The Rugby Outsider

Jubilation and despair--the literal peaks and valleys of human emotion--were on display in the Hurricanes 50-47 SupeRugby victory over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein, South Africa last Saturday. And it took just 90 seconds. Cheetah's scrum half Sarel Pretorious, who played a monster of a game, ventured far into Hurricane territory with less than two minutes left. Without many team mates around him, Pretorious flailed the ball away in a desperate attempt to keep possesion and run out the game clock. However, Pretorius' pass fell plainly in the hands of the desperate Hurricanes, who quickly turned it into a fast-break going the other way. Lock Jeremy Thrush looked Gayle Sayers-like as he outran the exhuasted Cheetahs to the Try Line at the buzzer, sealing the victory for the New Zealand side. Watch the action here: What makes Rugby such a great game is the ability of teams to seize victory from the jaws of defeat in the dying moments. I struggle to find parallels to sports most A...

I'm watching the second half of the Sharks-Lions game on TV here in the United States. This marks the first weekend ever that I was able to see some or parts of every game on the SupeRugby calendar for the week. I have the following observations, in no particular order: --The Crusaders have been fantastic against South African sides the Sharks and the Bulls. In fact, they've played so well it seems that the only team capable of beating them are the Crusaders' own replacments. --At some point, SANZAR is going to notice Sonny Bill Williams' penchant for high and dangerous tackles. He did it again in the first half against the Bulls, throwing the high shoulder to a stood-up player. To me, it's similar to the "high-low" tackle in American football. --I don't know if the Reds will win the SupeRugby title, but their performance against the Stormers at Newlands in Cape Town just was their finest moment this season. --The Reds' Quade Cooper had enough h...