The first of a double header of derbies this morning is a battle between the Hurricanes, who play their first home game of the season, and the Highlanders, who have surprised most people with their brilliant start to the season.
The Hurricanes are finally at home, after starting their season in South Africa and stopping in Australia on the way home, and have managed to away wins on the tour, which will give them great confidence going into this home game, against opposition that is slightly more fancied to win.
The Highlanders have a lot of factors in their favour, having won all three their opening games and facing a team that will be tired from a rather tough opening couple of weekend, but still have to go onto the field and do the business.
This game might be closer than most people are anticipating, and I will not be surprised to see a Hurricanes win this morning. It will be close though, and it should be a great match to watch.
Hurricanes: 1. Ben May,2. Dane Coles,3. Jeffery Toomaga-Allen,4. Jeremy Thrush,5. Jason Eaton,6. Faifili Levave,7. Jack Lam,8. Victor Vito,9. TJ Perenara,10. Beauden Barrett,11. Julian Savea,12. Tim Bateman,13. Conrad Smith (c),14. Cory Jane,15. Andre Taylor
Replacements :16. Motu Matu’u,17. Michael Bent,18. James Broadhurst,19. Brad Shields,20. Chris Eaton,21. Daniel Kirkpatrick,22. Charlie Ngatai
Highlanders: 1 Jamie Mackintosh (C) 2 Andrew Hore 3 Ma’afu Fia King 4 Josh Bekhuis 5 Nick Crosswell 6 Adam Thomson 7 John Hardie 8 Nasi Manu 9 Jimmy Cowan 10 Colin Slade 11 Hosea Gear 12 Phil Burleigh 13 Tamati Ellison 14 Kade Poki 15 Ben Smith
Reserves 16 Jason Rutledge 17 Bronson Murray 18 Culum Retallick 19 James Haskell 20 Aaron Smith 21 Chris Noakes 22 Buxton Popoali’i
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Overall.
The numbers suggest that the Highlanders are keen to hold onto the pill and begrudgingly let the opposition have it. Highlanders are dominating possession through largely a forward pack that picks and goes. This distorts the numbers a little bit, so one needs to look at time over activity to get a sense of what they are doing. They tend to not kick the ball away. Because they are not great defensively could be another reason behind this strategy to hold onto the ball. For a team with that much possession they commit few handling errors.
Hurricanes, have had little ball and Hammett wanted them to have territory, and this hasn’t happened yet. The numbers will show that they are using the boot a lot. The Canes, even after the 1st game, are having a lot of pressure put on them at set piece resulting in infringements (penalties and free kicks).
Both teams have benefited from 2nd half penalty kicks not being landed that would have put the opposition within a converted try of the lead.
@RuckinGoodStats (Comment 1) : So Highlanders should win 😛
Funny game rugby, hard to really predict, that is why the ball is oval
@RuckinGoodStats (Comment 1) : dude, you still alive, welcome 😉
Yup. Cheers. Might post a few Sharks numbers before the game. About week four there are trends occurring, so not much to say. Doing this cool stats where I’m calculating the time over activity, e.g., Hurricanes kick on average every 33 seconds that they have the pill
@RuckinGoodStats (Comment 5) : That is a lot of kicking
Go Landers
Slade slots a penalty
Canes 0 – 3 Landers
Slade scores the first try of the game
Canes 0 – 8 Landers
Slade converts his own try
Canes 0 – 10 Landers
How the mighty have fallen, Hore is making such basic mistakes.
Slade kicks a penalty for Eaton being offsides at a ruck.
Canes 0 – 13 Landers
Time?
Canes missed penalty kick
@JarsonX (Comment 13) : 09:07 🙂
@JarsonX (Comment 13) : 28 minutes gone
Barrett slots a penalty
Canes 3 – 13 Landers
29 mins
Kickable penalty to the Canes for Slade going off his feet at the ruck
Penalty converted by Barrett
Canes 6 – 13 Landers
32 mins
Cory Jane in the corner for the Canes first try
Canes 11 – 13 Landers
Barrett misses the conversion from the touchline
Canes get a penalty at scrum time just as the half time siren goes off
Barrett gets the kick
Canes 14 – 13 Landers
@lostfish (Comment 16) : 😎 @Ben (Comment 15) : I was in a hurry
Change in referee for the second half, Brown takes over the whistle. Bryce has hurt his leg.
@Ben (Comment 15) : 😆
Landers get a penatly in the first minute and kick it into the Canes half for the lineout.
Canes knock it on in the lineout and Landers get a scrum.
Ben Smith going for the line and bumped into touch 5m out
Kickable penalty to the Landers for Eaton going offside at the ruck
Slade’s kick is good
Canes 14 – Landers 16
Penalty to the Landers for the Canes not rolling, not in kickable range so the Landers kick for the lineout
Lineout throw not straight again from Hore.
Highlanders have a clear run to the try line and Poki thinks he has scored the try but is brought back because of a forward pass
A chance again for the Landers but Bekhuis can’t get the pass.
Penalty to the Landers for Canes not supporting weight at the ruck. Slade is lining up the kick.
Slade pulls the kick to the left.
Canes 14 – 16 Landers
60 mins
I would not have expected such a close game at all.
Derbies are so unpredictable.
Kom aan highlanders
@KSA Shark © (Comment 38) : It’s been a pretty good game so far
Hurricane regain the lead
Canes 17 – 16 Landers
69 mins
From SS: 😆
“56 Poki is over for a try in the corner, but Bryce Lawrence calls them back for a forward pass. The replays show nothing of the sort. The Highlanders were robbed!”
A dropgoal or penalty by the Landers is all I need now 😛
@JarsonX (Comment 42) : It was a harsh call but the replays showed it was thrown just before the line and received just after.
Landers had a lineout on the 5m line and were getting ready to drive the ball but get penalised for obstruction.
Landers have a penalty in a kickable position for the Canes holding on
Noakes lands the penalty
Canes 17 – 19 Landers
74 mins
@lostfish (Comment 44) : I’m having a laugh at what was said, Bryce and robbed goes together like salt and pepper 😛
@lostfish (Comment 47) : Hooter can go now 😈
@JarsonX(Comment 48)
I always thought it meant the same
@JarsonX (Comment 48) : The ref in the second half is Brown.
@JarsonX (Comment 42) : Agree, that pass was never forward. The pass was flat and the ball drifted with the forward momentum.
Highlanders to score converted try to get me close, did not think this gonna be so close
@Mutley (Comment 50) :
Landers have a penalty and kick for the lineout
@lostfish (Comment 47) : thanks for the updates… Me working
The Landers are keeping the ball close and have formed a maul but are only going sideways
Canes turn it over at the ruck and are running the ball. 20 seconds to go.
@lostfish (Comment 51) : @rhineshark (Comment 52) : Quotation marks 😉
The siren has gone and the Canes still have the ball. Landers steal the ball and kick it into touch.
Noooooooooooooooooooooo
Canes 17 – 19 Landers
@Mutley (Comment 61) : Yes 😆 I had the Landers by 3 on SB
Now now I’m 2/3, I knew I should have gone with my gut instead of home ground
@Mutley (Comment 64) : In the close games I usually go for home advantage but the Landers are on a roll.
@lostfish (Comment 62) : Spot on! 3 from 3 with 2 margins and a bonus point 😎
Thanks for the updates Fish. Makes being at work sort of liveable. 🙂