2008 Super 14 Rugby

[Bad Company]

Well, you thought we were in the cricket season? You were wrong.
Super 14 starts this weekend! Not that I can be too arsed watching it, but I'll try to catch a few matches.

http://www.super14.com/fixtures/

Fixtures are there.

Wonder if the Force will do any good this year aye DU? Maybe you'll be sporting that Crusaders avatar again ;)

[WestNZ]

I dont know what you all think, or what the papers say, but i see this year as the year that the Hurricanes will actually make a decent go of it and not make the semi's by fluke

GO THE 'CANES

[Downunder]

Well the Force are off to a stellar start with Henjak smacking one of his team mates in a pub fight and breaking his jaw.

yay


Mitchell is letting him fly to South Africa and the ARU are having kittens (as they should) now the cunts are talking docked points - fuck that, you only get one shot at Super 14, if we get docked points, both Mitchell and Henjak are going to cop it at the first home game.


ANYWAY, we fucking destroyed Queensland last week in a trail match, and although it was just Queensland :lol: I thought we looked pretty good.


Fuck the 'canes and stick the crusaders up your arse. :foc:

[Bad Company]

I've always thought the Force would come right, this will probably be their year.
That's some dumb shit with Henjak, but maybe the fella deserved it.

Canes look alright this year, as do the Chiefs. I rekon the Crusaders will do it tough.
Tahs, ACT, and QLD will be shite, you never know with the SA teams... But I'd say the Bulls and Sharks will be the ones to look out for, as they were finallists last year.

[Downunder]

We have the sharks first game. I hope we come back from that shit hole of a country with at least 2 wins.

(Mitxh will tell the boys not to eat the food)

[WestNZ]

well, i just hope that this year will see a different champ. im sick of it being Auckland and Cantabery nearly every year

[Downunder]

I'm just sick of Canterbury full stop.

[WestNZ]

Dare i say it, but i would really like to see a Australian team win it. Rugby in Aussie is wicked, its just a pity that teams like the Crusaders can fluke it year in- year out.

[WestNZ]

so What are you guys picks for the winners tis week end.

Crusaders v Brumbies
Highlanders v Reds
Sharks v Western Force
Blues v Cheifs
Waratahs v Hurricanes
Stormers v Bulls
Cheetahs v Lions

My pick is in bold

[Downunder]

Crusaders v Brumbies
Highlanders v Reds
Sharks v Western Force
Blues v Cheifs
Waratahs v Hurricanes
Stormers v Bulls
Cheetahs v Lions

My pick is correct

[Bad Company]

Crusaders. Who smashed the brumbies :D
Highlanders
Sharks
Chiefs
Hurricans
Bulls
Lions

[WestNZ]

looks like the CVantab train is just starting, NOT AGAIN

[WestNZ]

If you ask me, 34 - 3 is more than smashing them, its handing them a bloody lesson on the game. On the plus side, it was good to see a foward bag a double, even if it was a number 8.

[Downunder]

Brumbies for the spoon this year, no doubt.

No Greagan, no Larkham, no chance.


Force lost 17-10, no Nathan Sharp (another South African stomach virus) I wsh they would stay away from the food in that filthy fucking country.

[WestNZ]

LOL, seems the only way the SAF teams can beat the rest of the world, bet they had Rosie cooking in the hotel.

But i do think that the Brumbies will do better than the spoon. I think one of the SAF teams this year will get it, seeing that SAF dont have the talent to stretch out to 5 teams.

[WestNZ]

Reds beat Highlanders 22-16. so far i 2/3 this week, best yet for me,

[WestNZ]

Blues 32 Chiefs 14

looks like i slip back a bit to 2/4. but it was a good match, after the half time break.

[Bad Company]

You mean Susie WestNZ :D
Blues looked strong. It was probably the fastest game of footy I've ever seen, love these new laws. Canes and Tahs has just started. Looks quick too. Which is better for the canes I rekon.

[Downunder]

Blues are my NZ team :cool:

[WestNZ]

i may mean Susie, but the name i saw in the papers at the time was Rosie

[WestNZ]

Final Score Waratahs 20 Hurricanes 3
Oh the pain, my boys lost.

Final Score Stormers 9 Bulls 16
Well. looks like i got both these games wrong, man i suck, only 2/6 now, i sure hope the cheetahs beat the lions.

[WestNZ]

Final Score Cheetahs 22 - Lions 23

Didnt see this result on the Super 14 page. real bad week for me, only 2 correct out of 7 fukn games.

Lets hope that i get it right next week.

[WestNZ]

Big boost for the rest of the teams this year, for a month anyways

Frans Ludeke's Bulls will have to face the six-time champions the Crusaders this coming friday without star winger Bryan Habana after it was determined that the pace man will be out of action for up to a month.

The Bulls opened their Super 14 title defence with a win over fellow South Africans the Stormers in Cape Town but the price of victory may have been high.
The only try of the match came from Bryan Habana in the 35th minute and injured his shoulder when he dived over the line to score the try.

Habana was visibly in pain after the touchdown. He recieved medical attention and chose to stay on only to put in a tackle a minute later seemingly injuring his shoulder further.

Habana was replaced at half time by Marius Delport.

Ludeke admitted after the match that the injury "looked serious".
Bulls team doctor Tommie Smook said after his first evaluation of Bryan Habana's shoulder injury that the star winger will be out for two to four weeks.

shouldnt show boat when scoring a try, IDIOT:?:

[WestNZ]

Also read that in total, only 241 points were scored by all teams in the first royund of play, which is the lowest scoring first round since the late 90's when opening weekend netted 239

[WestNZ]

The Stormers face an anxious wait as they await the call on the eligibility of their new prop Brian Mujati who moved last year to Cape Town to play for the Stormers.

Mujati (pictured) is a Zimbabwean by birth and was formerly with the Lions.

It has emerged that the necessary documentation for Mujati to play have not been signed. He has been named in the Stormers squad to face the Bulls on saturday.

The Lions have claimed that Stormers and Western Province officials negotiated with Mujati behind their backs and that Mujati is still in their employment and they have thus lodged an objection with SARU.

Should the Stormers play Mujati illegally they could be docked points on the table.
A ruling on Mujati's eligibility is expected to be made on Friday.

These African teams cant keep away fron controversy.

[Bad Company]

I think it was pretty error ridden, but it was the most exciting footy I've seen in years.
Go the new laws!

[WestNZ]

i reakon the new laws are ok, but it will take time to get used to them, but yes, it was exciting to watch.

[WestNZ]

French flyhalf Frederic Michalak should make his debut for the Sharks against the Stormers after he was withdrawn from the opening round clash against the Western Force for safety reasons.

"Freddie could have played at a push or if, say, we had been in a final. But it would be crazy to gamble on the fitness of one of our top players at the start of the season." Muir told the Witness.

Muir also said that it was a calf strain that kept Michalak out on Friday but that he would be fit for Saturday's game against the Stormers on Saturday.

Muir delayed the announcement until shortly before kick-off with three the Force off the trail but also inconvenienced a couple of French rugby writers who traveled out to South Africa to cover Michalak's Super 14 debut. As he did not make his debut they have to stay in Durban twiddling their thumbs for a week while they await the event.

Muir said that despite not playing Michalak he was delighted that the Sharks avoided any major injuries and that the squad remains an effective unit in spite of the loss of their most experienced players of last year.

"I'm hugely relieved we won this game. We really did not know where we were in terms of our preparation and how we would deal with the new laws.

"The Force have played far more rugby under the new changes and they are a top side. It was not pretty and we may have overdone the kicking but to get out with a win is a huge boost."

when did he join the team, and why didnt he come play for one of the NZ teams, or at least an aussie team.

[Bad Company]

wow, didn't know he was playing Super 14, that's awesome.

[Cuzziebro]

Blues played awesome as they will continue to do. I'm picking an all NZ final, likely Crusaders and Blues.

[Renaissance man]

well, i just hope that this year will see a different champ. im sick of it being Auckland and Cantabery nearly every year

Scuse you- i do believe the gods in blue will be retaining their title thank you very much.

More than a team, its a religeon. GO BULLS!!!

[Renaissance man]

LOL, seems the only way the SAF teams can beat the rest of the world, bet they had Rosie cooking in the hotel.

But i do think that the Brumbies will do better than the spoon. I think one of the SAF teams this year will get it, seeing that SAF dont have the talent to stretch out to 5 teams.

Dear god! let go! it was 1995 and was never proven. It was suzi not rosie. That loss still hurts hey? ha ha!

[WestNZ]

Blues played awesome as they will continue to do. I'm picking an all NZ final, likely Crusaders and Blues.

im picking this to to be honest, but i would like to see something different, like say, a Western Force v Bulls final or something, a game you would not pick in a million years

[WestNZ]

Matt Henjak's hearing was held on Tuesday night after being postponed from the 13th of February by a Conduct Committee. The hearing was also held for Henjak's team mate Haig Sare.
The Conduct Committee found both of the Force players guilty and the recommendation for Henjak was that his contract was to be terminated and Sare to be suspended for eight weeks and for him to pay a fine of $5,000.

Essentially Henjak was found to have "savagely punched" Sare in an incident nine days ago and now Sare has a broken jaw.

The final decision on the sacking will have to be ratified by the ARU but given John O'Neill's reaction to the incident last week, that seems to be a formality.

RugbyWA chairman Geoff Stooke told AAP that the circumstances of Henjak's behaviour - which was described as punching Sare when he was sat down and unable to defend himself - was grossly irresponsible and disloyal.

The RugbyWA statement read: "In addition to fighting in public, the committee was satisfied that he (Henjak) savagely punched Haig Sare when Haig was sitting down, vulnerable and unable to defend himself.

"The committee was unable to find any justification for that assault which probably caused Haig Sare's jaw to be broken.

"In light of the circumstances and in particular Matt Henjak's prior record, the committee recommended that the contract of Matt Henjak with the Western Force be terminated forthwith."

they should both go, if they wwernt semi decent rugby players, they would be in jail, or facing charges

[Cuzziebro]

Dear god! let go! it was 1995 and was never proven. It was suzi not rosie. That loss still hurts hey? ha ha!

It happened, even if it wasn't proven, and New Zealand supporters will never forget how SA cheated to win. You should let go and stop denying the undeniable.

[Renaissance man]

please playa- you didn't get beaten by 15 men alone. You had a whole nation against you. You pretty boys thought you only had to show up to collect the cup and you walked into a wall of green steel. Scrum near the 22 m line of New zealand... Van der Westhuizen to Stransky... boom! glory glory glory!

[Cuzziebro]

We walked into a bowl of poison, but if thats what you fellas call a wall of green steel, then yes I agree with you.

[Downunder]

they should both go, if they wwernt semi decent rugby players, they would be in jail, or facing charges

Henjak is gone, Sare got 8 week suspension and a $5000 fine.


Good fucking riddence - fuck off to South Africa and play with the scum.



just don't eat the food

[Cuzziebro]

Henjak is gone, Sare got 8 week suspension and a $5000 fine.


Good fucking riddence - fuck off to South Africa and play with the scum.



just don't eat the food

LOL

[Renaissance man]

We walked into a bowl of poison, but if thats what you fellas call a wall of green steel, then yes I agree with you.


Its not poison. You Lot lack two vital rugby ingredients.... balls! you got no balls! When last did you win the RWC? it was in the last century ha ha!

[Bad Company]

There's always next time.

[WestNZ]

and Next time we will choke again

[WestNZ]

Hurricanes v Reds
Cheetahs v Force
Bulls v Crusaders
Chiefs v Waratahs
Brumbies v Highlanders
Sharks v Stormers
Lions v Blues

Ok, i was 2 from 7 last week, lets see if this weeks predictions are anything to go by

[WestNZ]

Former Wallabies & Reds coach Eddie Jones says he is prepared to offer disgraced Western Force scrum-half Matt Henjak a chance to resurrect his career in England, reports said Thursday.

Jones, soon to become director of rugby at English club Saracens, said he supported the ruling of the Rugby WA's conduct committee that Henjak should be sacked for attacking teammate Haig Sare at a Perth bar earlier this month.

But Jones said he would be willing to take Henjak, who earned four national caps during his time as Wallabies' coach, should the 26-year-old scrum-half be eligible to play in Europe.

Jones, who sent Henjak home from the Wallabies' 2005 tour of South Africa after an off-field disciplinary issue, said he was ready to give the troubled player another chance.

"I would give him another chance if the circumstances were right, no hesitation," Jones told Thursday's The Sydney Morning Herald.

"He deserves the punishment but still deserves to have a future as a footballer." Jones said he knew Henjak had a problem with alcohol, which led to his becoming the first Wallaby in 40 years to be sent home from a tour after a nightclub incident in Cape Town three years ago.

But he said he felt Henjak had then "turned the corner" and so selected him for the end-of-season Wallabies tour the same year.

"Matt is essentially a good kid. But it is true, there have been a number of alcohol-related incidents," Jones said.

"And I did sense that he had an issue then (in 2005). We sought to address the problem. He came on the Wallabies tour later that year and played well, especially against Ireland.

"We thought he had turned the corner. But it seems now that the corner was just too far away." Jones has urged the Australian Rugby Union not to abandon Henjak.

Henjak may know this week whether his time in Australian rugby is officially up with the ARU to decide his fate.

The ARU said it is going through the transcript from the conduct committee's hearing, which recommended that the Western Force scrum-half be sacked because of his attack on Sare, which left the centre with a broken jaw.

im sorry, but players that do this to their team mates should be banned from all rugy for a set period of time, not just rugby in country in which the inciddent took place.

[Downunder]

Fuck him the Poms can have him.

[Downunder]

Also Eddie Jones is an idiot.

[Downunder]

Nice demolition job by Canterbury on the Blue Balls :lol:

And The Force showed the Cheaters how to lose by a point, again :lol:

[Bad Company]

lol smashed em. :D Come on Jappie, how are your mighty bulls now?
Canes finally got there too. Got the ball rolling... Despite the fact the reds are shit.

[WestNZ]

Full time score Hurricanes 23 Reds 18
Thats my first correct guess this week, good to see my team win one.

Full time score Cheetahs 15 Force 16
Here is my second of the week.

The Full time Score is Bulls 19 Crusaders 54
And this result makes it 3/3 so far for the week.

[WestNZ]

Also, from what i can tell, there have been no injuries to top players this week, so far anyway. Must mean those over-paid pansies are either not playing hard, or they got hard and didnt cry over a split hair.

[WestNZ]

And, seeing that it is a rugby-based topic, i have to say it

BRING BACK BUCK

[Downunder]

Watching the Force v Cheaters again.

Fucking commentators shit me - silly fucking accents and as usual with South Africans as one eyed as hell.

[Renaissance man]

Nice demolition job by Canterbury on the Blue Balls :lol:

And The Force showed the Cheaters how to lose by a point, again :lol:

Yeah we played like shit but the season has just started. Granted the crusaders are a awesome team

[WestNZ]

The full time score is Chiefs 20 Waratahs 17

Looks like i keep perfect this week, 4/4

[WestNZ]

The Full time Score is Brumbies 22 Highlanders 20
Another close game, and another correct prediction from me

Full time Score Sharks 12 Stormers 10
Seems the Super 14 comp this year is dishing out close games, and my record suffers from this match. 5/6 this week

Full time Score Lions 10 Blues 55
I think everyone saw this happening, and rounds out a top week for me, 6 out of 7 correct guesses.

A total of 8 correct from 14 over the first 2 weeks

[Bad Company]

We're just under an hour away from another round.
Starting with Chiefs v Hurricanes, a big game for NZ rugby, and for year team. I think the Hurricanes are going to win, because they're at home, and they're due for form.

[Downunder]

The Force should have won by more - a lot more.

but a win is a win, and I love taking points off South Africans.

[Renaissance man]

that one hurt. seriously

[Bad Company]

ouch, and I thought the bulls were gonna win it.

[Renaissance man]

We had that game and we simply let go. They must take demas behind the east pavilion and shoot him. He could not catch a cold!!

[Bad Company]

So downunder, Crusaders force this Weekend ;)

[Downunder]

Home game boy, I'll fucking be there.

[Bad Company]

How about a wager then :D

[Downunder]

Avatars again.

I don't think I can face another month with that fucking gay Crusaders avatar. :'(


but what the hell, anything for a laugh.

[Bad Company]

Suits me. I'll have to dig up that bloody crusaders one again.
So any more picks for the weekend?

[WestNZ]

man, i cant beleive i missed a whole week of super 14, I HATE THE FLU

[Renaissance man]

You didn't miss much

[WestNZ]

im guessing i missed another blues win, if so, then im glad i missed it

[WestNZ]

cant beleive the "canes won this weekend, it was so boring, and they sucked. a fukn scoreless second half. i think they deserved to loose,

[Renaissance man]

Ill take that victory- it got squiffy for a while though

[WestNZ]

man, close games this weekend. Cheifs rule and blues suck

[Bad Company]

here's ya new avatar downunder. :D
You fellas put up a pretty good fight.

[Downunder]

Thanks mate.

Bloody good game - shame about the result

[Bad Company]

Jesus that's a legendary photo of mehrts.
Right up those South Africans :D

[WestNZ]

man, the blues this week, 55-7. may as well say comp over and give them the trophy

[Downunder]

55-7 was the Crusades.

The Blues got done by The Force :cool:

[Bad Company]

Knew you'd be happy about that DU. Good win by the Force, well deserved. I have to say I think they are the best Aussie side out there.

My Picks weren't so good this week, thought the blues, chiefs, and Brumbies were gonna win theirs, but got some points with a good pick of The reds over the Bulls.

NZ's back stocks have taken a tumble with a suspected broken collerbone to Stephen Brett, and a suspected Broken Jaw to Nick Evans. As soon as Evans was gone I knew the Blues were in trouble. He's an amazing player, just has bad luck.

[WestNZ]

man, i am hating the super 14 this year, one or 2 good teams, with the rest just getting by. where are the high scoring, fast paced games i was promised

[Downunder]

man, i am hating the super 14 this year, one or 2 good teams, with the rest just getting by. where are the high scoring, fast paced games i was promised

WHAT!?!


I guess you missed the the last few games of the Force.

[Downunder]

Western Force 15
Blue Balls 14

To be fair we didn't deserve to win that game, but I really don't care.

A win is a win, and a win at home is just fucking awesome.

[Bad Company]

Hah, I turned it off because I thought you guys were done for.
Hurricanes Sharks is a big game tonight

[Downunder]

Dear Waikato,


SUCK ON THAT YOU MAORIS!!!!


Kindest Regards,


The Western Force.

[Sting Fan]

Caught the Canes vs. Force game this week, I was pretty impressed to be honest.

Nice to see my beloved Canes have finally learned how to control possesion. Although I must admit it was helpful of the Force to kick away most of there possesion.

It almost gave me hope the Canes might mkae the final, but I wont hold on too tight too that. Sick of having my hand broken as the dream is ripped away fro me.

[Downunder]

Yeah, we're fucked :(

[Bad Company]

OH FUCK YEAH

http://l.yimg.com/img.mos.aunz.yimg.com/img/-/080531/deanswin415_1442b4d.jpg

Reuben Thorne, Reuben Thorne, Reuben Thorne!

[Bad Company]

Cheers Robbie, you're the best. Now I'm just worried we're gonna lose to Australia.

[Downunder]

No one gives a fuck.

ypou have to wear a crash helmet and a big stupid glove to get stickied around here.