Clarke fit for final
2 Aug 2012
The Chiefs have been bolstered ahead of their showdown with the Sharks with news that skipper Craig Clarke will play in the final.
Clarke injured his knee in the semi-final and the medical team has been working furiously to get him ready for Saturday’s final. His inclusion in the starting side means the Chiefs are unchanged.
Chiefs assistant coach Wayne Smith said it is imperative that they rise to the level of performance which they displayed against the Crusaders last week.
‘We’ve got to, otherwise we’re not going to win it and not too many teams are able to back up two great performances in a row,’ said Smith.
‘The Crusaders haven’t been able to do it all year really. We’ve done it once – Blues and Crusaders in the second and third weeks – and maybe another time around the Bulls game we did well for two weeks in a row. But that’s our challenge and we’ve got to step up from where we were at last week and do even better – that’s what it’s going to take.’
Smith was liberal in his praise of the Sharks. ‘We’ve been watching them win eight of their last nine matches, they’ve had quite a number of sudden-death performances so they’re used to it, while we haven’t had to go down the same road.
‘So they will have forged a really good spirit and while they will be trying to battle that travel factor and have come a long way, you can win away from home and they’ve shown that,’ he said.
‘We’ve just got to go out expecting them to be at their best, just as we expected the Crusaders to be at their best. They’re physical and probably the most talented team on paper if you look at them among those other South African teams.
‘We weren’t at our best [the last time they met] and they weren’t at their best – this will be a different kettle of fish.’
Chiefs – 15 Robbie Robinson, 14 Tim Nanai-Williams, 13 Andrew Horrell, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Asaeli Tikoirotuma, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8 Kane Thompson, 7 Tanerau Latimer, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 Craig Clarke (c), 3 Ben Tameifuna, 2 Mahonri Schwalger, 1 Sona Taumalolo.
Subs: 16 Hika Elliot, 17 Ben Afeaki, 18 Michael Fitzgerald, 19 Sam Cane, 20 Brendon Leonard, 21 Jackson Willison, 22 Lelia Masaga
69 Comments
Pages: « 1 [2] Show All
2 Aug 2012, 11:08 am
@NZINCHINA-50:
very happy with kankowski.
pienaar is excellent at 9.
jdv has always been okay and no more in my opinion and that has still been enough to handle whichever oke nz pick there.
15 will hopefully be lambie.
I would say the kiwis will have a problem at lock against us.
And I’d fancy a bok backrow against the kiwis missing kaino’s balance.
In fact, I’m not sure there’s a kiwi that could handle alberts on the charge at the moment ,ironically, maybe this weekend with jetlag.
2 Aug 2012, 11:20 am
\@NZINCHINA-47:
AGAIN, where’s your evidence, china?
please just give me a link to your source?
2 Aug 2012, 11:22 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl-37: So with USSR and Czechoslovakia there we might have some 10th instead of 8th. Regardless, a good performance from a country that gets excited over a few bronze medals. Let’s face it, all we care about is beating the Aussies and Saffers anyway
@Brigadier Van Zyl-49: The Cooper tackle wasn’t malicious but it knocked him out and for a guy like Barnes, could literally have ended his career. Cooper deserves a week off for a hit that leaves a guy out cold and unable to train for at least a week
2 Aug 2012, 11:28 am
Cement is the pointing in the Chiefs wall.
Messam to beast that twig Kankowski.
The Frog better be at his mecurial best because Kerr-Barlow is going to give McLeod nightmares on Tron Street.
Alberts to blow a gasket in the 2nd Qter, Chiefs will spread it using SBW as decoy on the cutback.
2 Aug 2012, 11:31 am
@gonzo-33:
i do not hate nz, gonzo.
i do dislike your involvement in rugby immensely though. by that i mean all the low dirty stuff you do for a win.
for the rest i was just having a laugh and dig at the kwis
2 Aug 2012, 11:33 am
@gonzo-53:
don’t be a moron. In cold war times the soviet union took home as many as 30% of the medals.
the action on the field is what is reviewed not it’s intent or damage.
Just as a player doesn’t intend to high tackle the opponent or a very legal tackle can break an opponents ribs.
2 Aug 2012, 11:43 am
@Brigadier Van Zyl-51:
well then you should beat us twice this year ( and Australia )if you have better players in 90% of the positions good to see you are so confident
2 Aug 2012, 11:55 am
still waiting on the sauce….
2 Aug 2012, 12:02 pm
I think you must be on the sauce.
2 Aug 2012, 12:09 pm
do any other countries have an “alternate olympic medals table”?
2 Aug 2012, 12:11 pm
@charo-60:
I see the Chinks are leading the medal table, you’ll be having nightmares.
2 Aug 2012, 12:26 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl-56: Lighten up, I was hardly trying to claim NZ is some Olympic powerhouse compared to USSR. Not sure the name calling is needed
I think you’ll find that they do take into account the result. Read any report from these hearings and they talk about whether someone was injured.
I’m not sure why you are comparing illegal and legal tackles. One deserves a sanction and the other does not
2 Aug 2012, 12:36 pm
@NZINCHINA-61:
better the chinks than the ruskis or septics, don’t you think?
2 Aug 2012, 15:28 pm
@wait for it, wait for it…-55:
Suck on Our success……………………………………..sucker.
2 Aug 2012, 15:29 pm
@charo-63:
“septics”.
2 Aug 2012, 17:00 pm
Bugger
2 Aug 2012, 17:01 pm
Even if we lose I hope Masaga gets absolutely bliksemmed! Revenge for his atrocious tackle on Mvovo.
2 Aug 2012, 17:02 pm
@Staal-5: I’ll also be there bru!!!
2 Aug 2012, 17:04 pm
@Sharkie10-14: Post of the week!
Pages: « 1 [2] Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.