Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Sam Ackerman: Sports Commentator previews the Super Rugby Pacific qualifiers

Transcript

Sam Ackerman: Sports Commentator previews the Super Rugby Pacific qualifiers · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Right, big weekend for rugby. We are into the playoffs.
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Four Kiwi teams will be fighting to stay in the
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Super Rugby playoffs. Tonight the Hurricanes take on the Brumbies.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: The Crusaders go head to head with the Blues at
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: a sold out One New Zealand Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: Then Sunday night, the Chiefs will try and take down
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: the Reds. Sports commentator Sam Ackman is worth me now,
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Good morning, Sam.
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: Yeah, every good morning.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: How many Kiwi teams are going to survive the weekend?
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: Well, the funny way all of them. The playoff system,
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: even though it's these six teams is three games that
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: the three winners will advance to the semi finals and
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: the quite unquite lucky loser and there'll be the highest
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: ranked loser. So if everything goes to plan and kind
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: of looks like it will that you'd expect the Hurricanes
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: to continue their strong ways. Last week was a bit
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: of a blip with resting semi players, but they to
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: be far too strong for the Brumbies as the top
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: team in the comp The Chiefs again, will you imagine,
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: will meet march on their merry way against the Reds Crusaders, Blues.
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: Crusaders will be hot, hot favorites. The Blues haven't done
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: anything of any notes in about a month now, which
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: is the Blues man is very hard to say, Francisca.
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: But the fact of the matter is they'll lose and
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: they'll be playing next week. So there is something on
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: the line, of course, but it feels a little by
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: that stage they could know their fate already.
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: Okay, So if we've got the Hurricanes and the Crusaders
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: and the Chiefs through, are the Blues in line to
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: be the lucky loser?
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: Do we know that that's right? They are because in
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: the rankings they finished fourth. So should there be some
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: upsets of the apple carts, should the Brumbies or the
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: Reds be able to achieve a real upset, it would
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: be a massive one. Then the Blues losing would see
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: them on the way out. So it is an intriguing
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: balance in that way. But because those first two games
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: see so lay down as it does feel like we
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: already know what's going to happen in the semi finals.
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: But it sport's the funny thing. You can't predict it.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: I mean, as much as it does pain me to
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: say this, but you are probably the right. The Crusaders
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: should win their match against the Blues.
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: Yes, this is the sweet spot Francesca. Given to the playoffs,
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: they become a different team and they are the most
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: successful Super Rapy franchise for a reason. They did win
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: the title last year. Their coach Rob Penny is on
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: his way out, and you know, there's all eggs in
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: one basket there to achieve this. They've got players who
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: are used to that level of experience. It's the Blues
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: just is. They've got all the talent there. Unfortunately, they've
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: been misfiring for the best part of a month now.
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: It would be an extraordinary reversal of form they are
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: so far. They're bigger outsiders to win the title now
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: finishing fourth and six teams left than they were when
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: there was the entire comp in pre season. That shows
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: exactly where they are.
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: Okay, all right, we've got it, We've got the picture.
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: It hurts?
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: Hurt does the Hurricanes talking about changing up your squad.
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: They're bringing back a lot of rested players and things.
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: Is that an issue to sort of change the team?
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: It can absolutely can be in many sports and situations
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: like that. It makes sense to rest players. It has
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: found out when they played Will Jordan. They've lost him
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: now for the rest of the suit season and it
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: will affect the all backs as well. Was it worth
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: in a game where they were going to finish Firth
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: anyway allow somebody like a Ruben Love to go out
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: there and potentially knock on what hurt themselves. No, it's
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: not so they did the right thing by the standards,
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: but they need to make sure that that little gap
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: and momentum isn't gonna be the wrong thing. You ask
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: any athlete if a break is a good thing over momentum,
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: most of them go, do you know what, I'd love
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: to freshen up? So a host of big names came
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: back and they should be just flying against the Brumbies.
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: The Brumbies have produced some of the best results from
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: Australian side against New Zealand teams this season, but it
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: feels like that ship has sailed.
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: Okay, a question to better ask at the end of
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: the weekend, but who do you think could potentially take
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: out the title this year?
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: It's the Hurricanes to lose if they don't want it.
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: After the dominant season they have that will be a
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: huge misopportunity, especially where they have seventy players on the
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: way out the door to take up overseas contracts. So
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: this is a window in time that they really need
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: to capitalize on. But there's honestly anything outside of the Hurricanes,
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: Chiefs or Crusaders is pretty much unthinkable. So all those
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: sides given in a final, it could be anyone's game,
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: but I definitely wouldn't put in money in your Outsidan
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: Amhericans right now they are the top.
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: Dog, Sam Ackerman, Enjoy your weekend of rugby. Thank you
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: so much for your time this morning. For more from
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live to News Talks
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: it'd be from five am weekdays, or follow the podcast
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.