It was on Friday when Pops & I went to the Rutland Arms Inn where I had an entree such as wedges & nachos with the American Association before we went to the Brick House where I had crumbed chicken with vegetables for the main course & a chocolate cheesecake for dessert before we headed back to my new home at 15A Kells Avenue to watch the rugby on Sky Go but it didn't work so we headed to Dad's to watch the Chiefs play my beloved Hurricanes at FMG Waikato Stadium in Hamilton on Sky Sport with the match being played in miserable conditions but yesterday we went to Palmerston North (Well I haven't been there since the 29th of January last year where I had to go to the Rugby Museum with Poppa & Rejean) to look at The Plaza where we got some cushions from K-Mart & we went to The Warehouse to get some stuff such as the Collins Grand Prix Circuits book that I got (Although I have got about 4 as part of my new book collection (Well I play 2 PS4 games such as F1 2016 & Rugby Challenge 3 as part of my gaming collection because both Formula 1 & rugby are my 2 favourite sports that I follow) along with all 3 rugby books such as Richie McCaw: The Open Side, Sir Graham Henry Celebrates The World Cups! 1987 to 2015 & of course Richie McCaw 148) before we left there to head back home by having noodles with cold meat & vegetables for lunch as well as having smoothies & going to 28 Koromiko Road to celebrate Andrew's 25th birthday where I had a baguette with chili dip, salami & camembert cheese for starters before having lasagna, chicken, potatoes & tomatoes & coleslaw for dinner then we had a birthday chocolate cake with ice cream, cream & scorched almonds for dessert before we headed back home to watch the rugby again to watch the Blues play the Highlanders at Eden Park in Auckland & today we had breakfast before I took a nap then played the F1 2016 game before we had lunch which is noodles with chicken that I had & vegetables before Dad & Jansen arrived here & when they left, I had a smoothie with potato chips before I watched Sachie's Kitchen as well as Rugby Nation & Prime News: 1st at 5:30 & now doing my blog about the wrap up for today (I also had dinner then before I'm back into blogging).
Well, injuries...injuries, injuries, injuries. Now that is a bit of a problem for New Zealand rugby fans ahead of the highly anticipated British & Irish Lions rugby tour here in 3 months time so Nehe Milner-Skudder was the 1st to go followed by Waisake Naholo then Lima Sopoaga, Israel Dagg & Seta Tamanivalu as the All Blacks have a player injury crisis which had taken its toll so the 2017 Super Rugby season heads into its 3rd round, the Chiefs remain unbeaten by handing the Hurricanes our 1st loss of the season being played in miserable conditions in 'the Tron' so here's the news report about the match:
The Chiefs overcame an indisciplined Hurricanes side & the Hamilton deluge to win 26-18 on Friday.
It was disastrous conditions in the 1st half as both teams battled to get a decent string of moves together in the rain after knock-ons and handling errors marred the day. But the Chiefs stamped their dominance early on after 1st half tries from Brodie Retallick and Toni Pulu, with the boot of Damian McKenzie keeping them in the game. The Hurricanes' cause was blown when both flanker Ardie Savea and second-rower Michael Fatialofa were given yellow cards that overlapped.
With the win the Chiefs go top of the New Zealand conference after to 14 points while the Hurricanes take second place with the rest of the New Zealand sides still to play on 10 points after the Chiefs took the losing bonus point away from them in the final minute through a penalty from McKenzie.
It was interesting clash with the amount of All Black match ups taking place as Beauden Barrett took on Aaron Cruden, TJ Perenara vs Tawera Kerr-Barlow and McKenzie vs Nehe Milner-Skudder.
It was as a slow start to the game as neither side could get any points of the board for the first 10 minutes, as both seemed shocked at the state of the weather on the day.
Beauden Barrett scored the first points of the game when the Chiefs were penalised at the breakdown and finally after 14 minutes there were some points on the board.
After several waves of Chiefs drives towards the Hurricanes line, Ardie Savea was yellow carded for infringing at the maul as Chiefs hooker Hika Elliot was about to dot down. The home side took advantage of having the extra man and after sustained pressure on the Hurricanes line Brodie Retallick barged over the whitewash with Damian McKenzie adding the extras.
Moments later the Hurricanes closed the gap when Barrett kicked over another penalty making the score 7-6 to the home side.
The Hurricanes then picked up their 2nd yellow card when Hurricanes lock Michael Fatialofa punched the ball out of mid-air and the referee immediately called off play and gave Fatialofa a yellow card. It was more bad news for the Hurricanes as McKenzie kicked through another penalty widening the gap to four points.
The Chiefs added to their lead just before the end of the 1st half to score their second try. The home side had a scrum on the Hurricanes 10 metre line which halfback Tawera Kerr-Barlow used well by running on the blind side with ball in hand before chipping behind the Hurricanes' defence for winger Toni Pulu to chase. Pulu did so with aplomb and grounded the ball with his chest. McKenzie's conversion made the half-time score 17-6.
After the rain seemed to have subsided over the half-time break the game opened up more in the 2nd half with the most of the momentum behind the Chiefs as they pressured the Hurricanes defence, and a try looked eminent before one of the Canes' front-rowers plucked the ball out of the air for the interception.
After the away side set up a few defensive rucks they were awarded a penalty and kicked for touch after a scintillating period of rugby.
The Chiefs, still had all the cards though as McKenzie slotted another penalty to extend his side's lead.
The Hurricanes finally scored a try of their own when they were awarded a penalty in the Chiefs 22 metre and kicked for line. After a strong maul that took them straight up to the Chiefs tryline, Perenara was able to push some bigger men over to score his side's first try.
Most of the excitement came in the last 2 minutes of the fixture. On the 78th minute Michael Leitch was yellow carded for a dangerous tackle which meant he could go and get an early shower.
The Hurricanes used the advantage well and decided to spread the ball quickly to their outside men, with Julian Savea finding himself alone on the wing with the cover defence bearing down on him. He has scored in far more trying circumstances though and gassed the defenders for the line.
It looked as though the Hurricanes had won themselves a bonus point after being within seven points of their winners but McKenzie used a last-gasp penalty to remove them from losing-bonus point territory.
And the Brumbies get their 1st win of the season off the back of 2 losses against both the Crusaders & Sharks by topping the Australian conference, displacing the Western Force while the Highlanders held on for their 1st win of the season against the Blues to avenge the loss last year in miserable conditions so here's another news report about the match:
The Highlanders secured their 1st Super Rugby win of the season when they beat the Blues 16-12 in wet conditions Auckland on Saturday.
As the scoreline suggests, this was a tight tussle with the result in the balance throughout the game although the standard of this game was not that of a usual New Zealand derby.
The Highlanders eventually outscored their hosts by one try to none, although the win could prove costly for the 2015 champions as both Waisake Naholo and Lima Sopoaga had to leave the field through injury.
Both sides committed several unforced handling errors in attack and their decision making was not of its normal high quality.
The Highlanders dominated early on and came close to opening the scoring as early as the sixth minute. This, after Richard Buckman gathered a pass from Naholo before offloading to Malakai Fekitoa, who had the ball knocked from his grasp while crossing the whitewash by Matt Duffie.
The visitors took the lead courtesy of a Lima Sopoaga penalty minutes later after the home side infringed on defence at a ruck.
Fekitoa made up for his earlier mishap when he pounced on an error by Rene Ranger and Michael Collins, who failed to deal with a bouncing ball inside their 22 - after a well-weighted box-kick from Aaron Smith.
The ball was eventually gathered by Fekitoa, who traded passes with Marty Banks, before diving over for the opening try.
Sopoaga slotted the conversion which meant the visitors were leading 10-0 midway through the half. The Blues upped the ante on attack and narrowed the gap via an Ihaia West penalty in the 24th minute after Richard Buckman infringed at a ruck.
On the half-hour mark, West narrowed the gap to four points when he slotted his second penalty after Luke Whitelock was penalised for a high tackle on Augustine Pulu.
The rest of the half was littered with handling errors and poor execution on attack from both sides and there was little enterprising play up to the interval.
Three minutes after the restart, Sopoaga extended his side's lead from the kicking tee after West was penalised for holding onto the ball on the ground.
It did not take long for the Blues to respond, however, and after the Highlanders defence was blown up for offside play on defence, West added his third penalty in the 50th minute.
The next 15 minutes was a slugfest as both sides tried to take control of proceedings but neither side could add any points during this period.
The Blues wasted a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 65th minute when George Moala gathered a pass from Piers Francis close to the halfway line and made a superb break.
He was eventually hauled in by the cover defence close to the Highlanders try-line but his pass was intercepted by Buckman. Three minutes later, Francis narrowed the gap to a point when he converted his side's third penalty after the visitors were blown up for straying offside on defence again.
The last 10 minutes was a frantic affair as the Blues went in search of a try which would give them the win and although the Highlanders were reduced to 14 men when Gareth Evans was sent to the sin-bin in injury time - for a cynical defensive infringement close to his try line - they held on for their maiden win.
And the Crusaders remain unbeaten just like the Chiefs (But the Chiefs lead on points difference) by dispatching the Reds with a match winning penalty scored by first five-eighth Mitchell Hunt (The Crusaders had been awarded or should I say...given a penalty after one of the Reds players such as centre Samu Kerevi went off his feet because that is the rule that a player must be on their feet in a ruck) by snatching it right to the death with a miraculous comeback (Just like FC Barcelona did against Paris Saint Germain in the UEFA Champions League Round Of 16 but both the Hurricanes & Blues were trying to do a Barcelona esque comeback against the Chiefs & Highlanders respectively but they failed) by scoring 15 unanswered points just like the Sharks did against the Brumbies last week with another news report:
The Crusaders staged a remarkable second-half comeback to claim a 22-20 victory over the Reds in Brisbane.
Just like last week, when they fought back to beat the Highlanders in Dunedin, the 7 time champions were trailing on the scoreboard for most of this match but a Mitchell Hunt penalty in injury time secured them their 3rd win from as many matches in 2017.
The Reds had the better of the early exchanges and dominated territory and possession, but the Crusaders didn't panic and eventually outscored their hosts by 3 tries to 2 after trailing 20-7 at half-time.
The win moves the Crusaders into 2nd place on the New Zealand Conference – behind the Chiefs – while the Reds are in joint first place with the Brumbies although they could be overtaken by the Waratahs who play the Sharks in Durban later on Saturday.
The Reds made a superb start and opened the scoring in the 5th minute via a Quade Cooper penalty. The Crusaders were then dealt a blow when Israel Dagg was forced off the field with a knee injury.
The home side dominated the possession and territorial stakes during this period and increased their lead in the 12th minute when Samu Kerevi increased their lead with a trademark try.
This after gathering a pass from Cooper inside the visitors' 22 and then slipping through a tackle from Jack Goodhue. Cooper added the extras which meant the hosts led 10-0 and things went from bad to worse for the Crusaders 10 minutes later when, like Dagg, Seta Tamanivalu limped off with a crocked knee.
Shortly afterwards, Kerevi left his stamp on this match again – this time as provider – when he gathered a pass from Stephen Moore just inside the Crusaders' half and slipped out of a Codie Taylor tackle before setting off towards the visitors' try-line.
He still had work to do but did well to draw in a couple of defenders inside the visitors' 22 before throwing a long pass to Eto Nabuli who crossed for an easy try.
The visitors did not take long to respond though and 3 minutes later, former Reds wing Digby Ioane launched an attack before delivering a chip kick upfield.
The ball was gathered by Mitchell Drummond who went over the whitewash with two defenders on his back. Mitchell Hunt slotted the conversion but 5 minutes later, Cooper kicked a penalty which gave his side a 13-point lead at the break.
The 2nd half saw the visitors stepping up a few gears on attack although neither side added to their points tally during the first 20 minutes of the half.
The Reds had a chance to extend their lead in the 57th minute, after the Crusaders were blown up for illegal scrummaging, but Cooper's shot at goal was off target.
5 minutes later, the Crusaders narrowed the gap when Bryn Hall got over for their 2nd try after Hunt and George Bridge laid the groundwork in the build-up.
Hunt failed to slot the conversion and the visitors suffered a setback in the 69th minute when Jordan Taufua was sent to the sin bin for nearly punching Rob Simmons right in the nose.
That did not deter the Crusaders though and 4 minutes before full-time Hall scored his 2nd try after the visitors took the ball through several phases in the build-up.
With time running out on the clock, the visitors went in search of the win and they were rewarded in the game's closing stages when Hunt held his nerve to land that crucial penalty after Kerevi went off his feet at a ruck.
And in other Super Rugby news such as the Stormers maintain their position on top of the Africa 1 conference with a bonus point win over the Kings then the Cheetahs defeat the hapless Sunwolves in Bloemfontein while the Sharks go 2 in a row with replacement first five eighth Curwin Bosch leading the charge with a resounding victory over the Waratahs who are without inspirational players such as Bernard Foley & Will Skelton & finally the evergreen Jaguares from Argentina dispatching the Lions by 12 points over in Buenos Aires.
So that was Round 3 of the 2017 Super Rugby season and here are the matches for Round 4:
Crusaders Vs Blues: AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Rebels vs Chiefs: AAMI Park, Melbourne
Bulls vs Sunwolves: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Hurricanes vs Highlanders: Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Waratahs vs Brumbies: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Lions vs Reds: Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
Sharks vs Kings: Growthpoint Kings Park, Durban
& the Jaguares Vs Cheetahs at Jose Amalfitani Stadium in Buenos Aires to end Round 4 of Super Rugby 2017 (With the Force & Stormers taking a week off to prepare for Round 5).
And in the Six Nations as the rampant Wales who avenged their defeat against Scotland a fortnight ago with a win over Ireland when flanker Justin Tipuric celebrated his 50th cap in style while France claimed a victory over the luckless Italians in Rome by retaining the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy as Luca Sperandio of Italy and Antoine Dupont of France made their test debuts while hooker & captain Guilhem Guirado of France also celebrated his 50th test cap while the Eddie Jones (AKA The Savior/Second City Saint) coached England retain the 6 Nations sponsored by RBS by equalling the record with 18 consecutive victories with the All Blacks (England matched New Zealand's record of 18 consecutive wins set between August 2015 and October 2016) as they thrash Scotland 61 - 21 (Although centre Jonathan Joseph came back after missing 1 game against Italy a fortnight ago with a hat-trick of tries scored & created a try being scored by replacement wing Anthony Watson (So Joseph has been doing the David Campese just like in the 1991 Rugby World Cup semifinal for the Wallabies against the All Blacks by scoring a try then setting up a try scored by Tim Horan because his sensational man of the match performance reminds me of college football player turned FBI agent Johnny Utah from the Keanu Reeves movie Point Break) by retaining the Calcutta Cup as Joe Marler just like Tipuric & Guirado celebrated his 50th test while South African born Cornell du Preez made his test debut for Scotland while for a 2nd straight season, England clinched the Six Nations title with only 1 round to spare & the 61 points scored by England is the most ever scored against Scotland, and the 40-point margin equalled their previous largest winning margin set in 2001 (43–3) & the English won their 11th straight Six Nations match, a new all time championship record.
And finally what about the England rugby team eh? They head into the record books because now their 18 match winning streak is on the line as they face Ireland (Who caused chaos against the All Blacks in Chicago last year ending our hopes for an all time record because the Irish had their 1st win against us in the sport of rugby) in Dublin for a shot of the all time record (For most straight wins by a tier 1 rugby nation) next week in the final round of the 2017 Six Nations championship season.
So that is my unlucky 13th blog of the year 2017 (MMXVII) & my 93rd overall (Only 7 to go until I reach the ton).
P.S. And we are going to New Plymouth tomorrow so I am looking forward to that because I have never been there for 8 years.
And the brand new Formula 1 season is upon us as the world's 2nd most popular sport behind the beautiful game of football/soccer, is about to start in a fortnight because I will be doing a preview of the 2017 FIA Formula 1 World Championship (Although the FIA Formula 1 World Championship has been held every year since 1950)...a week out from the season opening Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne.
And finally Sophie has sent me an email again so here's her message in it's full entirety:
To my dearest whetu,
Hi whetu! Yes i finally got myself a room with flatmates, it is a lot better than staying in the backpackers with 10 people in the room. I also went to an interview for an ice cream job today so let's hope I can get the job so I will have money to visit wanganui more often.
I will come back to wanganui soon and I will meet you again! Love you
Sophia
No comments:
Post a Comment