I think Alison meant"placing their kicks",rather than place kicks!
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I think Alison meant"placing their kicks",rather than place kicks!
Oh well in that case she'd be right.
Ruru's penalty kick at one stage during the second half was awful.
OK, it didn't go so well.
But it went a lot worse for the other Australian franchises!
Let us remember that our focus was never on the tens, but rather the trial against the rebels and super rugby and how we go in tens in not necessarily an indication of how we will go in XVs as they are to quite different games. Players are going to make mistakes and get tired in 40 degree heat and humidity. Kicking still an issue to be worked on. I believe there were lots of good signs in especially in attack. Chance, Rona, Nasarini, Ruru and Kane all standouts.
Unfortunately the couple who were sitting in front of us have moved. He was a canes fan, she was a crusaders girl.
We won't get to see how that plays out after this semi final.
Simple mistakes cost the momentum in the games along with decision making on breaks i.e. Support and running lines.
With time together those issues should improve.
10s was a great way to see those sort of issue because of the open\dynamic\scrappy play.
I reckon Fiji would be a good inclusion in this tournament, if they hold it again of course.
So 10s isn't going to be a good indication of super rugby form, but we kept getting burned on the inside through either laziness or lack of speed, that channel will still be there in 15s and the guy filling it won't be any faster. Kicks not making it to touch will still fail to make touch in 15s, breakdowns with no support won't get a whole lot better with the extra forwards, because the other guys will get three more forwards as well.
The only things that are likely to change are the running lines will tighten up, so we won't have as big gaps to run into and our offload game will need to be better with more traffic around. Both of those will make life harder.
I haven't seen much to make me think that were better than 12th yet.
Chiefs take it out
Chiefs win Brisbane Tens in Lauaki's memory
The Chiefs have taken out an emotional Brisbane Tens final, 12-5 over the Crusaders, with an underlying narrative that none could have predicted before Sunday,.
News of former All Black and Chiefs forward Sione Lauaki’s death filtered through on Sunday morning, triggering tributes from rugby figures across the world and hit the Waikato team hard.
The 35-year-old had been suffering serious health problems for months and was still close to many of his former teammates.
Chiefs Tens captain Liam Messam was originally planning to fly home to be with Lauaki’s family after learning of the his death, but opted to stay behind and help his side play on in the memory of his great friend, pointing to the sky when the final hooter rang out.
Competition ambassador Jerome Kaino did not feature in the second day of the competition, returning to New Zealand after hearing of ‘Wax’s death.
The fairtytale gained momentum perfection as the Chiefs progressed to the final but it was the Crusaders who took the first points, through a rolling maul try for Andrew Makalio.
A potentially serious knee injury for scrumhalf Brad Weber continued a tough start for the Chiefs, before a converted Luke Jacobson try put them at a two-point half-time advantage.
Taleni Seu added a second in the 14th minute but a gruesome broken leg for Mitchell Graham was difficult for anyone to see, with the prop’s shin buckling in a ruck.
Chiefs back Shaun Stevenson said it simply after full-time, speaking to FOX SPORTS.
"We lost a brother today," he said.
Japan’s Panasonic Wild Knights began the competition as nearly everyone’s second team but by the time the Chiefs ran out to face the Crusaders, it was the Waikato team that had the emotional backing.
A moment’s silence kicked off their final day at the Tens, as they romped to a 33-5 win over the Wild Knights and secured their knockout spot.
While the potential success of the competition was widely questioned leading into it, decent, if not overwhelming, crowds turned out on each day in unfriendly football-watching conditions.
By and large, the teams made it through unscathed before finals carnage, beginning with a suspected broken leg for Hurricanes forward Vaea Fifita, before Weber and Graham followed in the decider.
"We've sustained a serious injury to a key player which really takes the gloss off the tournament for us, it's tough,” Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd said of the incident.
"All I know is he's got a suspected broken leg and he's off to the hospital to get that accurately diagnosed. That's a massive blow for us.
At the end of the day, if that hadn't happened, we brought a pretty young crew over here and it's given us confidence in some younger players."
Australia’s Super Rugby teams will be hoping the tournament is no omen for the XVs year, with the Force and the Reds making it through to the quarter-finals but falling in their first knockout.
The Waratahs finished with just one win, a two-point victory over the Rebels, but their young brigade had its moments, while the Rebels started on a high with a win over the Chiefs, but struggled to dominate after that opener.
More telling might be the trials they play this week, with the Reds and Rebels on Tuesday night and the Waratahs taking on the Highlanders on Thursday night at Brookvale Oval.
http://www.rugby.com.au/news/2017/02...-brisbane-tens