Final: Blues vs Crusaders
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@broughie Actually, I'm meaning the fans here have to earn it. There will be one set of fans approaching this game with a great deal more trepidation than the other!!!

Yeah - remarkable thing about Nelson rugby - there was virtually no links between Nelson and the All Blacks for 30 years - between Trevor Morris and Terry Mitchell - through to Todd Blackadder and Rico Gear. And look at us now....
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@broughie Actually, I'm meaning the fans here have to earn it. There will be one set of fans approaching this game with a great deal more trepidation than the other!!!

Yeah - remarkable thing about Nelson rugby - there was virtually no links between Nelson and the All Blacks for 30 years - between Trevor Morris and Terry Mitchell - through to Todd Blackadder and Rico Gear. And look at us now....
@Chris-B the fans and the players have to earn it.
Yes after not watching rugby from then 90’s through maybe 2010 I was shocked to see the performance of
Ta$man. When I played, sabbatical from soccer, Murray West was the captain, they would lose to the West Coast and Buller. Marlbaorough would clean their clocks. Nelson United was the game
In town. -
@mariner4life said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@broughie said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
Nelson had nothing to offer as far as rugby
still don't
oh, except a cheque book i guess
Hey, if it weren't for the rise of Ta$man NZ rugby would be in the second tier.
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@broughie said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
Nelson had nothing to offer as far as rugby
still don't
oh, except a cheque book i guess
@mariner4life said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@broughie said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
Nelson had nothing to offer as far as rugby
still don't
oh, except a cheque book i guess
And history- first recorded game of rugby played in NZ in 1870
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@mariner4life That's how thin the links were.
There weren't even people born in Nelson going to play elsewhere and making the ABs (like Mitchell). There were a tiny handful who went and played for other, bigger provinces (e.g. Allan Prince, Kyle Byers) - and Will Dempster!!!
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@mariner4life said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@broughie said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
Nelson had nothing to offer as far as rugby
still don't
oh, except a cheque book i guess
And history- first recorded game of rugby played in NZ in 1870
@Nevorian said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@mariner4life said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@broughie said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
Nelson had nothing to offer as far as rugby
still don't
oh, except a cheque book i guess
And history- first recorded game of rugby played in NZ in 1870
Yeah - we invented rugby in NZ.

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@mariner4life That's how thin the links were.
There weren't even people born in Nelson going to play elsewhere and making the ABs (like Mitchell). There were a tiny handful who went and played for other, bigger provinces (e.g. Allan Prince, Kyle Byers) - and Will Dempster!!!
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@Chris-B Will Dempter?!!!! I had to tackle that monster a full steam. Ended up on my ass but did not embarrass myself.
LOL. Used to play indoor soccer against the Dempter family. They were a horde.
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@ACT-Crusader said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Duluth said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@mariner4life said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
For these Blues boys it's all new
It's not quite the same but the Blues played a final last year in front of ~32k and the game was relatively tight. There was plenty of pressure in that moment
When was the last time the Crusaders played an away final? 2017 in SA I think?
Blues definitely favourites with these facts.
The home team has won the past 22 play-off games in Super rugby. You have to go back to 2017 to find an away winner.
It's barely worth staying up for!

@Chris-B said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
The home team has won the past 22 play-off games in Super rugby. You have to go back to 2017 to find an away winner.
The Highlanders beating the Hurricanes in 2015 has been the exception for NZ teams in finals in the 2000s.
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@broughie Seemed to be a regular for the South Island and I think played a few AB trials, but never quite cracked the ABs.
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@mariner4life Exactly, he is a Poverty Bay boy 100%!
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Confirmed.
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe
Assistant Ref 1: Nic Berry
Assistant Ref 2: Stu Curran
TMO: Shane McDermottThe Crusaders have an 83% winning record when O’Keeffe officiates their games, losing just three of 18.
The 33-year-old has, however, never refereed a match between the Blues and Crusaders. -
Confirmed.
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe
Assistant Ref 1: Nic Berry
Assistant Ref 2: Stu Curran
TMO: Shane McDermottThe Crusaders have an 83% winning record when O’Keeffe officiates their games, losing just three of 18.
The 33-year-old has, however, never refereed a match between the Blues and Crusaders.@Bovidae This is the guy that gifted the Blues a final last week, isn't it?
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Confirmed.
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe
Assistant Ref 1: Nic Berry
Assistant Ref 2: Stu Curran
TMO: Shane McDermottThe Crusaders have an 83% winning record when O’Keeffe officiates their games, losing just three of 18.
The 33-year-old has, however, never refereed a match between the Blues and Crusaders.@Bovidae said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
Confirmed.
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe
Assistant Ref 1: Nic Berry
Assistant Ref 2: Stu Curran
TMO: Shane McDermottThe Crusaders have an 83% winning record when O’Keeffe officiates their games, losing just three of 18.
The 33-year-old has, however, never refereed a match between the Blues and Crusaders.What's their percentage with other refs of the same era? Probably similar!
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@Bovidae said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
Confirmed.
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe
Assistant Ref 1: Nic Berry
Assistant Ref 2: Stu Curran
TMO: Shane McDermottThe Crusaders have an 83% winning record when O’Keeffe officiates their games, losing just three of 18.
The 33-year-old has, however, never refereed a match between the Blues and Crusaders.What's their percentage with other refs of the same era? Probably similar!
@Machpants Probably. That stat was mentioned so I thought I'd include that info. I am surprised O'Keeffe has never refereed a game between these two teams before.
@Old-Samurai-Jack Yes, same ref.
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@Bovidae This is the guy that gifted the Blues a final last week, isn't it?
@Old-Samurai-Jack said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
@Bovidae This is the guy that gifted the Blues a final last week, isn't it?
No, the one trying to gift the crusaders a home final by letting in truck and trailer trys.
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Confirmed.
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe
Assistant Ref 1: Nic Berry
Assistant Ref 2: Stu Curran
TMO: Shane McDermottThe Crusaders have an 83% winning record when O’Keeffe officiates their games, losing just three of 18.
The 33-year-old has, however, never refereed a match between the Blues and Crusaders.@Bovidae said in Final: Blues vs Crusaders:
Confirmed.
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe
Assistant Ref 1: Nic Berry
Assistant Ref 2: Stu Curran
TMO: Shane McDermottThe Crusaders have an 83% winning record when O’Keeffe officiates their games, losing just three of 18.
The 33-year-old has, however, never refereed a match between the Blues and Crusaders.And those 3 were absolute stitch ups.