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Transcript

Rugby Direct - Episode 203 · 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 Ranger podcasts now on iHeartRadio,
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: Straight down the Middle, Trunk Guy, try to get inside
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: the game from every angle. It's Rugby Direct with Elliott
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: Smith and Liam Navier, powered by News Talks EDB.
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: Welcome in too, Rugby Direct powered by Habit Health Physio
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: Book Today and Stay in the Game Rugby Direct. Back
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: on another week, Round two in the Books of Super
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: Rugby Elliott Smith and with me our voice of the Crusaders,
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: Nick Buley. Greetings, Bills, thanks for jumping in again. As
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: Liam recuperates, he'll be back hopefully later in the week,
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: but good to have your company again.
• 0:58
  Speaker 3: Yeah, that voice tested yesterday, Elliott to tell you what
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: twelve tries and certainly did not have the Brumbies putting
• 1:06
  Speaker 3: fifty on the Crusaders and I ch on my bingo card.
• 1:09
  Speaker 3: But here we are, keen to unpack that game and
• 1:13
  Speaker 3: the other ones we saw in around two.
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: Well, let's start there and then work our way backwards
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: across the rest of the weekend. That was a stunning
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: result for the Brumbies, hadn't been the Crusaders in christ
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: Shoots since the year two thousand, first time they put
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: fifty on a New Zealand team in New Zealand. They
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: set all sorts of records yesterday with that performance and
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: we're worthy winners. And the Crusaders just faded big, big
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: time in that game. And I'm intrigued to hear what
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: your sense of it was on the ground commentating the game,
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: because that was an abomination of performance from the Crusaders.
• 1:49
  Speaker 3: Yeah, we'll start with the Crusaders because you know it's
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: a New Zealther Rugby podcast. Overall Kurdos to the Brumbies,
• 1:55
  Speaker 3: but just I mean, there were signs there in round one,
• 1:58
  Speaker 3: weren't there for the Crusaders arasturm performance conditions can't be
• 2:03
  Speaker 3: brought into question or debate under the roof in Dunedin
• 2:06
  Speaker 3: and they were rightly eaten by the Highlanders. And then
• 2:10
  Speaker 3: we roll on into this one first time at home
• 2:15
  Speaker 3: for fifteen years on from a devastating earthquake here in
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: christ Church anniversary and you know, no lack of motivation,
• 2:22
  Speaker 3: but the Crusaders again just airs drueing their line out,
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: borderline dysfunctional. Yes, they muscled up on defense and I
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: thought they were lucky that it was only nineteen fourteen.
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: At halftime the Brumby said the wind at their backs
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: and it felt like the Brummies had fired a few
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: shots but didn't get the pay that they should have.
• 2:42
  Speaker 3: In fact, I remember saying in commentary the territory the
• 2:46
  Speaker 3: Brumbies had no wonder my necks a little bit sort
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: of the left. It was eighty five percent territory and
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: it wasn't you know, a full gale wind. But in
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: that first half it was all Brumbies, and Brummy said
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: about sixty percent of possession as well. So I did
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: wonder if the Crusaders could get some quality ball, made
• 3:01
  Speaker 3: the right decisions with that wind at their backs, would
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: they put the Brumbies away? But the eras continued and continued,
• 3:10
  Speaker 3: so with all that becomes free position for the Brumbies.
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: And by the seventieth minute mark, despite the fact it was,
• 3:18
  Speaker 3: it was it thirty one twenty four and you thought, oh,
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: the Crusaders are still hanging in there. Somehow. You know
• 3:25
  Speaker 3: that because at the end of the day they still
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: have you know, a fair amount of striking, least of
• 3:29
  Speaker 3: fining a noookoo much better sevu reese out wide. They
• 3:34
  Speaker 3: got in with a sniff. But again, the era is
• 3:38
  Speaker 3: just compounding matters and they were their own worst enemies
• 3:42
  Speaker 3: for the Brumbies though to push clear from thirty one
• 3:45
  Speaker 3: to twenty four in front with seventy two minutes gone
• 3:47
  Speaker 3: to win fifty to twenty four, it really is staggering,
• 3:53
  Speaker 3: and you know, questions need to be asked about where
• 3:55
  Speaker 3: the Crusader's minds are at. Yes, they come in off
• 3:58
  Speaker 3: the back of a title last year, but I just
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: got the sense postmatch, and I know it's February, and
• 4:02
  Speaker 3: I know competitions are one in February, but there was
• 4:05
  Speaker 3: just a bit of a sort of ho hum, that's up.
• 4:08
  Speaker 3: That's other unfortunate, but we'll move on. But almost it
• 4:13
  Speaker 3: felt similar to the twenty twenty four campaign, which, as
• 4:15
  Speaker 3: we all know, they didn't even make the fight. Yeah.
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, I was gonna ask you how much of that
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: do you think is down to returning to the rickety
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: old Scaffold Stadium in Addington, because it kind of felt
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: like they'd signed off last year with the title. They
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: made a big deal about how it was their home
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: and how much it meant to people after the earthquakes
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: to have rugby back and played professionally in the city,
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: et cetera, et cetera. The new stadium comes online in
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: two months almost exactly how much do you think? I mean,
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: I know they're lost away from home last week, but
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: going back to the stadium where they pretty much finished
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: last year, has that played a role at all?
• 4:50
  Speaker 3: It may have. Yeah, No, you're absolutely right. Obviously the
• 4:52
  Speaker 3: last time they were there they were lifting the trophy
• 4:54
  Speaker 3: and it was contrasting scenes. Obviously, you know, fully jubilant scenes.
• 4:58
  Speaker 3: But yeah, it just sort of lingers as like the
• 5:00
  Speaker 3: longest ever farewell tour for this rackety old temporary stadium
• 5:05
  Speaker 3: and still got two more games to come their Highlanders
• 5:07
  Speaker 3: on the fourteenth, the March of the Fiji and Drawer
• 5:10
  Speaker 3: in Easter, and I know there's a lot of excitement
• 5:13
  Speaker 3: about the stadium. The Crusaders in terms of the coaching
• 5:16
  Speaker 3: staff have acknowledged, you know, are potential change and the
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: way they're attacking shape because they'll be under the roof
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: and with that, you know, they won't probably play as
• 5:26
  Speaker 3: much ten man rugby at the back end of the
• 5:28
  Speaker 3: season when conditions do become a factor. And look, they
• 5:32
  Speaker 3: need to concentrate on the here and now rather than
• 5:34
  Speaker 3: worry too much about the shiny new stadium and the
• 5:37
  Speaker 3: potential finals football in there. Because the way things are
• 5:40
  Speaker 3: going and the way the drawer is set up, Chiefs
• 5:42
  Speaker 3: next in Hamilton and the Blues following that Eden Park,
• 5:46
  Speaker 3: they could be staring down the barrel of oh and
• 5:49
  Speaker 3: four a similar start to what we saw in twenty
• 5:51
  Speaker 3: four and it's a long way back from there. It is.
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: Indeed, discipline wise, the Crusader is very poor. Yes, I
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: think they considered the first seven, if not eight penalties.
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: It's sort of evened up by the n nine and
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: five and a couple of you know, yellow cards obviously
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: that were dished out as a result, and the Brumby's
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: got one as well. But discipline was very, very poor.
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: Didn't get a first half penalty, conceded a truckload and
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: then the handling and little errors similar to to the
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: previous week against the Highlanders in Dunedan really let them
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: down and it was a kind of game. I don't
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: know if you felt the same way Bailly Bills, but
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: you know it fell like the Crusaders would flick a
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: switch at some point and you know, in the last
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: twenty roll over the top and win, you know, thirty
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: eight to thirty one or something like that. You kept
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: waiting for it and it never happened, and the Brumbies
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: just kept extending their leadout.
• 6:39
  Speaker 3: Yeah, per rugby pass, forty turnovers conceded now in the
• 6:43
  Speaker 3: first two games. Twenty five against the Highland is fifteen
• 6:46
  Speaker 3: against the Brumbies, And it is the same sort of stuff. Yeah,
• 6:49
  Speaker 3: just unforced areas drop balls mentioned the lineout before operated
• 6:53
  Speaker 3: at fifty four percent efficiency. This is with a Test
• 6:56
  Speaker 3: all Black and George Bell throwing the ball into the
• 6:58
  Speaker 3: lineout and then Test centurion and Cody Taylor coming off
• 7:01
  Speaker 3: the bench throwing the ball into the lineout, and yes,
• 7:03
  Speaker 3: conditions perhaps a little bit tricky, but certainly no excuses.
• 7:06
  Speaker 3: It was the same for both teams. So yeah, like you,
• 7:10
  Speaker 3: I totally agree. Early I thought the Crusaders of old
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: the last twenty minutes would come over the top, particularly
• 7:16
  Speaker 3: wind at their backs, but it didn't happen. And selectorially,
• 7:21
  Speaker 3: I don't really know where they turn because that's more
• 7:24
  Speaker 3: or less full strength for the Crusaders in terms of
• 7:27
  Speaker 3: the players available, you know, particularly in those key positions.
• 7:31
  Speaker 3: Obviously the Rivers Raehanna was withdrawn midway through last week
• 7:36
  Speaker 3: with a training injury. It sounds like he won't be
• 7:38
  Speaker 3: fit for the Chiefs this weekend, so more pressure comes
• 7:41
  Speaker 3: on Taha Keimena and Noah Hope them to really step up.
• 7:46
  Speaker 3: But at the same time too, you know the old cliche,
• 7:49
  Speaker 3: it does start up front, and I think it's time now.
• 7:52
  Speaker 3: I know Robbiani has acknowledged, you know, you have to
• 7:55
  Speaker 3: easier all blacks back in. You know that the Tomighty
• 7:59
  Speaker 3: Williams is the Cody Taylor's that they need to start,
• 8:02
  Speaker 3: and the Crusaders need to get back on track and fast. Yeah.
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, the wood on the Brumbies, they were magnificent. I
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: thought they ran some great lines that put pressure on
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: the Crusaders right around the park. And I didn't think
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: the defense was great, but they weren't asked too many
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: questions from the Crusaders either. And by the end of it,
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: you know, Andy Mulehead running rings around them. Charlie Kale
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: is having an exceptional start to the season as well.
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: But the Brumbies were sort of playing and you know,
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: Brumbys are very good side, but they were playing Crusader's
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: rugby against the Crusaders.
• 8:34
  Speaker 3: Yeah, very well balanced team and the but I love
• 8:37
  Speaker 3: the most it was that they were willing to have
• 8:40
  Speaker 3: a crack and you know there wasn't as much kicking
• 8:44
  Speaker 3: as I've seen over the previous two rounds or smart kicking,
• 8:47
  Speaker 3: you know, the little chip over the top by declar
• 8:50
  Speaker 3: Meredith identifying that space and behind obviously bounce to the
• 8:53
  Speaker 3: ball and came to Pritchard's there to score that. Right,
• 8:55
  Speaker 3: That was a big moment in the second half. And
• 8:58
  Speaker 3: as you say, their back row, I thought Rob Valentini
• 9:00
  Speaker 3: was outstanding, Charlie Kale out in the wide channels, four
• 9:04
  Speaker 3: tries now in two matches, Andy Mulehead let's not forget
• 9:07
  Speaker 3: you know Tom right out that serious knee injury at
• 9:10
  Speaker 3: the moment he was a standout as well, and led
• 9:13
  Speaker 3: really well by Ryan Lonegan, who I don't know if
• 9:15
  Speaker 3: you saw that head on sevyis goodness, you know for
• 9:18
  Speaker 3: a little fowler maybe a slightly bigger fellow. Well, that
• 9:21
  Speaker 3: was a moment in itself, so kudos to the Brumbies.
• 9:24
  Speaker 3: Very well coached by Stephen Larkham, who, as it turns out,
• 9:27
  Speaker 3: is wearing the ten jersey the last time the Brumbies
• 9:29
  Speaker 3: beat the Crusaders and christ Jitch back in the year
• 9:32
  Speaker 3: two thousand, so a special moment firm and a special
• 9:34
  Speaker 3: moment for the team too. That was James Slipper's two
• 9:37
  Speaker 3: hundred Super Rugby game, got himself a try as well,
• 9:41
  Speaker 3: and now knocking on the door for the all time
• 9:43
  Speaker 3: Super Rugby recorder, which is currently held by Whyatt Crocketts.
• 9:46
  Speaker 3: So look, if you've got some pre season tickets on
• 9:50
  Speaker 3: the Brumbies, I know it's febris, but you ought to
• 9:52
  Speaker 3: be pretty happy.
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: Well, that's the thing. I think that Blues Brumbies game
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: is pivotal this weekend already in the in the context
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: of the season. Let's talk about the Blues who beat
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: the Force forty two to thirty two in juneedle up
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: in Western Australia, just outside of Perth, or outside of
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: the main center of Perth. Anyway, that was certainly a
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: game that happened. I need not really what to say
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: about the I mean it was it felt like that
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: the Blues are always relatively in control, but they didn't
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: rise to any great heights and Vin Kotda won't be
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: happy they shipped thirty two points away to the Western Force.
• 10:26
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it was the suburban nature of where
• 10:29
  Speaker 3: it was. How that I must glancing up and wondering
• 10:32
  Speaker 3: if this was a replay of a preseason game from
• 10:34
  Speaker 3: a couple of weeks earlier. But yeah, as you say,
• 10:37
  Speaker 3: it never felt like the Blues were any great danger.
• 10:42
  Speaker 3: I know the score line suggests it was close, but
• 10:44
  Speaker 3: the Blues did it enough. It is a tough road
• 10:47
  Speaker 3: trip to go all the way over to Western Australian
• 10:50
  Speaker 3: as you say, now now off to Canberra. Brumbies haven't
• 10:53
  Speaker 3: even been home. Speaking of Brumby's went to Perth and
• 10:56
  Speaker 3: then christ Church, plenty of travel for them and now
• 10:59
  Speaker 3: getting back to the Australian capital. But that game, as
• 11:02
  Speaker 3: you say, shapes up as a real doozy, a litmus
• 11:05
  Speaker 3: test for both teams. In round three, it does. The
• 11:09
  Speaker 3: Blues have been disappointed. They let the bonus points slip
• 11:11
  Speaker 3: as well with Ben Donaldson's late try. Very im press
• 11:15
  Speaker 3: once again by Torrian Barnes coming off the bench for
• 11:18
  Speaker 3: the Blues this week after starting in round one. He
• 11:21
  Speaker 3: looks like a you know, a player of immense promise.
• 11:23
  Speaker 3: His name was mentioned a couple of years ago.
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: Is up and come a couldn't get into the Crusaders
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: system now making every poster when it the Blues so
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: interesting to see whether they start him this week against
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: the Brumbies, and.
• 11:34
  Speaker 3: What a what a story that Tory and Barnes. You know,
• 11:38
  Speaker 3: he came through the reimagination of the Super Rugby Draft
• 11:43
  Speaker 3: that was held in the off season. My understanding, you know,
• 11:45
  Speaker 3: wider training group deal the way it works and the
• 11:48
  Speaker 3: fact that he is a Canterbury representative of the Crusaders
• 11:51
  Speaker 3: had first opportunity to offer him something they were willing
• 11:54
  Speaker 3: to wait and went elsewhere. And obviously you know they've
• 11:57
  Speaker 3: got Oli Mathis as an example as a loose forward
• 12:00
  Speaker 3: in their wider training group. But the Blues swooped in.
• 12:03
  Speaker 3: I don't know exactly how it worked on the zoom
• 12:05
  Speaker 3: call with the first pick or the second pick, but
• 12:07
  Speaker 3: what a perk it's been and Torian Barnes so far
• 12:10
  Speaker 3: making every post of winner and as you say, it
• 12:12
  Speaker 3: could very much now be in the conversation to be
• 12:14
  Speaker 3: a regular starter or certainly in the twenty three.
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: That would be good content that needs to be broadcast
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: somewhere next year. The Super Rugby Draft.
• 12:22
  Speaker 3: Chiefs Jack Jack Beasley listens, hasn't.
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: He he does on occasion yeah, we should put forward
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: that to him for for next season. Chiefs twenty six,
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: Highland is twenty three in Dunedin, Chiefs go two from two.
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: Far from convincing again the Chiefs, you know that you
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: don't win the competition in round two. They've got enough
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: to get the job done. A moment of magic, a
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: moment of controversy from quin to Pie with the goal
• 12:47
  Speaker 2: line dropout that ended in Leroy Carter going coast to coast.
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: I don't think the Chiefs will be entirely happy with
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: the way they played, but sometimes you just got to
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: roll your sleeves up and tack the four points as
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: they come.
• 13:01
  Speaker 3: Just on the so called controversy, are you you know,
• 13:05
  Speaker 3: I don't know where exactly where you stand, Elliott, but
• 13:07
  Speaker 3: are you sad ast fly that you know there's been
• 13:09
  Speaker 3: all this discussion pre season around the influence of the
• 13:12
  Speaker 3: over influence of the TMO given it wasn't clear and
• 13:14
  Speaker 3: obviously just happy that we moved on or at the
• 13:17
  Speaker 3: fact that we're debating it suggests that perhaps it did
• 13:20
  Speaker 3: regard or was worthy of examination.
• 13:22
  Speaker 2: You know what, I'm actually find that it was played
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: on with I don't think it was. It was worth
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: pulling back. I mean, I'm not a big fan of
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: the TMO at the best of times. That seems like
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: something they maybe should have caught. But you know what,
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: I'm not against it. I think the TMO, the least
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: influence it has on the game, the better we would
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: have been going down right to the frames. I mean,
• 13:42
  Speaker 2: it didn't look on the IT test that it was,
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: you know, a proper dropkick. But you know, sometimes you've
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: just got to live with the decisions as they come
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: from the on field referee. So you know, we saw
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: the superb we come out last week and say two
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: po vised try shouldn't have been able to stand for
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: diving over a couple of Blues defenders close to the line.
• 14:03
  Speaker 2: Maybe they'll do something similar this week. But with the
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: TMO influence in the game, you know, they can't spot everything,
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: and I'm not sure you know why exactly we have it,
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: So the least influence the better in my mind, what
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: about you.
• 14:15
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm totally comfortable with it. Although it is funny
• 14:18
  Speaker 3: yet two weeks in a row we could be getting
• 14:20
  Speaker 3: an edict and boxes very soon to say that that cheat,
• 14:23
  Speaker 3: that trashionist died. Although I would say I love the innovation.
• 14:26
  Speaker 3: And again I'm sort of HARKing back to the point
• 14:27
  Speaker 3: I made earlier around having a crack. You know, that
• 14:32
  Speaker 3: was just heads up foot He wasn't it from Quintupay.
• 14:33
  Speaker 3: He saw the Highlanders weren't there, went for the little
• 14:36
  Speaker 3: grubber kick goal on dropout and then set sail and
• 14:40
  Speaker 3: then got Leroy Carter on his way. That was really
• 14:42
  Speaker 3: the only moment that really excited me outside of the
• 14:46
  Speaker 3: Caleb tongueytail try, which again looking up at what's coming
• 14:50
  Speaker 3: at him in terms of the pictures presented defensively and
• 14:53
  Speaker 3: running the ball back with pace and purposes and he
• 14:55
  Speaker 3: a player. But yeah, again I did struggle with that
• 14:58
  Speaker 3: one as a contest. I feel like that one will
• 15:00
  Speaker 3: be filed down and the ones where you're not going
• 15:02
  Speaker 3: to watch it again. It was only good because it
• 15:04
  Speaker 3: was close. This just I know the data suggests to
• 15:10
  Speaker 3: the super rugby teams that you should box kick when
• 15:14
  Speaker 3: you have positioned just outside your own twenty two because
• 15:17
  Speaker 3: you don't want to exert any energy, you know, running
• 15:21
  Speaker 3: it up or picking and going and let's get a
• 15:24
  Speaker 3: contestable kick up in the air. It's a fifty to
• 15:26
  Speaker 3: fifty and if we get it back, that's great. But
• 15:30
  Speaker 3: what that doesn't account for is the spectacle. And it's
• 15:35
  Speaker 3: just my numbing watching the amount of the amount of kicks.
• 15:38
  Speaker 3: I think it was again under the roof, seventy kicks
• 15:41
  Speaker 3: and that contest between the Chiefs and Highland is far
• 15:43
  Speaker 3: too many for my liking. Was eighty two the Highlanders
• 15:46
  Speaker 3: Crusaders the week before. It's just a lottery. It doesn't
• 15:49
  Speaker 3: make for a great spectacle. I expect a lot more
• 15:52
  Speaker 3: in February, particularly when we're you know, the competition is
• 15:55
  Speaker 3: banging on about being an entertaining product. There's just nothing
• 15:58
  Speaker 3: entertaining about watching half backs kick and wingers, you know,
• 16:02
  Speaker 3: contest in the air and knock the ball on.
• 16:04
  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's doing my head. In all honesty, I can't
• 16:06
  Speaker 2: stand it. In rugby. I think the tactics seem to
• 16:11
  Speaker 2: have just completely gone out the window and they seem
• 16:13
  Speaker 2: comfortable now going fifty to fifty lotteries because chances are
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: it's going to be a knock on from you know,
• 16:19
  Speaker 2: the receiving team, or there's going to be some sort
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: of a bounce that might go your way. That's not
• 16:24
  Speaker 2: rugby to me. It's pure lottery and I don't think
• 16:27
  Speaker 2: it's an entertaining spectacle. I think something has to change
• 16:31
  Speaker 2: in that regard.
• 16:32
  Speaker 3: So do they go back to the blocker rule?
• 16:33
  Speaker 2: I think they should.
• 16:34
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think I honestly should. I think thinking out
• 16:37
  Speaker 3: loud now, But is that the way to get back,
• 16:40
  Speaker 3: get back to where we were two years ago?
• 16:41
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think quite possibly. And I think the tactics
• 16:44
  Speaker 2: have just completely gone out of kicking. It's just the
• 16:47
  Speaker 2: upper and unders that come from half back in tenure.
• 16:50
  Speaker 2: We don't see a lot of and I know that
• 16:52
  Speaker 2: you know, defending in the backfield is a little bit
• 16:53
  Speaker 2: different because the risk of the fifty to twenty two now,
• 16:55
  Speaker 2: but you don't see a lot of kicking for lineouts
• 16:58
  Speaker 2: or kicking for position on the field anymore. It's very
• 17:02
  Speaker 2: much just up and under and I think that a
• 17:05
  Speaker 2: lot of the tactics leave a lot to be wanting.
• 17:07
  Speaker 2: So look, I'm back to blocker rule. I think there's
• 17:10
  Speaker 2: a number of things that Will Rugby could implement there.
• 17:13
  Speaker 2: And you're right for super Rugby promoting this fast attacking
• 17:16
  Speaker 2: style of rugby that was a kick battle and perfect
• 17:19
  Speaker 2: conditions under the roof in Dunedin, and I just don't
• 17:22
  Speaker 2: know that that is going to win too many spectators.
• 17:24
  Speaker 2: You know, it's very similar to AFL and AWAYFL is
• 17:28
  Speaker 2: a great sport. I watch a lot of it during
• 17:29
  Speaker 2: the season, but I watch AFL for a reason. I
• 17:31
  Speaker 2: watch rugby for a reason. Don't try and merge the two.
• 17:34
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and look, ultimately, for John Gibbs, first year coach,
• 17:39
  Speaker 3: his currency is wins, so he won't care about what
• 17:42
  Speaker 3: we're saying. But yeah, I'd love to see a little
• 17:46
  Speaker 3: bit more endeavor. You know, speaking of watching the Brumbis
• 17:50
  Speaker 3: yesterday and the way in which they went around their
• 17:52
  Speaker 3: attacking plated you know, more of that please if you're
• 17:55
  Speaker 3: listening coaches out.
• 17:56
  Speaker 2: There, absolutely Wartars thirty six thirteen over the draw, a
• 17:59
  Speaker 2: very good win for the war Tars under a little
• 18:01
  Speaker 2: bit of pressure. Was it was quite close early in
• 18:04
  Speaker 2: the second spell, but they kicked away and the war
• 18:06
  Speaker 2: tar Is looking pretty handy at this point of the season.
• 18:09
  Speaker 2: And then on Friday night it was the Hurricanes against
• 18:12
  Speaker 2: Mowana Pacifica to start the round. Muana started very nicely. Indeed,
• 18:16
  Speaker 2: Domin added the first ten minutes or maybe just under
• 18:18
  Speaker 2: scored the opening try. But from then onwards it was
• 18:21
  Speaker 2: pretty much one way traffic and the Hurricanes winning fifty
• 18:25
  Speaker 2: two points to ten just a little too good, little
• 18:28
  Speaker 2: too polished against Moana Pacificer who had played in Fiji
• 18:31
  Speaker 2: the week before, made you know, entirety of changes to
• 18:35
  Speaker 2: their team. I think it was twenty two in the
• 18:37
  Speaker 2: end changes they made to their side for this game,
• 18:41
  Speaker 2: and they looked at basically in the end the Hurricanes.
• 18:44
  Speaker 2: Pretty good start to the season from them after the
• 18:46
  Speaker 2: first round by what did you make of it?
• 18:47
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it was a good start from the Canes. Didn't
• 18:50
  Speaker 3: surprise me though, and I'm really pleased that Tanner Hermang
• 18:53
  Speaker 3: and the Wainer coach came out and had a bit
• 18:55
  Speaker 3: of a crack at the schedule because a six day
• 18:58
  Speaker 3: turnaround from going from Auckland to Latoka, back to Auckland
• 19:02
  Speaker 3: down to Wellington to play a Hurricanes team that had
• 19:04
  Speaker 3: the first round by that shouldn't happen. And you know
• 19:08
  Speaker 3: mine are up against it already that they deserve to
• 19:12
  Speaker 3: have a little bit more of a fear go when
• 19:15
  Speaker 3: it comes to the schedule anyway, But that's by the
• 19:17
  Speaker 3: side I thought the Canes in terms of their attack,
• 19:20
  Speaker 3: we know how exciting their their rock star backlineers. You know,
• 19:24
  Speaker 3: Jordi Barrett looked right at home and obviously had to
• 19:27
  Speaker 3: take on a bit more of the playmaking responsibility after
• 19:30
  Speaker 3: that serious knee injury to Brett Cameron. Goodness may feel
• 19:32
  Speaker 3: for that guy, but when you see fair Young and
• 19:37
  Speaker 3: Norfold or Josh Morby, Callum Harken looks good with ball
• 19:41
  Speaker 3: in hand. Yeah, the Canes, they're a team that will
• 19:45
  Speaker 3: be there or thereabouts again. Greater tests await for them,
• 19:49
  Speaker 3: So I don't want to cast a massive judgment over
• 19:52
  Speaker 3: them based on one game against a team that perhaps
• 19:54
  Speaker 3: might not be in the finals picture, but it's a start.
• 19:57
  Speaker 3: I suppose the question now is Elliott, where do they
• 20:00
  Speaker 3: turn at first five when they still well a month
• 20:03
  Speaker 3: away from Reuben Love and all likelihood based on what
• 20:06
  Speaker 3: we're hearing, could be without Brett Cambon from the remainder
• 20:09
  Speaker 3: of the season.
• 20:10
  Speaker 2: I think they're gonna have to go to Callum Harkin.
• 20:11
  Speaker 2: They've got Lucas Kashmore who's been playing in their B team.
• 20:15
  Speaker 2: I don't know the exact name of the town. I
• 20:16
  Speaker 2: think it's the Hunters. Maybe last couple of weeks you'd
• 20:19
  Speaker 2: imagine he comes onto the bench. Harry Godfrey gone for
• 20:22
  Speaker 2: the season as well, as they've had a lot of
• 20:26
  Speaker 2: bad luck at ten. They play the Drewer away this week,
• 20:29
  Speaker 2: so they're doing the reverse of Mowana and going to
• 20:31
  Speaker 2: play the Drewer this week. It'd be interesting to see
• 20:34
  Speaker 2: Clark Laidlaw's approach to that game. Do they send over
• 20:37
  Speaker 2: a full strength team they have the war Retars in
• 20:40
  Speaker 2: Sydney the following week. I'm not sure where they jump
• 20:42
  Speaker 2: straight from playing in Suva or Latoka from Memory over
• 20:50
  Speaker 2: to Sydney. I'm not sure how that will work. But
• 20:52
  Speaker 2: where they send a lesser strength team over to that
• 20:56
  Speaker 2: game against the Drewer, who don't look much chopped the season,
• 20:59
  Speaker 2: then go back to full strength for the war Retars
• 21:02
  Speaker 2: game in round four will be interesting. But I think
• 21:04
  Speaker 2: they've got to go with Harkin and give him some
• 21:06
  Speaker 2: time in the saddle.
• 21:07
  Speaker 3: Yeah, totally agree. Whoever they go with, they need to
• 21:10
  Speaker 3: back in for the next month or so until until
• 21:14
  Speaker 3: whenever Ruben Love returns. But it will be interesting. I
• 21:17
  Speaker 3: feel like that's one for you and Lambs to keep
• 21:19
  Speaker 3: an eye on the team the week after they go
• 21:22
  Speaker 3: to Laotoka. You know, it's a one start like it's
• 21:25
  Speaker 3: such a tough place to go, you know, being here
• 21:27
  Speaker 3: in christ Church. The Crusaders put so much resource into
• 21:31
  Speaker 3: finally winning against the drawer and fig last year they
• 21:34
  Speaker 3: had specialist help from Hockey New Zealand and all sorts
• 21:39
  Speaker 3: of things going on with ice vests and what have you,
• 21:41
  Speaker 3: and then the recovery side of things. So it is
• 21:44
  Speaker 3: tricky and that is tough. Having that the Warratars who,
• 21:47
  Speaker 3: as you say, have started with a real hissiner or
• 21:49
  Speaker 3: all the following week.
• 21:51
  Speaker 2: Quick breaking back into the final four after this on
• 21:53
  Speaker 2: Rugby Directs. You're back with Rugby Direct time now for
• 21:57
  Speaker 2: the Final four. MVP voting on the way as well.
• 21:59
  Speaker 2: Bull's six Nations. Busy week in Ireland, stun England, Scotland,
• 22:04
  Speaker 2: scrappars Wells and France is too good for Italy? What
• 22:07
  Speaker 2: stood out from those games for you?
• 22:10
  Speaker 3: Swing Low is warthwork about to go?
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: Wow?
• 22:14
  Speaker 3: Goodness me, what's happened? You know they were airborne? What
• 22:18
  Speaker 3: about a ago two weeks ago exactly? Yeah, Sir Steve
• 22:22
  Speaker 3: Borthwick and the almighty thud you know Cup, which to
• 22:27
  Speaker 3: be fair, you know that was Scotland won seven of
• 22:29
  Speaker 3: the last eight, so you go Okay, that was a
• 22:31
  Speaker 3: little bit unusual, but that was always a game Scotland
• 22:33
  Speaker 3: we're going to get up for. And then that scoreline
• 22:36
  Speaker 3: against Ireland, and now I see, based on some reporting
• 22:39
  Speaker 3: over in the UK, the pressure is right on Steve Borthway,
• 22:43
  Speaker 3: who would want to be a coach. But yeah, it
• 22:45
  Speaker 3: was just quite an abject performance from England. And this
• 22:49
  Speaker 3: is against an Irish team that I feel like I've
• 22:51
  Speaker 3: been saying for the last twelve or eighteen months is
• 22:53
  Speaker 3: on a serious decline in terms of their age profile.
• 22:56
  Speaker 3: They needed some form of regeneration and they got a
• 23:00
  Speaker 3: performance there after it the weekend, much to the delight
• 23:02
  Speaker 3: of Andy Farrell. But from an England perspective surely, particularly
• 23:07
  Speaker 3: the way France are traveling as well, it leaves any
• 23:09
  Speaker 3: ambitions of lifting a Six Nations trophy and tatters.
• 23:13
  Speaker 2: I have to say that they're probably gone at that point.
• 23:15
  Speaker 2: Ireland I thought were excellent. They bullied England right around
• 23:19
  Speaker 2: the park. I thought Jamison Gibson Park was outstanding. He
• 23:24
  Speaker 2: was denied to try in the first bill that probably
• 23:25
  Speaker 2: should have stood, so it could have been even further.
• 23:28
  Speaker 2: But they out kicked England, they outran England, They just
• 23:32
  Speaker 2: buried them into the grounds with a very very good
• 23:35
  Speaker 2: performance and England would run ragged by the end of it.
• 23:39
  Speaker 2: I just thought that was an Island team that rolled
• 23:41
  Speaker 2: back the clock when all the questions were against them,
• 23:43
  Speaker 2: when people were asking, as you said, whether this Island
• 23:46
  Speaker 2: team was on the decline. Well, they stood up and
• 23:49
  Speaker 2: they get up for the games against England. But that
• 23:52
  Speaker 2: was a performance that I did not see coming. I
• 23:54
  Speaker 2: thought England would win that probably by seven to ten points,
• 23:57
  Speaker 2: but England were shell shocked by the end of it.
• 23:59
  Speaker 2: Then when the hooks Luke, Cow and Dickie after half
• 24:02
  Speaker 2: an hour, Maratoji looks a shadow of himself. He looks
• 24:06
  Speaker 2: he doesn't look and I heard our colleagues from the
• 24:09
  Speaker 2: Times podcast the Ruck Will Kelliher and co up there
• 24:14
  Speaker 2: talking about it. He looks short of a gallop. I
• 24:16
  Speaker 2: know he's been through some personal strife with his mother
• 24:19
  Speaker 2: passing away, but he does not look international rugby ready.
• 24:22
  Speaker 2: So they are an interesting position now after back to
• 24:26
  Speaker 2: back losses. It's a fellow week this week in terms
• 24:29
  Speaker 2: of the six Nations. Then they come back, they head
• 24:33
  Speaker 2: to Rome and then they finish off this season with
• 24:36
  Speaker 2: the big game against the French in the final round,
• 24:40
  Speaker 2: so look get back them to win that next game,
• 24:43
  Speaker 2: but hard to see them getting past France, who just
• 24:45
  Speaker 2: look like the champions and waiting of this competition. Moving
• 24:49
  Speaker 2: on our topic to the global calendar, our colleague at
• 24:53
  Speaker 2: staff Paul Kelly, friend of the podcast, reporting this over
• 24:56
  Speaker 2: the weekend that All Black's assistant coach Jason Bryan is
• 25:00
  Speaker 2: heading up North for discussions around the shape of the
• 25:05
  Speaker 2: future calendar. Greg Barclay going up as well. Now, this
• 25:09
  Speaker 2: has been something that South Africa has been pushing for
• 25:11
  Speaker 2: a few years now. I was having the international calendar
• 25:14
  Speaker 2: move so you'd have the Six Nations mirroring the Rugby
• 25:18
  Speaker 2: Championship and being played February March. You'd have the Rugby
• 25:21
  Speaker 2: Championship in that window. Super Raby would sort of wrap
• 25:24
  Speaker 2: around it bere an April start or maybe even a
• 25:27
  Speaker 2: September start with you know international breaks along the way, Bules.
• 25:32
  Speaker 2: What do you make of it? I mean that sounds
• 25:34
  Speaker 2: like the New Zealand rugby position is an outlie compared
• 25:38
  Speaker 2: to the rest of the world.
• 25:39
  Speaker 3: Yeah, that's what I was going to say. You know,
• 25:41
  Speaker 3: it doesn't need a it just needs a majority votes
• 25:45
  Speaker 3: for World Rugby, so South Africa are pushing this through.
• 25:48
  Speaker 3: Obviously it doesn't really change that much for your northern
• 25:51
  Speaker 3: hemisphere countries. And interestingly, in Paul's report it mentioned that
• 25:56
  Speaker 3: he's aware that Rugby Australia are fans of the idea
• 25:59
  Speaker 3: as well, and I was sort of racking my head
• 26:01
  Speaker 3: as to why that would be, and I suppose it
• 26:03
  Speaker 3: would be because the Rugby Championship in February and March,
• 26:06
  Speaker 3: when it's just slightly congested on the sporting calendar in Australia,
• 26:10
  Speaker 3: perhaps not as much international cricket home international cricket then,
• 26:14
  Speaker 3: and the AFL and NRAL really only just starting to
• 26:17
  Speaker 3: get underway, if not in the back end of March.
• 26:21
  Speaker 3: So it sort of leaves in New Zealand rugby in
• 26:23
  Speaker 3: a really awkward position because I don't think they'd want
• 26:26
  Speaker 3: to change, but they might not have a choice. So
• 26:28
  Speaker 3: then it just comes down to if this does get
• 26:31
  Speaker 3: passed through where the land in super Rugby, would you
• 26:35
  Speaker 3: want to have it two months later to what it
• 26:38
  Speaker 3: currently starts in April or do you look at having
• 26:41
  Speaker 3: it I guess what would be the front end of
• 26:44
  Speaker 3: like an American or English school year in September leading
• 26:48
  Speaker 3: into the Rugby Championship in February March. But then what
• 26:52
  Speaker 3: does that mean for the NPC. So a lot of
• 26:55
  Speaker 3: moving parts here, and it feels like New Zealand Rugby
• 26:58
  Speaker 3: are just perhaps going to get delta hand that they
• 27:02
  Speaker 3: can't do much about.
• 27:03
  Speaker 2: Yeah exactly. I'm not sure when a vote potentially would
• 27:05
  Speaker 2: take place on that, but I know talks are pretty
• 27:07
  Speaker 2: crucial this coming week around it. It'd be interesting to
• 27:10
  Speaker 2: see when this would start because you know, you zeeal
• 27:12
  Speaker 2: Ond Rugby sold broadcast deals on the basis of their
• 27:15
  Speaker 2: current calendar through to twenty thirty, so whether it would
• 27:18
  Speaker 2: start twenty thirty one, you know, a lot of water
• 27:20
  Speaker 2: to go under the bridge in that regard super rugby teams.
• 27:23
  Speaker 2: I know, maybe not all of them, but I've been
• 27:25
  Speaker 2: some have been crying out saying they don't have enough
• 27:27
  Speaker 2: time with fans, they don't have enough games to sell fans.
• 27:30
  Speaker 2: This wouldn't necessarily solve that problem, but they'd be in
• 27:35
  Speaker 2: the conversation for a bit more. So they started in
• 27:37
  Speaker 2: September and the season finished somewhere around May June. You know,
• 27:42
  Speaker 2: that is longer to be part of the conversation with fans.
• 27:45
  Speaker 2: You know, I think there's a bit of frustration out
• 27:47
  Speaker 2: there that you know, they get into it and just
• 27:50
  Speaker 2: on the back end of summer and you know, mid
• 27:51
  Speaker 2: February they start and then you know, some teams are
• 27:53
  Speaker 2: done and dusted by early June, if not in the
• 27:56
  Speaker 2: you know, if you make the finals, it's mid June.
• 27:58
  Speaker 2: So I know superraggod teams would value that connection a
• 28:01
  Speaker 2: little bit more. But I'm not sure it's best for
• 28:03
  Speaker 2: the game playing over summer in New Zealand. I just
• 28:06
  Speaker 2: don't know that it's going to win too many fans,
• 28:08
  Speaker 2: and so watch the space on that one topic. Three
• 28:11
  Speaker 2: in the Final four could Stephen Larkhim coach the All
• 28:14
  Speaker 2: Blacks as an assistant. This has been floated by Jamie
• 28:18
  Speaker 2: Panderam from Sydney's Daily Telegraph, saying that it had been
• 28:22
  Speaker 2: mentioned or it had been a part of the conversation,
• 28:24
  Speaker 2: potentially that there could be a place for Stephen Larkham
• 28:28
  Speaker 2: in an All Blacks coaching staff as an assistant. To
• 28:31
  Speaker 2: quote Pander's piece, Remembers across the Dets have rammed up
• 28:35
  Speaker 2: in recent days that Brumby's coach Larkhim is under consideration
• 28:39
  Speaker 2: by New Zealand Rugby as an assistant coach to either
• 28:41
  Speaker 2: Jamie Joseph or Dave Rennie. What do you make of that?
• 28:45
  Speaker 2: Would he be a person you'd want to have in the.
• 28:47
  Speaker 3: Mix, certainly, But it does surprise me that he'd be
• 28:51
  Speaker 3: a consideration for either team, you know, either coaching candidate,
• 28:56
  Speaker 3: whether it's Jamie Joseph or Dave Rennie. But you know,
• 28:59
  Speaker 3: as was evidence yesterday, it's clearly a very well coached team,
• 29:03
  Speaker 3: the Brumbies. And Steven Larkham has been around the game
• 29:06
  Speaker 3: for many years now. He's got that international experience, he's
• 29:09
  Speaker 3: been the Wallabies attack coach, He's had experience up in
• 29:12
  Speaker 3: the North with Munster. I don't know though, whether is
• 29:16
  Speaker 3: this a job he'd want to take on, you know,
• 29:19
  Speaker 3: and particularly I guess that my concern around head coaches
• 29:23
  Speaker 3: going back to being assistant coaches has probably heightened over
• 29:27
  Speaker 3: the last twelve to twenty four months when you look
• 29:29
  Speaker 3: at Leon McDonald, Jason Holland in the previous All Blacks regime.
• 29:35
  Speaker 3: But certainly when you look at as I say, how
• 29:38
  Speaker 3: well the Brumbies are traveling and have traveled under Larkham
• 29:41
  Speaker 3: and his coaching pedigree, and is all around sort of
• 29:44
  Speaker 3: philosophy on the game and so it's beyond that, just
• 29:48
  Speaker 3: the willingness to go beyond our shores. You know, obviously
• 29:52
  Speaker 3: we're very very much and on a ki we coaching
• 29:56
  Speaker 3: have been the head coach of the All Blacks, but
• 29:58
  Speaker 3: I think it's high time that we get some international
• 30:00
  Speaker 3: experience and the assistance and just add something a little
• 30:04
  Speaker 3: bit different in terms of the IP we don't know
• 30:06
  Speaker 3: at all, as evidenced by the fact we won the
• 30:08
  Speaker 3: World Cup and don't have it twenty fifteen exactly, I would.
• 30:12
  Speaker 2: I think it's a great idea if they can figure
• 30:14
  Speaker 2: out a way to get him involved.
• 30:15
  Speaker 1: Now.
• 30:16
  Speaker 2: I don't know how this conversation potentially has come about,
• 30:19
  Speaker 2: if if pandas piece is on the money, whether Stephen
• 30:22
  Speaker 2: Larkham has expressed interest, whether it's a New Zealand rugby idea,
• 30:25
  Speaker 2: going to the coaches going could you work with a
• 30:28
  Speaker 2: Stephen Larkham will build some build him into your coaching
• 30:32
  Speaker 2: lineup potentially. Don't know the nature of those conversations, but
• 30:35
  Speaker 2: I think he's a very very astute rugby coach. He's
• 30:38
  Speaker 2: probably seen now with lez Kiss being appointed to the
• 30:41
  Speaker 2: Wallabies role that has pathed to getting that should he want,
• 30:44
  Speaker 2: it is going to you would think, given say les
• 30:47
  Speaker 2: Kes will be real point. I'm trying to think when
• 30:49
  Speaker 2: his contract ends. But he's only getting a short run
• 30:50
  Speaker 2: to the World Cup, and I think he's contracted beyond
• 30:53
  Speaker 2: that as well, so it's going to be a while toll.
• 30:55
  Speaker 2: That job is in theory available, why not go overseas?
• 30:59
  Speaker 2: Larkin was an assistant coach for Michael Checker at the
• 31:02
  Speaker 2: twenty fifteen World Cup. You know, they were very impressive
• 31:06
  Speaker 2: on attack, then punched above their weight a little bit
• 31:10
  Speaker 2: in terms of what they are able to do on
• 31:12
  Speaker 2: attack with the kind of players they had in their
• 31:15
  Speaker 2: roster at that point, got them to a World Cup finals.
• 31:17
  Speaker 2: So if he's available, if he can work with either
• 31:20
  Speaker 2: one of those head coaches, I'm all for getting him
• 31:22
  Speaker 2: into the mix, which flows nicely into our final topic
• 31:25
  Speaker 2: in the final four? Is this the year? On the
• 31:27
  Speaker 2: twenty third of February, an Australian team finally wins Super
• 31:30
  Speaker 2: Rugby Bills.
• 31:32
  Speaker 3: Since we're all about hot takes here on Rugby director,
• 31:34
  Speaker 3: I'm gonna say yes again. I'm a little bit facetious,
• 31:39
  Speaker 3: but based on the evidence of the first two rounds.
• 31:41
  Speaker 3: The Brumbies and the Warritars have played the best rugby
• 31:44
  Speaker 3: and it's not really that close. Again, bigger fish to fry,
• 31:48
  Speaker 3: particularly on the Waratars side, that you can't sneeze at
• 31:52
  Speaker 3: what the Brumbi's achieved here in christ Church with fifty
• 31:54
  Speaker 3: points on the Crusaders. And as we've alluded to over
• 31:58
  Speaker 3: the course of this episode, super ragkmed titles aren't one
• 32:01
  Speaker 3: in February, but it is just great to see, particularly
• 32:05
  Speaker 3: this competition. I know Lamb and yourself go on about it, Elliott,
• 32:09
  Speaker 3: it needs jeopardy. The fact that the Crusaders, you know, yes,
• 32:13
  Speaker 3: dynasties are important, but the fact that they are thereabouts.
• 32:16
  Speaker 3: It just feels like the Crusaders and the Chiefs are
• 32:18
  Speaker 3: going to be the final or certainly in the semi
• 32:20
  Speaker 3: final mix each and every year when it comes to predictions.
• 32:24
  Speaker 3: Isn't necessarily great for interest to casual sporting interest across
• 32:28
  Speaker 3: both sides of the Tasman. So I think this is
• 32:30
  Speaker 3: great for the Brumbies and I tell you who else.
• 32:34
  Speaker 3: A funny wee story came yesterday as I was waiting
• 32:37
  Speaker 3: for Rob Penny and Stephen Larkham to do media after
• 32:39
  Speaker 3: the Brumbies Crusaders. One fellaw who won't will be pretty
• 32:43
  Speaker 3: happy if one of the Australian teams wins or at
• 32:46
  Speaker 3: least host the final was one of the guys who
• 32:48
  Speaker 3: was working in the catering department at Venues Order Tah.
• 32:52
  Speaker 3: He was saying to one of his colleagues, do I
• 32:54
  Speaker 3: really hope the Crusaders don't host the final this year
• 32:56
  Speaker 3: because we're going to have then have to change all
• 32:58
  Speaker 3: the beer out because the Warriors are here the next
• 33:01
  Speaker 3: day and we all know what they drink. So for
• 33:04
  Speaker 3: the sake of the catering team at one New Zealand
• 33:07
  Speaker 3: Stadium to kah that they'll be hoping are Brumbies or
• 33:10
  Speaker 3: Waratars or they like get up and at least host
• 33:13
  Speaker 3: the final in June.
• 33:14
  Speaker 2: Well, I think that's a very good point. Maybe not
• 33:16
  Speaker 2: the beer in terms of but there's that Jeopardy, isn't
• 33:19
  Speaker 2: it And it's that hosting the finals. I don't know
• 33:23
  Speaker 2: what they're drinking Camebra Canberra. Is it a Canbra bitter
• 33:26
  Speaker 2: or something like that. I don't know, but the you know,
• 33:29
  Speaker 2: had finals games hosted at home. But if they can
• 33:32
  Speaker 2: merge their way into a top spot, move their way
• 33:34
  Speaker 2: rather into a top spot. That the Brumbies can finish
• 33:36
  Speaker 2: top of the table and have home advantage through the clubs,
• 33:39
  Speaker 2: then it makes it very very difficult. It's a tough
• 33:41
  Speaker 2: place to go and win, as the Crusaders have done
• 33:44
  Speaker 2: with the home advantage you know, flipped last season when
• 33:46
  Speaker 2: the Chiefs lost in the opening round to the Blues
• 33:49
  Speaker 2: and then the Crusaders were quasi top for the last
• 33:52
  Speaker 2: two games of the season. If they can be top
• 33:54
  Speaker 2: of the ladder win that opening quarter final, then it's
• 33:57
  Speaker 2: a very very tricky place to go. I think the
• 33:58
  Speaker 2: same applies for the Waratars, maybe less so than Canberra,
• 34:01
  Speaker 2: but if you can finish in that top two, it's
• 34:04
  Speaker 2: just so important in your hopes of winning the title.
• 34:07
  Speaker 2: So if the Brumbies can continue there's winning run and
• 34:10
  Speaker 2: you pick up those victories, then you know that home
• 34:12
  Speaker 2: advantage could see them win that drought breaking title.
• 34:17
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and it's been far too long. What was it,
• 34:19
  Speaker 3: twenty fourteen Waratahs, twenty eleven Reds just off the top
• 34:23
  Speaker 3: of my head. So in terms of being a trans
• 34:26
  Speaker 3: Tasmin competition, even when I was doing the preview for
• 34:28
  Speaker 3: the Brumbies Crusaders and you know there was all this
• 34:30
  Speaker 3: excitement around it's one of the sort of great rivalries.
• 34:32
  Speaker 3: And then you looked at I think Crusaders won twelve
• 34:35
  Speaker 3: of the last thirteen, as I say, and lost to
• 34:38
  Speaker 3: the Brumbies and christ it's for twenty six years. You
• 34:42
  Speaker 3: can't really sell a rivalry when it's that lopsided. But
• 34:44
  Speaker 3: now you know there's a there's a little bit of
• 34:47
  Speaker 3: hope there that we can go into each round. And
• 34:49
  Speaker 3: I know we're going to get into tipping in the
• 34:52
  Speaker 3: later in the week, but our tipping suggests it's a
• 34:55
  Speaker 3: good competition in the sense that you can't predict who's
• 34:58
  Speaker 3: going to win on each in any given day.
• 34:59
  Speaker 2: Absolutely time Now for some MVP voting around two will
• 35:03
  Speaker 2: bring you the collated results next week as we get
• 35:05
  Speaker 2: into round three from the first couple of rounds. But look,
• 35:08
  Speaker 2: i'll kick things off bills. My three goes to Fang
• 35:12
  Speaker 2: and all four. I thought he was exceptional. It was
• 35:14
  Speaker 2: a lion board decision with Josh Molby for me as
• 35:17
  Speaker 2: to whether he got the three points or the two.
• 35:19
  Speaker 2: Morlby gets my two points. I thought though, those players,
• 35:21
  Speaker 2: if they can stay fit just on either side of
• 35:24
  Speaker 2: the wing, and I know it was a poor performance
• 35:25
  Speaker 2: from Mowana, but they're so devastating I think we'll be
• 35:28
  Speaker 2: going to France. Potentially has only made him a better player.
• 35:31
  Speaker 2: So for here for three, Josh Morlby for two, and
• 35:34
  Speaker 2: my one goes the way of Quinta Pie.
• 35:36
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 35:37
  Speaker 2: Maybe it wasn't entirely legal, but that's heads up footy
• 35:40
  Speaker 2: and that's smart and I thought he had an exceptional
• 35:41
  Speaker 2: game otherwise as well.
• 35:43
  Speaker 3: Look, I should have clarified before coming on. Am I
• 35:45
  Speaker 3: allowed to perk Australian players? Oh?
• 35:48
  Speaker 2: So this is the thing I should clarify it should
• 35:50
  Speaker 2: I should mention this? It is only for the six
• 35:51
  Speaker 2: teams based in New Zealand. So yeah, unfortunately, Charlie Kale,
• 35:56
  Speaker 2: Andy Buerheads, Ben Donaldson not eligible for the Rugby Direct Medal.
• 36:01
  Speaker 3: Yeah, that's tough scene. I was James Slipper in there
• 36:03
  Speaker 3: as well. Sorry, So that's that's rather unfortunate for the
• 36:07
  Speaker 3: Brumbis and for or the benefit of this segment of
• 36:10
  Speaker 3: the podcast. But look on the basis that I suppose, Yeah,
• 36:13
  Speaker 3: the Hurricanes were the only team that really impressed me
• 36:16
  Speaker 3: from an attacking standpoint across the course of the season.
• 36:20
  Speaker 3: Across the course of the round. Sorry, yeah, I'll go similarly.
• 36:24
  Speaker 3: Maybe I'll flip it around. I thought Josh Moreby, as
• 36:26
  Speaker 3: you say, for him to come back into the competition
• 36:30
  Speaker 3: and really slot in there. And there's a fair bit
• 36:32
  Speaker 3: of competition there and that hurricanes back line as to
• 36:35
  Speaker 3: where he slots and very good finisher, so he can
• 36:37
  Speaker 3: have the three and fair he can have the two
• 36:41
  Speaker 3: and hmm, Chiefs Chiefs season, I mean takeya. At the
• 36:45
  Speaker 3: end of the day he scored a couple of pretty
• 36:46
  Speaker 3: critical tries that the Chiefs got the chocolates as a
• 36:49
  Speaker 3: result from. So Summersony Tokyo can have my one. And
• 36:52
  Speaker 3: if I ever do this again, I now know the rules.
• 36:55
  Speaker 2: You've picked up a hospital pass brilliantly, Bules and run
• 36:58
  Speaker 2: with it. So thank you very much for that, and
• 37:00
  Speaker 2: thank you for your time on Raby Direct. Keep the
• 37:03
  Speaker 2: phone on. I'm sure we'll touch base again over the
• 37:05
  Speaker 2: course of the season anytime, Elliot pleasure and you can
• 37:07
  Speaker 2: get in touch with the podcast of course at Rugby
• 37:09
  Speaker 2: Director at nzdme dot co dot nz will open up
• 37:12
  Speaker 2: the mailbag on Thursday. Fool your feedback as well. But
• 37:17
  Speaker 2: thanks to Mark Kelly for producing. Thanks to Mick Bewley,
• 37:19
  Speaker 2: and our thanks to Habit help Busier, book today and
• 37:22
  Speaker 2: stay in the game
• 37:28
  Speaker 1: For more from News Talks b listen live on air
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: or online, and keep our shows with you wherever you
• 37:34
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