Super XV Wrap: Final pool round next weekend!

First topic message reminder :

There is one week's pool round matches to go, and although the final 6 qualifyers aren't set in stone the mathematcis of it all is pretty simple.

If the Bulls and Sharks win their last matches with a 4 try bonus point against the Lions and Cheetahs respectively then they are both in.
If they win without bonus point the Reds need to beat the Waratahs with a bonus point to get into the top six.

If the Reds do manage to best the Waratahs with a 4 try bonus point and either of the Bulls or sharks don't, then the reds are secured of qualifying by virtue of one more win in the pool rounds.

If it is between the Bulls and Sharks then the Bulls should go through due to better points difference.

The Conferences for SA and NZ has been decided and the Stormers and Chiefs can no longer be overtaken.

The Reds can still win the Australian conference, but it seems unlikely as they would need to score a 4 try bonus point win over the Waratahs and the Brumbies will need to lose by more than 7 points against the hapless Blues.

Full Log without bye log points.

Spoiler:

Conference Logs.

Spoiler:

By my reckoning the Brumbies will host the Sharks in the play offs and the Crusaders will host the Bulls in the other play off.

With the winner of the Brumbies vs Sharks to mplay the semi final against the Stormers at Newlands and the other winner between the Bulls and Crusaders to face the Chiefs in the second semi final.

Yeah bil, Rossouw was a class act. Too bad he's retired. I miss watching Smith and Burger too. Schalk especially, on the pitch the guy was everywhere all the time.

It is still not certain that Burger will be available for the rugby championship yet, his progress was good and they mentioned he might have played last week, but then he had some sort of set back.

What I like about the post 2009 Burger is his general play has improved a lot, his ball carrying and vision when to offload has made him a much, much better player.

I really hope and pray he will be available.

Although the final positions aren't great from a kiwi perspective, the finals draw looks good for us. Crusaders should take out the Bulls and in Wk 2 they are the team which the Stormers would fear the most and after doing it last year I would almost certainly pick the Crusaders to beat the Stormers in Cape Town. Chiefs should/could knock over the Reds in Hamilton so....

I will pick a Chiefs v Crusaders final

Reds looked pretty good last night but in all honesty all six teams look vulnerable. None looked convincing with the outsted teams all doing well. The blues were always going to spoil someones party at the end and white just fell short in bringing a mediocre brumbies side through. Amazing they lead the oz conference the entire series then lost out altogether in the last match.

Gotta feel for them.

Chiefs and saders both at home next games gotta be a help. Not sure who the top SA side is at the mo but i dont think the bulls in christchurch is ideal for them.

Stormers and reds at home next match also will be tough so a chiefs saders final too early to pick for me.

Taylorman, Chiefs finished second so they play the winner of Reds/Sharks in Hamilton. Home ground advantage may be enough to see them off I think

I thought Chiefs plays the highest qualifier - like either Reds, Crusaders or the Bulls, just not Sharks as they are the lowest possible qualifier and if they get through they have to play the Stormers.

Either way this thing still doesn't feel right to me.

I cannot see the Bulls winning in Christchurch. Maybe tight for a while, but I think Crusaders are overall better. Certainly not the same quality Bulls team as in recent years, and the Crusaders look very solid, from stem to stern.

I can see the Sharks beating the Reds. I think the Reds have improved as the season went along and as their injured players came back. But it is hard for me to see them repeating as champions. Perhaps if they beat the Sharks with a strong performance, I will change my mind. With the exception of the blip against the Lions, the Sharks appear to me to have played the best in the second part of the season, and their match against the Bulls was totally dominant. I can see them winning the Super Rugby trophy. But they will have to travel to do it.

For me, what makes this season interesting is that no team appears as strong as the recent Bulls and Crusaders championship teams. Good, but not quite at their level.

The die is cast a lot interesting matches over this weekend,the collapse of the Crusaders in the second half.[all be it with the A team watching from the bench/stands].Stormers being run close doing just enough to win,history shows
home SF and F win .So on that basis Stormers will win this year,if the Chiefs were at home Chiefs,that at least is the form book.Think the unthinkable a Bulls or Sharks v Reds Final.Who gets the home advantage?
Someone said the Crusaders are flat lining this year?consider Thorn,Jack ,and SBW all for various reasons gone.Carter and Mccaw missing a large part of the early season.Read,Dagg,Guildford al missed matches for some reason.MOST of the franchises have had injury problems,sometimes as in the case of the Blues at times barely being able to field a team.
What for me is the most interesting is coping with the new interpretations of the laws.With the 4Ns approaching the Stormer`s way with a solid defence and keep the score board ticking by any means.Were I Heynke Meyer Peter Grant would be the first name on my team sheet a guy kicking about 90% of his kicks
HAS to be there.Three more great weeks to come.

Steyn's performance against the Crusaders this week will be of interest to the national coaches of both sides.

Crusaders have been flat lately but typically have done enough to get to the zone they know better than most.

If Meyers plans are still in any way based on a bulls routine- I'd be surprised if it still is- then he'll need to take note this week. Can see the Saders pack going into overdrive this week at training.

Bottom line...if Steyn has a great performance, the Bulls will win. If not, they'll be in deep trouble.

Then just to be sure the Bulls must lose.

Its odd at the moment. No team stands out and the last round was a difficult one to guage from. Some teams were having their last chance to impress at any level- Lions, Cheetahs, Blues, Tahs, Force...even Canes in the end so they will have left nothing on the field given most will not be involved in the RC this year.

Thats tough to play against when you just need to 'eek out a few points' and your side hangs nervously on the balance so theres a lot of credit to those who did get the wins- though none were convincing.

This week, as McCaw correctly put it. Its 'back to the start line for us now'... and that has a large truth in it from a motivational perspective.

There's no more tables, conferences, bonus points, comparisons.

Its good old head to head stuff. Simple, clear goals- do or die.

I think a lot of the sides will be relieved in that. Its certainly easier for coaches to motivate with.

The preparation- how they minimise the travelling impacts, will be more important this round- again making it tough for the 5th/6th teams as it did last year.

But at least theyve still got a chance...

Taylorman wrote:This week, as McCaw correctly put it. Its 'back to the start line for us now'... and that has a large truth in it from a motivational perspective.

There's no more tables, conferences, bonus points, comparisons.

Its good old head to head stuff. Simple, clear goals- do or die....

As it should be after a long season.
Playoff Rugby in league competition is the best.
Can't wait.

doctor_grey wrote:

Taylorman wrote:This week, as McCaw correctly put it. Its 'back to the start line for us now'... and that has a large truth in it from a motivational perspective.

There's no more tables, conferences, bonus points, comparisons.

Its good old head to head stuff. Simple, clear goals- do or die....

As it should be after a long season.
Playoff Rugby in league competition is the best.
Can't wait.

Yep me too. Seems a lot of work just to make the 6, particularly when there were so many scenarios that could have thrown up a very different six and playoffs from the very last match, all due to the uneven-ness across the three countries.

Still think the Saders will come into their own and bring some 'HUUUUUGE' intensity to the Bulls game. Just think they've been in second gear, and the AB's have been a bit weary from the tests. But the Force match was the lightest most of them have had for a few weeks.

Big ask for the Bulls pack because they wont win it in the backs as we can probably guess by now.

Chiefs get a rest after two tough ones so the Reds/ Sharks battle it out and one must travel...

Looking pretty good I reckon. Stormers are the other team who dont have it the hard way so odds on that the winner will be from Chiefs/ Stormers/ Saders from the travel/ home aspects. hardly surprising.

Well the Bulls are not in great form, prior to this weekend they lost 4 of their last 5 matches, unless they have a big turn in form, I can see this match only going one way.

Yes looks to be hotting up there already with the eye gouging accusations incident probably surfacing to provide some extra motivation.

Honestly cant see a happy time for them down there as you say.

Sharks have been pretty sharp lately and thats the likely close duel this week. Reds have been the typical oz side this year. Hot and cold...big time. Mainly through injury earlier.

I wasn't sure about this 'top 6' scenario for the playoffs. At least not until this weekend. Friday-Saturday was great Rugby and great fun. All the way from the Hurricanes on Friday to the Lions on Saturday. Riveting stuff.

I got called into the hospital on Saturday morning (my time) to help reconstruct a shoulder (gak, a soccer injury - must have been injured diving). As I was washing up, an Aussie doc, here visiting, comes running up telling me the Rebels might just do in the Stormers. He pulls me into one of the waiting rooms and changes the channel on one of the tvs from a news channel no one is seriously watching and puts the match on. All these people sitting there nervous about their upcoming medical procedures and a couple of juvenile idiots watching Rugby...............

That diving injury sounds par for the course doc.

The Stormers never looked like losing though, everytime the Rebels scored they scored straight after.

However if the Stormers continue to play that way they won't win this tournament against the big boys.

It made Saturday a funny morning. I was happily sleeping on the couch when my younger daughter comes running in and says I have to help out on a difficult procedure. I had just finished a long overnight shift, came home, watched the early Super Rugby matches and had crashed. After a few hours sleep, I go back in, half awake and then spent about an hour looking through a scope and trying to manipulate some fibrous tissue into a position it clearly did not want to go. It was kind of nervous because this was risky, but there were no options if the patient was to regain full use. Once we got it done, we were all a little bushed and when called to watch the match, ran right to the tv. I think the patients thought we were crazy. One thing was very gratifying was that the patients showed some interest. When some woman asked her son what sport this was, the kid looked at ther and said "Its Rugby Mom. This is COOL". Made my day.

More I think about it, Sharks and Crusaders (of course) will win this weekend. But Stormers are the team to beat in the finals. If they were not at home, I might think differently.