Keen for that All Black #13 jumper

Reds VS Blues: The Reds will be cursing the rain after losing to the Blues, in what was a bonus point victory for them, at Ballymore on Saturday. The Reds were riding the crest of their success against the Crusaders a week ago and looked set for another victory after Will Genia scored an “intercept kick” try after just 58 seconds. But they fell back into old habits of years gone by, when they played erratic rugby, at best, this week.

The Blues would have won by a larger margin had Stephen Brett not left his kicking boots at home, scoring a dismal 33% success rate at goal on the day. The Blues set up shop in the Reds 22m area for a large portion of the game, and will be kicking themselves after not converting the more than 5 minutes spent there, into a larger points differential.

My two cents worth:

• Rene Ranger is sticking his hand up for what might be an available All Black #13 jumper.
• The Blues took the ball through a staggering 19 phases at one point. That is impressive in any game.
• The Blues’ discipline continues to let them down, and keep other teams in the game.
• Stephen Brett has not been impressive, not only was his kicking kak on the night, but he missed three tackles too.

Reds VS Blues 2010 Highlights: [WRNrugbynews]

Scorecard:

Western Force VS Chiefs: The Chiefs opened the try scoring in the 22nd minute with a well worked try, started by a crafty kick from Brendan Leonard, after the Western Force were sleeping at their own lineout. The Force, who are currently ravaged by injury, never really looked capable of winning, only being kept in the game by poor Chiefs’ discipline.

The Chiefs have now picked up three wins on the road, and whilst they may have had one of the easiest away tours, they will happily bank those points for the business end of the competition.

My two cents worth:

• The Force missed 42 tackles in the game, compared to the Chief’s 10 missed tackles, which is why the scoreline stands as it does.
• Lelia Masaga made his comeback with a decent 112m gain with ball in hand. He is undoubtedly one of the most exciting runners with ball in hand.
• Pek Cowan was both a hero and villian, missing 5 tackles, but causing 5 turnovers.

Force VS Chiefs 2010 Highlights: [WRNrugbynews]

Scorecard:

Cheetahs VS Highlanders: The Cheetahs were weak on defense and lethargic at best on the attack, when they came up against the Highlanders, in Bloemfontein on Saturday. After spending almost 7 minutes in total in the Chiefs 22m area, one has to once again ask questions of the Cheetahs attack. They have some of the quickest players in the competition, if not in world rugby, yet the ball rarely travels past the #12 channel.

The Highlanders drew first blood in just the seventh minute, with an easy looking try, started by play-maker, Michael Hobbs, who has been a revelation for the Highlanders so far this season. Much like their feline cousins, the Lions, the Cheetahs are nowhere at the moment and need to do some serious soul-searching if they wish to remain in the competition.

My two cents worth:

• I am only going to say one thing here. Meyer Bosman is kak. He is selfish on attack, and a liability in general.

Cheetahs VS Highlanders 2010 Highlights: [WRNrugbynews]

Scorecard:

Sublime all round

Bulls VS Waratahs: The Waratahs came out of the blocks all guns blazing, in what turned out to be the game of the weekend, when they faced an unbeaten Bulls team at Loftus on Saturday. The Waratahs were ahead 17-0 after just 10 minutes, and at that point, the Bulls looked shell-shocked. But the Waratahs were never going to be able to keep up that pace at altitude, and the Bulls fought their way back into contention to finally take the win, and what a win at that.

The Bulls were on the right side of the stats, spending well over 7 minutes in the Waratah’s 22m area, and the score reflects. There were some great plays, and great tries scored by both teams, but Jaques-Louis Potgeiter’s try, from some Morne Steyn magic,  in the 79th minute stands out most, and will possibly be one of the better tries of this year’s Super 14.

My two cents worth:

• I thought that referee, Marius Jonker was very inconsistant both ways in his decisions. Penalising one team for one thing, then not the other, for the same transgression. Like I said, this went both ways though, so it sort of balanced out in the end.
• After Will Genia’s performance over the opening rounds, it seemed as if Luke Burgess decided to remind the Wallaby selectors that he is still around.
• I really liked the Waratah’s alternate strip. If that’s what they needed to put on a performance like they did, they should wear it more often.
• I was glad to see the depth that the Bulls have, when youngsters like Francois Hougaard and Stephan Dippenaar are scoring tries like they did, it is a good thing for SA rugby.
• Wynand Olivier remains a beast in Super Rugby, making 15 tackles, and running hard at every turn.
• Morne Steyn continues to make me eat my words. Although, he once again missed 5 tackles, and that just doesn’t cut it.
• Phil Waugh is a moaning, whining little girl!

Bulls VS Waratahs 2010 Highlights: [WRNrugbynews]

Scorecard: