The Hurricanes and Chiefs get us started on this final weekend of round robin Super Rugby, with the Hurricanes still in with a shout of reaching the playoffs, and the Chiefs in the position to do them a favour, seeing as they have already qualified.
The Chiefs though, are still not secured of a home final, should they get that far, and will have to pick up some points in this match to ensure they stay clear of second placed Stormers.
The Hurricanes need to pick up a full five points and hope that either of the Sharks or Bulls do not pick up the full house, so that they sneak into that final play-off spot.
Hurricanes: 1. Reg Goodes ,2. Dane Coles ,3. Ben May ,4. Jeremy Thrush ,5. Jason Eaton ,6. Faifili Levave,7. Jack Lam ,8. Victor Vito ,9. Chris Eaton / Frae Wilson,10. Beauden Barrett,11. Julian Savea ,12. Tim Bateman ,13. Conrad Smith (c) ,14. Cory Jane / Alapati Leiua ,15. Andre Taylor
Reserves :16. Motu Matu’u ,17. Jeffery Toomaga-Allen ,18. James Broadhurst,19. Brad Shields ,20. Frae Wilson / Jamie Nutbrown,21. Tusi Pisi ,22. Jayden Hayward
Chiefs: 1.Toby Smith , 2.Hika Elliot , 3.Ben Tameifuna , 4.Craig Clarke (c) , 5.Brodie Retallick , 6.Liam Messam , 7.Tanerau Latimer , 8.Kane Thompson , 9.Tawera Kerr-Barlow , 10. Aaron Cruden , 11.Robbie Robinson , 12.Sonny Bill Williams , 13.Jackson Willison , 14.Lelia Masaga , 15.Andrew Horrell
Replacements :16.Mahonri Schwalger , 17.Sona Taumalolo (50th Chiefs match) , 18.Michael Fitzgerald , 19.Sam Cane , 20.Brendon Leonard , 21.Asaeli Tikoirotuma , 22.Tim Nanai-Williams
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan
Assistant Ref 1:Garratt Williamson
Assistant Ref 2: Keith Brown
TMO : Mike Fraser
Tweet
go Chiefs!
Canes lead 8-7
@robdylan (Comment 2)
try Canes! Superb build-up
15-7 Canes
I don’t mind a Canes win here, but I don’t want them to score 4…
15-15
try chiefs! All square
Go Chiefs!
Come on Chiefs
that’s the half-time score. 15-all
Half time was 18-15, Canes penalty at the hooter.
Still 18.15, 2 mins in 2nd half.
@Salmonoid (Comment 12) : oh shot – thanks!
SBW is mostly rubbish tonight – he is losing the ball 8 out of 10 times in contact
Kiwis orchestrating an attempt to get a Kiwi team over a SA team perhaps?
Intercept try, Cruden under the sticks, 22 – 18
Come on Hurricanes! PLEASE!!!
Surely we’d rather see a final in Cape Town.
Lets go chiefs!!!!!!!!!
Kom Chiefs
Canes 21 – 25 Chiefs
@Salmonoid (Comment 16) : @JarsonX (Comment 20) : how did the Canes lose a point?
Roundabout 12 mins left
Refs are blind to high tackles
@robdylan (Comment 21) : I’m following SS updates?
Only a few minutes left, scores are still the same
Should be over by now?
Wow – how many phases was that
whatever happens is fine. No bonus point for either side
Canes win and barely keep hopes alive in case one of Bulls or Sharks slip up tomorrow
try given. Canes win.
But this is good, because this result doesn’t force us to get a bonus point tomorrow. Just a win will do.
Now the Tahs need to keep the Reds from scoring 4 tries
Nope haven’t the canes just scored their 4th try?
Bullshit! Chiefs losing twice in a row. Bullshit! NZ cooking the results again.
@Sharksmad – The Blog’s Dudette (Comment 33) : ok seems I have last count of the tries scored
Yes Canes….I’m still alive in LMS!!
At least I get a margin point
@robdylan (Comment 31) : I thought a bonus point win for the Sharks depended on the results of the Reds/Tahs matchup?
@vanmartin (Comment 38) : it does too, yes.
But we needed neither the Canes nor the Reds to get a bonus
@robdylan (Comment 39) : Gotcha. To be honest, I can’t be bothered to keep track of all these permutations any more. Glad some on here still do!
@robdylan (Comment 39) : Canes-Sharks depended on point difference in case they ended up on the same log point. Sharks still has a slightly better PD than Canes
Phew thank you Dane Coles!!!
Outside of maybe the Brumbies vs Blues game, they should all help determine the final log position.
I can only hope for something like this:
1 Stormers
2 Chiefs
3 Brumbies (conference system knocks them up)
4 Crusaders
5 Bulls
6 Sharks
Followed by: Stormers versus Bulls & Chiefs versus Sharks.
@hendrikp (Comment 42) :
It’d be nice if somehow the Force managed to beat the Crusaders… not going to happen though.
In that case we could get a Sharks vs Bulls quarter-final next weekend.
@hendrikp (Comment 43) : Would it not work out a Stormers-Sharks and Chiefs-Bulls semi?
@hendrikp (Comment 42) : I don’t know why you guys are content with this result. The Sharks will now have to go to Aus, then SA, then NZ (most likely) whereas if the Chiefs won, it would have been Aus, NZ, and then facing Saders in Christchurch after they just travelled to SA.
Woohoo!
Thank you Hurricanes. Not only do we now get a home final, but we miss the Crusaders in the semis. In fact, from the look of it, we’re on a collision course with the Sharks, you guys should have little problem knocking over the Brumbies. As for the Canes, give those men a Bells!
@klempie (Comment 45) : Exactly – not the best news for the Sharks
@hendrikp (Comment 42) : t@hendrikp (Comment 42) : that log will give the sharks a semi against the stormers….
@Bokhoring (Comment 44) : you right
@Franshark (Comment 48) : And a final against a fresh Saders side in Christchurch.
If the log ends :
Stormers
Chiefs
Brumbies
Crusaders
Bulls
Sharks
The Sharks will play Brumbies in the Playoff, the Chiefs in the semi and the Stormers in the final, is it not?
@Franshark (Comment 48) :
That’s just what I said. Don’t you people listen to me…
As I understand it, 3 plays 6 in Q1 and 4 plays 5 in Q2. Then the semis will be 1 vs Q2, because the 4th ranked team on the log plays in that Qualifier, and then 2 plays Q1, as the 3rd ranked team plays in that one. Or is that wrong?
@Argex (Comment 51) : No. They play Brumbies, Stormers, Chiefs/Saders.
@Argex (Comment 53) : No. Your second step is wrong. The semi’s are still determined by final log position. So 1 would play 6 regardless of whether 6 beat 3 in the playoffs.
Oh okay. I see. Thanks man!!
@klempie (Comment 55) : * regardless is the wrong word there.
Should be “So 1 would play 6 in spite of 6 beating 3 in the playoffs.”
So then it is Canberra Cape-Town Christchurch;-)
@Argex (Comment 58) : Yeh and if the Chiefs had won today, it’d be Canberra, Hamilton, Christchurch. Tell me what’s worse…
You reckon the Stormers have no chance to win the whole thing?
@Argex (Comment 60) : Not with the Saders in the mix.
@klempie (Comment 59) : New scenario, if it ends
Stormers
Chiefs
Brumbies
Saders
Bulls
Sharks
What we would want to happen is for the Bulls to barge through the Saders and Chiefs, resulting in a Loftus final, meaning 2 weeks in SA for us while the Bulls will have to fly back from NZ after two hard matches.
Not likely, I know, but that would be ideal
@Die Kriek (Comment 62) : LOL. Dreamer!
For all you know the reds lose..the sharks power over the cheetahs and the bulls win without having to do much..2011 anyone??let’s hope bryce won’t nail the beast again for the wrong foot forward!!!
@shaniboi (Comment 64) : So you want the Saders in Christchurch in the semi?
@klempie (Comment 63) : I believe in my team! Not so sure if the Bulls will be that kind though
@Die Kriek (Comment 66) : So you want the Saders in the semi in Christchurch, and the Stormers in the final? Masochist.
@klempie (Comment 67) : Noo! Refer to comment 62, that would be perfect for me, I think the Bulls will lose to the Saders though, so we will have to fly back to NZ for the final
@shaniboi (Comment 64) : “YOU MOVED!!!!!!”
@robdylan (Comment 69) : ?
@klempie (Comment 70) : I believe he is quoting mr. Bryce
@Die Kriek (Comment 71) : Oh yeh.
@klempie (Comment 72) :