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Opinionated Rugby Commentary - by Fans for Fans Spill what you really think about events in the rugby world.
Super 15 Rugby Round 15 Review 1 views
24 May 2015 by The Swede Eaters
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Here are 10 things we learnt. Do you agree?
Super Rugby Round 15 taught us a lot of lessons, here are 10 things we learnt from Super Rugby Round 15.
1) The Crusaders are goooonnnneee! Well mathematically they still have the faintest chance of catching the Brumbies in sixth spot, but with only three games left, they have to make up at least seven competition spots. It is the first time in 14 years that the Crusaders will miss the playoffs. Despite criticism of their lack of flair, they have scored the most number of points in the competition. It doesn't matter if you hate them, or rate them, you have to respect this team for being such a force in Super Rugby, but you wonder if some of their older stars are still up for the All Blacks, given their Super Rugby form? Is Todd Blackadder's job safe?
2) You heard it here first, Super Rugby Round 15 had the highest average winning margin of the season, with only the Reds getting a bonus point for losing by seven or less points. The average winning margin was 16.3 points, this lifted the overall winning margin by 11.6 points.
3) Have the bottom teams given up? In recent rounds the bottom teams like the Reds, Blues, Force and even the Cheetahs have put up brave fights, but history suggests that while a mid season revival is common, many of the bottom teams simply run out of steam at the end of the season. Super Rugby Round 15 saw the Reds, Blues, Force and Cheetahs lose at home, with some comfortable losing margins. This threw many tipsters off, who thought there might be some close games. This is probably a sign that we might see some more big margins before the season is over.
4) What happened to the upsets? Most rounds of Super Rugby 2015 have seen at least one or two upsets, but in Super Rugby Round 15, the better ranked teams won every game. Those who were trying to make up ground in tipping conferences by picking some upsets, ended up losing ground instead. Five of the seven games were won by the favourites, while the Waratahs and Sharks won games which split the tipsters.
5) The home team dominance wore off in Super Rugby Round 15, with only three home teams from seven games winning. Overall now 58/99 games have been won by the home team, this record has been stronger in recent rounds, with 18/20 games won by the home teams in Rounds 11,12 and 13.
6) One look at the table shows that it is almost impossible for anyone to catch the Hurricanes, while New Zealand looks set to probably get three teams into the finals if everything goes according to plan. Despite the flaws of the system, could we still see two teams from the same country meet in the final? It is unlikely, but a shame given that the top three teams on points are from the New Zealand conference in the Hurricanes, Chiefs and Highlanders.
7) The South African conference looks set to benefit from the system with the Stormers sitting on 38 points (fifth equal most points), yet they are third on the table. The Stormers are in pole position to win the South African conference now, but need to keep winning to increase their chances of hosting more games. The Lions are two points behind the Stormers, but have played one more game, while the Bulls are three points behind the Stormers but have two more games to play on tour.
8) The Blues fortress of Eden Park could have lost its magic to other New Zealand teams. While the Blues have beaten some good teams like the Bulls and Brumbies at Eden Park this season, they were no match for the Hurricanes. It will be interesting to see if they throw in the towel now or not.
9) What is with all of these late changes to teams? Fantasy rugby managers have been left lamenting their selections with late changes after the deadline in most fantasy rugby competitions. The Chiefs made some late changes, while Otere Black started for the Hurricanes despite most people thinking that James Marshall would. James Broadhurst and Cory Jane pulled out of the Hurricanes.
10) Finally, have you seen that kick from James O'Connor? There have been some other shockers over time, but that one is hard to beat! If you missed it, here it goes! Here are some other shockers over the years, which one do you rate as the most hilariously bad?
What did you learn from Super Rugby Round 15?
http://www.superrugbytips.com/2015/05/super-rugby-round-15-review-10-things.html
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