Super Rugby Round-Up - Round Three

Highlanders vs Reds

In a battle of teams which are unlikely to figure in the knockout rounds of the competition, the Highlanders deserved their 20-13 victory against the injury depleted Reds, who boasted several new names in their line-up. For the losers, Genia appears to have found a new lease of life and O'Connor hinted at his talents. Anthony Fainga'a is always committed but gives away far too many penalties. The Highlanders will struggle up front against the more powerful sides but their backs, with the Smiths, Ben and Aaron, Banks, Fekitoa and Naholo all prominent, will continue to pose problems for any team.

Force vs Hurricanes

The Hurricanes have given new coach Chris Boyd the best possible start to the season with three away wins from three. Allied to their consistent spreading of the ball wide in the backs, the Hurricanes now have a competitive pack of forwards. They were quick to the breakdown, strong in the scrum and have added a rolling maul to their armoury. In the absence of Jeremy Thrush, Broadhurst and Abbott were splendid at lock. At the back, Barrett is full of ideas but Julian Savea's hands let him down on occasions. Lee-Lo turned in a useful performance in Conrad Smith's absence and Smiley was fair but he is no Perenara.( Force 13 Hurricanes 42)

Cheetahs vs Blues

It is becoming a somewhat worrying trend in rugby that the team winning most aspects of a game is ending up the loser. The Blues completely dominated this match in terms of territory, possession and just about everything else. However, as is customary with them, they wasted several opportunities, gave away soft tries and took wrong options. The substitution of Faumuina late in the game led to a scrum penalty, which enabled the Cheetahs to kick the winning points. West continued his excellent form with the boot and Kaino, in his hundredth super rugby game, was a powerful presence. Those dynamic game breakers, Willie le Roux and Sarel Pretorius, eventually won the day for the Cheetahs, who are punching above their weight at the moment. (Cheetahs 25 Blues 24)

Chiefs vs Crusaders

This was a physical encounter in which the Chiefs were hard hit by the loss of Retallick early on, while the Crusaders lost Robbie Fruean. Judging by some of the penalties awarded in this game and in other recent matches, any contact between players competing for the ball in the air results in at least a penalty and often a yellow card against one of them, which is a ridiculous situation. Both defences were aggressive, with Tameifuna for the Chiefs and Taufua for the Crusaders putting in some huge hits. The Chiefs were far more effective in attack with excellent chasing of kicks and speedy support play, while the Crusaders continue to run their attacks from side to side, making them far easier to defend. The selection by the Chiefs of Pulu instead of Weber was crucial and Elliot's lineout throws are much improved. Heem and to a lesser extent, Weber are the only weak links in this Chiefs team at the moment. The Crusaders are struggling but will shortly welcome back several resting All Blacks. (Chiefs 40 Crusaders 16)

Rebels vs Brumbies

This was another match which the dominant team lost. The Rebels dominated both halves but made some poor decisions, failed to finish opportunities and made too many silly mistakes. Higginbotham's poor discipline is a bad example for a captain and scrum half Nic Stirzaker takes on too much on his own. The Rebels were not helped by the fact that cynical play by the Brumbies went unpunished, while Steve Walsh had one of his worst games as referee. The Brumbies played more intelligent rugby and their use of the rolling maul, together with their defence of it, were greatly superior to the Rebels. (Rebels 15 Brumbies 20)

Bulls vs Sharks

This was probably not an appropriate match to award to a debutant referee but it was rather the fault of the TMO Johan Greeff that certainly one and perhaps two tries, which should not have been given, were awarded to the Bulls. The match showcased the skills of what are obviously the best flyhalves in the country, in Lambie and Pollard. The work rate of Labuschagne and Strauss for the Bulls was exemplary and they are proving terrific buys for the Bulls from the Cheetahs. Matfield turned in an improved performance and for the Sharks, Kankowski made a successful return while Marcel Coetzee was excellent at the breakdown in particular. The Bulls will be happy but the Sharks were a little unlucky (Bulls 43 Sharks 35)

Lions vs Stormers

In a turnaround from last year, things are tending to run for the Stormers rather than against them. In wet conditions, which do not suit the Lions, the scrums were fairly even but the Stormers lineout suffered from poor throwing by Mbonambi, who otherwise was quite good around the park. Muller was effective in contesting the Stormers lineout and the Lions did well at the breakdown. However, in the first half in particular, they appeared disorganized and tighthead prop Koch continued to impress for the Stormers in the scrum. Behind the Lions pack, de Klerk struggled and this affected Jantjies, who did not always take the right options, gave away a crucial penalty and dropped a high kick, which led to the only try for the Stormers. More of the skills and fluency of last year's Currie Cup campaign appeared for the Lions in the second half but some will say their insistence in going for the win, rather than an easy kick for a draw, was foolish. That is, however, part of their positive rugby approach and had Mnisi not dropped the ball over the line after his colleagues had managed 28 fault free phases and then minutes later again dropped it a few metres from the line, the Lions would have been victorious. De Jongh and de Allende were good in the centre for the Stormers. The Lions should think of giving hooker Armand van der Merwe more game time and consider Jaco van der Walt at flyhalf. (Lions 19 Stormers 22)

Significant Things You Must Explore While Buying a Property

Home buying is a not a piece of cake as it involves a long process. Usually, new home buyers come across a long list of questions before booking a property. Thus, it is very important for an individual to get the right answers to all these queries as these answers can help in choosing the right property. In the long run, these solutions or advices also help in avoiding all the hassles. For those who are planning to make an investment in property, we have listed a few tips that can help in choosing the right property.

Sterling Things to Consider While Buying a Property:

Verifying The Land Acquisition Process:

Always make sure that the land has been converted into a residential or commercial area genuinely. Sometimes, people acquire the land in an unauthorized manner which can create legal issues on the later stage.

Clarify The Actual Size of The Property:

The actual size of the property is comprised of super built-up area, built-up area and the carpet area. Carpet area is the area of space excluding the thickness of the wall. Built-up area includes the balcony and the thickness of the wall. However, the super built-up area includes the common area along with other spaces.

Confirm The Completion Time of The Project:

It is very lucrative to plan the finances and other associated things. Thus, always make sure about the completion date of the project. This will help you to arrange the existing accommodation and the payment options. Also, an individual can claim the penalties from the builder, if the project does not get completed in the committed time period.

Figure Out The Bank For Financial Support:

Some companies are offering home loans in the current scenario. Thus, talk to your consultant about the bank for which the board is giving the approval. Also, clear out the scheme that the bank is offering along with all the legal paperwork. All these elements play a vital role in justifying the quality of the service offered by realty firm.

Ask The Breakup Structure of The Pricing:

Usually, the total cost of the property is told by the consultant, but the prices is the total cost various elementary facilities. These include the prices of electricity, water, regeneration cost, electricity and parking spaces. Besides all these, taxes and legal charges are also included. If you ask all these prices, you will not get surprised with the prices later at the time of payment.

Confirm The Alternatives in Case of Change in The Project Plan:

Generally, the builders change the plans during the construction due to several reasons. These may also create a difference in the size of the apartment. Not only this, the amenities might also get changed in terms of positioning or quantity. Always confirm the measures that the builder will going to take, in case such things take place.

The overall list includes many more questions that must be asked to the real estate specialist while booking a property. If you get update with all these terminologies or the possible situations, you will never overcome various hassles or confusions that usually generates while buying a property.

Dynamic Warmup For Gymnasts

In the past ten years, much advancement has been made in the world of strength and conditioning, including the development of dynamic warmup routines. Gone are the days of stretching statically before a sporting event. Before soccer and lacrosse games, you will witness players doing a series of active exercises in straight lines, repeating the same exercise 10-20 times while in constant motion. They will progress to faster drills in the same patterns on the field. There is no reason why you shouldn't see gymnasts completing the same routine, and do to the flexibility demands of the sport, dynamic warmup is even more important for these athletes to do.

There are several phases of warming up a muscle. First is the muscle activation phase, in which a gymnast performs a few repetitions of an exercise that will initiate contraction of a muscle. This phase is not meant for strengthening, hence the low repetitions. These exercises are examples of a muscle activation exercise:

SingleLegBridge: This exercise will activate your gluts and hamstrings. Lie on your back with one knee bent and the other leg hugged into your chest. Lift your buttocks about 5-6 inches off of the ground as you maintain a flat back with tight abdominals. Repeat 5-6 times on each side.

Deep Squat: Stand with your feet a bit wider than shoulder width apart, with your arms overhead. Squat down by sitting your buttocks back. The back should remain flat as the shoulders come forward. Place hands on the ground, then reach one to the sky and rotate toward that hand. Reach with the opposite hand. Repeat sequence 3-4 times

The next phase is the muscle mobility phase, which starts to introduce a dynamic stretch to a muscle, and will begin to increase the muscle tissue temperature. This is example of a muscle mobility exercise:

Dynamic Supine Hamstring Stretch: Lie on your back with your arms at your sides and your legs straight. Keeping a flat back and tight abdominals, raise one leg straight in the air, then lower it at a moderate speed. If it is more comfortable, bend the opposite knee. Only raise your leg to a comfortable level and do not let your back arch off of the ground. Repeat 5-6 times on each side. You may also raise the leg, then bring it slightly out to the side about 10-12 inches and back inwards 5-6 times. Do not allow the torso to rotate or the hip to lift off of the ground. Skip this last step if you have any hip problems.

The next phase of a dynamic warmup is the traveling mobility phase. In this phase, a gymnast utilizes an area of about 15 yards, adding consistent movement to the exercises. The temperature of the muscles rise, and each muscle is warmed up through its entire range of motion. Here are some examples of traveling mobility exercises:

Quadricep Stretches: Stand tall and bend your knee to bring your heel towards you buttocks, keeping the legs parallel to each other. Grab your foot with the hand on the same side, hold for about 3 seconds, then lower the leg. Step forward about 2 feet and repeat with the other side. Feel a stretch in front of your thigh. Continue the 15 yard distance. When you return in the opposite direction, you may stretch the front of your hip by leaning forward and reaching the opposite hand forward. Hold for about 3 seconds. Continue the 15 yard distance.

Inchworm: This is a hamstring stretch for the back of your thigh. Bend over to reach your hands to the floor, then walk your hands forward as far as you can. Maintain a flat back. Next, walk your feet forward with straight knees as close to your hands as you can. Don't worry if you cannot bring your feet all the way to your hands. It will improve with practice. Repeat for the 15 yard distance twice.

The final phase of a dynamic warmup is dynamic mobility, in which a gymnast uses the same 15 yard space to complete fast movement exercises such as high knee runs, lateral runs, and side skips, which will fully elevate the body temperature to the level it needs to be to perform on the ice.

There are many exercises that you may include in your dynamic warmup, and these are just a few examples from each phase from GymnasticStrong's "Dynamic Warmup and Flexibility Training" DVD. After practicing an entire warmup, you can pick and choose which exercises target your 'tight areas' the best, and create a 10-20 minute warmup that is specific to your needs. You will be more prepared for your practice session or competition, and less prone to injury.