Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Tony Johnson: Rugby Commentator on this weekend's Super Rugby Qualifying Finals

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Tony Johnson: Rugby Commentator on this weekend's Super Rugby Qualifying Finals · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: It's the Super Rugby quarter finals this weekend, starting with
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  Speaker 1: the Crusaders and Reds. Tonight the Hurricanes are in Canberra
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  Speaker 1: taking on the Brumbies, and then we have a repeat
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  Speaker 1: of the nail byer match last year from the Blues
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  Speaker 1: and the Chiefs on Saturday. Rugby commentator Tony Johnson with
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  Speaker 1: me this morning.
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  Speaker 2: Hey Tony, morning, Ryan.
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  Speaker 1: Good to have you on the show as always. First
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  Speaker 1: of all, the you know this lucky loser, the new format.
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  Speaker 1: Why are we doing this?
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  Speaker 2: Well, yeah, it's not really quarter finals this year, they
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  Speaker 2: called qualifying finals. They had to cut it back. They
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  Speaker 2: couldn't have eight teams in last year because eight remember
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  Speaker 2: we've only got eleven teams this year, that would have
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  Speaker 2: been ridiculous, so they've gone for six. I don't think
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  Speaker 2: they've got it quite right, but it's probably better to
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  Speaker 2: have six and you have a lucky loser, which means
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  Speaker 2: the highest ranked of the teams beaten this weekend gets
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  Speaker 2: to fight again. And of course if that's the Chiefs,
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  Speaker 2: the top qualifiers, they'd still get a home semi final
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  Speaker 2: next week. So look, as I say, I don't think
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  Speaker 2: it's a flawless way of doing it, but it's a
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  Speaker 2: step in the right direction. I'm sure they'll probably re
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  Speaker 2: fine it for next year.
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  Speaker 1: All right, who are your favorites this weekend?
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  Speaker 2: Tony? Okay? Well, first of all, the two New Zealand
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  Speaker 2: teams playing at home. Chiefs they play the Blues. Now
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  Speaker 2: it's a rerun of last year's final in which the
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  Speaker 2: Blues absolutely crushed the Chiefs, so they'll be up for revenge.
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  Speaker 2: They are in a better place to do it this
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  Speaker 2: year probably. Blues have struggled a bit, but they played
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  Speaker 2: their best game of the season last year against last
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  Speaker 2: week against the Warritas. Chiefs all the way through have
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  Speaker 2: looked the team to beat. So that's tomorrow night in Hamilton,
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  Speaker 2: a big one tonight. Crusaders they take on the Reds.
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  Speaker 2: The problem with the Reds is that they've got the
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  Speaker 2: way to history against them. Nineteen times Australian teams have
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  Speaker 2: come to New Zealand over the thirty years of Super Rugby.
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  Speaker 2: They've played nineteen playoff games in New Zealand and haven't
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  Speaker 2: won one of them. And the Crusaders that get will
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  Speaker 2: Jordan Fletcher new All back for that one. And then
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  Speaker 2: there's the game between the Brumbies and the Hurricans, and
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  Speaker 2: that's the tough one. The Hurricans have to try and
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  Speaker 2: win in Canberra, where the Brumbies don't lose many unfortunately
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  Speaker 2: for them. After last week a very controversial game, the
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  Speaker 2: Brumbies were beaten by the Crusaders, a refereeing decision that's
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  Speaker 2: got everyone up in arms, and so the crowd, which
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  Speaker 2: can be pretty fair at times, they're going to be
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  Speaker 2: riding all over the referee from start to finish. And
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  Speaker 2: of course the Hurricans, they have been an outstanding form.
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  Speaker 2: I think they are a chance to win it, but
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  Speaker 2: it won't be easy. So I think three pretty juicy
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  Speaker 2: looking games we've got lined up this weekend.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, not a bad way to go. Not a bad
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  Speaker 1: weekend the head and who do you think is going
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  Speaker 1: to take out the whole competition?
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  Speaker 2: Can you make a call yet?
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  Speaker 1: The Chiefs? You said the Chiefs are looking pretty good,
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  Speaker 1: have been all season.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'd still have them as slight favorites. But the
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  Speaker 2: thing about this super Raguly this year, Ryan has just
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  Speaker 2: been so unpredictable. Teams have really found it difficult to
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  Speaker 2: win more than three or four games in a row
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  Speaker 2: and there's been a lot of upsets, and so I
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  Speaker 2: don't think you can put any thing down for certain.
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  Speaker 2: I wouldn't be telling anyone to put any money anywhere
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  Speaker 2: at the moment because there's always room for an upset.
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  Speaker 2: But I still I do think the Chiefs, particularly if
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  Speaker 2: they can maintain home advantage, then I think they are
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  Speaker 2: definitely the team to beat, and I'd probably favor a
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  Speaker 2: Chiefs Crusader's Final, But you know that depends on the
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  Speaker 2: Hurricanes because they have been an outstanding form. They've been
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  Speaker 2: so good to watch. They've been playing a dynamic brand
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  Speaker 2: of rugby. If they can upset the Brundies tomorrow night,
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  Speaker 2: then that carries that on the Any trouble is is
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  Speaker 2: that the way the thing's been done with Thug if
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  Speaker 2: that's the lucky loser game, you'll get to that game
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  Speaker 2: and it won't matter who wins or who loses, which
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  Speaker 2: is a bit of a shame on, as I say,
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  Speaker 2: I think they've got that wrong. But now I'm still
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  Speaker 2: at the stage leaning towards a Chief Crusader's Final. Chief
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  Speaker 2: slight favorites, but I think anything can happen from this
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  Speaker 2: point and that's the beauty of it.
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  Speaker 1: Tony appreciate your time this morning. Thanks as always Tony Johnson,
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  Speaker 1: rugby commentator.
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• 4:01
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