Super Rugby
Governing body Sanzar has confirmed that Television Match Official Deon van Blommenstein made a critical error in awarding Cobus Reinach his try during the Cell C Sharks’ 31 / 16 win over the Vodacom Bulls in their Vodacom Super Rugby match in Durban on the weekend.
Sanzar referees boss Lyndon Bray confirmed the try – which led to repeated replays – should not have been awarded as the ball was knocked-on by Sharks lock Anton Bresler.
The Lions celebrated their return to Vodacom Super Rugby with a good win over the Toyota Cheetahs in Bloemfontein before the Cell C Sharks showed they mean business in 2014 with a bonus-point victory over the Vodacom Bulls in Durban.
For the Cell C Sharks, under a new coach in former Springbok mentor Jake White, it was a perfect start to the season. They got their 4th try at the death of their 31 / 16 win after scoring 3 five-pointers in the first 40 minutes.
Lions coach Johan Ackermann knows that his young team’s gritty victory over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein was worth more than just the four log points.
The Johannesburg side made an ideal return to Super Rugby, with a late drop-goal from flyhalf Marnitz Boshoff giving them a dramatic 21 / 20 victory over the home side.
The DHL Stormers still have to get into the action and will have other intentions, but the first two matches of Vodacom Super Rugby reinforced the pre-season view that the Cell C Sharks will be the team to beat in the South African conference.
Certainly the other three sides that played this weekend were light years behind the Sharks, and that confirms the view picked up in the last Absa Currie Cup season, when the understrength sides of the Sharks and Western Province dominated the league season before contesting the final: there really are only two strong unions in South Africa at the moment.
The unavailability of fullback Jaco Taute for the Vodacom Super Rugby opener is just one of the many things that have given DHL Stormers coach Allister Coetzee reasons to be thoughtful ahead of the trip to Johannesburg on Saturday.
As the Lions were sounding a warning ahead of Ellis Park by shocking the Toyota Cheetahs 21 / 20 in Bloemfontein, a scratch Stormers team that included several youngsters who were still at school last year was on the way to a 29 / 24 defeat to the Boland Cavaliers in searing heat in Wellington.
Wallabies flyhalf Quade Cooper is set to start in the Reds’ Super Rugby opener against the Brumbies this weekend despite pain in his neck.
The Brumbies are expected to name Wallabies centre Tevita Kuridrani in their starting line up for Saturday’s Super Rugby opener against the Reds.
The international centre was sent off lifting flanker Peter O’Mahony in the Wallabies Test victory over Ireland and was banned for five matches.
Cheetahs coach Naka Drotské says their performance against the Lions was the worst by them in three years.
Legendary Australian wing David Campese wasn’t impressed by what the Bulls dished up in their Super Rugby opener against the Cell C Sharks in Durban over the weekend.
“Campo” studied the Super Rugby clash which the Sharks won 31 / 16 to go to the top of the Super Rugby standings.
Springbok fullback Jaco Taute has been ruled out of the Stormers fixture against the Lions in Johannesburg next week.
Taute was an 11th hour withdrawal from the Stormers side which went down 29-24 to Boland in Wellington on Saturday.
The Boland Cavaliers gave the Stormers plenty to ponder as they beat them 29-24 in a pre-season friendly in Wellington on Saturday.
It may have been a young and experimental Stormers side, which showed plenty of guts, but it would not have been the way coach Allister Coetzee would have wanted to end the pre-season.
Sharks (23) 31 / 16 (9) Bulls (Final Score)
The Cell C Sharks and Vodacom Bulls did battle in Super Rugby at
Kings Park, Durban at 19:10 SA Time (17:10 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sFMF09fgi8[/youtube]
Cheetahs (10) 20 / 21 (9) Lions (Final Score)
The Toyota Cheetahs and Lions 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.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84FxGreFTeM[/youtube]
Last year I took a bet with a fellow subscriber on Rugby-Talk and the whole idea of our own Prediction Game was born. We always brag or predict how many games other teams will win or lose. The idea was born to challenge you all to put your great rugby knowledge to test. This competition will eliminate the big mouths first and foremost.
Let me explain more…
This ARTICLE is the only place were you can participate and give your predictions. All Predictions must be in before 15:00 on Saturday 15 February 2014, that is roughly 2 hours before the first South African Super Rugby game of 2014.
This is a ONCE-OFF prediction game, you pick before the cut-off time, after that you just wait and see how far you go over the weeks. Once you have picked, the season will unfold and your wisdom will be tested. Rugby-Talk will compile a spreadsheet and monitor your progress or lack thereof.
Last man standing will be our winner. The prize for the winner, will be a gift voucher of R 1 000.00 from Garden Pavilion Garden Centre. This prize will be sponsored by Appelblaar Road Stall & Nursery in Hoedspruit, but will apply to any of the Garden Pavilion Garden Centres in South Africa.
Herewith a Full Media Guide, detailing ALL Super Rugby 2014 Teams, Players, Management, Staff and Statistics, for all the Super Rugby participating teams, from all 3 countries.
With talks of proposals to shift the current Super Rugby format well underway, news from Australia is that the Waratahs, Reds and Rebels are considering merging to form a unified coastal team.
The Reds were dealt a double blow ahead of the start of the Super Rugby season, with Wallaby vice-captain Quade Cooper the biggest concern.
Cooper was stretchered off Ballymore as the Rebels produced a shock 18 / 13 pre-season upset of the Reds on Friday.
Stormers fullback Jaco Taute’s knee is giving him problems again as they prepare to face Boland in a pre-season friendly in Wellington on Saturday.
The Golden Lions Rugby Union is pleased to welcome Jonsson Workwear, Africa’s leading workwear brand, on board as an official associate sponsor.
The 2014 Super Rugby season kicks off this weekend with an all South African round of action featuring the Cheetahs vs the Lions and the Sharks vs the Bulls.
Here we take a brief look at the South African teams and what could lie ahead for the South African Super Rugby franchises.
The Australian and New Zealand teams start Super Rugby a week later than their South African rivals and the New Zealand teams kick the season off with a match in Christchurch between a former champion, the Crusaders and the current Champions the Chiefs.
Here we take a brief look at the New Zealand teams and what could lie ahead for the New Zealand Super Rugby franchises.
The Australian and New Zealand teams start Super Rugby a week later than their South African rivals and the Australian teams kick the season off with a match in Canberra between two former Champions, the Brumbies and the Reds.
Here we take a brief look at the Australian teams and what could lie ahead for the Australian Super Rugby franchises.
Right wing Johnny McNicholl ran in a hat-trick of tries as the Crusaders beat the Hurricanes 40 / 15 in a Super Rugby pre-season match in Levin on Friday.
The Wellington-based side enjoyed the better of the first 40 minutes and led 15 / 14 at the half-time interval thanks to tries from flyhalf Beauden Barrett, fullback Marty Banks and prop Ben Franks.
Two-time defending Super Rugby champions, the Chiefs, hammered the Blues 43 / 19 (half-time 24 / 12) in a pre-season friendly in Rotorua on Friday.
According to reports, tries went to the home side’s Rhys Marshall, Liam Messam, Sam Cane, Nick Crosswell, James Lowe and Robbie Fruean, while Aaron Cruden converted five tries and added a penalty.
Dumped Australia cricket coach Mickey Arthur on Friday ruled out applying for the vacant England job after being appointed head of the Super Rugby Western Force development programme.
The South African, who was ousted just before the start of the Ashes series in England last year with two years left on his contract, said he was settled in Perth.
Super Rugby is finally upon us, with Round 1 of the 2014 season starting this weekend. Only 2 games are played in Round 1, and only 4 South African sides are involved in Round 1.
The DHL Stormers have a bye weekend, right at the outset, but of course Bye Points fall away in 2014.
The New Zealand and Australian sides will only join up as from Round 2, as the South African sides will only be hauled in in June when the New Zealand and Australians play a Round where the South African sides sit out.
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.
Cell C Sharks Director of Rugby Jake White has named his team to play the Bulls in Saturday’s opening Vodacom Super Rugby clash against the Bulls at Growthpoint Kings Park.
Getting off to a good start is vital to the team’s tournament aims and there is no discounting the value of winning early to set up a platform for ongoing success. The team he has named includes 11 Springboks in the starting line-up with a further three on the bench as he has been able to name pretty much a full-strength side.
SANZAR has decided to do away with the hugely unpopular system whereby teams get awarded ‘bonus’ points when they have a bye in Super Rugby.
SANZAR CEO Greg Peters said on Thursday they listened to “feedback from the fans” and trust this makes it easier for all to track their team’s log progress throughout the season.
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers on Wednesday became only the sixth player to be named South African Rugby Player of the Year more than once, while Eben Etzebeth was named the Young Player of the Year for 2013 for the second successive season at a glittering ceremony at the Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef City in Johannesburg.
De Villiers led the Springboks to 10 wins in 12 Tests in 2013 and scored five tries in the process following an outstanding Vodacom Super Rugby campaign for the DHL Stormers. His first-class record now stands at 254 matches with 91 tries scored.
Victor Vito has become the latest Hurricanes player to be ruled out their tough South African tour after rupturing his posterior cruciate ligament in training on Wednesday.
Lions head coach Johan Ackermann has announced his first Super Rugby side to take on the Cheetahs in the South African Super Rugby opener on Saturday.
The team features 6 Super Rugby debutants namely Chrysander Botha, Marnitz Boshoff, Franco Mostert, Julian Redelinghuys, Robbie Coetzee and Schalk van der Merwe and is captained by Warren Whiteley.
The Lions were not involved in the 2013 Super Rugby season, after being relegated by the Southern Kings. The Lions will be eager to show that they belong in Super Rugby and not on the sidelines.
Vodacom Bulls coach Frans Ludeke will look at his next generation Vodacom Bulls players to deliver the goods in the Vodacom Super Rugby season after he named a youthful looking side to face the Cell C Sharks in the season’s opener in Durban on Saturday.
Regular captain Pierre Spies will lead a team on the field with a number of players on debut and a number of others with only a handful of caps, but will also have the luxury of Victor Matfield on the bench.
Matfield will join former Sharks AJ Venter and John Smit in becoming the most capped South African Vodacom Super Rugby players and will play in his 125th match at this level.
Former Sharks mentor Brendan Venter believes the Durbanites will have too much firepower for the Bulls in their Super Rugby opener in Durban on Saturday night (19:10 kick-off).
The Stormers have received a major boost at prop this year with the rise in form of promising young loosehead Oliver Kebble.
Kebble was excellent for the WP in last year’s Under-21 provincial competition and he will get a chance on Saturday to show what he can do in the team’s friendly match against the Boland Cavaliers in Wellington.
The two-time defending Super Rugby champion Chiefs named their new board to take over the governance of the franchise under the new license agreement recently issued by New Zealand Rugby.
After a comprehensive recruitment process, the appointments panel selected a Board comprised of five independent directors and two investor appointees.