NZ vs SA: 35 - 20
The AB's blew the Boks away in the 1st 15 odd minutes, racing into a 17-0 lead, it was certainly one-way traffic for the 1st quarter, but the Boks did finally wake up to halt the onslaught - at HT, the AB's going in with a 20-3 lead. There was a fightback from SA in the 2nd Half after the "Bomb Squad" came on which made things interesting, but ultimately (sadly) NZ took the match at 35-20. The AB's record in Auckland is quite incredible - they have not lost a test there since 1994
This Test was at Mount Smart Stadium, the better known ground to most of us is Eden Park of course. The "Blackness" are in the same Pool as France in the upcoming RWC and will meet in the opening game - that could be quite the match!!
Aus vs Argentina: 31 - 34
Another exciting match IMHO despite errors by both teams and a 2nd loss (in his 2nd match in charge) for Eddie Jones & the Wallabies
They now have 2 Test matches against NZ coming up which will no doubt raise a few concerns for the Wallabies and their supporters! NOTE: The 2nd of the 2 Tests does not form part of the Rugby Championship, it's part of the annual "Bledisloe Cup" series played between the 2.
Anywho, the match!! I didn't think the Ref was that good and he (and the TMO) missed several things - a clear forward pass by the Wallabies leading up to their 1st try for instance. It really would have been a travesty if Aus had won the match with that "non-try" being a decisive factor,
The Wallabies were much improved after the Bok (2nds
) took them apart in Round 1, but their poor discipline and penalty count against them here was again a major problem.The Pumas had the vast majority of the possession, but still needed a last minute try to get a well deserved win. Some scrappy moments, some cr@p refereeing, handling errors galore, some "tetchy moments", some great defence and attack and ultimately a thoroughly enjoyable match I thought
. Cheika will no doubt be a tad smug getting one over on his opposite number Eddie Jones These two could well be meeting up in the Quarter Finals of the RWC in the not distant future..... Moving to the HHF/Superbru Prediction League: -
With the Rugby Championship only being played over 3 Rounds in this RWC year, Bonus Points were going to be critical. BigBoy stormed into the lead in Round 1 taking 1.5 pts, but Dai_L has blown us all away with 3 Bonus pts in Round 2 and jumps 5 places to take the lead
BigBoy moves down to 2nd place, but still well in it after taking 2 Bonus Points himself
Just as an aside, Dai_L is not a member of the Forum, but we've known each other since we were kids. He's joined many of the HHF/Superbru leagues previously.
Realistically, the title for our "little league"
is between the Top 2, BUT Dai_L has shown us anything is possible!! .
- RC - HHF-R2.jpg (47.69 KiB) Viewed 686 times
Next up Round 3 and the decider!!
Have to say, this "could" well be a very good game......
