Daily Archives: 5 June 2015
It is Round 17 of Super Rugby 2015 this weekend.
There are 2 games on Friday 5 June and 5 games on Saturday 6 June.
The Cell C Sharks have a BYE weekend.
The action is kicked off by the Hurricanes and Highlanders who do battle in Napier at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 17:35 AEST, 07:35 GMT)
Thereafter and after a couple of hours break, also on Friday – the Western Force play the Brumbies in Perth at 13:00 SA Time ((19:00 AWST, 21:00 AEST, 23:00 NZ Time, 11:00 GMT)
Early on Saturday the Melbourne Rebels host the Vodacom Bulls in Melbourne at 07:30 SA Time (15:30 AEST, 17:30 NZ Time, 05:30 GMT). It is the Vodacom Bulls’ last game on tour.
Thereafter the Blues host the Crusaders in Auckland at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 17:35 AEST, 07:35 GMT), whereafter the Reds host the Chiefs in Brisbane at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 AEST, 21:40 NZ Time, 09:40 GMT).
In South Africa, the Toyota Cheetahs host the Waratahs in Bloemfontein at 15:00 SA Time (13:00 GMT, 23:00 AEST, Sunday 01:00 NZ Time). Thereafter the DHL Stormers host the Emirates Lions in Cape Town at 17:05 SA Time (15:05 GMT, Sunday 01:05 AEST, Sunday 03:05 NZ Time).
The Hurricanes vs Highlanders match should be a cracker, as these are the 2 teams who have already qualified for the Top 6, it is anybody’s guess who will be victorious in this doozie!
The Brumbies should be too much for the Western Force in Perth, as the Brumbies are aiming at Top spot in the Australian Conference, whilst the Force is already out of the race for the playoffs.
The Vodacom Bulls have one final chance on tour to come good against the Melbourne Rebels, and so keep their playoff aspirations alive, but the Bulls play predictable and stale rugby and they will have to get a bonus point, if they were to have any semblance of a chance at the playoffs and still some other teams would have to do them favours in order to reach the playoffs.
The Crusaders are also close to playoff contention and will attempt to put the Blues to the sword in Auckland and they might well achieve that feat.
In Brisbane, the Chiefs will attemp to ressurrect their season, after some poor form in the last few Rounds and thus qualify for the playoffs, whereas a resurgent Reds team will try to salvage some pride after a dismal season. My guess is that the Chiefs will get their needed win.
The Waratahs should put Franco Smith’s new team to the sword and earn their bonus point in Bloemfontein. My expectation is that the Cheetahs midfield will be brittle and let through a few of the tries on the day.
The last game of the weekend is one I am particularly looking forward to, where No 1 and No 2 in the SA Conference do battle in Cape Town. The Lions chances of making the playoffs are very, very slim and only really a mathematical consideration, but the men from Joburg play passionalte and intense rugby, if not somewhat “Run-at-all-costs” and naiive rugby, but they make for a grand spectacle and the Stormers defences will be tested all afternoon in Cape Town. The Stormers on the other hand can sow up the SA Conference and will go hell-for-leather at the Lions to achieve that. I predict a relatively good win for the Stormers.
With only 2 Rounds of action left before the Top 6 teams in Super Rugby start fighting it out for the grand prize, there is still a lot that happen before the final positions on the Log are secured.
What we do know is that the Hurricanes and Highlanders, opponents in Napier this weekend, have already booked their places in the Top 6 and that none of the Melbourne Rebels, Cell C Sharks, Reds, Toyota Cheetahs, Blues or Western Force can make the playoffs anymore.
But the DHL Stormers, Waratahs, Chiefs, Brumbies, Emirates Lions, Crusaders and Vodacom Bulls still have a lot to play for – the final 4 spots in the playoffs.
The Vodacom Bulls still have a mathematical chance of reaching the playoffs, which means their match against the Melbourne Rebels on Saturday is a must-win, preferably with a try-scoring bonus point. It would be their 1st win in Australia in almost 3 years.
The only local derby on the roster this weekend is in Cape Town, where the DHL Stormers can put an end to the Emirates Lions’ hopes of reaching the playoffs, while at the same time securing the South African Conference title for a 3rd time.
The Emirates Lions have never beaten the DHL Stormers at DHL Newlands – in fact, they’ve only won once in 12 encounters against the Capetonians and will have to be at their very best on Saturday afternoon to keep alive their slim chance of making the Top 6 for the 1st time ever.
The other match involving a South African team on SA soil is also on Saturday afternoon, when the Toyota Cheetahs will be playing under new coach Franco Smith for the 1st time, against the Waratahs in Bloemfontein. A 5th win over the New South Welshmen for the team from Central South Africa would have a big impact on the Australian Conference.
The Cell C Sharks have a BYE this weekend.
Willie le Roux
Springbok fullback Willie Le Roux has been included in the Cheetahs matchday 23 to face the Waratahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Le Roux was a standout omission from new coach Franco Smith’s team announced earlier in the week but has now been included by taking the place of outgoing utility back Joe Pietersen on the bench.
This is the 2nd late change from the initial team after Varsity Cup star Gerhard Olivier was brought in for a potential debut off the bench as he replaces Willie Britz.
Smith decided to add a further 3 Varsity Cup players – 2 of which in the starting 15 – to the matchday team as he looks to rebuild the struggling franchise following a lacklustre 2015 campaign.
No 8 Niell Jordaan and flyhalf Neil Marais will make their Super Rugby debuts in the Cheetahs final home game of the campaign with prop Elandré Hugget starting the match on the bench.
In the forwards, Burrie Uys moves off the bench in a swap with Danie Mienie, while Tinie Burger and Johannes Prinsloo switch positions at the side of the scrum. Jordaan replaces Henco Venter at No 8 as the latter takes his place among the replacements.
Marais will be partnered with Sarel Pretorius as the halfback pairing while Springbok flyer Cornal Hendricks replaces the injured Raymond Rhule at left wing while Ryno Benjamin moves off the bench to take his place at inside centre, replacing Michael van der Spuy while Coenie van Wyk replaces Clayton Blommetjies, who misses the match altogether, at fullback.
Jerry Collins and his partner Alana tragically died in a car crash this morning… R.I.P.
Hurricanes and All Blacks legend Jerry Collins and his partner Alana Madill have tragically passed away following a car accident in France on Friday morning.
The duo were Beziers when their car was apparently struck by a bus.
The couple sadly passed away while their three-month-old daughter was taken to hospital in a critical condition.
Collins joined Wellington in 1999, earning 85 Super Rugby caps and first receiving a call-up to the All Blacks in 2001. He went on to play 48 Tests before retiring after the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
He subsequently joined French club Toulon and Ospreys in Wales before a stint in Japan.
He was 34 years of age.
Tributes have started flowing in from around the rugby world and a moment’s silence will be observed before kick-off between the Hurricanes and Highlanders in Napier on Friday evening.
Force (21) 33 / 20 (6) Brumbies
The Western Force and Brumbies did battle in Super Rugby at
nib Stadium, Perth at 13:00 SA Time (19:00 AWST, 21:00 AEST, 11:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
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The new ASICS-designed and manufactured Springbok jersey for the Rugby World Cup was launched at a glittering event in Cape Town on Thursday, with the 100 day mark to the start of the global showpiece fast approaching.
The launch of the iconic jersey is the culmination of months of hard work by scientists at the ASICS Institute of Sport Science in Kobe, Japan, in collaboration with the South African Rugby Union (SARU).
Jean de Villiers, Tendai Mtawarira, Eben Etzebeth, Bismarck du Plessis, Duane Vermeulen, Willie le Roux, Cornal Hendricks and Pat Lambie took part in an extensive testing programme in Japan to fine tune the final product. They were accompanied by Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer and other members of the management team.
The main aims in the design of the Springboks’ apparel were to reduce weight without compromising on strength. The jersey for the 2015 Rugby World Cup will be the lightest ever worn by South Africa, at 70 grams lighter than any previous jersey.
It also has smooth surface making it harder than ever before to keep hold of in the tackle, while an area which has seen significant development after player insight is the Super-Grip silicone which features on the chest of the jersey.
Heyneke Meyer
There is a method to the apparent ‘madness’ of Heyneke Meyer’s approach to the Springboks’ 2015 World Cup campaign.
Spending some time with the Bok mentor at a training camp in Cape Town this week, it became abundantly clear just how much preparation has already gone into South Africa’s campaign.
In fact the Bok coach even investigated the hotel beds the players will encounter during their stay in England in September and October – prompting media banter that the ‘Bok coach is sleeping on the job’.
However, even the massive 40-odd players at the 2 training camps – in Johannesburg last month and Cape Town this week – are part of a carefully orchestrated plan to ensure the Boks have the best possible chance of becoming the 1st country to win the Webb Ellis Cup for a 3rd time.
Meyer said the large squads are all part of his long-term plan, with a lot of the younger players that he can take forward.
Alwyn Hollenbach
Emirates Lions head coach Johan Ackermann has named his side to face the DHL Stormers at Newlands Stadium on Saturday.
Ackermann has opted for consistency for the clash, making just 2 forced changes to the Emirates Lions match day 23.
In the midfield, Alwyn Hollenbach will start at inside centre after Lionel Mapoe was unable to pass a late fitness test following a knock to his knee during last weekend’s win over the Waratahs. As a result, Harold Vorster will shift to outside centre for the match.
On the bench, Howard Mnisi will come in for Stokkies Hanekom, who also sustained a minor knee injury in last weekend’s game.
Damian de Allende
DHL Stormers and Springbok centre Damian de Allende will also play rugby in Japan later this year.
Good news for Stormers fans though is that the 23-year-old will return to play Super Rugby for the Cape franchise next year – as is the case with many South African Super Rugby players plying their trade in Japan.
It’s still unsure what team De Allende would be joining but the possibility exists that he could join Stormers coach Allister Coetzee at the Kobe Kobelco Steelers.
Derick Hougaard
Brain scans done on Derick Hougaard have revealed good news for the former Springbok and Bulls flyhalf.
The former star No 10 underwent tests in a Johannesburg hospital last week after he complained he was forgetting things, as well as suffering from headaches.
He quipped more tests were done on him than “Richie McCaw played Tests for the All Blacks”.
“Luckily, it was all good news. It showed there was minor damage and confirmed I have problems with my short-term memory, but in time it could recover 100%,” said Hougaard.
A young Canterbury club player has been banned from all rugby for 2 years for possessing a human growth hormone.
Finn Hart-Strawbridge pleaded guilty to possessing the drug, GHRP-6, in a case heard by New Zealand Rugby’s Judicial Committee. .
The peptide stimulates the production of human growth hormone and has been found in nutritional supplements.
A 5mg vial of the peptide that the Canterbury Under 19 had in his possession was seized by NZ Customs in October last year.
The substance is prohibited in and out of competition under World Rugby and New Zealand Rugby Anti-Doping Regulations. Hart-Strawbridge said he had ordered the peptide online as a “joke” after reading a series of articles in the New Zealand Herald last year about a reporter who experimented with the drug.
He told the committee he didn’t realise that importing the substance breached the regulations and quickly realised he had made a mistake after attending a DFSNZ education seminar.
Hurricanes (30) 56 / 20 (13) Highlanders (Final Score)
The Hurricanes and Highlanders did battle in Super Rugby at
McLean Park, Napier 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 & CSN on TV in SA.
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SANZAR has announced the names of the Match Officials for Round 17 of the 2015 Super Rugby season.
This weekend sees 7 matches in Super Rugby.
The Cell C Sharks have a BYE Weekend.
The weekend’s action is kicked off by Jaco Peyper in the Friday match between the Hurricanes vs Highlanders in Napier at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 17:35 AEST, 07:35 GMT), whereafter we have a little break before the Western Force host the Brumbies in Perth at 13:00 SA Time (19:00 AWST, 21:00 AEST, 23:00 NZ Time, 11:00 GMT), where Angus Gardner will officiate the game.
On Saturday the action starts earlier than normal when the Melbourne Rebels host the Vodacom Bulls in Melbourne at 07:30 SA Time (15:30 AEST, 17:30 NZ Time, 05:30 GMT), with Nick Briant the referee. We then go back accross the pond to New Zealand where the Blues play the Crusaders in Auckland at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 17:35 AEST, 07:35 GMT) and where Chris Pollock will be in charge of the whistle. Once again we cross the Tasman, back to Australia, where the Reds host the Chiefs in Brisbane where Mike Fraser wields the power, at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 AEST, 21:40 NZ Time, 09:40 GMT).
Over to South Africa and we have 2 matches on SA soil for the Round, first the Toyota Cheetahs play the Waratahs in Bloemfontein at 15:00 SA Time (13:00 GMT, 23:00 AEST, Sunday 01:00 NZ Time), with Glen Jackson in charge.
The last match of the Round takes place in Cape Town at 17:05 SA Time (15:05 GMT, Sunday 01:05 AEST, Sunday 03:05 NZ Time) when the DHL Stormers host the Emirates Lions and with Stuart Berry as referee.
Hello fellas & flatties,
This Pool was opened POST HASTE, as I nearly forgot to do it.
Here are the details of our latest SuperBru Pool, but I’ve left it rather late, so please hurry joining up and doing your first picks, the TOURNAMENT starts TODAY!
Pool Name: Rugby-Talk JWC 2015
Pool Code: examrags
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But grant me the opportunity to also explain why you need to do it quickly and at the same time excuse my oversight for only doing it now… let me tell you the story!
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