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No fewer than 24 tries were scored in the 1st 4 matches of the Vodacom Cup in 2015, with big wins for the Xerox Golden Lions, Steval Pumas, Vodacom Blue Bulls and Leopards XV.
• The Vodacom Blue Bulls easily overcame the Hino Valke in Kempton Park by 37 / 13.
• The Xerox Golden Lions trounced the Namibian FNB Welwitschias by 53 / 3 in Windhoek.
• The Steval Pumas romped over the Down Touch Griffons by 57 / 18 in Nelspruit.
• In the last game of Vodacom Cup action for the weekend, the Leopards XV beat a spirited Assupol Limpopo Blue Bulls side by 22 / 9 in Potchefstroom.
Sam Cane
The Chiefs may have felt they deserved to win against the Highlanders after dominating play, but that is behind them as they now focus on their tour to South Africa.
The Chiefs next match is away in Cape Town against the undefeated DHL Stormers on 14 March, they then travel up the coast to Durban to take on the Cell C Sharks in what is sure to be a tough tour.
The South Africa opposition does not end there as their 1st fixture back home is to the traveling Cheetahs.
The DHL Stormers remained unbeaten and still Top of the South African Conference, by defeating the Sharks 34 / 13 in a feisty derby.
A super solo score by Johnny Kotze and a Penalty Try against Springbok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach, wrapped up a deserved win for the Stormers, their 4th of the season.
It’s early days but the Stormers now look like South Africa’s best hope of a Super Rugby title in 2015, based on their start to the year and the questionable form of their rivals.
When it mattered, their growing composure shone through in Cape Town, undaunted by the larger number of Springboks in the Sharks’ ranks.
The Vodacom Bulls’ recent revival continued as they secured a 39 / 20 victory over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday… moving them to 2nd in the SA Conference.
Handré Pollard was the visitors’ hero as he contributed 29 points via a try, 5 penalties, 3 conversions and a drop-goal. After last weekend’s morale-boosting win over the Sharks, Bulls coach Frans Ludeke will be delighted with the way his side dominated this game for large periods.
The Blues went down to their fourth-straight loss of the Super Rugby campaign on Saturday as they lost 13 / 10 to the Lions at QBE Stadium in North Harbour.
Errors aplenty, low confidence in attack and a failure to turn pressure into points cost the Blues as they crashed to a disappointing home defeat.
Meanwhile, the Lions will take their smash and grab victory with both hands as they head to the Crusaders with a tour win under their belt.
Gary Gold
After enduring a disappointing start to the season, Sharks coach Gary Gold has called on his side to ‘man-up’ and pull together.
Much is expected of a squad loaded with Springboks, but they have yet to realise their potential this season, with just 1 win from their first 4 games.
Gold said that the key to turning things around will be to remain united and take a hard look at which areas of their game are letting them down.
“This is certainly not the start we wanted in Super Rugby but it is important now to man-up and carry on with the fight.
“It is a long competition and we have got some work to do, no question of a doubt.
Chris Kuridrani
Chris Kuridrani of the Reds has been cited for alleged foul play during a Super Rugby match at the weekend.
Kuridrani is alleged to have contravened 10.4 (e) Dangerous tackling and 10.4 (g) Dangerous charging, in an incident which occurred in the 21st minute of the Super Rugby match between the Reds and Waratahs at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on 7 March 2015.
Upon further review of the match footage, the Citing Commissioner deemed in his opinion the incident had met the red card threshold for foul play.
Sir John Kirwan
The New Zealand media have turned on an iconic All Black in the wake of the Blues’ winless start to the Super Rugby season.
The Blues slumped to their 4th straight loss, a first for the 3-time former champions, after a willing and determined Emirates Lions team edged them 13 / 10 in Albany on Saturday.
The result, which leaves the Blues at the bottom of the Combined Log standings with just 2 losing bonus points to show for their efforts, has sparked calls for coach John Kirwan’s dismissal.
Under the headline ‘Blues lose to Lions, is Kirwan a goner?’ ONE News suggested that you can “hear the blades sharpening in Auckland”.
Reds (0) 5 / 23 (13) Waratahs (Final Score)
The Reds and Waratahs did battle in Super Rugby at
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane at 10:40 SA Time (19:40 Brisbane Time, 08:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
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Blues (10) 10 / 13 (3) Lions (Final Score)
The Blues and Emirates Lions did battle in Super Rugby at
North Harbour Stadium, Albany at 08:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 06:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
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It is Round 4 of Super Rugby 2015 this weekend.
There are 2 games on Friday 6 March and 4 games on Saturday 7 March.
The Crusaders, Hurricanes and Melbourne Rebels have a BYE weekend.
The first 3 Rounds were very unpredictable and the local South African derbies in Round 3 went right down to the wire.
4 Undefeated teams remain in 2015, of which 3 are in action this weekend. Will these undefeated teams simply kick on and retain their unbeaten status, or will they be pegged back this weekend.
In the 2 South African derbies, picking winers is a difficult task this weekend… and in my case “Gut Feel” determined where my SuperBru picks fell.
Round 4 promises to deliver more surprizes!
The Friday games are: Chiefs vs Highlanders in Hamilton and also the Brumbies vs Western Force in Canberra. On Saturday it’s the Blues vs Emirates Lions in North Harbour, the Reds vs Waratahs in Brisbane, the Toyota Cheetahs vs Vodacom Bulls in Bloemfontein and lastly the DHL Stormers vs Cell C Sharks in Cape Town to finish off Round 3.
Brumbies (19) 27 / 15 (8) Force (Final Score)
The Brumbies and Western Force did battle in Super Rugby at
GIO Stadium, Canberra at 10:40 SA Time (19:40 AEDT, 16:40 AWST, 08:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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Chiefs (3) 17 / 20 (14) Highlanders (Final Score)
The Chiefs and Highlanders did battle in Super Rugby at
Waikato Stadium, Hamilton at 08:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 06:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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SANZAR has announced the Match Official appointments for Round 4 of the 2015 Super Rugby season.
This weekend there are only 6 games (and not the usual 7), with 2 games on Friday 6 March and 4 games on Saturday 7 March 2015.
The Round starts with the Chiefs against the Highlanders in Hamilton, followed by the Brumbies against the Western Force in Canberra.
On Saturday the Blues host the touring Emiratas Lions before the Reds tackle the Waratahs in Brisbane and then later in the day there are the 2 exciting South African derbies, that between the Toyota Cheetahs against the Vodacom Bulls, followed by the game between the DHL Stormers and Cell C Sharks at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town.
The Crusaders, Hurricanes and Melbourne Rebels have BYE weekends this week.
From a competition point of view, there are only 4 teams still undefeated in 2015, namely the Chiefs, Hurricanes (on a BYE this weekend), the Toyota Cheetahs and the DHL Stormers. The question now is whether the 3 teams out of these 4 winning sides, who play this weekend, can keep the momentum up this Round in Hamilton, Bloemfontein and Cape Town – all home games for them?
The second question is whether the Match Officials will be better than in the opening 3 Rounds, or whether we will once again see some disputable decisions which have a material influence on the outcome of the games? Match Officiating has been particularly tardy, inconsistent and infuriating at the start of Super Rugby this year.
The Cell C Sharks can count on 3 Springboks who return to the side to take on the Stormers at Newlands on Saturday evening in what is shaping up to be a massive South African Conference derby.
JP Pietersen and Frans Steyn have returned from Japan and no time has been wasted introducing them to the starting line-up, while Willem Alberts has been given the all-clear to play after spending time rehabbing an injury.
JP Pietersen and Frans Steyn have also proven themselves at training and they form a new centre partnership.
Ryan Kankowski will join the elite group of Vodacom Super Rugby centurions when he plays in his 100th game for the Cell C Sharks, in a loose-forward bolstered by the return of Albert, especially in light of the kind of talent that lurks at the back of the Stormers scrum in the shape of SA Rugby Player of the Year in 2014, Duane Vermeulen.
Vodacom Bulls coach Frans Ludeke named the same run-on team from last weekend to face the Toyota Cheetahs on Saturday in Bloemfontein in their first away trip in the 2015 Vodacom Super Rugby competition.
The same 15 that ran out in the win over the Cell C Sharks will front up in the Free State Stadium as the Vodacom Bulls looks to build the momentum gathered from the win against the coastal side.
Ludeke only made 1 change to the bench, where Piet van Zyl returns to Bloemfontein to face his former Super Rugby team.
“We finally found the momentum we were looking for in the opening rounds of the competition against the Sharks and managed 4 tries,” Ludeke said in Pretoria on Thursday.
Jesse Kriel
Bulls fullback Jesse Kriel says he’ll be making the most of his opportunities given to him this season.
Kriel, just 21, is quickly becoming a crowd favourite in Pretoria as he continues his rugby rise through the Bulls ranks.
While the team experienced a disappointing start to the Super Ruby campaign, suffering back-to-back defeats against the Stormers and Hurricanes at Loftus Versfeld, they managed a 43 / 35 win over the Sharks in front of their home crowd last weekend.
Kriel has been one of the Bulls’ consistent performers during the Super Rugby campaign, and was delighted his team-mates could pull off a good victory against last year’s South African conference winners.
The Vodacom Cup, the breeding ground for future South African rugby stars, kicks off this weekend with four matches in the North Section scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
The first match will take place on the East Rand, when the Hino Valke host the Vodacom Blue Bulls at the Barnard Stadium in Kempton Park.
Only teams from the North Section are in action this weekend as well as in round two, with the South Section due to get underway in two weeks’ time.
Over the years, the Vodacom Cup has established itself as the competition where Springboks are made. Of the 14 players featured by SARU last year, nine players have since featured at Junior Springbok, Vodacom Super Rugby or Springbok level.
Bismarck du Plessis
The Cell C Sharks third round Vodacom Super Rugby match against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld proved to be a very physical encounter that was contested passionately by the respective teams on the day.
During the match there was an off the ball incident that took place involving Bismarck du Plessis and Victor Matfield. On reflection after the match, Bismarck realised that he acted inappropriately with his choice of language used and would like to apologise for his behaviour.
Keven Mealamu
Inspirational Blues and All Blacks hooker Keven Mealamu will establish a new Super Rugby record in Saturday’s clash with the Lions in Albany.
Mealamu has been named in the Auckland-based team’s starting line-up which will be his 163rd appearance in Super Rugby. This will make him the all-time leader in Super Rugby, a mark he currently shares with retired former Reds, Force and Wallabies lock Nathan Sharpe.
It is the first game of the season for Mealamu who made his debut in 2000.
“Congratulations on becoming the most experienced player in Super Rugby history,” said SANZAR Chief Executive, Greg Peters.
Karmichael Hunt
Karmichael Hunt today pleaded guilty at Southport Magistrates Court to four counts of possession of a prohibited drug. He was fined $ 2 500.00 and no conviction was recorded.
As a result, the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) and Queensland Rugby Union (QRU) today suspended Karmichael Hunt for six weeks and fined him $ 30 000.00.
Karmichael has accepted these penalties despite being contracted to another code during the time in question.
As such, the ARU, QRU and the Rugby Union Players’ Association (RUPA) have determined that in accordance with the ARU’s Illicit Drugs Policy, he will also undergo a drug treatment and rehabilitation program and will be placed on a monitored and targeted drug testing program.
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) on Wednesday confirmed its interest in bidding for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, following the announcement of the tender process by World Rugby.
Jurie Roux, CEO of SARU, reaffirmed the union’s commitment to bring the tournament back to South Africa, on the proviso of the approval of SASCOC – SA’s national Olympic Committee – and support of national government.
“We definitely expect to be bidding to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup – as we have for the past 3 tournaments,” said Roux.
Danie Poolman
Connacht and the Irish Rugby Football Union revealed that 25-year-old back Danie Poolman has signed a new deal that will keep him at the Sportsground until at least 2017.
Poolman joined Connacht in 2012 from South African franchise the Stormers and since then the former Paul Roos schoolboy from Pretoria has established himself as a key component in Connacht’s backline.
Poolman’s attacking prowess has come to the fore again this season with seven tries making him the province’s top try scorer so far this season.
Rory Kockott
France coach Philippe Saint-Andre on Thursday called up prop Nicolas Mas, scrumhalf Rory Kockott and centre Maxime Mermoz for his 30-strong squad to prepare for the Six Nations match against Italy.
The French were left reeling last weekend when they lost 13 / 20 to Wales at the Stade de France – ending any hopes they had of winning this year’s tournament.
Saint-Andre subsequently launched a bitter attack on his players saying that some of them were “prima-donnas” who failed to live up to their responsibilities on the field.
Johannes ‘Boom’ Prinsloo
The Cheetahs have made 1 change to the team that beat the Blues last weekend with Springbok Sevens star Johannes Prinsloo starting on the flank against the Bulls.
Prinsloo, who has made a big impact coming off the bench in the Cheetahs’ 2 games against the Sharks and Blues thus far, gets his shot due to an injury to No 8 Willie Britz.
Coach Naka Drotske has moved Jean Cook into the vancant No 8 position and put Prinsloo onto the side of the scrum.
The only other change comes on the bench where former Sharks and Southern Kings lock Steven Sykes enters the matchday-23.
Willem Alberts
JP Pietersen
Francois Steyn
The Cell C Sharks have been boosted by the return of Springboks Frans Steyn and JP Pietersen from Japan, as well as flank Willem Alberts from a hamstring injury.
Both Japanese-based backs were spotted training with the Sharks on Monday after their respective teams were eliminated from the league in Japan.
Meanwhile, barn-storming loose forward Alberts has been training with the squad for sometime now and is finally in contention for selection as the Sharks prepare to travel to Cape Town to take on the undefeated Stormers.
Martin Castrogiovanni
Prop Martin Castrogiovanni, ruled out of Italy’s win over Scotland at the weekend because of a dog bite, has been dropped for the Six Nations matches against France and Wales.
Castrogiovanni, who needed 14 stitches after being bitten on the nose by a friend’s dog, was not in the 30-man squad named by coach Jacques Brunel on Tuesday and did not figure among the players who were listed as excluded through injury.
Versatile back Andrea Masi, who missed the Scotland game, and lock Quintin Geldenhuys, still to make his first appearance in the championship because of a knee injury, were recalled.
Lions head coach Johan Ackermann has announced the following 27-man touring squad for his side’s Super Rugby tour to Australasia.
The Lions will play 4 matches against the Blues, Crusaders, Melbourne Rebels and the Reds on tour.
The team departed for New Zealand on Sunday evening.
Arno Botha
Vodacom Bulls loose forward Arno Botha will return to training next week after recovering well from a pectoral muscle tear, but flyhalf Jacques-Louis Potgieter could be on the side-lines for another week.
According to Vodacom Bulls team doctor Org Strauss, Botha will train next Monday and Potgieter, who picked up a hamstring injury last week, will be assessed then. Potgieter was a late withdrawal from the Bulls team that won against the Cell C Sharks on the weekend and could be out of action for 2 weeks.
No one picked up any injuries in that win, although Francois Hougaard, Deon Stegmann and Lappies Labuschagne only trained on Tuesday, due to light niggles.
Rene Ranger
Explosive attacking back Rene Ranger is to return to the Blues next season and will be available to play for North Harbour in the ITM Cup this year.
The 28-year-old has gained an early release from his contract with French club Montpellier after 2 seasons.
Ranger scored 25 tries in his 65 Super Rugby caps for the Blues, enjoying 6 caps for the All Blacks. He has become a fan favourite with Jake White’s Montpellier side, scoring 6 tries in his first 15 games and helping the team enjoy a strong season in the European Club Championships this year.
He said his return to New Zealand is primarily for family reasons.
“Family comes first and that is the big motivator to return. I want to be able to help my mom more,” Ranger said.
Robbie Fruean
Robbie Fruean’s Super Rugby campaign is almost certainly over folliwing surgery on Monday to have a steel plate inserted in his fractured arm after injuring it in his side’s loss to the Chiefs last weekend.
The timeframe for recovery from this type of injury is usually around 4 – 5 months, which would mean an early July return in a best-case scenario.
Crusaders Head Coach Todd Blackadder said the entire team was feeling for Robbie and sending him their best wishes for a speedy recovery.
The Toyota Cheetahs, Vodacom Bulls and DHL Stormers were victorious in 3 terrific Vodacom Super Rugby matches, as the competition really took off in the 3rd Round.
On Friday evening, the Toyota Cheetahs sneaked home against the Blues in Bloemfontein, winning their 2nd match of the season by 25 / 24 to remain 1 of only 4 unbeaten teams in 2015.
Saturday saw 2 local derbies of the highest calibre, with Test-like intensity. Mirrroing the encounter in Bloemfontein, the results of both these matches were in the balance right until the end.
The Vodacom Bulls prodcued their maiden win of the season when they beat the Cell C Sharks by 43 / 35 in a superb match in Pretoria. Then the DHL Stormers clocked their 3rd win from 3 matches when they beat the Emirates Lions by 22 / 19 in Johannesburg.
A 21 / 16 victory over FNB Maties in Bloemfontein saw FNB UFS-Shimlas move to the Top of the FNB Varsity Cup standings on Monday.
The Free State side is the only team in the tournament still unbeaten after 4 Rounds of action, while 3-time champions Maties is still looking for their 1st win.
The match was deadlocked at 16 / 16 at halftime, and UFS-Shimlas replacement Daniel Maartens scored the only try of the 2nd half to secure a tough win for the home team and pile more misery on Maties who find themselves in unfamiliar territory in 6th place.
FNB UP-Tuks suffered their 1st defeat of the season against FNB NWU-Pukke in Potchefstroom, but secured 2 bonus points which sees them hold on to 2nd place ahead of FNB UJ who notched an impressive 42 / 13 win against FNB NMMU in Port Elizabeth.
The dramatic 42 / 37 win over UP-Tuks saw NWU-Pukke claim 4th place, just 1 Log point ahead of FNB UCT who scored 12 tries on their way to a 90 / 8 victory over newcomers FNB UCT.
Both teams scored 5 tries in a pulsating game in Potchefstroom, which went right down to the wire before being clinched in the dying stages with a try from NWU-Pukke flank Marno Redelinghuys, who had claimed a clever cross-kick from flyhalf Jonny Welthagen.
In Port Elizabeth UJ ran away with it in the 2nd half, eventually outscoring the Madibaz by 6 tries to 2, while it was one-way traffic from start to finish on the Green Mile where defending champions UCT were merciless in their demolition of the CUT Ixias.
Wiaan Liebenberg
Montpellier coach Jake White has his sights set on luring young Blue Bulls loose forward Wiaan Liebenberg to France.
The 22-year-old former Baby Bok captain is currently not in the Bulls’ Super Rugby plans – which makes a move to France very likely.
Loose forwards like Lappies Labuschagne, Pierre Spies, Arno Botha, Deon Stegmann and his brother Hanro are ahead of Liebenberg in the pecking order at the Bulls.
Os du Randt
Japanese club Toyota Verblitz is believed to be after the services Cheetahs forwards coach Os du Randt.
According to reports, there’s already been informal talks between the club and Du Randt but no contract has been discussed.
New Zealander Filo Tiatia coached Toyota Verblitz this past season, while Springbok and Sharks flank Jean Deysel also plays for them.