There is only 2 Rounds left in the General Play-out Rounds of the Super 14 before the 14 Teams are cut down to only 4, for the Semi-finals and still there seems to be only 1 clear semi-finalist decided, the Bulls.

This week sees crucial matches for all contenders for the crown, here are the matches scheduled for this weekend:

7	Hurricanes	v	Reds	Wellington	09:35
7	Vodacom Bulls	v	Crusaders	Loftus Versfeld	19:10
8	Chiefs	v	Waratahs	Hamilton	09:35
8	Brumbies	v	Highlanders	Canberra	11:40
8	Auto & General Lions	v	Blues	Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg	15:00
8	Vodacom Cheetahs	v	Western Force	Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein	17:05
8	The Sharks	v	Vodacom Stormers	The Absa Stadium Durban	19:10

Here’s what I think might happen on the weekend…

Friday 7 May 2010:

Hurricanes vs Reds:

The Hurricanes host the Reds in Wellington at 09:35 SA Time.

What a humdinger this should be, the No 7 Team on the Log, the Hurricanes, play the No 4 Team, the Reds. The Hurricanes are at home and are only 2 Log Points behind the Reds, so the winner here might have the inside track to a semi-final.

The Hurricanes, having won 6, drawn 1 and lost 4 games are bubbling under and will be desperate to turn a previously sorry season around in an attempt to peak for the final onslaught on the semi’s.

Say what you want against the Hurricanes but with Ma’a Nonu in midfield and with Cory Jane at No 15, this team is potent on attack.

A late withdrawal by Conrad Smith, as he failed a fittness test, certainly makes the Hurricanes more vulnerable with Jason Kawau in at No 13 and with Willie Ripa replacing Kawau on the bench.

They have been shaky on defence though, already allowing 30 tries against them whilst scoring 33 in the process.

On the other hand we have the Reds, the most improved Super 14 Team of 2010. Last week against the Brumbies it looked like their fairie tale has ended, but if there is one Team who can dismantle a sloppy defence, it is this team.

Injuries to key players are disrupting the Reds and this week will be a good test for their true character.

This is a difficult prediction to make, agonisingly so….shall I go for the sensible option and predict in favour of the home team or shall I be bold ad predict that last week was just a slight stumble for the Reds…. damn, guess I’ll have to thumb suck to make a prediction…. Hurricanes by 4.

 

Previous Super 14 Results:
2009: Hurricanes won 37-28 (Brisbane)
2008: Hurricanes won 23-18 (Wellington)
2007: Reds won 25-16 (Brisbane)
2006: Hurricanes won 26-22 (Wellington)

Teams:

Hurricanes: 15 Cory Jane, 14 Tamati Ellison, 13 Jason Kawau, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Rodney So’oialo, 7 Karl Lowe, 6 Michael Paterson, 5 Bryn Evans, 4 Jeremy Thrush, 3 Neemia Tialata, 2 Andrew Hore (captain), 1 Jacob Ellison.
Replacements: 16 Dane Coles, 17 John Schwalger, 18 Nick Crosswell, 19 Scott Waldrom, 20 Tyson Keats, 21 Willie Ripia, 22 David Smith.

Reds: 15 Peter Hynes, 14 Rod Davies, 13 Will Chambers, 12 Anthony Faingaa, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia (captain), 8 Leroy Houston, 7 Andrew Shaw, 6 Scott Higginbotham, 5 Van Humphries, 4 Radike Samo, 3 Greg Holmes, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Ben Daley.
Replacements: 16 Sean Hardman, 17 James Slipper, 18 Ezra Taylor, 19 Jake Schatz, 20 Lei Tomiki, 21 Ben Lucas, 22 Brando Va’aulu.

Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Keith Brown (New Zealand), Garratt Williamson (New Zealand)
TMO: Mike Fraser (New Zealand)

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Bulls vs Crusaders:

The Bulls host the Crusaders at Loftus, Pretoria at 19:10 SA Time.

What a wonderful prospect to be able to attend this match and also go to the After Match Interviews, I am looking forward to one of the hardest matches of the 2010 Super 14 season!

The Bulls, as we all know, are No 1 on the Log, already 9Log Points clear of the Crusaders and the Bulls are gunning for 18 consecutive wins at Loftus.

The Bulls worry me though, they start every game very slow, then gradually get stronger and stronger as the match unfolds. This I perceive as a wonderful strenght and at the same time as one of their most glaring weaknesses… let me explain… Somewhere, sometime the Bulls are going to start too slow and allow the other team to build a lead and when the Bulls eventually fight back to close the match out, a hardy opposition outfit is going to shut them out enough to beat them.

We know that the stars in the Bulls team have so much experience and have Big Match Temperament (BMT) and we also know that they have been here before and overcome the odds.

The Crusaders team, on the other hand is fighting for survival and should they lose this match, the chances are that they will miss out on a semi-final in 2010.

Inspirational Captain, Richie McCaw and Dan Carter have been off the boil, like we have never seen them before! The Stormers managed to dismantle the Crusaders in the 2nd half of their game last weak, indicating to me that the Crusaders are not a shaddow of the Team who won 7 Super 14’s.

I feel the Crusaders are ripe for the picking and I’m going to be bold…. Bulls by 10.

 

Previous Super 14 Results:
2009: Bulls won 36-23 (Pretoria) – semifinal
2009: Crusaders won 16-13 (Christchurch)
2008: Crusaders won 54-19 (Pretoria)
2007: Bulls won 27-12 (Pretoria) – semifinal
2007: Crusaders won 32-10 (Christchurch)      
2006: Crusaders won 35-15 (Christchurch) – semifinal
2006: Crusaders won 35-17 (Pretoria)

Teams:

Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Victor Matfield (captain), 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Gary Botha, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Bees Roux, 18 Bakkies Botha, 19 Derick Kuün, 20 Jaco van der Westhuyzen, 21 Stephan Dippenaar, 22 Pedrie Wannenburg.

Crusaders: 15 Colin Slade, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Dan Bowden, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (captain), 6 George Whitelock, 5 Chris Jack, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Ben Franks, 2 Ti’i Paulo, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements: 16 Dan Perrin, 17 Owen Franks, 18 Sam Whitelock, 19 Thomas Waldrom, 20 Kahn Fotuali’i, 21 Tim Bateman, 22 Jared Payne.

Referee: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Christie du Preez (South Africa)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)

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Saturday 8 May 2010:

Chiefs vs Waratahs:

 The Chiefs host the Waratahs at the Waikato Stadium in Hamilton at 09:35 SA Time.

The Chiefs have blown all their chances and are now just another also-ran team and with this injury riddled team one would not expect them to roll over a semi-final contender like the Waratahs but last week against the Hurricanes they took an early lead with 3 very quick tries and some enterprising play… but that’s when they still had a chance to qualify for a semi.

The Waratahs on the other hand is sitting at No 5 on the Log, desperate to break into the top 4. A win here by them and a loss by either or both of the Crusaders and the Reds will see them dramatically move up the Log and into semi-final contention.

This side, who was slow to move into gear at the start of the season, has some nutty and tough as nails forwards, headed by Phil (Shrek) Waugh, and some elusive and creative backs…

I back the Waratahs to take this one and take it easily enough to sound a serious warning to all other contenders for the title…. Waratahs by 15.

 

Previous Super 14 Results:
2009: Waratahs won 11-7 (Sydney)
2008: Chiefs won 20-17 (Hamilton)
2007: Chiefs won 28-23 (Sydney)
2006: Chiefs won 37-33 (Hamilton)

Teams:

Chiefs: 15 Tim Nanai-Williams, 14  Dwayne Sweeney, 13 Richard Kahui, 12 Jackson Willison, 11 Jason Hona, 10 Callum Bruce, 9 Junior Poluleuligaga, 8 Colin Bourke, 7 Tanerau Latimer, 6 Liam Messam (captain), 5 Kevin O’Neill, 4 Craig Clarke, 3 Nathan White, 2 Hika Elliot, 1 Sona Taumalolo.
Replacements: 16 Aled de Malmanche, 17 Ben Afeaki, 18 Culum Retallick, 19 Luke Braid, 20 Brendon Leonard, 21 Phil Burleigh, 22 Save Tokula.

Waratahs: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Tom Carter, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Berrick Barnes, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Ben Mowen, 7 Phil Waugh (captain), 6 Patrick McCutcheon, 5 Kane Douglas, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Al Baxter, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Damien Fitzpatrick, 17 Dan Palmer/Jeremy Tilse, 18 Chris Thomson, 19 Dave Dennis, 20 Josh Holmes, 21 Daniel Halangahu, 22 Sosene Anesi.

Referee: Steve Walsh (Australia)
Assistant referees: Vinny Munro (New Zealand), Matthew Stanish (New Zealand)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)

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Brumbies vs Highlanders:

The Brumbies, at No 6 on the Log looks like possible “Come-back Kids” after their good win over the Reds last week. They will however need 5 Log points from this one and probably another 5 Log Points against the Crusaders next week to sneak into the semi’s.

They have history on their side for this one, but the Highlanders have run them close in all the recent encounters.

I have my doubts about the players in the team to really kick on and make the semi’s.

The Highlanders, out of the running, is playing for one thing only… pride, but the Hillbillies have the habit of making it difficult for other teams and this week could be difficult for the Brumbies.

I predict though that the Brumbies will win at home on Saturday, whether they’ll grab a bonus point I’m not sure of….. Brumbies by 15.

 

Preious Super 14 Results:
13 Feb 2009 Brumbies v Highlanders 33-31 Dunedin
23 Feb 2008 Brumbies v Highlanders 22-20 Canberra
05 May 2007 Brumbies v Highlanders 29-10 Dunedin
06 May 2006 Brumbies v Highlanders 26-28 Canberra
08 Apr 2005 Brumbies v Highlanders 18-19 Dunedin

Teams:

Brumbies: 15 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 Pat McCabe, 13 Tyrone Smith, 12 Matt Giteau, 11 Andrew Smith, 10 Matt Toomua, 9 Josh Valentine, 8 Stephen Hoiles (c), 7 George Smith, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 Mark Chisholm, 4 Mitchell Chapman, 3 Salesi Ma’afu, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Ben Alexander.
Replacements: 16 Huia Edmonds, 17 Jerry Yanuyanutawa, 18 Ben Hand, 19 Colby Faingaa, 20 Patrick Phibbs, 21 Brackin Karauria-Henry, 22 Ed Stubbs/Stirling Mortlock.

Highlanders: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 James Paterson, 13 Ben Smith, 12 Jason Shoemark, 11 Fetu’u Vainikolo, 10 Matt Berquist, 9 Jimmy Cowan (c), 8 Steven Setephano, 7 Alando Soakai, 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Hayden Triggs, 4 Josh Bekhuis, 3 Bronson Murray, 2 Jason Rutledge, 1 Chris King.
Replacements: 16 Peter Mirrielees, 17 Keith Cameron, 18 Joe Tuineau, 19 John Hardie, 20 Scott Cowan, 21 Robbie Robinson, 22 Jayden Hayward.

Match Officials:
Referee: Chris Pollock (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Ian Smith (Australia), James Leckie (Australia)
Television match official: Steve Leszczynski (Australia)

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Lions vs Blues:

 The Lions host the Blues at Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg at 15:00 SA Time.

The Lions, already with 11 losses from 11 attempts this year, looks like they aim to make it 12 losses in a row for the season, with Dick Muir saying silly things like they feel they have still achieved this year. One shudders to think what would constitute not achieving…. They already own the wooden spoon, with 2 round robin games to go, and nothing can be done to wrestle the mantle of 14th Spot away from the Lions.

Last week I said that I do not want to say much about them for fear of getting pretty nasty, well it is only getting worse and worse, with Dick saying that this week they will experiment.

The Blues must be angry and kicking themselves for throwing their chance at a semi-final away last week and I think the team to really feel their wrath, will be the Circus Lions.

I predict the Blues to win with a cricket score…. really…. Blues by 40.

 

Previous Super 14 Results:
10 Apr 2009 Lions v Blues 12-36 Auckland
23 Feb 2008 Lions v Blues 10-55 Johannesburg
10 Mar 2007 Lions v Blues 14-41 Auckland
06 May 2006 Lions v Blues 34-33 Johannesburg
09 Apr 2005 Lions v Blues 6-23 Albany

Teams:

Lions: 15 Carlos Spencer, 14 Michael Killian, 13 Deon van Rensburg, 12 Walter Venter, 11 Tonderai Chavhanga, 10 Herkie Kruger, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Derick Minnie, 7 Wikus van Heerden, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar, 5 George Earl, 4Franco van der Merwe, 3 Gert Muller 2 Charles Emslie, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.
Replacements: 16 Hannes Franklin, 17 Heinke van der Merwe, 18 Nico Luus, 19 Justin Wheeler, 20 Jacques Coetzee, 21 Jaco Taute, 22 Bernardo Botha.

Blues: 15 Isaia Toeava, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Rene Ranger, 12 Benson Stanley, 11 Paul Williams, 10 Daniel Kirkpatrick, 9 Alby Mathewson, 8 Peter Saili, 7 Serge Lilo, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Anthony Boric, 4 Kurtis Haiu, 3 John Afoa, 2 Tom McCartney, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 Tevita Mailau, 17 Charlie Faumuina, 18 Filo Paulo, 19 Vilami Ma’afu, 20 Chris Smylie, 21 Stephen Brett / George Pisi, 22 Anthony Tuitavake.

Match Officials:
Referee: Mark Lawrence (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Stuart Berry (South Africa), Reuben Rossouw (South Africa)
Television match official: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)

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Cheetahs vs Western Force:

 The Cheetahs host the Western Force in Bloemfontein at 17:05 SA Time.

The Cheetahs have just beaten the Blues and actually look good enough to surprise again this week. The injury bogey just does not want to let go though, with the injuries to Frans Viljoen and Jonghi Nokwe, now also on the crippled list.

The Force, although beating the Lions comfortably looks a bit undercooked and we should see a very good match up between bottom dwellers.

I predict the Cheetahs to win… why…. I don’t know why… I just have this gut feeling, but hell, looking at my SuperBru predictions it could just be last night’s fabulous dinner doing the tango…. Cheetahs by 5.

 

Previous Super 14 Results:
20 Feb 2009 Cheetahs v Force 10-16 Perth
22 Feb 2008 Cheetahs v Force 15-16 Bloemfontein
27 Apr 2007 Cheetahs v Force 17-45 Perth
06 May 2006 Cheetahs v Force 14-16 Kimberley

Teams:

Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Bjorn Basson, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Meyer Bosman, 11 Corne Uys, 10 Naas Olivier, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Juan Smith (captain), 6 Hendro Scholtz, 5 Barend Pieterse, 4 Izak van der Westhuizen, 3 WP Nel, 2 Skipper Badenhorst, 1 Wian du Preez.
Replacements: 16 Ryno Barnes, 17 Coenie Oosthuizen, 18 Waltie Vermeulen, 19 Davon Raubenheimer, 20 Marnus Hugo, 21 Danwel Demas, 22 Riaan Viljoen.

Force: 15 James O’Connor, 14 Nick Cummins, 13 Mitch Inman, 12 Ryan Cross, 11 Cameron Shepherd, 10 David Hill, 9 Justin Turner, 8 Richard Brown, 7 David Pocock, 6 Matt Hodgson, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Tom Hockings, 3 Tim Fairbrother, 2 Nathan Charles, 1 Nick Henderson.
Replacements: 16 Ben Whittaker, 17 Matt Dunning, 18 Sam Wykes, 19 Ben McCalman, 20 Chris O’Young, 21 Sam Harris, 22 Mark Bartholomeusz.

Match Officials:
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Joey Salmans (South Africa), Marc van Zyl (South Africa)
Television match official: JC Fortuin (South Africa)

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Sharks vs Stormers:

The Sharks host the Stormers at ABSA Stadium (The Shark Tank), Durban at 19:10 SA Time.

Ahhhh, another one of those wonderful local derby matches, this one also important enough to decide the fait of the Stormers aspirations to get a home semi-final.

The Sharks, surprisingly, is not without their players who were injured earlier in the week after a bruising encounter with the Bulls and to my mind feature a better backline combination, with one simple exclusion, that of Andy Goode.

One worrying aspect though is the inclusion of Ryan Kankowski above the true fetcher, Jacques Botes, which will reduce their ground ball possession and potency.

On the other hand we have the Stormers, needing one good 5 point haul to make the semi-finals and you can rest assured that there will be no lack of motivation to achieve this goal.

Bryan Habana, nursing sore ribs, has been rested and in his place, Tim Whitehead gets the nod, with Joe Pietersen coming back onto the bench. This is still a well-balanced team and a team who has just come off a marvelous win against the Crusaders.

I predict that the Stormers will be too strong for the Sharks…. Stormers by 15.

 

Previous Super 14 Results:
14 Feb 2009 Sharks v Stormers 20-15 Cape Town
23 Feb 2008 Sharks v Stormers 12-10 Durban
05 May 2007 Sharks v Stormers 36-10 Cape Town
06 May 2006 Sharks v Stormers 24-17 Durban
25 Feb 2005 Sharks v Stormers 12-26 Cape Town

Teams:

Sharks: 15 Patrick Lambie, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Stefan Terblanche, 12 Riaan Swanepoel, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Ruan Pienaar, 9 Rory Kockott, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Jean Deysel, 5 Alistair Hargreaves, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 John Smit (Captain), 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Patric Cilliers, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 Keegan Daniel, 20 Jacques Botes, 21 Andy Goode, 22 Andries Strauss

Stormers: 15 Gio Aplon, 14 Sireli Naqelevuki, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Juan de Jongh, 11 Tim Whitehead, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Schalk Burger (c), 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Adriaan Fondse, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 JD Moller.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Eusebio Guinazu, 18 Anton van Zyl, 19 Pieter Louw, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Willem de Waal, 22 Joe Pietersen.

Match Officials:
Referee: Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
Assistant referees: Pro Legoete (South Africa), Andrew Lees (Australia)
Television match official: Johann Meuwesen (South Africa)