SANZAR has announced the referees for week 16 of Super Rugby 2011.
Sharks flank Jean Deysel has been suspended for two weeks after being found guilty of foul play by a SANZAR Judicial Hearing held in Durban on Tuesday.
Vodacom Bulls coach Frans Ludeke added close to 200 Super Caps to his side in making two changes for Friday night’s Super Rugby clash against the Waratahs at Loftus Versfeld.
Lions Flanker Michael Rhodes has been banned for 6 weeks by a SANZAR judiciary for a dangerous tackle on Highlanders winger Siale Piutau.
New Zealand media have been reporting over the weekend that Dunedin Police are investigating an alleged sexual assault case involving one of the touring Lions players.
Reds (7) 17 / Crusaders (10) 16 (Final Score)
The Reds hosted the Crusaders at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane at 08:10 SA Time, Sunday morning. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
The Reds flyhalf, Quade Cooper, slotted a penalty in the 80th minute to secure a 1-point lead and eventual win. It was a hard and brutal match but the relatively low scores both sides just do not do justice to the open and flowing game presented by these tow sides on the day.
Bulls (11) 32 / Cheetahs (0) 21 (Final Score)
The Vodacom Bulls hosted the Toyota Cheetahs at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria. The Bulls won in spectacular fashion but took a great risk at the end to go for the 4 try bonus point at all costs, leading with only 4 points at the time. In the 84th minute Francios Hougaart crashed over for the 4th try. The final score gives one the impression that it was an easy win, the fact are that if it went wrong the Cheetahs would have won this well contested match.
The Bulls have now moved to No 7 on the Combined Log, playing the Waratahs next, who is in No 6th spot, one point ahead of the Bulls.
Sharks (13) 26 / Waratahs (11) 21 (Final Score)
The Sharks hosted the Waratahs at Mr Price Kings Park, Durban at 17:05 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
The Sharks left it late but ground out the necessary win, moving them to No 5 on the Combined Log.
Brumbies (3) 3 / Stormers (6) 16 (Final Score)
The Brumbies hosted the DHL Stormers at Canberra Stadium, Canberra at 11:40 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
In the ugliest game of the whole season, the DHL Stormers ground out a win, only one try scored in the whole match.
The DHL Stormers road to the play-off’s is still safe.
Highlanders (16) 22 / Lions (9) 26 (Final Score)
The Highlanders hosted the MTN Lions at Carisbrook, Dunedin at 09:35 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
The embattled MTN Lions pulled off a miracle win right at the death, doing the Bulls and Sharks a huge favour in the process… and causing the Highlanders to only get 1 Log point from this game.
After advice from a specialist on his ankle strain, Peter Grant has been withdrawn from the game to play the Brumbies and will return to South Africa. The injury requires 2-3weeks of immobilisation, rest and rehabilitation.
Activists in New Zealand have threatened to disrupt this year’s Rugby World Cup with protests over government cutbacks, including possibly flour-bombing Auckland’s Eden Park stadium from the air.
Toulon have signed South African World cup winner Andre Pretorius as replacement for Welsh International Gavin Henson.
Hurricanes (10) 34 / Force (18) 28 (Final Score)
The Hurricanes hosted the Western Force at FMG Stadium, Palmerston at 09:35 SA Time. This was the match Thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
After a diabolical start, the Hurricanes rallied to grit out a bonus point win against a gutsy Western Force side.
Herewith ALL the Super Rugby team sheets as they are announced for week 15 of Super Rugby 2011.
Frans Steyn is set to rejoin the Springboks for this year’s TriNations and the Rugby World cup after playing for Top 14 club Racing Metro.
The Sharks have named their team to face the Waratahs in what will be their final home game of the Super Rugby pool stages with John Smit as captain.
Allister Coetzee, head coach of the DHL Stormers, today named a team with a number of changes to the side that beat the Blues 28-26 in Auckland last Friday.
The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff Wales has been confirmed as a venue for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
All Blacks’ inspirational captain Richie McCaw has confirmed that he has re-signed with the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) and the Crusaders Super Rugby franchise, committing through until 2015.
Some players announce themselves on the rugby scene the moment they take the field in front of our television cameras, some take longer, but it is no less worth the wait!
The MTN Lions will be playing the Highlanders this Saturday, 28 May 2011 in Dunedin. Kick off is at 19:35 (New
Zealand time). The team was announced this morning and is:
The Bulls have a scrumhalf crisis ahead of Saturday’s Super Rugby match against the Cheetahs at Loftus Versfeld.
Having had their their first-choice No 9 Fourie du Preez ruled out for four weeks with a knee injury at the beginning of the week, the Bulls suffered a further blow when Francois Hougaard hurt his ankle in training on Tuesday.
I wrote a piece a few months ago entitled : “Most enjoyable Test against England”. It was an Article about two Test matches South Africa played against England in 1984.
Danie Gerber scored 4 tries in the two Tests; overall South Africa crossed the English goal line 9 times.
Whilst South Africans might admire the fact that New Zealand Rugby has successfully retained Dan Carter, Richie McCaw and soon to be confirmed, Sonny Bill Williams – post Rugby World Cup 2011, there are some who believe the All Blacks have ‘sold their soul’.
SANZAR have released the match officials for the fifteenth Round of the 2011 Super Rugby tournament and Steve Walsh has the big one on Sunday between the Reds and Crusaders.
This weekend has six matches, one on Friday and four on Saturday and one on Sunday.
The Blues, Chiefs and the Rebels have the bye this weekend.
The Stormers have lost Springbok prop CJ van der Linde but should have Jean de Villiers, Jaque Fourie and Peter Grant back for their match against the Brumbies this weekend.
Young prop Frans Malherbe has been called up to replace Van der Linde.
The Sharks Super Rugby loss to the Bulls in Round 14 came at a cost as at least two players will miss this weekend’s Waratahs clash.
Cheetahs wing Ryno Benjamin has been suspended for two weeks after a SANZAR Judicial Hearing found him guilty of headbutting an opponent during a Super Rugby match at the weekend.
It appears that the injury to Bulls scrumhalf Fourie du Preez is worse than initially thought, with scans revealing a grade 2 tear in the medial ligaments of the knee. This injury will not only keep him out of the weekend’s Super Rugby clash with the Cheetahs, but also for at least the rest of the league stages of the Super Rugby Competition.
Kurt Coleman has flown to Australia and Peter Grant is expected to be fit to play in the next game, but the Stormers have confirmed that they are looking at options from outside of the squad as they look to have flyhalf well covered as the business end of the Vodacom Super Rugby arrives. Continue reading
When looking at the SA conference and ignoring the matches against overseas teams, our conference make for interesting reading.
I thought it would be interesting to have a look at our conference as a unit on its own, comparing our local derbies only. Continue reading
A bit better for me this weekend in terms of the SuperBru picks. Got 4/6 right, with the Sharks and the Stormers (second week in a row!) letting my picks down, although I am extremely happy for getting the Stormers pick wrong! If this is going to be the trend, picking the Stormers game wrong time and again, I will pick them to lose every game from now on!
The prospects of three teams from either New Zealand or South Africa making Super Rugby’s six-team playoffs is firming, as is the embarrassment of Australia having just one.
Fiji (14) 14 / (10) 24 South Africa (Final Score)
South Africa’s Blitzbokke beat Fiji in the 2011 Emirates Airline London Sevens Cup final, a repeat of the USA Sevens final, after Fiji had beaten New Zealand 42-17 and Wales 21-19 respectively in the semi finals.