Aktuelles » play consistently, a lot of stuff will

Fortunately, Super Rugby has the semifinals it deserves.Despite a ridiculous draw and, in some cases, an unjust determination of quarterfinal venues, the Hurricanes, Lions, Highlanders and Chiefs have rightfully made their way into the final four.The Brumbies had some cause to feel aggrieved following a debatable no-try call in the final few minutes of Friday nights 15-9 loss to the Highlanders; but a dominant scrum aside, the Australian side was in no way the superior team and the Highlanders deserve the chance to defend the title for at least another week.But another long road trip -- in the past few weeks theyve played in Port Elizabeth, Buenos Aires, Dunedin and Canberra -- awaits as they face the Lions in Johannesburg.It will be a similarly tough turnaround for the Chiefs who head back to New Zealand after belting the Stormers to face the Hurricanes in Wellington; Dave Rennies side did triumph 28-27 at Westpac Stadium earlier this year, but the Hurricanes have since won seven of eight matches and given their halves, TJ Perenara and Beauden Barrett, are arguably the two most in-form players in Super Rugby, they appear primed to wipe clear the memory of last years final defeat and secure that elusive title.Put simply, the Hurricanes make Super Rugby fun.Greg Growden wrote last week that the New Zealand conference, most notably their derbies, had made Super Rugby worth watching this year; but its the Hurricanes who play the game in a fashion that you wish it would not end.Saturday nights 41-0 demolition of the hapless Sharks was made all the more incredible by the cyclonic conditions on hand in Wellington. With the wind swirling every which way and the rain falling everywhere but straight down, one would have thought the Sharks, playing a typical South African style of game, would have stood some chance.But the Sharks were gone from the moment Barrett dropped a cross-kick on a 10c piece for Jason Woodward, paving the way for Loni Uhila, the Tongan Bear, to score a couple of phases later. And it only got better from there, much of it without All Blacks winger Julian Savea.Enter Perenara.A scrum close to the Sharks line first saw the Hurricanes No. 9 dart down the blind to put James Marshall over in the corner before the fullback returned the favour in the second half.But Perenara wouldnt be the beneficiary on that occasion, the No. 9 picking up his second assist for the match with a thunderous bump on Sharks counterpart Michael Classens before a sublime draw-and-pass put Woodward away. Perenara did eventually get his name on the scoresheet after catching the Sharks out from close range.It was the performance of a No. 9 for whom there are no longer any lingering questions about whether he belongs on the games biggest stage.In his early days, Perenara, like many half-backs, was like the cattle dog you just loved having around. There was bad and good in equal measure, yet the way in which he went about things meant you couldnt stay mad at him for long.A few years on, the mistakes are gone and the pass has improved; yet the rate at which Perenara has come up with jaw-dropping plays has only increased.Unfortunately, there is unlikely to be a debate held for the All Blacks No. 9 jersey similar to that which must surely be coming at No. 10, where Barrett has only continued to apply the pressure on Aaron Cruden.For as scintillating as Perenara has been, the All Blacks have a reasonably handy incumbent half-back in Aaron Smith, who, in the past few years, has left the Hurricanes No. 9 to scrap for the bench spot alongside Tawera Kerr-Barlow.Its a bitter-sweet scenario for Perenara, but a Super Rugby triumph would at least ease some of the pain of having to bide his time behind Smith.And after losing last years final at home, the neutral support and sentiment must surely lie with the Hurricanes.For just like that same cattle dog that Perenara once resembled, the Hurricanes have infuriated and enthralled in equal measure. But in a season when Super Rugby has endured far more negative than positive, the Canes have been a timely reminder of just how much fun rugby can be.Fake Vapormax 3 . Ferrer, trying to win his fourth title on Mexican soil, will next play South Africas Kevin Anderson, who eliminated American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6) of France beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 and Croatias Ivo Karlovic defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (4), 6-2. Fake Vapormax 2 . They were putting most of their energy into a record-setting offensive display. http://www.clearancevapormax.com/cheap-vapormax-3-clearance.html . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Wholesale Vapormax 97 . For the Wild it was their first win of the season and they now have a record of 1-1-2 while the Jets fall to 2-2. Jets start a six game home stand Friday with another divisional game, home to the Dallas Stars. Fake Vapormax Flyknit . 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.COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Coming off the worst back-to-back defeats in school history, Maryland is in full bounce-back mode as it prepares to face No. 19 Nebraska, which is unbeaten at home and still in contention for the Big Ten title.After starting 4-0, the Terrapins (5-5, 2-5) have five of six -- including 59-3 to Michigan and 62-3 at home against Ohio State.Weve hit a low spot, obviously, defensive tackle Roman Braglio said Tuesday.Theres no guarantee the situation will improve Saturday at Nebraska (8-2, 5-2). Maryland has quarterback issues and might again be without three suspended players, including running back Lorenzo Harrison, whos rushed for 664 yards and five touchdowns.Receiver DJ Turner and linebacker Antoine Brooks also received indefinite suspensions last Saturday for violating the schools student-athlete code of conduct. Coach DJ Durkin would not comment Tuesday on the players status for this week.That, however, is the least of Marylands problems. Quarterback Perry Hills injured his left shoulder in the first quarter against Ohio State, and his availability for Saturday will be determined later in the week.The drop off in talent from Hills to backups Caleb Rowe and true freshman Tyrrell Pigrome is noticeably significant. Hills has three interceptions over 147 attempts; his backups have been picked off five times over a collective 56 throws.With and without Hills, the Terrapins have played far worse over the last two weeks than at any other point this season. The combined 121-6 score of the losses to Michigan and Ohio State finally got the 1892 Maryland team off the hook for largest margin of defeat over a two-game span. That 1892 ssquad -- the first in school history -- lost to St.dddddddddddd Johns of Annapolis 50-0 and Johns Hopkins 62-0.The lopsided blowouts sustained by this Maryland team would seem to indicate the vast chasm in talent between the rebuilding Terrapins and best of the Big Ten.Not taking anything from either team -- both had really good defenses -- but at the end of the day we got away from what we usually do, running back Kenneth Goins said. We didnt execute as well as we did against other teams we played. I just feel like we werent as focused as we should have been.Its difficult to keep a positive attitude in the wake of two straight blowout defeats, and Durkin acknowledged the mood of the locker room is anything but upbeat.When you play the way we did and lose games like that, its not a good mood, Durkin said. If and when we learn to play consistently, a lot of stuff will be different for us. Thats the message. You move on, good or bad. Our guys are resilient. They bounce back.Despite their tailspin, the Terrapins still have a chance to become bowl eligible. Thats just might be the only thing keeping the spirit alive.What were conveying to our guys is this season still has a chance to be a tremendous success for us, Durkin said. We need to go finish strong and play the way were capable and not worry about circumstances or injuries. Its all part of it. We have young guys playing. OK, lets go play and play well. Weve done it at times.---More AP college football at www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 ' ' '