Super Rugby
With 10 wins from 11 starts in Vodacom Super Rugby this season and top position in both the South African conference and the overall log, the Stormers don’t have much to complain about as they start to head towards the business end of the competition.
A succession of head injuries have cast a shadow over the playing future of the Blues’ French-bound utility back Benson Stanley.
Die Vodacom Bulls se twee losvoorspelers CJ Stander (Heup) en Dewald Potgieter (Skouer) wat beide teen die Highlanders beseer is in Dunedin, sal waarskynlik beide oorweeg kan oorweeg word vir insluiting in die span vir die laaste toerwedstryd teen die Chiefs.
Remarkable team the Highlanders. Just when you think you can count on counting them out, you can’t.
That was the case on Saturday night when they humbled a Bulls team which had started the weekend as Super Rugby’s competition front-runners but ended it with a 16-11 loss. They will be re-evaluating their form ahead of this weekend’s game against the Chiefs.
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.
What, you may well ask has the headline got to do with this match. Let me explain.
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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Cheetahs (14) 20 / Sharks (21) 34 (Final Score)
The Toyota Cheetahs and The Sharks 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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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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Crusaders (31) 59 / Blues (0) 12 (Final Score)
The Crusaders and Blues did battle in Super Rugby at Christchurch Stadium, Christchurch 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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Highlanders (3) 16 / Bulls (6) 11 (Final Score)
The Highlanders and Vodacom Bulls did battle in Super Rugby at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin 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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The Lions may be fighting a survival battle on several fronts, but they remain firm in their resolve to retain their Super Rugby status.
Wallabies and Reds flanker Scott Higginbotham has signed a two year contract with the Melbourne Rebels starting in the 2013 Super Rugby season.
The Blues are running out of loose forwards rapidly, with Steven Luatua called-up to make his run-on debut against the Crusaders in Christchurch on Saturday.
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.
Following a meeting today between SARU and the South African Super Rugby franchises, Jurie Roux of SA Rugby has made the following statement:
The Reds have named their team to play the Lions this weekend at Suncorp Stadium with Quade Cooper in the starting lineup for the first time this Super Rugby season.
Saracens eighthman Ernst Joubert could be on his way to Cape Town to help alleviate the Stormers’ loose forward injury crisis.
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 Sharks could be forced to play their Super Rugby clash this weekend against the Cheetahs without star flyhalf Patrick Lambie due to injury.
Stormers coach Allister Coetzee wants SANZAR to change their regulations so that Super Rugby teams can field their strongest teams in the play offs.
Stormers head coach Allister Coetzee has confirmed that eighthman Nizaam Carr will miss the rest of the Super Rugby season due to injury.
The Chiefs 42-27 loss to the Reds appears to have come at an extra cost as coach Dave Rennie fears that star centre Richard Kahui will be out for the rest of the Super Rugby season.
As much as I hate this clichéd saying that every sports commentator has used with gay abandon since the 1980’s, where the English football hacks had run every overused idiom, including this one into the ground, it is most apt for this game. This really was “a game of two halves”.
LIONS president Kevin de Klerk believes next week’s crunch meeting between the South African Rugby Union and franchise bosses would “draw a line in the sand” on the Super Rugby participation saga. In January the Port Elizabeth-based Southern Kings were guaranteed their place in the 2013 Super Rugby tournament by unanimous decision at a General Council meeting of SARU.
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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During the Stormers and Cheetahs clash at Newlands a fight of sorts broke out in the second half. Just prior to this happening, Assistant referee Jonathan Kaplan had his flag out. Steve Walsh was about to walk over to him when the whole fight broke out.
Stormers (16) 16 / Cheetahs (0) 14 (Final Score)
The DHL Stormers and Toyota Cheetahs 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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The whole Southern Kings and Super Rugby situation in South Africa has gotten me thinking and after discussing it with a avid rugby & Lions supporter in Francois Nell, the following transpired:
Why don’t we have teams playing in both Super Rugby, Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup? We have enough teams to do this and it should strengthen South African rugby. Here are a couple of options SARU might well want to consider in going forward in to the future.
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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Highlanders (14) 20 / Hurricanes (9) 26 (Final Score)
The Highlanders and Hurricanes did battle in Super Rugby at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin 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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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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