Super Rugby grand final match review: Lions v. Crusaders at Johannesburg

A tumultuous Super Rugby season came to a conclusion Saturday as the Lions and Crusaders met in the grand final at Ellis Park. The top seeds from the Witwatersrand were on a fourteen-game winning streak, albeit with some of those wins against teams of questionable quality, and hoping to win their first title.

Their opponents, the seven-time champions from Christchurch, have had a stellar season, dropping only two matches (to the Hurricanes and to the British and Irish Lions). But a win here would perhaps be the sweetest of them all, being their first Super title since the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.

The Lions’ livewire fly-half Elton Jantjies tried to insert himself onto the scoresheet first with a missed drop goal attempt in the fourth minute. But his team conceded two tries before a quarter of an hour had passed: one an eighty-metre run from a ruck turnover and the other the culmination of a passing movement which rolled through an insipid Lions defence.

The visitors led 12-0 and could have made it more if Israel Dagg hadn’t spilled the ball at the last hurdle. The sides traded 50m+ penalty goal attempts, Jantjies converting his to make it 12-3.

Dominating possession with 57% of the ball, the Lions had a passing movement broken up by a deliberate knock-on, but came up with nothing after eschewing the easy three points. Things got worse for the hosts two minutes from the break when flanker Kwagga Smith was sent off after his head connected with David Havili’s behind while said Crusader fullback was mid-air. An unrelated penalty after the expiration of forty minutes put i biancorossi up 15-3 going into half-time.

The Crusaders took swift advantage of the power play: a try between the posts and a penalty for illegal scrummaging and they were ahead 25-3. It was only now that the men from the veldt began throwing everything at their tormentors, and the introduction of replacement scrum-half Faf de Klerk in the 62^nd minute would change the tenor of the contest.

De Klerk, with his flapping blond hair reminiscent of peak Warwick Capper, had a noticeable impact on his team and hooker Malcolm Marx was over for a try within two minutes. Five minutes later, the Lions got within metres of another try but Sylvian Mahuza lost the ball forward, but a try between the posts to replacement prop Corné Fourie in the 73^rd minute made the scoreline 25-17, as the Crusaders struggled to hold on in the face on the onslaught.

The men in red continued to throw the kitchen sink at the seven-time champions, and when the Crusaders were awarded a very kickable penalty with twenty seconds left, an exhausted Richie Mo’unga just booted the ball into touch. They had hung on, but only just.

Lions 17 (tries: Marx 64’; Fourie 73’; conversions: Jantjies 2/2; penalty goals: Jantjies 1/1; drop goals: Jantijies 0/1) – Crusaders 25 (tries: Tamanivalu 8’, Goodhue 12’, Read 43’; conversions: Mo’unga 2/3; penalty goals: Havili 0/1, Mo’unga 2/2)

AFL round 11 match review: Geelong v. Adelaide at Geelong

Geelong’s up-then-down-then-up-again season rolled on Friday night at Kardinia Park, where the Adelaide Crows were the next side to feel the wrath of Chris Scott’s men, losing both the match and their place at the top of the ladder (thanks to Greater Western Sydney’s win over Essendon at Homebush the following day).

The match witnessed another fine performance from ‘Dangerwood’: 35 disposals and 21 contested possessions for the Bendigoan, 31 disposals for the ex-Crow. But it was just as much about Scott Selwood keeping Rory Sloane to 22 disposals and Zach Tuohy keeping Eddie Betts to the one goal.

The Cats won the first quarter three goals to two, the biggest story being the Rory Sloane benching saga: Adelaide’s star midfielder found himself on the pine for over eight minutes, unable to convince a teammate to switch places. Patrick Dangerfield kicked the first major of each of the first two terms, and Tom Hawkins’ first goal in his 200^th game put Geelong 23 points up early in the second quarter.

Adelaide got to within ten points midway through the quarter, but it was Nakia Cockatoo who summed up Geelong’s dominance with a magnificent stiff-arm on Charlie Cameron as he galloped along the wing. A mélée of sorts developed in the centre square shortly before half-time, and Hawkins’ jumper-punch on Matt Crouch was the only dampener for the Cats as they led by 29 at the main break.

Two consecutive goals, a mid-air soccer from Daniel Menzel and a set shot following a strong lead by Dangerfield, put the result more or less beyond doubt. The crowd waited until nearly three-quarter time for the obligatory taste of Eddie Betts magic, but Menzel’s snap in the goal square early in the last quarter sealed it for the hosts.

Twelve consecutive inside fifties came too late for the Crows: the third, and so far the biggest, big-name side in successive weeks to be outclassed in Sleepy Hollow. By winning the contested possession count 164 to 130 and by neutering Sloane, Geelong exposed their opponents as pretenders.

Geelong 13.18.96 (Dangerfield 3, Menzel 3, Hawkins 2, Taylor 2, Motlop, Parsons, Selwood) – Adelaide 10.14.74 (Walker 3, Jenkins 2, Lynch 2, Betts, Cameron, Otten)

State of Origin 1 match review: Queensland v. New South Wales at Brisbane

For the first time in some years, New South Wales went to Lang Park as favourites ($1.85 to $2.00 according to that modern Shakespeare, Joel ‘Sugar’ Caine from Sportsbet). A Queensland side with no Thurston, Slater, or Inglis (but still so scarily good that Hunt, Holmes, and Cherry-Evans couldn’t crack into it) signalled a fresh start for the concept. In other words, New South Wales Might Actually Have A Chance This Year.

But in the end, the result was never really in doubt. Sure, Queensland nearly scored the first try only for Corey Oates to lose control of the ball, and they kept New South Wales from holding more than a two-point lead until half a minute short of the break, but the Blues played with a swagger not seen for some years.

After James Maloney opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a try under the posts, the combatants put on display of near-perfect rugby league: both sides were garnering an equal share of possession and registering a 100% completion rate until late in the half. The first uses of the bench came earlier than normal, and Dane Gagai looked the most dangerous Maroon, his run around the 35-minute mark setting up Cooper Cronk’s cross-field kick which led to Oates scoring the hosts’ only try.

Another line break and easily-converted try, this time grounded by Mitchell Pearce off the back of a brilliant Andrew Fifita run, put i azzurri comfortably ahead going into half-time.

The men from the Premier State kept up the pressure in the second half: Cronk was called upon to bat a ball over the dead-ball line, then a series of head clashes put both Pearce and Origin débutant Anthony Milford in the head bin. Cameron Smith’s why’d-he-do-that decision to go short on a goal-line drop-out ended with James Tedesco over for New South Wales’ third try, and the fourth came courtesy of Fifita’s tenth tackle break following a Queensland error.

The visitors’ fifth try came on the hour mark, resulting from a line break by Jarryd Hayne, but by then it was all over. Not just the contest, but a decade of the Maroons being simply too good.

Waking up the next morning, for the first time in a long time, it felt good to be a New South Welshman.

CATTLEDOG!

Queensland 4 (Oates try; Smith 0/1 conv.) – New South Wales 28 (Fifita, Hayne, Maloney, Pearce, Tedesco tries; Maloney 4/5 convs.)

AFL round 10 match review: Geelong v. Port Adelaide at Geelong

Another week, another win for the mighty Cats, who must now be considered a serious premiership contender. This week’s victim was Port Adelaide, as the New Kardinia Park witnessed a Thursday night thriller. In the end, two points was all that separated the sides, as a wasteful start by Geelong was followed by a thrilling middle half and a tense final term.

The Cats’ pressure from the previous week carried over into the opening of this match; it took nearly two and a half minutes for the ball to leave the hosts’ attacking half, yet their first thirteen inside fifties yielded only four behinds. Port went into quarter-time up three goals to one and signalled their intentions early in the second term when Charlie Dixon laid a ferocious hit on Joel Selwood.

Geelong drew level through a Patrick Dangerfield goal, and pulled ahead when the same player majored from a fifty-metre penalty. Two more lead changes followed, Geelong taking a narrow eight-point buffer into the long break despite Paddy Ryder’s domination of the rucks. The fiercely-contested match kept see-sawing, with more changes of lead, Dixon’s checkside goal and Robbie Gray’s diving mark the highlights of the third quarter.

The Power had regained the ascendancy late in the fourth quarter when Dixon, taking more than the allowed thirty seconds to take his set shot and forced to play on, kicked the ball into the man on the mark. After Tuohy won a free at the other end, Geelong won the ball from a stoppage at the top of the square, Selwood (with his nineteenth and last contested possession of the match) and Dangerfield combining for the winner.

Next up in the three-game home stand in the Pivot City is Port’s noisy neighbours, the Crows, in what could be a preview of September with the added twist of Danger going up against his old side.

Geelong 11.15.81 (Dangerfield 3, Blicavs, Hawkins, Menegola, Menzel, Motlop, Parsons, S. Selwood, Tuohy) – Port Adelaide 11.13.79 (R. Gray 3, Ah Chee, Dixon, S. Gray, Polec, Powell-Pepper, Ryder, Westhoff, Young)

AFL round 9 match review: Geelong v. Western Bulldogs at Geelong

After a few disappointing results, the pressure was on as Geelong played host to the Western Bulldogs at the new and improved Insert Sponsor’s Name Here Stadium Kardinia Park. Four quarters and a club record 134 tackles later, the Geelong show was back on the road, as the Cats ran out 23-point winners.

Channel Seven’s telecast began to notice the tackle count shortly before the midpoint of the first term, and despite two goals from Patrick Dangerfield and a stunner from Mark Blicavs, the Bulldogs went into the first change with a nine-point lead, a figure which might have been higher had Lin Jong and Marcus Bontempelli been less wasteful in front of goal.

Harry Taylor opened the second quarter with the first of his five goals, but Geelong were dealt a blow with the withdrawal of Nakia Cockatoo with an injury to his right hamstring. Dangerfield, Taylor, and Zach Tuohy all majored before the hosts cruised into half-time with a 26-point lead, their Taylor-less defence having conceded just four inside 50s in the quarter.

But the reigning premiers were far from beaten, having entered the sheds with their own club record for most first-half tackles. Mitch Wallis, straight outta the VFL, kicked two of his side’s six goals for the term, the second coming from a set shot as the young midfielder won a sensational holding-the-ball free in his attacking fifty. The margin was back to nine in favour of i tricolore, and the sight of Jason Johannisen’s hair marauding from the half-back line was starting to unnerve the Geelong faithful.

Joel Selwood got the Pivotonians back into the contest with a set shot from outside fifty, and then assisted his brother Scott to give Geelong the lead. The Dogs held on until late in the final stanza, but the door was slammed shut when Marcus Adams was pinged for holding the ball, Taylor converting the resulting free kick. With 134 tackles (71 of them in the first half) and 12.0 from set shots, this was a footballing masterclass, although Footscray by no means performed badly.

The three Brownlow votes, the first awarded in front of the new Charles Brownlow Stand, seem destined for the boy from Moggs Creek: thirty-six disposals, twelve tackles, ten clearances, four goals.

Next up on Thursday night at the same venue is Port Adelaide, fresh off a bye after their Big Win in Little China. With los porteños known around the League for their intensity and athleticism, this could be one hell of a game of footy.

Geelong 16.8.104 (Taylor 5, Dangerfield 4, Menzel 2, Blicavs, Hawkins, J. Selwood, S. Selwood, Tuohy) – Western Bulldogs 12.9.81 (Boyd 2, Dickson 2, Redpath 2, Smith 2, Wallis 2, Cloke, Webb)

NRL round 3 match review: Melbourne v. Brisbane at Melbourne

The third round of the nineteenth season of the National Rugby League kicked off with a 2-0 Melbourne Storm side facing the Brisbane Broncos, who had so far notched a win and a golden-point loss. Overshadowing the clash between these two supernovas of modern rugby à treize was the return of the king, Billy Slater, and the addition of Benji Marshall to the Broncos.

In the end, the appearance of neither was the decisive factor in a game which had it all. Slater’s entry into the fray came in the twenty-ninth minute, coterminous with a penalty which put his side 8-6 ahead. The preceding half-hour had seen one try and one disallowed try apiece, with the most spectacular being James Roberts’ interception and length-of-the-field run with Josh Addo-Carr hot on his tail.

Somehow, a Storm outfit which was tackled eighteen times in its opponent’s quarter and which completed fourteen of its twenty-two sets went into the sheds only slightly scathed. The Purple Curtain looked like it was about to burst open soon after the break, when Ben Hunt sold it the dummy and left a diving Slater in the dust to put the men from Bananaland 12-8 ahead.

La viola had an opportunity to regain control a few minutes later, when Suliasi Vunivalu and Darius Boyd had a to-do, but the selfsame Fijian winger fumbled out of bounds to blow what should have been an easily convertible penalty set. And it continued to feel as if the footballing gods had been angered by the hosts: Addo-Carr was denied a try by a Ben Hunt tackle, Cameron Munster clashed heads with Corey Oates and retired to the bench, Will Chambers lost the ball centimetres short of the line to flash up the big red ‘NO TRY’, and Jesse Bromwich knocked-on just shy of the paint.

The final flourish came with less than three minutes on the clock. It’s still a blur to me. Melbourne gained some territory thanks to consecutive penalties. Ryley Jacks with the ball…a Bronco knocks it back…another Bronco fumbles…and Addo-Carr levels it. Cameron Smith, as is his wont, doesn’t miss the conversion.

This was the Melbourne Storm at their best: dominant, professional, and born to inspire much fear and loathing in opposition supporters.

Melbourne 14 (Jacks, Addo-Carr tries; Smith 2/2 convs.; Smith 1/1 pen.) – Brisbane 12 (Roberts, Hunt tries; Kahu 2/2 convs.)

AFL Women’s round 5 match review: Adelaide v. Brisbane at Norwood

The fifth round of the AFL-W competition served up an unexpected top-of-the-table clash and our first free-to-air look at both the Crows’ superstar Erin Phillips and the Lions’ key forward combo of Tayla Harris and Sabrina Frederick-Traub. The match itself didn’t disappoint, Brisbane winning a thriller by three points.

The first quarter was a tight one, Emily Bates opening the visitors’ account and vice-captain Sally Riley hitting back for the Crows as the two sides headed into the first change with six points and seven inside 50s apiece. Big full-forward Sarah Perkins was the only goalscorer in the second term, Adelaide leading by eight points at the main break.

Kate McCarthy blasted the Lions back into the game in the first minute of the second half with a glorious running goal, and teammate Kate Lutkins’ snap dribbled through shortly afterwards to put them into the lead. The momentum see-sawed as Perkins won a free and goaled, then Harris soccered the ball in mid-air from outside fifty for a behind. A pair of goals from set shots, one for each side, saw the hosts head into lemon time with a two-point lead.

Brisbane snatched the lead early in the last with a seven-point play, McCarthy kicking her second major. Two more behinds to Adelaide was all she wrote, and i marroniblu had asserted their favouritism for the flag with a hard-fought win.

Adelaide 4.6.30 (Perkins 2, Holmes, Riley) – Brisbane 5.3.33 (McCarthy 2, Bates, Lutkins, Zielke)