ITM Cup 2012 Tipping Competition and Discussion

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Originally Posted by HeathDavisSpeed

Well, there's a good chance, as always. KC put away Wanganui in pre-season, so hopefully we'll have a more open Heartlands this year.

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Interesting pre-season result. Wouldn't mind a non-Wanganui/North Otago winner this year given the dominance of those two unions over the past few years.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HeathDavisSpeed

Heartlands has been a massive success tbh. Cheap for the teams to run when they have no income. Heartlands works, and I try and go to a couple of games a year and watch the Mainfreight Rugby highlights too. Always good to hear that local commentator at the Poverty Bay games.

I definitely preferred the single division for the Air NZ Cup setup. Every team up there should play every other, else we miss out on the opportunity for the Tasmans to get up over Waikato, Auckland, Wellington or Canterbury - which is what the neutrals want to see.

Still love it though - can't get enough of the NPC.

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Tend to echo these views (besides attending Heartland fixtures). I'd still prefer each team to face each other in the ITM Cup but can understand the difficulties of doing so with the expanded Super Rugby competition leaving such a small window before the summer. Either way, I'll probably watch just as much ITM Cup as I did Super Rugby, despite there being about half the number of matches in a third of the timeframe.

Reminder that the ITM Cup kicks off this Thursday, with the Heatland Championship beginning on Saturday. Ripper is the only one from CW to tip his ITM Cup fixtures, although theres a number of tipsters over at Cricsim already involved.

ITM Cup round one fixtures:
23/8 Hawkes Bay vs Auckland
24/8 Manawatu vs Wellington
24/8 Tasman vs Canterbury
25/8 BOP vs Taranaki
25/8 Otago vs Northland
26/8 North Harbour vs Waikato
26/8 Counties Manukau vs Southland

Heartland Championship round one fixtures:
Mid Canterbury vs Wanganui
Horowhenua Kapiti vs Poverty Bay
Buller vs Thames Valley
East Coast vs West Coast
King Country vs North Otago
Wairarapa Bush vs South Canterbury

To make the Heartland Championship tipping a little easier (at least, perhaps), last year's standings were:
Wanganui 35 (Meads Cup winner)
North Otago 35
East Coast 27 (Meads Cup runner-up)
Mid Canterbury 26

Buller 26
South Canterbury 22 (Lochore Cup runner-up)
Thames Valley 21
Poverty Bay 19 (Lochore Cup winner)

West Coast 13
Wairarapa Bush 8
King Country 5
Horowhenua Kapiti 5

The first week is always the toughest.

ITM Cup round one fixtures:
23/8 Hawkes Bay vs Auckland
24/8 Manawatu vs Wellington
24/8 Tasman vs Canterbury
25/8 BOP vs Taranaki
25/8 Otago vs Northland
26/8 North Harbour vs Waikato
26/8 Counties Manukau vs Southland

Heartland Championship round one fixtures:
Mid Canterbury vs Wanganui
Horowhenua Kapiti vs Poverty Bay
Buller vs Thames Valley
East Coast vs West Coast
King Country vs North Otago
Wairarapa Bush vs South Canterbury

Some interesting Heartlands games in there. Looking to see Tanner Vili smash some North Otago heads - though preferably without the head-high tackles! Go Tanner!

In

[B]ITM Cup round one fixtures:[/B
]23/8 Hawkes Bay vs Auckland
24/8 Manawatu vs Wellington
24/8 Tasman vs Canterbury
25/8 BOP vs Taranaki
25/8 Otago vs Northland
26/8 North Harbour vs Waikato
26/8 Counties Manukau vs Southland

Heartland Championship round one fixtures:
Mid Canterbury vs Wanganui
Horowhenua Kapiti vs Poverty Bay
Buller vs Thames Valley
East Coast vs West Coast
King Country vs North Otago
Wairarapa Bush vs South Canterbury

ITM Cup round one fixtures:
23/8 Hawkes Bay vs Auckland
24/8 Manawatu vs Wellington
24/8 Tasman vs Canterbury
25/8 BOP vs Taranaki
25/8 Otago vs Northland
26/8 North Harbour vs Waikato
26/8 Counties Manukau vs Southland

Heartland Championship round one fixtures:
Mid Canterbury vs Wanganui
Horowhenua Kapiti vs Poverty Bay
Buller vs Thames Valley
East Coast vs West Coast
King Country vs North Otago
Wairarapa Bush vs South Canterbury

So far these members have tipped the ITM Cup and need to add Heartland picks:
Hurricane (Cricsim)
Jabba (Cricsim)
Mike (Cricsim)
Roaddogg (Cricsim)
Ripper868 (Cricketweb)

These members have tips for both competitions for week 1 locked in:
Rego (Cricsim)
Gazza (Cricsim)
HeathDavisSpeed (Cricketweb)
Michaelf7777777 (Cricketweb)
BackFootPunch (Cricketweb)

Still time to join in. :)

Mid Canterbury vs Wanganui
Horowhenua Kapiti vs Poverty Bay - Carn the poor!
Buller vs Thames Valley
East Coast vs West Coast
King Country vs North Otago
Wairarapa Bush vs South Canterbury

One last bump - competition kicks off tomorrow night NZT.

You had me at ITM...

ITM Cup round one fixtures:
23/8 Hawkes Bay vs Auckland
24/8 Manawatu vs Wellington
24/8 Tasman vs Canterbury
25/8 BOP vs Taranaki
25/8 Otago vs Northland
26/8 North Harbour vs Waikato
26/8 Counties Manukau vs Southland

Heartland Championship round one fixtures:
Mid Canterbury vs Wanganui
Horowhenua Kapiti vs Poverty Bay
Buller vs Thames Valley
East Coast vs West Coast
King Country vs North Otago
Wairarapa Bush vs South Canterbury

We having a combined CW v Cricscum comp too? Just to spice it up.

Auckland
Wellington
Canterbury
Taranaki
Otago
Waikato
Southland

Wanganui
Poverty Bay
Buller
East Coast
North Otago
South Canterbury

Pretty excited for the ITM Cup season to start actually. Predicting a close contest to start things off. Very interested to see how the new rules (and they are new rules, not just new interpretations) affect things, especially the 5 second time limit to clear the ball once stationary at a ruck, and the new scrum engagements with just three calls all of which are one syllable.

Pretty poor stuff from the Bay so far. Not the best refereeing so far, but some atrocious handling at times.

Wow! Cracking finish there by Andrew Horrell. Great strength there. How many Auckland players all over him? Five players. Jeez.