Fractured Rugby results for New Zealand

The ACT Brumbies have shown that, for all the troubles of the last week with the sacking of their coach, they still have the ability to win the Super 12 rugby competition being conducted in the southern hemisphere.

The Brumbies defeated the Otago Highlanders 50-18 in a sometimes special performance.

The combination of the backs like Larkham and Roff was reminiscent of the early days under coach Rod McQueen.

Maybe the ACT Rugby Union will think again about the need for a head coach with a team so capable of doing well without support for the coach -- the apparent reason for the sacking of David Nucifora earlier this week.

In New Zealand it was back to talking about the other rugby game -- rugby league -- on Auckland radio after the Canterbury Crusaders were beaten by the Natal Sharks and the Waikato Chiefs went down to the bottom of the table Johannesburg Cats.

There were elements of play in the Auckland Blues defeat of the Pretoria Bulls that would have caused concern and none the least being the indifferent play of their key attacking weapon Carlos Spencer.

Spencer is trying to perfect a unique passing style where he does not look where he is passing, but stares the oncoming opponent in the eyes and flicks the ball this way or that to whoever might be around at the time.

The coaching manuals do not talk about this deceiving attempt but maybe Spencer is hoping to write his own.

Occasionally, it came off with spectacular success but mostly broke down an otherwise good attacking opportunity.

In the game between the Crusaders and the Sharks, there were moments when New Zealand fans would have been distraught -- and the lineouts were a worry.

Normally, when the ball is kicked downfield and into touch, it is a ground gaining operation knowing that the risk is almost certain loss of possession.

But for the Crusaders it was disaster with the kicks not finding the line and going straight to the opposition or the kick going in to touch and the ensuing lineout being lost to the opposition.

Of 20 lineouts on the Crusaders throw nine of them were stolen by the Sharks.

This is not the way to win rugby matches and with the Crusaders seemingly the best NZ team in the competition it is not good for the All Blacks in the upcoming Tri Nations (Oz, NZ and Sth Africa) competition that follows the Super 12 after a few lead up tests against touring home country sides.

However, former All Blacks coach John Hart is telling the fans not to panic.

Hart says the Super 12 often doesn't reflect what happens when it comes to the international season.

He says it's good for the competition that the South Africans are doing well, but it's still a wide open tournament.

Well that is easy to say but history shows that a South African team has never won the Tri Nations and never won the Super 12.

When Oz team the Brumbies won the Super 12 in 2001 the Wallabies beat the All Blacks.

When the Crusaders or the Blues won the Super 12 the All Blacks did not fare well on the International stage having failed at every World Cup since it won it way back in 1987.

Maybe Hart is saying that if the NZ teams fail in the Super 12 the All Blacks will do well.

Well Mr. Hart, don't bet on it -- it has not been tested and you don't want another case of the grieving nation requiring professional counselors to assist the bereaved do you?

The final three rounds will be thrilling spectacles, so check those program guides wherever in the world you get Fox Sports.

The three countries provincial teams' battle out this Murdoch sponsored rugby competition as it enters its ninth year and the penultimate year before new arrangements are made with future sponsorship deals.

In the current 10-year contract, News Limited put up $700 million (Aus) -- it is proving to be a winner with the fans and may go into an expanded competition in its next generation.