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 [...]

Save the Cheerleader, Save the world – Sharks

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 [...]

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, [...]

Super 14 – Week Negative 1

Well I know I can get excited about the game, but thought I would start early with a quick review of week negative 1.
The missus is o/s on secondment in Hong Kong, which means I can dedicate more of my time to the game. You have to feel sorry for our new puppy though, the [...]

Super Trials and Kangaroo Courts

Last year I was taking in the results of the Trial games into my calculations for the Super 14 games-proper. Which I think judging by this years trial games is a mistake. Stormers beat Saracens 43-33 which tells us what? That northern hemisphere rugby is still really second division. Revelation? [...]

Coaches in the ropes

Never mind recruiting and retrieving errant players this pre-season has seen coach moving as THE big preparation plan.
Sharks have hired Andrew Johns, the Aussie League evil-genius to help, in the words of PlanetRugby “with kicking, catching and a few other specifics”
I don’t know what they paid him or for how long he’s gonna be there but [...]

Good luck Sharks!

Super 14 – Semi Two

Have the Aussies learnt a thing or two from the World cup?   Defence wins world cups and you don’t need a crowbar to read between the lines of Dick Muir’s recent statements that he might reckon the same goes for S14.
Sharks will be looking to defend well and build on their scrum dominance.  However, it [...]

Super 14 – Round 14 – Part 2

Crusaders take on kiwi bottom of the table team.  Everyone’s predicting a drumming, but against reasonable teams, the Crusaders have been relatively quiet.  Reckon they’ll be nervous about injuries again and will be playing conservatively, whereas the Dunedin crew has nothing to loose.  On that basis the 3.40-1, odds on Crusaders by less than 12.5 [...]

Super 14 – Round 13 – Part 2

The Blues have the slimmest of chances of making the semi’s and this weekend will be crucial for them.  Blues have an awful track record at House of pain, having only won there once before.  Blues scraped through a great game last weekend against the reds, which won’t exactly fill them with joy.  Highlanders have [...]

Super 14 Week 12 – Part 1

Our first up match is the big grudge match of the weekend, certainly in our household. Baba has a shark’s outfit plus Crusaders hoody and booties. Oh dear.
Although it rips my heart out to say, I can’t see the Sharks pulling a fast one over the Knights-of-the-odd-shaped ball this weekend unless the last 2 weeks [...]