Super-12 Rugby Union LIVE on FSW

[OldFanatic]

Super-12 Rugby Union season starts tomorrow. There will be some live coverage on FSW.

First match is late Friday night/Saturday Morning 12:30 AM Pacific / 3:30 AM Eastern between ACT Brumbies vs. Blues (Auckland).

The Brumbies are based in the Australian capital Canberra where the match will be played. (ACT stands for Australian Capital Territory, a Federal district similar to District of Columbia in the USA).

http://www.planetrugby.com/News/story_34336.shtml

I don't think I'll be able to watch live, but will check highlights from a recorded tape later. I also need to tape the Arsenal - Chelsea match at 4:30 AM Pacific, and catch coverage of ManUtd - Leeds United at 7 AM Pacific.

Enjoy!

[pc4th]

thanks for the info.

And more thanks to FSW. First soccer, now Rugby. Brilliant!

[BhoysFC1995]

SHOCKER!
ACT Brumbies 44 Auckland 27
THE unheralded ACT Brumbies shocked defending champion Auckland with a thrilling victory in their Super 12 opener at Canberra Stadium last night.
full story (http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,8756253-23209,00.html)

no bad for the brumbies. the aussie teams won 2 of the three matches, with the warratahs winning (that match was on FSW), and unfortunately the Reds being the only aussie loser, getting crushed by Otago.

i watched the first half of the warratahs match- my opinion of the game is that, well i don't understand all the rules but get the gist of it. it was not too bad, not too exciting. there were some good hits, and some nice plays, but the thing that stuck out in my mind was how quit the crowd was- very quit. i presume the ref is mic'd b/c i could hear him easily, but it seemed like he crowd wasn't into it at all.

[OldFanatic]

I finally got time to look at the tape today (mostly in fast-forward mode, needed some time to recover after seeing ManUtd self-destructing themselves).

Here are some observations:

Atmosphere was typical of other club Rugby Union matches I've seen (e.g. NPC, Currie Cup). So, don't exactly expect an NFL type crowd. Personally I feel NFL is oversold and can't believe matches between 2 teams with losing records (e.g. Washington Redskins vs. Arizona would draw 80000 crowds). Actually, other than club matches such as Barcelona vs. Real Madrid, I haven't seen many club encounters getting crowds bigger than 65000. The open stands in Canberra would explain the crowd noise not reverberating. Also, the quality of the football on the field can make up for it as well.

The referee microphone observation seems to be pretty standard for most of IRB run events, especially internationals. It was interesting to see a single referee (with occasional help from assistants) stamping his control with his talk. After seeing some 100 lookalike zebra referees run around on a crowded NFL field, this is a lot more refreshing to watch.

Other than that, I must say it was one hell of a football match to watch. It was so tight back-and-forth for all of 1st half and early 2nd half. Being tied 27-27 in the second half, the winning try scored by Larkham was absolutely stunning, what an explosive moment. Here's hoping rest of the season coverage brings such exciting matches.

At what time was the Warratah's match on FSW? Was it live or on tape delay? I only knew about the Brumbies-Blues.

[BhoysFC1995]

Originally posted by Chandu
.....At what time was the Warratah's match on FSW? Was it live or on tape delay? I only knew about the Brumbies-Blues.

i beleive it was 11pm friday night est (usa). it was on just before the brumbies match.

[OldFanatic]

Oops, I guess I missed that they showed the Crusaders vs. Blues match live last night. It looks like there are Friday night matches in this league shown live here. I'll keep a better eye on Thursday night coverage in the US from next week onwards.

I won't mention the result here, as the match will be replayed Friday night/Saturday morning at 11 PM Pacific/2 AM Eastern.

Also catch tape delayed Stormers vs. Highlanders on Saturday afternoon at 1 PM Pacific/4 PM Eastern.

[condor11]

spencer was great againt the crusaders

easily the most skillfull player in the game

just watch the last blues try

[OldFanatic]

Yes, Spencer was great. But I think Rupeni was incredibly good too. Blues look favorites to win the championship one more time.

About the match in South Africa (Stormers - Highlanders) it was almost like 2 different matches for 2 halves. Highlanders going up by 22-0 and losing 46-25 looked totally unexpected. 2 weeks of coverage so far, and it's been pretty good football (at least the matches shown in America).

[condor11]

definetly rupeni is the best winger in the world

he reminds of lomu 95 or cullen 97

[OldFanatic]

The thing that impressed me about Rupeni was his humility after scoring tries - just getting back to the business with nothing flashy. Kind of reminded me of Jerry Rice's humility after scoring touchdowns in the NFL. (For those not in the know, he was the great wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers. I believe he still plays even if he is pretty old. But I don't follow American Football anymore, so don't know the details).

Compare Rupeni's humility with the idiotic touchdown celebrations in the NFL these days. (OK so I lied when I said that I don't follow the sport. I don't actively go looking for its coverage. But if the TV channels/newspapers are screaming about these things, it's impossible to be unaware of it.) Or how about the 10 summersault goal celebrations by the Nigerian players in Association Football? You can see the marked difference. There are those who'll argue that such celebrations add to the excitement for fans, and gets them emotionally involved. It's just that taking celebrations to the absurd level makes the players look like idiots. Let the action on the field speak for itself.

Sometimes I just wonder if Jerry Rice and Jonah Lomu could have stepped on the same field together (preferably in Rugby Union), how great it could have been!

[condor11]

wat did you think of that last blues try?

spencer would have looked so stupid if he missed the kick

i agree with you about rupeni humility its great to see lomu was the same when he scored trys

[OldFanatic]

Originally posted by condor11
wat did you think of that last blues try?

spencer would have looked so stupid if he missed the kick

Yes, King Carlos looked pretty brash there didn't he? I think he wanted to make a statement that maybe Jonny Wilkinson isn't the only star fly-half in the world.

[OldFanatic]

Coverage for this week(end) -

Friday 9 AM Pacific, 12 PM Eastern:

Bulls vs. Highlanders

http://www.planetrugby.com/Tournaments/Super_12/story_34629.shtml

Saturday 1 PM Pacific, 4 PM Eastern:

Stormers vs. Hurricanes

http://www.planetrugby.com/Tournaments/Super_12/story_34616.shtml

[Dr. Wankler]

Originally posted by Chandu
Coverage for this week(end) -

Friday 9 AM Pacific, 12 PM Eastern:

Bulls vs. Highlanders



In order to honor the "R" rule, I won't mention the result, but... damn that game was pretty gripping in the second half, especially the last 10 minutes or so. So if you have it on tape or are watching a repeat (do they have one?), stick with it, even though the first half isn't very compelling.

[Sykotyk]

Yes, it's on at 3/6 at 4AM ET, 3/8 at 2AM ET, 3/9 at 4AM ET, 3/11 at 4AM ET, and 3/13 at 2AM ET.

That's for Bulls-Highlanders, by last check, of tv.yahoo.com.

Sykotyk

[OldFanatic]

Watched the Bulls-Highlanders match on tape. Yes, the end was interesting. It was wet like crazy, and almost impossible to get a grip on the football most of the time.

The only thing I didn't understand is how did those half-naked cheerleaders stay dry in that wet/windy weather? And what was the deal with those near-naked people all in a bubble-bath? Never seen anything like that at a sports event. It was weird to say the least.

[OldFanatic]

Anyone caught the Stormers - Hurricanes match? Won't mention the result here due to the [R] rule, but yet another pretty good football match. All in all, most of the matches in the first 3 weeks have been very interesting.

[BhoysFC1995]

Originally posted by Chandu
Watched the Bulls-Highlanders match on tape. ....And what was the deal with those near-naked people all in a bubble-bath? Never seen anything like that at a sports event. It was weird to say the least.

HA! :) i said the same thing, and was wondering how do i get those 'seats'.


Originally posted by Chandu
Anyone caught the Stormers - Hurricanes match? Won't mention the result here due to the [R] rule

i think we should have the [r] in the thread or it should be implied, no?

[OldFanatic]

Coverage for this weekend on FSW:

Friday night/Saturday morning LIVE:

1 AM Pacific/4 AM Eastern: Reds vs Blues

Saturday Tape Delay:

1 PM Pacific/4 PM Eastern: Bulls vs Brumbies

[OldFanatic]

Both matches were somewhat disappointing to watch from a neutral fan's perspective. The most notable moment in the Reds-Blues match being when one of the Blues defender, in depseration to tackle a Reds player (sorry, don't remember the names of either) advancing to the try line, literally pulled his shorts and underwear down!! :D The commentrators did remark on the semi-nudity aspect somewhat amused.

They're complaining about an invisible try being awarded against the Brumbies in the Australian media.

http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,8965749-23217,00.html