Super Rugby LIVE: Waratahs host Reds in must-win match to keep finals hopes alive
G'day rugby fans.
Welcome to our live coverage of today's Super Rugby clash between the Waratahs and Reds in Sydney.
It's Tom Decent in the blogging bureau ready to take you through this evening.
Fascinating game in store tonight. Kick-off is at 7.35pm AEST.
Expect plenty of spice in this one.
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News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
Brumbies playing ‘two grand finals' to avoid ugly Super Rugby history
The Brumbies are looking to avoid an unwanted piece of history this weekend, as the first team in Super Rugby history to lose four successive semi-finals. The Canberra side have been knocked out at the final four stage the previous three seasons, and no side has failed on four consecutive occasions. So they're treating Saturday's semi against the Chiefs in Hamilton as the first of two grand finals. 'We're pouring absolutely everything into this one because we know we need to, because at the end of the day we fell short the last three years,' Brumbies lock Tom Hooper said. 'I think you take a lot of learnings out of the last three years, it's all been building to a head for a long time now. 'Obviously we've lost against the Chiefs earlier in the year (49-34 in Hamilton) and we took a lot of stuff out of that game that we needed to improve on, and we're looking to make sure we're putting that into practice this weekend. That game was, if you just look at the score, probably not really reflective of how tight that one was. 'For me, the grand final is this weekend. We've got two grand finals left and we're going to pour absolutely everything into it.' There is added incentive for Hooper to finish with silverware, given he is departing the Brumbies to join English club Exeter alongside teammate Len Ikitau. 'That's why I've been flogging myself on the weekend, I've been draining myself every week,' Hooper said. 'It's like driving down a highway. You don't need a full tank to make it to the end of the road. So the end of the road's coming up and I've filled up my tank this week, but I'm about to empty it again and I'll do it again next week. 'After that I'll just be filling it up with a couple of pina coladas somewhere, just relaxing after the season with the trophy in my hand.' While there has been criticism of the finals format given the Chiefs lost to the Blues last week and the Brumbies beat the Hurricanes, but the Chiefs get to host the semi-final given they finished first, Hooper dismissed any notion it is unfair. 'At the end of the day, we knew throughout the course of the season we needed to finish in those top two positions for that very reason,' Hooper said. 'Obviously, we fell short against the Crusaders. That means we have to go across the ditch and beat them on their home soil, which is nice. 'The Chiefs deserve it because they reaped the rewards of their hard work throughout the season. 'There's only 11 teams in this competition and they've obviously been the best team throughout the majority of the year. 'Even though they didn't have one of their better nights on the weekend against the Blues, they still deserve a home semi-final in my eyes because we should have done better throughout the season and we dropped a few games that we shouldn't have.'
The Age
8 hours ago
- The Age
Does it pass the pub test? Super Rugby finals system to be reviewed
Super Rugby Pacific bosses will factor in the 'pub test' when they conduct a post-season review of the competition's contentious new play-offs system, which sees the Chiefs host the Brumbies in a semi-final on Saturday despite losing at the weekend. The Super Rugby Pacific finals were cut back from eight teams to six this year but the adjusted play-offs structure has drawn criticism. With three qualifying finals in week one, the highest-ranked 'lucky' losers still progress, and that turned out to be minor premiers the Chiefs, who were rolled on Saturday by the Blues, the lowest-ranked side in the play-offs. Under the Super Rugby Pacific finals system, the Chiefs also retained the right to host a semi-final because the penalty for losing was dropping only one seeding position, as a reward for being minor premiers. The Brumbies, who finished third and beat the fourth-placed Hurricanes to progress, must this week travel to New Zealand, where no overseas side has ever won a Super Rugby semi-final. The tournament rules were in place from the start of the year but given the highest-seed losing to the lowest seed in Super Rugby finals is so rare, fans – and even some officials – were still caught by surprise by the fine print. The lowest-ranked team in Super Rugby finals had only ever beaten the minor premiers twice before in 30 years – when Super Rugby only had a four-team play-offs series, and Queensland lost semi-finals in 1996 (Natal) and 1998 (Crusaders). Super Rugby Pacific chief executive Jack Mesley said he was aware of the criticism, and it would be factored into a post-season review. 'We will definitely do a review. Clearly with the in-practice versus on-paper, you always learn things, and by seeing people's response to it,' Mesley said. 'Part of that review will be us looking at how complicated was the structure? There was also discussion last week around the scheduling, and can we do it in a way that makes the most of every match?
Sydney Morning Herald
8 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Does it pass the pub test? Super Rugby finals system to be reviewed
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