the NL wild-card game to Madison Bumgarner and the Sa

Looking at the Super Rugby finals this weekend, I believe the best four teams have come through and with the Hurricanes potentially having lost Dane Coles we may be set for a Highlanders-Chiefs final.If there is one team that I think can handle the travel factor it is the Highlanders; theyre well-positioned to deal with the travel in getting to Ellis Park. Theyre a balanced team and showed that last year when going to Sydney to beat the Waratahs in the semifinal and then going to Wellington to beat the Hurricanes in the final.There are some fascinating games ahead at the weekend.If you dissect all four teams you can actually identify the culture they have developed. While it is not something that is immediately visible, you can see they are enjoying themselves and the way they are all playing demonstrates that.The Lions look as if they are really excited. They are an excitable young bunch, especially with half-back Faf du Klerk leading the way. He is a livewire and they are full of energy. But that is the case right across the board among the four semifinalists.The Highlanders have had that since last season and it just seems to be growing more and more so at the moment. And the Hurricanes, the way they entered the season with the number of players they lost especially in midfield, have done remarkably well.I look at coach Chris Boyd, and I have always respected him as a coach and as a person. Hes a very straight up guy and a straight shooter. He dropped a number of senior players ahead of their round-robin game against the Sharks in South Africa. Basically he said, thats the self-imposed rules you guys put on there so lets stick to them.The discipline was there and the expectation on every player in that group on each other is testament to where they are now - playing an exciting brand of rugby in the semifinals.To go through what theyve been through, and dont forget that horrific first round loss to the Brumbies, losing key players and continuing to improve throughout the season is, firstly, a sign that their senior players inside that group have stepped up, secondly, the management team have got the mix and the foundations right.In attempting to replace Maa Nonu and Conrad Smith, they have found four players who have stepped up in Willis Halaholo, Vince Aso, Ngani Laumape and Matt Proctor - they can all create things, too. Its amazing when you turn a stone over or an older player moves on, just whats underneath and the talent that has been held back by roadblocks of players who own that position.It is evident when players get exposure how they are capable of rising to the challenge. Halaholo and lock Michael Fatialofa are two examples of guys who left Auckland, went to Southland where they did well, but then who have blossomed in the Hurricanes environment.When the demand is placed on you to improve and play to a higher standard a lot of players tend to thrive.It is an interesting facet of rugby when you consider whether every player has a natural plateau. Players have innate skill levels, their strength and their speed and their general awareness are all there, but a plateau is something that is self-imposed.The difference between the good players and the great players is that the top level players, the stars, push themselves past those self-imposed restrictions. They actually reach a whole new level. And unless they are in an environment that helps that happen, many players are never going to find a maximum level.When you dont have the constant, competitive nature around you at whatever level; Super Rugby; Mitre 10 Cup or even club play, and feed off the situation where everyone is wanting to get better, you can find yourself on a plateau that you never advance beyond.But in a Super Rugby environment in New Zealand, everyone is pushing for All Blacks selection. If youre in a starting position in Super Rugby in New Zealand you are in the top five in the country in your position and youre on show. So why shouldnt you be pushing for it?Against the Brumbies the Highlanders got themselves caught in the arm wrestle and it is finals rugby where, at the end of 80 minutes, if you havent got the points on the board youre gone. I think the Brumbies game will have been a kick up the backside for them and theyll know theyve dodged a bullet and the way things panned out, theyre a better side.We know from their efforts last year that they can play to a much higher standard than that and quite often when you get a second chance youre not going to go and make the same mistake.And the Lions this weekend will not play that style of rugby. It will be more around the style the Highlanders want to play; so it is two very exciting teams with two very exciting half-backs that will keep the tempo of that game flowing.The coaches will have had a look at what the Brumbies did, but the realisation is the Lions have reached the semifinals for a reason and they wont want to change anything. They will just want to do what they have been doing all season, only better. Theyll take a lot from beating the Crusaders by the scoreline they did -- that was no mean feat.But at the same time what I did see in the quarterfinals was a lot of white flags go up. You get to that stage in finals rugby when the scoreline just gets blown out as happened to the Sharks, Crusaders and Stormers. Theres not much more you can do sometimes and everything you try to do goes wrong and mistakes come when you are trying to play catch-up rugby.The Chiefs will have taken some confidence from their win, and I think the biggest loss from the weekend is Dane Coles injury for the Hurricanes. In spite of what John Plumtree has said, Coles is more than just one player in the team. He has been a stand out player and captain. Hes a big loss. Hes immense for the Hurricanes and every time he plays he does three, four, five things that are special in a game that you remember.You can build a team around some really key players, much as the Highlanders have done with Ben and Aaron Smith and Malakai Fekitoa, and I believe Dane Coles is one of those types of players for the Hurricanes. He is the player the Hurricanes would least want to lose.TJ Perenara is probably another one for them. He really put his hand up at the weekend on the back of some good form through the latter stages of the competition.And against that you have Brad Weber pushing it for the Chiefs as he had a great season as well.As we have said many times, the teams with the best No.10s dictate where you end up at the end of the season.We have the best first fives in the four teams left in Beauden Barrett, Aaron Cruden, Lima Sopoaga and Elton Jantjies, who looked outstanding in leading the Lions around the paddock against the Crusaders. 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NEW YORK -- The Mets should have been happy just to get to the postseason.Their starting lineup included just three players who were on the field for the season opener in Kansas City.Their third baseman and captain didnt play after May 27.Their starting first baseman had 23 at-bats after May 20.Their second baseman was done for the year on Aug. 27.Their shortstop was playing on a bum knee.Their regular catcher was benched after driving in one run in the seasons final month.And four of their five highly touted projected starting pitchers were on the sidelines after seasons more notable for surgeries than strikeouts.Not even seven shutout innings from Noah Syndergaard was enough, given the decimated offense for the defending NL champions.There have been a lot of nights I looked out on the field and saw one guy who was in the opening-day lineup at one time or one guy or two guys that were actually in the World Series with us last year, Mets manager Terry Collins said before Wednesday nights season-ending 3-0 loss in the NL wild-card game to Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants. And thats why Im so proud of these guys, because this isnt a lineup that we came into spring training and said, `Boy, this is a good-looking lineup.ddddddddddddLast year, they won their first NL pennant since 2000, reviving a franchise that seemed to be on spin cycle after the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme. And this year they filled the seats regularly at Citi Field, which rocked with energy as they overtook the Yankees in local television ratings. Just 60-62 in mid-August, they managed to finish 87-75 and clinch a playoff berth with a game to spare.Syndergaard pitched up to his Thor nickname, striking out 10 and walking three, throwing 42 thunderbolts to 98 mph or higher -- more than Philadelphia or Clevelands pitchers all season, according to Inside Edge. Curtis Granderson made a run-saving catch in a Willie Mays impersonation.But Jeurys Familia gave up a three-run homer to Conor Gillaspie in the ninth inning, a drive into the right-field bullpens that stunned the Citi Field crowd into silence.No more comebacks. No more hope.Time to heal. ' ' '