New Zealand Rugby

Super RugbyIt is Round 19 of Super Rugby 2014 this weekend, the last Round of the ‘Open Rounds’ of 2014! We have 7 games in Round 19, with 3 game on Friday and 4 games on Saturday.

This is the final crunch to sort the men from the boys, to sort the teams going forward and those who have run their course.

Ten teams remain in the race for play-off spots.

It has already been established that the Waratahs will stay at the sought after No 1 spot on the Combined Log, but the other positions are largely up for grabs.

The Hurricanes have a Bye weekend and will have to rely on other results to see them finish in the Top 6.

This is the weekend where some results become critical and where certain sides can open up doors for themselves, whilst burrying some of those teams around and in close proximity to them on the Logs.

Let the games continue….

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Special EditionSuper RugbySuper Rugby’s reputation as perhaps the toughest rugby tournament has in turn led to a number of historic factors that can enhance title success.

The Waratahs, by sheer percentage, will be 66.6 percent to win the title, based on 12 of the 18 Super Rugby winners coming from the illustrious group that has finished a regular season of tough combat top of table.

This has always led to the hosting of a Final, and now a week off – both significant advantages in a tournament such as this.

However while New South Wales looks impressive, do they tick all the boxes that history has noted when a franchise wins Super Rugby?

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Special EditionSuper RugbyLike every fine season of Super Rugby, all is not revealed until the final weekend of the regular season, and the 2014 campaign, and 19th tournament overall of the Southern Hemisphere’s premier provincial competition, will be no different.

However congratulations must be offered to the Waratahs, who offered one piece of clarity over the weekend with their 44-16 win over the Highlanders.

With that, the Waratahs has for the first time qualified as the top-ranked team after the regular season, and become the ninth franchise in history to finish as ‘minor premiers’.

For coach Michael Cheika and his troops, this will be a significant fact even though he was quick to remind all who would listen that the Super Rugby Finals Series would be another step up for a team that looks the goods.

However, as Cheika correctly pointed out, there will be teams with more experience at this stage of the season and this is a crucial factor for potential champions.

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O joy... another maul

O joy… another maul

Winning the 2007 Rugby World Cup was a momentous occasion for Springboks but it has done little for the development of the way rugby is played in South Africa.

I believe that the so-called ‘Jake White template’ has been detrimental to South African rugby on a number of levels.

Let me start by saying that I can’t fault White’s tactics in 2007. Given the weapons at his disposal, the approach he adopted was spot on. The efficacy of this approach (when correctly executed) is not in question. My aim here is rather point to the consequences of the mindset that in has become enrooted in SA rugby because of it’s (limited) success.

Ross Hastie

What concerns me is that the territory-based and defence-orientated approach employed back then has been widely adopted in the Republic and in many quarters is still held up as a blueprint for future success.

From a coaching perspective, it’s not difficult to see why this methodology is popular. Giant men imposing themselves with hard, straight running and big hits have always been the hallmarks of the South African style.

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sam Whitelock

Sam Whitelock

Crusaders head coach Todd Blackadder has made just one change to his team to face the Highlanders this Saturday night in a battle for the New Zealand Conference.

Sam Whitelock, who was a late withdrawal from last week’s team, has returned to the starting line-up, which means Jimmy Tupou is on the bench. The remainder of the line-up is the same as the one that defeated the Blues last weekend.

Eighteen weeks of competition culminates in this southern derby. It is the final round of pool play and will determine log placings and qualifiers for the Super Rugby Finals Series.

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Bundee Aki

Bundee Aki

Chiefs coach Dave Rennie has made only one change to his starting line-up for Friday’s Super Rugby crunch encounter with the Blues in Auckland.

The change is injury enforced – with Bundee Aki starting at inside centre in place of Charlie Ngatai, who left the field late in the 24-16 win over the Hurricanes last week.

He has failed to recover from the shoulder injury that forced him off the field.

There are two changes to the replacement bench.

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imageWith just one round to play to finalise who is in, and who is out of this year’s Investec Super Rugby Finals Series, the stakes are high for the New Zealand teams trying to get one of four possible spots to play on.

Here’s how the permutations and scenarios would work out for each team in order to secure a place in the Final Series:

If you’re a Blues fan…

Current place: 9th overall, 36 points
Up against: the Chiefs at Eden Park tomorrow night.

  • They need to win by more than 38 points over the Chiefs at home, earning a bonus point in the process (this will take you past the Hurricanes) and denying them a bonus point.
  • The Blues need either the Brumbies or Force (both on 40 points) to win outright (ie, no draw) tomorrow night, and for the loser to not earn a bonus point. A draw will push the Blues off the board.
  • The Blues can’t do better than sixth, so in a playoff they would face the third-place team. Currently, that’s the Sharks meaning a trip to South Africa next week so you may want the New Zealand Conference leader to finish in third place.

Cheer for: your team, either the Brumbies or the Force (depending on personal preference), the Highlanders and the Sharks.

 

If you are a Chiefs fan…

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Beauden Barrett will remain at the Hurricanes

Beauden Barrett will remain at the Hurricanes

All Black flyhalf Beauden Barrett has ended speculation surrounding his playing future by signing with the Hurricanes for the next two years.

The 23-year-old from coastal Taranaki had been linked with a move to the Blues but said he had enjoyed the supportive environment at the Hurricanes, and looked forward to working with the new coaching staff next year.

“We have a relatively young team here, and I really enjoy the role I play within the squad – it’s been great for my overall rugby development.”

“While some of our results this year have been a bit up and down, I feel as a team we have improved in what has been a really tight competition, and hopefully we have some luck this weekend so we are still in with a chance of making the playoffs.”

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Tony Woodcock

Tony Woodcock

Luke Braid

Luke Braid

The Blues will be without veteran All Blacks prop Tony Woodcock and captain Luke Braid for their crunch Super Rugby match against the Chiefs at Eden Park on Friday.

Woodcock suffered a shoulder injury during last week’s loss to the Crusaders and with a six day turnaround coach John Kirwan felt he would not be fully fit and it was not worth risking him.

“Woody’s had a great season for us so it’s a big loss. He’s been quite outstanding really and one of our best players since he’s been back,” Kirwan said.

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Eddie Jones

Eddie Jones

Japan coach Eddie Jones says it’s a joke that Singapore could be given a team in an expanded Super Rugby competition.

From 2018, the competition will feature 18 teams, with South Africa’s Southern Kings, an Argentine team, and a yet-to-be confirmed side added to the mix.

Recent reports indicated that Singapore has leapt to the front of the queue as the favourite to get the 18th franchise.

Jones, via a column on the Courier Mail website, said Japan should get the 18th franchise.

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Piri Weepu

Piri Weepu leading the Haka

London Welsh are today expected to announce the signing of Piri Weepu from the Auckland Blues, according to reliable sources.

It marks another huge signing in their already impressive recruitment drive, with the 71-cap All Black set to bring real experience of rugby at the very top level. He will join the likes of Olly Barkley and Tim Molenaar in what is starting to look like a very useful back line.

Weepu’s career is yet to take him outside of New Zealand, beginning his career in Wellington both for the ITM Cup side and the Hurricanes, before moving to Auckland and the Blues. It is understood that he has expressed a desire to play in the Aviva Premiership.

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Craig Dowd

Craig Dowd

Craig Dowd, writing in his latest column seems to think that the Crusaders are once again peaking at the right time.

The Crusaders cop a lot of criticism, and I suggested last week in assessing the New Zealand Super Rugby teams that they “don’t look like a title-winning team”, but, really, you can’t fault them; yes, they have the fewest bonus points of the New Zealand sides, but they always turn up at the end of the year with enough points to qualify for the top six. At the end of the day, what more can Todd Blackadder do?

As a coach he gets shafted because someone like Dan Carter has taken a sabbatical – last year, Richie McCaw did the same – and then he loses Kieran Read with concussion worries and injury. But he is still developing new players and bringing them through. And yet poor old Todd gets criticised for the Crusaders not winning finals, but they are still the conveyor belt of New Zealand rugby.

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Special EditionSuper RugbySANZAR has released the names of the Match Officials for the last Open Round of Super Rugby 2014, Round 19.

Glen Jackson starts the weekend off when the Blues host the Chiefs at Eden Park, Auckland.

This weekend sees 7 games, 3 on Friday and 4 on Saturday.

The Hurricanes have a BYE weekend.

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Ben Smith

Ben Smith

Highlanders and All Blacks fullback Ben Smith remains in a Sydney hospital while recovering from a leg infection.

A statement released by the team on Tuesdays said they believed the infection was caused by a “supercicial graze” sustained by the player in Sunday’s loss to the Waratahs at Allianz Stadium.

Highlanders doctor Greg Macleod has remained in Sydney with Smith and says he is responding well to treatment.

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Ihaia West

Ihaia West

Hawke’s Bay and Maori All Blacks flyhalf Ihaia West has signed with the Blues for the 2015 and 2016 Super Rugby seasons.

It has been a remarkable rise for the 22-year-old livewire who was without a Super Rugby contract at the start of the year and joined the Blues in April to provide cover for the injured Baden Kerr.

West has become a revelation for the franchise, claiming the number 10 jersey for the last three games and leading the team around the field with aplomb.

Blues head coach Sir John Kirwan lauded West’s temperament and was delighted to retain his services for the next two years.

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Ben Tameifuna

Ben Tameifuna

The Chiefs have confirmed that Ben Tameifuna has put pen to paper on a one-year contract extension to keep him at the dual Super Rugby champions.

The strong scrummager and crowd favourite said his decision to stay was simple.

“I am a Chief by choice.”

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Special EditionSuper RugbyThe Cell C Sharks will be the only South African team contesting the Vodacom Super Rugby playoffs this year after the Vodacom Bulls slipped up in Cape Town on Saturday afternoon, shortly before the KwaZulu-Natalians’ title hopes were dealt a blow in Bloemfontein.

The team from Durban dropped one position to third on the overall standings after their shock defeat by 27-20 to the Toyota Cheetahs at the Free State Stadium. It was arguably the team from Bloemfontein’s best performance of the season as they moved up from the last spot on the log to 14th.

Earlier on Saturday afternoon, the DHL Stormers recorded the fourth-ever clean sheet in a local derby when they beat the Vodacom Bulls by 16-0 at DHL Newlands. Just before the June-break, the Capetonians did the same when they beat the Toyota Cheetahs by 33-0 in Cape Town.

It will be only the third time in the last 10 years that the Vodacom Bulls will not feature in the playoffs.

The other two times a South African side failed to score any points in local derbies, were in 1999 when the Cell C Sharks beat the Vodacom Bulls by 29-0, while the team from Pretoria beat the Southern Kings by 34-0 last year.

In total, it was the sixth time ever a South African team were kept point-less in Vodacom Super Rugby and the Vodacom Bulls’ third zero. The Pretorians lost 27-0 to the Crusaders in Timaru in 2011 and the DHL Stormers lost 22-0 to the Crusaders in Cape Town in 2008.

On Friday evening, the Lions recorded their sixth win of the season when they beat the Rebels by 34-17 at Ellis Park, meaning 2014 will go down as the most successful for the team based in Johannesburg since the Cats franchise was dissolved before the 2006-season. Their previous best was five wins in 2007.

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WaratahsThe Waratahs secured top position in Super Rugby’s regular-season as they overpowered the Highlanders 44-16 at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Sunday.

A second-half onslaught did the damage as fine tries for Israel Folau, Sekope Kepu, Nick Phipps, Jacques Potgieter and Taqele Naiyaravoro were added to Rob Horne’s score in the opening 40.

They will now go into next week’s trip to the Reds knowing that top spot is assured and Michael Cheika might subsequently choose to rotate a handful of his stars in order to keep them fresh.

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Singapore Sports Hub - National Stadium

Singapore Sports Hub – National Stadium

Singapore has emerged as the leading candidate to host the 18th Super Rugby team when the tournament expands in 2016.

SANZAR confirmed last week that the two leading locations for the 18th team that will play in the South African group are Singapore and Japan.

According to reports South Africa have flexed their muscle and pushed Singapore into the lead as the location is far more accesible than Japan.

South African teams will have to travel to Singapore or Japan to play some of their matches and currently there are no direct flights from South Africa to Japan.

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Super RugbyIt is Round 18 of Super Rugby 2014 this weekend, the first Round after the June Test break! We have 7 games in Round 18, with 2 game on Friday, 4 games on Saturday and 1 game on Sunday.

All the sides from South Africa are back in action this weekend, after sitting out last weekend when the Antipodian sides played a Round on their own to counter the fact that the South African Conference started a week early in February.

The Logs are finally reflecting the true position of the 15 sides relative to one another and in the process the Sharks have dropped 1 place on the standing after a rampant Waratahs side bullied the Brumbies to atke a 3-point lad on the Combined Log.

The Brumbies have a Bye weekend.

After this Round of games, there is only 1 Open Round left in Super Rugby in 2014, next weekend, after which the final 6 teams to continue into the Play-Off’s will have been decided. Teams who do not make the Play-Off’s will be done and dusted with this year’s competition.

With the June International Test Window now a thing of the past, the teams can once again throw their full weight into Super Rugby.

This is the stage where some results are becoming critical and where certain sides can open up doors for themselves, whilst burrying some of those teams around and in close proximity to them on the Logs.

Let the games continue….

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Keven MealamuKeven Mealamu will become the first player to reach the remarkable milestone of 150 games for the Blues when he runs out to face the Crusaders in Christchurch on Saturday night.

The talismanic hooker has already racked up 160 Super Rugby appearances including his season with the Chiefs in 2000, but will play his 150th game for the Blues against the Red and Blacks.

The All Blacks centurion is only two matches away from equalling the record held by Nathan Sharpe for the most Super Rugby appearances (162), and is second only to Colin Meads in first class games after playing his 350th match against the Force on Saturday.

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Jamie Joseph

Jamie Joseph

Highlanders’ head coach Jamie Joseph has named his team to take on the current Super Rugby leaders, the Waratahs in Sydney on Sunday afternoon.

The team is unchanged from the side that defeated the Chiefs 29-25 in an exhilarating match at Forsyth Barr Stadium last Friday.

With only two games to go in the regular season, the Highlanders currently sit fourth overall with the same points as the Crusaders in third (42).

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Kieran Read

Kieran Read

Dan Carter

Dan Carter

Israel Dagg

Israel Dagg

Nemani Nadolo

Nemani Nadolo

Kieran Read, Dan Carter, Israel Dagg and Nemani Nadolo all return to the starting line-up for the Crusaders this weekend when they take on the Blues at AMI Stadium.

They are four of six new faces in the starting 15.

In the forwards, Ben Funnell and Owen Franks have taken starting spots in place of Corey Flynn and Nepo Laulala, who will be ready to inject some energy off the bench.

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ChiefsThe Chiefs have announced their team to play the Hurricanes at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton this Friday.

Friday’s encounter is expected to be the Chiefs last home game for the season and will mark the official farewell for Chiefs players, Tanerau Latimer, Asaeli Tikoirotuma, Bundee Aki and Mils Muliaina who are all heading off-shore to continue their careers.

Changes to the side will see Jamie Mackintosh starting at prop, Tawera Kerr-Barlow at scrumhalf and Charlie Ngatai and Tim Nanai-Williams in the midfield.

Asaeli Tikoirotuma and James Lowe start on the wings with Tom Marshall at fullback.

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HurricanesAn injury crisis at hooker means Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett was unable to finalise his team for their crunch encounter with the Chiefs in Hamilton on Friday.

The men in black and yellow will be doing all they can to claim victory at the Waikato Stadium, as it will be the last round-robin match of the Super Rugby season for the fifth-placed franchise.

Who occupies the No.2 jersey remains to be seen – with team management continuing to monitor the injuries of Dane Coles, Ash Dixon and Motu Matu’u throughout the remainder of the week.

Injuries to Alapati Leiua and Victor Vito in last Saturday’s bruising win over the Crusaders means they have made way for Hadleigh Parkes to start at inside centre, while Brad Shields moves to the back of the scrum.

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Cell C SharksDo the business in Bloemfontein on Saturday night … then warm up the Sunday morning coffee smartly and become temporary Highlanders enthusiasts for 80 minutes.

Those ought to be key items on the Sharks’ to-do list this weekend as Super Rugby 2014 enters its penultimate round of ordinary-season play.

Director of rugby Jake White will be aware of the potential hazard of putting the cart before the horse, and drum into his charges that victory against the Cheetahs in a domestic derby is very much the main target.

But if they manage that, their attention will undoubtedly turn pretty smartly to a Sunday morning cracker (in SA time-zone terms, at 08:05) between the log-leading Waratahs and New Zealand-based playoffs challengers the Highlanders in Sydney.

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Beauden Barrett

Beauden Barrett

All Black Beauden Barrett may be in the market, but he is definitely not on the Blues’ wishlist.

Barrett revealed that he is likely to resolves the issues around his future next week, when the Hurricanes have a bye.

However, he should be expecting a call from Blues coach John Kirwan, who said he would be looking internally for a flyhalf.

It followed speculation the Hurricanes playmaker, Barrett, could be moving to Auckland.

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ChiefsFrom bidding for an unprecedented hat-trick of Super Rugby titles to merely keeping their dwindling playoffs hopes alive, the once-mighty Waikato Chiefs’ decline has been as rapid as it has been puzzling.

Bottom of the New Zealand conference and ninth overall, the Chiefs could see their title defence end in front of home fans in Hamilton on Friday when they take on a ravenous Hurricanes side who humiliated them 45-8 in May.

Having lost four of their last six games, the Chiefs’ struggles have underlined the strength of New Zealand rugby, with all five of the conference’s teams still in contention for the post-season with two rounds to play.

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Super RugbyWhistleSANZAR has released the names of the Match Officials for Round 18 of Super Rugby 2014.

Nick Briant starts the action at Waikato Stadium when the Chiefs host the Hurricanes on Friday at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 07:35 GMT) .

This weekend sees 7 matches, with 2 on Friday, 4 on Saturday and 1 game on Sunday.

The Brumbies have a BYE weekend.

After this Round, a full 113 matches would already have been played in Super Rugby 2014.

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Dawie Theron

Dawie Theron

The Northern Hemisphere has had a distinct advantage going into the annual Junior World Championship, but that may soon evaporate.

South African Under 20 coach, Dawie Theron, said discussions are underway to organise a four-nations Rugby Championship style tournament for juniors.

The reason is that when the Six Nations teams – England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, France and Italy – get into the play-offs of the IRB JWC they have the experience of a tough competition to fall back on.

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Dane Coles

Dane Coles

Victor Vito

Victor Vito

Alapati Leiua

Alapati Leiua

Motu Matu'u

Motu Matu’u

The Hurricanes will continue to sweat on their long list of injured players, with just two rounds of Super Rugby league action remaining.

Their 16-9 Round 17 win over the Crusaders at the weekend took a heavy toll.

All Black hooker Dane Coles heads a casualty list that includes fellow All Black Victor Vito, Alapati Leiua and Motu Matu’u.

All four players are have scans on their respective injuries on Monday.

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