Rugby - Crouch and Hold!

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by finbar


I think you're right. And if they don't win, they don't deserve to make the finals. The Crusaders are going to have injury problems this week, which won't help the cause. And perhaps the biggest influence on the Brumbies performance on the weekend was the return of Owen Finnegan from injury for his first match since last season. He came off the bench but made a big impact driving the ball forward. His reappearance and his results only underlined how much they'd missed him.

Yeah, it looks good for the Brumbies so far. You never know what will happen with them these days though...

Equal points brings For and Against into the equation. The team with the biggest differential goes through.

The Brumbies have the edge in that department, but I would expect the Highlanders to beat the Reds by a greater margin than the Brumbies over the Crusaders.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Caligastia
The Brumbies have the edge in that department, but I would expect the Highlanders to beat the Reds by a greater margin than the Brumbies over the Crusaders.

It's a bit more complicated than that. It's total For and Against over the season.

Here's the relevant part of the ladder (as it now stands) with the For and Against:

3. Hurricanes; 35 pts; F=307/A=255

4. Brumbies; 30 pts; F=337/A=285

5. Highlanders; 28 pts; F=264/A=218

6. Waratahs; 27 pts; F=295/A=330

7. Bulls; 26 pts; F=296/A=338

And the relevant draw for next week's final round (home team listed first):

Blues -v- Hurricanes
Brumbies -v- Crusaders
Reds -v- Highlanders
Waratahs -v- Chiefs
Sharks -v- Bulls

The Brumbies only have to beat the Crusaders - without any bonus points - in order to eliminate the Highlanders. That would give the Brumbies 34 pts. Even if the Highlanders win with a bonus point, giving them a total of 33 pts, they miss out. That's why the Brumbies' win and the Highlanders' loss on the weekend were so crucial.

Obviously, a Brumbies win also eliminates the Waratahs and the Bulls.

If the Hurricanes lose without picking up a bonus point, and the Brumbies win with a bonus point, the Brumbies can pinch third spot and relegate the Hurricanes to fourth spot on the For and Against differential. Fourth spot really will be a bit of a poisoned chalice. Whomever finishes fourth must play the Blues at home in their semi. Not everyone's ideal option.

So, really, the Brumbies hold the key. If they win, that's it. If they lose, however, anything's possible. Good grief! If the Brumbies, the Highlanders and the Waratahs were all to lose without picking up a bonus point, and the Bulls were to win with a bonus point, the Bulls could pinch fourth spot!

[Havak]

I should have mentioned it's a public holiday here this weekend. I'll have to catch up properly in the week.

Kafer has already gone to Saracens Finbar. He was always going to be the scape-goat.

We have one last chance to make the H cup - a wildcard play off. But given the performance Saturday I can't see it. It's Parker pen shield for us as you say.

There are problems with the side - and I caght a few new insights on Saturday - but this game was like a one off final. the Exiles needed the win and our lads looked like they didn't care - very dangerous stuff to see Tigers not caring as it runs against the whole club ethos.

As it stands they should take a pasting at Glaws next Saturday - but rugby is a funny game and if anyone is going to win down there it's still us.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
I should have mentioned it's a public holiday here this weekend.

A public holiday is declared when London Irish win a game? How novel.

Kafer has already gone to Saracens Finbar. He was always going to be the scape-goat.

Oh well, if they're taking the scapegoat approach, they deserve to end up in a competition named after a writing implement.

As it stands they should take a pasting at Glaws next Saturday - but rugby is a funny game and if anyone is going to win down there it's still us.

The way my luck runs, you'll hammer Gloucester.

[finbar]

BTW, chaps, we're rapidly climbing towards the magic 500 posts. Time to start tossing around names for a new thread.

An early possibility:

Rugby - R.I.P. Tigers



Edit. I know that no one apart from me is counting, but including this post, we have now, between us, totalled

3,857

posts on the matter of rugby since we started these mindless exercises. I hope we're all well and truly ashamed of the valuable time we've squandered.

[Tamerlin]

The count is now 3,858 and I feel really ashamed... all this wasted time.

[Bearcat]

Originally posted by finbar
I suspect the Hurricanes are the surprise. The Blues have usually been around the place at semi-final time, even if their performances this year have been a surprise. Last year was the Crusaders' LA Lakers-year. This year it's a bit more open.

The Hurricanes sure seem to have a lot of players with dreadlocks on their team.

It's going to be a very, very interesting last round of matches. Essentially, the Highlanders will have to win and pick up a bonus point against the Reds, hope the Brumbies lose to the Crusaders without picking up a bonus point, and hope the Waratahs lose to the Chiefs.

I think that the Crusaders could beat the Brumbies and the Highlanders could beat the Reds, but I don't think that the Chiefs can beat the Waratahs.

Yes, and I think that's possibly the fundamental difference. Your teams are franchises in a restricted competition. The only real way out is to go bankrupt. While that can happen in the other competitions we're talking about - and the threat is becoming very real with the increased costs of "professionalism" - the other competitions are firmly rooted in a traditional concept of clubs representing particular cities or towns or areas competing against each other.

I don't know a lot about American sport history, but I suspect your competitions probably also started out in the same tribal way. I'd be interested to know. Somewhere along the line, the current unique concept emerged and developed as it did. That it's so enormously popular means it obviously works.

Our football teams, as an example, started primarily at the college level and ended up taking root in certain cities in the East and Midwest, like Detroit, Chicago, New York, and Baltimore. The golden age of football and consquently baseball was probably the 1920s and 1930s, before everything was overly commercialized. Even into the 1950s there were great rivalries in baseball like the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees. Now traditional rivalries are primarily in college sports, like Texas vs. Texas A & M and Nebraska vs. Oklahoma.

So you tend to favor New Zealand teams? Which team do you usually support in the Tri-nations?

I'd probably support Australia or South Africa.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by finbar


It's a bit more complicated than that. It's total For and Against over the season.

Here's the relevant part of the ladder (as it now stands) with the For and Against:

3. Hurricanes; 35 pts; F=307/A=255

4. Brumbies; 30 pts; F=337/A=285

5. Highlanders; 28 pts; F=264/A=218

6. Waratahs; 27 pts; F=295/A=330

7. Bulls; 26 pts; F=296/A=338

And the relevant draw for next week's final round (home team listed first):

Blues -v- Hurricanes
Brumbies -v- Crusaders
Reds -v- Highlanders
Waratahs -v- Chiefs
Sharks -v- Bulls

The Brumbies only have to beat the Crusaders - without any bonus points - in order to eliminate the Highlanders. That would give the Brumbies 34 pts. Even if the Highlanders win with a bonus point, giving them a total of 33 pts, they miss out. That's why the Brumbies' win and the Highlanders' loss on the weekend were so crucial.

Obviously, a Brumbies win also eliminates the Waratahs and the Bulls.

DUh! *slaps forehead* Of course! What was I thinking?? I already pointed out that a Brumbies win would ensure they get into the top four...my brain must be fried from all this schoolwork...

If the Hurricanes lose without picking up a bonus point, and the Brumbies win with a bonus point, the Brumbies can pinch third spot and relegate the Hurricanes to fourth spot on the For and Against differential. Fourth spot really will be a bit of a poisoned chalice. Whomever finishes fourth must play the Blues at home in their semi. Not everyone's ideal option.

It's gonna be tough watching the Blues/Hurricanes game now...I'll want the Blues to win, but I'll also be wanting the 'canes to pick up a bonus point.

So, really, the Brumbies hold the key. If they win, that's it. If they lose, however, anything's possible. Good grief! If the Brumbies, the Highlanders and the Waratahs were all to lose without picking up a bonus point, and the Bulls were to win with a bonus point, the Bulls could pinch fourth spot!

Wouldn't that be something!? Although I suspect their chances against the Blues at home would be slim to none.

[Caligastia]

Originally posted by Bearcat
I'd probably support Australia or South Africa.

I guess someone has to

[finbar]

Originally posted by Bearcat
Our football teams, as an example, started primarily at the college level and ended up taking root in certain cities in the East and Midwest, like Detroit, Chicago, New York, and Baltimore.

That's interesting. So did any of the current pro football teams have their roots in college teams? Or did they start up alongside the college teams? With the college teams feeding them as they do now?

The golden age of football and consquently baseball was probably the 1920s and 1930s, before everything was overly commercialized.

There was a wonderful documentary TV series on the history of baseball made by Ken Burns - who made the "Civil War" documentary series - shown here last year. I know it was made and shown over there a long, long time ago. But because baseball is a very minor sport here, the TV network obviously thought it wouldn't be of interest. Once they finally showed it, it was absolutely fascinating.

I'd probably support Australia or South Africa.

Leaning to the former, obviously.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Tamerlin
The count is now 3,858 and I feel really ashamed... all this wasted time.

Whomever is the most numerate amongst us should try to calculate how much time we've actually wasted. On the basis that I know how and when to use "whomever", that disqualifies me from the job. Numeracy escapes me. I'm only literate.

Oh, and don't forget we need a new thread title. Here's another possibility:

Rugby - Tigers Write With Parker Pens

[finbar]

Originally posted by Caligastia
It's gonna be tough watching the Blues/Hurricanes game now...I'll want the Blues to win, but I'll also be wanting the 'canes to pick up a bonus point.

Interesting match. If Carlos is in form, and Caucau is back, they should get home. The Hurricanes really fell in a hole last week. Very disappointing. They never got organised - allowing Umaga and friends to fire - because their set pieces were a shambles. Still, they'd been extremely consistent, and everyone's allowed a bad one.

Wouldn't that be something!? Although I suspect their chances against the Blues at home would be slim to none.

Closer to none.

[Havak]

In fairness only I used the word scape goat about Kafer.
And whilst he may not have been the cause of the shocking decline in our backs he certainly showed that he couldn't do anything about it so he probably had to go and let a new coach come in to shake things up there.

Strangely I'm not keen on either of those thread titles.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
In fairness only I used the word scape goat about Kafer.

Yes, but you're legendary around Leicester for your perspicacity.

And whilst he may not have been the cause of the shocking decline in our backs he certainly showed that he couldn't do anything about it so he probably had to go and let a new coach come in to shake things up there.

Yep. Scapegoat!

Strangely I'm not keen on either of those thread titles.

Odd. I thought you'd fancy seeing the name featured prominently somewhere this year.

[Havak]

Ouch! That stings!

I don't need to be that insightful to know he has carried the blame that can't be entirely his.

And may I remind you again - Orange Cup holders - just like Glaws will be when they beat the new French champions.