S14 Fantasy League – Big Names Back
Round two is around the corner, with a number of star players back after injury layoffs – here are the teamsheets.
The Brumbies will be relieved to welcome back their star-signing Matt Giteau at flyhalf, as well as Wallabies captain Rocky Elsom. For the struggling Sharks, the return of Ruan Pienaar at flyhalf will offer some hope in a hard-to-call clash with the Cheetahs in Durban on Friday night.
For last year’s finalists the Chiefs, powerful No 8 Sione Lauaki is back in the team, and joined by centre Callum Bruce.
No such good news for the Western Force, who are still without long-term absentees Cameron Shepherd, Mark Bartholomeusz, David Pocock, Richard Brown and Andre Pretorius. Now there’s further disaster, as Wallaby centre Ryan Cross has been withdrawn due to injury concerns.
It’s still early days in the Super 14, and some games seem pretty hard to pick a winner this weekend. Chose wisely for your Fantasy League team…
Round 2 Teamsheets
Highlanders vs Blues, Friday 8:35am, Dunedin
Highlanders: 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.
Blues: 15 Paul Williams, 14 Rudi Wulf, 13 Isaia Toeava, 12 Benson Stanley, 11 Joe Rokocoko, 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 (c), 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 Tom McCartney, 17 Charlie Faumuina, 18 Filo Paulo, 19 Peter Saili, 20 Chris Smylie, 21 Daniel Kirkpatrick, 22 Rene Ranger.
Reds vs Crusaders, Friday 11:40am, Brisbane
Reds: 15 Peter Hynes, 14 Digby Ioane, 13 Morgan Turinui, 12 Anthony Faingaa, 11 Rod Davies, 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 Robert Simmons, 19 Leroy Houston, 20 Richard Kingi, 21 Tim Walsh, 22 Will Chambers.
Crusaders: 15 Colin Slade, 14 Jared Payne, 13 Robbie 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.
Sharks vs Cheetahs, Friday 6:00pm, Durban
The Sharks: 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: 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 WP Nel, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Wian du Preez.
Replacements: 16 Ryno Barnes, 17 Coenie Oosthuizen, 18 Waltie Vermeulen, 19 Ashley Johnson, 20 Sarel Pretorius, 21 Sias Ebersohn, 22 Hennie Daniller.
Lions vs Chiefs, Friday 8:00pm, Johannesburg
Lions: Earl Rose; Tonderai Chavhanga, Deon van Rensburg, Doppies la Grange, Wandile Mjekevu; Carlos Spencer, JP Joubert; Todd Clever, Derick Minnie, Cobus Grobbelaar (captain), Willem Stoltz, Franco van der Merwe, Ross Geldenhuys, Hannes Franklin, Heinke van der Merwe.
Replacements: Charles Emslie, JC Janse van Rensburg/Kevin Buys, Jacques Lombaard, Jonathan Mokuena, Jacques Coetzee, Burton Francis, Michael Killian.
Chiefs: 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 Hika Elliot, 17 Ben Afeaki, 18 Jarrad Hoeata, 19 Tanerau Latimer, 20 Brendon Leonard, 21 Jackson Willison, 22 Tim Nanai-Williams.
Hurricanes vs Western Force, Saturday 8:35am, Wellington
Hurricanes: 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. Neemia Tialata, 2. Andrew Hore (captain), 1. John Schwalger
Replacements: 16. Dane Coles, 17. Jacob Ellison, 18. Rodney So’oialo, 19. Karl Lowe, 20. Tyson Keats, 21. Aaron Cruden, 22. Andre Taylor
Western Force: 15 James O’Connor, 14 Dane Haylett-Petty, 13 Mitch Inman, 12 Josh Tatupu, 11 Haig Sare, 10 Sam Harris, 9 Brett Sheehan, 8 Sam Wykes, 7 Matt Hodgson, 6 Ben McCalman, 5 Nathan Sharpe (captain), 4 Tom Hockings, 3 Tim Fairbrother, 2 Pek 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.
Bulls vs Brumbies, Saturday 5:05pm, Pretoria
Bulls: 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 Danie Rossouw, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Gary Botha, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Bees Roux, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Derick Kuün, 20 Heini Adams, 21 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 22 John Mametsa.
Brumbies: 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.
Stormers vs Waratahs, Friday 7:10pm, Cape Town
Waratahs: 15. Sosene Anesi, 14. Lachie 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. Will Caldwell, 3. Al Baxter, 2. Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1. Benn Robinson
Substitutes: 16. Damien Fitzpatrick, 17. Sekope Kepu, 18. Hendrik Roodt, 19. Dave Dennis, 20. Josh Holmes, 21. Daniel Halangahu, 22. Rory Sidey
Stormers: 15. Joe 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 (C) 5. Andries Bekker 4. De Kock Steenkamp 3. Brok Harris 2. Tiaan Liebenberg 1. JC Kritzinger
Reserves 16. Deon Fourie 17. Eusebio Guinazu 18. Anton Van Zyl 19. Pieter Louw 20. Dewaldt Duvenage 21. Lionel Cronje 22. Sireli Naqelevuki
The Super 14 Starts Here!
If you haven’t picked your team yet for the Sports Illustrated Super 14 Fantasy League, get cracking NOW! Here are all the latest team-sheets…
Remember, a key part of scoring well in the Super 14 Fantasy League is making sure all your player picks are actually starting!
From the team news coming through, there are some significant omissions – remember, there’s no Richie McCaw for the Crusaders nor Rodney So’oialo for the Hurricanes (both taking a break for the first few weeks). Matt Giteau is officially out of the Brumbies team and his spot is taken by young Matt Toomua, who played for Western Province in the Currie Cup.
Other notables on the bench include: Ricky Januarie (Stormers), Derick Kuun (Bulls), and Brad Thorn (Crusaders).
Starting line-ups
Blues v Hurricanes, North Harbour - 8:35am
Blues: 15 Rudi Wulf, 14 Rene Ranger, 13 Isaia Toeava, 12 Benson Stanley, 11 Joe Rokocoko, 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 Faumuina, 18 Filo Paulo, 19 Peter Saili, 20 Chris Smylie, 21 Daniel Kirkpatrick, 22 Paul Williams.
Hurricanes: 15 Cory Jane, 14 Tamati Ellison, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Willie Ripia, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Victor Vito, 7 Scott Waldrom, 6 Nick Crosswell, 5 Jason Eaton, 4 Michael Paterson, 3 Neemia Tialata, 2 Andrew Hore (captain), 1 John Schwalger.
Replacements: 16 Dane Coles, 17 Jacob Ellison, 18 Bryn Evans, 19 Karl Lowe, 20 Tyson Keats, 21 Aaron Cruden, 22 David Smith.
Western Force v Brumbies, Perth – Fri 1:05PM
Western Force: 15 James O’Connor, 14 Dane Haylett-Petty, 13 Ryan Cross, 12 Sam Harris, 11 Cameron Shepherd, 10 Mark Bartholomeusz, 9 Brett Sheehan, 8 Richard Brown, 7 David Pocock, 6 Matt Hodgson, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Sam Wykes, 3 Matt Dunning, 2 Pek Cowan, 1 Nic Henderson.
Replacements: 16 Ben Whittaker, 17 Tim Fairbrother, 18 Richard Stanford, 19 Ben McCalman, 20 Chris O’Young, 21 Mitchell Inman, 22 Josh Tatupu.
Brumbies – revised: 15 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 Pat McCabe, 13 Stirling Mortlock, 12 Christian Lealiifano, 11 Francis Fainifo, 10 Matt Toomua, 9 Josh Valentine, 8 Stephen Hoiles (captain), 7 George Smith, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 Justin Harrison, 4 Mark Chisholm, 3 Guy Shepherdson, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Ben Alexander.
Replacements: 16 Huia Edmonds, 17 Salesi Maafu, 18 Ben Hand, 19 Mitchell Chapman, 20 Patrick Phibbs, 21 Tyrone Smith, 22 Alfi Mafi.
Cheetahs v Bulls, Bloemfontein – Fri 7:10PM
Cheetahs:15-Riaan Viljoen, 14-Lionel Mapoe, 13-Corné Uys, 12-Meyer Bosman, 11-Jongi Nokwe, 10-Naas Olivier, 9-Tewis de Bruyn, 8-Ashley Johnson, 7-Juan Smith (captain), 6-Heinrich Brüssow, 5-David de Villiers, 4-Nico Breedt, 3-WP Nel, 2-Adriaan Strauss, 1-Wian du Preez
Substitutes: 16-Ryno Barnes, 17-Coenie Oosthuizen, 18-Walti Vermeulen, 19-Frans Viljoen, 20-Sarel Pretorius, 21-Sias Ebersohn, 22-Danwel Demas
Bulls: 15-Zane Kirchner, 14-Gerhard van den Heever, 13-Jaco Pretorius, 12-Wynand Olivier, 11-Francois Hougaard, 10-Morne Steyn, 9-Fourie du Preez, 8-Pierre Spies, 7-Pedrie Wannenburg, 6-Deon Stegmann, 5-Victor Matfield (captain), 4-Danie Rossouw, 3-Werner Kruger, 2-Gary Botha, 1-Gurthro Steenkamp
Substitutes: 16-Bandise Maku, 17-Bees Roux, 18-Flip vd Merwe, 19-Derick Kuun, 20-Heini Adams, 21-Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 22-Stephan Dippenaar
Crusaders v Highlanders, Christchurch – 8:35AM
Crusaders 1. Ben Franks , 2. Ti’i Paulo , 3. Owen Franks , 4. Sam Whitelock , 5. Isaac Ross , 6. Kieran Read (c) , 7. George Whitelock , 8. Thomas Waldrom , 9. Andy Ellis , 10. Dan Carter , 11. Zac Guildford , 12. Tim Bateman , 13. Robbie Fruean , 14. Jared Payne , 15. Colin Slade
Reserves: 16. Quentin MacDonald , 17. Peter Borlase , 18. Brad Thorn , 19. Jonathan Poff , 20. Kahn Fotuali’i , 21. Adam Whitelock , 22. Sean Maitland
The team is: 1 Jamie Mackintosh,2 Jason Rutledge, 3 Clint Newland, 4 Josh Bekhuis, 5 Tom Donnelly, 6 Adam Thomson, 7 Alando Soakai, 8 Nasi Manu, 9 Jimmy Cowan (c), 10 Matt Berquist, 11 James Paterson, 12 Jayden Hayward, 13 Jason Shoemark, 14 Ben Smith,15 Israel Dagg.
Reserves: Jason Macdonald, Chris King, Hayden Triggs, John Hardie, Sean Romans, Michael Hobbs, Fetu’u Vainikolo.
Waratahs v Reds, Brisbane – Sat 10:40AM
Waratahs 15 Sosene Anesi, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Tom Carter, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Berrick Barnes, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Phil Waugh (captain), 6 Dean Mumm, 5 Cam Jowitt, 4 Will Caldwell, 3 Al Baxter, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Damien Fitzpatrick, 17 Sekope Kepu, 18 Kane Douglas, 19 Ben Mowen, 20 Josh Holmes, 21 Daniel Halangahu, 22 Rory Sidey.
Reds 15 Peter Hynes, 14 Digby Ioane, 13 Morgan Turinui, 12 Anthony Faingaa, 11 Rod Davies, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Scott Higginbotham, 7 Daniel Braid, 6 James Horwill, 5 Van Humphries, 4 Adam Byrnes, 3 Laurie Weeks, 2 Sean Hardman, 1 Ben Daley.
Subs: 16 Saia Faingaa, 17 James Slipper, 18 Ezra Taylor, 19 Andrew Shaw, 20 Richard Kingi, 21 Tim Walsh, 22 Will Chambers.
Lions v Stormers, Jhb – 5:00PM
Stormers: 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Juan De Jongh, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Schalk Burger (captain), 5 Andries Bekker, 4 De Kock Steenkamp, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Wicus Blaauw.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 JC Kritzinger, 18 Anton Van Zyl, 19 Pieter Louw, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Lionel Cronjé, 22 Sireli Naqelevuki.
Lions: 15-Earl Rose, 14-Tonderai Chavhanga, 13-Deon van Rensburg, 12-Doppies la Grange, 11-Wandile Mjekevu, 10-Carlos Spencer, 9-JP Joubert, 8-Jonathan Mokuena, 7-Franco van der Merwe, 6-Cobus Grobbelaar (captain), 5-Willem Stoltz, 4-Jacques Lombard, 3-Ross Geldenhuys, 2-Hannes Franklin, 1-Heinke van der Merwe
Substitutes: 16-Charles Emslie, 17-JC van Rensburg, 18-Todd Clever, 19-Jacques Coetzee, 20-Derrick Minnie, 21-Burton Francis, 22-Michael Killian.
Sharks v Chiefs, Durban – 7:00PM
Sharks
The Sharks 15. Stefan Terblanche 14. Odwa Ndungane 13. Waylon Murray 12. Andries Strauss 11. JP Pietersen 10. Monty Dumond 9. Rory Kockott 8. Ryan Kankowski 7. Jean Deysel 6. Keegan Daniel 5. Johann Muller 4. Steven Sykes 3. John Smit ( C ) 2. Bismarck du Plessis
1. Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: 16. Craig Burden 17. Jannie du Plessis 18. Gerhard Mostert 19. Willem Alberts 20. Jacques Botes 21. Ruan Pienaar
22. Adrian Jacobs
Chiefs TBC
Super 14 Injury Worries
Matt Giteau is in a race against time to be fit for Friday's clash with the Force.
With rugby’s most anticipated tournament less than five days away, many of the top teams are facing injury worries.
With the Sharks Argentinean flyhalf Juan Hernandez long departed, and the ever-injury-prone André Pretorius pulling out of the entire Super 14 with a hamstring ailment on the weekend, it seems like many teams are struggling with the crucial No 10 position in the run-up to the start of the season.
The Brumbies flyhalf Matt Giteau – back after a three-year sojourn with the Western Force – is also struggling with a leg injury, after he suffered a tear in his left thigh in training two weeks ago. Should he not be fit for the Brumbies opener with his old team the Force on Friday, it will be a significant blow for the Canberra-based side.
New Zealand’s Blues, based in Auckland, also have a fair share of injury concerns leading up to the tough derby with local rivals the Hurricanes on Friday. Fullback Paul Williams took a blow to the head, and will have to undergo cognitive testing this week; George Pisi is nursing a damaged shoulder; Anthony Tuitavake is out indefinitely and Luke McAlister is out for the first three Super 14 matches.
Fortunately for Stormers fans, Schalk Burger’s shoulder injury – sustained in the warm-up friendly against Boland on Saturday – is less serious than originally expected, and he should be fit to play on Saturday.
Spencer Saga at the Blues
Blues coach, Pat Lam is frustrated with the system of player signings.
Blues coach Pat Lam has revealed his frustrations behind the ill-fated Carlos Spencer saga that left the Auckland franchise on the outside looking in.
The saga continues as the former All Black star tried to negotiate a return to his old team.
In fact, the sooner New Zealand’s Super rugby franchises gain control of their own destiny the better, as far as Lam is concerned.
Lam opened up on the episode when he spoke to the media at Blues training today, revealing that Spencer had been chasing one last big pay-day as he sought a deal to wind down his career in New Zealand.
The Blues were clearly interested, as they were going through a frustrating process of finding a No 10 for the upcoming season, but never got a say in the matter as the New Zealand Rugby Union handled negotiations directly.
It was the national body who spoke to the 34-year-old, 35-test, All Black’s representatives, and they quickly decided they were not interested in paying the sort of money that Lam revealed to be on a par with what senior All Blacks were getting.
Spencer subsequently signed a two-year deal with the Lions in South Africa that will see him play pivot for them in the Super 14 and also take on a mentoring/coaching role with the organisation.
“We are different from the rest of the world at professional level, even the NRL or South Africa or Australia,” said Lam.
“We don’t contract the players. It’s New Zealand. So a player like Carlos, who wants to play Super 14 rugby, needs to go through New Zealand, and rightly so.
It’s the system, more than the specific case of Spencer, that frustrates Lam. At present only provincial unions and the national body get to directly contract players. That leaves the country’s five Super 14 franchises operating on an uneven playing field.
“We can’t compete,” said Lam. “The Brumbies, for instance, decide they need a 10, so they just go straight to Matt Giteau and offer him a contract and he’s in there. We can’t do that.
“Obviously it’s important to still be in partnership with the NZRU because ultimately our role here is to get the best players playing for the All Blacks. But if we are going to compete, instead waiting for the draft every year, we need to be able to plan a team 2-3 years ahead.
The upshot of the whole affair is that the Blues have ended up with Cantab Stephen Brett, backed up by young Wellingtonian Daniel Kirkpatrick, covering their options at No 10. Some might say they’re a lot better off than the Lions ahead of the season kickoff.
The Blues open their pre-season campaign with a hitout against the Hurricanes at Mangatainoka on Saturday afternoon.
Courtesy of stuff.co.nz
HAVE YOUR SAY: Should the Blues have had a chance to sign Carlos Spencer?
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