh Jacob.
23:12
Speaker 3: Slotted some crucial points off the tee.
23:16
Speaker 4: Wasn't his best performance, so I think mackenzie definitely needs
23:19
Speaker 4: to start at ten for the Chiefs, whether that's this week.
23:22
Speaker 3: Or in the playoffs. Not too sure.
23:25
Speaker 4: I am ninety nine percent certain that the Hurricanes will
23:27
Speaker 4: rest our Mass this week. I think there's not a
23:30
Speaker 4: lot for them to gain in the midst of potential
23:34
Speaker 4: what is it, thirteen game stretch, and I think we're
23:39
Speaker 4: starting to see elements of fatigue. There's a number of
23:41
Speaker 4: guys there that have played big minutes. You look at Warner,
23:43
Speaker 4: Durns and a number of others. I can see them
23:48
Speaker 4: resting on Mass, which would be a big advantage for
23:51
Speaker 4: the Crusaders as they chase three. I'm not too sure
23:53
Speaker 4: about the Chiefs. Maybe they might have a more blended approach.
23:58
Speaker 4: Having suffered that defeat in christ Chips, they might want
24:00
Speaker 4: to right some wrongs and get some improvements. They haven't
24:05
Speaker 4: had the runner matches like the Hurricanes have had either.
24:10
Speaker 4: So I think the Hurricanes rest our Mass, and I
24:12
Speaker 4: think the Chiefs a wee bit more tactical when it
24:15
Speaker 4: comes to it.
24:15
Speaker 2: Whatever you yeah, I think I think you've got it
24:17
Speaker 2: on the hit the nail on the head there, Liam.
24:20
Speaker 2: I think if you're the Hurricanes, you pretty much roll
24:23
Speaker 2: out bad team, give players opportunities that maybe haven't had it.
24:27
Speaker 2: Can Roygard's an interesting question, do you try and give
24:30
Speaker 2: him twenty off the bench this week, just to make
24:31
Speaker 2: sure he's fighting fit for next week in the opening
24:35
Speaker 2: week of the playoffs. That could be something they potentially
24:39
Speaker 2: look at. It sounded like he's recovered from the injury
24:42
Speaker 2: and maybe could have played on the weekend, but there's
24:44
Speaker 2: no need to risk him otherwise. I think that you
24:48
Speaker 2: change on mass. Jordi Barrett was the latest scratching on
24:51
Speaker 2: the weekend due to a tight hamstring. Give it another
24:53
Speaker 2: week to get right and make sure they're fighting fit,
24:56
Speaker 2: especially because they've got the Friday game in week one
25:00
Speaker 2: and these things. You know, because I've got a seven
25:01
Speaker 2: day turnaround against the Crusaders, but you know they're going
25:04
Speaker 2: to start the campaign on a Friday night. I think
25:06
Speaker 2: you reached some of those players and make sure they
25:08
Speaker 2: don't need to play minutes that they don't need to
25:12
Speaker 2: this week. Interested to see what Clark Ladel does. He
25:14
Speaker 2: did mention. I think I mentioned it last week that
25:16
Speaker 2: they've got a run of eleven straight weeks potentially to
25:19
Speaker 2: win the comp If they do so, this serves as
25:22
Speaker 2: a perfect opportunity to try and rest a few faces.
25:25
Speaker 2: Topic three. The European Cup goes the way of Borto
25:28
Speaker 2: Begler for back to back years. The French now have
25:32
Speaker 2: won six straight European Champions Cup and really just underlining,
25:37
Speaker 2: aren't they the impressive nature of the top fourteen and
25:41
Speaker 2: it status as the world's best domestic rugby competition.
25:47
Speaker 4: Absolutely, I don't think there's any denying that, and not
25:50
Speaker 4: only in the quality of their team's performances, but just
25:53
Speaker 4: the crowds supports the depth the money it's thriving over
26:00
Speaker 4: there and it definitely flies under the radar from a
26:02
Speaker 4: New Zealand perspective because we don't see a lot of it.
26:06
Speaker 3: It's in a very different time zone.
26:09
Speaker 4: But that was an extremely dominant performance from Bordeaux smacking
26:14
Speaker 4: Leinster in the final and I think sending quite a
26:18
Speaker 4: bit of a shockwave through Irish rugby and and some
26:21
Speaker 4: real question mark has been asked about where Leinster are
26:24
Speaker 4: ats and the evolution that they need to be made
26:27
Speaker 4: that needs to be made there. Riqulwane I saw he
26:31
Speaker 4: copped a four from ten in some player ratings, so
26:35
Speaker 4: that was his last match of his medical stint up there.
26:38
Speaker 4: I'm sure he enjoyed his time and great for him
26:40
Speaker 4: to play in the European Final. But yeah, I think
26:44
Speaker 4: the overall assessment of his time up there is not
26:49
Speaker 4: overly favorable, particularly coming after Jordi Barrett's elite six months
26:54
Speaker 4: stint there. And I know you will call me bias Elliott,
26:57
Speaker 4: but I think the way in which Bordeaux play, just
27:01
Speaker 4: their attacking style, it's quite unstructured, the freedom, the movement
27:06
Speaker 4: the ball with I think it's great for rugby, and
27:09
Speaker 4: when we bring that closer to home and the way
27:12
Speaker 4: the Hurricanes are playing, I think it's great for the
27:14
Speaker 4: game that we're seeing these styles, these kind of type
27:18
Speaker 4: of teams, attacking minded teams be successful because at Test
27:23
Speaker 4: rugby it's often defense dominated, it's kick heavy, teams.
27:28
Speaker 3: Are happy to play without the ball.
27:30
Speaker 4: So to see these teams thriving and being successful, admittedly
27:35
Speaker 4: at a domestic level, I think that gives hope for
27:39
Speaker 4: the type of entertaining rugby that most fans want to see.
27:42
Speaker 2: I agree completely. And Test rugby has been refereed for
27:46
Speaker 2: the last decade or so, perhaps since the twenty fifteen
27:48
Speaker 2: World Cup in a way that is not rugby positive,
27:53
Speaker 2: I would argue, but it's great to see teams that
27:55
Speaker 2: you've at domestic level still willing to play an enterprising
27:59
Speaker 2: brand of rugby. I mean the French national team do
28:02
Speaker 2: play that style as well, but it feels like international
28:07
Speaker 2: rugby has gone down a path that is, you know,
28:10
Speaker 2: not rugby positive, as I said, So it's good to
28:12
Speaker 2: see that domestically, that that teams like that can still thrive. Yeah,
28:18
Speaker 2: very very good season for Bordo Begler claiming that title
28:21
Speaker 2: over Leinster. Topic number four, back to Super Rugby. Here,
28:25
Speaker 2: look a wee bit of reported around the shape of
28:28
Speaker 2: next year's competition. We touched on the winder before. It
28:31
Speaker 2: doesn't sound like they'll be rescued, So we're looking at
28:33
Speaker 2: a ten team comp and that's sort of being reported
28:37
Speaker 2: that maybe we're looking at conferences back again in Super Rugby.
28:41
Speaker 3: No no, no, no, no, no no.
28:43
Speaker 4: I don't want in a bar of any conferences Elliott's
28:45
Speaker 4: and I can hear the Australians now pushing for guaranteed
28:50
Speaker 4: represent representation in the playoffs and I just don't want
28:55
Speaker 4: to borrow that. Conferences and Super Rugby have been a
28:58
Speaker 4: shambles and they've undermined the credibility of the competition. So
29:03
Speaker 4: I think for me, ten teams it should be a
29:05
Speaker 4: simple format. It should be round robin, keep it clean,
29:08
Speaker 4: keep simple, give the fans something that they can follow easily,
29:13
Speaker 4: and you know you should come to a head with
29:16
Speaker 4: one in the coming week, so just get on with it.
29:19
Speaker 2: Yeah, I can't say I like conferences either. I think,
29:22
Speaker 2: to be honest, I think it actually did work when
29:24
Speaker 2: there were fifteen teams in Super Rugby and you had
29:28
Speaker 2: clearly demarketed South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and you take
29:31
Speaker 2: the top three from each and yeah, there was a
29:33
Speaker 2: bit of grumbling over home positions and teams that were
29:37
Speaker 2: well done the ladder in terms of an overall ladder
29:40
Speaker 2: finishing in third or second or whatever it might be.
29:42
Speaker 2: But there was some stock to that because there were
29:45
Speaker 2: fifteen teams in the competition and you could probably understand
29:48
Speaker 2: it a bit of balance across the board. Then it
29:50
Speaker 2: got bloated to eighteen. There were different divisions feeding into
29:54
Speaker 2: conferences and it didn't make any sense whatsoever. Now you're
29:57
Speaker 2: down to ten. Look, I just don't see the benefit
30:00
Speaker 2: of it. We've seen the Australian struggle in Super Rugby.
30:04
Speaker 2: It's hard to see them winning this year. Automatic places
30:07
Speaker 2: for them in a playoffs, even to the point potentially
30:10
Speaker 2: of maybe two semi final teams will only serve to
30:14
Speaker 2: turn fans off Rugby and Super Rugby more. You know,
30:17
Speaker 2: you think of this year, Say it's the Hurricanes and
30:19
Speaker 2: Chiefs in top and then it's the Brumbies and Reds
30:21
Speaker 2: topping the Australian Conference and there is your final four. Well,
30:24
Speaker 2: the Blues and Crusaders miss out. What does that do
30:27
Speaker 2: to the integrity of the competition. I think it would
30:31
Speaker 2: turn off more New Zealand fans at a time were
30:33
Speaker 2: they're already struggling to retain New Zealand viewership. I just
30:38
Speaker 2: think it's an idea that benefits Australia and Australian only.
30:42
Speaker 2: And if Super Rugby got any clue, they will firmly
30:44
Speaker 2: reject it.
30:46
Speaker 4: Yes, it's about the integrity of the competition, Elliott. Isn't
30:49
Speaker 4: it reward the best teams throughout the regular season? I
30:53
Speaker 4: think you chip away at the credibility of a competition
30:56
Speaker 4: when you start messing with the finals formats purely.
31:01
Speaker 3: To satisfy broadcaster's needs.
31:03
Speaker 4: Essentially, that's what it is to try and retain interest
31:06
Speaker 4: in one country when on a table.
31:09
Speaker 3: They don't deserve it.
31:10
Speaker 4: So it's about putting the pressure on Australia and saying
31:14
Speaker 4: step up or you don't make the cup. That's what
31:17
Speaker 4: fans want to see. They don't want to see the
31:20
Speaker 4: integrity being undermined. So keep it simple, keep it clean
31:24
Speaker 4: and keep it easy to follow.
31:25
Speaker 2: Steve Lancaster said with us on the podcast that you
31:28
Speaker 2: know Australia is vital to the future of Super Rugby
31:31
Speaker 2: and a non negotiable of their presence if this goes through,
31:34
Speaker 2: then if I'm Steph Lancaster, I'm seriously reconsidering what we
31:38
Speaker 2: do with our domestic competitions in this country because I
31:40
Speaker 2: think it would really harm Super Rugby more than it
31:43
Speaker 2: and it benefits it.
31:45
Speaker 4: Yeah, well, there's major challenges for this competition right now,
31:48
Speaker 4: isn't that. I don't think a conference model is going
31:51
Speaker 4: to help retain interest on the whole in the short
31:54
Speaker 4: term and from a relationship perspective it might work, but
31:58
Speaker 4: you're not putting the fan first with that with that
32:00
Speaker 4: kind of format.
32:01
Speaker 2: No, you're not right. Let's get into our MVP voting
32:03
Speaker 2: on Rugby Direct Fiji. Finny Young and awf is out
32:06
Speaker 2: on front on sixteen can regards on ten, Lestifying Noku
32:10
Speaker 2: and Warner Durns tied third equal on nine. Liam, your
32:13
Speaker 2: three two ones, please, Well, it was pretty tough this week.
32:17
Speaker 4: I thought there are a number of your performances as
32:19
Speaker 4: we've touched on, but I am going to go David
32:21
Speaker 4: Heavily for three just because of his match turning efforts
32:26
Speaker 4: at the backer that match Lucas Casey, I'm going to
32:30
Speaker 4: give two, I think, just to step it up again
32:36
Speaker 4: after really showing his talents against the Chiefs, came up
32:41
Speaker 4: against some other former All Blacks, well not formal current
32:44
Speaker 4: All Blacks, and Peter Lucky and Braden Joss who hasn't
32:47
Speaker 4: made the All Blacks but it's been playing bloody well
32:49
Speaker 4: and Devin Flanders and scored another couple of tries.
32:53
Speaker 3: Had one de night as you mentioned.
32:54
Speaker 4: I thought he was in everything, so, you know, really
32:57
Speaker 4: putting his case boards and a team that struggled this year,
33:02
Speaker 4: and I'm going to go one two. I'm going to
33:06
Speaker 4: go Christian Lea, where I tossed up couple of others,
33:08
Speaker 4: but I thought that was his best performance of the year.
33:11
Speaker 3: He was everywhere for the Crusaders. So here's my three
33:13
Speaker 3: two one two weeks.
33:14
Speaker 2: In a row. You've given Crusaders multiple points. This is
33:17
Speaker 2: special to see. Just feels like you're jumping on the
33:20
Speaker 2: Crusaders bandwagon. Maybe I'm giving on the Hurricanes train and
33:24
Speaker 2: feels like we're just coming together here.
33:26
Speaker 4: Yeah, I'm killing you with kindness before really putting the
33:29
Speaker 4: boot in for your semi final exit that's looming.
33:31
Speaker 2: I don't know about that. I don't know about that.
33:34
Speaker 2: David Heavily gets my three as well. Look, he was
33:37
Speaker 2: impressive right across the pipe. But when you kick like
33:40
Speaker 2: that to turn the nature of the game, you get
33:43
Speaker 2: three points from me. Josh Morby gets my two. Could
33:46
Speaker 2: have gone it to any number of players in that game,
33:48
Speaker 2: but I thought he was excellent once again. And look,
33:51
Speaker 2: I don't know if the All Blacks windows closed on
33:53
Speaker 2: Josh Morby necessarily, but I do like the kind of
33:56
Speaker 2: player that he is. He can play on the wing,
33:58
Speaker 2: he can play at fullback as well. He seems to
34:00
Speaker 2: have benefited from that time away in France. Just liking
34:04
Speaker 2: the look of what he's doing this year. And similarly,
34:08
Speaker 2: young player but doing well Isac Hutchison gets my one.
34:11
Speaker 2: The Chiefs fullback. He's very very green. But I just
34:15
Speaker 2: like the kind of player profile that he's offering. So
34:19
Speaker 2: those are my three two before I let you go, Lee,
34:21
Speaker 2: and you mentioned Lucas Casey. I think I may have
34:22
Speaker 2: asked you this last week. I'm going to ask it again,
34:24
Speaker 2: but is he in the All Blacks mix? Especially his
34:27
Speaker 2: size and the fact that he can play seven, he
34:30
Speaker 2: can play obviously eight as well. Would he be in
34:33
Speaker 2: the conversation for you at this point? You do you
34:36
Speaker 2: need to see more?
34:38
Speaker 3: I think we'd like to see more.
34:39
Speaker 4: It's unfortunate that behind the season's finished that doesn't help
34:42
Speaker 4: his case and come finals time, that's where you can
34:47
Speaker 4: really sway the selector's performances. We saw that with Wallace
34:50
Speaker 4: a TC what was it two years ago now basically
34:53
Speaker 4: playing his way into that team the All Blacks on
34:56
Speaker 4: the back of his performance in a semi final victory
34:59
Speaker 4: for the Chiefs in Wellington. I think Lucas Casey is
35:03
Speaker 4: firmly in that conversation. Would like to see more, but
35:06
Speaker 4: it's going to be a big year. I think his
35:08
Speaker 4: his sized profile, of his age, his versatility, his work
35:12
Speaker 4: creates got to be considered and look, at this point,
35:17
Speaker 4: I would potentially have him on the plane to South Africa.
35:19
Speaker 4: I think he could mature very rapidly in the next
35:23
Speaker 4: couple of years, and we've seen him step up rapidly
35:26
Speaker 4: from provincial rugby to super rugby. I don't think you're
35:30
Speaker 4: going to lose anything by giving him a crack at
35:32
Speaker 4: the next level anytime soon.
35:34
Speaker 3: So I think he's firmly on that frame.
35:35
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think he's got to be. I agree with you.
35:37
Speaker 2: South Africa looms is a big opportunity for him, maybe
35:40
Speaker 2: some midweek games giving him the chance to experience your
35:43
Speaker 2: black's environment. Don about July necessarily, but I would love
35:46
Speaker 2: to see him on that plane to South Africa. If
35:48
Speaker 2: he can plays a few club games down in Otago,
35:53
Speaker 2: Danetan club Rugby might get the best of him over
35:55
Speaker 2: the next few weeks. To keep those Rugby reps going, Liam,
35:58
Speaker 2: thank you. As always, we'll touch base a bit later
36:01
Speaker 2: on in the week for another edition of Rugby Directs.
36:04
Speaker 4: Indeed, potentially another interesting interview looming. So yeah, keep you
36:10
Speaker 4: ears tuned and we'll keep you entertained.
36:13
Speaker 2: Alabats Albats Rugby Directed News Talk zb dot co dot
36:16
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36:19
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