SA Rugby
SANZAR has released the names of the Match Officials for Round 12 of Super Rugby 2014.
Nick Briant starts the weekend action on Friday in Auckland when the Blues host the Reds.
This weekend sees 7 matches, with 2 on Friday and 5 on Saturday.
The Western Force have a BYE weekend, ahead of their tour of South Africa.
The Toyota Cheetahs delivered their best performance of the Vodacom Super Rugby season when they won comfortably against the DHL Stormers in an exciting local derby, but the Vodacom Bulls and Cell C Sharks were kept try-less as they ended up on the losing side in Round 11.
The team from Central South Africa and the Capetonians were involved in an thrilling derby where the most tries were scored this season. The Toyota Cheetahs won this encounter in Bloemfontein on Saturday afternoon by 35-22, outscoring the visitors by five tries to three.
It was the most tries scored against the DHL Stormers in a local derby since the Cell C Sharks and Vodacom Bulls put five and seven respectively past them in 2007.
Earlier on Saturday, the Vodacom Bulls had to battle the elements and Sias Ebersohn’s boot in Perth. The Force beat the visitors from Pretoria by 15-9 in a kick-fest where no tries were scored.
The Steval Pumas, Cell C Sharks XV, GWK Griquas and Toyota Free State XV will host the four Vodacom Cup quarter-finals after the pool phase of the competition came to an exciting conclusion this weekend.
It was an exciting end to the competition in 2014, with a total of 75 tries scored in the eight pool matches at an average of just over nine per match, or one try every eight or so minutes.
While the North Section went pretty much as expected and the Steval Pumas managed the become the only team to go through their pool matches unbeaten, the last round in the South Section saw the log getting a proper overhaul following upsets in Durban and George on Friday evening.
Rebels lock Hugh Pyle says his side must muscle-up and top the Sharks’ physicality if they are to emerge victorious when they meet in Melbourne on Friday.
The Sharks are recognised for having one of the most physical forward packs in Super Rugby, and Pyle knows that the Rebels need to bring the physicality when they take on the combined conference leaders.
Sharks coach Jake White believes 4 wins from 4 on their Australasian tour is a realistic goal to aim for.
White’s charges will be eager to get back to winning ways when they face the Melbourne Rebels on Friday, especially after coming badly unstuck in their last game – a 34-18 home loss to the Highlanders.
Versatile Stormers forward Deon Fourie could further his career at French club Lyon.
The DHL Stormers are searching for a lock from outside the region to help them through the current crisis.
But just who the Stormers will target to come in to provide a temporary solution to the problems that have been caused by injuries and the departure for Japan of Andries Bekker is difficult to ascertain for there is not a lot out there and an approach to former Western Province lock Quinn Roux, now playing in Ireland, never went anywhere.
EP Kings lock Steve Sykes, a former Sharks stalwart, has also turned down the Stormers on the basis that he wants to commit himself fully to his province’s entry into the Premier Division of the Absa Currie Cup later in the year.
Hooker Scarra Ntubeni and wing Sailosi Tagicakibau are back in the selection frame for the Stormers ahead of this coming weekend’s home Super Rugby clash against the Highlanders, the Stormers’ official website reports.
Ntubeni has not featured for the Stormers since their tour-opener against the Crusaders back in early March, but his return – along with Tagicakibau’s – will be a major boost to his team.
The Cheetahs will be able to call on the services of Springboks Coenie Oosthuizen and Johan Goosen for their Super Rugby clash against the Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday.
Piet van Zyl will not be able to take on his former Toyota Cheetahs team mates at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday as the Vodacom Bulls scrumhalf still suffers from a knee injury picked up on the Australasian tour.
The player will miss another week of Vodacom Super Rugby action as he recovers from his MCL injury, Vodacom Bulls team doctor Org Strauss confirmed.
It is a very long shot, but the Bulls’ only method now of squeezing into the Super Rugby playoffs is to bank on a protracted run of late-campaign misery by pace-setting compatriots the Sharks and rack up plenty of home-turf wins themselves.
He may not be as dynamic all over the park as in days gone by, but Bulls lock Victor Matfield remains the lineout king in Super Rugby.
The Springbok captained the Bulls in their final tour match against the Force in Perth last week after regular skipper Flip van der Merwe was suspended for punching.
Matfield did not succeed in spurring his team-mates to a first victory on tour, but one area in which they dominated, was at lineout time.
The Toyota Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske on Saturday lauded his players for what he described as their best performance in Super Rugby this year.
The Bloemfontein side beat the DHL Stormers 35-22 and lifted themselves off the bottom of the overall points log, switching places with the Stormers.
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.
The Sharks were outplayed and outsmarted by the Highlanders on their way to a shock Super Rugby defeat in Durban on Friday night, director of rugby Jake White said after the game.
“We weren’t at our best and they played really well against us – take nothing away from this performance by the Highlanders,” White said.
“Sometimes when we needed to kick we ran, and sometimes when we needed to run we kicked.”
After an impressive professional rugby career that has spanned over a decade, the dynamic winger, Michael Killian, will be hanging up his boots to take on new challenges in the corporate sector.
EP Rugby CEO, Charl Crous, on Monday confirmed Killian’s retirement.
Ospreys have signed South African second row Rynier Bernardo on a three-year deal.
The Ospreys have turned to the 22-year-old because their British and Irish Lions lock Ian Evans is leaving for French side Toulon in the summer.
Cheetahs (20) 35 / 22 (10) Stormers (Final Score)
The Toyota Cheetahs and DHL Stormers did battle in Super Rugby at
Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein at 17:05 SA Time (15:05 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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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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Sharks (12) 18 / 34 (24) Highlanders (Final Score)
The Cell C Sharks and Highlanders did battle in Super Rugby at
Growthpoint Kings Park, Durban at 19:10 SA Time (17:10 GMT, 05:10 Saturday NZ 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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A Springbok training squad for a Durban camp from 25 to 28 May will be named after Round 14 of Vodacom Super Rugby as the national team kicks off their preparations for the Castle Lager Incoming Series.
The Springboks will be in action for the first time in 2014 when they take on the Samsung-sponsored World XV at DHL Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday 7 June.
A cutting-edge new Springbok jersey, manufactured by new official technical kit sponsors ASICS which will be used for the first time in June, was revealed in Cape Town on Thursday.
Jurie Roux, CEO of the South African Rugby Union (SARU), said this new sponsorship ushered in an exciting new era for the Springboks and all other national teams as they aim to continuously raise the bar in performance.
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.
One-time Springbok Franco van der Merwe has already played his last game for the Lions.
Golden Lions Rugby Union CEO Manie Booysen confirmed to this website that they have released the veteran lock, who will join up with Irish province Ulster later this year.
Versatile back Mark Richards has replaced Cecil Afrika in the Springbok Sevens squad for the penultimate HSBC Sevens World Series tournament next weekend in Glasgow, the South African Rugby Union (SARU) confirmed on Thursday.
Afrika was not considered for the Blitzboks’ 12-man squad to Scotland because he is still completing his rehabilitation at Stellenbosch following the groin strain he suffered in Hong Kong.
Depending on his progress, he might be considered for selection should the need arise to call up a player for the London Sevens (10 – 11 May).
Cell C Sharks Director of Rugby Jake White has named a 27 man touring squad that will travel to Australia and New Zealand for the month-long overseas leg of their tournament commitments.
The Cell C Sharks will leave for Australia on Saturday, following Friday night’s Vodacom Super Rugby clash with the Highlanders at Growthpoint KINGS PARK.
Cell C Sharks director of rugby Jake White has hinted that he will start rotating his selections more than he has so far this season once his squad reaches Australasia for the overseas leg of their Vodacom Super Rugby campaign.
The Lions have named their squad for their difficult tour “Down Under”, which kicks off against the reigning chamions the Chiefs on Friday 2 May.
The noticeable absentee (due to injury) is Springbok Franco vd Merwe, who may well have played his last game in a Lions jersey if rumours of a move to Irish club Ulster are to be believed.
With the Lions line out having been somewhat shambolic in recent weeks, his experience will be sorely missed.
There was a sudden burst of school activity over the Easter Weekend when seven school festivals were held around the country – Benoni, Grahamstown, Botha’s Hill, Port Elizabeth and three in Johannesburg.
These Easter results produced some surprises and have had a seismic effect on our Top 20, as one would expect.
Vodacom Bulls coach Frans Ludeke made five changes to his starting line-up to face the Force in Perth on Saturday, with suspension, rotation and injury forcing his hand.
Three changes are at the back.
Jurgen Visser has recovered from the foot injury that ruled him out of the Waratahs clash shortly before kick-off and slots in at fullback, where he replaces Ulrich Beyers. Francois Hougaard moves back to the base of the scrum following the knee-injury sustained by Piet van Zyl and a fit-again Akona Ndungane returns to his regular spot on the wing.
Flip van der Merwe has been suspended for 3 weeks, following a Judicial Hearing, following a punch on the weekend, against the Waratahs!
Hearing Details: Wednesday 23 April 2014 at 08:00 SA Time, 16:00 AEST, 18:00 NZ Time
Judicial Hearing Chairman: Adam Casselden
Player: Flip van der Merwe
Team: Bulls
Position: Lock
Date of Incident: 19 April 2014
Nature of Offence: Law 10.4 (a) Punching or Striking. A player must not strike an opponent with the fist or arm, including the elbow,shoulder, head or knee(s).
Elapsed time in match when incident occurred: 75th minute
Director of Rugby Jake White has been forced to make changes to the Cell C Sharks backline, but welcomes back two players from injury for Friday night’s Vodacom Super Rugby clash with the Highlanders.
This is their final home game ahead of their four match tour to Australia and New Zealand and along with the desire to maintain their 100% success record at home is hopping on the plane on Saturday in a positive frame of mind, something victory on Friday night would ensure.
The South African Rugby Union will discuss the reintroduction of the quota system into the local game as soon as next month in order to align itself with the demands made by the Minister of Sport surrounding transformation in the game.
SARU president Oregan Hoskins said that the sport will need to make “radical, drastic, immediate changes” to comply with the pressure being brought upon it by the Sports Ministry after Saru and other federations met with the government regarding the proposed changes, including a possible reintroduction of quotas into the Absa Currie Cup and Vodacom Super Rugby competitions.
But Hoskins has committed rugby to embracing the changes, and will see them as ‘a positive’ – even though they may not be ideal in the short term.
Cheetahs flyhalf Johan Goosen will not play against the Stormers in Bloemfontein this weekend after failing a concussion test.
The Bok playmaker took a knock against the Crusaders in Round Nine and has still not recovered fully after sitting out the defeat to the Sharks in Durban last week.
Stormers eighthman Nizaam Carr has tweeted a picture of himself at the dentist – missing a front tooth!