Super Rugby
Rebels (13) 24 / 22 (16) Waratahs (Final Score)
The Melbourne Rebels and Waratahs did battle in Super Rugby at AAMI Stadium, Melbourne at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 Melbourne Time, 09:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
*******************
Chiefs (15) 28 / 19 (13) Crusaders (Final Score)
The Chiefs and Crusaders did battle in Super Rugby at Waikato Stadium, Hamilton 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, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
*******************
Here are the Super Rugby Team Sheets as they are announded for Round 15 of Super Rugby 2013.
Vodacom Bulls scrumhalf Jano Vermaak will make a 100th Vodacom Super Rugby appearance on Saturday if he takes to the field in his side’s match against The Sharks in Durban.
The former Cats (11 caps) and MTN Lions (62 caps) player will represent the Vodacom Bulls for the 28th time and become South Africa’s 22nd centurion at that level.
Springbok flank Jacques Potgieter is set to leave the Bulls for good after requesting a release from his contract.
The Vodacom Bulls are set to announce a two-year contract extention to head coach Frans Ludeke’s contract on Wednesday.
DHL Stormers coach Allister Coetzee has named a much-changed line-up for Saturday’s Super Rugby encounter against the Reds at DHL Newlands (kick-off 17h05).
Andries Bekker’s career at the Stormers may well have come to a premature end as he joined the Cape franchise’s ever-increasing injury list.
Bekker and fellow Springbok Juan de Jongh were the latest additions to the Stormers’ injury list, ahead of Saturday’s clash with the Reds at Newlands.
The Southern Kings team has remained relatively unchanged for the Round 15 Super Rugby encounter with the Cheetahs.
There is just one change in their starting line-up, as SP Marais returns at fullback for the Round 15 game in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
SANZAR has released the names of the match officials for Round 15 of Super Rugby 2013. Steve Walsh starts the action between the Chiefs and Crusaders on Friday after Chris Pollock was originally named to be in charge of the match at Waikato Stadium but a minor leg injury has ruled him out, Walsh coming in as replacement.
We have 7 matches this weekend, 2 on Friday and 5 on Saturday.
The Brumbies have received good news on the injuries to flanker George Smith and centre Pat McCabe as their injuries from last week’s Super Rugby match against the Waratahs are not as bad as first thought.
World Cup-winning coach Graham Henry has heavily criticised the influence of the assistant match officials following the Blues’ 23-3 Super Rugby loss to the Crusaders at the weekend.
Being officially out of the Vodacom Super Rugby race has not exempted the DHL Stormers from further injuries, with several players on the doubtful list for a clash against the Reds at Newlands on Saturday that is of academic interest only to South African fans.
Of course former Springbok coach Jake White and his Brumbies, and the Waratahs that beat them this past weekend, may have different ideas about the irrelevance of the game.
The Sharks and the Springboks have received a blow with the news that wing JP Pietersen will be sidelined for an extended period.
Stormers coach Allister Coetzee on Monday told a high-powered delegation that poor refereeing and a high injury toll were big contributing factors to their struggles this year.
Two rounds of relative disappointment were reversed this weekend as three of the four South African teams in action won their Vodacom Super Rugby matches against Australasian opposition.
In the process the Vodacom Bulls moved up to second spot on the overall log, although they made very hard work of recording a try-scoring bonus point in their 35-18 win over the struggling Highlanders in Pretoria on Saturday.
There was a clean bill of health to the Vodacom Bulls squad that conquered the Highlanders on Saturday, but a number of players from that match are recovering from bruises and light strains, team doctor Org Strauss confirmed on Monday.
The return of injured Springboks Bismarck du Plessis and Butch James will bolster The Sharks as they return home from their disasterous tour and as they ready themselves to face the South African Conference Log leaders, the Vodacom Bulls for the tough derby game at Kings Park this Saturday.
The Reds were dealt a cruel blow when Wallaby wing Digby Ioane was sent back home from the Queensland team’s tour of South Africa with a knee injury.
Southern Kings flank Jacques “Vleis” Engelbrecht has been cleared for the game against the Cheetahs on Saturday, while Andries Strauss’ shoulder injury has shown remarkable improvement.
Now we are into the business part of the Super Rugby season! Before the TEST Window break each South African team has 2 games left (Sharks have only 1).
Cheetahs (18) 27 / 13 (6) Reds (Final Score)
The Toyota Cheetahs and Reds did battle in Super Rugby at Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein at 19:10 SA Time (17:10 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
*******************
Bulls (23) 35 / 18 (6) Highlanders (Final Score)
The Vodacom Bulls and Highlanders did battle in Super Rugby at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria at 17:05 SA Time (15:05 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
*******************
Waratahs (6) 28 / 22 (13) Brumbies (Final Score)
The Waratahs and Brumbies did battle in Super Rugby at ANZ Stadium, Sydney at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 Sydney Time, 09:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
*******************
The long history of South African teams being done in by the incompetence and, let’s be honest, the one-eyed approach of Australasian match officials took another turn for the worse on Friday as the DHL Stormers were beaten 30-21 by the Rebels in a Vodacom Super Rugby match in Melbourne.
Crusaders (13) 23 / 3 (3) Blues (Final score)
The Crusaders and Blues did battle in Super Rugby at AMI Stadium, Christchurch 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, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
*******************
Force (10) 13 / 23 (7) Sharks (Final Score)
The Western Force and The Sharks did battle in Super Rugby at NIB Stadium, Perth at 13:45 SA Time (19:45 Perth Time, 11:45 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
*******************
Rebels (13) 30 / 21 (14) Stormers (Final Score)
The Melbourne rebels and DHL Stormers did battle in Super Rugby at AAMI Park, Melbourne at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 Melbourne Time, 09:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
*******************
Hurricanes (9) 12 / 17 (12) Chiefs (Final Score)
The Hurricanes and Chiefs did battle in Super Rugby at Westpac Stadium, Wellington 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, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
*******************
Here are the Super Rugby Team Sheets as they were announded for Round 14 of Super Rugby 2013.
It will be a special day for Vodacom Bulls stalwarts Pierre Spies and Mornè Steyn at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday when their team takes on the Highlanders in a Vodacom Super Rugby clash.
The Stormers were given a slap on the wrist after being found guilty of misconduct and bringing the game into disrepute.
They were fined a total of AU$25,000 (about ZAR228,450) and also ordered to pay SANZAR’s costs.
The Chiefs suffered a cruel blow with the news that star All Black Sam Cane has been ruled out of their Super Rugby crunch match with the Hurricanes in Wellington on Friday.
The Rebels have turned to Rugby League convert Bryce Hegarty to solve their flyhalf problem in the wake of injuries to James O’Connor and Angus Roberts, as well as the absence of suspended Kurtley Beale.
Allister Coetzee
The DHL Stormers have announced a team showing seven changes for their final Super Rugby match Down Under – against the Rebels at AAMI Park on Friday (kick-off 11h40 SA time).