Time to Get Healthy and Wealthy

While the tournament is not over yet, with four rounds of Super Rugby Trans-Tasman elapsed, we can firmly say that the New Zealand teams have far outperformed their Australian counterparts in various aspects of the game. Let’s go directly to the relationship that we can establish between the number of tries and the points in dispute. In Round 1, Rebels-Blues gave an exaggerated measure for the projection of the strengths of the game. The match ended 50-3 in favour of the Blues and yielded a difference of 47 points: so far, the largest margin of the Trans-Tasman. In that same order, it is followed by the 36-point margin in favour of the Highlanders in their clash against the Waratahs. With an average of 35 points, the differences favour the New Zealand sides. On average, the differences of the Australians, who counted on the victories of the Reds and Brumbies, are presented at -5 points – it’s a difficult image to tolerate, right? More Rugby ...

Eddie Jones compared his latest squad selection to playing a game of roulette as he looks to unearth some new stars for the future. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57432221 https://therugbystore.com.au/england-boss-eddie-jones-eyes-pretty-open-to-identifying-new-talent-in-july-tests/

The equations for the final round of Super Rugby trans-Tasman are pretty clear, and it’s equally clear we have a race in three between the Blues, Highlanders and Crusaders to reach next Saturday’s final. For the Blues, it’s pretty simple: don’t choke, and they’re in. They’ve got more than 20 differential points on the Highlanders and more than 30 on the Crusaders. Seats don’t get any boxier than what the Blues currently occupy. Surely, they can’t bugger this up. The same applies to the Highlanders to be fair, albeit without the same history of disappointment and falling short as the Blues. It’s a bit different for the Crusaders, though. They can’t just win if the Blues and Highlanders win as well, they have to win big. They essentially have to hope one of the other two trip up, or hope that neither get a bonus point, at which point the Crusaders need to bring out the abacus. At the moment, they’d need to win by 12 points plus whatever the Highlanders happen to win by. The Hurricane...

Former Wales and British and Irish Lions wing Shane Williams believes Warren Gatland's 2021 tourists will defeat world champions South Africa. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57403310 https://therugbystore.com.au/shane-williams-former-wales-wing-backs-british-and-irish-lions-success/

Michael Cheika wonders if the NSW Waratahs are in denial after a record-breaking 59-23 Super Rugby loss to the Highlanders left his former franchise staring down the barrel of a historic and humiliating winless season. The Waratahs leaked more than 40 points for the seventh time this year to gift the Highlanders victory in Dunedin on Saturday night. The Highlanders piled on nine tries to two at Forsyth Barr Stadium, extending the Waratahs’ unprecedented losing streak to 12 matches while racking up their most points ever in a match against NSW. Sitting last, the Waratahs have now conceded 225 points at an average of more than 56 a game in their four Trans-Tasman encounters. Waratahs vice-captain Alex Newsome blamed breakdown issues and an inability to exit their own half after scoring points for their latest loss, leaving former Wallabies coach Cheika bewildered. “I don’t know if they’re in denial here. I don’t if I’m watching a different game of footy but they’re not talking about...

Premiership leaders Bristol Bears secure a home semi-final tie with a battling 26-23 bonus-point win at Leicester Tigers. Original source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/57347514 https://therugbystore.com.au/premiership-leicester-tigers-23-26-bristol-bears-secure-home-semi-final/

Brad Thorn is optimistic Suliasi Vunivalu’s latest injury setback is only minor, joking that he’s “quite annoyed” with how well the Queensland Reds winger has taken to his new football code. Vunivalu hobbled off with a hamstring injury in the second-half of Friday’s 31-24 loss to the Blues ahead of next week’s final round against the Hurricanes in Wellington. More Rugby Thorn envious of Vunivalu's transition after Reds push Blues Crusaders hit snag in close win over Force The Lions' game plan to stun the Springboks and what to expect from Saturday's squad announcement Queensland Reds vs Blues: Super Rugby Trans-Tasman live scores Crusaders vs Western Force: Super Rugby Trans-Tasman live scores Rugby The Wallabies will play three Tests agai...