Ioane wary of try celebration karma

Posted July 6, 2011 17:41:00

Queensland Reds cult hero Digby Ioane loves to dance but he has promised to keep any try celebrations on ice in Saturday night's Super Rugby final.

The potential for bad karma has ensured there will be no repeat of his "Turtle" or any breakdancing if the Wallabies winger crosses the line against the Crusaders at Lang Park.

However, there are plans for something special on full-time.

"I will just do a full-set dance if we win," Ioane said.

"I just want to win.

"I'll save it up for after the match. I don't want to be dancing after a try and they come back. That could be karma."

Tackle-busting Ioane's popularity has gone through the roof since he produced the Turtle, in honour of half-back Will Genia, to cap an 80-metre five-pointer two months ago against the Bulls.

"It was just the moment at the time," he said.

"The crowd atmosphere was amazing and I felt the energy so I had to do something special."

Breakdancers said the spinning move more resembled the Scorpion but Ioane gets requests to unleash the Turtle wherever he goes around the state.

The winger's efforts also inspired Quade Cooper to produce a running backflip the following match after a solo 50-metre try against the Waratahs.

But Ioane said there is no arrogance within the young Reds squad, with players just enjoying the chance to express themselves in setting up and scoring tries.

He said several seasons in the Super Rugby cellar, entrenched in the bottom three from 2004-09 until Ewen McKenzie took over, had ensured feet had been kept on the ground.

"The thing about the Reds, everyone is treated the same and there's no rock stars and everyone is humble," the Wellington-born flyer said.

"You don't want to be arrogant.

"In the last four years, I've seen players go but, to be in this final, this means a lot to everyone.

"If we do come away with the win, then people will want to come and play for the Reds, just like the Crusaders.

"If you play for the Crusaders, you feel like a big dog because you are playing with all those rock stars like Dan Carter."

While he does not see them as rock stars, the Reds have definitely become YouTube stars with a host of tributes lighting up the internet.

Ioane is a big fan of the hip-hop and rap clips but, as a devout Catholic, has one complaint.

"I like them but there's too much swearing," he laughed.

- AAP

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-14, qld, brisbane-4000

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All Blacks Rugby Team of the Year 2010

Media Call: Ewen McKenzie

Published:Thursday, July 7, 2011 1:53 AESTExpires:Wednesday, October 5, 2011 1:53 AEST

Queensland coach Ewen McKenzie says it is "disappointing" the Reds are not considered favourites in the Super Rugby final against the Crusaders.

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-14, australia

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Reds' line-up unchanged for final

Published:Thursday, July 7, 2011 7:25 AESTExpires:Wednesday, October 5, 2011 7:25 AEST

There will be no changes to Queensland's line-up for the Super Rugby final against the Crusaders in Brisbane.

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Tags: super-14, qld, brisbane-4000, new-zealand

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Interview: Saia Faingaa

Published:Thursday, July 7, 2011 4:40 AESTExpires:Wednesday, October 5, 2011 4:40 AEST

Reds hooker Saia Faingaa told Grandstand's Quentin Hull that making it to the Super Rugby final against the Crusaders is something a player dreams of and it's a great honour to be able to play with his best friend and brother taking the field alongside him.

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-14, australia

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Not just another final for Thorn

Posted July 7, 2011 16:14:00

Brad Thorn will play his last match for the Crusaders on Saturday night and he believes it will the most important of his extraordinary 17-year career.

Not because it is his Super Rugby swansong or a final triumph over the Queensland Reds could deliver his team an eighth title in 16 seasons.

It is because he is representing a region which has been suffering for six months, and there a responsibility to boost local morale in the wake of February's Christchurch earthquake.

Thorn is as tough as they come. In 17 seasons at the top level of both rugby codes, the former Brisbane Bronco and current All Black has never been sidelined by a serious injury.

But reliving the plight of his current home town, as well as the suffering seen in his original home during Queensland's floods, rubbed his raw emotions on Thursday.

The 36-year-old forward fought back tears as he spoke about the huge sense of pride the Crusaders feel about delivering a cherished title for the people of Canterbury.

Thorn was staying in Brisbane when the Queensland floods hit in January and was back in Christchurch a month later when the devastating quake struck.

He summed it up as "special the two teams representing those areas are playing" at a packed-out Lang Park.

"For me, this game is pretty darn important," the dual international said.

"It's been a big few months back there and I feel a responsibility, and there's more to this game.

"I've got to win a Super Rugby final before, it's cool. It's hard for me to get across what I'm saying but this is something for the people back there, and maybe the Reds feel the same way for Queensland people as well."

But Thorn is wary the seven-time champions can not afford to allow the emotion and motivation of the situation to creep in against the Reds.

"You have to let that go to concentrate on your job," he said.

"If you concentrate too much on that stuff, it can be quite heavy on you and affect your performance.

"You've got to be careful not to let it drown you."

He said the adversity and 100,000-plus kilometres of travel, brought about by the lack of a home ground, had brought the Crusaders players and coaches together closer.

They do not need to talk about the hardship.

"We've been living it," the 50-Test lock said.

"The aftershocks - it's psychological warfare from mother nature."

But they have not complained once as they have travelled to almost all major centres around New Zealand, plus Brisbane (twice), Perth, South Africa (twice) and London this season while their families stayed at home.

The stress is set to see star centre Sonny Bill Williams move to play with the Chiefs next season to be closer to his mother.

"The feedback we're getting is the people are getting a real boost out of our performances," Thorn said.

"I think the people back home are enjoying it and are really proud of us and we're proud of them.

"I just feel so proud of the people back there, just like the Queenslanders who came out to help (during the floods). That was so cool to see.

"That's a massive positive that's come out of tough times."

- AAP

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-14, qld, brisbane-4000, new-zealand

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Crusaders set up Reds showdown

Updated July 3, 2011 07:10:00

Fly half Dan Carter has scored 19 points to help the Crusaders beat the Stormers 29-10 in their Super Rugby semi-final at Newlands.

Carter's two conversions and five penalties helped the Crusaders book a place in the final to set up a mouthwatering clash with the Queensland Reds in Brisbane next Saturday.

The Crusaders, chasing their eighth Super Rugby title, were full value for the win after scoring two tries against one for last year's beaten finalists.

Queensland earlier beat Auckland Blues 30-13 at Lang Park thanks to a hat-trick of tries from winger Rod Davies.

The Crusaders scored the first two tries through wing Sean Maitland and outside centre Robbie Fruean, while Springbok wing Bryan Habana crossed for the hosts late in the first half.

Carter proved to be the difference between the teams and the 29-year-old missed just two attempts at goal as the Crusaders made light of the 11,000 km they had to travel at the beginning of the week to contest the semi-final.

The Crusaders achievement in reaching the final was all the more remarkable because they did not play a single home match during the season after February's earthquake in Canterbury rendered their stadium unplayable.

"We made the decision to stand up for the people at home and now we have given ourselves a chance by making the final," Crusaders skipper Richie McCaw said.

"I'm really proud of the guys who haven't used travel as an excuse the whole season," he added.

The Crusaders had been the last team to win a play-off outside their home country when they triumphed in the 2000 final against the Brumbies in Canberra.

Error-ridden performance

The hosts opened the scoring in front of a crowd of just over 48,000 after seven minutes with a penalty by fly half Peter Grant but the Crusaders took advantage of an error-ridden Stormers' performance to roar into a 23-3 lead after 35 minutes.

Carter levelled the scores with his first penalty before Maitland intercepted a loose pass from Stormers eighth man Nick Koster and galloped 50 metres to score the opening try.

Carter then nailed two long-range penalties and the Crusaders asserted their dominance when inside centre Sonny Bill Williams slipped through a half-gap before off-loading to centre partner Fruean who dotted down alongside the posts for a converted try.

The Stormers, despite winning the territorial battle, were struggling to assert themselves in the face of some superbly aggressive defence from the visiting forwards which constantly stopped their attacks behind the advantage line.

"The whole tight five set the tone in defence and they didn't give the Stormers front foot ball," said McCaw.

However, Habana finally gave the home fans something to cheer about when he dived over from close-range after taking a quick tap-penalty five metres from the visitors' tryline.

Grant succeeded with the conversion as the Stormers, who have never won a Super Rugby title, went to the break trailing 23-10.

The home side were far more competitive in the second half as they battled to break down the Crusaders defence.

Their best chance came in the 54th minute when only a desperate tackle from wing Zac Guilford prevented centre Jaque Fourie from scoring in the corner.

"We were outclassed by a better team in all facets of the game," Stormers stand-in captain Jean de Villiers said.

"You have to take your opportunities in games like this and we didn't capitalise on some early chances. The intercept try turned the game in their favour and they just got stronger and stronger."

Carter got the only points of the second half - two penalties - as the Stormers, desperate to chase down their opponents, turned down kickable penalties to kick for territory.

-Reuters

Primary Location; South Africa

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-14, new-zealand, south-africa

First posted July 3, 2011 06:42:00

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