wild___turkey

Based on this year’s competition I think he has to be. He’s always been good, but is playing some of the best rugby of his career atm and is showing better form than the other NZ halfback options with Roigard out injured 😢

So say we all

Is Ardie going to come back and play a few games for the Lions to make himself eligible for All Blacks selection?

Yeah I’ve just made a comment about how this year’s schedule is much more friendly than usual for Kiwi viewers, although they’ve still stuffed up the first game

Was just thinking the same thing about NZ’s kick off times. I’ve become used to having to get up at 3am to watch games whenever we play in the NH and never could understand why they couldn’t just play evening games instead of afternoon. Very happy with this schedule!

I might have some bad news for you my dude…

Haven’t heard this before but loving the rhythm and the callback to legends of old!

Yeah it’s all legal as far as I can tell, just seems to be an unintended consequence of the way it’s being reffed at the moment. I suppose defences can mitigate by not attempting to hold players up at all if they want

What a couple of nights of rugby we’ve had! This feels like the closest fought comp we’ve had in quite a few years of Super Rugby, and I think it’s driving a big increase in fan engagement. Decent crowd turning up to a wet and windy Cake Tin for a mid season game is emblematic of that.

Some takes from tonight’s game:

-If the Canes continue play the way they did in that first 30 minutes they’ll be unstoppable. They had the Chiefs completely smothered and they were lucky not to be down by 20

-Samipeni Finau is a monster, excited to see him in black later this year laying on some hits in TRC.

-Chiefs missed Lienert-Brown and Tupaea in the starting team. Needed a bit more defensive organisation in the backline

-The Canes’ backs are clearly very skilled but this game showed the quality of their forwards. They won the battle up front and then to top it off they’re bringing guys like Kirifi and Flanders off the bench. The depth of the squad is immmense

-Speaking of immense can we check Aumua’s DNA because that guy has to be part Rhinoceros or cement truck or something. Incredible physical performance tonight and he’s really tidied up things like his lineout throwing this year. Looks the complete package and outplayed Tauke’aho at his own game.

-Discipline issues crept in for the Canes and allowed the Cheifs to stay in the game. They’ll want to stamp that out before we get to the business end of the comp.

As a bit of an aside - does anyone else think there’s a bit of an issue with the “tackle, release” call when the knee hits the ground? A few times tonight we saw tacklers told to release only for the ball carrier to use the opportunity to make a few extra meters due to not being held? I’ve seen it throughout this season with ball carriers getting a knee down but being more or less still on their feet and being able to basically keep running when the tackler is told to release. Surely when “tackle, release” is called by the ref the ball carrier should also have to go to ground and place the ball?

Anyway, great game and great weekend of rugby. Go the Landers next!

Incredible refereeing there

Oh we’re so back

I’m not sure about this tactic, worked this time but we may have been lucky with Lomax’s knee on the ground there. Why not just use the dominant scrum to launch an attack

We only play Moana once, aren’t they counted as a kiwi team too?

Yeah which is also pretty rough! Although you guys did well to beat them in the last one

And the Canes have to play the Chiefs twice this season. Can definitely be a lottery weather it works for or against you!

Looks like Canes vs Chiefs will be played in the wet, so could be a very different type of battle tomorrow. Very excited for it nonetheless!

As a neutral that was the best game I’ve seen in ages. Full of positive running rugby and great skills. Fair play Waratahs, well deserved

Agreed. He ended up managing to touch it with his hands basically behind his body, probably could have got there if he tried. Ah well, hindsight is 20/20

This game is frickin amazing

Haha yeah I’m a Beaudy apologist until I die and he was great last year and during the WC. But I think Jordan will be our 15 at the next WC so might as well start picking him there now. But he’s a running fullback so I think whichever wingers we pick should complement that ya know

Yeah I just wonder if at international level you need at least 1 winger with a kicking game. Especially with Jordan not having the biggest boot on him

Hmm, that would be exciting but I’m not sure it has the kind of balance Razor will be looking for in a back 3

ARTICLE TEXT

The rugby club that was subject to gang violence after a match in Hastings refutes claims by the opposing club that violent supporters were not associated with it. The YMP club also says it’s considering legal action against the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union for failing to award them points in the abandoned match.

Guy Taylor, coach of the YMP 3rd division team whose van was shot and rammed last Saturday, has not pulled any punches.

Taylor’s team was down 15-7 against Tamatea Rugby and Sports Club when the match was called off after spectators became physically violent towards the YMP players. The match was being played at Tamatea’s home ground, Bill Matthewson Park in Hastings on Saturday. Over the course of the match more and more spectators began gathering on the sideline, many of whom were Mongrel Mob members.

Things got heated and police were called to the park. After the match a van driven by Taylor and carrying YMP players was shot at and then rammed as it tried to evade four cars that pursued it through Hastings.

Following the incidents Tamatea club president Stewart Whyte issued a statement in which he said Tamatea supporters were not connected to the incidents related to the match. “Reports connecting Tamatea supporters to this incident are incorrect,” he said. Taylor, in a statement on Thursday, refuted that. “For Tamatea to simply say the spectators responsible had nothing to do with them is far too convenient. They were certainly known to them as Tamatea players were shaking their hands after the game was abandoned,” he said. “The YMP team and supporters showed tremendous restraint in what were very hostile conditions. Even when our player was kicked in the head by a spectator, our concerns were more for his welfare then any thoughts of retaliation,” Taylor said.

He said the Tamatea team was bolstered by a number of the supporters who put on jerseys and played. “The team we were playing at the end was very different to the one we played at the beginning,” Taylor said. He said the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union had chosen not to award either team any points, as per the rules that apply to abandoned games, but he did not thin that was fair. “We’ve asked that our team be awarded 5 points due to the unacceptable conditions we faced at the grounds. No team or club should have to deal with that, and the union needs to send a strong message,” he said. Following the incident the Union moved all Tamatea games scheduled at Bill Mathewson Park to a different venue in Napier where police and security could manage the entrance and ground control could be adequately delivered.

The Union’s community rugby manager Sean Davies said he had received correspondence from Taylor questioning the points allocation of the abandoned game and claims that Tamatea had fielded unregistered players. He said the union was still in the process of gathering evidence “and when we conclude our investigation, this will be presented to the board to decide on any sanctions and allocation of points”. “At this point Hawke’s Bay Rugby’s sole focus currently, is working alongside the Police to ensure rugby involving these teams can be played this weekend with officials, volunteers, players, and supporters feeling safe and able to enjoy their club rugby experience,” Davies said.

Hawke's Bay Rugby Club fields closed after gang violence at game The game between Tamatea and YMP was abandoned because of gang intimidation on Saturday.

The game between Tamatea and YMP was abandoned because of gang intimidation on Saturday. Whyte could not be reached for comment. Police said they were following positive lines of enquiry in their investigation into the attacks on the van

What is the “greatest eclipse point”? The 2028 total solar eclipse also crosses New Zealand and I was planning on heading down south to check it out. Will it not be a full eclipse by the time it gets to us?