oooooooffff Canterbury v Bay of Plenty

[Hooroo]

Canterbury vs BOP

CANTERBURY: Sean Maitland, Tu Umaga-Marshall, Robbie Fruean, Ryan Crotty, Telusa Veainu, Stephen Brett, Andy Ellis, Nasi Manu, George Whitelock (captain), Matt Todd, Isaac Ross, Sam Whitelock, Owen Franks, Corey Flynn, Wyatt Crockett. Reserves: Steve Fualau, Peter Borlase, Luke Romano, Ash Parker, Takerei Norton, Sam Monaghan, Sonny Bill Williams

I thought this could be a close game (damn getting my picks in early) I really think The Bay are going to be rumbled big time with that Cant forward pack.

[Neo]

Canty by 13+ easy.

Week 6 and the big teams have started to show their form.

Red n Blacks forwards found some good form last week and with Whitelock and Franks back in the pack they will be way too stong for BOP up front.

Thats all the backs need to put 5+ tries on the bay.

[Baron Silas Greenback]

Yeah scrum time might be.. interesting.
But I reckon the lineout, loose forwards and backs are more even.

[Hooroo]

Loosies, I agree, not so much on lineout.

I just think there is a little bit extra in the Cantab backs once you get past 1st five..... and then there is the cantab bench

Rugby is a fickle game and BOP aren't going to let themselves be SBW's first whipping boys so I expect them to do better than I expect them to do (That makes no sense but I get what I mean)

[Baron Silas Greenback]

Loosies, I agree, not so much on lineout.

I just think there is a little bit extra in the Cantab backs once you get past 1st five..... and then there is the cantab bench

Rugby is a fickle game and BOP aren't going to let themselves be SBW's first whipping boys so I expect them to do better than I expect them to do (That makes no sense but I get what I mean)

Well I am not confident of a BOP win, but I do find all this talk about Canterbury quite good news.

[rotated]

Canty 1-12 looks mighty tasty at $3.10. That Canterbury side should be good enough to win, but there are way too many guys there who aren't 80 minute players. Bay will keep it close. Will be interested to see how the Ellis-Brett-Ross combo goes in the halves.

[BOPRED]

Its going to be hard with our front row not nutting up as well as we thought. Are the Tasman recruits starting to earn their pay yet? And how is Luke Andrews. Will he be playing this round?

Not easy to beat the lambs down there though

[matata_massive]

looks like a loooong day ahead for the boys...good to see the AB's all back again but damnit for being against us haha

[papamoan]

I'm still dining out on the equivalent game from last year, another like that would be bloody fantastic. The Poo nearly rolled the Lambs a few weeks back, it can be done if all the stars and planets are aligned

[mariner4life]

Geez that is a top line NPC forward pack, and a handy back division. The Bay are in for a long night up front, but as Baron said, i reckon our lineout will go alright (assuming Andrews is fit, he and Ratallic are dynamite in the air), and loosies will at the very least compete, but our journeymen in the big numbers will have to tackle their guts out. Just can't see us accumulating enough points to get this one. Unless the real Masaga plays.

[Crucial]

The 'unreal Masaga' seemed to get a few points for you last week.

Cantabs by heaps.

[sportboy]

Are the Tasman recruits starting to earn their pay yet? And how is Luke Andrews. Will he be playing this round?

Yes and yes, which helps immensely. Nearly the whole squad training today... but will need about 26 of them on the paddock to beat Canterbury...

[Baron Silas Greenback]

Yes and yes, which helps immensely. Nearly the whole squad training today... but will need about 26 of them on the paddock to beat Canterbury...

Excellent! That is very good news. At least we will have a much stronger bench.

[matata_massive]

Excellent! That is very good news. At least we will have a much stronger bench.

yep that IS good news, our scrum is pretty average at the moment

[Cyclops]

Geez that is a top line NPC forward pack, and a handy back division. The Bay are in for a long night up front, but as Baron said, i reckon our lineout will go alright (assuming Andrews is fit, he and Ratallic are dynamite in the air), and loosies will at the very least compete, but our journeymen in the big numbers will have to tackle their guts out. Just can't see us accumulating enough points to get this one. Unless the real Masaga plays.

I haven't seen much of the BOP line out, so I won't make a comparison but I will say that Isaac Ross keeps his place as a lock on the strength of his lineout work - he's work in the air is as good as anyone else I've seen in NZ lately, and Whitelock is fresh from a stint in the ABs. If the BOP lineout is quality too, it could be an intriguing battle.

[matata_massive]

if Andrews is fit then we should be ok in the lineouts but its the scrums and trying to stop that monster Fruen and then SBW when he comes on thats got me worried, our midfield defence was pretty weak lastweek

[Baron Silas Greenback]

And the BOP side. Perrina nd Moran bopth back from injury, Perrin to start against some of his Crusader team mates.

1 Josh Hohneck 2 Daniel Perrin 3 James McGougan 4 Luke Andrews 5 Culum Retallick 6 Luke Braid 7 Tanerau Latimer 8 Colin Bourke (captain) 9 Taniela Moa, 10 Mike Delany 11 Ben Smith 12 Phil Burleigh 13 Brett Mather 14 Lelia Masaga 15 Toby Arnold.
Reserves: Simon Chisholm, Tristan Moran, Luke Katene, Sam Cane, Chad Tuoro, Dan Waenga, Jason Hona

[matata_massive]

And the BOP side. Perrina nd Moran bopth back from injury, Perrin to start against some of his Crusader team mates.

Kuka injured? any word on where John Moore is too?

[Donsteppa]

I like the look of our team a bit more than I thought I would... I tend to think Smith and Hona are better options than Lance MacDonald, and that front row looks suddenly better at scrum time...

[matata_massive]

Hohneck is still in there, he's still pretty poor at scrumtime, Billy Elusive in there for his soccer skills? i dont mind Lance just maybe a bit small is all, great on attack

[rotated]

The Bay are getting 13.5 points start in this one. Am I the only one liking those odds?!

[justin77]

anyone able to put the odd update through on this one? been booted off the TV!

[Hooroo]

My fault as I was hoping to see sbw early. 3-0 to bop crotty looking sore

[Lise]

3 - 0 to BoP.

Looked like SBW might get on early because Crotty got his ankle kicked but he's carried on. He really didn't look on it when he first stood up.

[VV]

Canty starting to warm up. Nice break by Fruen results in a canty knock on but then the monster the bop scrum for a penalty on the 22. Which Brett just missed...