World Cup
The Sharks have changed only 2 for the game against the Bulls, Riaan Swanepoel comes in at No 12 to bolster the Sharks midfield defence and Lwazi Mvovo replaces the injured JP Pietersen on the wing.
John Plumtree , head coach of the Sharks have joined the pshycological battle. And rightly so has tipped the Bulls as favoutites, shifting all pressure back to the Bulls. But true champions will absorb this and still perform. Being a local derby a hard fought match will still be the trademark of this game Continue reading
SANZAR have released the match officials for Round 12 of the Super 14. Bryce Lawrence will blow his whistle on Friday for the start of this week’s Super14 action at Invercargill when the Highlanders host the Waratahs. Continue reading
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a global leader in the consumer electronics industry, today announced the signing of a sponsorship agreement with the Vodacom Bulls. The agreement, signed in Johannesburg, will position Samsung as the Official Electronics Sponsor to the Vodacom Bulls for the next three years.
The Bulls have announced a strong team to face the Sharks at Loftus on Saturday, but it also includes a surprise or two.
The Cheetahs have announced their team to face the Blues on Saturday at 15:00.
Here’s an extract of the official Media Release received.
The Stormers Brains-Trust has opted for continuity in selection, as they have done all season, for the important match at Newlands on Friday evening.
Here is the official Media Lelease…
This Article brings you the Teams as they are announced and will be updated from time to time.
Matt Giteau has escaped a match ban after going after Steve Walsh for the manner in wich he officiated the Brumbies/Waratahs match. Continue reading
Akona Ndungane who has just returned from injury after breaking his leg in the Currie Cup last year is looking set to go through more of the same again. Continue reading
Here are the rankings after round 11. A team like the Reds are continuing their weekly climb. Continue reading
Sydney – SANZAR referees boss Lyndon Bray says he pulled Steve Walsh from Saturday’s Brumbies-Reds Super 14 clash in Canberra in the best interests of the game, and not because of the pressure caused by Matt Giteau’s comments.
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans is not the least bit surprised about the startling rise of the Queensland Reds and believes three Australian sides could yet make the Super 14 rugby semifinals.
The Bulls once again take the lead in this years S14 race, but that’s not the only area they lead in according to some. Continue reading
It seems that the Stormers are negotiating with Ulster for the services of BJ Botha for the remaining 5 weeks of Super Rugby.
The Sharks just cant get away from injuries to play a full strength team against the high flying Blue Bulls, One wonders if an experiment of Kankowski at 13 is not worth a try? Continue reading
I guess that the banter will be fierce but that all of us will be wary to make bold predictions for this Saturday’s match between the Bulls and The Sharks at Loftus. The Bulls are top of the Log and can assure a semi’final spot if they win this game, whereas The Sharks seemed to have turned this season around, now with 5 wins on the trot…. but can they keep the Bulls from a 17th consecutive Super 14 win at Fortress Loftus?
Hell, with all the tension in the air this week, it might just be fitting to host another “Fight Club” Thread this week, to sooth some frayed nerves!
Earlier in the week, there was a question regarding referee criticism, well someone is in hot ware it seems!
Thanks to our friends and allies at Rugbyweek, here is the news:
Stormers coach Allister Coetzee says the key to beating the Crusaders in Friday’s big Super 14 clash at Newlands is to be “selfish when we have ball-in-hand”. Continue reading
Having watched the Crusaders lose to the Western Force in the early hours of Saturday, the anti-Crusade brigade have pulled up their favourite bean bags to prepare to watch the seven-times champions’ Super 14 title chances shrivel up on the tip of the African continent.
The miserly Stormers’ defence will be a challenge for the Crusaders this week.
Despite their 16-13 defeat to the Queensland Reds in Brisbane last weekend, the Stormers, leaked an average of just 12.7 points per match
On average a game of 80 minutes of Super 14 rugby, has just 34 minutes of playing time.
The rest of the 46 minutes is directly attributable to the referee and how he blows the game.
Having watched the Bulls vs Lions match again from a PVR Recording and after calming down from the elation during and following the battle at Loftus here are some thoughts on a most enthrawling game.
The Bulls won this local derby by a handsome 51 / 11, scoring 6 second half tries most other teams in the world would be envious of.
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The Sharks season is turning into a season of “If Only” as they wrapped up their 5th consecutive victory over a Blues team that had only one plan and that was to spread the ball from anywhere and everywhere.
This was the weekend of shock results. On the Super 14 Log there are 10 teams still able to make the play-offs. Sharks, Chiefs and Blues have a small mathematical chance for the title, but is really clutching at straws, which might finally break next weekend.
Vodacom Cup Semi Finals venues not confirmed yet but it will be the Bulls vs Sharks XV and the Boland vs Cheetahs on the 1st of May.
Sharks 23 / Blues 10 (Final Score)
The Sharks hosted the Blues at The ABSA Stadium, Durban 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 Sharks were just too good for the Blues, in fact the Blues had one of those Off-Days, they’re so renowned for. Sharks won by 23 / 10.
Bulls (12) 51 / Lions (8) 11 (Final Score)
The Bulls hosted the Lions at Loftus in Pretoria 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. The3 Bulls won 51 / 11.
For the Bulls it is mission accomplished with 6 tries and a full 5 Log Points, placing them back alone on the top of the Super 14 Log now with 39 Points.
The Lions initially, in the 1st 15 minutes, came on strong. After that it was the Bulls with a battle of attrition against the Lions till they totally gave way eventually.
Waratahs (9) 19 / Brumbies (9) 12(Final Score)
The Waratahs hosted the Brumbies in Sydney 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 Waratahs won by 19 / 12, without earning a bonus point for tries scored.
Highlanders (24) 31 / Hurricanes (26) 33 (Final Score)
The Highlanders hosted the Hurricanes in Duneden 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. Both teams scored 5 tries and the Hurricanes won by 33 / 31.
Force (0) 24 / Crusaders (13) 16 (Final Score)
The Reds hosted the Crusaders at the Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 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 Force won a tight game by 24 / 16, denying the Crusaders any Log points.
Reds (6) 16 / Stormers (7) 13 (Final Score)
The Reds hosted the Stormers at the Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane 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 Reds showed resolve and guts to tough out a win by 16 / 13. These Reds are on fire!
Chiefs (20) 25 / Cheetahs (10) 25 (Final Score)
The Chiefs hosted the Cheetahs in Hamilton 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 match ended in a draw, 25 / 25 and one can say without a doubt that pityful goal kicking cost the Chiefs, not a single kick going over out of 9 or 10 attempts. Chiefs bag 3 Log points, Cheetahs get 2.
Ahhh, it’s good to see seven full Super 14 matches from this weekend onwards again, the “bye” weekends now a thing of the past for all teams. It certainly is getting congested on the Log now at the top and one thing is for sure, there are no easy games left for those with aspirations to take the title.
The games for the weekend are as follows, with 3 games this Friday and 4 games on Saturday:
| 23 | Chiefs | v | Vodacom Cheetahs | Hamilton | 09:35 |
| 23 | Reds | v | Vodacom Stormers | Brisbane | 11:40 |
| 23 | Western Force | v | Crusaders | Perth | 13:45 |
| 24 | Highlanders | v | Hurricanes | Dunedin | 09:35 |
| 24 | Waratahs | v | Brumbies | Sydney | 11:40 |
| 24 | Vodacom Bulls | v | Auto & General Lions | Loftus Versfeld | 15:00 |
| 24 | The Sharks | v | Blues | The Absa Stadium Durban | 17:05 |
There is a lot of talk about the match between the Bulls and Lions this coming Saturday. Speculations have done the round that this might be an upset in the brewing, especially after the close game between the Lions and Sharks last weekend, also keeping in mind that the Bulls are’nt coming off their best run of form.The travel factor also comes into the equation for the Bulls this weekend. Continue reading
A last some light is being shed on the resting of players or what is being done to keep players from burnout…
Will this relatively new strategy work ? Time will tell… Continue reading