The Reds travel to Albany this morning to take on the Blues.
The Reds’ chances of making the semi-finals are all but over sitting in 13th spot, while the Blues’ chances are very much alive sitting in 6th just three points off the top of the table.
Will the Reds react in the right way to coach Mooney’s lambasting from last week?
Or will the Blues’ dropping of Rene Ranger for disciplinary reasons unsettle the team?
Venue: North Harbour Stadium, Albany
Kick-off: 17:30 Local time, 07:30 SA time.
Referee: Vinny Munro (New Zealand)
ARs: Chris Pollock (New Zealand), Jonathan White (New Zealand)
TMO: Ben Skeen (New Zealand)
Blues:
15 Paul Williams, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Anthony Tuitavake, 12 Isaia Toeava, 11 Rudi Wulf, 10 Tasesa Lavea, 9 Taniela Moa, 8 Chris Lowrey, 7 Josh Blackie, 6 Justin Collins, 5 Anthony Boric, 4 Kurtis Haiu, 3 Charlie Faumuina, 2 Tom McCartney, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements:
16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Tevita Mailau, 18 Ali Williams, 19 Jerome Kaino, 20 Grayson Hart, 21 Jimmy Gopperth, 22 Michael Hobbs.
Reds:
15 Mark McLinden, 14 Luke Morahan, 13 Digby Ioane, 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Brando Va’aulu, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Ezra Taylor, 7 Poutasi Luafutu, 6 Hugh McMeniman, 5 James Horwill (captain), 4 Van Humphries, 3 Laurie Weeks, 2 Sean Hardman, 1 Greg Holmes.
Replacements:
16 Saia Faingaa, 17 Jack Kennedy, 18 Adam Byrnes, 19 Scott Higginbotham, 20 Ben Lucas, 21 Charlie Fetoai, 22 Anthony Faingaa.
Tweet
Well there is one good thing about the internet in the office failing. 👿
You get to spend the day at home, working from there. 😎
Nessa’s Birthday today.
Happy Birthday Nessa
Teams walk out, side by side. ANZAC day tribute.
This week the commentators are using the weather as an excuse for a poor turnout at the stadium.
Last week they used some sort of public transport issue as an excuse.
Why do they have to keep coming up with some sort of excuse everyweek. 😕
PK Reds and it’s slotted
Reds 3 – 0 Blues
2min
Two of the light towers go out.
Ref discusses with the two Captains and they decide to continue as is provided it doesn’t get any darker.
Tech department says it will be 15min before they come back on.
Okay they have now decided to leave the field.
Lights aren’t back on and the teams are in the changeroom.
Blues #8 injured his knee just before play was called off and he leaves the field on the stretcher car.
Go the Reds!!!!!!!!!!
This is the same Stadium where the Fire Alarm went off a few years ago.
Wasn’t it against the Sharks?
They have been off the field for 15minutes now. after having just played 4 and a bit minutes.
Cheerleaders working overtime while the players are sitting in the changeroom.
A cancelled game will result in a draw.
Been off the park for more than 20minutes now
Morning everyone!
Some lights starting to flicker back on now.
@Lyndy_in_Mtl (Comment 14) :
Hey. They have been waiting for you it seems. 😉
Well, I had an early morning thanks to the Stormers and the Highlanders and I had to work until 12am so I needed a little rest. It seems as though the Gods of Rugby wanted me to catch the game. 😆
Damnit! The lights are coming back on. Draw would have been good for us. 👿
Was the entire stadium in the dark?
@KSA Shark © (Comment 10) : Yes
@klempie (Comment 18) : Howdy Klempie!
@klempie (Comment 20) : oooh, spooky.
@Lyndy_in_Mtl (Comment 21) : Hey cute Canuck.
@Lyndy_in_Mtl (Comment 19) :
2 of the 4 towers were out. both at the one end of the field. So it was okay in one half and night in the other half.
Match will restart at 08:30 SA time. With 4min on the clock.
go Reds
Should be interesting to see how they manage the HUGE overlap between this and the next match. 😀
@KSA Shark © (Comment 24) : These third world countries eh? 🙄 😛
@KSA Shark © (Comment 26) : SS7 is open at 9am so SS at least have a solution.
Didn’t the trains go down last week against the Highlanders? Is this stadium/city going to be ready for the World Cup?
Oh wait, that’s in two years, right? I am thinking about the Olympics.
@Lyndy_in_Mtl (Comment 30) : Correct.
Game get’s underway with a scrum to the Reds just outside the Blues 22
Reds 3 – 0 Blues
4:37
Come on two teams I don’t really care about! Woo!
that was a 48minute delay. 🙁
@KSA Shark © (Comment 34) : It’s because I was napping, the grounds crew were all like “Lyndy’s not watching yet… Kill the lights! Kill the lights!”
@Lyndy_in_Mtl (Comment 35) : 🙂
@Lyndy_in_Mtl (Comment 35) : Of course! Of course! Al Gore would NOT appreciate wasted energy!
All Reds at the moment and they almost score as Va’aulu is Force into touch in-goal
Know what’s awesome? I did ALL the dishes last night so don’t have to do em today. 😎
@klempie (Comment 37) : Yes, it’s an inconvenient truth.
Klempie are you in South Africa?
@klempie (Comment 39) : @klempie (Comment 39) : Bravo!
@Lyndy_in_Mtl (Comment 40) :
Hehehehehhe I watched monsters v Aliens yesterday, they slipped that in there as well. 😆
@Lyndy_in_Mtl (Comment 41) : Joburg to be precise. 🙁
@KSA Shark © (Comment 43) : I liked that movie but I don’t have any kids so don’t tell anyone. 😯
@klempie (Comment 44) : You don’t like it there? Is that why you don’t like the Bulls? (As your pic demonstrates)
@Lyndy_in_Mtl (Comment 42) : Thank you, thank you. 😎 I hate washing dishes but I hate dishwashers more.
@klempie (Comment 47) : I only do my dishes to not have to deal with “dish jenga”.
@klempie (Comment 47) :
My Dishwasher is pretty damn cool.
She’s been married to me for 13 years. 😉
20min
Reds 3 – 0 Blues
@Lyndy_in_Mtl (Comment 48) :
Dish jenga. 😆
@Lyndy_in_Mtl (Comment 46) : Well strictly speaking the Bulls are 50km up the road in Pretoria. I work there actually. But nah, Joburg’s a pretty boring place to live in. A rat race of note. I grew up in Durban so you can understand the frustration. Unfortunately, this is the only place where I can do the work I do so just have to put up with it. I plan to emigrate in the next 3 years or anyway though. Canada may be one of the options but the weather may scupper that idea. 😛
I just hate the Bulls cos their supporters are arrogant and dumb as hell and they have a habit of beating us in knockout games. 👿
@KSA Shark © (Comment 49) : Where is kette?? 😈
@klempie (Comment 53) :
At Work. 😆
@Lyndy_in_Mtl (Comment 48) : I pile mine up in the sink over the week and then tackle them over the weekend.
@klempie (Comment 52) : Go to Vancouver, the weather’s milder there but you have to deal with the rain.
Which city has better weather, Cape Town or Durban?
@Lyndy_in_Mtl (Comment 56) :
50/50
Cape Town has a winter rainfall, so the winters are cold and wet.
durban has a summer rainfall, so the summers are hot and humid.
REDS TRY!!!!!!! (cooper)
Try for the Reds.
LOL Barnes scores under the posts off what I believe was a forward pass. hehe
10-0. REEEEEEEEDS!
@KSA Shark © (Comment 57) :
Sorry Barnes, not Cooper.
Converted
Reds 10 – 0 Blues
30min
@Lyndy_in_Mtl (Comment 56) : Def Durbs. You still get low 20C highs in winter there. Summer can be a bit murderous with very high humidity though so you feel like you need a shower every hour but that more applies to the bowl that the city sits in. The outskirts, where I grew up aren’t nearly as humid and it’s actually very pleasant.
CT very windy and rainy. Four seasons in one day city.
@klempie (Comment 61) : Good to know for future reference.
Horwill TRY!!!!!!!!!
Horwill!!
17-0 Reds! Awesome. 😎
Conversion over
Reds 17 – 0 Blues
38min
@Lyndy_in_Mtl (Comment 62) : If you ever come visit us, best time is late March to late May. 🙂
Toeava try!
Toeva….shit!
HT 17-7
Conversion missed
Blues 5 – 17 Reds
HALF TIME
@klempie (Comment 68) : 17-5 😳
@klempie (Comment 68) :
I KNEW you would get caught at some stage.
Are they going to do a full halftime even though there was a 48 minute delay?
@klempie (Comment 66) :
It all depends what you want to do though.
Game viewing is not so good at that time of year. grass is still to long after the summer rains.
@Lyndy_in_Mtl (Comment 72) :
yes they have to have the 10min break by law.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 73) : I think that whole theory is a load of crap. I was in Kruger last year in Feb and we saw loads.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 73) : I suppose I should see a live game one of these years 😀 but you know what, it’s confusing because I am so used the commentary and people telling what’s going on. I went to an NFL game once and I had NO idea what was going on.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 74) : They only get ten minutes? Dudes, call your unions, NHLers get 20 minutes between the periods.
@klempie (Comment 75) : Saw 4 of the big 5. I’ll let you guess which one we missed. 😛
@klempie (Comment 75) :
Yes you still see loads, but you see more in the winter and it depends on the environment the game is in. The more dense areas (KZN, Swaziland) are almost unnegotiable in the summer due to the undergrowth reaching the trees. So it just becomes one BIG BUSH, In the grasslands it is not a major problem.
@Lyndy_in_Mtl (Comment 77) : Yeh but NHLers are girls. No offense intended of course.
@klempie (Comment 78) :
Leopard.
@klempie (Comment 80) : It would seem so. That’s why I like rugby more.
@klempie (Comment 80) : NFLers I mean. 😳 You threw me in 77. NHLers are awesome.
NHLers suck. My hometown team was swept out of the first round of the playoffs. Shame really, since it was our centennial season.
Ioane TRY!!!!!!!!!!!
@Lyndy_in_Mtl (Comment 84) : I’m sorry. I am bitter.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 79) :
Yeh but that’s if you are a game viewing enthusiast. As a tourist you want the big stuff and you want the African plains experience which Kruger has.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 81) :
@KSA Shark © (Comment 85) : Oh yeah, there’s a game on.
@Lyndy_in_Mtl (Comment 84) :
We celebrated OUR Centennial with our first ever Currie Cup Championship win in 1990. 😎
Conversion over
Blues 5 – 24 Reds
48min
@Lyndy_in_Mtl (Comment 88) : 😆
Faingaa BP TRY !!!!!!!!!!!!!
This has got a Cheetahs v Sharks feel to it. For which I am VERY grateful.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 89) : WE should have celebrated ours with a 25th championship. Sad way to end the year.
Barnes converts
Blues 5 – 31 Reds
51min
@klempie (Comment 93) :
Except it is the 2nd time this season that the reds are killing a giant. 🙁
Wonder if the Cheetahs will manage a 2nd? 🙄 🙁 😛
@Lyndy_in_Mtl (Comment 86) : I think ice hockey’s cool. Don’t really follow it but it’s obvious there’s a LOT of skill required. SO FAST! Only North American sport I respect. 😛
@KSA Shark © (Comment 96) : This week would be great.
@klempie (Comment 98) :
Damn RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!
@klempie (Comment 97) : It is fast. Swish swoosh.
Blues aren’t playing very well tonight.
@klempie (Comment 97) :
Ice hockey? One of my Canadian buddies does his nut everytime I refer to it as “Ice hockey”. 😆 😆 In his mind it is just “Hockey” and the other one is called “Field Hockey”. 😛
60min
Blues 5 – 31 Reds
My Supersport 7 isn’t showing the other game. 🙁
Brumbies try
@KSA Shark © (Comment 102) : I played the ‘other’ one in high school. 😛
@klempie (Comment 106) : 🙂
Try Blues!
Converted
Blues 12 – 31 Reds
65min
And now it seems the time for the feed from Albany has expired and the transmission has been lost. 🙁
@klempie (Comment 106) : Me too. I am small but vicious 😉
Haiu TRY!!!!!!!!
NOT converted
Blues 17 – 31 Reds
68min
@KSA Shark © (Comment 111) :
I will be super pissed if they get 4 tries and lose by less than 7.
go Reds!
@KSA Shark © (Comment 112) : 2 points better than 5 🙂
70min
Blues 17 – 31 Reds
@robdylan (Comment 114) :
Would have prefered ZERO 😛
75min
Blues 17 – 31 Reds
3 tries to 4 tries
77min
PK Reds
Going at goal from 40m out.
Good time dragging tactics by the Reds. 😎
Not over.
22 drop out Blues
Time on the clock is up.
Blues LO 15m out from Reds line.
Gopperth TRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Try Converted
FULL TIME
Blues 24 – 31 Reds
Log updated
Blues go 3rd
Reds stay 13th
@Lyndy_in_Mtl (Comment 110) : So you’re a shin breaker? 😛