Between Two PostsJames Horwill, Morgan Turinui and Sean Maloney recap the first week of Finals footy as another two teams bite the dust.
Holly team and welcome into your finals edition of Between two Posts. It was a good weekend if you're a Brumbies fan, you know what, it was a good weekend. If you're an Aussie rugby fan. Be course, we've got one team still tracking in their hope for a title, their first since twenty twenty twenty twenty four, two thousand and four. Morgantinually James Hall, has it really been that long? Twenty years? Longer twenty one years into Brumbies one?
I think so?
Look yeah, look, I mean they've been in a number of finals since then, but they did everything they could on Saturday night to get the job done, be alive for another week. So yeah, really good performance from the bus.
Tough to win. Kevy aren't there? You know? Like are there and there and thereabouts?
Every year the Brumbies, every year we think are hick on the Reds or the TARSI going to move up? They're still the standard bear in Australian rugby.
I did the odds with Morgs before the match closed out between the Blues and Chiefs the other night, So we just use bookis odds to try and calculate the likelihood of having the Brumbies host the Blues in the the final, right, so we needed the obviously need the Blues to win. The other night you need the Brumbies to win, and then this week we obviously need Brumbies and Blues to both win as well. Ninety to one. It was, so the first two legs are ticked off, two to go this weekend. Fellas before we preview, what's the come, Let's sink our teeth into that cold Oh my god, that cold canbra night where it was three degrees that kickoff felt like about minus two down.
They see what was out?
The gloves were out Panel Atkinson, Ferguson Shepherd two of the three war gloves.
Who do you think you had the gloves on?
Atkinson Shepherd?
Yeap are soft ass?
No wonder that was so bad at Phinishy this year. No resilience those two.
I've got to give the game some context. So the way it was shaping up was it was going to be rubber between the Brumbies and the Hurricanes. What all of us desperadoes wanted was to have something on the line in the game. We wanted some feelings and vibe. So that meant that the Blues need to beat the Chiefs. So closing stages of that game sideline, the Hurricanes are lined up around Morgues and the rest of the crew. Morgs here it is as you're watching the final try getting out with Pete among A Jensen and is this when so two to two was held up? What's this?
This when like so this is like management from Hurricanes going what's happening?
What's what is that? Is that? Is that crawling? Is that they happened on the advantage. It's still on.
They're going to come back and Peter among A Jensen there, you saw it as soon as that tries scored and given he's better go warm up, this game means a little bit more.
We lose them, they're on our way to mad Monday. Okay, fellas, So I mean this match was such a good game of finals, given they were low scoring the two games that preceded it, and they've just come out throwing haymakers at each other. Rub And loves the first man to go in, and you're watching you think this Canes back line is immaculate and Kevy they were so good with his first dry.
Oh, their ability to move the ball and they're off floating through the tackle is just impressive. And I think they have, you know, the last back half of this Super Rugby season, I think they've been probably the form team and you know, you didn't want to play them become finals, but the Brumbies the whole type five. I think for the Brumbies this game really stood up, particularly on I think in that first half it was sort of a bit of ying and yang, whereas the Hurricanes were using the balls, spreading it wide and the Brumbies just went back to their you know, their core game, the mall, the scrum, tight forwards, carrying the ball hard and it was all square after sort of twenty two twenty three minutes.
But if you're the Hurricanes today Monday and you're reviewing it, well, you know, if you're the coaching staff, if you're want status, you know, but you have to that's your job, right. Clark's in there, is in the game because if you're a head coach in superb you are a statist. He can't be disappointed with the way his team played.
Do they played well?
They played the best version of themselves tactically smart got to the edges on the Brumbies when the Brummies were trying to come up and close. You know they'll be disappointed they couldn't hold maybe one moll out. They win the game like a couple of tiny things. But it's one of the best losing performances in an elimination final life scene.
They were excellent, so so good the Canes. So too was Alan Abletowa, who scored his eighth try the season, and we had to bring up the stats stack again after he went over man because when you reveal it, you will see that his previous ten years of Super Robi, he had only scored four tries total. This year he has gone through the roof Cavy wild stuff.
Meters gain for those tries a question total he's been.
He's in good for I think you know he's critical for the Wallaby success this year. He's been that good and that important for this run beside, but looking forward, we need him on the park and hurt when he wasn't there.
You know, we always try and look for the why and that how why is that?
Why had he never scored more? But why now is he s called double?
A decade worth of tries like we've seen, how good he is close to the line.
But it's not like he just learned it.
No, do we think that there's more a big man let's goal kicking from penalties, so there's more opportunities that you're in the twenty two.
Yeah, maybe so teams, but he's finish.
Yeah, but no one has.
Spending more time. So you's seeing more forwards scoring tries because teams are spending more time in the opposition.
So the only real change is the dropout law.
Yeah, so he's there, like you know before, if you got held up, you just came back.
He had a five moved to strom. Now it's a massive turnover. Maybe there's much more emphasis on how low that body. He seems to be pretty much the best in the comp almost getting lower than defense.
Like and like the defensive onne where you've got to stay behind that last minute like that makes it really hard to.
Pretty much impossible to legally defense.
Yeah it is.
I mean you've got to bend it and if you miss it by millisecond, Gonza, it's impossible to stop.
So he gets about to fourteen fourteen, and then right on halftime the Brummy's get a chance to take three and take the lead at the break, they choose not to and it was so amusing to see the reaction of coach Stephen Larkins. A little flick over the top from Lonigan just missed the chasing Tommy Wright. So Steve Larkins in the box, we can't really shot to him and the arms across and he looks real pensive and Good says, no, he's on board with this? I said, is he? Is? He good? He doesn't look like he's key. But then they construct again fellas this rolling moll. What are they doing well with this rolling more to give themselves a halftime lead.
Well, I think the core game for the Brumbies, for almost as long as I can remember, has been with Stephen Largan as a coach, has been around belt, around the mall. So I think the ability to get the player up and down and get the front of your mare set is the key to morning. If you get that front guard set, the depth and get the ball along which you see here Billy Poll, it makes it really hard to defend. And then you see the backs coming in and adding the X ray. But it all starts with the guys up front, where Billy Poyd does well to finish it there on the left hand side that should go to the guys. I think's Nick Frisce Slipper all to that front core piece of you more. If you can get that right with no dis option where it makes it very hard to defend legally, and that's what they did, and they get the ball long, then you can't have the swimmers through on the ball. It becomes that edging edging, edging, and then the Canes got to put players in. Billy Pollard picks the gap, picks on the nine.
Good footing gives him a twenty one to fourteen lead. And then Morg's early into the second half, early ish in the second half, after turning away the Hurricanes and dodging one with duple c Kerith his hands tragically for the Canes going missing on him.
I've never seen these.
Such a crazy is a good play. We'll talking about him in the post game soon as well. But then a little bit of magic from the Brumbys sets up a handy lead.
It's the world's easiest Mackram. It is the Champagne Rugby Union moment of the week. It's a two phase play and as much as Stephen Larkham tries to facetiously deny it. It's one hundred percent plan. It's even the switch here. Everyone's thinking Valentine needs to carry and that's the change up, changes the point of contact and Robbie's he's in his slot to Alima gainst their late as his role.
Noel runs the one at the back and then just through the middle.
It's absolutely perfectly replicated what they would have done a Norton cross as Kevy on the training Paddy.
Yeah, exactly, and I think you can see. I think there was one earlier in the Crusaders.
Twice one week one a few weeks.
Against against the Hurricanes, and it's probably just it's the slight of hand of that inside runner taking the attention of who is it the number five there, I think for the Canes, and just the late run where right comes in late, you know in division. Late is just such a great piece of work. And the ball from Bobby Valentini is nice, just a little one.
Handed inside, just the way they use Valentine.
So if you're opposite Valentini, your third defender, So it's a three man forward shape that we see Valentini square. He's got the tip option on the outside, he's got inside support if he needs it usually just to clean out and obviously the poll parts out the back to Noel a laser which we see fifty times a game. Rob Valentini carries every single time. The genius is in the change. You show the same picture and you just show a slightly different variation. Crusades have done it, Island's done it. We've seen teams do it. But but the fact that it's Valentini is such great deception because if I'm opposite him and third, all I'm thinking about is blinkers on. I've got to tackle this guy. If I'm the tip guy, I've got to tackle Pollard as a tip I'm just vision square. We've got a good defensive line. We've all done our job, and suddenly the picture changes and it is an untouched try.
It used to be something you do always on the outside. It's the old I think where the insights and slider the third end comes on the inside.
It's just doing that on it.
Doing it on the inside is just a nice touch from the Bruns, and as Mark said, a couple of teams have been starting.
To do it.
So it's do you know what I felt for? In that passage? You play Flanders He's landed the shot of the last five years on Bob Ballatin. He become the first man a stop in front of has hammered him and then pops up and goes got him and goes, ah, shit, what happened? I did my job? Where were you?
Bloats?
So that makes it twenty eight to fourteen, and that's a handy lead, obviously, as you both know, in a qualifying final. But then Sullivan hits back this the outside in line here was just so pretty to watch. Is there anything better outside in at pace?
I just just because it's such a blind spot to come from, it's so effective. And then even to square up through the line and get outside of Rhyma who's despairing. So what happens often is you come back hard against the grange TV. You'll know because anytime there was space, Kevy didn't want it right. He just wanted to run into the teether box. So he come back hard against the line and off and you go into the next defender. But he comes through and almost wants a reverse j line back out.
It was brilliant.
It's difficult because as you're so close to the line, you're watching the ball, you want to get off the line. The little bobble there at nine, he comes up. They were all looking to try and stop him, and he just you get outside iron outside I and you just miss him.
It was good foot which brought it back to a seven point marchin. The Brummies then get another opportunity to take points with twenty two to go to make it a ten point leads say, ah, we're kicking the line, thank you very much. I mean, this was a throwdown three the way that Nah was hitting him the other night. We're going to catch up with that man on between two posts extra tomorrow. So they go to them all and then it's your old mate, Kevy, it's your good friend James Slipper off the tap play. Eventually.
Yeah.
Look, I mean I think at the time of the game you're thinking, you know, if I'm put your head on as a captain, I'm probably taking the three there just to get two scores ahead. But I guess it showed the confidence, the ability. I think Steve they just wanted to build pressure down in that zone, which they felt they didn't last time they played the Crew the Hurricanes and slips doesn't score many and not many from far out but I think again he's he's been so good for the Brahms and he's going around again.
It's got one, Alan got one and Pollo got too. Yes, so there's a lot of captain's question for you. So I got a feeling that the Brumbies early on worked out that this was going to be a straight out shootout and the multiples of three probably aren't enough, and that proved right a couple of times there As a captain, do you sometimes go look to me like that was almost a compliment of the Hurricanes, like three points is not enough.
We've got to keep going. Do you feel that in games?
I think you have to, but you're always got to look a where the key is, Like those were right in front. They're gimmes, right like you definitely three points? You know you used to always look and sit there and go, well, you know what of the odds of kicking it, you work out where your kicks and go, well, look, i'd rather kick it to touch because there's a chance he's going to miss this.
They're gimmes.
So I think building points and momentums are big thing in games now, and the ability to hold and build in the twenty two is key for teams being successful in this competition so far. So I think that certainly to your point, marks plays into it. But you know, I think when we'll talk about the Chiefs game, I think they probably kicked too much for gold. They probably should have gone for touch more and Bilk scored. They sort of went into themselves and just tried to chip it over.
They go for penalty goal those two times they lose the bun.
Yes, yeah, it's not that simple, but you know.
And as you say, the Carrians were playing such good for the toss. He scored again late, but it wasn't enough to get the result men, So the Brummies go ahead. The Canes bounce out. I wanted to touch on the postmatch interview, he's the closing stages. Now it goes and whips it in a touch, so they bank their spot the closing stages of the game. So post game rather where good justin Harrison interviews doeople see careefy, how good that little exchange was, How great that little bit of insight was that they both shared. It's a shame that the Canes got to bounce out. It's a shame that had to be losing the other night.
Yeah, I think Look, I mean Griffy himself is what a player, what a guy that But look, I think it shows you what it means to play in this sort of finals appearance. And as you said, like both teams mores touch on it. Canes can certainly hold their heads high for that performance. It was sort of tough to have to be a loser that night, and probably up until about two minutes before they were about to go warm art, we're probably thinking.
We're going through anyway.
We're going through anyway, so it doesn't matter about the performance. We get another crack next week.
They could have won the comp probably maybe scrum deep in but back line, back road, the line out pressure. I put the Brumbies under the brand of rugby. They played the ability to kick as well when they needed to. Later on the next couple of weeks they kept going talk about not wanting to play someone.
We wonder how much those injuries early on in the year hurt them. That they made a late run in the comp that got them to where they were. I mean, they dropped some games early on that they probably when you look at they probably should not have if they picked them up. They're sitting you know, third, second home game and game in Wellington, second crack at it probably if they lost top.
Two is important?
Well, when are we going to? When do you want to talk? Should we talk about it now? In this segment? Is this where it sits best? So we want to get to it after Chiefs Blues. Let's go now, shall we? You're cool? Okay? There's been some constant The right term is consternation around the final setup. Now. I think it's ridiculous all of us up about it now because the rules of beating place since the ball was kicked the start the season, which dictated that there would only be the shuffling of the seeds at the back end, which meant that if you finish first, you drop into the second seed, but if the second seed, when you go up in the first seat, which is kind of a little confusing. But anyway, despite that, we knew that, and we also knew that if you finish first and you lose your first week, if you lose your first week, you cop andel you still get to host the semi final the next week. Why did I'm just trying to work out why no and push back on it, or why this wasn't highlight early because it doesn't for me as a fan watching scene quite right. So I think if you lose back of the queue, you go where do you see it? Are you okay with it?
Keevy? I'm okay.
The in the consens of where we are now, I think this I reckon. My view is that we could do the final system a little bit different, where one and two get a week off. Okay, three plays six and five plays four yep, straight knockout.
They then go to it and then one would play the one would play with lowest.
Rank gotcha, and then basically always at home and they win. That you've got one less game to got to one less game to make it.
To the final.
So I think, yes, okay, that's your compromise. Where do you sit on this whole finals conundrum?
Well, I think I think one the big point you make is everyone knew the rule exactly start. Everyone has first ever been beaten before since the days of top four and maybe went to top eight when the crusade from fourth.
They might have gone to South Africa and one over.
There they beat the lines over there, first place lines.
I think the Lines might have been first anyway.
Anyway, So one it's it's like, it's not something you think is going to happen, and then the defending champions sneak.
In the sixth.
But I reckon it will put it this way, it won't be there next year. I couldn't imagine it'll be changed.
Why did none of the clubs push back on it initially? So you actually think it's a fair run.
So I don't think many analyze them much.
Won't think about it though for exams, we not know. You're right if you're saying the weight it was. So if the Canes won against the Brumbies away, yes, they finished fourth. So how many points behind the Chiefs were they? I think two three games in the season they lost, maybe less, A long way behind. They then would have hosted a final. No, they wouldn't have, No, because no Chiefs still host. No, they would have they would have. If you're saying that in the way we want it to be the way we want to be. The Canes who finished fourth, who lost three to four games behind.
You can't lose week You can't lose Week one and host you want to.
You can't have double like an extra chance and keep having you want.
To keep you want to keep pushing for the team to finish top two, because otherwise later in the season you can pull the brakes off. Doesn't matter as long as we finished top four West sweet man.
If you finish top two, you get a second chance. You can lose.
That's right.
Hurricanes lost, They're out.
That's right.
That's the difference.
You should never get the host if you lose. I don't reckon, I don't reckon.
But neutral venues?
Where what's that?
Lord?
How island? Is that?
What? He goes? That? In between here and over there? Where else? Is here? Between here?
And call the mythical TASMANI and afl Stane that won't.
Be built the.
Love that Luke Burgess, Yeah, cheering, it's a good watchers going to see a bit of virgo on standsport in for months. It's absolutely not a wingd I just I couldn't. I mean, even like our colleagues were going, hang on but wait no, but then but.
Really, but it's something that no one really looked at.
No, but really just a couple of high.
Level execs camera who only worked it out when the Blues one.
They were really really.
Yeah, anyways, it is what it is. It'll be tough for the Brumbies over there in Chiefs Town, who'll be smarting after dropping that game. We're going to get to that game in a second. Firstly, we need to touch in on the Crusaders and the Reds. My my wife, she has a term for games like I went bore out with Yas the other day on Stan loved it, naughty naughty. Anyways, she says, this is a gong show. This was a gong show and when a teams it's a blowout. It's twenty seven il at one.
Stage we want to be gonghim red kind of like that.
It's a Canadian term, gongim gong show. I mean, where do you where do you pick? Apart this game from the other night, it looked as though the Crusaders just played smarter, wet weather knockout footy.
Well, look, the Reds didn't fire a shot until in the second half. I think ultimately they were beaten to the punch. The Crusaders were just too good. They pressured the ball out the back, particularly defensively for the red so they couldn't get their sort of phase played going. They were defensively disrupted at the breakout breakdown and just I think didn't really start playing the brand of rugby they wanted to play until probably sort of fifty fifty five minutes and by then chasing a game in christ It is just.
Too hard, you know.
And look what thirty straight at home finals games at home the Crusade the one I meant you wouldn't want to have me going there for a final thirty.
We'll get to that record. And second, can I ask you both conditions like that, why by they playing any rope in your half? Why try and run it from sixty out in the same way they did which led to the first try. The second try they just got put under the pump after some refereeing decisions that could have gone easily could have gone either way. So why try and run it from sixty out in weather like that?
I think the first salient point is no scrum, no win. Okay, that's big. And then from there, if you're the Reds, if you want to play that style of football against the Crusaders, you're going to lose. That's if you shine and play that brand against that brand Crusaders versus Reds, Reds lose, So you have to do something different. You've got to win collisions which I didn't. You've got to get fast recycled. That's your point of difference. You're not going to be able to OutKick. Take's not box kicks not his thing right, and then tactical kicking across the board compared to what the Crusader's aid out there.
You don't win that.
Okay, find a battleground that you can win. They didn't completely outclass never in the game. The Crusaders, they're thinking about next week. By the fifty to fifth minute, this is a French they'd say that they've sort of passed a quarte like, so they've sort of missed their season here. The Reds, this is a season that they will rude. They look back and go, well, we dropped that one there, could have won that one tight. Then we finish outside the top two, three, we're in trouble and then you know you're outgunned. It's a disappointing season in them for the Reds.
That Fiji game will be still crushing. They might imagine that miss line out late that cost them that win there. But we talk about the Crusaders thirty to zero at home, so they've never lost a finals game at home. Can either of you. Kevy, you love your sport internationally, so to you, Mogs. Can you think of a team worldwide who has a playoff record like that, who have never ever lost a match? Do they exist at home? Do they exist some of.
Your neutral venues? Now, there's not many that have that record.
I mean green Bay maybe.
I mean you're talking about it all conquering. You needed team that had won four or five years straight, wouldn't you? Maybe Sidney UNI through the two thousands here in Sydney. Lots of those are neutral venues, correct, You're right, I don't know vantage. Yeah, it's like, is the most impressive playoff team any sport anywhere in the world the Crusaders thirty zero?
Because I'm just trying to think of a better sporting team anyway. Yeah, who's better over over five year period accompassed? It's not many.
You've had sort of dynasties in different sports that have been three to four years, but it's been to drop away.
Yeah, the AFLs and the NRLs, the and the big finals in big sports in Europe they go to neutral venues at home.
And all the venues.
Yes, So you both make good points.
It probably talks a lot about the advantage of home ground ugby.
They've had a lot of it. We talk about the season not hitting the heights at eighty two for the Reds, but can we talk about some of the players who are either emerged or who have some minted their spots at the top level across twenty twenty five.
I think Harry Wilson's been good and I think you see when he wasn't there the impact he makes for the team. So I think he was good. I thought he was pretty good again on the weekend. I mean we can touch on that little deaf kick that he puts in for frasement, right, I mean, that's just a for a number eight to do that in the seventy fifth minute tied legs. It's pretty good. Like I mean, it's just pretty good good stuff. So look, I think he's been good. I think they've missed Josh Fluke. I think the last two weeks he's been back. I think he's been again that sort of glue in the back line that helps him. Whether he gets to a Wallaby's level will be interesting to see. But him missing since round three I think hurt the Reds in the back line. So I think those two have been very good.
Do you think Fluke when we see him in the Wallaby squad's surely long term?
Definitely, it's probably not yet twenty three at the moment. He's starting from behind as well. You mentioned yes, it was like John Campbell, a bit like that, Harry will something even like he needs.
A block of training. Now he's going to be firing.
He came back quick. You watched the last twenty minutes of both of his games recently. He blew out and still went on ticker. He's going to be wonder watch when he gets a little block of training. Campbell and flew The other ones just behind, you know, have to play some army. What are they going to do with him? Those sorts of guys Anderson, I thought's the one that's probably improved his stocks. The rest of them at the Reds this year. We love take, we love phrase, we love Harriett. They're all the ones.
The usual suspects.
Had a better season, but it was tough on the weekend. But he had a better season when they needed him to. They still haven't replaced two part scrum time. It's always been their achilles heel had a lot of injuries in that position which I had.
For Australian rugby. You got two parts. Tell us you know you're going to have to Whether you slip her there, I'm not sure, but.
Even slips is trying to retire.
He can't kept in front row is a challenge for austral rugby across the board.
I was start to see Flute resign. I think long term he's going to be a phenomenal their name for the Wallabies. As for me and Brill, yeah, brows be next time. He's he's a genuine presence. Now he's a backgrower and as a super rugby player, he's got he's got some go about him. And again, long term, I can't wait, and is going to have to be in that squad. Surely if we got on form from this year. You don't reckon, I reckon. I picked Fessler.
You'll be back just after the Reds game. Okay, maybe that Australian New Zealand game. You've got to play in one of those two? Okay, straight in mate, you think so gosh?
He started to start the fairs and then pull out on the bench, gets to line out throwing working. Okay, hooker, is what's your core role set peace, then let's get the footballer after Okay, gotcha noted? I'll tell you what what a game?
You know? I think you just got to make sure he's got the mileage. He's come back from a bad hamstring strange.
So you just haven't even can I haven't even considered because we haven't seen him.
He's just got a window around window like.
Whether he plays for the Reds, I don't. I think that might be a bit early for him. But game, yeah, you live. He's got to have to play the CG or the AUNZ game.
Gotcha.
Yeah, they'll have to have some coverage in the squad. But I think if he's fit and they're comfortable with the work he's put in, I think he's starting.
Taking a square to sixty if you want. I got every Australian player in camp if you want.
Also in a scrumline at obviously brings Davy Precky the Porkster, right back into proceedings Blues Bee Chiefs, so we touched on how exciting this was to watch from the field, to play in Canberra. From the combox in Canberra, it was a doozy. The Chiefs put themselves out to a thirteen point leading is go job down by how many in the animill this be? And then the Blues picked open a little scene, pick picked at it, turned it into a gaping hole, and then away they went. They charged through it to score too converted Trice to win that game, to the delight of the Blues fans who made the trip down. The Battle of the Bombays. We worked it out so it's the Hills, correct, that separates the two, so they now the Bombay champions for the moment, the Blues fell as, where do you want to start with this game? I mean, I don't ever know. I don't ever know how to commence.
Well, the early part I would have thought was exactly as you would have thought. The script was a bit of ill discipline from the Blues. Chiefs physical like this. They just bashed each other. We saw that Hurricanes, but we saw their crusaders step up physically, or probably five or the six on the weekend stepped up. Breads were maybe just below. But this was physical in the middle, and it was the Chiefs that were more accurate, and that's why they could accrue the three points. Both teams played it like a final should be played in that regard and the turning points will come later. But in terms of the way the Chiefs managed the first period of the game, they could have blown it away earlier.
Yeah, but I think it was interesting that it wasn't a tri scord to like fifty fifth minute, like it was sort of that close. And you know, as you said, the discipline, but I mean some of the some of the tries or the bomb tries. I mean I think we're looking at one here. I mean, if this how Ratama lets this go, he's good. I mean how it was so good he's looking on twice as well.
It's not even like.
Could have been the greatest try assist of all time.
I mean the outside banana kick.
Like off the left, but also the read the ball off the kick. It wasn't off your players run sixty and then well cross one end of the.
Box and then Bowden Barrett just says I can do it myself and then.
Well the barrel.
One's interesting is so tactically when he's going out of burden Barrett, you can see he's thinking, I've just got to get possession and the conditions.
Will slide me over.
It's hard to talk technique with one of the greats of all time. But just elbows together, body elbows together, just elbows together, and just get lucky.
Two cheese boys probably could have hit on suspicion there when he when he goes to tell it through.
I tell you, I'm sorry foremost and we just saw it there vern Cotter's cap. Have you seen the way you treats his cap? It comes off, brubs his head with it. I reckon, I get slammed. Yeah, I think justice for Verncotter's cap because it's been through the ring of this year. It's got at least another week to get well.
Speaking of bomb tries, Clark, I mean, I cannot believe one of the best try scorers in world rugby has not ice that one. It doesn't end up costing them, but they're down by third d they get the penalty vantage and they run advantage anyway. You just don't. I mean ninety I reckon, I've got Radamor at ninety eight times out of one hundred, he ice is at body ninety nine. Clark's ninety nine point nine nine. That's to infinity. How has that happened?
We just got a good piece of it, did he was a defender.
Again, I think it was fin now.
Yeah, just got a really good piece tackle for tackle, yes, forget anything else.
Yeah.
So then there's the tri scored by Eklund, and I, I mean, I don't care who wins that game, obviously, but if I was a cheese fan, I'd be happening to close the look and no one because it kind of looked like he sort of has two or three goals to get across the line in the same way that dou did later and was denied. So that try stands Fellas, and then it comes down to the beer men.
But even leading into that seventy five minutes, Chief's eternality goal to win the whole thing.
So I got that one right.
Yes, because he's got goes out on the left eilbow does anymore?
Is that it happened from there?
It's that knee thrust and the double double. Yeah, so he actually, yeah, he didn't need to do that the ones he did.
Yeah, eighty two minutes. Fellas traveled about eighty I just can't see that. Eighty fifty four, Okay, So eighty fifty four Gussy Gardner, who had a terrific night, I got to say, was so good creating the drama and explaining all this on the way through. So then they've got the pell advantage and then they're just like we were. Obviously we would have a crack at it. And did you think I mean there was a sense of inevitability around it wasn't there?
Well, you look, you sort of crowded around that screen.
Everyone knew it was coming, especially a couple of times it was penny vantage too, and then you know that's a brilliant carry reach out finish it, and then.
Crucially where you score it.
It was you didn't want to go out into the fifteenth if you want to score out there much as Barrett, you're back.
Him to kick it.
Incredible scenes that cold would have been their shirts eye cold, and then body had to click over the conversion to win it. And obviously Blake this has been such a strong point of their game in twenty twenty five. They've meant without the bells, without the whistls, without shifting it why they're the narrow seeing the competition statistically. So yeah, as you both said, you knew that if they got closed, they're going to take a ton of stopping.
Which is why they're dangerous, which is why people were riding off. They were always going to sneak in, and we kept saying if they make it, no one wants to play them. And they proved it and now they've got a bit of confidence. They've also sort of they got a chip on their shop now after being written off, and I think that's driven.
You know, he's got the biggest ship Arico you want. He's chip boy, He's Smiths Chips, He's kettle chips, He's all the chips. He's got them all over the joint. He's got a point to prove, point and two prove in his last roue of the Blues. Before we move on to a quick look at some of the other bits and pieces around around the grounds, I want to give a shout to Cameron sewer Foire who watched that game on from his hospital bed the other night. He's already overcome Cancas once to make it back on the field as a Blue and has been stricken again, so he watched on in his hospital room with his partner, and the Blues social media team were good enough to share some of it. Get well soon, mate, We're all cheering for you from this side of the Tasman. I thought there's that too, you know you've got that in the background. They're playing for the big Fella fellas. So who knows what happens this weekend against the Crusaders. Who knows how it all plays out? That's the first semi. That's Friday afternoon, Saturday night, Saturday afternoon. What do the calling from here? Brumby's the chiefs just quickly record on a Monday, give us some hope. How does it play out? Can they get it done? At the moment Morgans, they're four to one outsiders. They're not expected. The ag rhythm says no.
That's probably short as a price. It's tough.
Look, if anyone's got the game, they've got the game to do it right. But we keep talking about there's a reason there's home ground and bantage that counts so much in Super Robia. Look throughout the history, recent and long term. They have a game that you can take on the road. They need to get their defense right, their first up tackle percentage right. They like to get up, get an eyeline, make teams step back inside because they got such a hard working forward pack. But they've got to get their edge defense or it can get away from them. Which it did last time, and then they're just leaking a few if it's a tight And like I say, look at Gardner right as a ref. He did a great job because both teams didn't really need speed in the game Chiefs versus Blues. They just wanted to belt each other and Gardener was perfect. Chiefs might want to get speed in the game against the Brumbies, so the style of game it is, I reckon Kevy might be important too.
Yeah, well, I think the Brumbies are going to want to focus on that type play. They don't want to get the width because they would have seen the Chiefs looking and see the success the Canes had out wide, particularly early on, and they'll be to your point, be targeting those shooting, isolate the shooting defender and pick and choose, whereas the Brumbies are going to want to core game. They're all a lot, they'll shifted a lot through the front row type fire is going to be critical for them and line out and more.
I think it's that's the malls that so the Chiefs are going to spend all week on the mall defensively. So guarantee Larkham's going to pick up a little one out the back and the scene maybe one down the train.
And these sort of things rip and run. So the tactical battle too is important.
Sets up beautifully Saturday afternoon for that match, just mopping up some stuff in a nationally very quickly bathbeat Bristol Bristol rather in the semi in the prem and I mentioned less of el because my check out Stan Sports Michael Checker has coached the lesser Tigers through to another shot at some sealwear for checks, so well don to check and more some twenties news as well, quickly just landing on our news thest today.
Yeah on checks obviously, David Kidwell, Peter Hewitt's there. If he perish, he's got a great try. So a bit of an Australian theme there, check he wins where he goes.
There's a bit of a lesson there.
Yeah. I was the twenty squad that will go to Italy off the back of a hugely encouraging TRC in South Africa under coach Chris Whittaker. He named his thirty man squad the big one is drey Pakia. Now that the Reds are out, logically goes back to national hons under twenties. He'll be a huge in And what I liked was two players got picked from outside of the talent id pathway academies Gilfil and Venipolu, so we haven't seen them, so it's good to see that the selectors were looking at club form and kids that have maybe late bloomers. So it's an encouraging thing that is I reckon for people that aren't exactly on the pathway.
Sid Harvey with Ossie experience now as well with the sevens, should go well man Tomorrow we are going hard with the Brahmis. We've got no a lot of seat lined up for Between two Posts. Extra is knockout semi finals week, so we will see you all again for your next hit of Between two Posts. I'm talking Extra on Tuesday
