Super 14

[aussie1st]

Lol for the Brumbies they do. Sam Norton Knight, Julian Huxley and Daniel Halangahu are all orginally from ACT. Shows you how much quality 5/8s they produce. Norton Knight was probably the one we needed to keep. He was the perfect man to take over from Larkham.

 

[IloveGilly]

I can't believe Force drew! They should have won win that last try attempt!!!

 

[genghis_khan]

I can't believe Force drew! They should have won win that last try attempt!!!

yeh the force were stiff...looked like a try to me.

 

[James219]

At last some consolation for the Force, a very good effort to hold off the Crusaders but they still should've converted the opportunity into a victory. It's a platform for development I suppose, though....

 

[aussie1st]

Wish I watched it now. I fell asleep after the Reds choked. Didn't know the Force were playing the Crusaders after that game but I wouldn't have watched it as I thought it would just be another floggin by the Crusaders.

 

[moza1]

I wish I had Foxtel, so I could of watched the Force.

 

[obelisk]

i just watched the replay on prime and i don't think the force were robbed with that try, i don't think he grounded it properly, he wasn't in touch though like the match offical said

 

[IloveGilly]

It looked like no probs at all, grounding was ok IMO and his legs were on top of that player.

 

[aussie1st]

Brumbies have pulled of a gusty win. Fairbanks as expected wasn't any good at 10. We should have moved Gerrard there as he was awesome. Larkham and Rogers both started in fullback and Gerrard basically is a fullback come wing. Wilson was good made some good runs. Some interesting decisions we got next week.

 

[Sman-21]

Grounding was fine.
Replays clearly showed his elbow was over the line, but ball was obscured so they couldnt call it a try,but anyone knows if a guy has the ball out infront of him and dives for the line the ball has to be infront of his elbows.
Then he was rolled over and into touch.

Brumbies still have heaps of good backs so let us have Giteau

 

[obelisk]

I still say the try was too dodgy to be given. The Canes are pretenders. The sharks easily beat the blues, if they can beat the bulls next week they've got the 4th spot in the bag I feel.

 

[aussie1st]

Grounding was fine.
Replays clearly showed his elbow was over the line, but ball was obscured so they couldnt call it a try,but anyone knows if a guy has the ball out infront of him and dives for the line the ball has to be infront of his elbows.
Then he was rolled over and into touch.

Brumbies still have heaps of good backs so let us have Giteau

Good backs yes, good 5/8s no! Fairbanks as predicted sucks at 5/8, he can't kick the ball if his life depended on it. Running game was nothing special either. Hes a 2nd 5 at best. Anthony Faingaa looks to be a good centre, so he'd slot in well into our backline. Still don't know about the replacement for Larkham though.

 

[aussie1st]

Wild weather forced an aborted landing in Dunedin and left the Waratahs stranded in Christchurch overnight, with Friday's fixture against the Highlanders in doubt if the adverse conditions continue.

The plane carrying the NSW side approached Dunedin Airport through a mass of cloud only to emerge 100 metres above the runway, before being buffeted by 60kmh winds that forced a rapid ascent and redirection to Christchurch.

"We couldn't land, the crosswinds in Dunedin were too much for the plane we were in and there's flooding around Dunedin so we can't get there by road, either," said NSW coach Ewen McKenzie. "So we'll stay here and try our luck [Thursday], but I don't think there's any certainty about [Thursday], either. Maybe we'll have to move the game up here if it's flooded down there. The Crusaders are out of town so we can play in Christchurch. Anything's possible at the moment."

The flooding in towns surrounding Dunedin is preventing road access, and no break in the weather is predicted prior to tomorrow night's scheduled clash.

Last night, the Waratahs were forced to find accommodation in the city they recently visited for their round-nine loss to the Crusaders. After naming an unchanged team from their win over the Brumbies, they trained under lights as they tried to keep their preparation on track.

Home > Super 14 > Article
Tahs' plans are blown off course

By Ben Kimber in Christchurch
Thursday, April 27, 2006 Print this article Print this article
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Wild weather forced an aborted landing in Dunedin and left the Waratahs stranded in Christchurch overnight, with Friday's fixture against the Highlanders in doubt if the adverse conditions continue.

The plane carrying the NSW side approached Dunedin Airport through a mass of cloud only to emerge 100 metres above the runway, before being buffeted by 60kmh winds that forced a rapid ascent and redirection to Christchurch.

"We couldn't land, the crosswinds in Dunedin were too much for the plane we were in and there's flooding around Dunedin so we can't get there by road, either," said NSW coach Ewen McKenzie. "So we'll stay here and try our luck [Thursday], but I don't think there's any certainty about [Thursday], either. Maybe we'll have to move the game up here if it's flooded down there. The Crusaders are out of town so we can play in Christchurch. Anything's possible at the moment."

The flooding in towns surrounding Dunedin is preventing road access, and no break in the weather is predicted prior to tomorrow night's scheduled clash.

Last night, the Waratahs were forced to find accommodation in the city they recently visited for their round-nine loss to the Crusaders. After naming an unchanged team from their win over the Brumbies, they trained under lights as they tried to keep their preparation on track.

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McKenzie's preferred preparation timetable was already disrupted after flight schedules forced the team to fly out of Sydney yesterday rather than Tuesday, offering his players only two nights in Dunedin rather than the three they prefer prior to a match.

It was the fixture against the Highlanders last year in round 10 in which the Waratahs played some of their best rugby on the road, with NSW management deciding that the lead-up to that match - spending three days in Dunedin before their 41-20 victory - was ideal.

Prior to that game, the Waratahs had headed across the Tasman in round seven in 2005 to take on the Hurricanes with only two nights in Wellington before the match. They turned in a flat performance, losing 26-24, prompting a move to the three-day preparation as the standard.

This week, a three-day preparation was unattainable and now even the two-day preparation has been thrown off-kilter, but McKenzie is positive his team will handle the disruption.

"This is why we go on development tours," McKenzie said. "There's things you can't control so there's no point stressing about it. It's certainly not what we planned but we'll just roll with the punches and make the best of it.

"It was a little bit unnerving, by the time you came through the clouds there wasn't much distance left to the ground, but in the end I guess everyone's comfortable with safety first."

McKenzie's comments were endorsed by prop Matt Dunning, who was nominated by teammates as the player least comfortable in the air.

"I'm happy to go to Christchurch," said Dunning on firm ground at Christchurch Airport. "I'd rather be in Christchurch now than spread all over the tarmac in Dunedin.

"It was a bit terrorising, the landing there. I was saying to [prop] Al [Baxter] I thought we were about three feet [one metre] off the ground before the pilot changed his mind."

Dunning's assessment of the plane's proximity to the ground after spearing out of the cloud bank was guesstimation at its best, as he conceded his eyes were firmly shut throughout the entire ordeal.

"I'm not a good flyer, but I've got a lot better than I used to be, it just got a bit rocky there," he said. "I thought we almost landed then he pulled up at the last minute. Al's the resident know-it-all and he was keeping me informed and keeping me under wraps and sedated. I didn't look out the window. I was holding on with both hands."

http://www.rugbyheaven.smh.com.au/n...lown-off-course/2006/04/26/1145861417412.html


Never heard of this happening before. I hope the Tahs get into Dunedin today, hopefully this won't affect them as if they lose here that could be the home semi out the window.

 

[IloveGilly]

Saw this on Sports Tonight. Don't really think it's going to affect the game at all, but just delays them from extra preparation time.

 

[aussie1st]

Lol you don't know the NZ weather like I do. If it's bad its bad. It could go on all weekend so the Highlanders may have to come to Chrischurch.