Who's the Biggest Clown in the Circus?

It was a fairly predictable round so far as results go this weekend in Super Rugby.  There were no real upsets at all.  Aside from the fact that the Rebels pushed the Bulls a hell of a lot further than most expected, as did the Lions to the Chiefs and the Reds for the Crusaders.  But in the end the class of the aforementioned teams prevailed and we now have a more cemented looking locked in top 8 now.  A few questions to be answered over the next few weeks are, will the Highlanders be able to hang on to a playoff berth, even with their horrific injury toll, especially in the loosies?  Can the Hurricanes, against everybody’s predictions at the start of the season, string together a few more wins and challenge for a playoff berth, or will it be the Sharks who can shake off their inconsistency and attempt to shoot for the playoffs for another year?

There were a few side stories going on during the last week of Super Rugby.  The first, and most important for New Zealanders and anybody else that hopes to see England continue to underperform over the next few years, is that Wayne Smith turned down what was going to be a very lucrative offer to help coach England.  The RFU were so keen for Smith to be involved that they were willing to allow their newly appointed Head Coach to step aside somewhat and let Wayne Smith run the show more or less how he wanted.  This would definitely have appealed to Smith as he has said on many occasions that that is the type of role he relishes the most, ‘the tracksuit’ coach as he puts it.  But thank God it hasn’t happened and the pull of being closer to his elderly parents and the fact that the Chiefs are thriving under Dave Rennie and his environment has been enough keep him out of England’s grasp.  The last thing anybody wants is for England to have a quality Coach so they can become a threat in world rugby.  Let’s be honest, the more England lose, in anything really, the better and more satisfying it is for everyone else on earth.

Will Genia thinking back to those quiet special nights alone with Quade Cooper.

The Circus of the Week Award must go to Will Genia.  Announcing on Thursday that he is leaving his beloved Queensland to head to Perth for a lazy $600k a year, then confirming it with his coach Ewen McKenzie after the Reds beat the Blues on Friday night.  Then sometime on Saturday he realises that he loves the team song, the boys and environment in the Reds too much to leave and backs out of his deal with the Force.  One word, Gay.  What the hell was all that about?  The real question is, which one of the boys did he share some special alone time with in the hotel on Friday night after the game who changed his mind?  If he had in fact committed to the deal with the Force he should have had the balls to stick by it, it’s not as if he was doing it for any other reason than money.  Maybe one of the Reds’ boys has struck a deal with him to deliver other ‘favours’ to make up for the $200k a year he is missing out on.  Unfortunately, it only looks like getting worse for the Force as well.  Not only have the Reds stolen their Head Coach for next year but they have kept Genia and now the negotiations with David Pocock seem to stalling somewhat as the Force are struggling to attract any other marquee players no matter how much cash they are willing to throw their way.  The Force aren’t competitive enough as it is at the moment, let alone potentially losing their one star player for next year and not having a coaching staff locked in yet.  Looks like another long and disappointing year for the lads out West next year, again.

Stepping aside from Rugby for a bit.  The news during the week that John Wright has stepped down as New Zealand Cricket Coach is yet another massive setback for NZC.  Yet another massive blunder from the management and backroom staff of an organisation who continue to shame themselves and everybody else involved in Cricket from players to supporters.  It seems like there is no limit to the boards’ incompetence and that no matter how bad their decisions are, there are no repercussions.  Instead of doing anything to resign the best coach NZC has had since Steve Rixon they allow two Aussies who are over-rated at best to keep their positions because they have huge four year contracts that are too expensive to payout.  The Coach on the other hand only had a two-year deal initially and was not consulted about the Aussie pratt that was bought in over his head.  Needless to say they didn’t get on and now NZC is stuck with a clown that nobody seems to have any respect for being in charge of overseeing the Cricket Operations.  Try finding a decent coach who is willing to be told what to do by him.  Good Luck NZC, you’ll need it.

Getting back to the Rugby, the June Internationals are almost upon us.  The invasion from the North will be an interesting one for all of the Sanzar countries.  England, after their second place in the recently completed 6 Nations will pose quite a threat to the Springboks, especially with some mixed form from their senior players and a new coach who is yet to name is his captain.  The Aussies too will be under a huge amount of pressure.   Their Super Rugby season is in pieces and they have the 6 Nations Champions in the Welsh coming to beat the Wallabies in their own backyard.  They will be backing themselves heavily as well, given the Scots are coming for a one off Test just four days before the First Test.  The All Blacks have probably the easiest challenge out of the three with the Irish coming to play, and they are coming off a poor 6 Nations where they lacked any consistency and sustained potency in attack.  In saying this however the Heineken Cup Final will be contested by two Irish Club Sides, so there is clearly some depth in the Emerald Isles.  It will be interesting to see how the All Blacks manage to go with the tag of World Champions to weigh on their shoulders and minds for the first time in 24 odd years.  Traditionally no team has played well having just won the World Cup, the question is, Are the All Blacks able to continue their impressive form over the last 2-3 years or will they suffer the same fate as most before them?

That’s a wrap for this week team and to mix it up for a change;

Keep your eye on the ball.