World Cup
What better way to give a match summary but through a video with highlites…
I suggest that you let the video feed buffer and run once before watching it in continious motion for a 2nd time.. specially those of you with slow internet connections and low download bandwidth!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6hYXtwc_L4[/youtube]
Brumbies (17) 31 / Highlanders (3) 3 (79 min)
The Brumbies hosted the Highlanders in Canberra at 11:40 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 on DSTV in SA.
The Brumbies won in convincing fashion and even managed to get their bonus point try just before full time, winning by 31 / 3.
This moves the Brumbies up to 37 Log Points and squarely into the reconing for a semi.
Chiefs (0) 19 / Waratahs (20) 46 (Final Score)
The Chiefs hosted the Waratahs in Hamilton, New Zealand, at 09:35 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 on DSTV in SA. The Waratahs romped to a 46 / 19 win and puts them on 38 Log Points… 3rd position.
Bulls (24) 40 / Crusaders (19) 35 (Final Score)
The Bulls hosted the Crusaders at Loftus, Pretoria at 19:10 SA Time, in perfect weather conditions for rugby. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 on DSTV in SA.
The Bulls scraped a win after the final hooter, when Francois Hougaard scored his second try, a controvercial one which will hotly be contested, specially so in New Zealand. The Bulls won by 40 / 35, and the Crusaders earned 2 bonus points.
The Bulls now definately have a home semi-final (at Orlando Stadium, Soweto) and currently stand on 47 Log Points, with the Crusaders on 36 Log Points.
Hurricanes (13) 44 / Reds (21) 21 (Final Score)
The Hurricanes hosted the Reds in Wellington, New Zealand at 09:35 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 on DSTV in SA. The Hurricanes came from well behind to demolish the Reds in the Second Half and winning by 44 / 21, scoring 6 tries in the match and denying the Reds a single bonus point. Suddenly the Reds have jumped to No 3 on the Log, on 37 Log Points, 1 behind the Stormers.
There is only 2 Rounds left in the General Play-out Rounds of the Super 14 before the 14 Teams are cut down to only 4, for the Semi-finals and still there seems to be only 1 clear semi-finalist decided, the Bulls.
This week sees crucial matches for all contenders for the crown, here are the matches scheduled for this weekend:
| 7 | Hurricanes | v | Reds | Wellington | 09:35 |
| 7 | Vodacom Bulls | v | Crusaders | Loftus Versfeld | 19:10 |
| 8 | Chiefs | v | Waratahs | Hamilton | 09:35 |
| 8 | Brumbies | v | Highlanders | Canberra | 11:40 |
| 8 | Auto & General Lions | v | Blues | Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg | 15:00 |
| 8 | Vodacom Cheetahs | v | Western Force | Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein | 17:05 |
| 8 | The Sharks | v | Vodacom Stormers | The Absa Stadium Durban | 19:10 |
Please find both the team lists of the Vodacom Cheetahs and the Western Force as well as the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs that will be taking part in die Vodacom Cup final.
Allister Coetzee, head coach of the Vodacom Stormers, today announced his team to play the Sharks in Durban on Saturday 8 May. Kick-off is at 19h10.
ALL the Super 14 teams for Round 13 of the Super 14 has been announced.
This is an interesting article I found written by a Rugby Haven rugby writer. This is what he had to say about the Crusaders recent form. Continue reading
Danie Rossouw will replace Bakkies Botha in the Vodacom Bulls team for their match against the Crusaders at Loftus Versfeld on Friday and will earn his 100th Super Rugby cap in the process.
This is one of two changes coach Frans Ludeke made from the side that finished off the Sharks at the same venue last week.
Bakkies Botha Springbok lock of the Vodacom Blue Bulls have been out for most of the S14 season, making his return only last week against the Sharks. This is what he had to say on his game in an interview with Sport24 Continue reading
Cape Town – The latest tweet from John Smit on social networking site, Twitter, suggests the Sharks captain thankfully hasn’t suffered serious damage to his neck as was initially feared.
Time to pick your best SA performers of the weekend. Great play by the 3 winning South African teams, Stormers, Cheetahs and Bulls will make this week a tough call. Add to that some great individual performances by players in the two other South African teams, the Lions and Sharks and one should expect a lot of changes to last week’s team.
The injury bogey has made another visit to the Cheetahs camp in the aftermath of their impressive 36-32 Super 14 victory over the Blues at the weekend, claiming two of their start players.
Fiery loose forward Frans Viljoen and Springbok flyer Jongi Nokwe have both been ruled out of the last two rounds of the competition.
The latest Tweet from John Smit on social networking site, Twitter, suggests that the Bok captain had an issue with the way Jonathan Kaplan handled the scrums in the game between the Sharks and Bulls on Saturday. As a result, the Bok and Sharks skipper injured his neck in a scrum engagement and will be going in for a precautionary scan on his neck.
On the web site Sport24, Gavin Rich has written a good Article on Bryan Habana’s rib injury, sustained in the match between the Stormers and the Crusaders on Friday evening.
Too many nice words about our Rugby are spoken from that part of the World lately. I start to feel uneasy. Is it a concerted effort to build us up as favorites? Do they try to earn the underdog tag? Articles like these make me wonder.
It has been confirmed that Bok hooker Bismark Du Plessis will take 3 months to recover after surgery on his neck.
What will be the minimum points be to make it to the Semi Finals? With the Bulls almost there with 43 points they only need 2 more bonus points to be guaranteed a home semi final. 45 will be the number to guarantee a home semi final.
The battle of the Wooden Spoon, History at the bottom of this article.
Next Games
Crusaders hooker Corey Flynn who made his return to Super 14 rugby against the Stormers on the weekend will miss this weekend’s clash against the Bulls due to injury.
Here are the rankings after week 12. Two SA sides back at the top. Well done !!! Continue reading
The Sharks will feel they gave their all but apart from guts, determination and effort, lacked the back line fire power to pull this one through as had been the case for much of the season.
John Plumtree afterwards admitted as much, as he spoke of the Bulls slowly squeezing the breath out of the Sharks and his pride of a Sharks team that showed so much spirit and guts.
Bulls (9) 27 / Sharks (12) 19 (Final Score)
The Bulls hosted The Sharks at Loftus, Pretoria at 19:10 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 on DSTV in SA. For the Bulls it was mission accomplished as they won a tough encounter by 27 / 19. No bonus points were earned either way by the Teams.
Effectively the Sharks are now out of the Super 14 race and the Bulls have achieved a semi-final spot and are 2 games clear of the Crusaders, Reds, Brumbies and Waratahs on the Log.
Lions (12) 12 / Force (19) 33 (Final Score)
The Lions hosted the Western Force at Coka-Cola Park, Johannesburg at 17:05 SA Time, This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 on DSTV in SA. The Force won by 33 / 12 and the Lions recorded their 11th consecutive Super 14 loss of this season.
Cheetahs (22) 36 / Blues (13) 32 (Final Score)
The Cheetahs hosted the Blues in Bloemfontein at 15:00 SA Time, This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 on DSTV in SA. The Cheetahs won an enthrawling match by 36 / 32, effectively ending the Blues Super 14 run for 2010.
Brumbies (14) 32 / Reds (6) 12 (Final Score)
The Brumbies hosted the Reds in Canberra at 11:40 SA Time, This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 on DSTV in SA. The Brumbies won 32 / 12 and earned their bonus point for tries in the process.
No corroberation could be obtained yet after Beeld Newspaper reported that Bismarck du Plessis is out of the rest of the Super 14, due to an operation on a growth on one of his back vertabrae.
The Article is in Afrikaans, here goes:
Hurricanes (15) 33 / Chiefs (24) 27 (Final Score)
The Hurricanes hosted the Chiefs at Westpac Stadium, Wellington at 09:35 SA Time, This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 on DSTV in SA. The Hurricanes won the match at the death, scoring their bonus point try, by 33 / 27.
Stormers (12) 42 / Crusaders (7) 14 (Final Score)
The Stormers hosted the Crusaders at Newlands, Cape Town at 19:10 SA Time, This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 on DSTV in SA. The Stormers romped over the Crusaders by 42 / 14, but without a 4th try for a bonus point.
[cincopa 10592801]
Highlanders (12) 26 / Waratahs (10) 10 (Final Score)
The Highlanders hosted the Waratahs in a gale in Invercargill, New Zealand at 09:35 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The game was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 on DSTV in SA. The Highlanders totally outplayed the Waratahs, turning over a lot of Waratahs ball and playing to their strenghts. The Highlanders won by 26 / 10.
I played with the results in the Super 14 competition and came up with these interesting facts. Well, off course because they look so favourable for the Bulls, that’s why I publish them. I realise that this means sweet blue nothing in the next few weeks.
The Waratahs must have wondered what they were wandering into as they sauntered through Invercargill airport. It’s the first time the New South Wales Super 14 franchise has played here and their initial impression might have been that they should have packed flippers and snorkels along with the usual rugby accoutrements of hair product and cellphones as they flew in over flooded Taramoa farmland.
All 14 teams are involved in games this weekend, 2 games on Friday and 5 games on Saturday. Here are the games and what I think might happen in a very difficult weekend for predictions.
As if a bad run of injuries earlier in the season has not been bad enough, the Cheetahs have been rocked by 2 late withdrawels due to more injury.