All Blacks
Vodacom Bulls lock Bakkies Botha has been cleared on a charge of dangerous play after appearing before a SANZAR Judicial hearing at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Tuesday.
Lions coach John Mitchell has sharpened his axe and will be making some changes in personnel ahead of Saturday’s Super Rugby match against the Bulls in Pretoria.
“There will be some changes to the 22,” said Mitchell.
The young player who made the biggest impression for the Stormers in their 23-13 win over the Bulls last Saturday may be forced to sit out the next match against the Western Force at Newlands.
Lock Rynhardt Elstadt has swelling on his ankle and although he is undergoing treatment, coach Allister Coetzee has listed him as doubtful for the Force match.
Alarming signs for the Wallabies at provincial level, Kieran Read proves his no Thorne in New Zealand’s side and will the South African selectors make the big call to prevent the Bulls’ slide from affecting the Springboks? Paul Cully puts the weekend’s Super Rugby action into a World Cup context.
Sharks wunderkind Pat Lambie may play in the historic match against the Crusaders at Twickenham on Sunday with a protective support on his fractured finger.
Once again 4 games are played today in the Varsity Cup, only 2 are televised live. We will therefore focus on the 2 televised games.
Tuks (7) 17 / UCT (6) 19 (Final Score)
Maties (7) 19 / UJ (15) 39 (Final Score)
Today’s total fixture list is as follows:
Wow, what a weekend, first the Cheetahs murder the Waratahs in their own back yard (only the 3rd SAFFA team EVER to accomplish this), then we witness the Proteas demolishing Bangladesh at the World Cup, and last but definitely not least, some sweet and sour depending on your perspective, the Stormers burying their Loftus bogey once and for all. I have been severely criticized for my stance on the Bulls over the past week or two, but let’s revisit…
JJ Harmse, I like your honest article, but do not for one moment think they will see you suddenly as a unbiased rugby writer. To the Bulls, I agree with JJ, go back to your quiet mode and do the talking on the field.
Here we go again!
Too boo or not to boo. When I read this article and thought of changing all these names with Bulls names, it might be a fitting report of how the Bulls fans feel after this weekend.
Bulls (10) 13 / Stormers (12) 23 (Final Score)
The Bulls hosted the DHL Stormers at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria at 19:10 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD and M-Net on TV in SA.
The Stormers were deserved winners, not so much for their attack but for keeping better dicipline and dogged defence.
Lions (9) 15 / Western Force (14) 27 (Final Score)
Scorers:
Lions : 4 Penalties & 1 Drop Goal Elton Jantjes
Western Force : 5 Penalties James O’Connor, 1 Conversion Cameron Shepherd, 1 Try Nick Cummins, 1 Try Alfie Mafi
Chiefs (3) 15 / Sharks (6) 9 (Final Score)
The Chiefs hosted the Sharks at Waikato Stadium, Hamilton at 08:35 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
In wet conditions it was never going to be champagne rugby and the Chiefs toughed out a hard win by 15 / 9.
It has been confirmed by the Sharks and in so doing put an end to it just being a rumour, Yes 31 year old Marius Joubert will be joining the Sharks as soon as his team Clermont Auvergne who are currently leading the standings in the French league complete their season.
Herewith all the Super Rugby team sheets as they are announced for week 5 of Super Rugby 2011.
Lions fullback James Kamana has been suspended for three weeks after a SANZAR judicial hearing held in Johannesburg on Tuesday found him guilty of dangerous play.
The Sharks have named their team to face the Chiefs in Hamilton with Captain John Smith moving to loosehead in place of Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira who drops to the bench.
Former Lions hooker Ettienne Reynecke will make his debut for the DHL Stormers off the bench in Saturday’s big north/south derby against the Vodacom Bulls at Loftus.
Reynecke joined the Stormers on loan from Saracens last week to help buffer the loss of Tiaan Liebenberg to a knee ligament injury. Liebenberg is expected to be out for another four weeks, which means he should be ready to tour with the Stormers when they leave for overseas in April.
The Crusaders match against the Sharks match at Twickenham has been confirmed for March 27 at 4pm local time.
England’s Rugby Football Union have agreed to host the match on the Sunday as the previous date clashed with Harlequins playing Gloucester at the Twickenham Stoop in the Aviva Premiership.
The Referees and Match Officials have been allotted for all the Super Rugby games of Week 5 to Week 8 (till 9 April 2011), announced by SANZAR.
They are:
Vodacom Bulls players Gary Botha and Francois Hougaard will know on Tuesday whether they will be fit to face the Stormers this weekend.
DHL Stormers coach Allister Coetzee has said it is “touch and go” whether regular captain Schalk Burger will be back from injury in time to lead his team in their massive Vodacom Super Rugby challenge against the Vodacom Bulls at Loftus on Saturday.
Lions fullback James Kamana will appear at a SANZAR judicial hearing in Johannesburg on Tuesday 15 March after being cited for a dangerous tackle during last Saturday’s Super Rugby clash with the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
In the last Super Rugby match of the weekend, the Toyota Cheetahs hosted the Lions in a bottom of the table clash in Bloemfontein.
In what was effectively a make or break game for both sides, it was the visitors from Johannesburg who emerged with the points that they hope will ressurect their Super Rugby season.
Cheetahs (14) 20 / Lions (16) 25 (Final Score)
The Cheetahs hosted the Lions at Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein at 17:05. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, HD & M-Net on TV in SA.
The Lions finally managed to break their 17 game Super Rugby duck, winning by 25 / 20.
A chilly wind greeted the Highlanders and DHL Stormers at Newlands on Friday night which saw the home side walk of with a boring 18-6 win.
Although the Highlanders enjoyed a fair amount of possession, they found themselves idle by not converting the positive momentum they created into points, and rather made unnecessary errors.
Stormers (12) 18 / Highlanders (6) 6 (Final Score)
The Stormers hosted the Highlanders at Newlands, Cape Town at 19:10 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD and M-Net on TV in SA.
In a very hard battle where the Stormers had to make more than double the tackles compared to the Highlanders, the Stormers toughed out an ugly win.
Rather an ugly win though than a spectacular loss!
Rebels (18) 32 / Sharks (13) 34 (Final Score)
The Melbourne Rebels hosted the Sharks at AAMI Park, Melbourne at 10:40 SA Time. This was the game thread for discussion of the match. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD and M-Net on TV in SA.
The Sharks won by the skin of their teeth, 34 / 32, but in the process managed to get their bonus point for tries scored.
The worrying thing for the Sharks will be that they conceded 4 tries in return, after not giving a single try away before this match.
The Bulls may have been given the week off, but the team’s brains trust has still been mulling over a few important issues in the wake of their defeat to the Highlanders. Continue reading
Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske has dropped his captain from last week, Naas Olivier, and brought back Heinrich Brüssow in his team to face the Lions.
John Smit aka “Barney” will start for the first time in this year’s Super Rugby Tournament as he leads the side out in their second tour match against the Melbourne Rebels on Friday.
The Sharks have been approached by the Crusaders about playing their match on March the 25th at Twickenham in London.
The Crusaders cannot play their scheduled matches at AMI Stadium as it was damaged by the earthquake that hit Christchurch last month.
Herewith the Super Rugby team sheets as thet are announced for week 4 of Super Rugby 2011. The rest of the teams will be added as team sheets are made available.
Allister Coetzee, head coach of the DHL Stormers, today named his team to take on the Highlanders at DHL Newlands on Friday 11 March. Kick off is at 19h10.
The Cheetahs look set to pick their fourth captain of the season with flyhalf Naas Olivier facing the axe in a tactical ploy designed to engineer their first Super Rugby victory of the year.
The DHL Stormers back three reshuffle that some critics have been speculating over has moved a step closer to becoming a reality as Conrad Jantjes battles with an Achilles niggle that could keep him out of the match against the Highlanders on Friday.