Bulls (10) 19 / Hurricanes (15) 18 (final score)
The Bulls hosted the Hurricanes at Loftus, Pretoria at 19:10 on Friday night, SA Time. This is the match Thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast on SuperSport 1 on DSTV in SA. The Bulls slowly ground out an ugly win by 1 point, 19 / 18 and stay top of the Log, now with 24 Log Points!
Option taking by the Bulls were slow and ponderous but they know how to be patient and it showed!
IRB 7’s Tournament in Adelaide, Australia. Results:
| 44 | 21-03-2010 18:20 | SAMOA | 38 – 10 | UNITED STATES | Final Cup |
| 43 | 21-03-2010 17:50 | NEW ZEALAND | 21 – 14 | SOUTH AFRICA | Final Plate |
| 42 | 21-03-2010 17:20 | ENGLAND | 33 – 12 | KENYA | Final Bowl |
| 41 | 21-03-2010 16:50 | TONGA | 19 – 22 | JAPAN | Final Shield |
Blues (10) 39 vs Brumbies (16) 34 (final score)
The Blues hosted the Brumbies at Eden Park, Auckland at 08:35 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast on SuperSport 1 on DSTV in SA. The Blues won a very exciting match 39 / 34, scoring 5 tries to 3 in the process and earning a full 5 Log points. The Brumbies earned only 1 Log point.
Yes you read it here first as it has come to light that the Sharks are in advance talks with Bath Rugby Club to try get Butch James back home in Durban.Although not much more is known at this stage, we will let you know as soon as more infomation is available on this matter.
Christo Buchner
A new captain and fullback are among the moves the Sharks have made in a desperate bid to get their first victory in this year’s Super 14.
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We have 6 games to look forward to this weekend, namely:
| 19 | Blues | v | Brumbies | Auckland | 08:35 |
| 19 | Vodacom Bulls | v | Hurricanes | Loftus Versfeld | 19:10 |
| 20 | Crusaders | v | Auto & General Lions | Christchurch | 06:30 |
| 20 | Highlanders | v | The Sharks | Dunedin | 08:35 |
| 20 | Western Force | v | Waratahs | Perth | 13:10 |
| 20 | Vodacom Stormers | v | Vodacom Cheetahs | Newlands Rugby Stadium | 17:05 |
Springbok flanker Wikus Van Heerden is set to play for the Lions for the rest of the S14. Continue reading
This is not a bad Sharks team although one can question a few obtions taken by Plumtree, the biggest being the choice of captain? surely after the successes Stefan Terblanche has had last season as capt should have counted in his favour? Continue reading
When two South African Super 14 teams clash there will be a war of words. It happened from the isolation years and i am sure that it will never stop. On the Cheetahs website i found this , it is in Afrikaans and there is also a link to the interview.
Lionel Mapoe may soon be on his way to the Blue Bulls due to a salary dispute with the Free State Rugby Union (FSRU).
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Here are the Teams announced thus far for the weekend’s clashes, we will update this thread as more teams are made known. The contents herof can also be found under Teams – Super 14- Round 6 just below the header graphics.
Allister Coetzee, coach of the Vodacom Stormers, on Wednesday announced his team to play the Vodacom Cheetahs at Newlands on Saturday 20 March. Continue reading
Bulls scrumhalf, Fourie du Preez, on Wednesday extended his contract with the union till the conclusion of the Super 15 competition in 2011.
Here it simply explains what we all seem to know, but fail to ackowlegde as and when it suits us thus not being very understanding to the situation. I made a posting in keo ealier today saying in as much and if one takes the team the Sharks could and would have had , had management just kept what we had and taken the players that approached them like J Fourie, Brussow.
With these players plus what they lost the quality and combinations of this team would have been extremely potent and near unstoppable. Talk about spilt milk >????
Wiehahn Herbst has been flown to New Zealand to join the Sharks After it was confirmed that Deon Carstens will play no further part on tour.
At the elite level of competition that is the Vodacom Super 14, the margins between victory and defeat are impossibly small, requiring that every avenue be explored in pursuit of success.
“I’ve Never Seen an Attacking Side Win Any Competition”
(says Stormers’ coach, Allister Coetzee)
By – Famed schoolboy coach, Basil Bey, provides an alternative argument in his column, Read on.
Proteas coach Corrie van Zyl is anxiously waiting to hear whether Graeme Smith will be fit for the World Twenty20 tournament to be played in the West Indies in May.
The Waratahs are finally trying to play running rugby – ”Praise the Lord, and pass the ammunition”. At the end of their exciting victory over the hapless Lions, the Fox Sports commentator Greg Clark indulged himself in an orgy of statistics: 11 tries scored by the Waratahs, their highest winning score, their highest winning margin, and Drew Mitchell a record four-try spree.
The Crusaders enjoyed a very good win over the Chiefs in Hamilton last weekend – now the challenge is to follow that up against the Lions at AMI Stadium on Saturday.
It is official. Juan de Jongh will not be running out for the Vodacom Stormers in Saturday’s Vodacom Super 14 match against the Cheetahs at Newlands. Continue reading
The articles by McLook is mixed with the 1965 Australia tour by the Springboks. So there is not a follow up on the All Black tour to South Africa in 1970 this week. This is the first of the Austalia tour.
A while ago, during the Bokke end of year tour, we here on Rugby-talk debated the need for a Scrumming Academy of some sort. I clearly remember that we were the only rugby web site to agitate so fiercely for this proposed scrumming Academy. Between our bloggers tight head, grootblousmile, Loosehead and some others, we pleaded for the formation of an Academy which would ensure that all SA Super 14 teams would sing from the same hymmbook as far as scrumming is concerned, we pleaded for more than that, in fact we felt an Academy was needed where a South African formula or scrumming blueprint could be developed and taught from age level upwards.
Well, it looks like someone either read our viewpoints or our prayers have been answered.
As expected, the Bulls have named their strongest possible team to take on the Hurricanes on Friday at 19:10 at Loftus. Deon Stegmann returns to be the starting No 6 (openside flanker) and Derick Kuün reverts back to the bench.
The Cheetahs have announced their squad to take on the Stormers at Newlands on Saturday 17:05. A big surprise was sprung, naming Barend Pieterse, forwards coach of the Cheetahs, on the bench, however old Cheetahs hands says this was always on the cards.
Rugby is a game that I, as well as, I am sure, multitudes of people from all around the world feel very strongly about. We will wait in anticipation for the season to kick off, moaning constantly about the lack of any “real” sport in the off season. During the games, we will sit, breathlessly waiting until the final whistle, whether the result is a foregone conclusion or not. We will passionately defend our team in any situation, blaming anything from the ref, the touch-judge, the other team’s supporters or even imaginary people “read 1995 World Cup’s Suzie” instead of admitting that our boys were in the wrong.
The Lions are going through a torrid time this season. Taking a team over that was a unhappy camp is tough in itself. Having so many of your best players abandoning ship makes Dick Muir’s job almost impossible. What possibly could be a possitive for this embattled team, at this stage?
Sharks head coach John Plumtree has, again, angrily dismissed reports that there is a rift in his squad.
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Cape Town – The Stormers have suspended flyhalf Lionel Cronjé for two weeks after he was involved in a fight in the early hours of Sunday morning.
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Rugby Talk team of the week, a few new faces in the selection panel, but most players pick them-self.
The burly midfielder, Ma’a Nonu form the Hurricanes, appeared before a SANZAR judicial hearing in Cape Town on Monday.
Nonu was found “not guilty” of a reckless tackle during his team’s 13-37 loss in their Super 14 match against the Stormers at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town at the weekend.
Yes, it’s Varsity Cup Monday and we have 4 games again.
| Week Seven, Monday, March 15 | ||||
| Pukke v Maties | Fanie du Toit Stadium | 4.30pm (TV) | 17-33 | |
| UCT v Tuks | Groote Schuur Rugby Fields | 6.30pm | 38-24 | |
| Shimlas v UJ | Shimla Park | 6.30pm (TV) | 51-32 | |
| TUT v NMMU | TUT Stadium | 6.30pm | 45-40 | |
My connection with you restored, sometimes one must do it yourself. Now lets see what you think, who are the star players, from SA sides only, for this past weekend. Go ahead pick your team of the weekend. I will go through all your picks and the players with the majority vote will be in our team.
Cape Town – Hurricanes centre Ma’a Nonu will appear before a SANZAR judicial officer in Cape Town on Monday after being cited for a dangerous tackle following Saturday’s Super 14 match against the Stormers in Cape Town.
The Bulls are on full Log points after their 4 games (after week 5), having earned their bonus point in every game.
But is everything fine… what about defensive structures? What about concentrating for 80 minutes? What will happen against the better teams with sloppy defence like this?