Daily Archives: 8 March 2015
Round 5 of the FNB Varsity Cup will see a replay of last year’s epic final between FNB NWU-Pukke and FNB UCT in Potchefstroom on Monday.
The hosts will be looking to avenge their dramatic defeat, which saw the Ikey Tigers score 3 tries in the last 5 minutes to clinch the title, and keep their place in the Top 4, heading into the 2nd half of the current season.
In the other fixtures embattled 3-time champions FNB Maties will be looking for their 1st win this year when they host FNB UJ in Stellenbosch, while FNB UP-Tuks take on FNB CUT in Pretoria and log-leaders FNB UFS-Shimlas travel down to Port Elizabeth to face the FNB NMMU Madibaz.
Despite the inevitable hype that will come with the showdown in Potchefstroom, which will be televised live on Supersport 1 at 19:00 SA Time, NWU-Pukke coach Robert du Preez insists that it will not be about revenge but staying in the hunt this season with the play-offs fast approaching.
“We are not thinking about revenge, it will be stupid to go into a match with a revenge mind set, we just want to take things one game at a time.
“There is a lot riding on the game, with Ikeys being just 1 point behind us. We take things one game at a time and we want to take this opportunity to consolidate our standings and move up in the rankings. They are probably one of the most difficult sides to beat and it’s always tough to play against them no matter what the occasion,” said Du Preez.
Maties have only ever missed out on the play-offs once, and they will have to win the rest of their games convincingly to avoid that fate again, starting against a confident UJ side at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch.
The CUT Ixias have suffered heavy defeats in every game of their debut season so far, and will certainly have their work cut out for them again against a UP-Tuks side determined to bounce back from their first defeat of the season last week.
Pace-setters UFS-Shimlas are the only team in the competition that is yet to lose this season, and they face another test in Port Elizabeth against an NMMU side that has to win if they are to keep their hopes of sneaking into the play-offs alive.
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”.