2013 Super Rugby Review

The Super Rugby season seems to have dragged on for most fans - especially if you are a Highlanders fan - but it has been a very exciting season as usual.

Adriaan Strauss was dynamic for the Cheetahs

Super Rugby keeps going up a notch each season and at least one new contender emerges this season - this year it was the Cheetahs, who finally ditched their irrelevance tag and made their first appearance in the playoffs, playing the most attractive brand of rugby out of all the South African sides.

The ethereal George Smith led the Brumbies' rennaisance while David Pocock was injured

You could also add the Brumbies although their recent renaissance started last year when they just missed out on the playoffs. Jake White's young squad matured this season and deservedly made the Final after overcoming South Africa's finest home and away. They were comfortably Australia's best Super Rugby side ahead of the Reds and Waratahs, and well ahead of the Force and Rebels, falling just short of their 3rd ever title but can hold their heads up high after an epic performance in a final that many had expected them to lose.

The Crusaders and Reds were 2nd best behind the Chiefs and Brumbies

Indeed, there is no shame losing to undoubtedly the best team in Super Rugby right now. The Chiefs look very much like the team about to embark on the sort of dynasty their rivals from Auckland and Christchurch have embarked on in the past. As long as Dave Rennie and his Moneyball coaches are in Mooloo country, the Chiefs look set for a very long and sustained era of success - and with the process of recruiting the unwanted stars from the other franchises already well underway, it's fair enough to put a bet on them making it three in a row.

After all, this was the same side that people said couldn't win without Sonny Bill Williams. Mind you, the Chiefs will lose the likes of Craig Clarke, Toby Smith, Brendon Leonard, Leila Masaga and Richard Kahui this season and only the Crusaders have won three-in-a-row, making a championship win in 2014 an even bigger challenge than this season.

Rene Ranger was inspirational in 2013 but won't be part of JK's Blues revolution in 2014

Furthermore, expect John Kirwan and Todd Blackadder to make more changes to their sides in a bid to catch up with the men from the Waikato, making an already highly competitive New Zealand conference even tastier - and let's not discount the Hurricanes and Highlanders too.

The Bulls got a bye in the playoffs but that didn't help in their semifinal against the Brumbies

What about the South African sides? The fact that their top side only made the semifinals probably epitomised the rather "so-so" season that South African Super Rugby sides had. The one bright spark must be the Cheetahs' winning form in Australia and New Zealand - even the Bulls who won the conference didn't have as good a run as they did, heavily relying on their form at Loftus Versfeld to finish top - and the Kings' shock results in Australia against the Brumbies and Rebels*.

*Shame the Kings won't be able to repeat their feats next season having lost their promotion-relegation playoff series against the Lions from Joburg, who will return to Super Rugby next season.

Chiefs fans have plenty to thank the Stormers for - their win ensured the Chiefs finished numero uno

The Stormers and Sharks disappointed after their efforts last season and will be going back to the drawing board to get back to the form they showed in 2012. Mind you, it was probably more that other sides stepped up their games than any deficiencies on the part of the coastal teams.

So Super Rugby is over for another year. While there is plenty of talk about changes for 2016, the competition is over for now and talk can shift to the Rugby Championship, ITM Cup and Currie Cup.

Chiefs - champions!

Here are my teams of the year -

Super Rugby XV (NZ only)
1.Wyatt Crockett, Crusaders
2.Dane Coles, Hurricanes
3.Ben Tameifuna, Chiefs
4.Sam Whitelock, Crusaders
5.Brodie Retallick, Chiefs
6.Steven Luatua, Blues
7.Matt Todd, Crusaders
8.Kieran Read, Crusaders
9.TJ Perenara, Hurricanes
10.Aaron Cruden, Chiefs
11.Hosea Gear, Highlanders
12.Bundee Aki, Chiefs
13.Rene Ranger, Blues
14.Frank Halai, Blues
15.Ben Smith, Highlanders

Super Rugby XV (all teams)
1.Wyatt Crockett, Crusaders
2.Adriaan Strauss, Cheetahs
3.Ben Tameifuna, Chiefs
4.Sam Whitelock, Crusaders
5.Brodie Retallick, Chiefs
6.Pieter Labuschagne, Cheetahs
7.George Smith, Brumbies
8.Ben Mowen, Brumbies
9.TJ Perenara, Hurricanes
10.Christian Lealiifano, Brumbies
11.Hosea Gear, Highlanders
12.Bundee Aki, Chiefs
13.Rene Ranger, Blues
14.Henry Speight, Brumbies
15.Ben Smith, Highlanders

Player of the Season - Ben Smith, Highlanders. The best player in New Zealand rugby shone well above his peers in an average Highlanders side. Goodness knows how bad the Highlanders could have been without Ben Smith's influence.

Try of the Season - 

Game of the Season - The Final hands down. Super Rugby 2013 saved its best for last with the Chiefs' comeback one of the best ever in a Final.

Who will be in the All Blacks Squad for Rugby Championship?

It has emerged from reliable sources that Piri Weepu could be left out of Steve Hansen's 28 man squad for the Rugby Championship to be named on Sunday.

Hurricanes halfback, TJ Perenara is set for a call-up to the squad after biding his time over the last two seasons.

The likely squad - 
Props - Tony Woodcock, Owen Franks, Ben Franks, Charlie Faumuina
Hookers - Dane Coles, Keven Mealamu, Andrew Hore
Locks - Brodie Retallick, Luke Romano, Sam Whitelock
Loose forwards - Steven Luatua, Liam Messam, Richie McCaw, Sam Cane, Kieran Read, Victor Vito
Halfbacks - Aaron Smith, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, TJ Perenara
First fives - Dan Carter, Aaron Cruden
Centres - Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith
Wings/Fullbacks - Julian Savea, Charles Piutau, Israel Dagg
Utility Backs - Ben Smith, Beauden Barrett

EDIT: Another rugby player with origins in Wellington has been dropped - Victor Vito's failure to be an international standard blindside flanker means that he has been dropped with Wyatt Crockett retaining his spot even if he is set to be sidelined by injury for the first few games - Joe Moody had been bracketed with Crockett.

Chiefs are Super Rugby Champions!

It's official, the Chiefs are double Super Rugby champions, prevailing 27-22 over a valiant Brumbies side in Hamilton.

The Brumbies were the better side for three quarters of the game and showed none of the fatigue and lethargy that was expected after having had to travel from Australia to South Africa and then back to Australia and then New Zealand in the space of 2 weeks.

However, a failure to make the most of a relieving penalty in their own half while they were 22-12 up, by kicking possession straight back to the Chiefs, eventually resulted in a try to Liam Messam to make it 22-17 with the Chiefs finally turning up to their own homecoming party an hour late and finally applying serious pressure on the opposition try line.

With the momentum now firmly in their favour, Southland fullback Robbie Robinson spotted a gap and scored the most important try of his young career. Aaron Cruden's conversion gave the Chiefs a 24-22 lead and a further penalty by Cruden on one of the worst kicking nights of his career made it 27-22 to the Chiefs and forced the Brumbies to have to score a try just to take the Final to extra time for the first time in history.

It was a wily contest well adjudicated by South African referee, Craig Joubert. The Brumbies had prepared well for this game and particularly targeted the scrum and halfback, Tawera Kerr-Barlow at the rucks - Kerr-Barlow's style of getting his hands to the ball early meant he was often considered fair game by referee Craig Joubert and the Brumbies managed to snifle a critical supplier of the ball early on.

Indeed, it was a night that would raise concern for All Blacks coaches with the likes of Kerr-Barlow, Cruden, Retallick and Messam appearing to have stage fright earlier in the night. Cruden as mentioned earlier had one of his worst goal kicking performances of his career, while Retallick was messy at lineout time and Messam made some silly plays.

Thankfully, they did step up right at the end - just as well for the large expectant crowd and this will go down as one of the best Super Rugby finals ever.

Credit should go to Jake White and the Brumbies who would have been deserved winners of the title had they managed to hold on. Alas, they can hold their heads up high at a very successful season.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs have emulated the Blues' back to back Super Rugby title wins - both of them had to beat the Sharks and Brumbies in successive finals to be crowned champion.

Which could be good news for Crusaders fans - the Crusaders ended the Blues' final streak in 1998, so going by that sequence, 2014 could see the Crusaders make the Final.

Watch this space.

In the meantime, enjoy the night, Chiefs players and fans!

Can the Chiefs Win Two In A Row? 2013 Super Rugby Final Preview

So this is it. After many weeks of competition, it comes down to this one game.

Whatever happens, Hamilton will witness the champion adding to their collection of titles - the Brumbies would love to add to their 2 titles won in 2001 and 2004, while the Chiefs are hoping to be only the 4th team in Super Rugby history to be crowned back to back champions - and with the Final on their home turf in Mooloo country and the opposition having had to travel to and fro Canberra, Pretoria and now Hamilton in 2 weeks, it would be quite an upset if the Chiefs didn't quite make it back-to-back on Saturday.

Indeed, the scenario facing the Chiefs couldn't be any more dissimilar to their northern rivals, the Blues. When the Blues did their back-to-back titles in 1996 and 1997, they played the Sharks and the Brumbies respectively. The Sharks of course were losing finalists to the Chiefs last year. Can the Brumbies avoid the same fate that befell them in 1997 at Eden Park?

This should be a cracker of a game between undisputably the two best sides in Super Rugby this season.

Both sides will be keen to give the ball air when they have the ball in hand. Both sides also have powerful and brutal defenses - indeed it will be the battle of two rush defences with Jake White and Dave Rennie having employed those systems so effectively this season.

In fact, with the weather forecast being not so good, this may very well turn into a low-scoring encounter with defence ruling on the night.

So bring on Saturday! My tip - Chiefs by 3. Jake White is an expert coach and those Brumbies will be very difficult to beat but the travel could take its toll in the 2nd half. Rain might very well keep the scoreline close.

Teams:
Chiefs - Gareth Anscombe, Lelia Masaga/Robbie Robinson, Charlie Ngatai, Andrew Horrell, Asaeli Tikoirotuma, Aaron Cruden, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Matt Vant Leven, Tanerau Latimer, Liam Messam, Brodie Retallick, Craig Clarke (C), Ben Tameifuna, Hika Elliot, Toby Smith.

Reserves: Rhys Marshall, Ben Afeaki, Michael Fitzgerald, Sam Cane, Augustine Pulu, Bundee Aki, Robbie Robinson/Patrick Osborne.

Brumbies -
1. Scott Sio, 2. Stephen Moore, 3.Ben Alexander, 4Scott Fardy, 5. Sam Carter, 6. Peter Kimlin, 7. George Smith, 8. Ben Mowen (c), 9. Nic White, 10. Matt Toomua, 11. Clyde Rathbone, 12. Christian Lealiifano, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 14. Henry Speight, 15. Jesse Mogg

Replacements - 16. Siliva Siliva, 17. Ruan Smith, 18. Fotu Auelua, 19. Colby Faingaa, 20. Ian Prior, 21. Andrew Smith, 22. Joe Tomane

5 Greatest Memories of Lancaster Park

In the buildup to this weekend's Super Rugby Final in Hamilton, Sky Sports New Zealand have been showing past Super Rugby finals. Naturally, the Crusaders, having won the title 7 times have featured quite heavily including 3 finals at their former home at Lancaster Park.

Lancaster Park - or AMI Stadium as we knew it until 2011 - has now been effectively written off by all concerned with the Christchurch rebuild with the government likely to bowl down the heavily damaged ground in the earthquake prone east side of the city and build a fixed-roof stadium like in Dunedin, in the new CBD.

Here are some of the greatest sporting moments ever at Lancaster Park.

1985 Ranfurly Shield - Holders Canterbury may have lost 23-28 to Auckland, but this game will always be remembered not for the result but for the contest and the attention it got - this was provincial rugby at its very finest and best and the game here hasn't seen better since that glorious Saturday afternoon.

2002 Nathan Astle's double ton - Simply one of the greatest test innings by a New Zealand batsman ever. Forget that again, the home side lost to the tourists, England. On the final day of a test that was going to England anyway, Nathan Astle entertained his local Christchurch crowd with some terrific attacking batting that you'd expect to see in one day internationals and Twenty20s.

It seemed at one stage that Astle was almost going to deliver the impossible. Alas he fell short but cricket fans worldwide will never forget this innings.

2005 British & Irish Lions walloped by All Blacks - A heavily hyped up Lions side came to Christchurch confident of upsetting the All Blacks in the 1st test of the series. The test got off to a controversial start with Brian O'Driscoll tipped in the tackle rather carelessly by Tana Umaga and Keven Mealamu and breaking his shoulder in the process and ending his tour. Even with O'Driscoll, I doubt the Lions would have had any answers to an imperious All Black effort in cold, wet conditions as they romped home 21-3.

2006 Super 14 Final - this game will forever be remembered not for the result or the contest but for the weather. It was a shame that the fog rolled in to ruin what was set to be a terrific all New Zealand final between the Crusaders and Hurricanes - and ruin it for many of the fans sat high in the former Paul Kelly Stand who were forced to watch the game on the big screen.

2008 Super 14 Final - this game will be remembered for being the last time the Crusaders won Super Rugby - their record 7th title and comfortably the most successful team in Super Rugby. It was an apt finish for both coach Robbie Deans and Reuben Thorne and possibly the end of a dynasty with the Crusaders still looking for their 8th title.

And two special mentions for

2010 Crusaders 40-22 Brumbies - last ever Crusaders game at Lancaster Park

2010 All Blacks 20-10 Australia - last ever All Blacks game at Lancaster Park

2010 Canterbury 33-13 Waikato - last ever Canterbury and NPC game and Final at Lancaster Park