2013 Super XV: Fixtures, Results & Table

Biltong, you grew up in Kaapstad? You still like them and the Cheetahs, ja?

Missed the match but just saw the replay. Agree, the Stormers could have won it if not for those errors at crucial times... and that lineout. Auckland did well to hang on at the end.

Table updated.

Getting desparate in the SB tipping comp. Picked the Highlanders. More heart than head but I just want to see them win... and spring an upset on the Sharks. Don't like my chances but you never know....

looking ok so far LB...7-7 so far...even match to now...

What a try from Colin Slade! Some amazing passing and running.

And then from the sharks...50,000 phases...great stuff and skills from both sides.

this is the best comp in the SH... and NH. Hands down!

Agree with that.

Best by a mile. I can't get interested in the other ones.
Of course CC and ITM are also better than those up north.

I was keeping one eye on the rebels match yesterday, and if you consider they are a "bottom feeding" team, and you then look at the quality of their rugby, this is certainly a great competition with quality rugby allround.

I mean look at the Highlanders tonight. Otago is a traditional stronghold of rugby... just that they have had a bad start to this season.

Turnover!

Please let the sharks execute here.

Yeah the entire competition has been flattened out. I dont even think any one country knows who their top side is. Ours keep swapping at the top week to week.

Wooooa. We're going for a hat trick in hold outs!

Brave and stupid. After the third time they don't score, take the bloody draw, right in front of the posts.

Thank God. Well done Highlanders!

whew... win no. 1 for the highlanders after about 15 losses going back to last year...great match.

I tipped them too. Desperation pays off for once.

Biltong wrote:Brave and stupid. After the third time they don't score, take the bloody draw, right in front of the posts.

Yeah no NZ side would settle for the draw either unless they went into the match with that in mind- ie to qualify. Plus the Sharks ball retention and recycling was first class tonight matched only in the end by a couple of desperate tackles so the hype does get to you to have a go rather than have the team sit back and watch a kick at goal. Crazy? But there it is.

They were perched on the line for so long. Must admit I thought they would take the 3... sort of surprised me but they could smell a try. Great defence though.

It has been a common theme with SA teams this year where they don't go for goal, they go for a score, the Sharks have done it, the Stormers have done it and the Bulls have done it.

A bit of an upset brewing in Perth?

PJ's the only one who tipped them... you seriously considered them too, I believe Bilts? Your home ground theory and all that.

11-all final score.

Hear the disappointment in Greg Martin's voice.

Linebreaker wrote:A bit of an upset brewing in Perth?

PJ's the only one who tipped them... you seriously considered them too, I believe Bilts? Your home ground theory and all that.

I just had a feeling mate.

somehow Mathewson has an effect on Genia, he keeps him honest, and when he does, cooper isn't firing.

Yeah, I also think the Reds somehow don't take them as seriously as they should. When they were down 6-0 they seemed to lose shape and then it was a matter of catch-up. The Force obviously lift for this fixture but they deserved those 2 points.

Amazing try from Issy... and also that pop-up ball for Crawford to score the first.

Linebreaker wrote:this is the best comp in the SH... and NH. Hands down!

Unfortunately, this is so true. I have only caught a few games this year in the S15 and they are like watching a different sport almost. The players, the intensity, the speed. It is all a class above.

Just don't tell the other Rory, they won't agree.

I think most do agree to be honest, at least they do deep down. Some are in denial.

HEC is good but.. not nearly as good as the S15.

Tahs with their huge win are certainly confirming Oz rugby is in great shape and no reason Oz wont turn a few bad seasons on the trot around in one starting with the Lions. Id take note if I were a Lions fan.

Highlights of the 'Tahs demolition of the Kings:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv_xM27AdfA

Warning: long video!!

Thanks As.

One of the few nights worth staying up for. It's mostly miserable watching the Tahs play in SA.

He certainly looks an exciting prospect. Beale seems to have pulled finger but that may well be due to falau's impressive showings. Good for deans to have that competition for places. I can see falau being given the super sub role and if the scores are deadlocked he seems the ideal man to rely on a but of mercurial magic.

A couple of interesting stories in the NZ papers, for different reasons:

Sad if the charge is found true:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10882300

and

Is Lyndon Bray basically saying refs are applying the "momentum" rule for forward passes?:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10882152

KIWIRED.

Right from the time when the IRB broadened the powers of the TMO I have had concerns, and this scenario that Bruce Rennie raises is one of them.

The situation we now have is, the top referees in the sport are in the middle of the field with the whistle and supported by the "assistant' referees, who are composed of the second layer of referees.

Meanwhile the third layer of referees compose most of the TMO's who are not assisted by anyone, but not only that and what makes it worse is that all the most important and controversial (game deciding) decisions are referred to these lower qualified TMO's, for determination... and thus we end up with situations like the one you mention above involving dave Rennie.

Questions:

Is there some process whereby the TMO's can call upon some assistance? or should the role of TMO be upgraded as being of more importance than the assistant referee? should the jurisdiction of the TMO's be more tightly defined? etc.

Kurtley Beale stood down again for disciplinary reasons so his chances of playing for the Lions must be fairly low now.

I heard that they are trying to get him back to Sydney asap - too many bad influences down south...

Hmmmm... So he wont be playing against The Blues!....Hmmm

Pete C (Kiwireddevil) wrote:A couple of interesting stories in the NZ papers, for different reasons:

Sad if the charge is found true:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10882300

and

Is Lyndon Bray basically saying refs are applying the "momentum" rule for forward passes?:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10882152

Looks like we can do nothing right this year. Bad year to be a Stormer supporter after coming from a high last year.

Yes I think that is what he is saying about the forward passes. But it I would think it is difficult for the TMO to judge on that because if you only look at the hands and there is not enough in the picture to get a reference against then it will always go the way of the attacking team. If the camera isn't exactly in line I just think it will be difficult to judge if it was to the side or a bit forward.

The forward pass is a bit of a conundrum.

The law says your hands must go in a backward motion, the problem is the longer the pass the more "drift" the ball has, how does one discount that?

I think it is very difficult to adjudicate on passes at times, you get a guy running off your shoulder and if the timing of the short pass is perfect and the receiver's timing is perfect, you won't pick up a forward pass, if the receiver is slightly ahead of the passer, even when the pass itself may not be forward, it is often picked up as forward.

And then of course if you are south Africa in a world cup, any pass into space is forward.


Maybe that is why we kick so much, that is supposed to go forward.

Aw stuff it for all the pain and heartache arising out of forward passes why dont we just allow them.

I am starting to think the same.

What we need Biltong is a new law, (a Southern hemisphere one), where the person receiving the pass must be behind the player throwing the pass, but the ball can be passed forward, much like you must be in an "onside" position when chasing a kick.

It would be far easier to police, would reduce the number of scrums in a game. and speed up the game. We probably would see some cracker intercepts as well.

now whats next???

I think that is a fair call Laurie, in fact I think that is the best answer I have seen yet.

If the player is behind the passer, there is in no way any benefit to the attacking team, the defensive line is set already.

The receiver must still run onto the ball from an onside position and still has to run the same line he was going to run.

I think there must be a limit though to the passing, keep the law that the hands must still move backwards, that will prevent someone throwing an NFL pass, but the drift doesn't matter.

But if they throw NFL type passes all theyre doing is throwing posession away..oh and you would have to make it that you cant throw it forward and catch it yourself (everyone would just throw it over and behind an opposition tackler.

I'll get my peeps to talk to your peeps and we could have this on the IRB s desk by lunchtime tomorrow.

True, but imagine a wing goes ahead of the line, he is ten meters in front of the runners and someone is allowed to throw directly to him NFL style, you will completely change the dynamics of rugby union.

Offside lines is indicative of Rugby Union where NFL doesn't have that.

For him to do that he would be in breech of being "offside" at the time the pass is thrown....Just like a kick..

True, but you are complicating it, because the current law does not allow for tackling a player without the ball.

I think keeping it simple is the answer.

Ball carrier must be in front of the receiver.
Ball carrier must still pass backwards.

So nothing changes for the players.

New law interpretation, the ball may drift forward.

Only thing that changes is how the referees interpret the movement of the ball.

Ah the old forward momentum trick...

If I am running down the field at 25 KPH (Im not as fast as I used to be) then at the point where I throw the ball, the ball also must also be travelling at 25 KPH,. therefore any flat pass must drift forward.