Publications
Partners
Cape Town - For the credibility of the Super Rugby competition, a Kiwi writer hopes the Crusaders "beat the Lions by 40 points" if the teams meet in the final.
The Crusaders will host the Hurricanes in Saturday’s first semi-final in Christchurch (09:35 SA time), while the Lions will entertain the Waratahs in Johannesburg (15:05).
The odds are on a Crusaders v Lions final in Christchurch, but Hamish Bidwell, a writer for the Stuff.zo.nz website, feels the men from Johannesburg do not deserve to win the competition.
The Crusaders finished top of the overall standings after winning 14 of 16 matches.
The Lions, meanwhile, lost seven games and finished second - thanks to topping the South African Conference - not because they had the second most log points.
“For the credibility of the competition, all of us need the Crusaders to beat the Lions by 40 points in the upcoming Super Rugby final,” Bidwell wrote.
“The Lions lost seven games en route to finishing the round robin part of the season second. You say second, only the Lions' record was inferior to the Hurricanes and Chiefs. That's the conference system for you.
“But, frankly, no team whose regular season features losses to the Blues and Reds should ever be within a bull's roar of a final. The Blues only won four games, and the Reds six, but they were both too good for the Lions. The Blues' win even came in Johannesburg, where the Lions only beat the Sunwolves 40-38 as well.”
