Australian Rugby
Waratahs Head Coach Michael Cheika has pleaded guilty to Misconduct relating to an incident that occurred during the Sharks v Waratahs match played at Growthpoint KINGS PARK on 29 March 2014.
In a hearing conducted by SANZAR Judicial Officer Nigel Hampton QC (New Zealand), Mr Cheika was found to have breached Section 8.3 (i) of the SANZAR Code of Conduct by verbally abusing a cameraman.
“All persons shall not use crude, insulting or abusive language or gestures towards Match Officials, spectators or any other persons involved with the running of a Match.”
The Judicial Officer suspended Mr Cheika from involvement of any kind in all forms of rugby at any level for a period of 6 months, suspended until 31 August 2015, a ban that would be triggered by a subsequent proven breach of the applicable Code of Conduct.
The Brumbies will be crowned 2014 Vodacom Super Rugby champions – if bookmakers are to be believed…
The Brumbies, currently atop the Australian Conference and in second place in the Overall standings, have been installed as 33/10 favourites to add to their titles from 2001 and 2004, by SA bookies BetXchange.
Force (9) 15 / 9 (6) Bulls (Final Score)
The Western Force and Vodacom Bulls did battle in Super Rugby at
nib Stadium, Perth at 11:40 SA Time (17:40 AWST, 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.
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Hurricanes (10) 35 / 21 (14) Reds (Final Score)
The Hurricanes and Reds did battle in Super Rugby at
Westpac Stadium, Wellington at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 17:35 AEST, 07:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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Brumbies (13) 41 / 23 (6) Chiefs (Final Score)
The Brumbies and Chiefs did battle in Super Rugby at
GIO Stadium, Canberra at 09:40 SA Time (17:40 AEST, 19:40 NZ Time, 07:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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Blues (8) 21 / 13 (3) Waratahs (Final Score)
The Blues and Waratahs did battle in Super Rugby at
Eden Park, Auckland at 07:35 SA Time (17:35 NZ Time, 15:35 AEST, 05:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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It is Round 11 of Super Rugby 2014 this weekend! We have 6 games in Round 11, with 3 games on Friday and 3 games on Saturday.
The Crusaders, Lions & Melbourne Rebels have bye weekends.
In June / July 2014 the Antipodian teams will catch up in played games with the South African counterparts, when the South African sides sit out for 1 Round.
The Combined Log will therefore be skewed for the majority of the competition and one has to question why individual countries are allowed to start such a long competition ahead of it’s rivals. In 2013 the Australian sides started a week early, but at least they had the excuse that they needed an extra week in the middle of the year to prepare for the British & Irish Lions series, which they lost.
Reds captain James Horwill will earn a milestone 100th cap for his side this weekend as they take on the Hurricanes in an Anzac Round clash in Wellington.
The Reds’ skipper made his debut for the club back in 2006 against the Waratahs and first captained the side in 2008.
Sam Carter returns to the starting side this Friday when the Brumbies take on the Chiefs in a Super Rugby Final rematch, Anzac Day showdown at GIO Stadium.
Two of the competition’s leading sides over the last two years go head to head in Canberra for the first time since 2011, with Carter one of just two adjustments to the side which also sees a return to the starting side of Christian Lealiifano at inside centre.
Pat McCabe moves back to the bench, while Tom Staniforth drops out of the match-day 23.
Sam Wykes and Jayden Hayward will return to the starting line-up when the Force tackles the Bulls at nib Stadium on Saturday evening.
Wykes has recovered from a rib injury and returns to the starting pack, alongside second-rower Adam Coleman, who was impressive in his starting debut for the Force against the Rebels last weekend.
Lock Wilhelm Steenkamp will provide coverage from the bench in his first appearance against his former club since joining the Force ahead of the 2014 Super Rugby season.
Kurtley Beale needs surgery to remove a bone spur from his foot but the Australia utility back plans to delay the operation and keep on playing until he gets some off from rugby or the pain becomes unbearable.
The 25-year-old limped off during last week’s Waratahs’ 19-12 victory over South Africa’s Bulls with what many suspected was an ankle injury that forced him to miss training on Tuesday.
Heinrich Brüssow is not just hype, he is the ultimate openside flank.
The 27-year-old Cheetahs star, who played the last of his 20 Tests in the 2011 World Cup quarterfinal, returned to Super Rugby for the Cheetahs against the Sharks last week after missing the first half of the season with a fractured toe – suffered while playing for his Japanese club.
And while the Cheetahs lost 8-19, the influence and value of Brüssow was there for all to see.
After notching up an important away against the Stormers in South Africa three weeks ago, Waratahs coach Michael Cheika is now looking to add a second, naming an unchanged starting 15 for the Anzac Day clash against the Blues in Auckland.
Although the ‘Tahs won the last encounter between the sides, it’s four years since their last win, a narrow 27-22 Phil Waugh-led victory at Eden Park back in March 2009. The only other two contests to be played in Auckland since then both came in 2011, when the Blues recorded back-to-back wins, with the latter (a 26-13 Super Rugby qualifying final result) ending the Tahs’ finals hopes.
The Brumbies will play in a one-off, Anzac Commemorative jersey next Friday when the ACT-based side takes on the Chiefs in an Anzac Day, Super Rugby Final replay at GIO Stadium.
Celebrating the contributions of both Soldier On (Match Day Charity) and the Australian War Memorial, the Brumbies strip will feature iconic images on both the front and back of the jersey with the gold trim replaced by sky-blue for one night only.
Former Springbok coach Nick Mallett has said that South Africa’s Super Rugby conference is significantly weaker than their Australasian rivals.
In his role of guest speaker on SuperSport, Mallett said he had been disappointed by South Africa’s poor performance in the tournament thus far, particularly their lack of ability to create opportunities on attack and score tries.
“Our conference is definitely the weakest and our teams aren’t performing,” Mallett said.
As we head into Round 11 of Super Rugby 2014, an alarming stat for South African fans is the lack of tries on display from teams from these shores.
Four South African teams currently comprise the bottom six in the tries scored category.
The Cell C Sharks and DHL Stormers were victorious on a weekend where all five South African Vodacom Super Rugby franchises were involved in low-scoring matches.
In all three matches involving teams from the Republic, the most points the different teams on the winning side in any of the encounters could score were 19. Only five tries were scored in these matches.
The Vodacom Bulls lost to the Waratahs for the first time since the 2005 semi-final when they were beaten by 19-12, with a try in the opening minute by Israel Folau the difference between the two sides in Sydney.
Vodacom Bulls lock Flip van der Merwe was cited after the match. He is alleged to have contravened Law 10.4 (a) Punching or striking when he made contact with the Waratahs’ Paddy Ryan in the 75th minute of the match.
In Durban, the Cell C Sharks ground out a victory in a tough derby for the second successive week when they beat the Toyota Cheetahs by 19-8, with each side scoring only one try each.
The final match of the weekend saw the DHL Stormers end a five-match losing streak when they beat the Lions by 18-3 after leading 18-0 at the break in Cape Town.
SANZAR has released the names of the Match Officials for Round 11 of Super Rugby 2014.
Chris Pollock starts the weekend action in the game between the Blues and Waratahs, in Auckland.
This weekend sees 3 games on Friday and 3 games on Saturday.
The Crusaders, Lions and Melbourne Rebels have BYE weekends.
This talk of moving away from South Africa in Super Rugby is madness, says Jeff Wilson, ex All Black fullback.
This is the best international competition outside of test rugby and it would be foolhardy to mess with its essential formula.
My old All Black team-mate Andrew Mehrtens certainly ruffled a few feathers last week when he suggested it would be in New Zealand’s interests to move away from South Africa and align closer with Australia.
Former Wallabies boss Robbie Deans will become the head coach of Japan’s Top League and national champions Panasonic Wild Knights on May 1, the club said on Tuesday.
Deans, who has also managed the Christchurch-based Crusaders and served as an All Blacks assistant coach, will take over from Norifumi Nakajima, who is transferring to another part of the giant electronics firm.
Waratahs (13) 19 / 12 (6) Bulls (Final Score)
The Waratahs and Vodacom Bulls did battle in Super Rugby at
Allianz Stadium, Sydney at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 AEST, 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.
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Rebels (6) 22 / 16 (6) Force (Final Score)
The Melbourne Rebels and Western Force did battle in Super Rugby at
AAMI Park, Melbourne at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 AEST, 09:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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It is Round 10 of Super Rugby 2014 this weekend! We have 6 games in Round 10, with 2 games on Friday and 4 games on Saturday.
The Brumbies, Highlanders & Reds have bye weekends.
In June / July 2014 the Antipodian teams will catch up in played games with the South African counterparts, when the South African sides sit out for 1 Round.
The Combined Log will therefore be skewed for the majority of the competition and one has to question why individual countries are allowed to start such a long competition ahead of it’s rivals. In 2013 the Australian sides started a week early, but at least they had the excuse that they needed an extra week in the middle of the year to prepare for the British & Irish Lions series, which they lost.
Rebels coach Tony McGahan made just one change to the side for their all-Australian Super Rugby derby against the Western Force on Friday.
In a show of faith in his matchday 23 that lost to the Chiefs last week the only change sees second row forward Cadeyrn Neville replace Hugh Pyle in the starting line-up, with the Foundation Rebel dropping to the bench.
Injuries have compelled the Force to make six changes with lock Adam Coleman and scrumhalf Ian Prior making their first appearances in the starting line-up.
Coleman has started on the bench in the Force’s past five matches and earns his first opportunity in the run-on side, packing down alongside Wilhelm Steenkamp.
Fullback Israel Folau is back in the Waratahs team for their Super Rugby clash against the Bulls in Sydney on Saturday.
Folau was sensationally withdrawn from the Waratahs’ team on the eve of their match with the Western Force in Perth last Saturday because the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) was concerned about his throat injury.
Australia’s 2015 World Cup preparations will be well tested on their end-of-season European tour in November with coach Ewen McKenzie trying to replicate their potential campaign for the Webb Ellis trophy as much as possible.
McKenzie’s side will play five matches on five successive weekends, which includes clashes against World Cup Pool A opponents England and Wales.
Waratahs coach Michael Cheika’s judicial hearing over an alleged sideline confrontation with a television cameraman has been postponed upon request of Cheika’s legal representative.
The incident occurred during the Waratahs’ Super Rugby clash with the Sharks at Kings Park in Durban on 29 March.
SANZAR has released the names of the match officials for Round 10 of Super Rugby 2014.
Nick Bryant starts off proceedings this weekend in the game between the Hurricanes and Blues on Friday at 09:35 SA Time.
This weekend sees 6 games, with 2 games on Friday and 4 games on Saturday.
The Brumbies, Highlanders and Reds have BYE weekends.
Waratahs back-rower Wycliff Palu is in doubt for this weekend’s Super Rugby clash against the Bulls in Sydney this week following the death of his father last week.
Prop Sekope Kepu and his teammates say that as much as they need in form Palu in the team they will understand if he is unable to play.
As Super Rugby nears its 20th year, I wonder if it’s time to shake things up and maybe take a step back from South Africa.
I got up in the early hours of the morning at the weekend and watched my old Crusaders team battle the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein – but I’m sure I was in the minority.
I can’t help thinking we might have lost a little interest in playing South African teams, and that ultimately the future of this competition might be more localised round time zones.
The Cell C Sharks ground out their sixth win of the Vodacom Super Rugby season to stay at the top of the standings, but for the other three South African teams in action this weekend, the ninth round wasn’t a happy one.
The KwaZulu-Natalians beat a plucky Lions side by 25-12 in front of more than 30,000 people at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Saturday evening. It was a battle of attrition and the visitors from Durban scored the only try of the match.
Earlier on Saturday, the Toyota Cheetahs put up a brave fight, but for a second successive week they fell off the pace in the final 10 minutes as they lost by 52-31 to the Crusaders in Bloemfontein – the team from Canterbury’s first win in the Free State Stadium for seven years.
On Friday morning, the Vodacom Bulls could not put an end to a seven-year drought in Dunedin as they paid the price for making way too many errors with ball in hand and on defence as they went down by 27-20 to the Highlanders.
That’s the question not even the Waratahs have the answer to right now, as the Wallaby star waits to be medically cleared for Saturday’s Vodacom Super Rugby game.
Folau was controversially pulled from the clash with the Western Force on Saturday after the Australian Rugby Union medical staff overruled the Waratahs’ decision to put him on the park after a throat Cartilage injury.
The Reds go into their bye week with the firm belief that Plan A will get them into the Super Rugby play-offs.
Reds coach Richard Graham – who is hoping to get a number of frontline players back from injury when they return to action against the Hurricanes on April 26 – said the next block of matches will be vital to his team’s cause.
Clyde Rathbone insists he is ready for a Super Rugby recall if required after making a successful comeback from injury on Saturday.
The South African-born Rathbone surprised many by joining up with the Brumbies’ Super Rugby squad at the end of the 2012 season – he announced his retirement in 2009.