Posted by Hamish McBrearty on 15th March 2008
The Crusaders kept their unbeaten record intact, beating the Cheetahs 55-7 at AMI Stadium in a nine tries to one romp, but lost one of their young star to a serious shoulder injury.
Posted in New Zealand, South Africa, Super 14, rugby | No Comments »
Posted by Hamish McBrearty on 13th March 2008
Round five of the Super 14 has just 12 teams in action but still promises some great match ups. While there are likely to be a couple of blow out results, the clash between the Blues and Force will have even neutral fans on the edge of their seats.
Posted in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Super 14, rugby | No Comments »
Posted by Hamish McBrearty on 12th March 2008
After just four weeks of the experimental laws, the Super 14 is showing that they produce a faster and more action packed game. But the Northern Hemisphere seem reluctant to adopt them, perhaps stuck in a style of rugby from 30 years ago.
Posted in Australia, New Zealand, Six Nations, Super 14, opinion, rugby | 2 Comments »
Posted by Hamish McBrearty on 10th March 2008
The Sharks and Crusaders kept their unbeaten records intact and the spectre of foul play raised its ugly head as this weekends Super 14 fixtures came to a close.
Posted in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Super 14, rugby | No Comments »
Posted by Hamish McBrearty on 8th March 2008
Over this round of Super 14 there have been a few instances of foul play, some of which have gone unpunished, others have not been punished enough. Given the mine field of inconsistency from the officials, it’s about time rugby administrators gave the referees firm guidelines to deal with foul play.
Posted in New Zealand, South Africa, Super 14, opinion, rugby | No Comments »
Posted by Hamish McBrearty on 8th March 2008
Bringing back my old “Aw Ref” column, which takes a weekly in-depth look at at controversial or misunderstood refereeing decisions. The week we look at the performance of Bryce Lawrence, who controlled his 100th first class fixture when the Highlanders hosted the Hurricanes, and seemed to be a bit confused about the intention of the new experimental laws.
Posted in Aw Ref, New Zealand, Super 14, opinion, rugby | No Comments »
Posted by Hamish McBrearty on 6th March 2008
A top of the table clash and a fierce local derby match are the highlights as Week 4 of the Super 14 rolls into town. There is also a massive log jam in the middle of the table, making every point vital in the race to be the 2008 champion.
Posted in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Super 14, rugby | No Comments »
Posted by Hamish McBrearty on 2nd March 2008
The Blues, Sharks and Crusaders kept their unbeaten records intact over round three of the Super 14. Other teams like the Brumbies and Hurricanes got their season back on track with good wins, while the Stormers, Highlanders and Cheetahs find themselves in deep holes even at this early stage.
Posted in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Super 14, rugby | No Comments »
Posted by Hamish McBrearty on 28th February 2008
The 2008 Super 14 is only two weeks old and already some teams have a mountain to climb if they are to make the semi finals, while the Crusaders, Blues and Sharks have already opened daylight between themselves and the chasing pack. Several derby matches this week add spice to an already mouth watering draw for round three.
Posted in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Super 14, rugby | No Comments »
Posted by Hamish McBrearty on 24th February 2008
The Blues and Crusaders are the only side in the Super 14 with perfect records, picking up a maximum ten points from two games and sounding a warning to the rest of the tournament. Other contenders, such as the Sharks and Bulls, are still struggling to find their feet in 2008.
Posted in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Super 14, rugby | No Comments »
