New Zealand Rugby
Crusaders (6) 19 / Chiefs (16) 24 (Final Score)
The Crudaders and Chiefs did battle in Super Rugby at McLean Park, Napier at 08:35 SA Time (19:35 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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The Toyota Cheetahs have hit the road and will face the Brumbies in Canberra first up on their four-week Australasian Vodacom Super Rugby tour on Saturday.
The men from Bloemfontein are the first to leave South Africa this year as they travel to the Australian capital for a match against a team now coached by former Springbok boss Jake White.
On home soil, The Sharks will be aiming for their first victory of the season when they host the MTN Lions in Durban, before the Vodacom Bulls aim to prolong the Blues’ blues on the Highveld.
Here are the Super Rugby Team Sheets as they are announced for Week 3 of Super Rugby 2012.
All the sides have been announced and have been updated. The Teams are also to be found on the Menu under the Header Graphics, under Super Rugby, 2012, Weekend Teams.
The latest news on the INJURY front in Super Rugby (apart from those reported already) is as follows:
‘n Paar weke gelede het ons berig oor die manne van Reguit Rugby, wat hulle eie program bymekaarsit, as rugbyondersteuners, om Super Rugby te ontleed en bespreek.
Hierdie week het ons Episode 7, opgedeel in 3 dele, waarna julle gerus kan kyk.
Ondersteun die manne, hulle is rugbyliefhebbers soos ons. Reguit Rugby se webweft kan gevind word by www.reguitrugby.co.za en hulle videos is te sien op www.youtube.com op die Reguit Rugby Channel.
Some interesting snippets from various other rugby websites
South African referees boss Andre Watson has said that the rights of he Television Match Official (TMO) could be expanded after the Bulls were awarded an illegal try.
The Vodacom Bulls scored the first four-try bonus point of the season on local soil in Bloemfontein on Saturday as they beat the Toyota Cheetahs 51-19 to move to the top of the table after two weeks of Vodacom Super Rugby action.
Highlanders (20) 27 / Crusaders (10) 24 (Final Score)
The Highlanders and Crusaders did battle in Super Rugby at the Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin at 08:35 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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Lions (8) 28 / Hurricanes (14) 30 (Final Score)
The MTN Lions and the Hurricanes did battle in Super Rugby at Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg 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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Chiefs (29) 29 / Blues (6) 14 (Final Score)
The Chiefs and Blues did battle in Super Rugby at Waikato Stadium, Hamilton at 08:35 SA Time (19:35 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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For a competition which promotes running rugby and rewards teams who score tries, the first round of Super Rugby failed to deliver the goods.
Not one team managed to bag a bonus point for scoring four tries, with a total of just 19 tries being scored in the seven matches that were played. Is this then an indication that defenses are getting better and better?
Here are the Super Rugby Team Sheets as they are announced for Week 2 of Super Rugby 2012.
All the teams are now out and available, here and under the TOP MENU, Super Rugby, 2012, Super Rugby – Weekend Teams.
The latest news on the INJURY front in Super Rugby (apart from those reported already) is as follows:
SANZAR have released the match officials for the second Round in the 2012 Super Rugby tournament and Keith Brown starts the action on Friday and Mark Lawrence brings it to a close.
This weekend has seven matches with three on Friday and four on Saturday. This weekend the Brumbies have the bye.
Chris Smylie - Out
Reg Goodes - 6 weeks
The Hurricanes have suffered a double blow with the news that half back Chris Smylie has been ruled out for the season and loosehead prop Reg Goodes for six weeks at least.
We have done it before and maybe we should pick a panel of Bloggers and pick our own team of the week.
Wales not only secured the Triple Crown for the first time ever at Twickenham following their 19-12 victory over England on Saturday, but have also climbed above their neighbours into fifth in the latest IRB World Rankings.
There would have been much head shaking by those in the North, as the Crusaders and Highlanders recorded opening wins in the New Zealand Conference, and while the losers hardly shamed themselves – it is easy to see how the patient and uncompromising rugby of the South eventually subjugated their rivals.
The Otago Rugby Union will be placed in liquidation on Friday, potentially winding up one of New Zealand’s strongest provincial teams – which has produced 156 All Blacks in 131 years.
New Chiefs coach Dave Rennie had a harsh introduction into Super Rugby in Round 1 as he lost his first match at home and four of his players to injury.
Blues flyhalf Michael Hobbs has been issued with the Super Rugby’s first off-field yellow card after being accused of a dangerous tackle in their opening match against the Crusaders.
Stormers (23) 39 / Hurricanes (16) 26
(Final Score)
The DHL Stormers and Hurricanes did battle in Week 1 of Super Rugby 2012 at Newlands, Cape Town 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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Chiefs (16) 19 / Highlanders (9) 23 (Final Score)
The Chiefs and Highlanders did battle in Week 1 of Super Rugby 2012 at Waikato Stadium, Hamilton at 08:35 SA Time (19:35 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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Patient Crusaders hold off dangerous Blues
Blues (12) 18 / Crusaders (16) 19 (Final Score)
The Blues and Crusaders did battle in the FIRST Super Rugby game of 2012 in Wellington at 08:35 SA Time (19:35 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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Here are the Super Rugby Team Sheets as they were announced for Week 1 of Super Rugby 2012.
The last of the team sheets, that of the Highlanders, came in this morning as they waited till the last minute due to some serious possible injury concerns.
Following today’s metting between SARU and the “Big Five” SA Super Rugby Franchises, SARU released the following:
Representatives of the South African Vodacom Super Rugby franchises will accompany the delegates of the South African Rugby Union (SARU) to present a case for competition expansion in 2013 to SANZAR partners next month.
Although we have seven games and only the Melbourne Rebels have a bye, my personal three Big games involve the top teams of each Conference. Crusaders vs Blues, Bulls vs Sharks and Waratahs vs Reds. Continue reading
Picked up this piece on the net at a website called sportbilly.co.za
The man is some kind of biased New Zealand supporter of sorts… and obviously oblivious of what is really happening here in South Africa at present.
This Article of course does not necessarily reflect my own views or that of Rugby-Talk, but at least someone was willing to nail his beliefs to the wall!
Here it is:
Super Rugby previews are more numerous than Whitney Houston tributes at the moment. In both cases time is wasted. There seems to be a reluctance amongst sports writers in general to spare one’s balls from the impending pain and climb down off the fence. So lets now seperate the poop from the champagne when it comes to the teams.
I am not going to bore you with in depth analysis of the no-hopers. I’m looking at potential champions here. To win this thing you have got to finish top of your conference. Bottom line. The ‘extended playoff’ scenario gives the ‘also rans’ a cruel illusion of hope but their chances remain slimmer than a Somalian hunger striker.
Here is how I see it.
Before The Rugby Championship kicks off in August, the All Blacks and Wallabies will entertain Ireland and Wales respectively, in the June International test window that will take place between round 15 and 16 of the 2012 Super Rugby season.
The New Zealand television audience has the most potential for growth based on numbers last season in Super Rugby, and local officials and SANZAR chief executive Greg Peters said a brilliant Rugby World Cup last year could provide impetus for some increased viewing.
The chance to tap into the massive economies and population of North America and Asia, primarily US and Japanese markets, is something SANZAR will explore, with the former American broadcasting landscape boggling the mind with astronomical numbers.
It is a simple edict – aim to have at least 70 percent of ball available out of the ruck within three seconds – and this will be one of the crucial areas where referees will turn their attention to in the 2012 Super Rugby season.