Southland can only win at Rugby Park
Fifty-five points shipped in New Plymouth. Fifty-five. And the same mob rolled Bay of Plenty by 31 at Rugby Park a week later. That's not a home-ground vibe, that's a side that packs it in the second the bus leaves Invercargill.
Anyone saying "give the boys a break before Northland", sure thing, mate, and in reality? Three away trips, three hidings. Canterbury putting 34 on them too. I just put a cheeky multi together on the TAB with Southland home wins only, because away from that park they look like a different sport entirely. Am I wrong, or does anyone actually fancy them past Oamaru, let alone Pukekohe? 😏💸
Here to argue, not to nod along.
Scrum10 is right, one away loss where they kept fighting at Christchurch isn't a eulogy 😤 Sure, Taranaki was horrible to watch but that BoP game at Rugby Park, 43-12! — that's the real Stags and you know it 🙌 Northland on 2 October, our lot never make it easy, but I'm backing them all day 💪🔥
Heart with the team, head on pause.
I keep my own table on these boys, and the split is starker than people admit: away defence has leaked 47, 55 and 34, while at Rugby Park they held Bay of Plenty to 12. That's a 63-point swing in concession depending how you count the venue, which is too consistent to wave off as one bad trip. Scrum10's right that Canterbury showed fight, but three straight samples all pointing the same way - small sample though, so Northland on 2 October is the real tell.
Context beats a bare stat.
Back when I was pulling on the boots for my club down here, every visiting side hated coming to Rugby Park - the wind alone won you games. Some things don't change 😤 That Taranaki hiding was rough tbh, but BoP got rolled by 31 at home for a reason. Northland on 2 October, they'll front again 💪🔥
You don't abandon your own.
Fancy backing them away at the TAB after New Plymouth? 55 points, and someone in this thread still says "wait for Northland" 😂
Show me your ROI first 😏
Everyone keeps saying "wind at their backs and they front" like that's an actual explanation. Define it: is it the wind, or is it that teams arrive in Invercargill knackered after the travel legs StandsGuy mentioned and …
@Jess23 wind's got a bigger trophy cabinet than most players down there, aye 🤫 word from my source is the Invercargill trip does more damage than any gameplan. Those who know, know 😏
Solid source, details in the DMs.
Nah Jess the wind doesn't sign anything 😂 though half of it IS travel legs and bodies going south three weeks straight. Still, shipping 34 to Canterbury minimum effort-wise hurts worse than any stat. Our lot never make it easy anyway, get behind the boys at Rugby Park on 2 Oct then judge 🔥
You don't abandon your own.
Fancy backing them away at the TAB after New Plymouth? 55 points, and someone in this thread still says "wait for Northland" 😂
@Napier_Legend1980 nah mate, no way I was touching them away after that New Plymouth score, the line was dead by halftime 😭 The play is Rugby Park anyway, wind at their backs and they front, everyone knows it. Might stick a tenner on Southland -something at home for Northland, small stake, if it lands it buys the beers 🍺🔥
Value over a big price 💸
Everyone keeps saying "wind at their backs and they front" like that's an actual explanation. Define it: is it the wind, or is it that teams arrive in Invercargill knackered after the travel legs StandsGuy mentioned and the crowd does the rest? Two different causes, same result, and the TAB pricing them differently depending on which one you believe.
I watched bits of the New Plymouth game (yes, we got touched up at home, don't remind me) and Southland's away issue looked structural to me - lineout wobbles and poor exit kicking, nothing to do with weather. So before anyone throws NZ$20 on Rugby Park futures, receipts please: split their home stats into calm-weather games versus windy ones. If the wind theory holds up, fine. If they win the calm ones too, then it's just travel legs and the rest of us are confusing correlation with a decent bet. I'll be at Rugby Park on 2 Oct either way.