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The Rugby Pod - Super Rugby Review & Highlights Round 4

1) Bulls v Sharks. In what was a stereotypical South African clash where defence and kicking were the key, the Sharks looked like they were going to record a great win at Loftus. In the final minute of the game Tian Schoeman converted a long range penalty to draw level. From the resulting kick-off, the Bulls inexplicably tried to play out of defence instead of taking the draw and conceded a penalty 15 metres out just to the right of the posts. The Sharks players on the field and the bench started to jump up and celebrate - they even did so in the coaches’ box - only for Joe Pietersen to miss one of the easiest shots at goal you will see, to preserve the draw.

2) From the ridiculous to the sublime. Argentina hosted its first domestic Super Rugby game. We can talk about that, we can talk about the state of the pitch (not great) or the fans - vociferous when the Jaguares were doing well and silent when the Chiefs would score any points - but I don’t think we need to talk about anything apart from the final 10 minutes of this game! That is the reason that people watch Super Rugby. Two tries in 4 minutes put the Jaguares in the lead, the second being a 90 meter effort that was cancelled out by a try of equal beauty finished off by Brad Weber. This is the Jaguares 2nd loss and in a conference that is proving to be very tight, they can’t afford too many more slip ups.

3) The Highlanders played almost the perfect game for 55 minutes against the Waratahs. Lima Sopoaga’s kicking game was exceptional and they put pressure on the Tahs every time they had the ball. Elliot Dixon was immense in attack, scoring 2 tries as the Chiefs gave a master class in counter-attacking rugby. It was controlled and well thought out though, not trying to score off every phase. From 55 minutes, however, they just stopped playing. They conceded 4 tries in that time (2 of which we will talk about in a minute) and were saved by the bell in the end. Play like they did for the first 55 minutes though, and it will take one hell of a team to beat them.

4) The Blues away record continues to be woeful. Whilst these have been pretty lean years for the Auckland franchise, 4 wins away from Eden Park since 2012 is not good enough. They came up against a Reds team in crisis, took the lead and took their foot off the gas. There was the chance to go for the jugular but they didn’t take it and had to rely on a penalty as time expired to salvage a draw. This needs to be improved.

5) The Brumbies and Highlanders were on the end of what I would call ‘home decisions’ from referees. Dilyn Leyds did not have enough control on the ball when he put it down to score. Jaco Peyper went to the video referee for the try, but I am not sure if that try would have been awarded had it been the other way round. The Waratahs final 2 tries were even more sketchy. How Nick Briant allowed Tom Robertson’s try to stand is beyond me. Walking in from the most blatant offside position, picking up the ball and going under the posts giving his team an easy 7 points should not have been allowed, especially at this level of rugby. Jed Holloway’s 3rd try was also lenient to say the least. With no clear indication of the ball being grounded, the try was awarded. That got the Tahs a very valuable bonus point, but it could have been a lot more contentious.

Written by Rob Seltzer for The Rugby Pod - www.TheRugbyPod.com