Air New Zealand Cup 2009

[nibbs]

quick q., any idea how relegation is going to work? i heard it was going to be the bottom 4, no ifs or buts about it.

but now i'm hearing rumours that none of the 'big 5' unions will be relegated?

anyone care to comment?

i'm pretty keen to see auckland go down.

 

[Somerset]

Its not based on performance alone so won't be the bottom four teams. A whole bunch of other areas like player development, financial performance, etc. are factored in, or so I've been told. The rumours that you hear that none of the big five will be relegated would hold true IMO because of the financial stability and player depth of most of those provinces - much of the advocation for the ten team league was based on finances. Counties, Northland and Tasman are all but certain to go down IMO. Difficult to make a call on who the fourth team would be though.

 

[Somerset]

Week Four Points:
BoyBrumby 6
HeathDavisSpeed 4
Voltman 4
Samuel_Vimes 3
Somerset 3
Ripper868 1

Standings after Week Four:
BoyBrumby 20
Voltman 19
Samuel_Vimes 15
Somerset 15
HeathDavisSpeed 14
Ripper868 10

6/7 for Brumby a superb effort in another low scoring week for predictions. Ripper with 1/7 a new low on the other hand. Bit of a breakaway with Brumby and Voltman already well in front of the rest of the pack.

Week Five Matches:
North Harbour vs Southland
Northland vs Otago
Hawkes Bay vs Tasman
Counties Manukau vs Waikato
Manawatu vs Taranaki
Wellington vs Canterbury (Ranfurly Shield heading to Christchurch perhaps?)
Auckland vs Bay of Plenty

Not sure if we wanted to make predictions in the Heartland Championship which starts next weekend? If so...

Heartland Championship Week One Matches:
West Coast vs Wairarapa Bush
Buller vs Horowhenua Kapiti
Wanganui vs East Coast
North Otago vs South Canterbury
King Country vs Poverty Bay
Mid Canterbury vs Thames Valley

 

[BoyBrumby]

Taranaki *facepalm*

New low.

Bastards cost me a perfect tipping round too.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Bring on the Heartlands. King Country and Wanganui to dominate this year.

 

[nibbs]

Its not based on performance alone so won't be the bottom four teams. A whole bunch of other areas like player development, financial performance, etc. are factored in, or so I've been told. The rumours that you hear that none of the big five will be relegated would hold true IMO because of the financial stability and player depth of most of those provinces - much of the advocation for the ten team league was based on finances. Counties, Northland and Tasman are all but certain to go down IMO. Difficult to make a call on who the fourth team would be though.

tbh, i'd expect tasman to split back into nelson bays and marlbrough.

the whole concept of basing relegatoins on finances and player development really really annoys me. why can't we just go back to the way it used to be already? i'd love to see auckland finish in the bottom 4 and drop down and waikato.

 

[Somerset]

tbh, i'd expect tasman to split back into nelson bays and marlbrough.

the whole concept of basing relegatoins on finances and player development really really annoys me. why can't we just go back to the way it used to be already? i'd love to see auckland finish in the bottom 4 and drop down and waikato.

I'm sure performance will play a key role in who goes down, and indeed who doesn't - but I think some common sense has to apply; if we had a ridiculous case and Canterbury, Wellington, Waikato and Auckland finished in the bottom 4 it surely wouldn't be advantageous for the game to relegate them and kill provincial rugby from a Super 14 franchise, as those franchises would suffer tremendously.

 

[ripper868]

6/7 for Brumby a superb effort in another low scoring week for predictions. Ripper with 1/7 a new low on the other hand. Bit of a breakaway with Brumby and Voltman already well in front of the rest of the pack.

Was doing the reverse tipping thing tbh, spewing.
Week Five Matches:
North Harbour vs Southland
Northland vs Otago
Hawkes Bay vs Tasman
Counties Manukau vs Waikato
Manawatu vs Taranaki
Wellington vs Canterbury
Auckland vs Bay of Plenty

Heartland Championship Week One Matches:
West Coast vs Wairarapa Bush
Buller vs Horowhenua Kapiti
Wanganui vs East Coast
North Otago vs South Canterbury
King Country vs Poverty Bay
Mid Canterbury vs Thames Valley

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

King Country vs Poverty Bay

This game to be the match of the round. Two quality heartland teams going head-to-head in round 1. Should be good.

 

[ripper868]

This game to be the match of the round. Two quality heartland teams going head-to-head in round 1. Should be good.

Are the teams anything like their namesake? One rich with the lastest spandex buoyancy promoting jersey and the other playing in potato sacks with the black plague as a secret weapon?

 

[Magrat Garlick]

North Harbour vs Southland
Hawke's Bay vs Tasman
Northland vs Otago
Counties-Manukau vs Waikato
Manawatu vs Taranaki
Wellington vs Canterbury
Auckland vs Bay of Plenty

 

[Smudge]

North Harbour vs Southland
Northland vs Otago
Hawkes Bay vs Tasman
Counties Manukau vs Waikato
Manawatu vs Taranaki
Wellington vs Canterbury
Auckland vs Bay of Plenty

Heartland Championship Week One Matches:
West Coast vs Wairarapa Bush
Buller vs Horowhenua Kapiti
Wanganui vs East Coast
North Otago vs South Canterbury
King Country vs Poverty Bay
Mid Canterbury vs Thames Valley

 

[Somerset]

Southland
Otago
Hawkes Bay
Waikato
Manawatu
Wellington
Auckland


Wairarapa Bush
Buller
Wanganui
North Otago
Poverty Bay
Mid Canterbury

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

North Harbour vs Southland
Northland vs Otago
Hawkes Bay vs Tasman
Counties Manukau vs Waikato
Manawatu vs Taranaki
Wellington vs Canterbury
Auckland vs Bay of Plenty

West Coast vs Wairarapa Bush
Buller vs Horowhenua Kapiti
Wanganui vs East Coast
North Otago vs South Canterbury
King Country vs Poverty Bay
Mid Canterbury vs Thames Valley

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Might as well...

Heartland Championship Week One Matches:
West Coast vs Wairarapa Bush
Buller vs Horowhenua Kapiti
Wanganui vs East Coast
North Otago vs South Canterbury
King Country vs Poverty Bay
Mid Canterbury vs Thames Valley

 

[BoyBrumby]

Air New Zealand Cup:

Southland
Northland
Hawkes Bay
Waikato
Manawatu
Wellington
Bay of Plenty

Heartland Championship:

West Coast
Buller
Wanganui
North Otago
King Country
Mid Canterbury

 

[Somerset]

Week Five Points (out of 13):
Ripper868 9
Samuel_Vimes 9
Voltman 9
Somerset 8
HeathDavisSpeed 7
BoyBrumby 6

Standings after Week Five:
Voltman 28
BoyBrumby 26
Samuel_Vimes 24
Somerset 23
HeathDavisSpeed 21
Ripper868 19

Voltman regains the lead after Brumby records a relatively low scoring round. Interestingly, Vimes and Ripper picked 5/6 results correct in the Heartland Championship with the rest scoring only 3.

Week Six Matches:
Southland vs Northland
Taranaki vs North Harbour
Counties Manukau vs Wellington
Tasman vs Manawatu
Bay of Plenty vs Canterbury
Waikato vs Hawkes Bay
Otago vs Auckland

Heartland Championship Week Two Matches:
South Canterbury vs Mid Canterbury
King Country vs Thames Valley
Wairarapa Bush vs Wanganui
Horowhenua Kapiti vs West Coast
Buller vs East Coast
Poverty Bay vs North Otago
(bolded last weeks winners)

 

[Somerset]

Just thought I'd mention the Ranfurly Shield match on Saturday evening, what a superb display from Canterbury in the first half particularly, to so easily dominate what was, on paper at least, a strong Wellington side. Makes my selection for Wellington to win look a little silly in hindsight! Obviously Carter, McCaw and Thorn back in the Canterbury side gave a tremendous boost to their team but the likes of Bateman, Crotty, George Whitelock and Slade are consistently proving this season that they could be representing New Zealand in a few years time - in fact I heard Slade was called into the wider training squad for the test against South Africa in Hamilton.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Week Six Matches:
Southland vs Northland
Taranaki vs North Harbour
Counties Manukau vs Wellington
Tasman vs Manawatu
Bay of Plenty vs Canterbury
Waikato vs Hawkes Bay
Otago vs Auckland

Heartland Championship Week Two Matches:
South Canterbury vs Mid Canterbury
King Country vs Thames Valley
Wairarapa Bush vs Wanganui
Horowhenua Kapiti vs West Coast
Buller vs East Coast
Poverty Bay vs North Otago

I'm away from tomorrow, so early picks.

 

[ripper868]

(bolded last weeks winners)

Week Six Matches:
Southland vs Northland
Taranaki vs North Harbour
Counties Manukau vs Wellington
Tasman vs Manawatu
Bay of Plenty vs Canterbury
Waikato vs Hawkes Bay
Otago vs Auckland

Heartland Championship Week Two Matches:
South Canterbury vs Mid Canterbury
King Country vs Thames Valley
Wairarapa Bush vs Wanganui
Horowhenua Kapiti vs West Coast
Buller vs East Coast
Poverty Bay vs North Otago

Poverty Bay have quickly become the team I'll support for no good reason in the Heartland Championship, if for nothing else but their name.