Super Rugby
Cheetahs and South Africa hooker Adriaan Strauss has been banned for three weeks for a tip-tackle, ruling him out of the Wales series.
The Sanzar duty judicial officer Adam Casselden has accepted a guilty plea from Strauss for contravening Law 10.4 (j) Lifting Tackle, after he was cited during a Super Rugby match at the weekend.
Strauss has been suspended from all forms of the game for three weeks up to and including 21 June 2014.
SANZAR has released the names of the Match Officials for Round 16 of Super Rugby 2014.
Mike Fraser starts the weekend’s action in Christchurch when the Crusaders host the Western Force.
This weekend sees 7 matches, with 2 games on Friday and 5 on Saturday.
The Toyota Cheetahs have a BYE weekend.
The Vodacom Bulls will have William Small-Smith available again for selection ahead of their Vodacom Super Rugby clash against the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday. The 22-year old midfielder was ruled out of last week’s selection due to a stomach ailment.
Jono Ross was cleared of concussion and Jurgen Visser suffered a contusion in last Friday night’s win over the Brumbies, but is ready to play as well. They will sit out the field session on Monday and will train Tuesday, team doctor Org Strauss confirmed.
Schalk Burger
Experienced flank Schalk Burger is in doubt for the Stormers’ clash against the Sharks in Durban this weekend as he continues to battle with a neck injury.
Burger injured his neck in a tackle from Coenie Oosthuizen in the Stormers’ 33-0 victory over the Cheetahs at Newlands on Saturday and will be assessed again later in the week but at this stage is considered a 50/50 chance to face the Sharks at Kings Park.
Wing Kobus van Wyk will not be considered for selection, having re-injured his wrist which has ruled him out for the next three weeks.
James Horwill
Following agreement between the parties, the Misconduct hearing against James Horwill was brought forward to Monday 26 May.
The Judicial Officer Nigel Hampton Hampton QC accepted a guilty plea from Mr Horwill of the Reds on one count of Misconduct brought against him by SANZAR.
The complaint related to comments, ” … once again we were robbed by a stupid refereeing decision,” made by Mr Horwill during an on-field post-match interview following the Reds v Rebels match played at Suncorp Stadium on 17 May 2014 that breached Section 8.3 (3) of the SANZAR Code of Conduct, which reads as follows:
Jerome Kaino
Jerome Kaino always knew that coming back to New Zealand from Japan in an attempt to make the All Blacks again would be tough, not just because of the quality of fellow loose forward contenders.
The rise in intensity from Japan’s top flight to the southern hemisphere’s Super Rugby competition has also been an eye-opener.
“I wouldn’t say it has been easy,” the Auckland Blues forward said at All Blacks’ training in Wellington on Monday.
Dan Bowden
Dan Bowden is coming home after signing with New Zealand Rugby and the Blues for the 2015 and 2016 Super Rugby seasons.
28-year-old Bowden, a former Highlander and Crusader, has been playing rugby in England since 2010 and is relishing the opportunity of returning to Auckland where he grew up.
“I’m really excited to be returning home along with my four-month-old baby and wife. I had opportunities to stay in the UK but coming back to be around my family and playing for the Blues is something I’ve always wanted to do,” Bowden said.
Trouble is brewing for the Cell C Sharks rugby team after a forensic investigation into their finances was ordered following concerns raised by the brand’s auditing company KPMG.
According to reports, the team’s top brass is keeping mum on the issue but have confirmed that such an investigation is being conducted.
Jean de Villiers
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers will miss the Castle Lager Incoming Series next month after he was ruled out for approximately eight weeks with a knee injury.
After experiencing some discomfort in his left knee on Saturday morning, De Villiers was pulled out of the DHL Stormers’ Vodacom Super Rugby match against the Toyota Cheetahs.
De Villiers underwent a scope in Cape Town on Sunday morning and the prognosis is that he will be out of action for almost two months. He will hopefully be back by the start of Castle Lager Rugby Championship in August.
Adriaan Strauss
Cheetahs captain Adriaan Strauss has been cited for a lifted tackle in his sides loss against the Stormers.
Strauss was Yellow Carded by referee Stuart Berry for the incident that happened in the 23rd minute of the Cheetahs dismissal display at wet and windy Newlands.
Michael Foley
Western Force coach Michael Foley is angry at the fact that his team will play in three different countries inside the space of 14 days.
Foley has slammed the Super Rugby scheduling which sees the Force play in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand in three consecutive games.
That stretch started on May 17 when the Force lost to the Stormers in Cape Town.
The Chiefs’ two-year reign as Super Rugby champions is under threat after their 45-8 loss to the Hurricanes during the Round 15 clash, in which tournament standings underwent seismic transformation.
South Africa’s Sharks provided an element of stability by beating the Auckland-based Blues 29-23 to remain atop the championships ladder, five points clear of the New South Wales Waratahs.
The Chiefs and ACT Brumbies, who were beaten 44-23 by the Pretoria-based Bulls, not only gave up their places atop the New Zealand and Australian conferences but entirely dropped out of the top six.
It is a measure of the closeness of this season’s playoffs race that a single round can so thoroughly change the leading standings and a single defeat can impinge so heavily on any team’s title hopes.
Patrick Osborne’s disallowed try in the final moments of the Crusaders game could have gone either way according to Jamie Josephs.
The Highlanders coach, while not giving it away directly, clearly believes TMO Vinnie Munro’s decision to not allow the try that would give them the victory was wrong.
The Western Force scored their eighth win of the season and moved into second spot on the Australian Vodacom Super Rugby conference but the Lions can feel aggrieved at the circumstances that led to their 29-19 defeat in Perth on Saturday.
That scoreline doesn’t tell you how close it was for most of the way as the Lions simply refused to lie down in the second half against a Western Force team that was given a significant leg up by yet another diabolical TMO decision before halftime.
The Lions, determined to get one win on the road before heading back to Johannesburg, were leading 9-3 and looking well in control after a wet start to the game when loosehead prop Corne Fourie was yellow carded for what the TMO saw as a no arms tackle. The replay suggested it was a dubious call and even the Australian commentators were in agreement that it was a “soft” yellow card.
Stormers (15) 33 / 0 (0) Cheetahs (Final Score)
The DHL Stormers and Toyota Cheetahs did battle in Super Rugby at
Newlands, Cape Town at 17:05 SA Time (15:05 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Force (15) 29 / 19 (9) Lions (Final Score)
The Western Force and Lions did battle in Super Rugby at
nib Stadium, Perth at 11:40 SA Time (17:40 AWST, 09:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Hurricanes (21) 45 / 8 (8) Chiefs (Final Score)
The Hurricanes and Chiefs did battle in Super Rugby at
Westpac Stadium, Wellington at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 07:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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Highlanders (12) 30 / 32 (10) Crusaders (Final Score)
The Highlanders and Crusaders did battle in Super Rugby at
Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin at 07:35 SA Time (17:35 NZ Time, 05:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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Bulls (23) 44 / 23 (6) Brumbies (Final Score)
The Vodacom Bulls and Brumbies did battle in Super Rugby at
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria at 19:10 SA Time (17:10 GMT, 03:10 Saturday AEST).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Rebels (9) 19 / 41 (16) Waratahs (Final Score)
The Melbourne Rebels and Waratahs did battle in Super Rugby at
AAMI Park, Melbourne at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 AEST, 09:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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Blues (6) 23 / 29 (16) Sharks (Final Score)
The Blues and Cell C Sharks did battle in Super Rugby at
North Harbour Stadium, Albany at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 07:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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A full and exciting weekend of Vodacom Super Rugby lies ahead with all five South African franchises in action on Friday and Saturday.
The weekend kicks off with the Cell C Sharks taking on the Blues in Albany, where the team from KwaZulu-Natal will be looking to improve their superb winning run – the best ever by any South African team against overseas opposition – at North Harbour Stadium.
On Friday evening, Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria will host a repeat of last year’s semi-final between the Vodacom Bulls – thus far unbeaten at home – and the Brumbies, who will be looking to avenge their defeat last weekend in Bloemfontein.
On Saturday morning, the Lions will be looking to turn back the clock to 2007 when their Australasian tour concludes with a tricky encounter against the Force in Perth, before the DHL Stormers will be looking to build on their recent home success when host the Toyota Cheetahs in the only derby of the weekend at DHL Newlands in Cape Town.
It is Round 15 of Super Rugby 2014 this weekend! We have 7 games in Round 15, with 3 game on Friday and 4 games on Saturday.
The Reds have a BYE weekend.
In June / July 2014 the Antipodian teams will catch up in played games with the South African counterparts, when the South African sides sit out for 1 Round.
The Combined Log will therefore be skewed for the majority of the competition and one has to question why individual countries are allowed to start such a long competition ahead of it’s rivals. In 2013 the Australian sides started a week early, but at least they had the excuse that they needed an extra week in the middle of the year to prepare for the British & Irish Lions series, which they lost.
New Zealand Super Rugby Franchise Jerseys with child names
The jerseys of the five New Zealand Super Rugby teams will look slightly different this weekend.
All of the jerseys being worn by the five New Zealand-based Super Rugby squads have been customised for Round 15 with the name of a different child.
It was done as part of a charity initiative run by the BNZ in aid of Plunket – New Zealand’s largest provider of support services for the development, health and well-being of children under the age of 5.
Jonathan Kaplan
Top retired referee Jonathan Kaplan has called on referees to stamp out the illegal tactic of holding players back in rugby games.
Much of the attention these past few days has been focused on the red card given to Sharks flanker Jean Deysel and his three-week ban for making contact with the face of a Crusaders player out of frustration as his leg was being held.
But there has been little attention to the fact that the tactic of illegally tackling players away from the ruck, or holding onto them is the problem that often causes the frustration for players and causes them to lash out.
While not trying to justify Deysel’s actions, there is an increasing tendency for teams in Vodacom Super Rugby – particularly those from New Zealand – to use the tactic of holding players back, or use up the space in front of the ball, allowing the ball carrier to slip in behind. It does seem to be an Australasian tendency that is slowly increasing in Super Rugby this year.
Jack Lam
Hurricanes flanker Jack Lam will play his 50th match for the Wellington-based franchise when they host the Chiefs on Saturday.
Lam said clocking up a win in his 50th match would not only be an achievement for him, but the Hurricanes club as a whole.
Tim Nanai-Williams
Dynamic and versatile back, Tim Nanai-Williams, has re-committed to the Super Rugby champions, signing until at least the end of the 2015 season.
The 24-year-old has played 62 matches for the Chiefs and said that re-signing was an easy decision.
Lions’ head coach Johan Ackermann has made 10 changes to the run on personnel, 6 in the pack, and four in the backs, as well as one positional switch to his side to take on the Western Force in Perth this weekend.
The Lions have yet to pick up a win on tour and are desperate to break their duck, but major injuries have beset the touring squad in the past week making a win on Saturday against a high flying Force side seem unlikely.
The lowest mark for a Super Rugby Finals Series qualifier over recent years has been 53, meaning that this season one can mathematically assume in 2014 at least 45 points gives a team a chance of playing knockout rugby.
Remember 8 less points are on offer in 2014 with nothing awarded for a bye.
The Melbourne Rebels are now out of calculations, for while a potentially brilliant perfect 25 from 25 points in their closing run covers the rudimentary maths, they would need to rely on a perfect maelstrom of losing chaos at the top of the table.
The Blues, although 1oth and in a precarious position on the Log, have 5 games left, but from hereon in it is crunch time for them. They almost need a flawless run from here and a loss to the Sharks, will certainly put them out of the running on the weekend.
For the Vodacom Bulls, it becomes doubly difficult now, they only have 4 games left, compared to 5 by most of the teams above them in the pecking order. One more loss, and you can write them off. They need a near perfect run in their 4 games, earning at least 17 Log points from 4 games, so that means at least one bonus point try win and the rest all wins.
Evaluation in reverse order:
Despite the massive effort required of the Cell C Sharks in their victory over the Crusaders, Director of Rugby Jake White was able to name an almost unchanged line-up for the final tour match against the Blues on Friday.
With Jean Deysel suspended until 7 June following a Disciplinary Hearing, Jacques Botes gets his first start of the year (making his 115th Vodacom Super Rugby appearance for the team).
The rest of the team remains unchanged for this crucial game.
Frans Ludeke
The Bulls won’t have revenge on their minds when they face the Brumbies in a Super Rugby clash at Loftus Versfeld on Friday night.
The Brumbies broke the Bulls hearts when they beat the men from Pretoria 26-23 in last year’s semi-final at Loftus, with centre Tevita Kuridrani’s late try sealing the win for the men from Canberra.
While it would be important to have a look at what cost them in that game, coach Frans Ludeke said revenge would not be on their minds.
Hilton Lobberts
Former Springbok forward Hilton Lobberts has been named on the Cheetahs bench for Saturday’s clash with the Stormers at Newlands.
The two-Test former Stormers player replaces lock Waltie Vermeulen in one of two changes made to the Cheetahs bench. Scrumhalf Tian Meyer, who like Lobberts was part Vodacom Cup-winning Griquas team – also comes onto the bench for Renier Botha.
Jean de Villiers
Schalk Burger
Vice-captain Schalk Burger and captain Jean de Villiers are both back in the DHL Stormers team for Saturday’s Vodacom Super Rugby clash against the Cheetahs at DHL Newlands, kick-off 17:05 SA Time.
Tickets for this weekend can be bought online at TicketPros, or from selected Spar stores or PostNet outlets/stores. Ticket prices start at R50 for standing and R80 for seating.
Burger missed last weekend’s 24-8 win over the Force, whilst De Villiers returns after a two-week lay-off.
Jacques Potgieter in action for the Waratahs
The Waratahs have made two changes to the starting line-up that will battle to retain the Weary Dunlop Shield against the Rebels in Melbourne on Friday night.
Abrasive lock Jacques Potgieter returns to the tight five, whilst Alofa Alofa is named to start on the wing.
Luke Braid returns from injury to captain the Blues against the Sharks at QBE Stadium in North Harbour on Friday night.
The openside flanker missed the last two games against the Chiefs and Reds with a shoulder injury, but after another week off with the bye Braid is back to full fitness and raring to go.
“It was really important to make sure we gave Luke time to recover from his shoulder,” Blues head coach Sir John Kirwan said.