Horror-canes - The Fever Union thread

Crusaders resting 5 AB's, Lions are $11 to win, wonder if thats worth fiver lol.

My Highlanders making loads of changes, so think we are Shark meat this weekend 

Ryan I'd save your money, even though the Crusaders are resting so many players the Lions are by far the worst team in the comp, lack depth, lack any fire power. The majority of the squad is journeymen. The crusaders have the best full squad so making changes won't even harm them. May even do them the world of good giving some players their first chance to make an impression this season.


& the Highlanders making loads of changes is a good thing! have you not looked at the squad? they've added Cowan, Thomson and Hobbs. Our three best players! plus young Robinson gets a chance to start which will free up Hobbs a bit more plus adding to the fact our midfield is woeful, I think that combination was always going to be our best as both of them love to run the ball. We need this win, sharks have been piss poor this year since they lost Steyn and Hernandez pulled up lame before the start. The sharks have added Englishman Andy Goode who is one dimensional and will just kick it all day long.

Highlanders by 6 in a game ruled by kicking.

Canes are paying $7.00 to win.  Very tempting to lose $5.00.

Playing 2 number 10's never works tho. The start of the season I was dreading Hobbs playing but he is slowly growing on me they should keep him where he was playing well.

Thommo comming back is a massive boost, but Cowan I hate with a passion, I liken him to Monty Beetham for the Warriors years ago, all he can do is tackle, doesnt add anything creative.

The Sharks normally get at least 1 win on their tours, and havent yet, and I dont think they will against the Hurricanes. Add to that we are normally horrible the first week back from South Africa.

I live in hope to be horrible wrong.

Monty could do more then tackle. He can use his fists well too 

You got to remember Hobbs has played a lot of his rugby at 12. It's where Carter, Wilkinson, Brett, Giteau, Cooper have all started just gives someone with a bit more pace who likes to run more time and space. Cowan is a leader, I can understand why a lot of people hate him but he's immense on 'D' and always puts his body on the line.

And so did Tony Brown, but all those examples were because there was an established #10 that they were being groomed to replace. In this case its 2 young players, so need to be given a chance to establish themselves in a spot.

As I said, just like Monty Beetham, good at tackling and has this 'leadership aura' people rave on, but when it comes down to it, Cowan offers nothing on attack. If we had more of a threat at halfback, it would give our backline more time, rather than the defence just running up knowing Cowan isnt going to do something good.
Ryan's Rovers2010-03-20 09:39:35

Sigh I hate being right, if only we had been given that late try via the video ref 

It's a fair comment you made. But I really do think out of the highlanders squad that was our best backline we could have put on the park except maybe bringing in Vainikolo.

A few notes of the players

Thomson was everywhere tonight, good to see him back.
Robinson showed some promise but didnt really deliver.
Paterson runs his ass off but didnt get too many opportunities
Hobbs is someone we need to build our backline around, complete class
Lynn has improved a lot and should hold onto that 13 jersey unless smith moves in and vainikolo goes onto the wing
Smith showed tonight why he made the all blacks, deceptively strong and quick.
Dagg = our best player need to hold onto this guy for a few seasons, but with Ellison off he should make the canes unless he's somehow signed with otago then getting loaned back to hawkes bay but i dont know if he is.

I love Smith, but sometimes I think he should come in and do more work. We dont get him enough ball on the outside, and maybe if he came in and did more work we would have more impact in attack.

Dagg is very promising, I think he would choose us again next year since he is a certian starter. He could have gone to the Crusaders this year, but I guess they couldnt promise him the spot.

Sooner they allow the Super 14 franchises to contract their own players, so we dont get that cr*p that is loan back agreements, the better.

And btw was that Colin Hawke as the video ref? If so we were never gonna get a try from him, he hates us.

Vainikolo has actually done well in South Africa, I think he's doing alright this year and is actually scoring. Example tonight where he probably should have been awarded that try. Paterson is good but he hasn't done enough with ball in hand. It's not the crusaders i'd be worried about stealing Dagg its the hurricanes. They need to contract their own players, and not worry about the NZRU only signing players who are able to play for the all blacks then we could see players who have gone overseas actually come back even if they aren't at the same level of McAlister and Hayman. Yea that was Colin Hawke. The more I think about it the more I would like smith at centre, there's an article in rugbynews about him considering the switch, he just seems to have the right brain for it. Centre is a position we've lacked since Brew and Mapusua left plus Tuitavake's brief stint. That backline we had tonight though could be very potent in 2-3 years.

I dunno about Smith at centre, during the Air NZ Cup he was most dangerous at fullback, popping up in the line and making the extra man. Dagg is playing well enough that he wouldnt get dropped tho, but he looks a totally different player when he is in the same side as Guildford.

Hayward looks very promising, but hasnt seemed to taken the step up. Wonder if Mather and Shortland might get call ups out of the training squad soon. I like the look of Mather and Shortland shows some promise.

Dagg will never get dropped he's too valuable and is playing some great rugby. Ben Smith just doesn't get enough chances on the wing but I liked what I saw from Kendrick Lynn on the weekend. I expected a bit more from Hayward to be honest, he just hasn't done anything at super14 level though, but he's still better than anyone from otago so deserves to be in the squad. Im pretty sure you can only go from the wider training squad into the first team if you're an injury cover and I know that Mather was on the bench for the hurricanes due to all their injuries so not sure if he's still with them or back in Dunedin. Shortland is great but he's probably better suited to the wing while he's still getting used to rugby but I'd expect him to make the team next year.

this might be heading towards a new low for us (the Highlanders) 

bring back Tony Gilbert!!

Okay so more observations from tonight.

Rutledge was immense I thought tonight, real mongrel about him in the tackle, strong runner. Mackintosh should be in contention for the All Blacks again surely, Newland I'm not sure about though but still seems to be our best option, ashame Hayman isn't coming back.

Although we miss Donnelly both our locks stood up tonight, impressive lineout steals. Bekhuis is another player of the future.

Thomson is great and so is Hardie, good to see Thomson back to the blindside, one of our most important figures, Hardie needs to bulk up a bit but seems like a good fetcher of the ball which is a key position. Setephano was crap, worst player on the field for the Highlanders tonight, we need a solid ball running number 8, he just gets penalised far too much and does silly errors, not enough aggressiveness with ball in hand, just annoys the opposition when the play has stopped. Can't wait till Manu is back.

You were completely right about Cowan. He offers nothing on attack! he's brutal and put's his body on the line every time, makes huge tackles but has no creativity about him and takes forever to get the ball out of the ruck.

Hobbs needs to move back to first five, Robinson just isn't doing anything, he doesn't break the line, he doesn't goal kick and he's not getting the ball out to Hobbs cleanly.

Kendrick Lynn has grown on me and is a solid enough answer to our midfeild but i'd be interested to see him moving in one or bringing shoemark back and putting Robinson on the bench.

Our Wings Smith and Paterson are class, Paterson isn't flashy but always makes good metres and we know he has the gas if he finds a gap, Ben Smith has all this strength for such a small guy, runs perfect lines and is solid under the high ball, always making tackles plus Vainikolo is brilliant off the bench, real x-factor about him.

Dagg, All Black in the making at 21 there's nothing this guy can't do. Sets up tries, kicks goals, makes last ditch tackles.

Hobbs has to go back to #10, all the progress he has made has been lost these past 2 weeks. I wonder if he is carrying an injury again, the start of the season he said it was the first time in years he was fully fit, and his game improved massively. Robinson is talented, but hasnt shown enough to warrent making Hobbs play #12.

I like what Romans provides in attack, but we do lose the defence around the ruck without Cowan.

A win is a win, but its worrying, we could only score 2 tries, and a penalty try, against the worst defence in the comp. All the gains we made last year has come to nothing. It is time for changes to be made in the coaching and admin sides of things I feel.

Bring back Tony Gilbert, managed to take us from last too the play offs in a year, tho did have more to work with then.

I think if we can keep Dagg. (again not sure about the ruling but as I understand if you're drafted twice by the same team in a row then they get first pick over you, but he's good enough to start for the hurricanes without Ellison.) Then we will be much better next year, there's so many young players in this Highlanders squad who will only improve but it might take another confidence building air new zealand cup or ITM cup whatever it's called to bring that out. Romans I'm not sure about, Moa should make the Blues next year so I'd say we bring back Smylie. But it's a number eight and a centre which we desperately need.

Chielolfs

f**k you Clarke.

I'm gonna whip your jabroni ass.

Says a Hurricanes fan?

Go and get f**ked you c**t

haha, learn to take a joke.

Dear Reds and Cheetahs, I would like to thank both of you for f**king up my multibet. Because you played well Reds and you played sh*t Cheetahs I did not win $1333, I got all my other bets right, but you f**kers screwed me over.

Love

Daniel

The Hurricanes are a joke, f**king c**t!

The employee's of them and there feeder unions are a joke too! 

I'm wondering if someone has hacked Bopman's account... or if he has suffered a bout of tourette's.

I will quite happily post lolcanes if we lose tonight.

Hurricanes didn't pick a player now twice convicted of assault as captain!

I'm all about Club Rugby, that and the Chiefs winning. The Hurricanes though, they are just loltastic. Winston Churchill would have a field day with them.... never has so little been delivered by so many

Lolicanes, lolicanes, Lolicanes.

so long so'oialo i think, he was shocking tonight

Another one of those Hurricane seasons, all the hype but just can't deliver.

I remember when New Zealand used to be sh*t at football and good at Rugby.

I said I would say it, LOLICANES

The Highlanders the only NZ team to win this week.  Bizzare.

What was the attendance last night?

Canes have been hit hard by injuries and a few senior players paid the price because of it. Would be a much different team if Hosea Gear had been playing and I know a wing isn't much difference but he's such a potent try scorer, plus past injuries to the other backs.

 

And that was the Canes first home game since 32k Nix vs Jets game.  Poor.

Didn't look like 11k.  Just saying.