Super 15...a lottery ticket

@sebastianchabal,

what do u mean the sharks didnt win convincingly??? 64 - 7 is pretty convincing to me, LMAO, :oP

its amazing the amount of shit thats been directed at plumtree and coetzee now, less then a year ago, there was many a comment here being posted about how plumtree was a saffa through  and through and that he should be the next Boks coach, now folks want to give him a blindfold and a cigarette, o_O

injruies are problem, but they have been a problem for everyone, highlanders have an injury toll like u wouldnt believe and its clearly effecting their games, but no where near as much as the fact that they have just been plain shit coupled with silly tactics and poor seelctions, a combination of things which has given them the perfect 2013 shit storm.

similar things have happened to the stormers and sharks. why in the world the sharks who in the latter half of 2012 were an exciting team, now playing some boring rugby??? its such a complete turn around from last season and plumtree has been unable to steer the ship from the iceberg which has ripped them a new one.

stormers have different dynamics, for the last few years attacking rugby was never their primary weapon, the cornerstone of stormers rugby has always been their rock hard defence.
they may have the best defence in the comp (will have to check up on that to see if its still true), but other teams are getting use to those defensive patterns and every team has a diffent way of trying to break that D.
there was only so much the stormers could take after 3 seasons (of zero results) before something had to give.

crazy to think that the sharks and stormers who were both considered final favourites by all will not be playing finals in 2013.
i had the stomres pegged to make the finals with a last hurrah, but losing to the rebels has that well and trully buried.

Sasuke I understand what you are pointing out and indeed there is merit in that. I'm not an expert in rugby but as a fairly intelligent observer see a wider picture of the sport. Rugby unlike golf, tennis is a team game. You can put together the best Barbarian side in the world...that is with all your stars but will lose against a well coached and motivated national side ...this happens all the time.

The psychology of winning is deeply involved in the motivation aspect...I've met a lot of rugby players some on them very famous (and incidentally very simple and modest). Prima donnas do not excell in this game unless they are strong men with humble and strong characters. I've been fortunate to know one or two and I can tell you they play this game only because they love it...this is changing because of bucks but the stronger ones never lose focus. The money issue is important as far as regards there family and children is concerned...the bullshit of nation pride has gone...not entirely but from a SA point of view the respect has been lost because of simple reasons...pure bullshit...lying politicians that manipulate weak -minded sheep like public people to believe in something that simply is not true.

I know this...my missus is Russian...I've travelled...been everywhere...people are the same all over...whether the shit we believe...in weapons of mass destruction invented by GW Bush or the crap we hear from O'Bama of Zuma  or whatever. Sport is a wonderful exwercise where we can all relate to each other (incidentally a huge need and craving amongst all of us...and indeed in an arena where there is fairness and equity). Unfortunately we are all products of our diversified upbringing...our values are not universal, thank God for that. Democracy is pure bullshit but so is dictatorship. Sport is a recociler amongst men and women and so are other interests in life.

I love rugby but it is only a small portion of my life...I love the outdoors...hiking, Flyfishing for trout and salmon in clean mountain streams...I love people whether they are primitive Mongolians or Africans , Maoris or Red Indians or civivilised Germans, Hungarians, Pommies or Russian.

I am getting old but would love RUGBY to become a sport that will be shared and competed against into the future. I would love to see countries from all over playing this game.

Before I go completely off the topic...what I am trying to emphasise is the team...the psychology...the spirit. Sure it's important to emphasise the individual as well but rugby is essentially a TEAM game coached as a team...united in all aspects to perform at it's best...the accolates in monetrary and status benefits taking a second seat.

Unfortunately I feel we are all victims of the winner takes it all syndrome... but I personally love rugby just to watch and enjoy it...even if the Hurricanes win...lol.