NPR

Monster kick from Mo'unga there... no comment from the Dmac fan club.

That is how you execute a lineout maul

Guy Smiley wrote: Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:23 am Monster kick from Mo'unga there... no comment from the Dmac fan club.

It was a beauty

Well played by Ennor there

Richie stands up when you need him

Good guys leading 21 - 19 with 17 mins left

Omg did the commentator just ask if he was out because the tackler was connected to him and in touch

How fucking loud have they turned the PA up?

Sudden silence for the home kicker

Another lovely try there. Chiefs playing much more attractive rugby. Both of them made by DMac.

Biffer wrote: Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:44 am Another lovely try there. Chiefs playing much more attractive rugby. Both of them made by DMac.

The Smiling Assassin

Strange call from the Chiefs

Ymx wrote: Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:33 am Omg did the commentator just ask if he was out because the tackler was connected to him and in touch

Yeah, fucking hell. If you’re getting paid to do this you should have an understanding of the laws.

Deepsouth wrote: Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:45 am

Biffer wrote: Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:44 am Another lovely try there. Chiefs playing much more attractive rugby. Both of them made by DMac.

The Smiling Assassin

Wish we’d persuaded him to take advantage of his Scottish heritage

Imagine him, Russell, Hogg, Graham, Van der Merwe and Jones in the same backline.

Biffer wrote: Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:48 am

Deepsouth wrote: Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:45 am

Biffer wrote: Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:44 am Another lovely try there. Chiefs playing much more attractive rugby. Both of them made by DMac.

The Smiling Assassin

Wish we’d persuaded him to take advantage of his Scottish heritage

Imagine him, Russell, Hogg, Graham, Van der Merwe and Jones in the same backline.

Looks tasty

Biffer wrote: Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:48 am

Deepsouth wrote: Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:45 am

Biffer wrote: Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:44 am Another lovely try there. Chiefs playing much more attractive rugby. Both of them made by DMac.

The Smiling Assassin

Wish we’d persuaded him to take advantage of his Scottish heritage

Imagine him, Russell, Hogg, Graham, Van der Merwe and Jones in the same backline.

You'd soon get sick of him running in circles and kicking into his own man.

Deepsouth wrote: Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:51 am

Biffer wrote: Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:48 am

Deepsouth wrote: Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:45 am

The Smiling Assassin

Wish we’d persuaded him to take advantage of his Scottish heritage

Imagine him, Russell, Hogg, Graham, Van der Merwe and Jones in the same backline.

Looks tasty

It reminds me of a Hugh McDiarmid line about Edinburgh - ‘a mad God’s dream’


Edit for reference

But Edinburgh is a mad god’s dream
Fitful and dark,
Unseizable in Leith
And wildered by the Forth,
But irresistibly at last
Cleaving to sombre heights
Of passionate imagining
Till stonily,
From soaring battlements,
Earth eyes Eternity

That'll do.

Chiefs best were DMac and Jacobson, who clearly outplayed Grace.

Delighted with Tamaiti Williams this season. He's really developing his game, and should now be in the ABs ahead of Nepo, imho.

Guy Smiley wrote: Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:52 amYou'd soon get sick of him running in circles and kicking into his own man.

And outplaying our incumbent test 10 for the second straight game. Sickening.

Thought Richie was a bit flat tonight tbh.

Well played, Chiefs, a deserved victory.

Congrats to the Chiefs.

Gumboot wrote: Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:59 am

Guy Smiley wrote: Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:52 amYou'd soon get sick of him running in circles and kicking into his own man.

And outplaying our incumbent test 10 for the second straight game. Sickening.

Thought Richie was a bit flat tonight tbh.

DMac's first half was pretty bloody useless, if you remember. Mo'unga doesn't do the same things either... he actually distributes the ball in his backline and during that first half, the Crusaders backline almost had two (disallowed) tries in the bank... through being set up by a decent pivot. A pivot playing outside a halfback who looked half pissed from kick off and took most of the game to come good. MacKenzie was quiet in the first half in comparison, doing nothing useful and then in the second, he exhibited his usual go it alone mad cap frenzy... which did lead to good breaks. One was an awful defensive lapse from the Crusaders with the commentators blaming Christie but there was a hole the size of Gibraltar there for MacKenzie to run through.

I don't think DMac shaded Mo'unga at all in this game. I think they play a different style and do different things... I would always choose the player who sets his line up over the go it alone merchant and that is the absolute crux of my issue regarding both BB and DMac as test 10s. they are not distributors, although MacKenzie has clearly improved in that regard after his stint in Japan.

I don't think it helps at all when you have commentators hell bent on cheer leading for certain players, either.... listening tonight you'd think MacKenzie was the second coming. We've said this sort of thing before, for a long time now... it's like they're not watching the game in front of them, they are seeing what they want to see. It's awful commentary.

Cool, well I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

It's not like either Richie or DMac are in poor form anyway. Both are in good nick, which is very pleasing indeed.

Reds v Force. My eyes are bleeding.

I’m going to pull some weeds instead.

Gumboot wrote: Sat Apr 29, 2023 9:23 am Cool, well I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

It's not like either Richie or DMac are in poor form anyway. Both are in good nick, which is very pleasing indeed.

I watched as a neutral and I thought DMac was a little too wired at first but grew into the game and really played well. He lived off scraps first half... but second half as the Chief's pack took control, he blossomed...

With him and Sullivan as the All Blacks number 10s from next year, it's exciting times! Richie suffered playing behind a pack that though it started with a roar, seemed to run out of steam...

Ymx wrote: Sat Apr 29, 2023 8:33 am Omg did the commentator just ask if he was out because the tackler was connected to him and in touch

Maybe she is new to rugby?

It has been a funny week. Any discussion with a Crusaders fan moves to the point where "yeah, but we have 6 titles in a row, how many do you have?" is meant to end the argument.

That isn’t happening in here, though.

Grandpa wrote: Sat Apr 29, 2023 1:00 pm

Gumboot wrote: Sat Apr 29, 2023 9:23 am Cool, well I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.

It's not like either Richie or DMac are in poor form anyway. Both are in good nick, which is very pleasing indeed.

I watched as a neutral and I thought DMac was a little too wired at first but grew into the game and really played well. He lived off scraps first half... but second half as the Chief's pack took control, he blossomed...

With him and Sullivan as the All Blacks number 10s from next year, it's exciting times! Richie suffered playing behind a pack that though it started with a roar, seemed to run out of steam...

Yep I thought as a neutral that DMac had the better of the 2 10s, his control and kicking overall were what put the Chiefs in the positions that they scored from as well as being a part of setting up a couple of the tries. RMo looked to perhaps drop deeper as pressure came on (tendency he has) but Chiefs loosies may of been cause of that as I reckon the game was won in the 6-10 axis. Also for RMo to blossom it' is usually on the back of Havili being 1st receiver of set play for first part of game and Richie using his feet out wider, and that didn't happen. One of first balls Richie got he had Cane almost right with him and thenI though he went into shell a little.

I've got an aversion to a kicker who gets his kicks charged down more than once, myself. When it actually comes back off a team mate's head though... that's fucking woeful.

Guy Smiley wrote: Tue May 02, 2023 10:05 pm I've got an aversion to a kicker who gets his kicks charged down more than once, myself. When it actually comes back off a team mate's head though... that's fucking woeful.

Yeah I'm assuming that's why jordie isn't given clearing kicks despite the distance he can get, he seems a little slow from hand to foot (it is about 10 foot away compared to dmac and Mo'unga), and can get charged too often

Guy Smiley wrote: Tue May 02, 2023 10:05 pm I've got an aversion to a kicker who gets his kicks charged down more than once, myself. When it actually comes back off a team mate's head though... that's fucking woeful.

So have I, not saying he had perfect game by any means, just that in my opinion he was best 10 is all.

Good to see Leinert-Brown back this week following Goodhue's return last week. Finally we may get some competition going for the 12/13 spots

Enzedder wrote: Wed May 03, 2023 7:31 am Good to see Leinert-Brown back this week following Goodhue's return last week. Finally we may get some competition going for the 12/13 spots

Hell, yes, especially if it means Rieko taking the left wing spot from Clarke.

Will Jordan is back….

Highlanders vs Chiefs kicking off in Dunedin in a couple of minutes...

Highlanders: 1-Ethan de Groot, 2-Andrew Makalio, 3-Jermaine Ainsley, 4-Fabian Holland, 5-Will Tucker, 6-Shannon Frizell, 7-Billy Harmon (c), 8-Hugh Renton, 9-Aaron Smith, 10-Freddie Burns, 11-Scott Gregory, 12-Thomas Umaga-Jensen, 13-Fetuli Paea, 14-Connor Garden-Bachop, 15-Sam Gilbert
Reserves: 16-Rhys Marshall, 17-Daniel Lienert-Brown, 18-Saula Ma'u, 19-Josh Dickson, 20-Sean Withy, 21-Folau Fakatava, 22-Mitch Hunt, 23-Jona Nareki

Chiefs: 1-Aidan Ross, 2-Samisoni Taukei'aho, 3-George Dyer, 4-Tupou Vaa'i, 5-Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 6-Pita Gus Sowakula, 7-Sam Cane, 8-Luke Jacobson, 9-Brad Weber, 10-Damian McKenzie, 11-Peniasi Malimali, 12-Anton Lienert-Brown, 13-Daniel Rona, 14-Emoni Narawa, 15-Shaun Stevenson
Reserves: 16-Bradley Slater, 17-Ollie Norris, 18-John Ryan, 19-Josh Lord, 20-Kaylum Boshier, 21-Cortez Ratima, 22-Bryn Gatland, 23-Alex Nankivell

Not sure if great break or weak defending. Will be one way traffic from here.

Interesting how McKenzie held his mouthguard in his mouth while he quickly took that conversion. Less time for smiles?

Woot!

Try of the season.

Great try!

They've all been pretty awesome, tbf.