Rugga boys get their groove on

...... we absolutely love this video, so I felt the need to share it right here....  I cannot hear the name 'Liam Messam' now, without adding a little 'oooo oooo oooo oooo ooo ooooo ooo' afterward.

Without further ado....

..... and while we are at it, I also give you the Crusaders 'Harlem Shake', just because I can.

Suppose I should probably include the Blues 'Harlem Shake' as well...  Graham Henry is the mascot... that in itself is worth a look.

I shall be back in the very near future, to give my thoughts on the Super XV to date, and also the potential All Blacks squad for the June internationals, v France.

Redemption Time!

(also published on Pink Rugby)

The round 7 match this weekend between the Chiefs and Blues is going to be a chance to stick it to

Anscombe is on fire for the Chiefs!

his old team for new Chiefs player Gareth Anscombe. After de-listing him post 2012 Super Rugby season, one must imagine that with a success rate of 86.4% with the boot this season, the Blues will be kicking themselves that they let him go. Yes. That pun was completely intentional. Anscombe was quickly drafted by the Chiefs, who obviously saw the potential in him, that new Blues coach, John Kirwan, was unable to.

Anscombe has proved Rennie right since the very start of the season – to date he has had 37 attempts at goal, slotting 32 of those kicks. This success with the boot doesn’t seem to be a one off though, and really makes you wonder what JK and the rest of the Blues selectors were thinking. In the 2012 Super Rugby campaign, Anscombe had a success rate of 70%, which given the Blues performance in 2012, is quite remarkable. It could almost be said that any glimmer of success the Blues has, was related to the boot of Anscombe. In the 2012 ITM Cup campaign, Anscombe was top point scorer, with a total of 193 points (37 penalties, 31 conversions, as well as 4 tries).

the Blues should be afraid.  VERY afraid.

While the reasons for his de-listing were never made public, it is clear that Anscombe is using whatever those reasons were, as motivation to perform to the highest standard in the 2013 season – something that Chiefs fans are hardly complaining about. Complaining, however, is probably something that a lot of Blues supporters are doing. While they seem to have a few players who are doing exceptionally well, kicking is one area where they aren’t overly competitive.

So far in the 2013 campaign the Blues two main kickers, Chris Noakes and Piri Weepu, are kicking at 66.6% and 46.6% respectively. No matter how many tries their speedy backs or powerful forwards get, games will be lost if Noakes and Weepu aren’t able to convert penalties into points. When penalty success rates are compared, Anscombe is again on top with 75%, followed by Noakes on 66.6%, with Weepu coming in with 62%.

While Anscombe is proving Rennie right and Kirwan wrong, he can also be thought of as an investment into the future for the Chiefs. Anscombe is only 21 – technically it can be presumed that he has at least another 10 years of playing, and his talent is only going to continue improving. While other teams (such as the Crusaders) have goal kickers who are going to realistically be coming to the end of (NZ) career in 2 or 3 years time, the Chiefs have two young and very successful kickers who aren’t even in their prime yet.

It’s a fact that a lot of games come down to which kickers make the penalties and conversions count, and I would personally love to see that type of game this weekend when the Chiefs take on the Blues. Even more, I would love to see the look on JK’s face as Anscombe successfully converts the winning points for the Chiefs, after dismal efforts by Weepu and Noakes.

If I sound like I am coming from a biased position – of preferring one team over the other, then you’d be damn right. Everyone outside of Auckland knows that when it comes to rugby, netball, gumboot throwing, snail racing (and on and on and on) you support your home team & anyone playing Auckland!

Statisgasmic

My birthday is on September 22nd.  I am a Virgo.  By nature, Virgos are meant to be analytical (as well as organised, which as anyone who knows me knows - I am NOT)..  Every now and then, that little analytical streak in me comes out, and I have myself a statisgasm...  Similar to a nerdgasm, but more specific... more specialised.  Yes.  My brain 'gets off' to statistics.

As long as the statistics are interesting.
Sadly a lot aren't.

HOWEVER.  Rugby statistics.... they can cause multiple statisgasms.

(halfback) TJ Perenara scores a trie for the Hurricanes

For example... did you know that of the 559 tries scored (thus far) across all SuperXV teams, 360 were scored by backs, as opposed to only 199 scored by forwards - and that within the backs, 143 of their tries were scored by wings, with Center and Halfback scoring 84 and 74 respectively - with the fullback further back on 59.

'Snakey' scores at home, for the Hurricanes

As for WHEN tries are most often scored?  I can tell you they are most often scored at home, in the second half - most specifically between 41-60 minutes.  11 teams scored more tries at home, with 2 teams scoring the same amount of tries both at home and away.  NONE of the teams in the playoffs scored more tries away, than at home - so does this indicate that the teams playing at home for their quarter/semi/final have more of a likelihood of winning?  All teams in the playoffs have won a large majority of their home games.... (but then also a large majority of their away games also... so moot point?).

Tom Taylor on his way to 31 points
in one Super XV game (v Stormers)

When you get down to top points scorers, of the top 5, 3 are from New Zealand franchises - not surprisingly they are Cruden, Barrett and Tom Taylor.  Cruden and Barrett had a very similar number of penalties and conversions, however Tom Taylor had a substantially larger number of penalties.  Tom Taylor successfully kicked 15/17 conversions and 37/45 penalties - a strike rate of 84%
Aaron Cruden successfully kicked 35/44 conversions and 43/52 penalties - a strike rate of 81%
Beauden Barrett successfully kicked 35/51 conversions and 39/48 penalties - a strike rate of 75%.

I would love to be a rugby statistician!  Maybe if they offered rugby statistics at high school, I would have paid a tiny little bit of attention to maths.. because while I have never used Pythagorus' theorum (something to do with triangles?) since having to use it for pointless maths sessions at school, I quite often refer to my rugby statistics....  Come think of it - had they incorporated rugby into ALL of my subjects at school, I would quite possibly have been a little happier to stick around, rather than being in a hell of a rush to get out of there....  Now.  A PhD in rugby.. THAT would be pretty fucking awesome.........

Came. Soared. Kicked Ass.

Really - the picture says it all.

I don't really need to say more - but I will.  Putting it plainly, last night the All Blacks kicked Irelands ass, when they played the third & final test match in the Steinlager Series. 

The team celebrating their awesomeness
... but where the hell are DC and Zaccy????

I presumed the All Blacks would win - because, lets face it - the All Blacks always win, and very very very rarely is an All Blacks loss against a team other than South Africa or Australia.  However last weeks 22-19 scoreline did leave me a little concerned - but deep down I KNEW the AB's would win.  The game in Christchurch can be largely blamed on the weather I think - the cold, slippery ball, the cold, slippery ground, the cold, slippery players (hmmm...).  It came down to who kicked well, and who was in the right place at the right time.  Thank fuck the AB's had been in the right place at the right time (well, Dan Carter had been).   STILL.. the fact the AB's weren't putting forward their 1st string side did leave me a little worried - my guess was that there would be a 35-20 scoreline, in favour of the All Blacks.

Another sublime Smith offload

THAT pass from Cruden to SBW

I did not need to worry one tiny little bit, as it turned out.  From the beginning the All Blacks were the dominant team, particularly in the midfield, where Aaron Smith showed what a little pocket rocket he is - speedy passes, speedy running, an uncanny knack to find spaces...  The two Aaron's played extremely well together... and I do have to say that for the 30? minutes Aaron Cruden was on, he was ON FIRE, and looked as though he had been in the team for a matter of years and years and years - he wasn't quite Dan Carter, but shit.  That kid can play!!!  He had a particularly good connection with SBW - they linked up a lot, and one particular link up - a gorgeous little pass by Cruden, just before he hit the ground, led to SBW getting his first try of the 2012 AB's season.  That leads me to a despressing admission.  SBW also had a great game.  His offloads were sublime, and often led to tries or awesome little runs - infact I believe it was a chip kick by SBW that led to Izzy getting his try.

[try scoring] moves like Dagger

That leaves the perfect opening to talk about Izzy.  WHAT A GAME!  The man kicked and passed and ran like a pro - a mad feat, considering the fact he had a sore foot/ankle (not sure which).  Infact, literally seconds before he got his try, the commentators were saying that Izzy was in a bad way, and wouldn't be sticking around much longer.  NEK MINNIT he was running toward the tryline, then dived over for what was an awesome try.  When he stood up his did get up a little gingerly, but he stayed on for the rest of the game - much to the shock of everyone, I think. 

The only thing that could have made Izzy play any better, was having his right hand (well, right wing) man - Zaccy, on the field with him...

But don't get me started on that.

Ben Smith. *frowns*
That try should have been Zac's.  *frowns more*

Same Cane, try #1

Another player that did uberly well, was Sam Cane!!!!  Sam took the #7 position, whilst Richie moved to the #8 - and I have to say, it was a very good combination, and the way Mr McCaw played in #8, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was his natural position.  But Sam.  Two tries on his run-on debut, a lot of good running and passing...  I have a feeling that one Mr McCaw would have been very proud of how his protégé played... When Sam came off he got a rather loud ovation from the crowd, and rightly so.  He played his 20yo ass off.

Interesting to note as well, that three of the best players of the match were Chiefs boys, and that 5 of the 9 tries scored, were also by Chiefs players (two of them, Cane & SBW, each scoring twice).

Out with the old, in with the new.
Fuck off Piri.  Aaron Smith is here to stay.

Thinking about it, the only union that didn't really have any players making any impact on the game, was the Blues.  But that really isn't a surprise, is it?  Piri made fuck all impact on the game - I personally would have sooner seen Aaron Smith stay on.  Keven Mealamu and Tony Woodcock were pretty 'meh' as far as the hooking role went... they did their jobs, but were nothing spectacular.  I don't think there were even any other Blues in the team.  Ma'a Nonu was in the squad but was the ONLY player to miss out on a role in any of the games.  I'm wondering if there are some internal politics going on there...  is Ma'a on his way to announcing that he's leaving Aotearoa for Japan or a Euro club?  Part of me hopes not, but part of me - again, is 'meh'...  He hasn't made much of an impact this year.  The All Blacks certainly coped well without him.

I'm not even going to sum up the performance - okay, so admittedly by reviewing the game (in my own way), I have done that - but I think there is someone who can sum it up a lot better than me, without saying a single word...

You can judge how the nation felt about the game
by the demeanour of Captain Fantastic...
and he looks pretty fucking happy!

And hey...  Mr Dagg looks pretty happy too!