Sharks in Nelson (picture from http://bit.ly/irZJDi )
The last two places in the semi finals are up for grabs in Super Rugby this weekend. First up we have the Blues taking on the Waratahs at Eden Park. Injuries have taken their toll on the Waratahs to such an extent that they have a scrum half playing at fly half this weekend. They aren’t the only ones with injuries, a grueling 18 match season has knocked the stuffing out of a lot of players. Home advantage always counts for a lot in Super Rugby play offs, and the Tah’s have had to travel all the way from Sydney to get there. On that basis, it’s hard to see the Tah’s upsetting the odds, so the Blues by 5.
The other match has the Crusaders entertaining the Sharks in the unfamiliar surrounds of Trafalgar Stadium in Nelson. Being a complete ignoramus about geography in general, never mind about a far off spot like NZ, I had a look at a map and it’s a fair distance from Christchurch, so it’s not a home match for the ‘Saders by any means.. The emotion is all with the Crusaders, the best finishing team in NZ despite not having played a home match this season due to the earthquake earlier on this year. Are they going to be shaking the Sharks in Nelson? All the signs are there, the Sharks have had to travel 11000km to get there for a start. They don’t have too many injury worries, and the Crusaders have Sonny Bill Williams back. Last time the sides met at Twickenham, the Crusaders where the clear winners. But I’d say it will be a lot closer this time, I can’t see the Crusaders playing an expansive game like that match. The Sharks played really well to beat the Bulls last weekend, superb defense, and more creativity in attack the normal. That travel factor is the killer though, so Crusaders by 7.
Friday , June 24
Blues vs Waratahs 08:35
Saturday , June 25
Crusaders vs Sharks 08:35
Junior World Champs
Ireland were blasted by the Boks 57-15 on Wednesday night. Apparently the South Africans are none too charmed about how they were eliminated from the last four, and Ireland got to bear the full brunt of that. Add to that the disparity in numbers of players to select from, and a very bruising campaign of the Irish, 4 day turnarounds, and playing the Boks twice and England as well, it’s not a surprising result. On Sunday they’ll play Wales for 7th place, and that will be a good finish, their best ever in this their last Championship. The IRFU is pulling out of the champs due to concerns about player welfare – this is right in the middle of off season, and a 4 day turnaround is pretty tough. Conway, Gilroy and Furlong have been the stand out Irish players for me.
The final gets to see the two form teams NZ and England Clash, which I’d reckon the AB’s are going to take.
Semi-final results:
England 31-18 France
New Zealand 37-7 Australia
5th Place semi-finals:
Wales 20-34 Fiji
South Africa 57-15 Ireland
9th Place semi-finals:
Scotland 30-11 Tonga
Argentina 12-8 Italy
11th Place Play-Off 26 Jun, 14:10 Tonga - Italy Stadio Mario Battaglini, Rovigo
9th Place Play-Off 26 Jun, 12:00 Scotland - Argentina Stadio Mario Battaglini, Rovigo
7th Place Play-Off 26 Jun, 12:00 Wales - Ireland Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso
5th Place Play-Off 26 Jun, 14:10 Fiji - South Africa Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso
3rd Place Play-Off 26 Jun, 17:00 France - Australia Stadio Plebiscito, Padova
Final 26 Jun, 19:10 England - New Zealand Stadio Plebiscito, Padova
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