Source: rugbydump.com

It was a possibility to pick Willem de Waal at flyhalf and move Peter Grant to cover inside centre for the injured De Jongh, but the Stormers expect the 21-year-old Whitehead to pass his Super 14 test with flying colours.

“It’s time for us to trust our young players. It is seen as positive when other unions do it, but viewed as a risk when we do it,” said Stormers coach Allister Coetzee.

“Tim has played four games in the Varsity Cup and three for Western Province in the Vodacom Cup at inside centre. He also played in our warm-up games against Boland and the Maties.

“He has impressed us. He has time on the ball and good vision. We’re thin at inside centre, but fortunately Juan’s injury is a short-term one.”

Coetzee does not expect Whitehead’s inclusion to compromise the team’s standards on defence.

“I’m very comfortable with him in that sense. He has a big heart.”

The decision to include Aplon again after Sireli Naqelevuki’s good performance against the Hurricanes will surprise many. However, there are also good reasons for the change.

“Gio was still considered our best No 14 three weeks ago. He had flu and it’s only right to pick him again. I am glad that Sireli managed to boost his confidence. Gio has a good left boot and that is a good weapon,” said Coetzee.

Aplon’s inclusion also gives the Stormers an injection of pace. That may well help them defend against speedsters such as Jongi Nokwe and Lionel Mapoe.

Teams:

Stormers:
15. Joe Pietersen, 14. Gio Aplon, 13. Jaque Fourie, 12. Tim Whitehead, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Peter Grant, 9. Dewaldt Duvenage, 8. Duane Vermeulen, 7. Francois Louw, 6. Schalk Burger (captain), 5. Andries Bekker, 4. Anton Van Zyl, 3. Brok Harris, 2.         Tiaan Liebenberg, 1. Wicus Blaauw

Substitutes: 16. Deon Fourie, 17. JC Kritzinger, 18. De Kock Steenkamp, 19. Pieter Louw, 20. Ricky Januarie, 21. Willem De Waal, 22. Sireli Naqelevuki

Cheetahs:
15. Hennie Daniller, 14. Lionel Mapoe, 13. Robert Ebersohn, 12. Meyer Bosman, 11. Jongi Nokwe, 10. Naas Olivier, 9. Sarel Pretorius, 8. Frans Viljoen, 7. Juan Smith (captain), 6. Hendro Scholtz, 5. Waltie Vermeulen, 4. Nico Breedt, 3. WP Nel, 2. Adriaan Strauss, 1. Wian du Preez

Substitutes: 16. Ryno Barnes, 17. Coenie Oosthuizen, 18.. Barend Pieterse, 19 Kabamba Floors, 20. Tewis de Bruyn, 21. Corne Uys, 22. Danwel Demas

Source + Pic: sport24.co.za

Nonu was cited under Law 10.4 (e) - tackling a player above the line of the shoulders - for a tackle on fly-half Peter Grant in the 71st minute of Saturday’s clash, which the Stormers won 37-13.

SANZAR Judicial Officer Rob Stelzner considered evidence from the player, referee Steve Walsh, video recordings and heard submissions from Nonu’s representative.

Mr Stelzner deemed that Nonu’s tackle did not breach Law 10.4 (e) and adjudged that in an attempt to make the tackle, his arm slid upwards on impact with Grant’s ball-carrying arm. He ruled that there was no impact above the line of the shoulders.

In the circumstances he ruled that a penalty was sufficient punishment and as a result, the Hurricanes centre will be available for selection for his side’s next Super 14 match against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Friday.

Source: planetrugby.com

Matfield captained the Bulls for the 50th time in their 50-35 victory over the Highlanders this last weekend and will reach this milestone just before his side head on their four week overseas tour in defence of their Vodacom Super 14 title.

Matfield has played 91 times for the Bulls and eight times for the Cats in an illustrious career which has made him possibly the best lineout jumper world rugby has seen.

Still, Matfield does not want his teammates to concentrate on the milestone. For the Bulls captain, their congratulations can come in the form of a victory over the Hurricanes, much the same as the team handled his captaincy milestone last weekend.

“It is really easy for us to handle the emotion of such a milestone as a team. It is great for the players to get to those milestones, but we don’t worry about it in the week leading up to the game,” Matfield said.

“I don’t think it was mentioned once this week about my 50th. After the game the guys will say well done, but I know with the way they play, they’re saying well done. It is all about the team and not individuals, and it has never been for us, that is very important.”

The Bulls captain also dismissed talk that his side may be complacent as the Hurricanes were coming off two bad losses. But the amount of gamebreakers and quality of the opposition is enough for the Bulls to lift their performances this week, especially with the tour looming.

“If the Hurricanes play, you can never be complacent. It’s that simple,” Matfield laughed. “We all know what a big challenge they pose to any side with their game-breakers. After that we are touring and that is a massive challenge in itself. When we start touring we need to be in the right frame of mind.”

If the Bulls can keep up their 100 per cent record and extend their Loftus Versfeld winning streak to 15 games this Friday, they will not only be looking good for a home semifinal, but they can celebrate another milestone for the Springbok great and give themselves a timely boost ahead of their four-week tour.

Source: supersport.co.za

The Waratahs ran in 11 tries to thrash the Lions 73-12 at the Sydney Football Stadium on Friday.
The hosts fired on all cylinders as they outclassed a sorry-looking Lions side who have now lost five in a row. Drew Mitchell scored four tries, Lachie Turner and Josh Holmes both got braces while Wycliff Palu, Dean Mumm and Tom Carter also got in on the act.

The Brumbies managed to scrape past the Sharks for a narrow win in Canberra on Saturday.
For the second time in the week there was heartbreak for the Sharks as they fought all the way to death when a Matt Giteau penalty snatched back the lead to hand the home side victory.

The Reds put fellow Australian side the Western Force to the sword with a first half blitz to condemn John Mitchell’s side to their fourth straight defeat this season.
The Reds, the surprise package of the season thus far, continued their good form by putting in a polished display on Sunday as they romped to an easy victory.

The Bulls stretched their home winning streak to 14 when they secured a comfortable 50-35 bonus point victory over a gutsy Highlanders side at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

A clinical Stormers side blew away the Hurricanes to record a comprehensive 37-13 bonus point win at Newlands on Saturday.
The Cape-based franchise again displayed their unrivalled defence and moved up to second place on the log while the ‘Canes dropped down to seventh.

Source + Pic: sarugby.com

source: youtube.com

The match was scheduled to be sandwiched between the Test between the Springboks and France Cape Town on June 12 and Argentina’s home test against France on June 19, but has now been shelved.

The Springbok fought off stiff competition from some of the biggest names in the Game to claim the prestigious award after the global Rugby community selected his try from a shortlist of 15 in an online vote at www.irb.com. Nearly 8,000 votes were cast in the process.

Fourie’s try, scored in the 74th minute of the nail-biting encounter in Pretoria in June, sealed a dramatic Series victory for the Springboks, who went on to be named IRB Team of the Year in association with Emirates Airline and demonstrated superb control, team work and skills before the centre squeezed over in the corner.

Fourie, who was presented with his award after the Vodacom Stormers versus Highlanders Vodacom Super 14 match in Cape Town on Saturday, said that the accolade was recognition of the superb team ethic within the Springboks squad.

“It is fantastic to win this award and I am honoured to receive it. I would like to thank everyone who took the time to vote online. This try demonstrates the value of team work and working for each other to achieve something very special, and made it such a privilege to be part of the Sprinboks team and the Lions Series last summer,” said Fourie.

Shane Williams (2), Vincent Clerc, Jamie Heaslip, Mils Muliaina, Isaac Ross, Ma’a Nonu, Cedric Heymans, Rob Kearney, Berrick Barnes, Imanol Harinordoquy, Lee Byrne, Gonzalo Camacho and Alexander Yanyushkin were scorers of the other shortlisted tries.

Fourie follows in the fleeted footsteps of Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll who scooped the award in 2008 and Takudzwa Ngwenya of the USA who claimed the inaugural award in 2007.

Source: sarugby.co.za

Tiaan Liebenberg was struck down on the day of the game with flu, so in stepped Deon Fourie to replace him. Wing Gio Aplon was also battling with flu, so he dropped to the bench, and Sireli Naqelevuki replaced him in the starting team.

That starting team had also seen some additional changes forced by selection considerations during the week — Anton van Zyl was chosen as the front lock, Dewaldt Duvenage came in at scrumhalf for Ricky Januarie. And of course Schalk Burger returned to lead the side after recovering from injury.

In every instance the player who made it onto the field in the starting team excelled. Van Zyl strengthened the Stormers’ contesting policy at the lineouts, and the upshot was that this was an area where the hosts turned the screws on their opponents as the first step to a convincing victory.

Duvenage had not been poor in his previous start against the Lions, but he was even better in this game, adding incisiveness and sharpness to his distribution and general play around the fringes. It was his better tactical kicking though that earned him a recall ahead of Januarie.

Naqelevuki is often maligned in the Cape for appearing a bit lethargic and lazy on the field, perhaps because his running style is deceptive, but against the Highlanders his physique was used to great effect by the Stormers in getting them across the advantage line.

Best of all though was Fourie, a real livewire player who appeared to be everywhere all at once and on one occasion even pitched up to go through a gap only a matter of a couple of passes after he had been involved in a set-scrum. He also scored a try for good measure.

When Liebenberg returns to full health he has to return to the team for he is probably the form hooker in the country at the moment, but Fourie certainly showed the Stormers coaches that he is deserving of consideration. And so were the other players mentioned, as well as Pieter Louw, who came on for Burger late in the game and again impressed.

For coach Allister Coetzee, it was the perfect response to the disappointing narrow defeat to the Brumbies the week before. And by grabbing the bonus point for scoring four tries, they made up for the point they lost by not holding onto the draw against the Brumbies.

“Hopefully we have got the monkey off our backs now with this bonus point thing, which is a bonus,” said Coetzee.

“Now we just have to keep winning and keep the momentum going. I won’t change much. The guys are comfortable with doing what they do best, which is playing in the right side of the field, defending well and creating opportunities.”

Apart from the defence, which has now leaked just two tries in four games, perhaps the most impressive feature of the Stormers win was their driving maul, which was responsible for two of the tries. One of those was a stupendous effort from a lineout that took place all of 25 metres from the tryline.

“I think if we put away a team by 33-0, then I sleep well. Attack is a fluid thing, and we are trying to get the balance right. Due to our defence, we are allowed to make a couple of mistakes on attack. We took the ball through several phases in this game, unlike last week, where we lost the ball in second phase.

“We had the Highlanders on the rack a few times only for them to turn the ball over at crucial moments, so that is something we need to look at. But the patience was there in this game, certainly after half time. The guys understand that our defence is a safety net for us, and with that mindset, we will be able to work on our attack.”

The Hurricanes will come to Newlands on Saturday smarting from the unexpected defeat by the Cheetahs but boosted by the return from injury of All Black centre Conrad Smith and utility back Tamati Ellison.

Source: supersport.co.za

Pic: sport24.co.za

The industrious flanker tore knee ligaments in the dying moments of the Cheetahs’ Super 14 match against the Hurricanes on Saturday and will be out for eight months.

Brüssow had been shutting up his critics, who believed he would be less effective because of the stricter interpretation of the laws at the breakdowns.

The fetching flank showed with his work-rate over the past two weeks that he does a lot more than just steal possession from opponents.

Cheetahs coach Naka Drotské said that Brüssow would only be available again for next year’s Super 15.

South Africa are in the privileged position of having Schalk Burger available and he can still form an outstanding loose-trio with Juan Smith and Pierre Spies.

The national selectors can also look at Deon Stegmann from the Bulls, who is one of the most under-rated fetching flanks in South African rugby.

Brüssow, 23, has played 13 Tests for his country and was crowned as South Africa’s young player of the year for 2009.

Local rugby scribes also voted him the provincial player of the British and Irish Lions tour.

He was one of the Cheetahs’ biggest stars against the Hurricanes.

Drotské said that the injury was a big setback and that Brüssow was irreplaceable.

Source: sport24.co.za

Pic: scrum.com