Weekend Rugby Wrap
South Africa vs France
While football took precedence this weekend, with World Cup fever in full flight, there were still a host of top-notch rugby fixtures played.
The Southern hemisphere sides laid down the gauntlet to their Northern foes.
The All Blacks hosted Ireland, trumping their visitors 66-28 in what proved to be a high-scoring, eventful match.
The All Blacks ran into a 38-0 first half lead after the Irish had Jamie Heaslip red carded for kneeing Richie McCaw. He has since been banned for five weeks.
The second half was somewhat more competitive with the Irish fighting gallantly. They played with 13 men at one stage when flyhalf Rona O’Gara was sin binned.
The nine-try romp highlighted just how dangerous the men in black are with ball in hand.
Flyhalf Dan Carter shone with the boot kicking seven from seven and became only the fourth player to reach 1000 points in Test rugby.
While the All Blacks were ruthless on attack, they will need to tighten up their defence ahead of the Tri-Nations series in July.
Their trans-Tasman foes, Australia hosted England in the first of a two-test Cook Cup series.
The Wallabies overcame the English 27-17, and it was Reds star pivot, Quade Cooper who illuminated a dull affair.
The bad boy of Australian rugby came good with two tries and a penalty.
The Wallabies fielded a green front row in debutant Ben Daley, Saia Faingaa and Salesi Ma’afu and their lack of experience showed.
The scrums were a giant headache for Welsh referee Nigel Owens, who ordered countless resets. He finally lost patience with the home side and England were awarded a brace of penalty tries.
Australia always appeared to have an ageing English side’s number, but they made hard work of the victory and will need to shore up their front row deficiencies.
Meanwhile, in Cape Town the World Champions locked horns with the Six Nations champions. Pundits predicted a tight game with the home side tipped to squeak a cliffhanger.
However, those conservative predictions proved unfounded as the Boks romped to a five-try 42-17 victory.
The Boks ended their hoodoo against the French suffocating their visitors at the breakdown and bullying them in the tackle.
The Boks were a fiercely determined bunch with monstrous hits proving the order of the day.
The Tricolores looked a shadow of the side that swept all before them in the Six Nations and will claim fatigue played a role in their humbling defeat.
Pierre Spies got the rout underway as early as the second minute and for the next 78 the Boks grew in confidence and stature.
The Boks chalked up a 28-0 lead against a side they had not got the better of since 2005.
Stormers winger Gio Aplon produced a mesmeric display of skill and speed to score his brace and claim the Man of the Match award.
Up front, the Boks laid an impressive foundation, with Gurthro Steenkamp the star shining brightest.
The big man continued his impressive form since the Super 14 and scored a memorable try on his 29th birthday.
The Boks also boasted a mean-looking bench and the substitutes played their part in the 40-point rout.
SI’s moment of the weekend: Gio Aplon’s first try where he bumped of a would-be French tackler and jinked his way to the line, was something special.
SA Rugby: The Best Its Ever Been
South African rugby has arguably never been in a better place than right now. And with the Super 14 title assured, 2010 could consolidate an era of further dominance on the world stage.
The Boks are already reigning world and Tri-Nations champions, but it’s the ruthless efficiency and the collection of records that suggests South Africa is in a golden period.
The two greatest modern All Blacks, Richie McCaw and Dan Carter, have now been on the losing side against a team containing Victor Matfield, Fourie du Preez and Morné Steyn on seven consecutive occasions.
The Crusaders have lost their last three matches against the Bulls while the All Blacks have lost their last three Tests against the Springboks, and they also lost to the Barbarians containing those three great Boks.
“I wasn’t aware of that statistic, but Fourie is up to speed with stats, and he mentioned it to me after the semifinal on Saturday,” Matfield told The Times.
“At this stage South African rugby has many great players, and if you had to pick a world 15, there would be a lot of Springboks in it.”
A few years ago South Africans shuddered at the mention of McCaw and Carter, now they smile. The two distinguished New Zealanders are still great players, but their aura, along with that of the Crusaders and the All Blacks, has cracked.
The Bulls and the Stormers highlight the best traits of South African rugby, but in different ways.
Steyn has become a points machine. On Saturday he surpassed Carter’s scoring record for a single Super 14 season, moving to 243 points so far in the campaign with the final still to come.
Waratahs skipper Phil Waugh pointed out that Super 14 success doesn’t automatically translate into Test domination.
On Saturday South Africa will claim a third Super 14 title in four years – a period that has overlapped with a World Cup triumph, a Lions Series win and a Tri-Nations title. Super 14 success is clearly related to international success for the Boks.
An Australian journalist, here to witness the Waratahs 25-6 Super 14 semi loss to the Stormers, shook his head in disbelief after the match: “I can’t see an end in sight for South African rugby domination,” he said.
Respected New Zealand writer Marc Hinton wrote on his blog yesterday: “It’s hard to think of a position where South Africa doesn’t have at least a couple of world-class options at their disposal at the moment, and this will be vital as they build towards the World Cup.”
Bok coach Peter de Villiers sent further tremors through the rugby world by naming six overseas-based players in his first Test side of the year – five of them World Cup winners and another, Joe van Niekerk, a 50-Test veteran.
Challenges lie ahead, especially when player retirements take their toll after the 2011 World Cup. But solid foundations have been laid for a glorious era in South African rugby.
With thanks to timesonline.co.za
Rossouw Starts Ahead Of Bakkies
Bakkies Botha and Danie Rossouw celebrate victory after the Absa Currie Cup Final in 2009.
Lock Danie Rossouw replaces Bakkies Botha in the only change to the Bulls’ starting side to face the Crusaders in Friday’s crucial Super 14 rugby match in Pretoria.
Rossouw, who will earn his 100th Super Rugby cap for the Bulls, is preferred to partner captain Victor Matfield in the second row for the competition leaders.
Springboks veteran Botha played his first game since November 2009 against the Sharks last Saturday, before being replaced at halftime.
Matfield paid tribute to Rossouw’s milestone, describing him as an “exceptional team player.”
“It’s great partnering either Danie or Bakkies at lock and I’m sure that if there wasn’t Bakkies, then Danie would have 70 or 80 test matches already behind his name,” Matfield said.
“Many of his games may have been off the bench, but I don’t think people realise how valuable he is to both the Bulls and the Boks.
Bulls coach Frans Ludeke expected the desperate Crusaders to launch an assault on them at ruck time, a tactic that backfired when the fourth-placed New Zealanders lost to the Stormers at Newlands on Friday, having failed to adapt to referee Stuart Dickinson’s rulings.
“It’s been a tactic of theirs throughout the tournament and with players like Richie McCaw they’re pretty equipped to torture you at the breakdown if you allow them to,” Ludeke told South African journalists.
“They’ve got the players that allow them to vary their approach between playing a tight, expansive or kicking game, or indeed a blend of all three,”
“I can’t say for certain how they will approach this game, but we are prepared for every eventuality.
“That said, it’s important that we focus on what we can control. There’s a belief in this side, and it’s not an arrogant one, that if we play to our potential we will win.”
Meanwhile, Bulls first five-eighth Morne Steyn needs just six points to equal Crusader opposite Dan Carter’s record of the fastest 200 points in Super rugby history, in just 12 games.
Team: Zane Kirchner, Gerhard van den Heever, Jacques-Louis Potgieter, Wynand Olivier, Francois Hougaard, Morne Steyn, Fourie du Preez, Pierre Spies, Dewald Potgieter, Deon Stegmann, Victor Matfield (captain), Danie Rossouw, Werner Kruger, Gary Botha, Gurthro Steenkamp. Reserves: Bandise Maku, Bees Roux, Bakkies Botha, Derick Kuün, Jaco van der Westhuyzen, Stephan Dippenaar, Pedrie Wannenburg.
With thanks to Stuff.co.nz
Steyn On Brink Of Super 14 Record
Bulls flyhalf Morne Steyn is 23 points away from becoming the fastest player to reach 200 points in a single season of Super Rugby.
The record is currently held by Crusaders pivot Dan Carter, who scored 200 points in 12 games back in 2004.
Steyn has played in all 10 games for the defending champions this year. He has already rewritten the record books this season by becoming South Africa’s leading points’ scorer in Super Rugby when he passed Andre Pretorius’ feat of 645 points during his side’s 51-11 victory over the Lions in Pretoria last Saturday.
The Bulls pivot will have that chance when his side host the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday at 7.10pm. The Pretoria outfit are currently in pole position on the Super 14 log, but must defeat the Sharks to keep their aspirations of a home semi-final alive.
Three teams – the Stormers, Crusaders and Reds – are locked on 34 points and are one bonus-point win away from the Bulls (39). The fifth placed Waratahs (33), who take on the Highlanders in Invercargill, are six points behind the defending champions.
Meanwhile the Cheetahs will also be aiming to re-write their own record books when they host the Blues at Vodacom Park in Bloemfontein on Saturday at 3pm.
The hosts have never defeated the Blues in Super Rugby and will fancy their chances of upsetting their Auckland tourists this weekend.
With thanks to timesonline.co.za
No World Cup For Hayman
Carl Hayman in action in the Guinness Premiership for Newcastle Falcons
Carl Hayman is ineligible for selection into next year’s All Black RWC team.
Standing 1.93m tall and weighing 120kg, with enough brute strength to box squat 250kg, makes Hayman a formidable opponent on the rugby pitch, and especially in the scrum.
But when Hayman signed a multimillion-dollar deal with French club Toulon, it effectively nullified all chances of him representing New Zealand. The NZRU have taken a firm stance on their policy that excludes overseas-based players from playing for the All Blacks. The same policy also excludes Greg Somerville – who recently signed a two-year deal with the Melbourne Rebels – from playing for the Kiwis.
Bad news for them, good news for the Springboks.
Widely regarded as the best tighthead prop in world rugby, Hayman would have been an invaluable asset to the All Blacks set-piece, but when the tighthead turned down an offer from NZRU in favour of the more lucrative Toulon deal, it further steeled their hard-nose stance. This, despite Hayman expressing his desire to still play for his country in the World Cup, and Toulon boss Mourad Boudjellal stating he wouldn’t stand between his new signing and a spot in the tournament.
Many in New Zealand rugby are of the opinion that Hayman’s undeniable talent could be crucial to the host nation winning its first RWC title since the 1987 inaugural event. But according to NZRU chief executive Steve Tew, it’s out of the question.
“No, we think there’s just too much at stake to open the door for players to be in Europe,” said Tew. “I can’t prove it, and no one knows for sure. It’s a judgment call,” he went on to say. “But there’s so much of a risk we are firm if you want to wear the All Black jersey, you play in New Zealand.”
All Black fly-half Dan Carter has openly backed the tough stance taken by the NZRU. Carter and seasoned teammate Richie McCaw are known to have declined lucrative offers from overseas clubs, in order to remain eligible for their country.
“If they did bend the rules then I’m sure there would be a few more people wanting to go overseas and make the most of that opportunity, as well as the money you can generate over there while still being able to play for the All Blacks,” said Carter.
But he didn’t deny Hayman’s talent. “It is disappointing Carl isn’t coming back. He’s a class player and he’s shown that over many years.”
“But I think we’ve got a lot of young talent coming through. In Christchurch we’ve got the Franks brothers and Wyatt Crocket, who are fantastic footballers and they’ve shown that at test level. I’m sure they can continue to rise from where they are.”
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