Rugby Club Super 14 Plays of the Month - February 2010

Michael Hobbs - genius. :)

Sweet clip, thanks. Also nice to be the first pleb to post a comment. Gotchas.

Would be nice if they edited a bit more rugby into the video though. Hard to get a feel for the context of the tries and tackles. Still, mustn't grumble when it's free.

phil, the clip is just supposed for a good lough and not really about rugby itself :D

like always, a joy to watch!

Hahaha that's hilarious! I can't wait for the next one. The celebrations, the cheerleaders, the super reies and the now strong crowds, added to "super-duper" rugby make the Super 14 the greatest competition to watch!

Greg Martin - 'THIS blokes FASSSST!
Classic

Awesome!

Celebrations need to be stopped.

I remember when I first started playing rugby in the mid 90's a guy from the other team scored a try and did a little dance. Two guys FROM HIS OWN TEAM rapped him on the head and brought him back to the midfield for their conversion.

A) Rugby is a team game. These backs should be pointing towards whomever set them up (forwards) and clapping instead of drawing attention to themselves. When they are only the last chain in the link.

B)It's disrespectful to your opposition and unsporting.

Ya agree with the celebration, needs to be nipped in the bud before we get pretentious self absorbed stars ala NFL taking it too far. It's supposed to be a hard game played by modest men.

Gotta say tho, savage totti when I think is was Western Force running out on the pitch. They were some puppies.

And here come all the Northern Hemisphere conservative-dinasaurs.

Entertaining rugby, players enjoying themselfs. Can't have that.

If every rugby competition was like the Super14 the sport would be atleas TWICE as popular.

Great clip. I agree with Chris, and totally think Teddy Bruckshot is about 80 in the shade.

C'mon man, yes it's a team game so they're ALL celebrating! It would look a bit odd if the prop who scrummed a good scrum suddenly did the caterpillar though.

Celebrating a try that you and your team scored is not disrespectful in any way, shape or form. I'm amazed that some people feel that way.

^^ But popularity isn't everything. Here in England football (soccer) is incredibly popular, but it is played predominantly by overpaid adolescents with massive egos which, for me at least, spoils my enjoyment of the game.

What an epic video - how awesome is the sport of rubgy? AWESOME. Going straight to the favourites.

But popularity isn't everything. Here in England football (soccer) is incredibly popular, but it is played predominantly by overpaid adolescents with massive egos which, for me at least, spoils my enjoyment of the game.

.......

Because the Guinness Premiership is crap. So football dominates without worry. If the Super 14 was an English competition it would stand far more chance contesting footballs popularity.

Most people i meet don't even think Rugby is a real sport. They see it as a game for the upper class to run around and then get drunk.

If we had a competition as good as the Super 14 those silly views wouldn't exist. Because people would see Rugby for the highly athletic, intense, professional sport it SHOULD be.

The Southern Hemisphere are the only ones who've got rugby right. The popularity of the sport down there reflects this

^ the Heineken Cup is pretty damn good mate. They've 'got it right' too. As have the Top 14. I don't think it's a hemisphere thing.. despite 'Anonymous' people always liking to bring that up.

Great video.

Something has to be down about celebrations like that after tries.

It's not bloody american football.

Who's that Davis lad ? He looks shit-fast

American Football.. is that the sport that MILLIONS watch and love and the players get paid a fortune, stadiums are packed, and TV audiences set records every year? That one, right? :)

Do you think they would tell players to stop showing their character? Hell no. Do you think fans would still hold the players in as high esteem if they lost the showmanship aspect? I doubt it.

Lets get with the times. Yes rugby is a fantastic sport that's got incredible history, culture, and tradition. But this is the professional age and money, tv audiences, and crowd attendances are important. Showmanship adds to all that.

You can't live in the past. The sport has changed over time. Fans perceptions need to also, imo.

Great clip, thanks.

loving it!!

I think you mean Rod Davies btw, from the Reds? He is suuuuper quick.

Whatever, Teddy.

Celebrations are great. The forwards always get their props in the after match. If the forwards can't handle a back doing a little dance then... nah, I'll just let the chopper say it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unkIVvjZc9Y

In conclusion. More celebrations.

View Video

Excellent entertaining vid RD and awesome link Anarchangel!

I don't mind a little classy celebration but please, oh dear please, let's not cuddle up like all soccer players and prevent the try scorer from running wildly dodging all his celebrating mates.
Anything will do but soccer-like celebration.

Cheerleaders streaking. THAT would be a good consensual (tho not so classy) celebration.
On second thought, Scottish cheerleaders won't hope for tries in winter ; )

"If every rugby competition was like the Super14 the sport would be atleas TWICE as popular."

...the empty stadiums in NZ really back you up, huh?

"Do you think fans would still hold the players in as high esteem if they lost the showmanship aspect?"

...as someone who watches NFL every weekend I can, I hate the shit out of the mini-celebrations. You tackle someone after a 10-second play, you don't deserve a 10-second celebration as well.

The people who I hold in high esteem are the ones stoic enough to keep their shit together and get back to the game. Then go out and get drunk after the match to celebrate.

Just notice that the guys who are usually over-celebrating are NOT the guys who you normally would associate as being "class acts".

--------------

Anyways, I agree that these clips are pretty entertaining. Thanks for putting them up, RD.

Mate have you seen scottish cheerleaders?

The players try NOT to score in case that happens!


*shudder*

"If every rugby competition was like the Super14 the sport would be atleas TWICE as popular."

...the empty stadiums in NZ really back you up, huh?

............

People in NZ aren't rich like British rugby fans generally are.

lovely video, especially the nice'n'fit girls out there !!!! :)
the rugby played down under in the SH is also great quality running-rugby wif loatsa tries, big defensing hits...

but you've gotta LOVE the cheerleaders <3 ... :)

It would be nice something of the Pampas XV, competing in the Voda cup.
Theyhsave had some great performances, (well only 2, but they were great matches)

Re: NZ Stadiums: We also have far fewer people in NZ than in the UK. It would require 10% of the population of Christchurch to attend a game for the Crusader's home ground to sell out.

Celebrations are good.
See down south it's not a posh, private school sport.
Normal people play it here, not posh snobs who have a bitch and a moan because players celebrate and enjoy their rugby.
Suck it up snobs.

As usual in rugby, the frogs have it down. Flair in their rugby without ostentatious and dis-respectfulness.

Part of rugby's popularity is because it isn't gridiron, it isn't soccer. People are moving over to it from the other sports because, for example, players give their all and don't mouth off at the ref.

If rugby was really concerned with growth, then it would just begin to work out an amalgamation with league from its current position of strength. Much bigger sport instantly.

People talk about the S14 having bad crowds, and it's hilarious.
It is the MOST attended rugby competition that doesn't involve national teasm IN THE WORLD.
It has an average of about 20,000 people per match, that's about 5,000 than the next best comp, the Heinken Cup.
The reason the stadiums don't look full is that the average stadium size is over 40,000 capacity.
We don't play in tiny little 10,000 seat stadiums like in Europe.

Funny how the poms whinge about players looking happy after they score and celebrate their success.
Their generally miserable cultural attitude apparently extends to sport.
Seriously, do poms ever stop moaning?

Not British, but I think you're jumping to conclusions all the same.

"Funny how the poms whinge about players looking happy after they score and celebrate their success."

No one is saying you ought not to "look happy". It's the dancing and stupid shit like that that makes those guys look like assholes. That's my take on it, anyways.

I don't mind the high-fives after a try but cut the hand signals and that dancing crap out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlrYmus6xUU


just look at the class he has... He probably just score the most beautiful try of is career, and he made this try on his own : he is happy, but not too much. I picked up this try because I'm french and it appears to me like a good exemple, but it could be another try. Just to say that people are not dinosaurs, but we just want the rugby game stay far of the real professional sport show as long as it can be. Because rugby has so much values than some other sports! BTW, hope the french will win against our favourite enemies... English men, good luck and good game

View Video

Have you ever seen JPR Williams, Christian Cullen, Serge Blanco, Jason Robinson, John Kirwan or Mark Ella dance around? Even Campese did his dancing when he was carrying the ball.

This is the culture of rugby union changing before our eyes.

I don't think dancing around is a NH or SH thing. It's a class thing. Like they say in American Football "act like you've been there before". Stay classy rugby, we're not football and we're not gridirion.

You lot can whinge all you want, but some players (usually wingers) are going to do celebrations from time to time after scoring tries.
It's not disrespectful, it's funny.
Would you lot just relax and have a chuckle.
Why so goddamn uptight?

@Mise: Did you suggest Union and League should combine for a bigger audience?

Why doesn't Union combine with American football? Or soccer? Then we'd get audiences that are even bigger and the game would change just as much.

League is league. Union is union. They're not that similar anymore.

Re: the tired NFL comparisons:
It's not that rugby is changing, it's that western society is changing. NFL fans complain about the celebrations in their sport too, and there were some ridiculous celebration penalties called in this last College Football season. The last thing we need in rugby is more penalties.

Let the players celebrate with the same emotion as they play. There's enough Victorian era self-repression in anglophone culture already.

Masaga you are gold brother!!

"Theres already talk about him pushing Matt Giteau for a place in the Wallabies line up."

I'd hope not. Cooper may be a great player, but he comes off as a trashy person; Giteau is not only respectable, but he's one of the best no. 10's there are.

What a bunch of moaners, who cares if they dance after a try.. GET OVER IT YA BORING OLD FARTS!!!!

The people complaining about celebrations are the same dinasaurs who wanted to keep the sport amateur.

Leave OUR game alone. It's not yours anymore, you old toffs. Go eat your prawn sandwiches at a croquet game.

@Teddy Bruckshot:

Cullen was actually one of the forerunners of the celebrations we see in the super 14 today. He and Umaga, Lomu and Ieremia used to do this high five with their hands against their foreheads.

I'm amazed at how many wieners are on here that are actually supporting over-celebrations for tries.

I'm 20 and just started playing, and I think this over-celebration crap sucks. So it's not nostalgia for the amateur era.

But whatever, it's not like these guys even matter - the truly great players are never the little ninnies you see dancing around like girls in the tryzone. Masaga and the rest of these guys will come and go and just as just as soon be forgotten.

@Anararchangel

Re league and Union: I was making reference to the earlier phase of the discussion re crowd size. Ppl were goin on about increasing crowd size as being a good thing, and I suggested one obvious and easy if left of centre way to do it.

I wasn't expressing a preference, thou I would see some merit in it.

And I do actually disagree about the differences: in many ways, the 2 are far closer now than at any stage previously; professionalism has fast tracked about 50 years of league development in 10-15 yrs for union.

We have less scrums than previously, they more or less abolished the scrum; we have defensive organisation, rush defences and and hits instead of tackles now: Tthat's them. And now, with the SH ending of the ruck, we are v v like them in that thing we knew up until 2009 as...the ruck.

Breakdowns are now less ocntezted - cf especially the ireland wales match, and the confusion from both players.

Others - feel free to add to the list! or critique it.

(Gridiron comparison is facetious btw)

"Breakdowns are now less ocntezted - cf especially the ireland wales match, and the confusion from both players."

Did you just make up a word Mise? :)

@Mise: I can only speak for the competitions I watch regularly, but in the Super 14, (and as of last season, the Trinations, and AirNZ Cup) both the scrum and the ruck are alive and well. In the last round there were numerous legal counterrucks and tightheads.

Breakdowns are certainly contested in the S14, as they will be again in the 6N as soon as the teams adjust. You could see the adjustment over the first weekend of the S14 alone. The first game was a penalty fest at the breakdown and the last was virtually free of them.

League is still about discrete packages of time (a la NFL) to a significant degree. Run it up, run it up, run it up, maybe try something fancy, try something else, kick; repeat in the other direction. At a conceptual level, it's closer to the NFL than to Rugby Union.

Yes, the NFL comparison is facetious; any suggestion that any of these codes are similar enough to meaningfully combine is a rhetorical exaggeration.

@FrankyH: Actually, that typo is a brilliant commentary on how confused the players were about the breakdown law applications! Well played, Mise!

ocntezted...no no this is a special word we have here in Ireland in our native Irish language.....

In English, its contexted

sorry contexted...no no contested! Maaan!

All from typing too fast and letting bad habits form ( u should see these postings b4 I edit them!)

Players all the same size too there days tween league and union too btw

Good to hear about the adjustments to the breakdown - we're at the penalty phase at the mo here in the NH.

Saying that the scrum is alive and well doesn't mean that the number of them isn't going down year on year - it is. Scrums are still important, and can turn games, but teams (like Ireland) can do well without dominating there - in fact, can do better than they used to do when they had a more dominant scrum.

From what you've said Anaracangel, it seems that poor union is more like standard league: I'm thinking of England scotland last week: it was as you described the typical league match!

I suppose I'm also thinking about the notion that you have to give the player time to get himself together and then challenge him in the ruck, having already tackled him. I fundamentally don't like the re-interpretation here: I think the tackle should be _part of_ the turnover, if the tackle is good enough.

However, as I mostly see NH rugby, I need to see more of the new style breakdown in the SH to be more informed. Its just that that bit, the change in the breakdown in the ruck, seems to push union into league, and I find the attempts at running in league reallly boring, and the 'breakdown' in league doesn't really give the opposition any realistic opportunity to turn it over: that opportunity should be there.

But I'll have to see more SH, rather than just clips and the odd bit of highlights on line (I have a feeling that a significant majority of posters on RD are in reality the exact same - at least we admit it!)

Being honest, do SH posters worry about any of these things btw, or do we all just adopt a position?

Why would the SH be worried? TV ratings are up, attendance is up. Good rugby is up.

The only thing the SH are worried about is NH dinasaurs refusing to adapt to the way the ruck is policed.

Thanks, Anonymous for flavouring that slightly informative comment with a slather of invective.

@Mise: Thankfully I'm lucky in not having to watch poor Union then! I imagine that if I watched that sort of thing in and out I would be pretty dissatisfied with the state and direction of rugby too!

To be honest, I'm glad that the scrum isn't as dominant a part of the game any more, if only because it's so opaque to everyone. Scrum penalties are among the most dubious in the game, and in the past it certainly has seemed like the ref is flipping a coin in his head. I'm also glad that while a dominating scrum team can turn that dominance into points and a victory, a team that is not dominating at scrum time can still win the game. I like the balance at the moment.

(BTW: If you want to see some good scrums, rucks and mauls, and a SH team generally dominating from up-front, any S14 game involving the Bulls or the Crusaders is probably your best bet.)

The way that NH fans like you worry about the direction rugby is going does make me worry that the two hemispheres are going in different directions. I certainly worry when I see that a Tri-Nations game is controlled by a NH ref; not because I think they're bad refs, but because the interpretations can be confusing. I'm sure it's the same for you guys up north.

I suppose I'm also thinking about the notion that you have to give the player time to get himself together and then challenge him in the ruck, having already tackled him. I fundamentally don't like the re-interpretation here: I think the tackle should be _part of_ the turnover, if the tackle is good enough.

Watching a player like McCaw tackle, swing to his feet and turn over the ball in one motion was a thing of beauty, but over the past few weeks I've seen it done a couple of times even under the new interpretation. It's a little harder because you have to rise higher (to fully release the player) but a good player can still do that before the support arrives. I'd be interested to see someone do some analysis of the time difference actually, I would bet it would be in the 0.5-1 sec range.

(It's not really your point, but turnovers are still part of the tackle in terms of jarring the ball loose.)

Anarchangel.......sigh..... and thats a sigh of relief....finally someone that will actually talk and not be a complete c*ck....

I totally agree with you in one sense....(personally i like seeing the scrums being a dominating part of the game in the NH)

but i agree they are dubious when it comes to penalties....50% of the time players look extremely shocked as to why the penalty is awarded against them in a scrum....

I can actually see a split in rugby in the future....i feel NH rugby is kicking and screaming whilst its trying to be dragged to SH routes.....and SH seems to be in a fully laden truck with no breaks rolling down a hill.....

I dont really want to see high scoring matches as such, (but id rather at least a few tries)...NH rugby i feel is reaching that point soon where ill like it and not want a change..you look at SH coach influences on Wales, Scotland etc, and these teams have upped their running games....its not perfected but i feel when it is in a year or two thats when i dont want more change....

which is why i can see the split, i feel that SH rugby might just become that little bit too much like league...

anyway summing up, i think SH rugby needs to step back in its evolution a little, and NH rugby needs to step forward a little in its evolution....

Either that or bring back the use of the boot at break downs and make penalty kicks worth 2 points....

@No 7:
There are more than a few down here who would like to see the points for penalties reduced. I could go either way. I'd worry that rule breaking would increase if the penalty was more lenient, and that wouldn't help the cause, it would just lead to more infringements trying to slow down the ball at the tackle area.

There was an interesting article on Sportal (Aussie site) saying that NH rugby was in bad shape because the clubs spend all their money on SH players rather than fostering home-grown talent. I don't know enough about the NH situation to say definitively, but it sure sounds plausible to me! It all starts at the grass-roots.

We'll have to agree to disagree on the league comparison. I don't see that as the direction the SH is going in, but I do worry that there'll be a split. That said, with all the money in the NH, I think it will just end up with the SH bending to the NH/IRB's will and even more ill-feeling between fans (a la just about every thread on RD!)

In terms of average scorelines, I don't think they're as different between the two hemispheres as most people made out. If you compare the 2009 Tri Nations scores with those of the games between the three top scoring nations of the 2010 6 Nations (France, Ireland, Wales) the average number of points a side will score in a game is 22.33 for the Tri Nations and 21.5 for the Six Nations.

NH fans see scorelines like the Lions vs the Chiefs and start generalising with apparently little realisation that everyone in the SH though that game was crazy too! Most of the big scorelines that we see in the S14 are between the title contenders and the cellar dwellers. If you look at the points table for the S14 after 6 rounds and at the 6 games from the current Heineken cup pool play, the points scored aren't that different (The the outlier is the defending champion Bulls who are 17 points higher than the closest HCup team with have a game in hand, but have not yet played away from home).

THAT GUYS STEP AT 00.56 WHO THE HELL IS HE!?!?!?