Super 14 Calender entries

I’ve created some Calender files here for the upcoming Super 14 2010 season. It includes all the fixtuers apart from the Semi Finals and Finals obviously.

Please feel free to download at your leasure and add them to either Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar.  Google can be a bit messy, so I advise adding a new Calendar before importing the file.

They files below have a .doc extension and need  to be renamed to .CSV)

There are 4 files, one for each timezone.  Games times are in the relevant timezone and not local:

South Africa: Super 14 – 2010 – SA

Australia: Super 14 – 2010 – AUS

New Zealand: Super 14 – 2010 – NZ

GMT: Super 14 – 2010 – GMT

(remember to RENAME to .CSV files after downloading!)

Invictus

Well I was little surprised when I came across this. looks like Clint Eastwood is directing this adaptation of a book by the name of  Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Changed the World.  Matt Damon will be playing Francois Pienaar (now there’s a sentence I never thought I would type).  The book has only recently ben released but it was apparantly Morgan Freeman’s idea (he plays Nelson Mandela) to take it to Clint.  So no release date but its already being billed as possible Oscar material.

Summary from Hitflix:

“Invictus tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) joined forces with the captain of South Africa’s rugby team (Matt Damon) to help unite their country. Newly elected President Mandela knows his nation remains racially and economically divided in the wake of apartheid. Believing he can bring his people together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies South Africa’s underdog rugby team as they make an unlikely run to the 1995 World Cup Championship match”

Sad News for Brumbies Young Gun

After week off in Honkers for the 7s, I have gone another week with next to no rugby.

 A sad week for rugby, I have just read the shocking news that Shawn Mackay has died in a Durban hospital after fighting for his life all week in a coma.  He was hit by an armed response vehicle in SA last week and finally came out of his coma over the weekend only for his condition to fall away and he died of a heart attack a couple of hours ago.  I’m in a bit of a shock actually.

Terrible news for the Brumbies and Oz rugby community.

 And the northern hemisphere has decided to scrap a number of the ELVs as well.  Hopefully next time they will try before they buy instead of giving up without any effort.

 Back to the S14s.

 Crusaders won ugly again with a well needed victory over the Bulls and puts them in the semi finals race after a woeful start to the season.   Even with Victor Matfield and Bryan Habana back for the Bulls, their travelling voodoo has seen another loss against opponents they should have beaten.  The errors on both sides were horrific but the Bulls tried harder than the Crusaders to lose this match.

Save the Cheerleader, Save the world – Sharks

Regan’s Gonna Rant

Alright now, up until this point of the comp, I haven’t really had too much to rant about, there was the Man-Perm issue which really was more of a laugh than anything, this week there was the pink Western Force jerseys that would in any normal week take my attention, but the rant has to go to the first game of the round.  I was looking forward to this match all week, as I mentioned last week the Bulls are going to lead the ladder all season (even though I stupidly still tipped the Canes), and I also said this game would be a teller for them as they finally come up against some strong opposition, but I didn’t expect the opposition to be the ref.

 

Now SANZAR have decided this year that the GFC is hitting every industry and every corner of the world, and that they too need to tighten the purse strings.  Instead of using neutral refs for each game, they would choose on “merit”, just happens the ref living closest to each game deserves on “merit” to ref that game (by chance cuts down on travel costs too, how about that).  The strongest teams playing each week will get the strongest ref available to officiate.  Great idea in principle, but who on earth thought that Matt “I’m The Boss” Goddard was the strongest ref available ref this week?!?  In fact name one Australian ref that actually knows how to let the spectators enjoy a free flowing game?  As Goddard was so intimidated by the two teams, he thought the best way to gain control and an upper hand, was to send most of the players off.  In the first 20 mins 3 Cards and by the end of the 50 mins 6 Cards were handed out (one of those a Red, admittedly the Red Card was deserved for a sickening tackle on Conrad Smith).  At one stage there were 3 players off the pitch.  So in theory Goddard had less to do, as there was less to officiate.  How about SANZAR cut his wages to save money cause he only did half a job.  Based on merit, Matt Goddard should be travelling with the Cheetahs this entire season.

 

Super 14 Predictions – Round 6

Just a note that I have updated the Games and Predictions page with Rugbyoracles team and score predictions for Super 14, round 6.

Tot Siens

Save the Cheerleader, Save the world – Bulls

Bulls take on the Hurricanes this weekend.  The only team remaining that hasnt been beaten this season.   Hell never mind this tournament.  They havnt been beaten in the last Eight games they’ve played for the tournament!  Looking good.  My money’s still on the Canes by a margin of nothing. 

Red Faced Steyn

What a weekend of rugby, but started off on the worst foot.

The Cheetahs shouldn’t even be in this competition.  Watching them against the Blues was painful and embarrassing.  The Blues should hang their heads that they only won by 34 points.

At least the Cheetahs can win at one thing, and that’s taking the mantle off the Force for having shocking haircuts and facial hair.  One guy had a mo that would make a paedophile blush and another literally had half a head of hair, parted smack bang down the middle of his head.

I am worried about the quality of the S14 competition if the SARU continue to demand a 6^th team.

 

The Brumbies and Tahs was a cracking derby with so much more flair than the Tahs v Red encounters.  I was a little lost on which game the ref was blowing, The Tahs defence was sound, but when the Brumbies backline took a leaf out of Mortlocks play book and just ran into them time and time again, their defence was bound to give.  The smash and keep smashing plan got them two tries and at one stage forced Beale to play fullback after Big Nose Norton-Knight went to the blood bin, what a bad reshuffle that turned out to be.

 

The Force comeback against the Crusaders was a cracking match with Gits playing like a true champion and control his team around the field.  With a come back from 23-9 down I was on the edge of my seat with 5 mins to go, 23-23 and a scrum feed 10 meters out from the try line, I though the Force would snatch this one……but then a huge thunder storm rolled over the Inner West, a million tonnes of rain fell on the Union Hotel and the Fox telecast dropped out and I was left watching test pattern.  I let out a huge scream, went to the bar and ordered another Coopers.  What else was there to do?!?

15 mins later the rain stopped and I found out the scores didn’t change.

Save the Cheerleader, Save the world – Cheetahs

Cheetahs are looking a bit rubbish.  Cant figure out why.

 

Super 14 Predictions – Round 4

The Games and Predictions page with Rugbyoracle’s team and score predictions for Super 14, round 4.   This week there are 2 picks that run contrary to the favorites and I’ve agonised over the choices.  But then you know what they say, you’ve got to have chaos in your soul if you want to give birth to a dancing star.   No, I dont know what it means either.

buona fortuna

Reeg’s Rant – “Man Perm”

Well another weekend I still haven’t seen much ruggers.  Only caught the glimpses of the Tah’s match and was pretty pissed by the time I saw the Force match, so cant really add much light on that game.  It was all a blur of Cameron Shepherd and Nick “Man-Perm” Cummings.

The weekend started with an upset, after the Crusaders cavalry came charging back onto the field, the Canes just sent them packing.  Thorn and McCaw coming back from injury, didn’t help the team, especially when McCaw went straight back off seeing yellow.  The Canes are starting to play to their potential maybe?

The Tahs had a good win as to be expected, but they looked a lot better than the previous weeks.   Although they are still leaving huge gaps out wide, which the Highlanders tried to use, if only they could move the ball a little faster and pass to the chest.  When are the Tahs going to give up on Burgess and let the little tank Sheehan have a full run?

Chiefs continue to be unlucky after having a number of tries denied by the video ref.  But the Sharks are a class outfit which they have now proved against class opposition after the first two weeks of training runs.

Save the Cheerleader, Save the world – Stormers

Stomers are odds on favorites to  take on Blues.  The Blues are having a shocking start to their season, having not won a game yet.    This week they have a couple of  old faces being in the form of Rokocoko and Kaino but its unlikely to be enough as the Stormers seem to building some good momentum in their first couple of home games.