At least he won't get benched now.

Sitting through the Black Ferns v Wallaroos XVs game was an absolute treat compared to sitting through the 2018 Blues season.

Clearly the punishment should be that the Crusaders are forced to start Brett Cameron at 10 this week vs the Blues.....

@cgrant No they'll just look short compared to the towering height of Ardie on the opposite side.....

@Tim said in Blues 2020:

Anyone know when Parsons will be available?

There's no rush...

@wreck-diver said in Bledisloe II:

@mimic said in Bledisloe II:

@rancid-schnitzel said in Bledisloe II:

@nzzp said in Bledisloe II:

@antipodean said in Bledisloe II:

I just don't see the Wallabies being that bad the week after. The lineout is solvable and even if you lose a couple, try something else... The scrum will be bolstered with Sio back and Tupou on the bench. A couple of sessions on running lines and catch-pass for the backs. Hey presto, they're competitive.

They were damn good for the first half. Aggressive hard defence, straight running. On a different night with a different ref, you're looking at a healthy half time lead.

I keep saying it; ther'es not much between these sides at the top level. I don't think the Wobbles will be as bad at set piece, and I reckon supporters should be heartened by the non-set piece effort last week.

All true but they don't have the heart and lungs to do it for 80. They were absolutely gone after 35 minutes. The ABs blew several opportunities in the first half as well and also lost line outs. I agree that it's a decent Aus team, but Cheika is just a shit coach.

This can be easily fixed if they amend their game plan to slow the game down in certain areas. They were trying to play at pace when they didn't have the fitness to last the full 80. Losing Tongan Thor was a huge loss.

Please he's not a Norse God he is a fat Sth Auckland kid that didnt have the balls to have a go in NZ after leaving school. In his own words he said he was used to running over skinny little white boys so move to Aussie to play rugby. I dont see him adding anything to their team let alone his youtube page.

This seems harsh. He's a 22 year old tighthead prop who really improved this year in Super Rugby. He looks a serious talent.

Worth it for the reaction of Crusaders fans

@sparky Beaudie has chosen the four year sabbatical....

Who the fuck would want to watch the Black Caps right now.

Stuff that - bring on the rugby

@MajorRage Melbourne/Victoria is completely locked down from the rest of Australia. I don't see that being a dealbreaker.

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/sport/2020/07/rugby-sanzaar-faces-axe-as-details-of-nz-rugby-s-aratipu-review-emerge.html

Southern hemisphere rugby could be set for a major shakeup , with doubts emerging over the ongoing existence of SANZAAR. 

Sources tell Newshub that the governing body could disband altogether to leave international unions to go it alone, in one of a handful of key recommendations to come from the 'Aratipu' report commissioned by New Zealand Rugby in April. 

Newshub can reveal that SANZAAR's days of running the competition appear to be over from next year. 

As it stands, Super Rugby involves teams from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Argentina. 

The draft 'Aratipu' review recommends major changes from 2021 - namely a trans-Tasman competition with the addition of a team from the Pacific. 

Without teams from South Africa and Argentina, SANZAAR's governance of the competition would inevitably cease.

The proposed changes to the competition have been welcomed by those involved. 

"As long as it keeps the qualities that are making this competition really successful," says Blues coach Leon MacDonald.

"Strong teams right across the board, strong games... there's a little bit of a recipe here that as long as they don't deviate too far away from would be well received."

It's understood that is what's seen as the missing piece to the Super Rugby puzzle and was identified by review chair Don Mackinnon from the outset.

"Do we look at a Heineken cup type playoff model in the short to medium term whereby we're looking at the best of the best playing," Mackinnon queried at the announcement of the review in April. 

Crusaders coach Scott Robertson has also expressed his desire for there to be something more for the Super Rugby winners. 

"I love the idea of how we can connect up if we have a competition down here and then we can link to the north, that would make it pretty special," Robertson suggested in May.  

SANZAAR's sole purpose moving forward would be to oversee the Rugby Championship. 

But Tuesday's developments suggest that after quarter of a century, southern hemisphere rugby's united front could soon be over.

@Hooroo i've been there in a Blues jersey in the awful 2012 season when Pat Lam was a dead man walking. Blues got absolutely pumped by 50.

There were plenty of meathead types with unoriginal banter but I never felt unsafe or uncomfortable in any way. If you were into the rums and looking for a fight then it could be a different story.

If Chch had games at FIFA 2023 - I would imagine the commentary and footage would in part focus on the new fully enclosed stadium opening up shortly (as of 2023) as well as some of the history of the current stadium (built in 100 days post Quake etc).

@Chris-B Mr Sotutu scored that game.

About 3000 tickets left for Crusaders v Blues in Christchurch on Saturday night.

Bidwell is an absolute joke.

Sotutu has signed a 2 year extension at the Blues - 2021 and 2022 season locked in

https://blues.rugby/fast-developing-sotutu-to-extend-time-with-the-blues/

FAST-DEVELOPING SOTUTU TO EXTEND TIME WITH THE BLUES
06 JUL 2020

Fast-developing loose forward Hoskins Sotutu will remain at the Blues until at least 2022.

The 21-year-old Sotutu has added a further two years to his initial contract after joining the Blues in 2019, having come through the organisation’s development programme, playing for Auckland and New Zealand Under-20s.

He has been a standout in Investec Super Rugby this year with nearly 500m in carries, an average of around 50m per game, and is currently fourth highest in this part of the game in the Investec Super Rugby Aotearoa statistics.

He averages over eight tackles per game and is currently top of the tackle count in Super Rugby Aotearoa with 38 in three games.

Blues coach Leon MacDonald said Sotutu has been one of the team stand-outs so far this season.

“He has a unique skillset which is well-rounded. He has set-up tries with his kicking and with accurate missed passes yet he can do the core roles of carrying hard, offloading, making his tackles and an asset in the lineout,” said MacDonald.

“Hoskins got his chance with the work he did pre-season and has continued to deliver game-in, game-out, and he is developing from a very quiet teenager to a real contributor off the field also.

“He has come out of the Blues and Auckland systems and if he continues to develop with the same attitude, he can look forward to a long and successful career with us.”

MacDonald said Sotutu had initially indicated his desire to re-sign earlier but the Covid-19 lockdown had stalled the formalities.

Sotutu played several sports as a young teenager before taking the advice of his father, former Fiji, Blues and Auckland back Waisake Sotutu, to “give rugby a good shot” when he was 17, playing two years for the Sacred Heart College 1st XV.

He began his rugby life as a winger, like his father, moving to lock, and even first-five for club in his first year out of school, before settling at No 8.

“I have signed for two more years with the Blues which is great,” said Sotutu. “My goals are for the Blues to kick-on in this competition how we left off before Covid-19, keep the team strong and help them continue to improve.

“It is all about the team for me. I don’t like to look too far ahead. I like to focus on the team I am playing for.”

The Blues expect to finalise other contract extensions before the end of the competiti

12,500 tickets already sold for this one.

You'd have to think it will sell out.