2006 Super 14 Final

Home Team	Crusaders
Away Team	Hurricanes
Date	May 27, 2006
Stadium	Jade Stadium, Christchurch
TV in New Zealand
Network	SKY Sports

The Final of the 2006 Super 14 season, a provincial rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere, took place on May 27, 2006 at Jade Stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand. For the speedway team see Canterbury Crusaders (speedway. The Crusaders (formerly the The Hurricanes (formerly known as the Wellington Hurricanes) are a New Zealand Rugby Union team based in Wellington, New Zealand that Events 927 - Simeon the Great, Tsar of Bulgaria, dies 1120 - Richard III of Capua is anointed Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. AMI Stadium, formerly Jade Stadium and Lancaster Park, is a sports stadium situated in Christchurch, New Zealand. Christchurch (Ōtautahi The largest City in the South Island, it is also the second largest city and third largest urban area of New Zealand A television network is a distribution network for Television content whereby a central operation provides programming for many Television stations This article is about the New Zealand TV channel For the British and Irish TV channel, see Sky Sports. Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short Events 927 - Simeon the Great, Tsar of Bulgaria, dies 1120 - Richard III of Capua is anointed Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. AMI Stadium, formerly Jade Stadium and Lancaster Park, is a sports stadium situated in Christchurch, New Zealand. Christchurch (Ōtautahi The largest City in the South Island, it is also the second largest city and third largest urban area of New Zealand New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The match was won by the Crusaders 19 points to 12 over the visiting Wellington-based side, the Hurricanes. For the speedway team see Canterbury Crusaders (speedway. The Crusaders (formerly the Wellington (ˈwælɪŋtən is the Capital of New Zealand, the country's second largest urban area, the The Hurricanes (formerly known as the Wellington Hurricanes) are a New Zealand Rugby Union team based in Wellington, New Zealand that The match featured low lying sea fog which prevented many in the crowd, as well as the television cameras and commentators, from seeing the action. Fog is a cloud that is in contact with the ground Stratus clouds are usually the only clouds that touch the ground The match had one try, to Crusaders' centre, Casey Laulala which was scored in the second half. The match has been nicknamed the "Gorillas in the Mist", after the film of the same name. For the similar named song see Guerillas in tha Mist. Gorillas in the Mist is a 1988 film which tells the true-life ^[1][2]

Contents 1 Road to the Final 1.1 Pre-game 2 Conditions 3 Match 3.1 First half 3.2 Second half 4 Criticism 5 Post-match "handbag incident" 6 Quotes 6.1 Commentators 6.2 Captains 6.3 On the fog 7 Match details 8 References 9 See also 10 External links

Road to the Final

Main article: 2006 Super 14 season

Pos	Name	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	BP	Pts
1	Crusaders	13	11	1	1	412	210	202	5	51
2	Hurricanes	13	10	0	3	328	226	102	7	47
3	Waratahs	13	9	0	4	362	192	170	9	45
4	Bulls	13	7	1	5	355	290	65	7	38
5	Sharks	13	7	0	6	361	297	64	10	38
6	Brumbies	13	8	1	4	326	269	57	4	38
7	Chiefs	13	7	1	5	325	298	27	6	36
8	Blues	13	6	0	7	290	344	-54	5	29
9	Highlanders	13	6	0	7	228	276	-48	3	27
10	Cheetahs	13	5	0	8	272	367	-95	7	27
11	Stormers	13	4	1	8	263	334	-71	5	23
12	Reds	13	4	0	9	240	320	-80	6	22
13	Cats	13	2	1	10	220	405	-185	5	15
14	Force	13	1	2	10	223	373	-150	4	12

	Semi-finals					Final
	2	Hurricanes	16
	3	Waratahs	14
						1	Crusaders	19
						2	Hurricanes	12
	1	Crusaders	35
	4	Bulls	15

The Crusaders finished top of the table, following a strong season at home and only one loss, away to the Stormers in Cape Town, which ended their 17 game winning streak, and drawing a game in Perth against soon-to-be wooden spooners, the Western Force. The 2006 Super 14 season started on Friday February 10 2006. The Grand Final was held on Saturday May 27 For the speedway team see Canterbury Crusaders (speedway. The Crusaders (formerly the The Hurricanes (formerly known as the Wellington Hurricanes) are a New Zealand Rugby Union team based in Wellington, New Zealand that The New South Wales Waratahs (referred to as HSBC Waratahs for sponsorship reasons the Waratahs or simply the ' Tahs) are an Australian The Bulls, for sponsorship reasons known as the Vodacom Bulls, are a South African Rugby union team competing in the Super 14 competition The Sharks are a South African Rugby union team competing in the Super 14 competition (Super 10 from 1993-1995 and Super 12 from 1996-2005 The Brumbies (formerly known as the ACT Brumbies, for sponsorship reasons referred to as CA Brumbies) are a Super 14 Rugby union team The Chiefs (formerly known as the Waikato Chiefs) are a professional Rugby union team based in Hamilton New Zealand. The Blues, formerly the Auckland Blues, are a professional New Zealand Rugby union franchise based in Auckland New Zealand which represents The Highlanders (formerly known as Otago Highlanders) are a New Zealand Rugby union team based in Dunedin that compete in the Super 14. The Central Cheetahs, known for sponsorship reasons as Vodacom Cheetahs, is a South African Super 14 rugby union franchise that entered the competition The Stormers, for sponsorship reasons referred to as Vodacom Stormers, are a South African Rugby union team competing in the Super 14 The Queensland Reds (for sponsorship reasons referred to as QR Queensland Reds) represent Queensland in the sport of Rugby union. The Lions, known as the Cats through the 2006 season, are a South African Rugby union franchise that competes in the Super Rugby competition Western Force is a Rugby union team based in Perth, Western Australia playing in the international Super 14 competition The Hurricanes (formerly known as the Wellington Hurricanes) are a New Zealand Rugby Union team based in Wellington, New Zealand that The New South Wales Waratahs (referred to as HSBC Waratahs for sponsorship reasons the Waratahs or simply the ' Tahs) are an Australian For the speedway team see Canterbury Crusaders (speedway. The Crusaders (formerly the The Hurricanes (formerly known as the Wellington Hurricanes) are a New Zealand Rugby Union team based in Wellington, New Zealand that For the speedway team see Canterbury Crusaders (speedway. The Crusaders (formerly the The Bulls, for sponsorship reasons known as the Vodacom Bulls, are a South African Rugby union team competing in the Super 14 competition Cape Town (Kaapstad Xhosa: Ikapa) is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. A' 'wooden spoon' is a mock or real award usually given to an individual or team which has come last in a competition but sometimes also to runners-up ^[3]

The Hurricanes made the final after back-to-back wins over the Waratahs in round 14, in Sydney, and then the first semi-final, played in Wellington. The Hurricanes finished second on the table, losing only three matches, in the round robin, to the Cheetahs, the Crusaders and the Brumbies. The home semi-final was the first time the Hurricanes franchise hosted a playoffs match.

Pre-game

The game was expected to be centred around the defence of both sides. The Hurricanes entered the final with an average points-against of 15 against New Zealand sides, the Crusaders were slightly better, with 14. The weather was not building up to be a huge factor, with clouds and rain forecast. ^[4] The Crusaders had finished the 2006 season at the top of the ladder, and defeated the Bulls to claim the home-final as they were the highest ranked side. The Bulls, for sponsorship reasons known as the Vodacom Bulls, are a South African Rugby union team competing in the Super 14 competition The Hurricanes finished the season in second position, and defeated the New South Wales Waratahs to meet the Crusaders in the final. The New South Wales Waratahs (referred to as HSBC Waratahs for sponsorship reasons the Waratahs or simply the ' Tahs) are an Australian

The Crusaders went into the match with no reserve scrum-half after Andrew Ellis went off injured against the Bulls the week before. Andrew "Andy" Ellis (born 1984 is a New Zealand Rugby union player who specializes in the position of half-back which is also known as scrum-half This meant if starting half Kevin Senio was injured, Cameron McIntyre would come on and Daniel Carter would move in to scrum-half. Kevin Senio is a New Zealand Rugby union professional who currently plays for Castres Olympique. Cameron McIntyre (born 3 June 1981 in Christchurch, New Zealand) is a Rugby union player who played for Canterbury in the Daniel William "Dan" Carter (born 5 March 1982 in Southbridge, near Christchurch, New Zealand is a New Zealand Rugby union footballer

Conditions

About an hour before kick-off at Jade Stadium, an unusual thick fog floated over the stadium. AMI Stadium, formerly Jade Stadium and Lancaster Park, is a sports stadium situated in Christchurch, New Zealand. The players and officials were asked whether they wanted to persist with the game, with both parties agreeing that the match should go on, although some speculated it might be pushed over to Sunday. As the sides ran out onto the field the players almost disappeared into the mist. The commentary box could not make out anything on the opposite side of the field from where they were. This forced a commentary split, with the sideline commentator taking up the duties when the play was on the opposite side to the commentary box. Some of the television footage was relatively clear with many camera angles and positions different from a normal game broadcast, though many thought they could done better with more cameras repositioned to the far side of the field.

The poor visibility prevented much free-flowing play, as players struggled to see one another. Bombs and high kicks created havoc for both teams, with both back lines making unusual mistakes. There were many examples of the ball suddenly appearing below the hanging mist, making it difficult to field many kicks. Overall the crowd at Jade Stadium had a poor view of the match, with most of the south stand turning around to watch the match on the stadium's big-screen. The Sky Sports commentators saw many patrons in the upper levels rushing home or to other establishments to watch coverage on television. Officials admitted that the match would have been postponed if the fog had been any thicker. ^[5]

Match

First half

In one of the opening exchanges, Crusaders wing Rico Gear dropped the ball from a high kick, the resulting play lead to a Hurricanes penalty. Rico Levi Gear (born 26 February 1978 in Gisborne) is a New Zealand Rugby union international player David Holwell missed the penalty attempt, it being taken from 30m out and near the touchline. David Holwell (born 7 January 1975 in Whangarei, New Zealand) is a Rugby union player who plays for Northland in the The Hurricanes scored first through a long range Piri Weepu penalty goal in the 12th minute. Piri Awahou Tihou Weepu (born 7 September 1983) is a New Zealand Rugby union Footballer. Daniel Carter had an opportunity to level the scores with a penalty kick, but missed as well. Carter did two penalties, leaving the half time score 6–3 in favour of the home side. Weepu went down several times in the first half and was momentarily knocked out.

Second half

Holwell tied the match up four minutes after the interval, but Carter put the Crusaders back in front with a penalty two minutes later. Holwell was then substituted for Jimmy Gopperth, in what may have been Holwell's final first-class match. James Gopperth (born 29 June 1983 in New Plymouth, New Zealand) is a Rugby union player who plays for North Harbour in Gopperth kicked the Hurricanes' third penalty, once again evening up the scores. The Crusaders struck back though, with a try to Casey Laulala near the right hand upright. Carter converted, put the Crusaders out to a 16–9 lead. Carter then extended the lead out to 19–9 on the 69 minute mark, before Gopperth scored a penalty with ten minutes remaining. The match ended with the Hurricanes attempting to run it out from their own 22, needing a converted try. Reuben Thorne forced a turnover though, and hooker Corey Flynn kicked the ball into touch for the Crusaders' sixth Super rugby title, and first Super 14 title. Reuben David Thorne (born January 2, 1975 in Christchurch) is a New Zealand Rugby union player and former captain of the national Corey Flynn (born 5 January, 1981 in Invercargill) is a New Zealand Rugby union player who plays in the position of hooker

Criticism

Many after the match criticized the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) and the Canterbury Rugby Football Union (CRFU) for allowing the match to be played in such poor conditions. The New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU (formerly the New Zealand Rugby Football Union (NZRFU is the governing body of Rugby union in New Zealand. The Canterbury Rugby Football Union' (CRFU is the official governing body for Rugby union in a substantial part of the Canterbury region of New Former All Black fly-half, Grant Fox, defended the decision, citing that the fog came in around 6:30 p. The All Blacks are New Zealand's national team in Rugby union, the country's National sport. Grant James Fox (born 6 June 1962 in New Plymouth) is former Rugby union player from New Zealand m. , around one hour before kick-off, making it a logistical nightmare to attempt to postpone it. ^[6]

The Hurricanes decision to allow Weepu to continue playing (after being knocked out) also drew criticism from medical experts, including former All Blacks' doctor, John Mayhew. "Get the player off. Assume that his day is over and go on from there. Whether it's a test match or Super 14 final or a rugby league game", Mayhew told NZPA. History See also History of rugby league The grass roots of rugby league can be traced to early football history, through the playing of ball games ^[7]. The Hurricanes doctor, Ian Murphy said on Tuesday May 30 that he was unaware that Weepu was knocked out. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following "By the time I got to Piri out on the field he was conscious and I could not fault him in terms of his responses to my concussion-related questions" said Murphy. Weepu revealed after the match that he was suffering from amnesia, and could recall very little about the final. ^[8]

Post-match "handbag incident"

Main article: 2006 rugby union handbag controversy

Former All Black captain Tana Umaga and Chris Masoe were involved in an altercation after the final in the The Jolly Poacher, a bar in Christchurch. On the night of the Super 14 final on 27 May 2006 former All Black captain Tana Umaga allegedly struck Hurricanes Jonathan Falefasa "Tana" Umaga, ONZM, (tɑːnə 'uːmʌŋə born 27 May 1973 in Lower Hutt, New Zealand is a New Zealand Rugby union footballer Chris Masoe (born 15 May 1979 in Savaii, Samoa) is a New Zealand Rugby union footballer and currently plays for the Masoe tripped over a male patron's feet whilst walking in the bar. Umaga then intervened, by taking Masoe aside and began hitting him with a nearby women's handbag. The mobile phone inside the bag was broken in the process. ^[9]

After the incident, Masoe was fined NZ$3000 by the NZRU and it was reported that he punched another patron at the bar. The New Zealand dollar ( sign: $; code: NZD) is the Currency of New Zealand. ^[10] All Black coach, Graham Henry said that he believes that the All Black players may have been discussing Umaga's technique. Graham Henry (born 8 June 1946 in Christchurch) is a New Zealand Rugby Union coach and head coach of the country's national team ^[11] Umaga received no fine from the NZRU, but replaced the broken phone. ^[11] The handbag that was used by Umaga was placed on the TradeMe auction website after the event, and at the close of bidding was sold for NZ$22,800. Trademe, managed by the company Trade Me Ltd is the largest Internet-auction website operating in New Zealand as of 2007 ^[12]

The incident was later parodied by the Australian television network, Seven, in the build up for the 2006 Tri Nations Series, in a television commercial. The Seven Network is an Australian television network, owned by the Seven Media Group. The commercial featured the All Blacks performing the haka, with digitally enhanced handbags over their shoulders. A haka is a traditional Dance form of the Māori of New Zealand. ^[13] New Zealand officials later complained about the ad, saying that it was insensitive to the Māori. This article discusses the Māori people of New Zealand For their language see Māori language, and for other meanings see Māori (disambiguation.

Quotes

Commentators

The following is one exchange:

• Commentator Grant Nisbett:"Toeava kicks off"

Colour Commentator Murray Mexted:"Not 10, is it?"

Nisbett:"I don't know" — This type of commentating was typical during the night. ^[14]

• "That one could've landed in the main street of New Brighton for all we know, Nisbo"- Tony Johnston^[14]

The following is one exchange:

• "Not trying to steal your thunder, Nisbo, I just don't know whether you'll be able to see that from where you are. " — Sideline Commentator Tony Johnston.

"I haven't got a clue, Tony, you're dead right. I cannot see the other side of the field. " — Grant Nisbett^[14]

Captains

• "The conditions were unbelievable to play in", — Crusaders captain, Richie McCaw^[15]
• "I don't know what the crowd saw because it was tough out here. Richard Hugh "Richie" McCaw (born 31 December 1980 in Kurow, Oamaru) is a New Zealand Rugby union player We tried to keep it simple. We knew we had to keep it tighter. There were a few mistakes with the slippery ball. It wasn't pretty but getting there was great. We kept our composure. We were really hungry on defence, we forced the turnovers and played it down their end of the paddock and that was the key we were able to convert pressure into points. "- McCaw^[15]
• "We're pretty disappointed with the result but we're very pleased with the way we went this year. Both teams defended well and it was pretty hard to crack but that try really cost us at the end. It was very difficult, you could hardly see the ball but I think both teams played pretty well considering the conditions. " — Hurricanes captain, Rodney So'oialo^[15]

On the fog

• "Possibly 10 to 15 percent of the people around us left and we're obviously pretty disappointed, and I've heard a fair bit of talkback [radio] this morning with some very grumpy people. Rodney So'oialo (born 3 October, 1979 in Moto'otua, Samoa) is a New Zealand Rugby union player Talk radio is a Radio format containing discussion about topical issues " — Crusaders fan^[14]
• "But not all the fans missed out. It turns out the lower down in the stands and closer to the touchline you were, the better. " — Peter Lewis^[14]
• "We actually ironically had a fairly good view, apart from the far third of the field, and then we could actually have a quick squiz at the TV. " — Hurricanes fan^[14]
• "But at the end of the day, there was no safety issues for players. The stadium was happy there were no safety issues for spectators. " — CRFU CEO, Hamish Riach. ^[14]
• "It wasn't really the spectacle rugby fans had hoped or paid for — thick fog instead of football. Visibility was poor from all parts of the stadium, and for once it wasn't a factor of how much you'd paid for your seat, the action equally obscured for corporate high flyers and those in the cheap seats. Some turned and watched the stadium's giant screens, but that was only partially helpful. Others simply gave up altogether and went home or to nearby pubs to watch it on TV or listen to the radio" — Peter Lewis^[14]

Match details

2006-05-27
	Crusaders	19 – 12	Hurricanes	Jade Stadium, Christchurch Attendance: 36,500 Referee: Jonathan Kaplan
	Try: Laulala 62' c Con: Carter (1/1) Pen: Carter (4) 32', 37', 46', 69'		Pen: Weepu 14' Holwell 44' Gopperth 56', 70'

CRUSADERS: FB 15 Leon MacDonald RW 14 Rico Gear OC 13 Casey Laulala IC 12 Aaron Mauger LW 11 Scott Hamilton FH 10 Dan Carter SH 9 Kevin Senio N8 8 Mose Tuiali'i OF 7 Richie McCaw (c) BF 6 Reuben Thorne RL 5 Ross Filipo LL 4 Chris Jack TP 3 Greg Somerville HK 2 Corey Flynn LP 1 Wyatt Crockett Substitutes: HK 16 Tone Kopelani PR 17 Campbell Johnstone FL 18 Johnny Leo'o FL 19 Tanerau Latimer FH 20 Stephen Brett CE 21 Cameron McIntyre CE 22 Caleb Ralph Coach: Robbie Deans

HURRICANES: FB 15 Isaia Toeava RW 14 Lome Fa'atau OC 13 Ma'a Nonu IC 12 Tana Umaga LW 11 Shannon Paku FH 10 David Holwell SH 9 Piri Weepu N8 8 Rodney So'oialo (c) OF 7 Chris Masoe BF 6 Jerry Collins RL 5 Jason Eaton LL 4 Paul Tito TP 3 Neemia Tialata HK 2 Andrew Hore LP 1 John Schwalger Substitutions: HK 16 Luke Mahoney PR 17 Joe McDonnell LK 18 Luke Andrews N8 19 Thomas Waldrom SH 20 Brendan Haami FH 21 Jimmy Gopperth CE 22 Tamati Ellison Coach: Colin Cooper

References

See also

• 2006 Super 14 season
• Rugby union
• Fog

External links

• crfu.co.nz
• hurricanes.co.nz

Preceded by 2005 Super 12 Final

Super 14 Final 2006

Succeeded by 2007 Super 14 Final

The 2006 Super 14 season started on Friday February 10 2006. The Grand Final was held on Saturday May 27 Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short Fog is a cloud that is in contact with the ground Stratus clouds are usually the only clouds that touch the ground The Super 14 is the largest Rugby union football club championship in the Southern hemisphere, consisting of four state teams from Australia (Queensland/Reds Road to the Final See also 2007 Super 14 season The Sharks and Bulls finished the Round-robin first and second on the Super 14 table respectively

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