26 replies to this topic

[Duluth]

10-3 to Counties after 26mins

Some quality offloads in the lead up to that Counties try

[rustycruiser]

Some quality beards on display by both teams as well. I see a Saffa is on the bench for Otago. Nanai-Williams looking dangerous with ball in hand.

[rustycruiser]

Another good team try for Counties, started off with a handy chip kick by Tana.

[Duluth]

..and the second Counties try is better than the first!

[dingo]

Don't get too excited guys, I've jynxed CM.

Picked them in the suicide.

[LAKiwi]

Still down a man at the moment as well. So last try scored while they only had 14 players on the field.

[taniwharugby]

counties are gonna bust open some better defences than Otago this year!!!

Stowers has GAS

[rustycruiser]

Try number three for the Steelers. Another good one.

[LAKiwi]

And another. Nice continuity from counties, keeping the ball in hand.

[LAKiwi]

And Tana gets the credit for that try - from MEL!

[dingo]

The CM forwards are playing really well but just need to cut the stupid play. The ref is right there FFS!

[Bones]

dingo said:

Don't get too excited guys, I've jynxed CM.

Picked them in the suicide.

Oh no you don't. I've picked Otago. Gee they've just got no proper organisation after 1st phase.

[dingo]

HT 22-6. Who'd have thunk it?

[dingo]

Bones said:

Oh no you don't. I've picked Otago. Gee they've just got no proper organisation after 1st phase.

40 more minutes will tell us who has the most powerful jinxing ability

Edited by dingo, 31 July 2010 - 05:45 PM.

[Razbra]

No change from the last 3 years of NPC. Early round upsets aren't new but jeez these CM boys look good. Been the team of the round so far. STill a half to go of course.

Edited by Razbra, 31 July 2010 - 05:29 PM.

[Bones]

dingo said:

40 more minutes will tell us who has the most powerful jinxing ability

Take that brother pucker!! Very poor from Otago. Rubbish organisation all round, looks like they've tried to copy South Africas early season game play. Joubert and Tatupu their best players.

[swapacrate]

Bones said:

Take that brother pucker!! Very poor from Otago. Rubbish organisation all round, looks like they've tried to copy South Africas early season game play. Joubert and Tatupu their best players.

Yeah countieeeessss

[Bones]

Ref was pretty dire too, Counties allowed to get away with allsorts at the breakdown.

[taniwharugby]

they did, but Otago were slowing the ball illegally alot too.

Still, must be a first win in sometime for CM over Otago? Top result!

[hau22]

w've found the worst team in the comp.. by far.. honestly dunno how peeps were picking these guys (OTAGO) ahead of counties and others.

[BOPRED]

hau22 said:

What does Rokocoko and Graham Henry have in common? they both can't play rugby.
.

I hope your quote doesnt mess us up tonight Hau

[shark]

Otago were woeful, but too soon to write them off, and too soon to get excited about Counties as well. The biggest issue for Otago is that they simply must have had this fixture pencilled in as a must-win. Now they go to Invercargill to face a highly-motivated Southland and are likely to be 0-2 for the season and up against it to make that top 7, let alone the top 4.

There was some optimism around this Otago squad which I couldn't share at the time and certainly don't now. Too many very ordinary players making up the numbers unfortunately, and the genuine class of the likes of Smith can only carry them so far. The only means I can see of strengthening the side would be getting Noakes (that's Chris, not Sean the kiddie-fiddling guard in Sleepers, although that might do more to unsettle defences) into first-five. Otago desperately need to sign some good Super 14/15 standard players to give them depth in the squad and promote some continuity from Super rugby to NPC rugby, as they're simply not producing them internally at the moment. They can't even retain fringe Super players who are ok provincial players and guys like Aaron Bancroft and Craig Clare are popping up elsewhere. They also lost Toby Morland and Brett Mather, Billy Elusiv, plus Glen Horton a couple of years back and had to sack Lucky Mulipola. Something about the Otago system stinks when these guys can be inconsistent or even poor for Otago but then play reasonably well elsewhere.

[swapacrate]

i will let the more indepth thinkers analyse the situation. While I will raise a few glasses and be happy.

A win is a win and a win. One game at a time. But better then last year.

As a non franchise base I'm hoping this will only get better with the new rules of recruiting outside the bases.

Countieess

[hau22]

i think Otago/ Highlanders may have found another province to pillage other than Hawkes Bay. cant understand why they didnt want these players this year! Piutau, Tuala, STOWERS, Fihaki, Lemalu.. maybe this year then.

[taniwharugby]

pretty sure Stowers was rumoured to be off (or was it Nainai-Williams) until Tana signed...

[Red Beard]

Great result for the Steelers. One win doesnt make a season but they sure did earn their weekly pay last night. They were fizzing, hissing and roaring into rucks and tackles. Great to see. Their fans will be stoked. Awesome ovation for Tana from the locals as he left the field.

[mimic]

taniwharugby said:

pretty sure Stowers was rumoured to be off (or was it Nainai-Williams) until Tana signed...

nanai-williams