Die Macht » (61)Darren Webster (29) v Jonny Clayton

Yes I know numerous New Zealand rugby supporters take delight in ridiculing their Australian counterparts... and it can be so mind numbing.The Kiwi baiting has continued for some time, leading to a rugby inferiority complex this side of the Tasman; not surprising considering Australia has not sighted the Bledisloe Cup for 14 seasons.Painful as it is to admit, Australia still must give thanks to New Zealand this season for at least making the revamped Super Rugby tournament watchable, enjoyable at times.We even should not quibble if any of the New Zealand teams which have made the Super Rugby quarterfinals go on to win the title. It would be the right outcome, because the New Zealand conference has quality wise been by far the best of the four.For those who follow the Australian provinces, this seasons competition has been a tough ride.If just working out the logistics of a flawed and lopsided tournament format was bewildering enough, adding to the confusion was the dismal form of those in the Australian conference.A once confident, exuberant brand of rugby has become hesitant, lacking in intelligence and relying more on hope than instinct, to the extent that the winner of the Australian conference- the Brumbies- stumbled instead of marched their way into the finals.The Brumbies, while industrious, are not the team of enlightenment they once were. Solid rather than spectacular. Cautious rather than creative. They survive another week, but are spluttering. Even the benefit of hosting a final in Canberra on Friday night is not likely to be enough of an advantage against a special Highlanders outfit who could easily successfully defend their title.The figureheads of Australian Rugby- such as national coach Michael Cheika are making the necessary rallying the troops messages at the moment by arguing that it is not all doom and gloom. It is still impossible to avoid the fact that the fodder provided by the five Australian provinces over the past few months has often been dire.In a season where two of the provincial coaches- Richard Graham and Michael Foley- were replaced during the season and the Australian Rugby Union had to prop up several financially struggling provinces- its hardly startling that Australian teams have sometimes appeared distracted.With the talent spread too thinly across the five Australian provinces, it has led to numerous substandard matches, and late in the season when injuries took its toll, round 16 turned nightmarish when Australian teams were roundly humiliated by New Zealand sides in all four encounters- losing by a collective 140 points.The last round was a little more encouraging, with Rebels backrower Sean McMahon enlivening the match against the Reds by showing what actually can happen if someone has the courage to takes risks and the Waratahs pack providing some menace against the Blues.But this was countered by constant elementary errors in either game and that the Waratahs over the final two rounds badly wasted their opportunity to make the finals through poor finishing and average options.In another disconcerting sign for Australian Rugby, just two years after winning the Super Rugby title, the Waratahs have collapsed to tenth spot.Thankfully we have been able to watch the New Zealand local derbies to revive our faith in rugby, and remind us that when played properly, it can still enlighten and invigorate.Unlike the Australian conference, where the low skill level and predictable coaching methods were often exposed, the New Zealand matches have constantly been of the highest standard because the players are willing to trust their own abilities.Their skill set and level of fitness is exceptional, leading to a succession of high intensity games played at a frenetic rate, often with virtually no interruption. More often than not when under pressure they do not make mistakes. They instead lift.New Zealand coaches also trust their players to allow them to try something different and seize the moment, which has prompted numerous memorable individual performances.With this has come a constant stream of standout games- as good as anything witnessed at the top level in recent times. It doesnt get much better than what the Highlanders and Chiefs offered in Dunedin on Saturday night, which involved endless highlights, in particular the home team winger Waisake Naholos leap of faith that enabled him to score one of the best tries of the season.This followed a mighty performance by the Hurricanes in Christchurch, where through the ingenuity of such vast talents as their All Black five-eighth Beauden Barrett they succeeded in a bonus-point triumph over the Crusaders that saw them unexpectedly finish on top of the ladder.And so four New Zealand teams are in the finals to Australias paltry one.Even though a competition structure, which is stacked in favour of the South African conference, makes it difficult for the Crusaders and Chiefs to continue on as they are respectively off to Johannesburg and Cape Town for their finals match, they should never be under-estimated. Its again about faith. They dont get hung up about hardships.As for the Hurricanes and Highlanders, you really cannot complain if they continue on, as those with initiative who want to entertain deserve just rewards.Vapormax Flyknit 3 Sale Mens . -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar will be out for roughly four weeks after tearing his left hamstring. Vapormax Womens Canada . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. http://www.airvapormaxcanada.com/air-vapormax-plus-canada/womens.html . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead. Vapormax Mens Canada . Capitals head coach Adam Oates said Ovechkin was injured in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday and clarified it was not a head injury. Nike Vapormax Clearance . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak.Michael van Gerwen will begin the defence of his Players Championship Finals title against Andy Hamilton on Friday.The field has doubled in size this year, and 64 players will convene in Minehead in pursuit of the £400,000 prize.Qualification depends on results in the 20 Players Championship events throughout 2016 - Van Gerwen won five so will be No 1 seed. His upcoming opponent Hamilton has been drafted in as 64th seed because Kyle Anderson has withdrawn with visa issues.Benito van de Pas and Ian White are seeded second and third, respectively, after winning three Players Championship events each this year.The World Championship is live on Sky Sports between December 15 - January 2.Players Championship Finals first-round drawMichael van Gerwen (1) v Andy Hamilton (64)Vincent van der Voort (32) v Andrew Gilding (33)Josh Payne (16) v Mark Walsh (49)Cristo Reyes (17) v Berry van Peer (48)Mensur Suljovic (8) v Raymond van Barneveld (57)Adrian Lewis (25) v Robert Thornton (40)Joe Cullen (9) v Steve Brown (56)Ronny Huybrechts (24) v Rowby-John Rodriguez (41)Gerwyn Price (5) v Dimitri Van den Bergh (60)Christian Kist (28) v Ricky Evans (37)Steve West (12) v Jan Dekker (53)Justin Pipe (21) v Andy Jenkins (44)Simon Whitlock (4) v Matthew Edgar (61)Darren Webster (29) v Jonny Clayton (36)Chris Dobey (13) v Mick McGowan (52)Alan Norris (20) v Michael Smith (45)Benito van de Pas (2) v Brendan Dolan (63)Joe Murnan (31) v Jermaine Wattimena (34)Kim Huybrechts (15) v Mickey Mansell (50)Daryl Gurney (18) v Ronnie Baxter (47)Peter Wright (7) v Jason Wilson (58)James Wade (26) v Mervyn King (39)Stephen Bunting (10) v Ron Meulenkamp (55)Gary Anderson (23) v John Henderson (42)Dave Chisnall (6) v Kevin Painter (59)Jamie Caven (27) v Jamie Lewis (38)James Wilson (11) v Vincent Kamphuis (54)Jelle Klaasen (22) v Simon Stevenson (43)Ian White (3) v Keegan Brown (62)Mark Webster (30) v Terry Jenkins (35)Steve Beaton (14) v Jeffrey de Graaf (51)Robbie Green (19) v Devon Petersen (46)Also See:Sky Bets darts oddsOn Sky TVScheduleFeaturesGet Sky Sports ' ' '