Who’s hot and who’s not!

Ben Coles
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It’s time for our Monday wrap of who has their name in lights and who’s making the headlines for all the wrong reasons over the past week.

THEY’RE ON FIRE!

Crusaders: Champions in waiting, surely? The Crusaders have looked a cut above in Super Rugby this season and after booking their place in the final they look to have risen to a new level at the knockout stage. The front five lays the platform incredibly well as a dominant set piece and carrying game from those five All Blacks allows the likes of Bryn Hall and Richie Mo’unga an arm chair ride. That is not to take anything away from Mo’unga, who was outstanding against Beauden Barrett and won the man-of-the-match award following an excellent effort.

Angus Gardner: Congratulations to the Australian who has been named as the referee for the Super Rugby final after a fine season in the middle. Non-neutral refereeing has quite rightly been placed under the spotlight and on these pages we have criticised SANZAAR’s decision to persist with the format, but Gardner was excellent during the Qualifiers. He took charge of the Waratahs v Highlanders encounter and did a superb job, and the 33-year-old has been rewarded for that display.

Lions’ character and forward power: Although he will not be happy with their start to matches, Lions coach Swys de Bruin will be delighted at the character shown by his charges to come from behind in their last three Super Rugby fixtures as well as the fantastic platform laid by his forwards. We have seen so often this season that when the Lions’ backs are to the wall, they have resorted to the major weapon in their armoury – the rolling maul. De Bruin’s men must be admired for their brave approach to playing the game – almost always opting for five points instead of three – with Elton Jantjies only having kicked 14 penalties this season.

Review of use of TMO: This week, the southern hemisphere’s rugby governing body, SANZAAR, announced a review into the TMO system following “some challenges” in Super Rugby and the June international Tests. World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper bemoaned the over-reliance on TMOs and said he wanted referees to reassert more control, with the TMO merely providing context to the officials’ decision-making. Hopefully this makes the TMO less overbearing and results in fewer stoppages in the game.

Major League Rugby and the signing of Ben Foden: There have been previous attempts to have a successful professional league in the US but they have fallen by the wayside. This set-up, however, seems to have a bit more traction and the signing of former England international Ben Foden is another step in the right direction. The back three player is the wrong side of 30 but showed last season that he still has plenty to offer and will be an excellent addition for Rugby United New York during their debut campaign in the competition.

COLD AS ICE!

Hurricanes: There has been something lacking in this ‘Canes side over the past few months. They lost three games in a row in May-June and then also fell to the Chiefs in their final regular-season fixture. A win either side of that papered over the cracks as on Saturday they were simply outclassed by the Crusaders. They missed 31 tackles and when they enjoyed rare ball, a loose kicking game in Christchurch was compounded by several players looking out of sorts, notably Beauden Barrett, Ngani Laumape and Nehe Milner-Skudder. Few expected them to beat the Crusaders but to bow out with such a dismal showing will leave a sour taste as a new, post-Chris Boyd era, begins in Wellington.

Rebels: Another week at the Australian franchise, another apparent brawl involving team-mates. This time it was less high-profile with rookie Hunter Paisami charged after an alleged incident, which involved him and fellow Rebels youngster Pone Faamausili, came to light via social media. This follows Amanaki Mafi being charged by police for a suspected assault on team-mate Lopeti Timani two weeks ago. Paisami will appear in court after he and Faamausili were alleged to have delivered a ‘king hit’ on the victim, who then lost consciousness. There are believed to be conflicting accounts of the event however, but it provides a range of questions over the ethos and culture at the Melbourne-based outfit.

Ashley Johnson suspension: The former South African international received a six-month suspension last week after a urine sample was found to have the banned substance hydrochlorothiazide, only for it to be backdated. That duly made him available for Wasps’ new season, with it set to end on August 7, and meant he only missed two months worth of games, having featured in four matches after the sample was given on February 7. Certain guidelines are obviously in place and the precedent has been set with previous infractions, but it makes a mockery of anti-doping and the supposed battle against drug cheats when a rather large mistake results in a comparatively minor punishment. Surely the off-season should be null and void in such cases?

Gordon Langkilde: Further details emerged this week regarding the tunnel bust-up in San Francisco. Langkilde launched an apparently unprovoked attack on Wales player Tom Williams – leaving him with a broken nose and fractured cheekbone – and two other team-mates of Williams’, who both sustained facial injuries. The incident occurred in the tunnel at AT&T Park on Saturday, July 21 after Samoa’s Rugby World Cup Sevens 24-19 defeat to Wales. The San Francisco Police Department confirmed Langkilde had been charged with aggravated assault and battery causing serious bodily injury.

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