Will the Crusaders ever lose?

The Crusaders made it two from two in terms of big scalps over fellow New Zealand rivals when they beat the Chiefs on the weekend in Fiji and the Hurricanes a fortnight ago.

They may have made me look like an idiot two weeks in a row on Superbru, along with others I hope, all with the same mentality of “Surely they will lose this time?”, and yet they continue to prove me wrong. Granted the Crusaders played the Chiefs in what could be seen as a neutral ground, you can’t help but think that they still could have beaten the Chiefs in Hamilton. They continue to impress both on attack as well as defence. With Mo’unga steering the backline ship and a gifted amount of loosies controlling the forwards its hard to see this team not going onto the final, and potentially winning.

I am still a firm believer in the Saders at least losing one game, because a team to go undefeated in a competition of this calibre is almost unheard of.

Can Cruden fix his kicking?

There’s no denying Aaron Cruden is a world-class 10, but his kicking game has never been his strong point, and one that he needs to work on.

I am not generalising his overall kicking game as his kicks from hand and touch finders are sublime, but his kicking for poles has been a huge cause for concern. Some may go as far as saying it could have cost them the game against the Saders as he missed a couple easy conversions and a penalty that he would have nailed in the past.

Maybe he is feeling the pressure with the Lions tour over the horizon, or maybe he is trying to take on too much but either way he just needs to settle down and remember what a great player he is, and let the rest of it take care of itself.

TMO once again in spotlight

Friday nights encounter between may not be remembered for the Stormers win, but rather the refereeing shambles between ref Jaco Van Heerden and TMO Shaun Veldsman, and I certainly do agree.

There were cards that should not have been cards, and penalties that should have been cards. It is another classic debate amount how much the TMO is now involved in the game. In my opinion, TMO’s should only be allowed to help award/disallow a try, nothing else. They may not check any phases prior to the try, nor are they allowed to check anything during open play. Games nowadays are constantly interrupted with referees going back to check forward passes or knock-ons. Games that should last 80 minutes (excluding half time), seem to go on for hours.

I am not generalising as there are referees, mostly ex players actually, who let the game flow incredibly nicely. I do think that referees need to be punished for terrible games. If a player has a terrible game, he is dropped to the bench or even out of the 22. In that same breath, referees need to face the consequences of their actions.

Combrink back with a bang

Ruan Combrink was a surprise inclusion in the Lions 51-14 hammering of the Bulls at Ellis park on Saturday.

Combrink was sidelined with a shoulder injury at the end of last year, and made his return to rugby last week for the Golden Lions and was subsequently declared fit for Super Rugby at the weekend. He marked his return in remarkable fashion, scoring only after a minutes play to open his account. his second and final try came later on in the game and no doubt put his hand up for Springbok selection.

Ruan was a superb addition to what was a woeful Springbok team at the end of 2016, but will no doubt be wanting to cement his place in the starting lineup against France in June and the Rugby Championships once Super Rugby has finished.

Cheetahs hit rock bottom

The Cheetahs started this year doing everything right, but it has gone from bad to worse for the boys from Bloemfontein having just lost their ninth game in a row.

You would have to chalk it down to the Cheetahs facing the axe in 2018. There is no doubt that the team started off like a house on fire in the beginning but ever since they heard their head is on the chopping block, they look to be a completely different team. Their is minimal hunger and it looks as though the players are too dejected to care. You can’t blame them as this new format only allows for a certain amount of teams and to not have a Super Rugby team from Bloemfontein is a huge loss, their fans in particular. It is devastating to see players so emotionless after losses and its a pity that it happened to a team with such a rich rugby culture.