Australian Rugby
While the Blues sunk to their fifth loss at Eden Park this season, the other three New Zealand Conference teams in action recorded strong wins to keep their Super Rugby Final’s Series hopes well and truly alive.
The results means that four kiwi franchises move into the top nine and remain in contention for the knockout stage of the tournament, while elsewhere in the competition the Sharks and Reds continued their upward curve to keep pressure on the top sides in their respective conferences.
Cheetahs (21) 35 / Waratahs (31) 34 (Final Score)
The Toyota Cheetahs and Waratahs did battle in Super Rugby at Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein at 17:05 SA Time.
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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Force (3) 17 / Lions (8) 11 (Final Score)
The Western Force and MTN Lions did battle in Super Rugby at nib Stadium, Perth at 13:40 SA Time (19:40 Perth Time).
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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Brumbies (6) 12 / Reds (10) 13 (Final Score)
The Brumbies and Reds did battle in Super Rugby at Canberra Stadium, Canberra at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 Canberra Time).
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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Hurricanes (38) 66 / Rebels (17) 24 (Final Score)
The Hurricanes and Melbourne Rebels did battle in Super Rugby at Westpac Stadium, Wellington at 07:30 SA Time (17:30 NZ Time).
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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Here are the Super Rugby Team Sheets for Week 14 of Super Rugby 2012.
Herewith all the Teams, as they were announced for the weekend. The first side to go up was the Vodacom Bulls.
Sydney – Waratahs skipper Rocky Elsom has been cut from the Wallabies by coach Robbie Deans less than a year after being stripped of the national captaincy.
At this stage of the season, things are starting to click into place on the Logs, with teams starting to know that they are out or left with a mathematical chance to make the play-offs of the competition.
Realistically there are only 9 teams still able to qualify for the 2012 Super Rugby play-off’s, but with the Hurricanes and Reds right on the edge and needing almost a miracle to reach the play-off’s.
SANZAR have named the match officials for Week 14 of Super Rugby 2012.
Mark Lawrence starts the weekend action on Friday in the game between the Chiefs and Vodacom Bulls in Hamilton, with six matches to follow on Saturday.
This weekend the Crusaders have the bye.
Wallabies and Western Force fullback and wing Cameron Shepherd has agreed to join Aviva Premiership Rugby club Northampton Saints.
With the exception of the Highlanders gritty victory against the Bulls, every winner in Week 13 was higher on the competition log table than their vanquished rivals, meaning that the title hopefuls tightened their grip on potential Super Rugby Final’s Series qualification.
Force (15) 31 / Rebels (26) 32 (Final Score)
The Western Force and Melbourne Rebels did battle in Super Rugby at nib Stadium, Perth at 08:35 SA Time (14:35 Perth Time).
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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Stormers (16) 19 / Waratahs (3) 13 (Final Score)
The DHL Stormers and Waratahs did battle in Super Rugby at Newlands, Cape Town at 19:10 SA Time.
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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Reds (13) 34 / Lions (6) 20 (Final Score)
The Reds and MTN Lions did battle in Super Rugby at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 Brisbane Time).
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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Wallabies and Reds flanker Scott Higginbotham has signed a two year contract with the Melbourne Rebels starting in the 2013 Super Rugby season.
Hurricanes (15) 25 / Brumbies (13) 37 (Final Score)
The Hurricanes and Brumbies did battle in Super Rugby at Westpac Stadium, Wellington at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time).
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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Here are the Super Rugby Team Sheets for Week 13 of Super Rugby 2012.
Herewith all the Teams, as announced for the weekend.
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) has welcomed a compromise agreement on the kick off date for the 2015 Rugby World Cup tournament as well on a new funding model to recognise impacts on unions in Rugby World Cup years.
The IRB Council on Tuesday reached agreement that the 2015 tournament will kick off on September 18, which represented a compromise between the organiser’s preferred date and that of the SANZAR nations, who will be engaged in the Castle Rugby Championship until shortly before Rugby World Cup kick off.
SANZAR have released the match officials for Week 13 of Super Rugby 2012, with Mark Lawrence starting the first game on Friday and Marius Jonker finishing the weekend off in Perth on Sunday.
This weekend has 7 matches, 1 on Friday, 5 on Saturday and the last 1 on Sunday, meaning only one team has a bye-weekend, namely the Chiefs.
The Brumbies will keep match-fit in the June Super Rugby break by playing a game against Six Nations champions Wales at Canberra Stadium on the 12th of June.
Reds (15) 42 / Chiefs (22) 27 (Final Score)
The Reds and Chiefs did battle in Super Rugby at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane at 08:10 SA Time (16:10 Brisbane Time).
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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Sharks (20) 53 / Force (6) 11 (Final Score)
The Sharks and Western Force did battle in Super Rugby at Mr Price Kings Park, Durban at 17:05 SA Time.
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 (10) 28 / Crusaders (19) 19 (Final Score)
The Melbourne Rebels and Crusaders did battle in Super Rugby at AAMI Park, Melbourne at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 Melbourne Time).
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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Waratahs (13) 24 / Bulls (10) 27 (Final Score)
The Waratahs and Vodacom Bulls did battle in Super Rugby at Allianz Stadium, Sydney at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 Sydney Time).
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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Here are the Super Rugby Team Sheets for Week 12 of Super Rugby 2012.
Herewith all the Teams, as announced for the weekend.
Vodacom Super Rugby has been attracting bumper TV audiences as it reached the halfway mark at the weekend. Average viewership has increased by 15% on 2011, while viewership of South African derbies averages 685,581, making it easily the most popular sporting event on DSTV’s premium bouquet – apart from Springbok Test matches.
I have no idea what SANZAR thought they were doing when they appointed Bryce Lawrence to the match between the Reds and the Crusaders at the weekend. Maybe they had taken a blow too many to the head. But the officiating of this game was an accident waiting to happen.
Two of the most slippery and mercurial scrumhalves in Super Rugby will lock horns in Sydney on Friday.
The match-up between the Bulls’ Springbok Francois Hougaard and Sarel Pretorius, the former Cheetahs try-scoring factor who has made a new home for himself at the Waratahs this season, will be one of the highlights of the encounter.
The SANZAR Duty Judicial Officer Mike Heron has accepted a guilty plea from Luke Jones of the Rebels for contravening Law 10.4 (j) Lifting a Player from the ground and either dropping or driving that Player’s head and/or upper body into the ground whilst the Player’s feet are off the ground, after he was Cited during a Super Rugby Match at the Weekend. Jones lifted Bulls player Bjorn Basson in a tackle that resulted in Basson’s neck and shoulder region contacting the ground while his legs were still in the air. Jones received aYellow Card on the field and the incident was referred to the Citing Commissioner through a White Card.
We take a quick glance at the results, what-ifs, leading points and try scorers after the eleventh week of competition in 2012 Super Rugby.
Brumbies fly half Christian Lealiifano will only return to Super Rugby in 2013 as he has a dislocated and fractured right ankle which requires surgery.
Crusaders (6) 15 / Reds (5) 11 (Final Score)
The Crusaders and Reds did battle in Super Rugby at Christchurch Stadium, Christchurch at 06:00 SA Time (16:00 NZ Time).
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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Cheetahs (9) 17 / Force (6) 13 (Final score)
The Toyota Cheetahs and Western Force did battle in Super Rugby at Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein at 19:10 SA Time.
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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Brumbies (13) 23 / Waratahs (6) 6 (Final Score)
The Brumbies and Waratahs did battle in Super Rugby at Canberra Stadium, Canberra at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 Canberra Time).
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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Rebels (28) 35 / Bulls (31) 41 (Final Score)
The Melbourne Rebels and Vodacom Bulls did battle in Super Rugby at AAMI Stadium, Melbourne at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 NZ Time).
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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