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Saturday Sep 21, 2024
Tuesday, 23 July 2013 01:02 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The much-anticipated Super Rugby semi finals were played over the weekend. The gap between NZ rugby and Aussie rugby was plain to see.
With the Rugby Championship looming in the next three weeks, the Wallabies ability to make a serious dent in NZ rugby appears to be farfetched as the local opposition making a mark in local politics. The dominance of NZ teams has been such that the NZ crowds are hero worshipping even their club players and expect nothing less than a right royal thrashing of all opposition placed in front of them.
The Crusaders sailed into the semi-finals for the twelfth successive season with an overwhelming display of power rugby thereby crushing the Queensland Reds. They played a near perfect game with a combination of awesome power on defence with silky skilled execution on attack. The Reds were simply outthought, outnumbered and outplayed.
The fact that Genia had to languish behind to field the high ball was a dead giveaway of the Crusaders ascendancy in the game. This ploy left a gaping hole upfront and however good your third row maybe, it was too much to cover for the entire duration of the game, and that too against a third row of the calibre of the Crusaders.
Genia is seen by many as the world’s best # 9, but one can only sympathise with home as he did not get any front foot ball. Much was spoken of a grand farewell for the current Reds and new Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie and this was arguably the worst send-off as he ended his four-year reign with the Reds. Will Genia’s reaction, summed it up simply when he said: “We were just outclassed.”
The Crusaders’ ability to offload the ball at the correct time, coupled with intelligent support play on attack was a feature of the game, which resulted in four memorable tries. The Crusaders are unbeaten at home this year, and they have never lost a play-offs match at home a proud record that they fought till the end to protect.
The NZ crowds booing of Quade Cooper continued in earnest once again as they envisage him as ‘Public enemy # 1’ after his spat with McCaw. Cooper was roundly booed every time he touched the ball and as talented as he may be, it must certainly affect his performance. The crowd repeatedly had abuse directed at Cooper, particularly whenever he lined up for penalty goal.
Incidentally Israel Dagg was quick to plead with fans to show more respect. His after the match tweet was “Great win by the boys but please peeps give Quade Cooper a break!! Disappointed by the boos.” Cooper was controversially overlooked by Robbie Deans for the Wallabies’ series loss to the British & Irish Lions, but is set to return as new coach Ewen McKenzie’s playmaker for the upcoming Bledisloe Cup clash in Sydney.
In the second game the Brumbies defeated the Cheetahs after Riaan Smit had hit the left upright after the siren with a conversion attempt to force extra-time. In terms of possession the Brumbies enjoyed the lion’s share and even territory, but the Cheetahs’ scrambling defence proved effective, as the Brumbies failed to cross the line.
The ever-reliable Leali’ifano uncharacteristically missed two penalty shots before finding his range again to give the Brumbies a lead at the break. The game could be classed as the battle of the breakdowns with brutal and hotly contested battles that eventually had referee Glenn Jackson warning both captains. George Smith was outstanding for the Brumbies, his presence at the breakdown a constant and thorn in the side of the Cheetahs.
In the last few minutes of the game the Cheetahs were awarded a penalty, which many believe should have been taken as it was in front of the posts. Cheetahs captain Adriaan Strauss justified his decision to opt for two tap penalties and go after the converted try in the final minutes, rather than shoot for a penalty goal and reduce the margin to less than a try.
His rationale was simple: “We struggled to get into their half, especially in the second half, and we were losing a lot of ball and giving away penalties. Hence the decision to go for a try which was successful, but the draw hinged on the conversion which was not to be. We will never know if the decision was correct, but as is the case in real life, you are given little time to weigh all the pros and the cons. A lot of us go by our gut feel and generally it does pay off, although in this case it did not.”
(The writer can be reached via [email protected].)
