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The Crusaders remain optimistic that talisman Dan Carter will be fit for their historic Super 14 semifinal showdown with the Bulls at Soweto’s Orlando Stadium on Saturday.
Carter and prop Ben Franks are both on the “wait-and-see” list, suffering with ankle injury niggles in the team’s 40-22 victory over the Brumbies in Christchurch last week.
Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder said his team’s preparation for their historic Super 14 semifinal showdown with the Bulls at Soweto’s Orlando Stadium is more about “mental application” that physical training.
Writing in his column on the Crusaders’ website, he also said he hopes the players respond to the unique venue – the historic soccer stadium in Orlando.
A Hurricanes medical report has revealed that Ma-a Nonu will miss the All Blacks Tests in June after picking up an injury in his final Super 14 clash against the Waratahs.
Nonu ruptured the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in Sydney last weekend. The Hurricanes were hoping to beat the Waratahs and secure a place in the play offs but lost ending their Super14 campaign.
Inspirational Brumbies fullback Julian Huxley has become the 19th signing to the Melbourne Rebels Super 15 squad.
Former South Africa international Brendan Venter has been banned from the sidelines for 14 weeks in the English rugby premiership after being found guilty of making provocative or inappropriate gestures to spectators.
Overnight all available seating and standing tickets for the Vodacom Super 14 semi-final between the Vodacom Stormers and the Waratahs have been sold.
Here are the Semi-Final Teams, as they have been announced.
I was sent this by our good friend, TonyM, a discussion of whether the Promotion / Relegation System for Super Rugby would work or not.
Johann Lerm, Head Coach of the SWD Eagles and Tony McKeever, former CEO of the Southern Spears give their Opinions.
Coach John Mitchell has dismissed rumours he is set to leave the Western Force to guide struggling South African team the Lions for the 2011 Super 15 rugby season.
Mitchell confirmed on Tuesday that he will coach the Force next season before stepping aside but revealed he is in talks with the Lions to take up a consultancy role for their domestic Currie Cup season, which runs from July to October.
Wallaby coach Robbie Deans has some tough decisions to make when deciding on his test fly-half.
Matt Giteau is the incumbent, Quade Cooper the heir apparent and Berrick Barnes when fit, the team vice-captain.
England – A plan to end the round of increasingly meaningless end-of-season international rugby tours in which top countries try out second and third string players has met with a mixed reception.
The International Rugby Board on Monday unveiled a new 10-year rotational playing calendar for June which pitches the cream of international world rugby on a rotational basis from 2012.
Stormers fans in search of tickets for Saturday’s Super 14 semifinal showdown with the Waratahs were left fuming on Tuesday morning after the Computicket system crashed.
Irate fans called into radio stations and posted messages on social networking site Twitter, complaining that they had been unable to buy tickets for the Stormers’ crunch match against the ‘Tahs at Newlands Stadium.
The Vodacom Bulls will face the Crusaders in Saturday’s semi-final of the Super 14 in Orlando Stadium with their most experienced team yet.
Additional tickets will be released to Computicket tomorrow during the course of the day, 19 May 2010, due to the season ticket holders not taking up their tickets.
SPECULATION
ASSUMPTION
CONJECTURE
These are probably the three ugliest words in the rugby world today!
What a momentous day, Rugby-Talk passed the 100 000 Comments mark this morning at 11:43.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtgsltBM0LI[/youtube]
Tickets for the Vodacom Super 14 semi-final at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on 22 May 2010 has been sold out.
The residents of Soweto will welcome the Bulls with open arms
The 2 Semi-Finals in this year’s Super 14 will take place on Saturday 22 May 2010, as follows:
Bulls vs Crusaders, Orlando Stadium, Soweto at 17:05 SA Time
Stormers vs Waratahs, Newlands, Cape Town at 19:10 SA Time
Details about travel arrangement and ticketing follws hereafter in the Article.
Stormers (28) 38 / Bulls (3) 10 (Final Score)
The Stormers hosted the Bulls at Newlands, Cape Town 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 Stormers won the encounter by 38 / 10 and earned a bonus point in the process, elevating them to No 2 on the Log and also earning them a Home semi-final.
It was clear that the many changes the Bulls made, fielding a B-side made their cohesion less whereas the Stormers appeared to be a well oiled machine.
The Bulls B-side was not disgraced though and showed better form than at least 2 or 3 of the Super 14 teams who occupy the 12th, 13th and 14th spots on the Log.
Cheetahs (38) 59 / Lions (3) 10 (Final Score)
The Cheetahs hosted the Lions at Welkom in the Free State 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.
The Cheetahs beat the Lions by 59 / 10, scoring 9 tries in the process and just managing to surpass the Chiefs on the Super 14 Log.
Well done to the Cheetahs for finishing the Super 14 so strong!
Reds (24) 38 / Highlanders (3) 36 (Final Score)
The Reds hosted the Highlanders in Brisbane, Australia 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 beat the Highlanders in a thrilling match by 38 / 36 but it was’nt without drama as Israel Dagg lined up for a long distance match winning penalty, which fell short.
The Reds end their season in 5th spot on the Log.
Blues (12) 30 / Chiefs (6) 20 (Final Score)
The Blues hosted the Chiefs in Auckland, New Zealand 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 Blues scored 5 tries to the Chiefs 2 to win by 30 / 20.
Both teams now silently exit the competition.
Sharks (17) 27 / Force (15) 22 (Final Score)
The Sharks hosted the Western Force at ABSA Stadium, Durban at 19:10 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 struggled to put the Force away, did not score 4 tries but won 27 / 22.
End of the Super 14 season for these 2 teams.
Waratahs (18) 32 / Hurricanes (9) 16 (Final Score)
The Waratahs hosted the Hurricanes at the Sydney Football Stadium, 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 scored 4 tries and beat the Hurricanes convincingly, by 32 / 16.
The Waratahs earns a semi-final and moves up to temporary 2nd spot on the Log, on 43 Points, whilst the Hurricanes silently exits the tournament.
Crusaders (22) 40 / Brumbies (10) 22 (Final Score)
The Crusaders hosted the Brumbies at the AMI Stadium, Christchurch 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 Crusaders won comfortably and scored a bonus point try in the process, winning by 40 / 22.
The Crusaders advance to the semi’s, now sitting on No 2 spot (for the momemt), whilst the Brumbies lose out on a semi and end their season here.
The last week of the open Rounds of the Super 14 and only one team, the Bulls, have booked a spot in the semi-finals. This week sees 7 games of which only 3 are of paramount importance and we’ll only know the semi-final contenders after the last game of the week between the Stormers and the Bulls.
The games are the following:
| 14 | Crusaders | v | Brumbies | Christchurch | 09:35 |
| 14 | Waratahs | v | Hurricanes | Sydney | 11:40 |
| 14 | The Sharks | v | Western Force | The Absa Stadium Durban | 19:10 |
| 15 | Blues | v | Chiefs | Auckland | 09:35 |
| 15 | Reds | v | Highlanders | Brisbane | 11:40 |
| 15 | Vodacom Cheetahs | v | Auto & General Lions | GWK Park, Kimberley | 15:00 |
| 15 | Vodacom Stormers | v | Vodacom Bulls | Newlands Rugby Stadium | 17:05 |
Die playing surface at Orlando Stadium in Soweto, due to it’s slightly oval shape does not provide for normal in-goal areas, as required by rugby and therefore the in-goal areas would have to be made slightly smaller.
Following the Wallabies meltdown in the 2007 World Cup pressure-cooker, Robbie Deans couldn’t be happier to see the Brumbies and NSW Waratahs experience extra sudden-death encounters on Friday.
Bakkies Botha will lead a well balanced Vodacom Bulls team into battle against the Stormers at Newland on Saturday. The first time captain will be followed onto the field by two debutants at this level, with Deon Helberg and Gerrit-Jan van Velze making Super debuts in a team that see 14 changes from the starting line-up of the side that beat the Crusaders 40-35 at Loftus Versfeld last weekend.
Allister Coetzee, head coach of the Vodacom Stormers, today announced his team to play the Vodacom Bulls at Newlands on Saturday 15 May in the last league match of the 2010 Vodacom Super 14. Kick-off is at 17h05. Gates open at 15h00 and supporters are urged to get to the stadium early as the match is a sell out.
Die Vodacom Cheetahs-rugbyspan sal sy Springbok-senter Meyer Bosman vandeesweek die ruskans gee wat hy nodig het om sy span Saterdag in Welkom tot een van hul beste Vodacom Super14-reekse te help.
Bosman se borsspier is in sy span se sege van 29-14 oor die Western Force beseer en daar word gevrees dat hy die Vodacom Cheetahs se kragmeting met die Lions sal misloop.
We have received news from Megan Harris at the Sharks regarding the Sharks team who plays the Western Force at The ABSA Stadium, Durban on Friday 14 May 2010 at 19:10… here it is.
All of the teams for Round 14 have been announced.
Whinging Australians…. Neverrrrrrrrrrrr!
Well, well, well, it did’nt take long for the Waratahs to show the whinge-factor…. for this mere fact I hope the Canes clout them to kingdom come on the weekend!
Springbok coach Peter de Villiers says that he thinks that the Stormers will beat the Bulls when the two teams clash this weekend.