SANZAR has released the names of the officials for Round 5 of Super Rugby 2014. Craig Joubert starts the action this weekend in Hamilton when the Chiefs host the DHL Stormers.
This weekend has 7 games, with 2 games on Friday and 5 on Saturday.
The Vodacom Bulls have a bye weekend.
The coastal teams made a charge up the standings at the conclusion of Round 6 of the 2014 FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International on Monday night.
There were important wins for FNB UCT, FNB NMMU and FNB Maties in an enthralling penultimate round of matches before the play-offs, leaving the competition wide open heading into the final week of league action.
The Ikey Tigers ran in four tries against FNB UFS-Shimlas to secure their first victory at home on the Green Mile this season and move into second place, just four log points behind pace-setters FNB NWU-Pukke.
The Cape team scored three tries playing into the wind in the first half and then went on to claim the bonus point after half-time as they romped to a 25-5 victory. This result leaves UFS-Shimlas down in sixth place after starting the round in third position.
Torrential rain in the northern part of the country had a big say in the other three matches, as FNB UJ and FNB UP-Tuks slumped to defeats at home, whilst NWU-Pukke were forced to work hard for their victory over FNB Wits in Potchefstroom.
Defending champions UP-Tuks suffered their second consecutive defeat at home, as the Madibaz ground out a crucial 19-9 win which saw them move past the Pretoria side into third place on the standings. It was NMMU’s second big scalp of 2014, having beaten the Maties back in Round 1.
The fixtures for the Absa Currie Cup Qualifying Competition and the new eight-team Premier Division were released by the South African Rugby Union (SARU) on Tuesday.
The Qualifying Competition, which will be contested by GWK Griquas, the Leopards, SWD Eagles, Boland Cavaliers, Down Touch Griffons, Border Bulldogs and Valke, will kick off on the first weekend of June and run until 19 July, when the top team on the log will be granted entry into the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division.
The Cell C Sharks will lose one player but are expected to get back another one or even two for this Saturday’s Vodacom Super Rugby clash with the Reds at Growthpoint KINGS PARK.
The DHL Stormers side has suffered some injuries whilst on tour, with Scarra Ntubeni and Patrick Cilliers sent back to South Africa.
As a result, the Stormers are looking for suitable replacements to join them on tour.
In addition they have tried to obtain the services of Griquas hooker on loan, Martin Bezuidenhot, which have apparently been unuccessful.
Jake White has indicated that any kind of honeymoon period is over for his Cell C Sharks team, with the next three weeks of Vodacom Super Rugby presenting a significant step up from what has gone before for his log-leading side.
The good news for Sharks fans is that their team will be going into the sequence of matches described by White as a massive challenge – against the Reds (home), Vodacom Bulls (away) and Waratahs (home) – with the significant presence of JP Pietersen back in the mix.
Wales coach Warren Gatland has revealed that his star fullback Leigh Halfpenny will miss the rest of the season after dislocating his shoulder in the 29-18 loss to England at Twickenham.
Former All Black Brad Thorn has a chance of returning to Super Rugby this weekend and playing for the Highlanders against the Western Force.
The thirty-nine-year-old damaged some cartilage playing for the Highlanders in their season opening match against the Blues.
Waratahs coach Michael Cheika has made just one change to his starting lineup for Saturday’s showdown with the Brumbies, with skipper Dave Dennis returning to the side.
Dennis takes over from Stephen Hoiles on the side of the scrum after recovering from the knee injury that sidelined him from the win against the Reds two weeks ago.
Blues hooker Keven Mealamu has been forced to return home early from South Africa with a calf injury that is likely to cause Steve Hansen some concern as the All Blacks coach finalises his planning for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
The veteran forward has battled calf injuries for the last three seasons and sustained another strain to his left leg ahead of the Super Rugby match against the Bulls in Pretoria last week.
Edinburgh rugby player, Izak van der Westhuizen, who also played for the Free State Cheetahs, will be joining the EP Kings in June.
EP Rugby CEO, Charl Crous said the 28-year-old lock out of Kimberly, had signed a three year deal with the Kings.
The father of Springbok wingers, Odwa and Akona Ndungane, passed away suddenly earlier this week.
Former Springbok Tinus Linee, who suffers from Motor Neuron Disease, is in a better condition in hospital after suffering a setback last week.
The 44-year-old former Western Province centre is communicating via hand signals and a chalkboard to nurses at his assistance.
The four men accused of beating former Royal Marine, Brett Williams, to death outside Kings Park rugby stadium have all pleaded not guilty.
Twenty-nine-year-old UK rugby fan Williams died outside the stadium following a Super Rugby match between the Sharks and Melbourne Rebels last year.
DHL Stormers captain Jean de Villiers will make his 100th Vodacom Super Rugby appearance when he leads his team out against the Chiefs in Hamilton on Friday morning (SA time).
UJ 8 / 24 Maties (Final Score)
FNB UJ (University of Johannesburg) and FNB Maties (University of Stellenbosh)
did battle in the Varsity Cup at Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosh at 19:00 SA Time (17:00 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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I find this rare. It is usually the Bulls supporters looking for suitable Jacaranda trees to hang the coaches. The Stormers have their way to show displeasure in their team. But for New Zealand coaches to be under early pressure is something rare.
Australian teams played 13 game and won 8 off them , New Zealand team played 13 won 5 and South African teams played 18 games thus far winning 9 off them. This number could have been worse for New Zealand if the Stormers were able to defend their small margin.
Players in this competition had to predict how many games each team will lose and draw during the regular season. No casualties to report. Everyone is still alive in our game.
With the play-offs on the horizon, Round Six of the FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International will have a major bearing on which teams make the knock-outs.
The penultimate round of the league phase of the competition has served up some intriguing clashes, and with seven of the eight sides still in the running for the semi-finals there will be no shortage of intensity on Monday night.
The only team without a chance of making the semi-finals is winless FNB Wits who face another major challenge as they travel to Potchefstroom to take on log-leaders FNB NWU-Pukke in the first match to be televised live on SuperSport 1.
NWU-Pukke are coming off consecutive away wins against FNB NMMU and defending champions FNB UP-Tuks, so they will be aiming for a bonus-point victory in front of their home crowd to extend their lead at the top of the standings.
Down in Cape Town the third-placed FNB Ikey Tigers will be looking for their first home win of the season when they look to tame both the fourth-placed FNB UFS-Shimlas and the notorious wind on the Green Mile.
The Ikeys are unbeaten on the road this season but have not had as much success at home, and they will be tested once again by a UFS-Shimlas team that held FNB Maties to a draw in a windy Stellenbosch last week.
Maties have been very erratic this year and find themselves down in sixth position, but well within striking distance of the top four, and they are up against a desperate UJ side who have just one win to show for their efforts this season.
Despite their troubles this year, UJ’s hopes of making the semi-finals are not over so expect them to have a full go in front of their home crowd with their campaign effectively on the line.
UP-Tuks will be looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the season to NWU-Pukke last week when they host the NMMU Madibaz in Pretoria.
The Madibaz find themselves in fifth place after their tough win over Wits last week, and they face another difficult assignment against a UP-Tuks team determined to bounce back from a defeat at home.
England (20) 29 / 18 (15) Wales (Final Score)
England and Wales did battle in the Six Nations tournament at
Twickenham, London at 17:00 SA Time (15:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
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The Vodacom Bulls delivered their best performance of the season as the Cell C Sharks kept their grip on the top of the Vodacom Super Rugby table.
The three-time champions from Pretoria scored four tries to one in their impressive victory over the Blues at Loftus Versfeld – their first try-scoring bonus-point of 2014 in a 38-22 win.
The Cell C Sharks’ score over the Lions was similar – 37-23 – and they also got a bonus-point for four tries which, as in the Vodacom Bulls’ case, was scored very late in the match.
The two South African teams currently touring Down Under both lost – the Toyota Cheetahs by 43-33 against the Reds in Brisbane, while the DHL Stormers put in a very spirited performance in Christchurch, but ultimately lost by 14-13 against the Crusaders – their 33rd successive home win over teams from the Republic.
The Down Touch Griffons and Cell C Sharks XV were the big winners in the first round of the 2014 Vodacom Cup, which kicked off across the width and breadth of South Africa this weekend.
These two teams top the North and South Section logs after round one when they managed to bag a full-house of five log points in their opening victories over the Assupol Limpopo Blue Bulls and Border Bulldogs respectively.
DHL Stormers coach Allister Coetzee was gutted for his players after their dramatic one-point defeat to the Crusaders on Saturday.
Sharks (23) 37 / 23 (9) Lions (Final Score)
The Cell C Sharks and Lions did battle in Super Rugby at
Growthpoint Kings Park, Durban at 19:10 SA Time (17:10 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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Bulls (25) 38 / 22 (12) Blues (Final Score)
The Vodacom Bulls and Blues did battle in Super Rugby at
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria at 17:05 SA Time (15:05 GMT, 04:05 Sunday NZ Time).
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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Scotland (14) 17 / 19 (9) France (Final Score)
Scotland and France did battle in the Six Nations tournament at
Murrayfield, Edinburgh at 19:00 SA Time (17:00 GMT, 18:00 French Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 7 on TV in SA.
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Ireland (17) 41 / 7 (7) Italy (Final Score)
Ireland and Italy did battle in the Six Nations tournament at
Aviva Stadium, Dublin at 16:30 SA Time (14:30 GMT, 15:30 Italy Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 7 on TV in SA.
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Force (32) 32 / 7 (0) Rebels (Final Score)
The Western Force and Melbourne Rebels did battle in Super Rugby at
nib Stadium, Perth at 10:40 SA Time (16:40 Perth Time, 19:40 ACT Time, 08:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
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Crusaders (3) 14 / 13 (3) Stormers (Final Score)
The Crusaders and DHL Stormers did battle in Super Rugby at
AMI Stadium, Christchurch 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, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Following a strategic meeting by the board of the Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd, it was decided that Vodacom Bulls Head Coach Frans Ludeke, following the completion of the Vodacom Super Rugby competition, will continue in a similar position with the Vodacom Blue Bulls in the Absa Currie Cup.
The Vodacom Bulls on Friday confirmed that prop Frik Kirsten has been ruled out of rugby for the remainder of the Vodacom Super Rugby season.
Gloucester No 8 Ben Morgan was the one injury-enforced change to England’s starting line-up announced by coach Stuart Lancaster on Friday for their Six Nations international against Wales at Twickenham this weekend.
Morgan replaces Billy Vunipola, the man he came on for during England’s 13-10 win over Ireland at Twickenham last time out, after his fellow back-row forward was ruled out of the final two rounds of the Six Nations with an ankle injury.
Reds (29) 43 / 33 (20) Toyota Cheetahs (Final Score)
The Reds and Toyota Cheetahs did battle in Super Rugby at
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane at 10:40 SA Time (18:40 Brisbane Time, 08:40 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 (13) 21 / 29 (15) Brumbies (Final Score)
The Hurricanes and Brumbies did battle in Super Rugby at
Westpac Stadium, Wellington at 08:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 06:35 GMT, 17:35 AEDT).
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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It is Round 4 of Super Rugby 2014 this weekend! We have 6 games in Round 4, with 2 games on Friday and 4 games on Saturday.
The Chiefs, Highlanders and Waratahs have bye weekends..
In June / July 2014 the Antipion 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.