The Crusaders and the Sharks go head to head, both smarting and coming off embarrassing losses last week. Both teams will be looking to make amends and putting their 2010 Super 14 season back on track.
The game will be played at the AMI Stadium in Christchurch, New Zealand, home of the Crusaders.
The Crusaders had a good week in week 1 of the Super 14, coming from behind to beat a very game Highlanders side but last weekend the wheels came off in spectacular fashion against the Reds, who look a totally rejuvenated team this year.
Having lost in such a manner makes one wonder about the Cusader chances for 2010, yet Richie McCaw will be back, playing from the bench and they still possess a potent combination of players.
The Sharks on the other hand have been nothing short of diabolical in the first 2 weeks of the Super 14, losing both matches against the Chiefs and the Cheetahs at home. This will be their first match of 5 away from home in Australasia and the teams they face are some of the toughest possible in the tournament.
The Sharks have been specially impotent in their backline so far, exibiting very average centre play and an inability to put together their own fundamental phases of attack.
Both these 2 teams are better than what they have exhibited so far and they will concentrate on controlled structure to set them back on track, which probably means that we’ll see a hard and uncompromising match with a low overall scoreline.
I predict a home win for the Crusaders…. Saders by 8.
Previous Super 14 results:
2009: Crusaders won 13-10 (Durban)
2008: Crusaders won 18-10 (Christchurch)
2007: Sharks won 27-26 (Durban)
2006: Crusaders won 22-20 (Timaru)
Teams:
Crusaders: 15 Jared Payne, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Thomas Waldrom, 7 George Whitelock, 6 Kieran Read (captain), 5 Brad Thorn, 4 Sam Whitelock, 3 Ben Franks, 2 Ti’i Paulo, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements: 16 Quentin MacDonald, 17 Owen Franks, 18 Joe Wheeler, 19 Richie McCaw, 20 Kahn Fotuali’i, 21 Adam Whitelock, 22 Colin Slade.
Sharks: 15 Stefan Terblanche, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Waylon Murray, 12 Adrian Jacobs, 11 JP Pietersen, 10 Ruan Pienaar, 9 Rory Kockott, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Johann Muller, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 John Smit (captain), 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Deon Carstens, 17 Jannie du Plessis, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Keegan Daniel, 21 Andrew Goode, 22 Riaan Swanepoel.
Referee: Chris Pollock (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Vinny Munro (New Zealand), Keith Brown (New Zealand)
TMO: Kane McBride (New Zealand)
All kiwi refs 🙄 Ag, never mind just win it Sharks. Even a win by one point will do 😀
GO SHARKS.
Saders were really lucky to win last year at the Tank. We gifted them that game on a plate. Too much handling errors cost us. Also McCaw came back to play in that game after a lay off from injury. He does make a difference in their side.
Tomorrow I hope we can turn that around with a win. One point will do.
They have McCaw and Thorn back. So it will be very difficult, but who knows it can be done.
GO SHARKS.
ok guys
cant make my mind up on the following games
sharks/ crusaders (i’m serious)
reds/ blues (the reds looked good so far, but will they beat the blues?)
cheetahs/ highlanders (will the cheetahs have another nightmare start to their tour or can they beat the highlanders?)
ok, i’ve made up my mind on
saders/sharks
reds/ blues
….
have a nagging feeling though that the cheetahs might just be up to the challenge!!
helloooooooooooooooooooooooo!!
anyone?
I have a feeling that tomorrow morning will be a long morning for Puma, Vuurtjie, Snoek, Tharkie_vir-botter-en-vir-wors, Boomninny, Tight Head and Snoek.
gbs @ 6
well you can throw my name in their also
cause ive backed the sharks on superbru
goooooooooooooooo tjarks!!
If the Sharks win this it should be considered a huge upset!
Praying hard for the guppies, but Saders should take this one
Obviously I hope the Sharks win…. but they have not given me that confidence this year!
well i did someting i aint done before
on superbru i have them losing by 8
10@ Tjarkie… Bwahahahahaaha
6 – GBS 😛
10 – Sharky, Hope drop on bru now 😆
I wanted to go with Saders by 7 my heart just said no way, we going to win this one. 😉
Sharks by 3 a win by one point will be good enough 😀
Eish you guys must give me better indicators, my heart and mind is fighting over the Sharks. I dont know why they are struggling to secure a win, so bloody close and yet so far.
GBS @ 6
Shit, ek weet ons doen sleg op die oomblik, maar is dit nodig om my naam twee keer op jou lys te sit?
Superbul, Die Sharks gaan ‘n moeilike jaarhe, maar hulle het die personeel om so paar grotes te wen. Julle moet hoop dat hulle van julle kompetisie van log punte kan weerhou.
Superbul – Het jy daai email van my gekry oor die luiperds en die bokkie?
Lyk te goed om waar te wees.
26 – Snoek, GBS in a hurry, Going away for the weekend. 😀
Die Bulle gaan mos volpunte in elke game kry… volle 5 Log punte, keer op keer… hehehe
Ons hettie gunsies en gawes nodig nie!
15 – Super, On your bru go with your head. I went with my heart and it may just come off. Hoping.
Sharks by 3 to just sneak it.
I suppose I better do my Bru & SportsPool Club picks…. and for the SIX Nations as well….
20 – GBS, 😛
Nou maar goed GBS, goed om te weet julle het nie hulp nodig nie. Moet net nie kla as ons en die leeus vir al die ander spanne 5 punte gee nie.
How are you Puma? Can’t go with the Sharks tomorrow, i think they will lose by many. Hope and pray i’m wrong though.
22
i saw you did not pick 6N and i thought i better warn you the game is on i 2 hours time and then i realized it is not Friday, dammit must work tomorrow.
25 – Snoek, Yip think we could get a big hiding tomorrow. Then you know we have a good team, not sure why we not doing it. We only lost by a few in both games. Really both games could have gone either way. Remember both teams only scored one try against us too.
Just going to hope like mad and keep my fingers crossed.
Yip if we leak 5 points to all the teams, the top sa teams will be hoping we never. So really hope we don’t do that. So far none have got 5 points from us. At least if we do that we are doing something for the other teams.
Friends, muppits & moepels… SuperBul’s daughter has gone into labour, and he’s due to be oupa once again.
From Rugby-talk, best of luck Delaine, SuperKoei & SuperBul…. gooooooooooi pienkvoeteeeeeeeeee!
26 – Super, hahaha. You wishing for the weekend to come soon. Only one more day.
Was again just looking at your wild life photos. With my other half. Now we both wanting to go to the bush maybe in July when it is dry. You have just wetted our appetite with those photos. You see a lot more and also the mozzies are far less then. Went through all your photos of them now. Those ‘Wild Dogs’ look mean. I know they hunt in packs, that what makes them so dangerous. Never ever seen them before.
28 – Best wishes Super. Another grandchild on the way for you. All the best.
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