Blues bash Saders
1 Mar 2013
Rene Ranger rocked in the Blues fabulous win against the Crusaders.
The Blues scored five unanswered tries in a 34-15 win and Ranger was influential in attack and especially in defence.
The hosts, who scored a bonus-point win against the Hurricanes in Wellington a week ago, had the bonus point for four tries within the hour.
The new coaching staff of John Kirwan, Mick Byrne and Graeme Henry have made an immediate impact and turned a decade of home team Blues into a night of bliss.
The Blues led 20-12 at halftime and Dan Carter reduced the deficit to five points early in the second half, but that was the last of the Crusaders threat as the Blues combined brutal defence with clinical finishing to dominate the match and the result.
Carter’s goalkicking and Matt Todd’s tireless efforts at the breakdown were the only positives for the visitors, who played like a team who hadn’t had a competitive match for some time. This was the Crusaders tournament opener and they were shocking.
Israel Dagg, playing on the wing, had a night to forget and so did most of his teammates as the Blues physicality in defence forced mistake after mistake. The Crusaders made 12 handling errors compared to the four of the Blues.
The home team promised to give it a full crack on attack, as they did against the Canes a week ago, but it has been their desire on defence that has defined the two bonus-point wins in the last fortnight.
Ali Williams was inspirational as captain, Chris Noakes was composed at flyhalf, Ranger was ruthless in everything he did and the back three were lethal with ball in hand.
The Crusaders were too lateral on attack, the running lines of the support runner was poor and physically they were never in the contest in the collisions.
Dagg controversially was denied a try by a TMO ruling that would have made the score 27-20 with 10 minutes to go but the Blues immediately scored a seven pointer from 80 metres as the scoreboard reflected the on-field superiority of the hosts.
Piri Weepu, good in most aspects, succeeded with only two from six strikes, which gives an indication of just how messy it got for the Crusaders. Had Weepu been more accurate the scoreline could have been closer to 50 than 30.
By Mark Keohane
377 Comments
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1 Mar 2013, 20:29 pm
@Angostura-602: @Transformation-573:
Since I expected a lack of truth and honesty I did not appeal to your ‘sense of logic’ , for there is none as your posts today again show.
What I did was highlight your lack of credibility(elicited dual standards) by placing before you clear examples of vulgarity, trouble seeking and more yet you sidestepped those like a Danie Gerber to earn an unbalanced attitude. But that bothers you not an iota as you have to be seen to be defending for the immoral, hypocritical, sanctimonious clique you represent here as you pretend ‘fairness..
We are communicating here in cyber(space) which is just an electronic medium where by using computers in a network a culture is usually formed.
There is no physical socialising in cyber so how do you fools know gender, by just the given word? As it is I do not know what either of you have between your legs, if anything at all.
It is more correct then for me to be an equal opportunity responder. Thus if you are a hypocritical closeted racist then I will expose you as such. If you react in a vulgar manner to that and seek trouble then trouble and a vulgar response is what you elicit and earn especially if those persons show by their interactions that they have no respect for themselves.
This is now neo-racist S.A. and the hundreds of years of sports is politics and politics is sport is very much in existence(recall the attitude to the Kings) and that is what really matters for me in my value system. Do I demand it for you fools?
Who owns the economy. Who though bosses the politiics. Who is the real BOSS (he who pays …?).
You fools must accept that your moral system or values are just yours and nobody else and gives you no right to demand such of any other. Your offspring will even reject some or most of those
Whether you want to accept it or not racism is effectively worse now than ever before and honesty is a mere word for most .
The cultures of uncertainty, fear, drugs, guns and violence is a very real problem and will get worse.
Again I say get off you high horses for they are fakes.
1 Mar 2013, 21:08 pm
@ET.-351:
And thus endeth the first lesson.
1 Mar 2013, 21:32 pm
Is it not possible for you to use words like “plastic” or fake or any such other?
Do you understand a cryptic clue? Too much for you?
Are you still honest after your admission of your lack of honesty of 594?
” nobody is honest in SA anymore”.
I am not in S.A. so do not look for company.
1 Mar 2013, 21:42 pm
I had a look at the crystal ball and it revealed that tomorrow Jantjies will be the “general” and dominate proceedings.
1 Mar 2013, 22:05 pm
@Jeraldjay-354:
And so say all of us.
Oh, except for my ‘bru.
1 Mar 2013, 22:21 pm
@Jeraldjay-354:
That same crystal that gave you that garbage on Alan Dershowitz?
Throw it away, it is unlikely to be trustworthy.
2 Mar 2013, 02:47 am
@the curse-291: No matter who’s cheating and who’s not Bakkies got your number. You can hardly talk about rugby without mentioning him?
2 Mar 2013, 02:54 am
@Transformation-322: Why not it makes good business sense?
2 Mar 2013, 02:59 am
@nama1-328: Hallo Nama, it certainly sound better than everytime the stormers loose ” Stormers suck…….(insert opponents.
2 Mar 2013, 03:18 am
@jet jungle-357: my comments about bakkies were tongue in cheek…I truly believe Saffas have trouble with sarcasm… thanks for proving it too
2 Mar 2013, 03:23 am
@the curse-360: Just keep your tongue out of cheeks in future (said tongue in cheek allready)
2 Mar 2013, 06:00 am
@ET.-351:
Truth? Honesty? Sense of Logic? Lack of credibility? Unbalanced attitudes? Fake high horses? How would you know?
You are not about perspicacity & the truth; you are about droll self-indulgence.
Yes, no high horse for you – just a very low & tired nag flogged to death.
I have no intention of feeding your particular vice.
And that’s my final word to you.
2 Mar 2013, 06:13 am
Australia 10/1, 2nd Test vs. India
2 Mar 2013, 06:23 am
15/2
ball seaming in Hydarabad
2 Mar 2013, 06:34 am
KAAPSTAD. – Die puik jong Suid-Afrikaanse slot Quinn Roux het ’n nuwe rugbykontrak van twee seisoene met die Ierse streekspan Leinster gesluit.
Roux was in sy eerste seisoen vir sewe maande op die krukkelys en het net drie wedstryde gespeel, maar sy onbetwiste potensiaal het die Iere laat besluit om hom ’n nuwe kontrak aan te bied.
Die Westelike Provinsie het verlede jaar ná Sport24 se onthulling dat Roux oorsee sal speel, daarop aanspraak gemaak dat hy vanjaar na die Kaap sou terugkeer.
Dit het kort op die hakke gevolg van Handré Pollard se skuif Blou Bulle toe, en daar behoort vandag rooi gesigte in Kaapse rugbykringe te wees oor wat vertel is om verdere kritiek vry te spring.
Roux sal aan die einde van die twee seisoene kwalifiseer om vir Ierland te speel, maar het gister in ’n telefoniese onderhoud gesê dat dit nie ’n rol in sy besluit gespeel het nie.
“Ek sal graag eendag ’n Springbok wil word, maar op die oomblik dink ek dit sal die beste vir my wees om hier by Leinster te speel. Ek is nog jonk en sal hier aan die einde van die twee seisoene net 24 wees. Ons kan dan kyk wat die toekoms inhou,” het Roux gesê.
“Leinster het duidelik vertroue in my as hulle my vir nóg twee jaar kontrakteer nadat ek sewe maande beseer was.”
- Intussen het die veelsydige agterspeler Tim Swiel hom nie beskikbaar gestel vir die SA o.20-groep nie.
Swiel, wat vanjaar vir die WP in die Vodacombeker-reeks sal speel, het ’n Engelse paspoort en wil die deur oophou om eendag vir die Rose toetsrugby te speel.
Die SA o.20-span word as Suid-Afrika se volgende verteenwoordigende span ná die Springbokke geag en sal ’n speler se toekoms tot die Groen-en-Goud beperk.
Dawie Theron, afrigter van die SA o.20-span, het die nuus gister bevestig.
Hy kies op 26 April sy finale groep om Suid-Afrika in die Internasionale Rugbyraad se Junior Wêreldtoernooi te gaan verteenwoordig.
Dit word in Junie in Frankryk gehou.
2 Mar 2013, 06:35 am
@grant10-365: Double dose of bad news for wp and sa rugby
2 Mar 2013, 07:26 am
Not much was left to watch
Chiefs – Cheetahs: Chiefs by 20 plus
Sharks – Stormers: Stormers by 8-11
Bulls -Force: Bulls by Jason Jafta
2 Mar 2013, 07:27 am
Keo – Ardie Savea is a real talent, and most kiwis have known this for quite a while… NZs 7 stocks post McCaw are looking good imo.
2 Mar 2013, 07:36 am
63/4
2 Mar 2013, 07:37 am
Aussies in the poo. 63/4.
2 Mar 2013, 07:38 am
@grant10-366:
Not good news. Just shows the depth of talent around. And they won’t be the last.
2 Mar 2013, 07:41 am
@Angostura-369: @I am a stormer-370: always good seeing the Aussies being treated with disdain in the cricket..
2 Mar 2013, 07:46 am
@the curse-372:
India is not an easy place to tour. It puts the recent England series win there in perspective. Right now, the Aussies have a massive battle on their hands.
2 Mar 2013, 07:55 am
@I am a stormer-373: agreed, probably the hardest place in world cricket to visit… no surprise most of Indias wins come at home.. Is Clark still in? he has had an amazing season so far..
2 Mar 2013, 08:01 am
@the curse-374:
Clark on 20 and Wade batting.
2 Mar 2013, 08:02 am
@I am a stormer-375: thanks, too lazy to bring up cricinfo
2 Mar 2013, 08:09 am
@the curse-372: Australia’s batting is suspect – they are too reliant on Clarke (also, Clarke is one of the premier batsmen in the world, so I don’t understand why he is not batting at 3 or 4).
Australia’s spin bowling is currently also not up to scratch.
Because of the above I think the Baggy Greens should battle in India.
@I am a stormer-373:
Yeah, I believe England is more balanced & indeed better than Australia at present.
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