Haaaayyya!

Crusaders VS Waratahs: The Crusaders were the eventual 20 – 13 victors, in what can only be described as one of the most tightly contested match-ups of the season, when they faced the Waratahs on the weekend.

The game was by no means a pretty affair, with bad kicking letting both teams down, but the battle of the breakdown was the highlight of the match.

The Crusaders showed why they have been so successful over the year’s, by holding out for the win. Whilst the Waratahs highlighted just how tightly contested this years competition is by gaining the crucial bonus point for losing within 7 points.

My two cents worth:

• Phil ‘little girl’ Waugh seems to be near the form that got him into the Wallabies squad to begin with, but it remains to be seen whether or not he will be in Robbie Deans’ plans.
• The moment of the match for me, was when Phil Waugh stole the ball out of Richie McCaw’s hands over the try line, denying him the try.
• Dan Carter is nowhere near his best for, kicking terribly and missing 4 tackles.
• Ben Mowen made 18 tackles on the night, other than that, no one really stood out.

Crusaders VS Waratahs 2010 Highlights: [WRNrugbynews] Read More >>

My appologies for the late post this week. I’m still busy trying to regather all my systems and get back up to  speed after being robbed last week. I have posted the first three games of the weekend today, and will have the rest out for tomorrow

Chiefs VS Bulls: The Bulls reclaimed there spot on top of the Super 14 log when they got the better of the tug-of-war like match, where the lead changed hands on numerous occasions, taking advantage of the Chiefs fading away in the last quarter of the game, and achieving the bonus point win.

They Bulls opened up the try scoring when young winger, Gerhard van den Heever snatched a floated pass out of the air, in one of the best handling displays I’ve seen this season, to cut through the Chiefs defense and cross over for the try.

The Chiefs hit back three minutes later though, when All Black #9, Brendon Leonard hacked on a chip kick, and then dived on the ball over the line, after Morne Steyn made what was possibly the biggest hash up of his career thus far, when he failed to clean up in his own 22m.

The game seesawed back and forth after that, the Bulls allowing the Chiefs to stay in the game through some poor discipline, until the Bulls took advantage of the Chiefs’ slump, sealing the bonus point and reclaiming the top spot.

My two cents worth:

• Gerhard Van den Heever is a superstar for the future. He seems to grow in confidence with every game.
• Both teams were relatively poor on defence with the Chiefs and Bulls missing 25 and 30 tackles respectively.
• Richard Kahui was impressive at the breakdown, effecting 5 turnovers in the midfield.
• Lelia Masaga gained 125m with ball in hand.
• Tanerau Latimer made 17 tackles, whilst none of the Bulls players made it into double figures.
• Fourie Du Preez really is the best rugby player in world.

Chiefs VS Bulls 2010 Highlights: [WRNrugbynews] Read More >>

Timing is everything I guess...

I bet Wycliff Palu will be thanking his lucky stars that he penned a two year extension on his Wallaby contract last week, after an injury on Saturday looks likely to rule him out of all rugby for the rest of the year.

This in from the Waratahs’ camp: The HSBC Waratahs will use the bye week to take stock with a number of players hit hard by injuries suffered during the round nine clash in Christchurch, the most serious of which is a season-ending knee injury to Wycliff Palu.

Scans earlier today revealed the worst possible news for the recently re-signed Test No.8 who will require a knee reconstruction after rupturing his right anterior cruciate ligament in the 61st minute of Saturday night’s match.

Head coach Chris Hickey said the loss of Palu was a blow to the squad, but the rest of the team would need to step up in his absence.

“Cliffy’s been voted the players’ player for the last two years and the go forward he gives us is second to none,” said Hickey. “You simply can’t bring someone else in and ask them to do the job of Cliff. It’s up to a number of other players to lift 5-10% which we know they can do and will have to do.”

It was not a good night on the injury front for two other members of the pack whose fitness will continue to be assessed over the next fortnight.

Prop Benn Robinson Read More >>

The Folloling from SANZAR: Chiefs loose forward Jarrad Hoeata has been cited after allegedly striking a Bulls player during their Super 14 match at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton last night, Friday 9 April 2010.

Hoeata was cited by SANZAR Citing Commissioner Mike O’Leary for allegedly punching Bulls lock Flip van der Merwe in about the 70th minute of the match.  The Bulls won the match 33 – 19.

The Chiefs reserve will appear at a SANZAR Judicial Hearing before Judicial Officer Peter Hobbs at 4pm (New Zealand time) on Monday, 12 April 2010, at the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) headquarters in Wellington.

Outcome of judicial hearing:

Chiefs loose forward Jarrad Hoeata has been suspended for two weeks for striking a player in their Super 14 match against the Bulls at Waikato Stadium on Friday, 9 April 2010.

Hoeata appeared before Judicial Officer Peter Hobbs at the NZRU offices in Wellington today after being cited for punching Bulls lock Flip van der Merwe in about the 70^th minute of the match.  The Bulls won the match 33 – 19.

At the outset of the hearing Hoeata accepted the allegation in the Citing Commissioner’s report but said the foul play had been an immediate reaction to an earlier incident on the field.

After considering all the evidence and submissions made on behalf of Hoeata, Mr Hobbs handed down the two-week suspension which took into account Hoeata’s early admission, and the earlier on-field incident.

Hoeata has been suspended from today until Monday, 26 April 2010 meaning he will be unavailable for selection for the Chiefs’ next two games against the Stormers and the Cheetahs respectively.

Bad boy Luaki gets the all clear

Sione Lauaki has received the all clear to play against the Bulls this coming Friday night in Hamilton. The Chiefs currently in 6th position on the Super 14 log look to get their campaign back on track and seriously contend for that top four spot.

Chiefs No 8 Sione Lauaki has been sanctioned by the New Zealand Rugby
Union (NZRU) for serious misconduct after an altercation at a Hamilton bar last month.

Lauaki, 28, attended a NZRU disciplinary meeting in Hamilton on Tuesday.  NZRU General Manager of Professional Rugby Neil Sorensen said the misconduct related to a late night altercation in early March. Read More >>

Hurricanes VS Crusaders: The Hurricanes performed one of the most noteworthy comebacks of the 2010 Super 14 so far when they made up an 18 point deficit and overtook the Crusaders in what was to become the 1st draw of the 2010 Super 14 season.    

It was the Crusaders who played most of the rugby in the first half, making it look as if the Hurricanes were in for yet another dismal game this season, but the Hurricanes came out of the half time break charging, scoring 20 unanswered points to take the lead for the 1st time in the game.    

Unfortunately for the Hurricane’s fans though, their team went into defensive mode thereafter and stayed there for the remainder of the match, allowing the Crusaders to claw their way back into the game and ultimately force the draw.    

My two cents worth:

• The Hurricane’s and All Black centre pairing of Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith were near back to the kind of attacking form that earned them their test partnership in the 1st place. Nonu’s discipline, especially in the tackle, remains a worry though. 
• The Hurricanes defence needs to be praised after the Crusaders spent a total of 7min31secs in the Hurricanes 22m area and only managed to score 3 tries. 
• Jeremy Thrush made an incredible 19 tackles on the night. 
• Ma’a Nonu was solid on attack, gaining 120m with ball in hand and breaking the Crusader’s line twice. His defense on the other hand, needs work, missing 3 tackles on the night. 

• Congratulations to Dan Carter who became the second player this season, after Stirling Mortlock, to surpass 1000 Super Rugby points. 

Hurricanes VS Crusaders 2010 Highlights: [WRNrugbynews] Read More >>

Like an old horse going to the glue factory, Wallaby legend, Stirling Mortlock, has signed with the melbourne rebels for 2011. This just in from the Melbourne Rebels camp:

The Melbourne Rebels have announced a major signing with Stirling Mortlock, former Wallaby skipper and the highest point-scorer in Super Rugby history, joining the team for 2011.

Director of Coaching and Head Coach Rod Macqueen said,

“Stirling is yet another addition to our growing team of players with strong leadership skills. The opportunity to play out his career in Melbourne, and not overseas,  is great for both Australian rugby and Stirling as he helps us build the foundations of the new club.”

Mortlock will leave the CA Brumbies after a being a stalwart of the club since 1998. He succeeded George Gregan  as captain in 2004 leading the team to take the Super 12 title that year.

First selected for the Wallabies 1997 tour to Argentina out of club rugby by Rod Macqueen, the big match player became the 73rd player to captain the Wallabies in 2006  with highlights including his instrumental role in leading the Australians to an upset 20-15 victory over the All Blacks at the MCG in 2007 in front of a crowd of over 79,000 and in that same year, the great honour of captaining the Wallabies at the World Cup in France.

There is no doubt Stirling Mortlock’s reputation as one of the hardest running centres in the world will see Melbourne fans pack the brand new AAMI Park to see this inspirational Wallaby in Rebel colours.

Friday’s Games:

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the KAK-est of them all?

Highlanders VS Lions: The Lions, despite scoring 5 tries to 3 on the night, managed to blow their only realistic chance of winning a game, so far in this year’s competition, when they went down 39 – 29 to the Highlanders in Dunedin.

This isn’t the first out-of-sorts loss for the hapless Lions this season after they recorded 65 points against the Chiefs and still lost the game. It seems like there is nowhere to go for Dick Muir’s men this season and they face the very real possibility of propping up the very bottom of the Super 14 table in 2010.

The Highlanders did well to record a win, but it was the Lions who were worse on the night than the Highlanders were good.

My two cents worth:

• Earl Rose showed once again just how kak he is at this level! I think that Springbok fans will shit themselves if he is once again chosen to be part of a Springbok touring squad this year!
• Israel Dagg has made a very strong impressionso far this season, gaining 103m with ball in hand and offloading in the tackle 3 times.
• There were 30 penalties in the game, and a penalty try. Stuart Dickinson is not exactly the poster child for the new “flowing game” we are meant to be experiencing.
• I think this game is a perfect example of how winning a rugby game is not just about tries, but playing to the laws and converting penalties/opportunities into points.

Highlanders VS Lions 2010 Highlights: [WRNrugbynews] Read More >>

Schalk Burger bitch slapped Meyer Bosman on the weekend. Kak funny! What more do you want out of a good old South African derby match between the Stormers and Cheetahs? As far as I know, Burger hasn’t been cited.

Schalk Burger slaps Meyer Bosman: [CombatBok]

Wax, in trouble again

Chiefs loose forward and former All-Black player, Sione Lauaki, can still play for the Chiefs in their Super 14 rugby campaign despite admitting an assault charge at Hamilton District Court today.

He has been remanded without conviction and is due to next appear in court on Thursday 6 May.

“As advised earlier, the NZRU and Chiefs has stated that an internal disciplinary process will take place once the court process has been completed.   Sione is available for selection in the Chiefs team while we await the process.”  – Statement from Gary Dawson – Chiefs CEO

The guilty plea related to an incident which occurred in Hamilton on March 5, while Lauaki was serving a two match suspension he received for a spear tackle against the Lions earlier this season in Johannesburg.

Lauaki was not present in the team which lost over the weekend to the Crusaders.