The Lions and Vodacom Bulls flew the South African flag in Vodacom Super Rugby this weekend when they scored come-from-behind home victories on Saturday.
The side from Johannesburg scored two late tries to deny the Reds by 23-20 after they were still behind by 20-3 shortly before the break at Ellis Park.
In the process, Lions flyhalf and kicking ace Marnitz Boshoff became the first player this season to reach 100 points when he kicked his second penalty goal in the 40th minute of the match.
In the final match of the weekend, the Cell C Sharks lost their first encounter of 2014 when they went down 23-19 to a determined Vodacom Bulls side at Loftus Versfeld.
The home team outscored their visitors from Durban by two tries to one in a typically tough South African derby, where room to move was kept to a minimum through good defence, which also forced both sides to make too many mistakes.
Earlier on Saturday, the Toyota Cheetahs came unstuck against the Blues in Auckland (40-30), while the DHL Stormers played well but not well enough as they lost by 25-15 to the Brumbies in Canberra.
In probably the upset of round six, the only other unbeaten side in the competition, the defending champion Chiefs, lost by 18-15 to the Force in Perth.
Blues (30) 40 / 30 (16) Toyota Cheetahs:
For the first time since 2009, the Toyota Cheetahs will return from their Australasian Vodacom Super Rugby tour after losing all four matches and not scoring one log point in the process.
The team from Central South Africa paid the price for making too many unforced errors at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday morning when they were beaten by 40-30 by the Blues.
The Toyota Cheetahs put up a brave display after last weekend’s big defeat in Wellington. With 20 minutes gone, the scores were tied at 13-13 following Boom Prinsloo’s converted try.
But a few minutes later Prinsloo was sent to the sin bin for a professional foul and the tide turned in the Aucklanders’ favour. With the Toyota Cheetahs one player short, the Blues scored two converted tries before the break.
Despite making too many errors and defensive lapses, the visitors never gave up though – Cornal Hendrics and Hennie Daniller scored second half tries, but in the end the gap the Blues had opened up was simply too big for the Toyota Cheetahs to close.
The only small consolation was that their 30 points was the most the Toyota Cheetahs have ever scored against the Blues in New Zealand.
Scorers:
Blues:
- Tries: Steven Luatua (1), George Moala (1), Tevita Li (1), Tony Woodcock (1)
- Conversions: Simon Hickey (4)
- Penalty goals: Simon Hickey (4)
Toyota Cheetahs:
- Tries: Boom Prinsloo (1), Cornal Hendricks (1), Hennie Daniller (1)
- Conversions: Johan Goosen (1), Elgar Watts (2)
- Penalty goals: Johan Goosen (2), Watts (1)
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcUsd0zxcgc[/youtube]
Brumbies (13) 25 / 15 (10) DHL Stormers:
The DHL Stormers were largely undone for a second time in three weeks by themselves as they were beaten by 25-15 by the Brumbies at GIO Stadium in Canberra on Saturday morning.
It was the first time since the DHL Stormers has lost to the Brumbies, runners up in 2013, but it was a game that was there for the taking for the Capetonians.
Individual errors and poor decision-making at key moments, as well as bad kicking – tactical and at goal – let the visitors down badly. They looked good at times, but struggled to get out of their own half and kept on making silly mistakes which gifted the Brumbies points.
This lack of composure also cost the DHL Stormers dearly a fortnight ago when they lost by one point to the Crusaders in Christchurch, as well as last weekend in Hamilton when the Chiefs scored two late tries to put some daylight between them and the Capetonians on the scoreboard.
Duane Vermeulen scored a great try from a rolling maul as the DHL Stormers looked to have the upper hand upfront. Later in the Juan de Jongh added much-needed spark off the bench and was also rewarded with a good try.
But a last-minute penalty try for a scrum infringement on their own goal-line meant the DHL Stormers missed out on a losing bonus point as they suffered a third successive tour defeat.
Scorers:
Brumbies:
- Tries: Robbie Coleman (2), Penalty Try (1)
- Conversions: Nic White (2)
- Penalty goals: Nic White (2)
DHL Stormers:
- Tries: Duane Vermeulen (1), Juan de Jongh (1)
- Conversion: Peter Grant (1)
- Penalty goals: Peter Grant (1)
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgdEclsydjc[/youtube]
Lions (6) 23 / 20 (20) Reds:
The Lions scored 17 unanswered points in the second half of their Vodacom Super Rugby clash against the Reds at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Saturday to win this match by 23-20.
It was a rather scrappy match, but the Lions won’t mind after they staged one of the finest fightbacks of recent times. The home team’s performance in the first half wasn’t great and the Reds, through flyhalf Quade Cooper, who scored all their points, pounced when they got the chance.
The men from Gauteng were behind by 20-3 shortly before the break, when Marnitz Boshoff slotted his second penalty goal to make the score at half-time 20-6 as the Lions flyhalf became the first player to reach 100 season points.
The home team controlled possession for most of the second half as they started finding their groove. Boshoff added another penalty goal before Lionel Mapoe’s converted try in the 65th minute made it a four-point game.
Courtnall Skosan scored what turned out to be the match-winner in the 77th minute after a period of sustained Lions pressure during which two Reds players were sin-binned for professional fouls.
But the visitors didn’t give up and the Lions’ defence was properly tested in the dying moments. They held out though and won their third straight home game of the season – a feat they last achieved in 2007.
Scorers:
Lions:
- Tries: Lionel Mapoe (1), Courtnall Skosan (1)
- Conversions: Marnitz Boshoff (2)
- Penalty goals: Marnitz Boshoff (3)
Reds:
- Tries: Quade Cooper (2)
- Conversions: Quade Cooper (2)
- Penalty goals: Quade Cooper (2)
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXqyCSEO0D8[/youtube]
Vodacom Bulls (6) 23 / 19 (13) Cell C Sharks:
The Vodacom Bulls’ home resurgence continued at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria where they were too good for a disrupted Cell C Sharks in the final Vodacom Super Rugby match of the weekend.
The home team won 23-19 after erasing a 13-6 deficit at half-time with two second half tries to win their third successive home game of the season. It was also the KwaZulu-Natalians’ first defeat of 2014, but they remain at the top of the log.
The Cell C Sharks lost both their halfbacks, Cobus Reinach and Pat Lambie, to injuries within the first 15 minutes, which upset their rhythm, but they remained composed, with a superb scrum performance putting the Vodacom Bulls under pressure upfront.
Willem Alberts exploited some defensive errors by the home team for the visitors’ first and only try in the first half.
The Vodacom Bulls started the second half very strong though and when Jacques du Plessis burst through weak tackles from the Cell C Sharks to score from 30m out in the 48th minute, the contest was on at 13-all.
JJ Engelbrecht’s try saw the Vodacom Bulls take the lead five minutes later, at which stage the home team hit their attacking straps. But Frans Steyn, who was named Man of the Match, kept the visitors in the hunt with superb goal kicking.
A 79th minute penalty goal by Handré Pollard though put the Vodacom Bulls ahead by four points and that is how it ended in Pretoria in JP Pietersen’s 100th Vodacom Super Rugby match.
Scorers:
Vodacom Bulls:
- Tries: JJ Engelbrecht (1), Jacques du Plessis (1)
- Conversions: Jacques-Louis Potgieter (2)
- Penalty goals: Jacques-Louis Potgieter (1), Handré Pollard (1)
- Drop goal: Jacques-Louis Potgieter (1)
Cell C Sharks:
- Try: Willem Alberts (1)
- Conversion: Tim Swiel (1)
- Penalty goals: Frans Steyn (4)
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtTzAfagwdQ[/youtube]
Other results – Round 6:
Highlanders 35 / 31 Hurricanes (Dunedin)
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtjpDhZRTuw[/youtube]
Waratahs 32 / 8 Rebels (Sydney)
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU9kFI1okYk[/youtube]
Force 18 / 15 Chiefs (Perth)
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBiu_meH9T0[/youtube]
@ nortierd:
Hahaha you need to speak to Hondkak then he’s the expert on which referee can like to be on the take.
gunther wrote:
I promise you, I picked the Reds over the previous weekend and when they ref appointments came out and I saw Berry was at Ellis Park for the Lions again, I actually posted that I wish I knew that before I picked.
I knew it would go pear shaped
@ nortierd:
I watched the game again last night and can only say that Berry was very lenient to the Reds. The penalty count against them could have been much higher, had he blown them for all their transactions. Yes, that last try could have been controversial, but if you concede 19 penalties you don’t deserve to win the game. And the Reds are dirtiest team in the comp, as they have the highest penalty count against them so far.
@ gunther:
Yes, Nortie is very “alternative car park”.
@ Lion4ever:
There were definitely transactions involved. That is the basis of Nortie’s argument
Perhaps if there had been a transaction in which all of the Reds had blown the ref in return for him keeping the penalty count down this Berry mess could have been avoided altogether.
Just remember guys, when your teams go on tour and get the backlash from Berry and Peyper, don’t complain.
What has been done has been done, the points are on the log, but the damage caused by Berry is not even close to being over.
I don’t blame the teams getting lucky and the rub of the green, it’s not the players fault, but believe me, this isn’t over and some of the supporters here will be feeling exactly like the Anzac supporters are feeling in a couple of weeks
@ nortierd:
nah boet
we’re used to that type of thing touring the republic 😀
nga puhi wrote:
Ha ha
You reckon Berry stepped out of a 1970’s time warp then?
I’m just going to wait for that first howl of derision emanating from a Shark or Lion supporter when calls go against them in Aus or NZ.
Payback is going to be a bitch in this case, everyone can see what happened
@ nortierd:
as the true spiritual home of the game, we kiwis leave our retribution on the field and out of view of the officials (
)
we’re masters at it
@ nortierd:
How will we be able to tell the difference between your predicted “revenge” and business as usual? Will the final score appear on the board before kick-off? Will Bryce Lawrence make a comeback?
@ Lion4ever:
OOPS!!!! Transgressions
Yes, this is the face of a man who left it all on the field:
http://www.rugby15.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/bryce_lawrence.jpg
@ kaksioek:
@ nga puhi:
Well said.
@Kaki
It’s simple
The only people who applaud these refs are the supporters of the teams that have benefitted.
The rest of the world sees it for what it was.
Likewise, we will see it for what it will be when you start getting the short end of the stick as well. It will balance out, it’s not just here that people are talking more about Berry than the game itself, the overseas sites are also buzzing about the bias shown to SA sides by SA refs in South Africa.
You can ignore the wood for the trees all you want while your sides are benefitting, but all I’m saying is don’t complain when the reverse happens and your teams are the recipients.
@ kaksioek:
just stunned that you still have that much man love for Sir Brycie you link us to a photo, how many do you have in your collection?
@ nortierd:
Our teams have been getting shafted like that overseas for years why should now be any different. It’s interesting to note that when it it happened to is we were told to suck it up and stop whining. Seems like the kiwis and Ozzies are struggling with that concept.
@ nortierd:
If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll admit that SA sides have fallen victim to biased refereeing at least as often as NZ or Aussie sides – if not far more often, due to the Australasians’ well documented propensity to join forces against us.
@ gunther:
you mean like after 2007?
how kiwis were then told to suck it up and stop whining, especially from many Saffa’s
but jah, good to see Saffa’s suck it up and stop whining
kaksioek wrote:
Yes, mostly at test level.
Personally, what I’ve seen from Berry the last two weeks have elevated bias to a whole new level for me.
But hey, maybe he was 100% honest and not in the least bit biased, what do I know?
I’m sure only one team transgresses and skew line outs are ok?
Howzit poops Saffer teams have been getting blown off the park by your mob for years .
Paddy O’Cheat and his merry men.
Suddenly Norts has developed a conscience.
Perhaps he’s emigrating.
If so don’t employ him as a plod he’ll spend all his time on here.
I picked the Reds on SuperBru this past weekend, so with the Lions winning, it had a real influence on the fact that I dropped a few players from the Top of our Pool on the weekend.
I should therefore be in the camp of the anti-Berry brigade too…. but I am not!
Let’s face it, the Reds infringed constantly, deserved to be pinged and Carded!
In fact I remember a clear scrum where Fainga’a, the hooker, had his foot up and the scrummie fed the ball right under the locks feet to boot… and they were not blown up. That was but one of the numerous occasions the Reds infringed!
The Reds were in fact lucky that they were warned so many times before the 1st Yellow Card was produced!
It is very precious to give Berry, the lolly, for the constant Reds indiscressions!
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