Rugby: Bring on clash of champions
The swagger has come from the Crusaders, the stagger from the Chiefs.
The swagger has come from the Crusaders, the stagger from the Chiefs.
The Chiefs will be without the injured Tim Nanai-Williams when they take on the rapidly improving Crusaders' midfield in Saturday's Super rugby semifinal.
The Blues have been boosted by Benji Marshall's positive reaction about playing Super 15 rugby next season and have made an offer to the Kiwi five-eighth.
Tracey Nelson looks at the key statistics from the Crusaders thrashing of the Reds on Satutrday.
The Chiefs are aware of the awakening monster that is the Crusaders forward pack but are confident they have the personnel to combat it
They fell at this hurdle last season, but the Crusaders feel they have the momentum and confidence to leap the Chiefs and go all the way this year.
Even All Black rivals are getting sick and tired of Kiwi fans jeering Wallaby playmaker Quade Cooper.
The Brumbies and Cheetahs head out of Canberra to South Africa today with the hosts the only side who will unfurl their playing gear again.
The new Wallaby coach would have dearly wanted his boys to beat the Crusaders in his first match against a NZ team since his Wallaby appointment, writes Richard Loe. Bad luck, Ewen.
Referees say it's knowing when to show the yellow card that troubles them.
He warned that despite their emphatic performance in despatching the Reds, they can't take anything for granted.
The Crusaders produced a scintillating display of footy tonight to thrash the Reds 38-9 at AMI Stadium in Christchurch.
Join us here for our live blog of the Crusaders taking on the Reds in the Super Rugby playoffs in Christchurch.
For the Crusaders, the pressure of the finals series was embraced shortly after the final whistle of the Hurricanes victory in Christchurch a week ago.
A layer of talent arrived who were new to Super 15 or had just dipped their toes into the tournament last year.
When it comes to rugby coaching, Jake White wants to operate in a manner similar to the style and methods Rod Macqueen brought to the Brumbies when he worked with them around the birth of Super rugby.
The Reds eye a chance at history tomorrow night, with a win against the Crusaders giving them victories over all five New Zealand teams this season.
I'm happy to be proven wrong on this one, but I can't see any value in Benji Marshall going to the Blues, writes Ian Jones.
Quade Cooper and Will Genia, the Reds' dynamic duo, will come in for special attention from the Crusaders tomorrow, but the initial focus from the home side will be on putting their pack on the back foot.
This seems like a straightforward pick. Carter (243 points) has been in great form the past four rounds scoring an impressive 116 Fantasy points over that time, including 31 against the Hurricanes last week.
Gregor Paul lists 15 things we have learned from this year's Super Rugby competition.
A Super 15 scheduling quirk means the tournament quarter-finalists have scant knowledge of their rivals.
Give me Beauden Barrett any day. Barrett in Blue, bring it on, writes Wynne Gray. Hopefully the Blues have sent brother Kane down south while he is on his ridiculous tap-dancing sabbatical.
What, Todd Blackadder was asked the other day, should the Reds fear most about the Crusaders on Saturday?
The Blues will have to self-fund their deal to bring Benji Marshall to Auckland as the New Zealand Rugby Union has confirmed it is unlikely to provide much.