Rugby's A Summer Sport Yeah?

Ok ok ok ok, I know I said last week that it is still summer so lets focus on that, but it would only be fair to have a bit of a look at the rugby given the first round of the Super 15 has just been completed.  And besides, I’m not sure the Black Caps have shown whether or not they are going to compete against South Africa’s finest or not anyway.  Choking in the final T20 game and being outplayed in the first ODI has not been the start NZ Cricket would’ve been after as they try and compete for bums on seats with the start of the Super 15.

So if we have a look at the first round this weekend, what has come out of it?  Were there any real surprises or was it basically everything we expected as Rugby sinks it’s teeth further into the Cricket season.

Here’s a bit of a preview/review for what it’s worth.

The ‘Clash of the Titans’ in the first round had to be the Crusaders Vs the Blues and it was a game that reinforced that these two sides will be there or thereabouts come the business end of the season.  Both teams have a stack of All Blacks throughout them and both have enough quality players alongside those All Blacks to both be title contenders.

Adam Whitelock charging down Piri Weepu's last minute droppie, while Israel Dagg tries to protect the money maker.

The Brumbies and the Force then battled it out in Canberra.  Both of these sides will struggle throughout the campaign.  One thing that will definitely be the case is that Jake White will have the Brumbies well drilled and very well organised, especially on defence, but they will suffer from a lack of creativity and this I think will be what ultimately costs them as a franchise.  The Force, whilst possessing one of the best loose combinations in the competition will struggle for a similar reason to the Brumbies.  A lack of creativity and depth, which has become even more important with the further extended season due to the ‘Northern Invasion’ for 3 weeks in June.

So to the Bulls and Sharks we go.  And what a dour affair that was.  The Bulls, without several of their big names from the last 10 years, look even less creative than normal.  Who ever thought that could’ve been possible?  But believe it folks.  And unfortunately for them, the Sharks played right into their hands.  The Bulls will simply kick and tackle all season and that’s about it.  The Sharks, who should be the strongest of the South African teams this year played their part in a scrappy first up performance.  If they are to fulfil their potential for this season they will need to brush aside their performance from the weekend and move on quickly, anymore matches like this will be far too costly for their season.

The Chiefs and the Highlanders fought it out in Hamilton in a match that was as tough and rugged as Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph would have been happy with.  While both teams lacked much cohesion, it is still the first full competition round of the season after all; both teams showed glimpses of how competitive they will be throughout the season.  Do not count out either of these sides.  Whilst the Highlanders depth in crucial areas is on the low side, they will win more games than they will lose.  As for the Chiefs who now have an injury toll almost as bad as the Highlanders after losing four key players in Saturdays match, they have a squad full of big names and potential.  They also have a coaching panel that would make any club in the world jealous.  I do feel though that whilst the Chiefs will be close, they will only be on there fringe of the playoff’s, what side of the fringe, who knows…….

The Reds and the Waratahs proved that they both have the potential to go all the way this season.  The Reds snatched a tight victory from a Waratahs error right on fulltime and were lucky that the Waratahs kicked possession away without time being up.  That was all the invitation they needed and the grabbed it with both hands.  The Reds, being the Defending Champions proved that they still have what it takes to get the job done and once Quade Cooper finally returns they will be a tough outfit to beat.  The Tahs though without a host of their own stars due to injury appear to have enough depth to be competitive this season and these two teams will be fighting it out to have the top spot in the Aussie Conference and the right for automatic home playoff matches. 

The Hurricanes did their best, came up short, as expected, and now have two more weeks on the road where it won’t get any easier.  If they can leave the Republic with any points I will be amazed.  Their pack is rubbish, surprising given their head coach is a former All Black hooker.  The scrum was awful, the lineout just as bad.  The Hurricanes front row spent more time in the bin and picking themselves up off the turf than they did actually playing the game.  They will be nowhere near the head of the table come the end of the season based on their performance in Cape Town last night.  The Stormers however definitely can’t afford to be over confident based on this match either.  With a host of SA’s biggest names on show they looked rather ungainly against a Hurricanes outfit that shouldn’t have been able to get anywhere near them.  If the Stormers are to be the force they should be this season, they are going to have to improve on basically every aspect of their game over the coming weeks to become the more polished outfit that we know they are. 

And finally the Lions and the Cheetahs.  What can be said of this match and the hopes of these teams?  The Lions on the back of last years Currie Cup success must be riding a wave of confidence.  However the were severely bought back down to earth by a Cheetahs team that doesn’t promise a great deal apart from a dangerous loose trio.  The Lions will struggle with their depth if they are to replicate their Currie Cup success and will need to step up a great deal from the weekend in order to get anywhere the playoffs.  Although they did still manage to get it done when it counted on Saturday night and that is all you can ask.  The Cheetahs in my mind are playing for their own survival in Super Rugby as I see it.  With the Southern Kings having gained entry into the competition next year, I have a feeling the Cheetahs are in danger of becoming extinct.....  See what I did there?  They will be the perennial battler’s that they normally are but they will be well down the pecking order when we start talking of finals.  The question here is whether or not they will be around to make amends for it next year or not.

Oh and before I forget, there is of course the Rebels.  I think we are going to have to wait and see on this bunch.  Yes they have two new big name signings in James O'Connor and Kurtley Beale, but I'm pretty sure it is going to be upfront where these guys struggle.  Creative backs always help your cause, but unless you can get go forward and have quality set pieces to build a platform from then you can have all the flashy backs you like but you will need more than that to get by and succeed at this level.

There we have it guys and gals, lets see what happens over the next few weeks and see how these guys develop.  And lets be honest the cricket is still on so if your Super Rugby team starts losing badly, Hurricanes fans I’m pretty much talking to you now, flick over to the Gentleman’s game and watch the white and then finally the red ball fly around all over the place. 

Remember folks, til next time; Keep going balls to the wall!

This Summers Rubbish, But Hopefully The Cricket's Not.

Ok folks, here we go.  Welcome to the first ever edition of Couch Touch Pause Engage, or CTPE as some people are calling it……

Now, due to the title you could be forgiven for thinking that this blog is solely about Rugby. I would hate to say it but you would be incorrect in thinking so.  Couch Touch Pause Engage will be covering all codes of sport, and on the odd occasion, if the price is right, even some non-sporting issues. 

Now given the time of year it only seems appropriate that we start with the upcoming Cricket series with New Zealand agasint the Proteas and the recently completed series against the Zimbo’s.  Yes Super whatever number we are up to now is beginning soon but there is plenty of time to get to that, and besides, it’s still SUMMER MAN!!!!!

So, to the Zimbo’s we go and what a series that was.  A record victory in the sole Test Match, a record victory or two in the ODI’s and a close call in the last T20.  So what do we make of all this???  Firstly, one has to be honest, Zimbabwe are rubbish!  They would struggle to knock off a domestic team in New Zealand let alone a glamour side from India, Australia or even, and I’m loathed to say it, but England.  So NZ played the latest bunch of folks that Mr Mugabe & Co could round up and we pumped them.  Was it all a waste of time and simply an exercise in inflaming some the biggest ego’s in cricket?  Or was it a meaningful warm up before the business end of the season begins and the Saffa’s come to town?

Here’s where I stand for what it’s worth.

For a start a record win in the Test match was not a bad beginning.  It seemed the 'Black Caps' kept their heads down and did the best they could against an opposition that offered fairly little, but at least the job was done in a fairly workman like fashion.  The lost in translation ODI’s, apart from knowing whether or not they are still popular anymore were another sign that this series was perhaps going to be more useful than first thought.  New Zealand played convincingly and there were stand out performances littered in amongst some great results. 

However the T20’s is where I have a real problem.  Yes they are popular indeed, and I believe a good thing for cricket.  But the results are my issue.  Again the 'Black Caps' started strongly and yes they used a number of different players for this particular part of the series, but the 'Black Caps' of old seemed to creep back in, yet again.  Isn’t this a new era for New Zealand Cricket?  New Coach, New Captain, both who have now had some time to get accustomed to their new plush surroundings, and a new CEO. 

The second T20 match and the last of the series, so a perfect opportunity to finish of the much weaker opposition with a commanding clean sweep, comes along and Zim score 200!  Their highest ever T20 score too by the way.  If I had a dollar for every country that has a highest score record against NZ, I’d say I’d be a wealthy man.  Yes NZ scrapped home and won the game with two balls to spare, and yes scoring over 200 as they did to beat them is an achievement in itself as 20 overs is a tiny amount of time in which to accumulate 200 runs.

But, how did the bowling department, yet again, become so complacent as to think that all they had to do to win was literally turn up and this feeble and pathetic bunch of fellows from somewhere over there would just roll over, instead of taking their one last chance at some redemption and pride for a series of absolute spankings and actually play some decent cricket. 

So again, have we seen the days of old come back to haunt the ‘Black Caps’, still possibly one of the worst names in international sport?  Are we seeing a re-awakening of a culture of massive gear bags and even bigger ego’s?  I thought John Wright was supposed to be bringing this group back down to earth?  What does it say of a team when their captain is missing they let the foot off the gas and start rolling down the hill to collect the trophy, thank you very much for the tidy pay check too.

One can only hope that before the Proteas had recovered from their jetlag and completed their warm up game against Canterbury, John Wright and whoever else ( I hope not Gilbert Enoka for everyone's sake) was needed, called the group together and laid down the law for what is to be expected against a Proteas side that is in commanding form coming off the back of a series against Sri Lanka in which they dominated basically every match! 

If the Black Caps turn up with any attitude other than the most professional and quietly confident in their own ability whilst being respectful of the talents of their opposition they will be in for a very long and bumpy ride, and unfortunately, one that probably won’t include having the latest silverware being thrown in the boot on the way home.

So until next week, keep going balls to the wall!