SARrugby.com

Ex Supersport

Veteran All Blacks lock Ali Williams will captain the Blues in next year's Super Rugby, succeeding (Veteran) hooker Keven Mealamu who is taking an extended break from top rugby.

New head coach John Kirwan named Williams as captain on Monday, saying the 31-year-old veteran of 77 tests was the ideal man for the job.

The appointment of Williams is likely to polarise fans.

While he is Auckland's most-experienced player with 101 Super Rugby caps, he has been dubbed "Comical Ali" (Here we have our own comical saSUE!!!) for his often anarchic sense of humour. Williams once attended a scheduled Blues news conference dressed in a Spiderman outfit (These nz boys never grow up!!).

Kirwan said Williams "had some interesting experiences but he really cares about this place and I believe he's the right man to lead this team."

Well no wonder SA dominated Super Rugby this year with 3 of the top 6 teams beig South African. nz hung  onto their vets and its showing - we all remember what England did to them - ouch the Poms sure kicked verteran ab butt that afternoon!!!  Bwahhahahahahahaha

Beeno

One cannot really see objectively whar is goingto happen in the Super 15 series next year - without an indication of th final squads ofthe various franchises.   What is apparent at this stage is -

  *   the absence of MNcCaw will weaken the Crusaders team - especially the absence of his all round leadership  abilities would be problmatic;

  *   the Chiefs apparently lost SWB - with a problematic affect on their backline performances;

  *   the Highlanders has decided to contract some real old-timers and in the process have gone backwaeds;

  *   the Stormers are stuck with their "dead"  backline and made a serious mistake in contracting Jantjies;

  *   the Bulls has serious deficiencies in forward play and are stuck with Morne Steyn ar flyhalf; and

  *   the Kings  is a joke in bad taste.

I think the reaol movers and shakers in 2012 will be the Sharks and the Hurricanes - with the Stormers coming a poor third.   That can change slightly if the Stormers can get  some improvements in their backline performances. 

 Yes, the SA teams dominated the S15 all right Beeno. I'll never forget the trophy being held aloft by those Japie stalwarts and co-captains Craig Clarke & Liam Messam.

moodaa

We all no the final outcome and the result speaks for itself.   I think the Sharks mucked up their performances early in Super 15 and as a consequence had to travel too much at the end of their campaign.   No team can play  a game at home - travel to Brisbane - back to Cape Town - and then to play in Hamilton - all within 3 weeks and then expect decent results.   It is just physically impossible.

Beeno lives in the past and his ideas are often at conflict with the actual facts.   A loss is a loss and that is it - end of story.   Any amount of issues otherwise is fabrication of facts.   The only thing about losses is what we can learn from them and what corrective measures are required.     

Lers forget about the yarpies - there is nothing like that invention in existence in any event - and concentrate on what will happen in 2013 in Super 15 and in tests.   

Insofar as the tests are concerned - I think the tests SA is playing in June 2013 is really just the equivalent of trials for Springbok selection and an indicarion whether there has been any improvement in their performances since 2012.   Smaoll wins will indicre no progress at all.   The realtests would come in the Champiosnhip series.

Insofar as the All Blacks are concerned - the French will be a more serious challenge.   Problems is that you never know what Frenh team is turning up for games.   They can be very good in one test and very bad in the next one.    However, on the whole they could be a serious challenge for the All Blacks and assist in a guide to future development of the team.

As to the Super 15 series I rate the Hurricanes and Sharks as the top two teams in the competition.  The other teams that could do well are the Reds, the Stormers and the Chiefs.   The 6th posisiton on the log could be either the Crusaders or the Bulls.   There can be no doubt about the last place on the log though - it would be the Kings.

However, lets wait till next year - after all squads have been announced - before we make a final prediction.    

well we had 3 of the top 6 in the super rugby playoffs but we did not win any cup so hopefully we can go one better this year. in terms of the brand of rugby on display the sharks and the chiefs to me had the best game patterns out there. the chiefs added to there attacking skills a solid defence and the sharks clicked into gear and at the end the travel nailed them in the final when the chiefs whipped up the tempo the tired legs could not keep up anymore. i agree with mike but i might want to add that the blues this year is my darkhorses for the cup. with there new coaching team in place i reckon they might very well be right up there for the stormers supporters sake lets hope they stick to there formula of limp attacking play as that will at least give us one less team to worry about. the AC coaching manual reckons the IRB have been wrong the whole year as one should get pionts for tackles rather than going out and scoring points

Beeno - "Well no wonder SA dominated Super Rugby this year with 3 of the top 6 teams being South African" .

MIke - "Beeno lives in the past and his ideas are often at conflict with the actual facts.   A loss is a loss and that is it - end of story.   Any amount of issues otherwise is fabrication of facts". 

Mike please explain how my statement is in conflict with the facts. In the spirit of goodwill I wish you the very best of luck in a task even Einstein would shrink from!!

Beeno

Let me say in plain language - a loss is a loss - and no amount of justification or finding of excuses can wish it away.   The excuses is where fabrication comes in.   I am not going to try and explain it any further - because I think what happened in past games - must be dealt with and improved on in future games.   If we lost in a match the whole game must be placed under a microscope and poor elements must be eliminated constructively and mistakes corrected in future matches.    That to my mind is the only way the matter can be dealt with obbjectively and to best benefit of our team.

Maybe I am just out of sorts and not open to discussions of past games and if I did upset you I hope in the spirit of goodwill to be excused.

Mike I do not get upset so easily. Of course the spirit of goodwill rules. Hope the out of sorts is not serious!