CLEVELAND -- Nothing scares these Chicago Cubs. Not the stakes, the weight of history, a tough night at the plate or the prospect of going down two games to none in the franchises first World Series in 71 years.Their at-bats were good during a Game 1 shutout loss, the Cubs insisted. A breakout by the balanced lineup that propelled them to a National League championship and the best record in the majors was just a swing away.Three swings, as it turned out.Kris Bryant provided the first, a sharp single to center field off Cleveland Indians starter Trevor Bauer two batters into Game 2 on Wednesday night that gave the Chicago dugout and blue-clad Cubs fans scattered throughout Progressive Field a needed jolt.The second came seven pitches later, a double to right from Anthony Rizzo that sent Bryant racing home with the Cubs first World Series run since Harry Truman was president.The third was in the fifth, a triple to right by Ben Zobrist that handed Jake Arrieta all the cushion he needed in a 5-1 victory that tied the Fall Classic at one game apiece heading back to Wrigley Field on Friday.Our goal today, it felt like a must-win for us, Bryant said. We didnt want to go home down 0-2.And so the Cubs didnt, thanks in large part to three players who represent the various stages of Chicagos renaissance under President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein.Rizzo, the teams longest-tenured position player, endured 101 losses during his first season with the Cubs in 2012, a summer-long bout of misery that led to Chicago taking Bryant with the second pick in the 2013 amateur draft.Bryants arrival in the majors last spring helped propel the Cubs to 97 wins and a spot in the NLCS, leading Zobrist -- fresh off a championship with the Royals in 2015 -- to sign with Chicago last winter.There the three were in the heart of the order Wednesday, scoring four of their teams five runs to move the Cubs within three victories of the franchises first World Series title in 108 years.Oh, and the guy hitting behind them -- designated hitter Kyle Schwarber -- is 3 for 7 in the World Series after missing all but two games this season with torn ligaments in his left knee.I like our chances with and without Schwarber, Chicago catcher David Ross said. I like them a lot more with Schwarber.And the duo nicknamed Bryzzo, too.Bryant went hitless in his first Series game Tuesday night, though he was hardly alone as the Cubs mustered little against Corey Kluber, Andrew Miller and Cody Allen.The going wasnt nearly as tough against Bauer, who pitched with the pinkie on his right hand still recovering from a gash sustained while he was tinkering with a toy drone earlier in the playoffs.Bryant ripped a single up the middle on a 2-2 pitch in the first and scored on Rizzos double. It was Chicagos first run since the eighth inning of a Game 7 loss to Detroit in the 1945 World Series, a mere 44 years before Rizzo was born.Those guys, theyre the two keys, Zobrist said. The biggest cogs in our lineup and when those guys swing the bat it gives the rest of us confidence.Rizzo walked and Zobrist singled in the third before Rizzo scored on a single by Schwarber to make it 2-0. In the fifth, Rizzo led off with a walk and raced home on Zobrists triple into the right-field corner. Zobrist scored to make it 4-0 when Schwarber singled up the middle.Zobrist has come through in the clutch much the way he did while helping the Royals to a title last fall.Hes been our leader, especially in this World Series, Ross said. Hes the guy you lean on thats been in this moment. And hes the one stepping up big, getting the best at-bats, taking walks, hitting doubles, running the bases really well. Just a baseball player through and through.One thats now 5 for 9 through two games in his third World Series.In the end, this October night on baseballs biggest stage felt like so many other games Chicago has played over the last six-plus months. Arrieta dominated, the lineup delivered and the crowd chanted Lets Go Cubs.All the way back to Chicago, where a chance to start a party more than a century in the making awaits. Cheap Nike Cowboys Jerseys .C. Lions has come to an end. 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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.dddddddddddd.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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