Ihaia West's late try gave the Blues a famous win over the British and Irish Lions. It took all of 74 minutes but the difference between New Zealand rugby and the Lions eventually came to the fore. Creativity, endeavour and offloads saw the Blues record a historic 22-16 triumph over the tourists at Eden Park,... Continue Reading →
SUPER RUGBY SEMI-FINAL PREVIEW – Chiefs versus Crusaders
The Crusaders 28-13 win over the Bulls in Christchurch on Saturday night sets up a huge Kiwi derby, with the seven-time champions (the fourth placed wildcard qualifiers) travelling north to Hamilton to take on the Chiefs at Waikato Stadium in the Super Rugby Semi-Finals tomorrow night. The Chiefs, second place finishers overall on the table... Continue Reading →
WHY THE CRUSADERS WILL PREVAIL
WHY THE CRUSADERS WILL PREVAIL by MIKE GREENAWAY Ordinarily, you would back a home team to win a semi-final against visitors that have done the notorious long-haul. But for the team from Canterbury in southern New Zealand, these are no ordinary times and there has been something just about mythical about their Crusade this year... Continue Reading →
Sharks and the Crusaders turned on a Super Rugby classic yesterday
THE Northern Hemisphere had a reverberating jolt of reality in their backyard yesterday when the Sharks and the Crusaders turned on a Super Rugby classic that signposted the direction in which the Rugby World Cup is headed. The New Zealanders prevailed 44-28, but the try count was closer at 5-4, and while the first half... Continue Reading →