@mariner4life said in Super Rugby Final 2018:
Leon MacDonald cost us two world cups
Yet he will be the saviour of the Blues 
Super Rugby Final 2018
Match thread
@act-crusader said in Super Rugby Final 2018:
@chester-draws said in Super Rugby Final 2018:
@chris-b and if we hadn't given an intercept we might have won again.
I didn't say we were bad. We were flakey.
No we weren’t. Our games against Oz and the Boks saw us turn a corner.
What happened is that our best centre got injured and our second best centre was played at fullback
I've seen an awful lot of "corners turned" that were merely wishful thinking. England thought they'd turned one under Eddie Jones just recently, for example.
I'm not a big believer in teams being able to make sharp turns (especially when coach and players and game plan haven't changed much).
We didn't lose the game in 2003 at centre or fullback.
@chester-draws said in Super Rugby Final 2018:
@act-crusader said in Super Rugby Final 2018:
@chester-draws said in Super Rugby Final 2018:
@chris-b and if we hadn't given an intercept we might have won again.
I didn't say we were bad. We were flakey.
No we weren’t. Our games against Oz and the Boks saw us turn a corner.
What happened is that our best centre got injured and our second best centre was played at fullback
I've seen an awful lot of "corners turned" that were merely wishful thinking. England thought they'd turned one under Eddie Jones just recently, for example.
I'm not a big believer in teams being able to make sharp turns (especially when coach and players and game plan haven't changed much).
We didn't lose the game in 2003 at centre or fullback.
It certainly didn’t help.
But 2003 we won the Bledisloe back and I’ll take that any day.
@chester-draws said in Super Rugby Final 2018:
We didn't lose the game in 2003 at centre or fullback.
We can't have, as we didn't lose a game in 2003 at all (according to my recollection).
If we did it would have been because of an evil wizard, Deans or the TMO. Probably all three.
@mariner4life said in Super Rugby Final 2018:
Leon MacDonald cost us two world cups
I have him down for one, but the 2002 Bledisloe and 2000 3N as well.
@chris-b fuck, yeah, imagine how good the ABs would be if Auckland and the Blues were good!
When Auckland rugby is strong....
@taniwharugby 1999 Tana was flailing around in the backfield, dropping the ball; 2003 the clumsy bastard fell over Carlos (another Blue) and couldn't play; 2007 he refused to play!
1991 that was JK vs Campo.
1995 Pat Lam dropped off some burgers for the boys.
Mysteries solved! 
Crusaders chief executive Hamish Riach said he expected this final to be a sell-out, with, as of last night, only a few hundred seats left.@kiwimurph That's good news. I'd say Riach's pretty much got his pricing spot on.
The epic 25-17 victory over the Lions in the final in Johannesburg last year earned the Crusaders a A$125,000 appearance fee and the club announced a $328,000 surplus, their biggest in over a decade. In 2016 they posted a profit of just $2000. In 2015 it was $3700.
@chris-b so they made $125k appearance fee last year, plus Lions paid for travel and accommodation; this year they pay the Lions a fee, plus travel and accomodation.
financially better to not host?
I find it quite astounding that any team has to pay another team travel costs and an appearance fee.
Surely to hell this should be all part of a package that Super Rugby pays for, after all it’s their product and their flagship game of the season is it not?
@taniwharugby If they sell 20,000 seats at $120 that's $2.4 million.
Doubtless a heap of caveats on those figures, but it's a handy start for the hosts and there's plenty to be made from hospitality.
@taniwharugby Dunno - probably not, I just went on Wally's price.
Google tells me that Wally's not sitting in the cheap seats. But there's a fair few platinum seats.
@chris-b
I’m too old for the cheap seats!
Main stands $75 - $120.
End on open stands $49.
Cheaper for kids.
@taniwharugby said in Super Rugby Final 2018:
@chris-b so they made $125k appearance fee last year, plus Lions paid for travel and accommodation; this year they pay the Lions a fee, plus travel and accomodation.
financially better to not host?
No. It's financially better to hosat and sell out your stadium and keep the profits over and above the travel costs and apperarance fee.
Lions last year would have creamed it hosting. This year they will get a measly $125k.
Lions now favourites as its revealed that Crusaders have to pay their travel costs and Crusaders can not afford Powerade for half time.
The biggest problem in 2003 was that Mehrts, Leon MacDonald, Caleb Ralph and Mark Robinson were replaced by carthorses. The resulting team had a distinctly flaky, non-Cantablacks look to it and after some flashy substance-lacking footy we bombed out in the game that mattered.
@shark said in Super Rugby Final 2018:
The biggest problem in 2003 was that Mehrts, Leon MacDonald, Caleb Ralph and Mark Robinson were replaced by carthorses.
That 2003 team was actually quite divided, or at least cliquey (sp). I was living in Melbourne at the time and the couple of times I saw the ABs around and/or in pics in the paper, there was a Canterbury group, an Auckland group, and the rest.
@antipodean said in Super Rugby Final 2018:
@shark said in Super Rugby Final 2018:
The biggest problem in 2003 was that Mehrts, Leon MacDonald, Caleb Ralph and Mark Robinson were replaced by carthorses.
Can wingers get slower than Caleb ?
@mn5 said in Super Rugby Final 2018:
@antipodean said in Super Rugby Final 2018:
@shark said in Super Rugby Final 2018:
The biggest problem in 2003 was that Mehrts, Leon MacDonald, Caleb Ralph and Mark Robinson were replaced by carthorses.
Can wingers get slower than Caleb ?
Fatty Savea in the last couple of years would have run him close (and before you Savea fluffers have a hernia, no I'm not referencing the pre fat quick version).
@shark You forgot to mention Ben Blair.
@shark said in Super Rugby Final 2018:
The biggest problem in 2003 was that Mehrts, Leon MacDonald, Caleb Ralph and Mark Robinson were replaced by carthorses. The resulting team had a distinctly flaky, non-Cantablacks look to it and after some flashy substance-lacking footy we bombed out in the game that mattered.
Not bad, slightly overdone, and loses points for the flashy carthorse paradox
2/10 would not bite
Am watching "Road to the Final" at Sky Sport 4 and AMI Stadium is full of .......... fog. Geez, hopefully that won't happen tomorrow!
@shark said in Super Rugby Final 2018:
That 2003 team was actually quite divided, or at least cliquey (sp). I was living in Melbourne at the time and the couple of times I saw the ABs around and/or in pics in the paper, there was a Canterbury group, an Auckland group, and the rest.
Were the Canterbury group all passing the phone around to talk to grandad?
Head to $1.09 / $7.50
Crusaders been there all week Lions slipped from $7.00 earlier in week.
Has there been another final where one team was supposedly gonna walk it so easy before?
@taniwharugby Perfect for an insurance bet!
I don't expect the Crusaders to lose, but an early red card and the whole landscape changes.
@chris-b said in Super Rugby Final 2018:
@taniwharugby Perfect for an insurance bet!
I don't expect the Crusaders to lose, but an early red card and the whole landscape changes.
Yep.
If I were the Lions, I'd be throwing up a lot of contestable high kicks early, and getting people up in teh air to get it. One small misjudgement, and someone cops a red. If it's you - c'est la vie. If it's the Saders, you're probably goign to win.
There are a few large wagers on the Crusaders lifting the trophy again this year.
Outright Winner Bets:
$40,000 on the Crusaders at $2.00 - placed on June 28
$30,000 on the Crusaders at $1.50 - placed on July 26
$29,465 on the Crusaders at $1.12 - placed on July 28
One punter foresaw George Bridge's breakout season.
Super Rugby Top Try Scorer Bet:
$250 on George Bridge at $41 - placed on February 15
$1,000 Multi could return $22,500
World Cup Outright Winner: France @ $6.00
Super Rugby Outright Winner: Crusaders @ $3.75
$32 Multi could return $3,936.30
Champions League Winner: Real Madrid @ $1.70
Stanley Cup Winner: Washington Capitals @ $2.50
NBA Champions: Golden State Warriors @ $1.55
World Cup Outright Winner: France @ $6.00
Super Rugby Outright Winner: Crusaders @ $3.25