Super Rugby Grand Final match review: Hurricanes v. Lions at Wellington

The Hurricanes, representing the southern and eastern coasts of the North Island, played host to the Lions, representing the Witwatersrand conurbation and the veldt to its west and east, in a grand final which would crown a virgin winner of the Super 12 14 Rugby competition. A forecast of chilly temperatures, a mild downpour, and squally winds promised a distinctly un-Super Rugby forwards-battle-slash-kicking-duel, and the two sides didn’t disappoint.

Lions fly-half Elton Jantjies has had a stellar season, but he fluffed his lines early in this one, sending the opening kick-off over the dead-ball line and then misjudging the weather conditions to crash a third-minute penalty into the goalpost padding. His opposing number, Beauden Barrett, didn’t take long to insert himself into the picture, kicking a teammate over for a try only to be denied by the TMO, missing a drop goal attempt, and then putting the hosts ahead with an eleventh-minute penalty goal.

Much of the match was taken up by kicking duels, and it was a wayward Lionel Mapoe kick that Cory Jane intercepted and ran over for the first try of the match. After Jantjies made no mistake with his second penalty attempt to make the score 10-3, the Africans had a string of attacking scrums in much the same part of the pitch as did the Chiefs for a key period of last week’s semi-final. The matter ended the same way: the ‘Canes won a scrum against the feed and got out of jail with their kicking game.

After numerous handling errors on high balls leading into the break, the Gramscian war of position began again in the second half, until broken up by a Barrett penalty goal after an offside infringement. Home captain Dane Coles was substituted off, before making a short but impactful return as a blood bin replacement. Despite having the better of the penalty count, the men from Johannesburg were unable to make it count on the scoreboard, Jantjies missing another from forty metres out just after the hour mark.

Barrett sealed his man-of-the-match performance eleven minutes from time when he pounced on a ball which had sprung loose in the chaos ensuing from the Lions spoiling of a Hurricanes lineout. The Wellingtonians’ superlative defence denied the visitors at the other end, and the long-suffering franchise had won its first ever title against a team of likeable cast-offs from the veldt.

Hurricanes 20 (Cory Jane try 22’; Beauden Barrett try 69’, 2/2 convs., pens. 12’, 52’) – Lions 3 (Elton Jantjies pen. 26’)

Trans-Tasman Netball League Grand Final match review: Queensland Firebirds v. New South Wales Swifts at Brisbane

It seemed like a good idea at the time, but the [Sponsor’s Name] Championship, est. 2008, comes to an end in favour of a back-to-the-future eight-team all-Australian circuit. Whether this is for the best remains to be seen, but the Queensland Firebirds and New South Wales Swifts gave the grand old girl an almighty send-off with a thriller on the polished floorboards of the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.

‘THEY MEET AGAIN’ screamed the Channel Ten promo, reminding us that These Two Teams Faced Off In Last Year’s Decider. The Swifts signalled their intentions with an interception from the first centre pass, Caitlin Thwaites’ no-nonsense shooting putting them up 6-2 within five minutes and 12-7 within ten.

But it was the shooting form of the Firebirds’ goaler Romelda Aiken which surprised everyone unused to seeing the tall Jamaican miss. Having shot for 87.5% in the season thus far, she looked out of sorts, relying on her rebounding skills to mop up her missed shots and even, in an interesting role reversal, handing the ball off to Gretel Tippett.

The Swifts’ territorial dominance wasn’t translating into dominance of the scoreboard, and Laura Geitz marshalled her defensive line to get the Firebirds back into the match. Tippett sank her first score of the afternoon to put the hosts up 16-15 at the first change. By the long break, Aiken had settled to twenty-six goals from forty attempts and the Queenslanders led 29-27.

Just as the Swifts began the first half with an interception, the Firebirds began the second in a similar fashion, a coast-to-coast goal putting them three clear. Ahead 37-36 and in the tenth minute of the third quarter, Aiken intercepted Sharni Layton’s lazy inbounds pass and goaled. A see-sawing quarter saw the Swifts take the lead soon after, and the denizens of the Siren City of the South led by one goal at lemon time.

The final term began with the all-too-familiar sight of an Aiken-Layton aerial duel won by the Jamaican. The next three Swifts attacks ended in interceptions or defensive rebounds, and the Firebirds assumed a five-goal lead by the eighth minute. They led 54-51 with just over a minute to go, but the Swifts weren’t done; midcourt turnovers and Thwaites’ offensive rebounding got the three goals needed and we were headed to extra time.

The Firebirds looked the likelier team after the resumption, leading 61-59 at the changeover when Swifts coach Rob Wright rolled the dice: centre Kimberlee Green came off for Paige Hadley, and goal attack Susan Pettitt was replaced by Stephanie Wood. It worked for a while: the Swifts led 63-62, and the score was tied at 66-all when Layton denied Aiken an aerial ball; the resulting shot was missed by Wood.

That was the end of extra time, except that it wasn’t: the match proceeded into a first-to-lead-by-two sudden death ‘double extra time’. Gabi Simpson, one of the standout players for the Firebirds this season, manufactured the crucial turnover, Aiken converting to end the contest at 69-67, after sixteen minutes and forty-four seconds of extra time so hardcore that Kellie Underwood twice described it as “pulsating”.

Where was the match won and lost? The home side converted 69 of its 100 shots; i rossoblu 67 from 84. Poor shooting was compensated for by Aiken’s twenty rebounds and Tippett’s forty-seven shooting circle feeds constituted a textbook performance at goal attack.

It’s one of the most shopworn sporting clichés, but netball was the real winner here. The sport couldn’t have devised a more fitting way to launch next season’s national competition.

Queensland Firebirds 69 (Romelda Aiken 63/89; Gretel Tippett 6/11) – New South Wales Swifts 67 (Caitlin Thwaites 34/41; Susan Pettitt 30/39; Stephanie Wood 3/4) (a.s.d.e.t.)