chiefs vs sharks. player vs player rundown,,,

chiefs vs sharks and IMO how they square of against each other,,,,

1 s taumalolo vs beast
i give taumalolo the edge, easily the form loosehead of the comp in every regard. beast has been his usual strong self, but not to trymalolos level. advantage taumalolo.
2 m schwalger vs b du plesiss
bismarck worlds best hooker and the last month and half hes lived up to that name big time. schwalger still very solid with his game, but bizzy edges him out. advantage du plesiss.
3 b taumafuina vs j du plesiss
bens made tremendous inroads this year, securing the incumbent tighthead after a very consistent season, very mobile for such a big boy and an anchor in the chiefs scrum. jannies been outplayed by a few this season, but hes also returned the favour. his experience in these big matches, especially in the close quarter rumbles will aid the sharks big time. advantage duplesiss.
4 c clarke vs w alberts
clarke the tight 5 enforcer and engine in the pack. hes developed amazing leadership skills and has one of the best if no the best workrate of them all. alberts is one of the deadliest ball carriers around, but playing at lock is a move designed to accommodate the sharks other great loosies/ballcarriers. advantage clarke.
5 b rettalick vs a bressler
retallick is one of the finds for NZ in 2012, fantastic lineout jumper, outstanding defender and a real asset in the never ending breakdown battles. bressler has been one of SAs form locks as well, doing all the usual lock duties at a consistently high level, he has a great workrate as well and is a real force in guiding the infamous saffa rolling mauls. advantage tie.
6 l messam vs m coetzee
easy peasy description of both, fantastic defenders with coeztee taking a slight edge, fantastic ball carriers with messam edging ahead. both have had a fantastic 2012 season and are amongst the form loose forwards of the comp. advantage tie.
7 t latimer vs k daniels
another highly contested battle here. latimer has been one of the chiefs unsung heros, always getting the job done with his bone crunching hits and A grade support game. daniels is SAs form flanker, and prefers the old captain mantra of leading by example. he dosent tackle the hardest and he dosnet have the strongest running game, but he can still do it all at the highest level and like the energizer bunny, he just keeps on going. advantage daniels.
8 k thomposon vs r kankowski
thomposn rounds of the chiefs pack perfectly. a very powerful defender and great in the breakdown area with his ability to be a constant menace. kankowskis season was hampered with injuries, but his return has seen him regain some very good form. a real tough nut to crack on defence and is a prolific ball carrier too. his experience will be very hand in this big game atmosphere. advantage kankowski.
9 t kerr barlow vs c mcleod
barlow despite his rookie status has shown a huge amount of xfactor this season, he has areas which need attention, but all in all the chiefs attacking prowess is complimneted and often enhanced thanx to barlow. mcleod has been in good form for the latter half of the season, very capable of doing all the halfback fundamentals well and has a better kicking game then his chiefs counter part and also has a bit of gas in the legs. his time with the sharks will come in hand synergy wise for the final game. advantage barlow.
10 a cruden vs f michilak
cruden easily the form and best attacking flyhalf in the world. his all round game has come up in leaps and bounds under rennie and smith. he also has one hell of a decent kicking game, but his greatest asset is playmaking ability which is second to noe at the moment. michilak has played very well at 10 lately, very good at controlling the game and setting the sharks tempo and every fiber of experience will be needed in order for the sharks to compete. advantage cruden.
11 a tikoirotuma vs l mvovo
the ultimate battle of the speedsters. tikoirotuma has like a few others become the incumbent for consistently high level performances, great foot work and very strong in the tackle continuing the tren of high flying fijians. mvovo the african flash, reported to be the fastest man in spXV which wouldnt be too far from the truth, considering the many speedsters he has left eating his dust. sharks need to put this guy in some space, cos theres no one he couldnt give a decent crack at burning. advantage tie.
12 SBW vs p jordaan.
SBW simply the best 12 in the game end of story. ability to break over the adavntage line, defensive magnet, off loads, great vision, alwyas the stronger in the one on ones. SBW isnt just the best, theres no one that comes close. jordaan is a promising kid and was one of the baby boks stars until he got injured. great speed and foot work has been his signature for the rookies game to date, but hes been unchallenged in the pressure cooker of the big games, until now. advantage SBW by such a huge margin he laps jordaan again and beats him with advantage twice.
13 a horrel vs jp pieterson
one of the many unearthed talents in NZ for 2012 and horrel has shown a lot of poise normally found in someone more experienced. he is the complete package with his attack, defence, kicking and passing game. jp pieterson is in possibly career best form which is a statement and half, considering his career to date. a very strong runner which suits the sharks theme, but also a sound defender. his ability to create with little opportunities is an amazing gift surpassed only by his vision and all round rugby nous. a very hand player to have in ur corner for such a big game and all shark players and fans know this. advantage pieterson.
14 t nani-williams vs l ludik
both a great attckers of the ball, but nani having more xfactor with his jinking runs, while ludik posses the more all round game, a relatively even match up as both are in good form. judik is a great attacker with the ball and very efficent at finishing of set moves, but nani is one of the games best counter attackers in the game wether fielding kicks or from broken play. advantage williams
15 r robinson vs p lambie
robinson is playing his career best rugby at the moment and has really found a level of confidence under rennie that he didnt have at the highlanders. very similar to the chiefs former 15 mills in terms of the way he plays his game, in that hes able to do everything and do it well. lambie despite his form is a star, very sound defender, fantastic kicking game, solid under the highball and is not shy with counter attacking where appropriate. has been hampered by injuries during the finals campaign, but despite his young age, he is a veteran of the game who can dictate play even from fullback. a bonafied A grade threat. advantage lambie but just.

Sasu

Interesting comparisons between individuals - but it is the team that counts and it does not always work out on individual basis.   It is the team issue at stake here.   I do not think the Chiefs have the upper hand in the forward pack - their line out play was weak against the Crusaders - and I do not rate Retallick as highly as you do.   He will be up against it today.   The backline of the Chiefs are going to be the key to their success - not the forwards.  I rate Cruden very highly - and obviously also Williams - and that would be the key for the Chiefs game.    However, I am sure the Sharks have studied the games played by the two carefully and would have worked out something to counter them.

I think the Chiefs would win - but I do not think the victory margin will be muvh more than 7 points - could be wrong though - so lets wait and see.

@clevermike,

getting a little nervous with the game put a bit of cash on the cheifs to win outright, lol.

ur right the team dynamics are more important and im very comfortable that chiefs team synergy is better.
they had a lot of issues with lineout and set pieces which is a little bit of a worry, but all in all its been very solid throughout the year.
IMO the lineout advanatge that most saffa team shave over NZ teams will be negated with only established lock in the sharks pack. sharks will still do the rolling mauls and do them well, but i would be surprised to see the chiefs lose their lineouts other then the usual not straight calls and there a like.
hope ur sharkies dont rate retallick, but hes leading the comp with most lineouts won from opposition throw and is the leading most tackles from a tight 5, which is good, cos we need our ball carriers to run the sharks off the park.

good luck to ur team anyway bro, im picking the chiefs by 36pts, but will gladly settle for a 1pt win, super rugby crown has been gone from NZ shores long enough, :)

GO CHIEFS!!!

 Sasu, Blackboy must be on cloud 9 now after the Chiefs win LOL!