D'Arcy Waldegrave: The Blues got flogged by the Reds

And the Blues got flogged by the Reds.   

This fixture should be known as the Purple Smash, as that is what happens when blue and red collide. Last night that wasn't the case, as the Reds turned up in an ocular nightmare of strip, maroon, and dirty gold.   

Besides almost confirming that the Blues title defence aspirations are essentially shredded, last night's exchange underlined to the competition two very important aspects of Super Rugby Pacific: 

1. New Zealand teams are either struggling to travel to Australia, or home advantage in 2025 is more important than we thought.  

2. If you tackle a player and lift them past the horizontal, you’ll take a skate. 10 minutes, or the rest of the match.  

It is one of the stranger stats this year that NZ teams can’t roll Aussie sides over there. Yes, the sample size is limited due to the nature of the draw, but the former easy beats of the comp are no longer cannon fodder in their own backyard. Funny what happens when the talent pool is concentrated.  

Does the same apply in reverse, now that Moana Pacifica are watering down the NZ based talent pool? Australia lost a team and went from five teams down to four, New Zealand essentially took the opposite route, increasing from five teams to six. It’s notable that the Blues, the Hurricanes, the Highlanders, and Moana Pacifica have only notched 3 wins apiece so far.   

Coincidence or correlation?  

On the tackle, Tele’a ran afoul of the law with his aggressive tip on Tim Ryan and was walked for 10, until closer examination upgraded him to red and that basically condemned the Blues to another defeat.   

A touch unfair? Possibly, but as a I often tell my 14 year old daughter, control your own narrative. If you don't give someone the opportunity to wreck your day, they can’t. If you tackle someone, don't go through the horizontal, don’t give officials the means to walk you. Because they will. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talk SEDB. All the scores, all the stories.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
More questions, more scrutiny.

Speaker 1 (00:16):
It's the All Sport Breakfast with Darcy Waldgraves, News Talks EDB.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
It's seven nine and the All Sport break First, right,
the Blues got flogged by the Reds. The spect should
be known as the Purple smash because what happens when
Blue and Red collide, and last night wasn't the case
because the Reds turned up in it and an oar
killer nightmare of a strip. How would you describe that
Maroon and dirty gold? Not sure? Besides almost confirming that

(00:46):
the Blues titles defense aspirations are essentially shredded. Last night's
exchange underlined to the competent two very important aspects of
Super Rugby. One New Zealand teams are either struggling to
travel to Australia or home advantage in twenty twenty five
for the OKAS is more important than we thought into
If you take or a player and then lift them

(01:07):
past the horizontal, you'll take a skate ten minutes or
the rest of the match. So it's one of the
Stranger's stats for this year that New Zealand teams can't
roll Australian sides over there. Look, the sample size is
limited due to the nature of the draw, but the
former easy beats of the Calm are no longer cannon
fodder in their own back yard. It's funny what happens

(01:29):
when the talent pool is concentrated. So it's the same
applying reverse though now that Muana Pussifker are watering down
the New Zealand based talent pool. Similar effect, Australia lost
a team went from five teams down to four. New
Zealand essentially took the opposite route, increasing from five teams
to six. It's notable that the Blues, Hurricanes, the High

(01:53):
Levers and Moana Pussificer have only notched three wins a
piece so far this year. Coincidence or correlation on the
tack or Ta fell foul of the law with his
aggressive tip on Tim Ryan last night and was walked
for ten until closer examination upgraded him to red and

(02:16):
that basically condemned the Blues to another defeat. A touch
on fair possibly, but as I often tell my fourteen
year old daughter, control your own narrative. If you don't
give up anyone the opportunity to wreck your day, they
simply can't do it. If you tackle someone, don't go

(02:39):
through the horizontal, don't take the punt, don't give a
referee or a TMO the opportunity to walk you and
read card you. If you don't do it, it can't happen,
and that'll lose Darcy.

Speaker 1 (02:54):
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