Everything seems normal down here Mr Kahui...

Lions VS Chiefs: The Lions hosted the Chiefs in the last match of Friday night. Fresh from their win at the Shark Tank, six days earlier, the Chiefs came out all guns blazing and took an early lead against the Lions, the perennial whipping boys of Super Rugby over the last few seasons.

The Chiefs opened the try scoring bonanza in just the 2nd minute of the game, when Callum Bruce switched directions, rounding the Loins forwards and crossing the chalk for the first try of 18 to be seen in this match up. Each team scoring 9 tries each, with the difference being made up of penalty goals and conversions.

Lions’ teenage flyer, Wandile Mjekevu, scored 3 tries in the match-up, as did Chiefs #13, and All Black, Richard Kahui.

Not only was the game a free-for-all try scoring festival, but penalties were being handed out like flyers at a busy city intersection. 32 Penalties in total were conceded during the game, with the Chiefs being guilty of 21 of those.

My two cents worth:

• In what has to be one of the most shocking stats I have ever come across, Lions centres, Doppies La Grange and Deon van Rensburg missed 6 tackles each during the game, whilst the midfield of the Chiefs, in Callum Bruce and Richard Kahui missed 4 tackles a piece.
• Th Lions missed 48 tackles in total, whilst the Chiefs missed 44 tackles, making up a total of 92 missed tackles during the game, in-case anyone was wondering why the scoreline looks like it does.
• Surely at some point, match fees have to be forfeited to charity with stats as kak as that?
• Wandile Mjekevu gained a total of 151m with his runs.

Lions VS Chiefs 2010 Highlights: Read More >>

Sharks VS Cheetahs: The Sharks and Cheetahs kicked off the 1st South African derby match of round 2 of the 2010 Super 14 competition, at a sweltering Shark Tank, in Durban, on Friday night. The Sharks were still licking their wounds from their previous defeat to the Chiefs just six days before, but had made significant changes to the starting line up. Most notably the likes of Ruan Peinaar at #10.

The Cheetahs have become the Sharks bogey team in recent times, and came out of the blocks firing. Their team also bolstered with the inclusion of a number of Griquas players, after the Griquas recent success in the 2009 Absa Currie Cup competition.

Both teams exchanged shots at goal in the early stages of the game, but the moment of the match came in just the 24th minute of the game, when Cheetahs #15, Riaan Viljoen, broke through some poor Sharks defense, scoring a try, and embarrassing Sharks supporters the world over. 

The Cheetahs were on the wong side of the stats in almost every category, but a bad day with the boot from Sharks #9, Rory Kockott, gifted the Cheetahs an away win.

My two cents worth:

• The Sharks spent a total of 6min28sec in the Cheetahs’ 22m area, but only managed to cross the line once, from a break that started way outside of the Cheetahs 22m. Talk about not using your opportunities.
• Ryan Kankowski gained a total of 144m with his running.
• The Cheetahs missed a total of 22 tackles, compared to the Sharks’ 6 missed tackles.
• The new interpretation of the tackle laws may make things a tad trickier for the opposition fetchers, but Heinrich Brussow still managedto find something to do, making a monster, 21 tackles in total, with 100% success rate.
• The Cheetahs have three of the quickest men in world rugby within their starting line up, but need to find a way to utilise them effectively.
• Something seems wrong at the Sharks camp. They desperately need to sort things out if the want any chance of having a successful 2010 Super 14 campaign.

Sharks VS Cheetahs 2010 Highlights: Read More >>

Reds VS Crusaders: The Reds created the biggest upset of the 2010 Super 14 so far, when they took early control of an ill-disciplined, shell-socked Crusaders outfit after 23 minutes, when Owen Franks was sin binned for repeated Crusaders’ infringements at the breakdown, 5m out from their own line.

From that point, it never really looked like the Crusaders were in the game. 10 minutes later, the Reds broke the Crusaders’ line with a deft inside pass going from Reds’ pivot, Quade Cooper, to Morgan Turinui, who offloaded to speedster, Rod Davies. Davies set up the ruck, Genia was quick on the draw, passing out to Hynes, who flung the ball back inside to Cooper to cross over for the try, after starting the original break.

In a game that was probably one of the best wins for the Reds over the past decade, there were many standouts including the likes of up and coming superstar, Quade Cooper, who seems to be improving week in and week out, after putting his off-field indiscretions behind him. Another stand-out would be Will Genia who seems determined to move clear of any competition for the Wallaby #9 jumper, and is succeeding well.

The Crusaders were on the right side of the stats, but never really capatilised on any of their chances. Often losing possession at crucial times.

My two cents worth:

• Young Reds’ play-makers, Will Genia and Quade Cooper have both sent strong statements to the Wallaby selectors in the opening rounds of the 2010 Super 14.
• The Reds went through 146 phases with the ball, at one stage taking the ball through 15 phases.
• Dan Carter seemed rattled from early on, missing 4 tackles in the game.
• The Crusaders missed a total of 32 tackles. That kak doesn’t fly at this level.
• Quade Cooper made 2 line breaks and gained a total of 116m with his precise running.
• Reds’ winger, Rod Davies is one to look out for in future.

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

Blues VS Highlanders: The second round of the 2010 Super 14 was again opened by an all New Zealand derby when the Blues faced a resurgent Highlanders team in Carisbrook, Dunedin.

the Blues managed to open the scoring after just 8 minutes, when fullback, Paul Williams wrongfooted some sloppy Highlanders cover defense to cross over for the try.

The Highlanders struck back just 3 minutes later, with some excellent running lines by winger, James Peterson and #15, Israel Dagg, straightening the line to cross the chalk for a try of their own.

The game was sloppy at times from both sides, and both sides missed a number of opportunities to put points on the board during what became a back and forth tug-of-war for dominance, and ultimately, the win.

My two cents worth:

• Blues fans won’t enjoy another sloppy showing from their team, and will be hoping that they start showing some better form for the rest of the competition.
• The Highlanders back three need to take a long hard look at their woeful defense.
• Michael Hobbs must be the the Highlanders best find in recent seasons.
• The Blues were lucky the Highlanders wasted so many opportunities to put points on the board, enabling them to sneak the win.

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

This just in from the Mellbourne Rebels’ camp: Mellbourne Rebels Super 15 rugby side has signed young English star Danny Cipriani to a two-year contract.

World rugby’s newest team, the Melbourne Rebels, has today signed young English star Danny Cipriani to a two-year contract. This bold and innovative decision is another demonstration of the club’s commitment to forging its own path in international rugby.

The 22-year-old Cipriani has seven England Test caps and is currently contracted to London Wasps in Britain’s peak rugby competition, the Guinness Premiership. 

Cipriani is a highly talented player and proven goalkicker who has already successfully demonstrated his abilities at Test level. Cipriani’s international career was interrupted by an ankle injury in 2009, from which he has since made a full recovery.

Danny Cipriani said:

“I’ve had a great seven years at London Wasps which has also provided me with the opportunity to represent England at Test level. I believe this is the perfect time for me to take up an opportunity to play rugby in the southern hemisphere with a brand new team in a city recognised for its love of sport, Melbourne…I am extremely excited about working with Rod Macqueen and the other coaches and being part of something very special. Moving to Australia will be a new challenge. I have always admired the Super Rugby tournament. I think the opportunity of playing in a completely different tournament against different players at this time in my career will help me develop on and off the field.” Read More >>

Friday 19 February 2010 08h35 (GMT+2) Dunedin

Blues Team: 15. Israel Dagg, 14. Ben Smith, 13. Jason Shoemark, 12. Jayden Hayward, 11. James Paterson, 10. Michael Hobbs, 9. Jimmy Cowan (Captain), 8. Steven Setephano, 7. Alando Soakai, 6. Adam Thomson, 5. Tom Donnelly, 4. Josh Bekhuis, 3. Clint Newland, 2. Jason Rutledge, 1. Jamie MacKintosh

Replacements: 16. Jason MacDonald, 17. Chris King, 18. Hayden Triggs, 19. John Hardie, 20. Sean Romans, 21. Robbie Robinson, 22. Fetu’u Vainikolo

Highlanders Team: 15. Paul Williams, 14. Joe Rokocoko, 13. Isaia Toeava, 12. Benson Stanley, 11. Rudi Wulf, 10. Stephen Brett, 9. Alby Mathewson, 8. Viliami Ma`afu, 7. Serge Lilo, 6. Jerome Kaino, 5. Anthony Boric, 4. Kurtis Haiu, 3. John Afoa, 2. Keven Mealamu (Captain), 1. Tony Woodcock

Replacements: 16. Tom McCartney, 17. Charlie Faumina, 18. Filo Paulo, 19. Peter Saili, 20. Chris Smylie, 21. Dan Kirkpatrick, 22. Rene Ranger

Friday 19 February 2010 11h45 (GMT+2) Brisbane

Reds Team: 15. Peter Hynes, 14. Rod Davies, 13. Morgan Turinui, 12. Anthony Faingaa, 11. Digby Ioane, 10. Quade Cooper, 9. Will Genia, 8. Scott Higginbotham, 7. Daniel Braid, 6. Jake Schatz, 5. James Horwill (Captain), 4. Adam Byrnes, 3. Laurie Weeks, 2. Saia Faingaa, 1. Ben Daley

Replacements: 16. James Hanson, 17. Greg Holmes, 18. Rob Simmons, 19. Leroy Houston, 20. Richard Kingi, 21. Tim Walsh, 22. Will Chambers

Crusaders Team: 15. Colin Slade, 14. Jared Payne, 13. Robert Fruean, 12. Tim Bateman, 11. Zac Guildford, 10. Dan Carter, 9. Andy Ellis, 8. Thomas Waldrom, 7. George Whitelock, 6. Kieran Read (Captain), 5. Isaac Ross, 4. Sam Whitelock, 3. Owen Franks, 2. Ti`i Paulo, 1. Ben Franks

Replacements: 16. Quentin MacDonald, 17. Wyatt Crockett, 18. Brad Thorn, 19. Jonathan Poff, 20. Kahn Fotuali`i, 21. Adam Whitelock, 22. Sean Maitland

Friday 19 February 2010 18h00 (GMT+2) Durban

Sharks Team: 15. Stefan Terblanche, 14. Odwa Ndungane, 13. Waylon Murray, 12. Adrian Jacobs, 11. JP Pietersen, 10. Ruan Pienaar, 9. Rory Kockott, 8. Ryan Kankowski, 7. Jean Deysel, 6. Jacques Botes, 5. Alistair Hargreaves, 4. Steven Sykes, 3. Jannie du Plessis, 2. John Smit (Captain), 1. Tendai Mtawarira

Replacements: 16. Bismarck du Plessis, 17. Deon Carstens, 18. Willem Alberts, 19. Keegan Daniel, 20. Charl McLeod, 21. Monty Dumond, 22. Andries Strauss

Cheetahs Team: 15. Riaan Viljoen, 14. Danwel Demas, 13. Lionel Mapoe, 12. Meyer Bosman, 11. Jongi Nokwe, 10. Naas Olivier, 9. Tewis de Bruyn, 8. Frans Viljoen, 7. Juan Smith (Captain), 6. Heinrich Brussow, 5. David de Villiers, 4. Nico Breedt, 3. Willem Petrus (WP) Nel, 2. Adriaan Strauss, 1. Wian du Preez

Replacements: 16. Ryno Barnes, 17. Coenie Oosthuizen, 18. Petrus van Der Walt Vermeulen, 19. Ashley Johnson, 20. Sarel Pretorius, 21. Sias Ebersohn, 22. Hennie Daniller

Friday 19 February 2010 20h00 (GMT+2) Johannesburg

Lions Team: 15. Earl Rose, 14. Tonderai Chavhanga, 13. Deon van Rensburg, 12. Doppies la Grange, 11. Wandile Mjekevu, 10. Carlos Spencer, 9. JP Joubert, 8. Todd Clever, 7. Derick Minnie, 6. Cobus Grobbelaar (Captain), 5. Willem Stoltz, 4. Franco van der Merwe, 3. Ross Geldenhuys, 2. Hannes Franklin, 1. Heinke van der Merwe

Replacements: 16. Charles Emslie, 17. JC Janse van Rensburg, 18. Jacques Lombaard, 19. Jonah Mokuena, 20. Jacques (Pumas) Coetzee, 21. Burton Francis, 22. Michael Killian

Chiefs Team: 15. Mike Delany, 14. Dwayne Sweeney, 13. Richard Kahui, 12. Callum Bruce, 11. Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10. Stephen Donald, 9. Junior Poluleuligaga, 8. Sione Lauaki (Captain), 7. Luke Braid, 6. Liam Messam, 5. Culum Retallick, 4. Craig Clarke, 3. Nathan White, 2. Aled De Malmanche, 1. Sona Taumalolo

Replacements: 16. Hikawera Elliott, 17. Ben Afeaki, 18. Jarrad Hoeata, 19. Tanerau Latimer, 20. Brendon Leonard, 21. Jackson Willison, 22. Tim Nanai-Williams

Saturday 20 February 2010 08h35 (GMT+2) Wellington

Hurricanes Team: 15. Cory Jane, 14. Tamati Ellison, 13. Conrad Smith, 12. Ma’a Nonu, 11. David Smith, 10. Willie Ripia, 9. Piri Weepu, 8. Victor Vito, 7. Scott Waldrom, 6. Michael Paterson, 5. James Broadhurst, 4. Bryn Evans, 3. Neemiah Tialata, 2. Andrew Hore (Captain), 1. John Schwalger

Replacements: 16. Dane Stuart Coles, 17. Jacob Ellison, 18. Rodney So`oialo, 19. Karl Lowe, 20. Tyson Keats, 21. Aaron Cruden, 22. André Taylor

Western Force Team: 15. James O`Connor, 14. Dane Stafford Haylett-Perry, 13. Mitch Inman, 12. Josh Tatupu, 11. Haig Sare, 10. Sam Harris, 9. Brett Sheehan, 8. Sam Wykes, 7. Matthew Hodgson, 6. Ben McCalman, 5. Nathan Sharpe (Captain), 4. Tom Hockings, 3. Timothy Fairbrother, 2. Pekahou Cowan, 1. Matt Dunning

Replacements: 16. Ryan Tyrrell, 17. Nic Henderson, 18. Richard Stanford, 19. Luke Jones, 20. Chris O`Young, 21. Stefano Hunt, 22. Joelin Rapana

Saturday 20 February 2010 17h05 (GMT+2) Pretoria

Bulls Team: 15. Zane Kirchner, 14. Gerhard van den Heever, 13. Stephan Dippenaar, 12. Wynand Olivier, 11. Francois Hougaard, 10. Morné Steyn, 9. Fourie du Preez, 8. Pierre Spies, 7. Pedrie Wannenburg, 6. Deon Stegmann, 5. Victor Matfield (Captain), 4. Flip van der Merwe, 3. Werner Kruger, 2. Gary Botha, 1. Gurthrö Steenkamp

Replacements: 16. Bandise Maku, 17. Bees Roux, 18. Fudge Mabeta, 19. Derick Kuun, 20. Heini Adams, 21. Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 22. John Mametsa

Brumbies Team: 15. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14. Pat McCabe, 13. Stirling Mortlock, 12. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Francis Fainifo, 10. Matt Giteau, 9. Josh Valentine, 8. Stephen Hoiles (Captain), 7. George Smith, 6. Rocky Elsom, 5. Mark Chisholm, 4. Justin Harrison, 3. Salesi Ma’afu, 2. Stephen Moore, 1. Ben Alexander

Replacements: 16. Huia Edmonds, 17. Guy Shepherdson, 18. Ben Hand, 19. Mitchell Chapman, 20. Patrick Phibbs, 21. Matt Toomua, 22. Tyrone Smith

Saturday 20 February 2010 19h010 (GMT+2) Cape Town

Stormers Team: 15. Johan Pietersen, 14. Gio Aplon, 13. Jaque Fourie, 12. Juan de Jongh, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Peter Grant, 9. Ricky Januarie, 8. Duane Vermeulen, 7. Francois Louw, 6. Schalk Burger (Captain), 5. Andries Bekker, 4. De Kock Steenkamp, 3. Brok Harris, 2. Tiaan Liebenberg, 1. JC Kritzinger

Replacements: 16. Deon Fourie, 17. JD Moller, 18. Anton van Zyl, 19. Pieter Louw, 20. Dewaldt Duvenage, 21. Lionel Cronje, 22. Sireli Naqelevuki

Waratahs Team: 15. Sosene Anesi, 14. Lachlan Turner, 13. Tom Carter, 12. Kurtley Beale, 11. Drew Mitchell, 10. Berrick Barnes, 9. Luke Burgess, 8. Wycliff Palu, 7. Phil Waugh (Captain), 6. Ben Mowen, 5. Kane Douglas, 4. William Caldwell, 3. Al Baxter, 2. Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1. Benn Robinson

Replacements: 16. Damian Fitzpatrick, 17. Sekope Miami Kepu, 18. Hendrik Roodt, 19. Dave Dennis, 20. Joshua Holmes, 21. Daniel Halangahu, 22. Rory Sidey

SANZAR has instituted new citing protocols for the 2010 Super 14 season to refine and improve the current system.
 
The major change sees a reduction in the size of the panel of Citing Commissioners to ensure greater consistency in interpretation of offences that merit citing with one primary Citing Commissioner in each of the three SANZAR nations with each having a back-up commissioner.
 
The Citing Commissioners and the back-up commissioners (in brackets) are:

• South Africa:           Freek Burger (Andy Prior)
• Australia:                  Scott Nowland (Dick Byres)
• New Zealand:          Steve Hinds (Mike O’Leary)

The Citing Commissioners will have weekly teleconferences to ensure a standardised approach.
 
The Citing Commissioners are mandated to consult with the other two on any incidents they feel should be considered, however it is the sole responsibility of the citing commissioner in the match host country to decide whether to cite or not.
 
Citings are required to be made within 12 hours.
 
The Judicial process remains unchanged. SANZAR will appoint independent Judicial Officers to hear citing complaints on a case-by-case basis.
 
Issued by SANZAR Communications

I was eagerly anticipating the 1st game of the 2010 Super 14 last Friday, at Cafe Sofia in Greenpoint, when in walked our good mate, Bob Skinstad. He had just flown back from shooting an episode of Boots & All on Supersport the night before and came in for a quick bite to eat.

We got chatting about, amongst other things, the raging success of the recent 2010 Cape Town Tens Tournament, the Super 14 and how we thought things would unfold in 2010 with the new tackle law interpretations. The conversation drifted to how we thought the referees would perform. If there would be more consistency with citings this year, now that there are specially appointed citing commissioners for the entire duration of the 2010 Super 14. Some exciting new faces to have a look out for and so on.

From there on out, things got serious when we started talking about our fantasy rugby SuperDreamTeams on Supersport. Each of us reckoned our DreamTeams were going to kill it in the opening round. As it turns out, we both did pretty horribly, due to a few unfortunate late withdrawals within our respective starting lineups. (you can still sign up for Supersport SuperDreamTeams and join in all the action, by clicking here)

All in all, it was a pretty good morning of rugby with a great breakfast thrown in for good measure. Just as Bob was leaving, he mentioned I should make a turn at the V&A Waterfront his week to see a project he was doing. I was pretty curious to say the least.

So off I went to the V&A Waterfront, only to find Bob in an orange jumpsuit, locked away in a wooden prison cell. It was the last thing I expected to see, so I quickly found out exactly what was going on.

This is what went down: Read More >>

In a weekend that was jam-packed with rugby, from the Super 14, Las Vegas 7s and 6 Nations, I didn’t manage to catch all the games.

The 6 Nations being sacrificed for the good of th Super 14 and the La Vegas 7s tournament. So I thought I should post the highlights for those of you who didn’t see the games either.

I’m not even going to pretend like I have something to say about the games, because I really didn’t manage to catch any bit of any of them. Here are the highlights:

Italy VS England 2010 Highlights: Read More >>

The Sharks faced the Chiefs in what was a rain drenched final Super 14 game of round 1. What promised to be one of the most exciting games of the weekend, on paper, turned into a bit of a sloppy affair due to torrential downpours in Durban.

The Sharks discipline let them down from the word go, and John Smit was sin binned 20 minutes into the game, after deliberately knocking the ball out of Chiefs’ #9, Brendon Leonard’s hand, in what was the Sharks’ 5th infringement at the breakdown.

Both teams enjoy playing an expansive, running type of game, which was made impossible in the appalling conditions. Things were always going to get scrappy from there on out, and both teams went into the break try-less and locked at 6 points a piece. The Sharks managed to take the score to 12 – 6 by the 57th minute, through two more penalties, which were slotted by Rory Kockott.

Four minutes later, and another penalty at the breakdown, took the score to Sharks 15 – 6 Chiefs. At this point one would think the referee would exercise his duty of being consistent throughout, and send a Chiefs player to the bin, but the Sharks weren’t that lucky.

Bismark du Plessisgave away yet another Sharks penalty at a ruck and Donald slotted it, to reduce the lead to 15-9, with 16 minutes left to go. Ruan Pienaar put a perfectly placed kick, out near the Chiefs touchline, but the pressure was quickly relieved when the Chiefs were awarded a free-kick.

The majority of the action was saved for the last 7 minutes of the game, starting with Bismark du Plessis beingyellow carded for a “a deliberate and cynical late tackle with the shoulder”.

The Chiefs were then awarded a penalty after Willem Alberts tackled a player without the ball and JP Pietersen failing to release the ball in a tackle close to his own line. The Chief tapped and went, with Jackson Willison crossing over for the try, which Donald converted, to take the Chiefs into the lead.

The action was far from over though. Richard Kahui was penalised for obstruction and Kockott slotted the kick to to take the Sharks back into the lead with 40 seconds left in play.

Kockott was judged to have knocked on from the ruck after the kickoff, and in what can only be described as a brain fart, Strauss played the ball in front of him, awarding the Chiefs an unnecessary penalty, which highlighted the ill-discipline of the entire game. Donald slotted the goal to take the win.

My two cents worth: Read More >>