Springboks rugby coach Peter de Villiers says the strong form of the Bulls and Stormers in the Super 14 will not mean much when it comes to the international season.

The Bulls are assured of a semifinals place while the Stormers are likely to join them in the last four.

While that would give the Springboks confidence, the step up to international level meant Super 14 form could not be used as a guide for the international season, de Villiers said here today.

“Winning is always positive, it’s just how are we going to put it together and maintain that kind of positive momentum,” he said.

De Villiers still rated New Zealand’s Super 14 sides, saying talent was more evenly spread around in New Zealand, whereas in South Africa the vast majority of international players played for either the Stormers or the Bulls

“If you look at the New Zealand sides, they are still some of the better sides in the competition, what happened is all the other sides actually caught up,” he said.

Speaking about the rule changes in this years Super 14 he said referees were “applying the law as it always should have been” and this resulted in a faster and more open game.

He disagreed that the new rules had taken Crusaders captain and flanker Richie McCaw out of the game at the breakdown, mauls, saying that he had a good game this morning against the Bulls, who won 40-35 at Pretoria.

“You can’t write off a guy like Richie, he’s a brilliant rugby player. I think he will come back to his best form this year.”

De Villiers was speaking at the Petone Recreation Ground in Wellington where he was joined by South African team management to check out the region’s facilities ahead of next year’s World Cup.

De Villiers said he was happy with the way World Cup preparations were going in New Zealand, saying “the World Cup can’t be in a better place”.

He said he was happy the Springboks would be based in Wellington for the World Cup.

“I think the people here are much friendlier than the people back home,” he said.

He hoped Wellingtonians would support the Springboks during the World Cup, at least when the All Blacks weren’t playing.

South Africa will play two of their pool games at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium as well as a quarterfinal if, as expected, they make it that far.

Sourced via nz.sports.yahoo.com

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Currie Cup win would be fitting Loftus swan song

Springbok wing Bryan Habana will play his last game for the Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld this weekend after being declared fit to meet the Free State Cheetahs in the Currie Cup final.

Habana’s increasingly fragile hamstrings threatened to keep him out of the match. He was substituted early in the second half of the Bulls‘ 21-19 semifinal win over his new team, Western Province.

But, after a week of rest, the flyer returned to training yesterday untroubled by his injury.

The news is a relief for the team and for Habana himself. He hasn’t won the Currie Cup in an illustrious career, and if he were to assist the Bulls in winning their 23rd title it would be a fitting swan song for one of Pretoria’s favourite sons.

Habana’s impressive CV includes winning the World Cup, two Super 14s and the Tri-Nations title, but the oldest trophy has eluded him. He missed the Bulls’ 2006 draw with Free State because of injury and was on the losing side in last year’s final against the Sharks.

Later this year, following the Springboks’ tour to France, Italy, Britain and Ireland, he will again turn out for the world-famous Barbarians, to add another accolade to his bulging credentials.

But for now his focus remains on setting one elusive record right.

“There are a couple of big things coming up in the next month and a half which I would really like to achieve, starting with a Currie Cup final at Loftus,” Habana told Rugby365.

The Bulls were further boosted by the news that Springbok hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle should be fit for the final. Bulls doctor Org Strauss declared the entire squad fit and ready for the game.

The Cheetahs also received a clean bill of health for those who played in the 23-21 semifinal victory over the Sharks.

However, they will be without Springbok flank Juan Smith, who hasn’t played in the Currie Cup this season after sustaining a knee injury in the Tri-Nations.
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Springbok-laden Super 14 side The Bulls overwhelmed Richie McCaw’s Crusaders 36-23 yesterday. With so many prospective opponents shining, should the Lions be fearful?

While most eyes were trained on Edinburgh and the Heineken Cup final, a casual glance towards the Super 14 semi-final at Lions Test venue Loftus Versfeld would have provided little comfort for Lions fans.

The writing was on the wall after just 11 minutes when Star Springbok Bryan Habana picked an expert line to rush over for the game’s first try.

Bulls and Springboks
Guthro Steenkamp (prop) – able and willing
Bakkies Botha (lock) – battle hardened bully boy
Victor Matfield (lock) – line-out King and top quality operator
Pierre Spies (No. – all-action raging Bull. A real threat
Fourie du Preez (scrum-half) – general of the troops with a fine kicking game
Morne Steyn (fly-half) – in the frame for pivot after star turns
Bryan Habana (wing) – lost a bit of pace but remains dangerous
Zane Kirchner (full-back) – could be a wild card selection at the back

And anyone hoping for a British and Irish win this summer was left wincing by what they saw. Series hopefuls Pierre Spies and Morne Steyn took the game by the scruff of the neck to turn a 13 point defecit into a seven point lead by half-time.

Steyn’s unnervring accuracy with the boot saw him score four drop goals and his controlling influence over the game must have made a big statement to selectors.

While number eight Spies did his Test chances no harm when he outpaced the whole Crusaders backline to storm in for a try from 70 metres.

The Bulls will now host The Chiefs in Pretoria next weekend for a tilt at their second Super 14 title. The last time the Bulls won in 2007, the Springboks went on to hoist the William Webb Ellis Cup. What odds another a Bulls and Springboks double this year?
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Crusaders rugby coach Todd Blackadder is confident All Black lock Brad Thorn will play in their Super 14 semifinal, but will give him until as late as possible to prove his fitness.

Blackadder said his team had recovered well from the long trip to their Johannesburg base ahead of Sunday’s (1am NZT) semifinal against the table-topping Bulls in Pretoria.

He gave returning prop Ben Franks (foot surgery) a 100 per cent fitness rating after playing a full club match last weekend, and was cautiously optimistic about Thorn who missed the narrow win over the Blues with a hamstring strain.

“Brad is fairly positive but we won’t really know until Thursday,” the coach said last night.

“He’s feeling really good, a lot better than last week which is encouraging.”

Blackadder said he would probably bracket Thorn with Michael Paterson, who stood in for him in Auckland, when he names his lineup later this week.

Utility back Colin Slade (ankle) was also in contention for selection in an otherwise injury-free 24-man squad.

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“We’ve got a fairly settled lineup, I don’t think there will be too many surprises,” Blackadder said.

The team were scheduled to have a light session overnight (NZT) after their long trip which was broken up by a night’s stopover in Sydney on Sunday.

“Everyone turned up feeling pretty fresh this morning, quite surprisingly.”

Despite completing most of their preparations in Johannesburg before moving to Pretoria later in the week, the Crusaders were well aware of semifinal fever at the match venue, one of the most imposing in world rugby.

Blackadder read with interest media reports that a 500-strong queue turned up to Loftus Versfeld to snap up tickets when they went on sale yesterday.
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The Crusaders feel they have hit the jackpot with a New Zealand referee in their daunting Super 14 rugby semi-final against the Bulls, even if they haven’t with the venue.

Leading New Zealand whistler Bryce Lawrence was confirmed for Sunday morning’s (1am NZT) Pretoria playoff by the Sanzar appointments panel, even before the teams and venue were known.

Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder wasn’t suggesting any bias from his compatriot, but welcomed the news as his side got down to business at their Johannesburg base after a trouble-free trip from Christchurch.

“We’re really comfortable with Bryce, we had him last week (a 15-13 win over the Blues) so we’re twice as wise,” Blackadder said.

“We know what to expect, we know what we need to do better. We’ve already hopefully adjusted mentally so we’re not getting into this game to find out we need to tweak the way we’re playing. If anything I think it’s beneficial.”

Australian Stuart Dickinson will control the Chiefs-Hurricanes semi in Hamilton on Friday while leading South African Jonathan Kaplan will control the final, regardless.

Sanzar switched from neutral whistlers to a merit-based referee system this season.

Its flaws were highlighted earlier this month when Force coach John Mitchell essentially blamed South African ref Marius Jonker for his team’s elimination from the playoff race when he allowed a controversial Stormers try late in their 25-24 win.

“Something has to be done about a decision like that (when it) is so costly,” Mitchell said at the time.

“That person (Jonker) shouldn’t referee another Super 14 game or he should be disciplined or suffer some consequence.”

The Crusaders have won four of their eight visits to the imposing Loftus Versfeld, where the Bulls have won all six in 2009 and are unbeaten in their last nine there.

The last time the teams met in a Pretoria playoff was two years ago when the Bulls won a try-less match 27-12 en route to a final win over the Sharks.

Blackadder — then the team’s lineout coach under Robbie Deans — has just four survivors (Richie McCaw, Leon MacDonald, Ben Franks and Wyatt Crockett) back from that starting 15.

He recalled the Bulls being “almost unstoppable” in 2007, and said the Crusaders had learned from that defeat. They took two flights out of the equation by not basing themselves in Durban this time, instead preparing at altitude just down the road in Johannesburg.

Recent history is firmly against them. The last time a team won an away Super rugby semi-final was 2002 (the Brumbies against the Waratahs), while the away team have won just four of 26 previous semis.

The Bulls confirmed their line-up today, with Springboks centre Wynand Olivier cleared to play despite a hip injury.

Blackadder delayed naming his side, with most interest surrounding All Blacks lock Brad Thorn as he battles a tight hamstring which ruled him out of the Blues match.

He rated Thorn “fairly positive” about playing, but would leave a decision as late as possible and potentially bracket him with Michael Paterson.

Blackadder said there was excitement and confidence they could produce an upset, and was certain about the home side’s approach.

“I think they’ll really try and put us under pressure and try to force mistakes. It’s something they’re good at, probably the best in the competition at it.”

“They’ve got a real toughness there. They’ve been on the ropes a couple of times and come out punching. What they did against the Sharks (a 27-26 win to claim top spot) showed their spirit and commitment to come back from when they’re down.”

“They seem to get themselves into good positions, so discipline is going to be crucial.”
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Should the Blues have played on?

The Albany blackout on Saturday night, that saw the Blues season all but fizzle out, of course wasn’t the first time the North Shore has fell victim to a power shortage.

The Breakers endured a similar fate in their January 15th regular season match against the Townsville Crocodiles at the North Shore Event Centre.

But hey, at least they had a contingency plan: a back-up generator restored the lighting to 50% and the scoreboard was taken back to the old school – manually.

The Breakers went on to win this match and maybe, in retrospect, the Blues may have wished they played on too.

Referee Vinny Munro had in fact asked the captains if they wanted to play on. They did so for a couple of minutes before Blues skipper Justin Collins decided things could turn farcical, with his team trailing 3-0 in the fifth minute.

What was farcical was the final result and if the Blues had decided to play on, in lighting conditions that were better than most Auckland club trainings, the would have had a distinct advantage: the Blues in blue would have been like ninjas in the night!

John Mitchell’s new found faith?

Burning Questions found it hilarious when Hurricanes coach Colin Cooper said, after escaping with a fortuitous win in Perth, that the Force would make the play-offs.

But this column has decided to quickly and politely retract our laughter now that we’ve learnt that the Force have THE Gods smiling on them.

John Mitchell has had a difficult time in WA of late and so we think it’s understandable that he has asked for some assistance from above and we wish him well in his new found faith.

Are Weepu’s All Black chances slipping away?

As Piri contemplates another night on the Hurricanes bench he may take some solace knowing that Graham Henry has basically assured his All Black retention.

In an interview with Andrew Saville this week, Henry said that Weepu is highly valued member of the All Blacks and as an impact halfback – in other words bench man – there are not many, if any, that can compare.

Weepu’s desire for the starting All Black halfback spot is well documented but it seems he has fell victim, as many players have – think Isaia Toeava – to his new found versatility.

MVP round 11?

Okay the Blues may have seem disinterested but there is little doubt that the Reds’ Berrick Barnes was a class above.

This guy can play and at only 22-years of age the best is still to come.

Dingo Deans, an avid supporter of Barnes, will be rubbing his hands with glee knowing he has probably the best 10-12 combo in world rugby.

Clash of the round?

While the Blues v Hurricanes pre-match sparring has rightfully stole much of the spotlight Burning Questions must admit that we are looking forward to another clash a little bit more.

On Sunday morning the two most damaging loose-forwards in the game, Sione Lauaki and Schalk Burger, go head-to-head.

Burger has talked up Lauaki’s game ahead of the clash – probably the last thing he needs – but if the two heavyweights collide, Cape Town could experience its biggest earthquake since 1969.

Oh no, another Campese?

The nephew of the great David Campese, Terry, is reputedly being chased by the ACT Brumbies.

The Canberra Raiders star five-eighth and NSW State of Origin hopeful has been in the form of his life since making his debut for the Kangaroos at last year’s Rugby League World Cup.

The 24-year-old is contracted to the Raiders until the end of 2010 but the Brumbies and a number of other clubs, from either code, are flooding his agent with offers.

Campese though says he is intent on staying in Canberra – a great double bluff if you are one to read between the lines.

Still the butt of all jokes?

Amazing what a couple of wins does for the confidence.

The Cheetahs, fresh of an upset win over the defending champions, have decided to ridicule everyone’s favourite whipping-boys, the Waratahs.

The Cheetahs have told the Daily Telegraph that the only Tah they feel remotely threatened by is Lachie Turner.

They have the rubbished the rest of their backline and Burning Questions applauds the bottom-of-the-table Cheetahs for adding some spice into a match that would otherwise be about tempting as a bout of H1N1.

What are your burning questions? Feel free to comment below.

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Bakkies Botha

Springboks and Bulls lock Bakkies Botha was today suspended for three weeks by the Super 14 rugby judiciary after being found guilty of striking.

Botha appeared before the judicial hearing yesteray for punching New South Wales Waratahs’ captain Phil Waugh during Saturday’s match in Sydney, won 20-6 by the Bulls.

Judicial officer Dennis Wheelahan QC released his decision, saying Botha’s was a mid-range offense which could have merited a five-week suspension.

The suspension was reduced to three weeks, ruling Botha out of Bulls matches against the ACT Brumbies, Waikato Chiefs and Western Force.

Botha has the right of appeal.
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We are now halfway through the 2009 Super 14 and it is time to start thinking about who the contenders for the top four are. The competition has been very even this year with only the Bulls and the Sharks breaking out from the rest of the teams and making themselves real threats to take the title.

Here’s my prediction at this stage on how I think the teams will stack up in the end:

1. The Sharks
So far this season the Sharks have been the stand out team winning seven games and losing only one. To go with this the Sharks have only got one more away game which is against the Cheetahs this weekend, a game the Sharks would have to be favoured to win.

After this the Sharks have four home games along with a bye. The toll travel takes on the New Zealand and Australian teams cannot be underestimated, which is why the Sharks would have to be favourites to stay on top and win the majority of their remaining matches.

2. The Bulls
The Bulls got away to a great start winning their first five games. However they have been brought back down to earth and the side-effects of travel are starting to show as they went down to the Crusaders on Friday night and the Highlanders the week before.

In saying this though the Bulls have now got back the world best lock in Victor Matfield and try scoring machine Bryan Habana from injury. The return of these two players, particularly Matfield will bolster the Bulls line up considerably and should see them through to the top four alright.

Looking at the draw for the Bulls they have two games in Australia before heading back to South Africa. The Bulls are one of, if not the, toughest team to play on their own turf which is the other main reason the Bulls should win most of their remaining games.

3. The Crusaders
This may seem an interesting pick. The Crusaders have not had an ideal start to their 2009 campaign winning only four matches, losing three and coming away with one draw. To go with this they have just lost centre Casey Laulala who has been on sublime try-scoring form so far this season.

So why will the Crusaders make the top four you ask?

To start with the Crusaders are capable of beating any team in the competition. Their defence is rock solid and while they may not score a whole lot of points, they are very strong defensively. This is the foundation for winning matches. Defence. If you can defend the points will come, and so they will for the Crusaders.

True they still have a bye and a journey to South Africa to come, but this may not be as intimidating as it may first seem.

In South Africa they take on the Sharks, the Cheetahs and the Lions. Firstly they take on the Sharks which gives them the best chance of winning as they will be fresh off the plane and ready to go, without all those side-effects of touring.

As the Cheetahs and the Lions are both struggling this year the Crusaders would have to be happy about having to play them in their second and third games away in South Africa instead of having to take on a higher quality opposition.

After they get back home they have a reasonably easy draw which should see them through to the top four and a semi final date in South Africa the next week.

Remember, never count out the Crusaders!

4. The Highlanders
The Highlanders haven’t made the top four since 2002 and of all the teams since then you wouldn’t exactly think that this one is going to be the one. But, if a few results go their way, this Highlanders team has as good a chance as anyone at making it.

The Highlanders started off with three losses. Two of these being last minute heart-breakers against the Brumbies and the Hurricanes. Since then the Highlanders have picked themselves up well winning three of their last four games and conceding only 34 points.

This works out to be 8.5 points per game. As I mentioned before, defence wins games. If the Highlanders can keep their opponents to less than 10 points in every game they will have a very good chance of winning looking at the flare available to them in their backs.

The two of the next three games are there for the taking for the Highlanders against the Reds and the Stormers, both at home.

The other is against the out of form Blues which the Highlanders will fancy their chances in but playing away from home means anything could happen. They will struggle against the Sharks in Durban but will be targeting their final two games against the Lions and the Force as two that they must win to proceed into the top four.

If these results go the Highlanders way, which they very likely will do, it will be hard to go past them finishing in the top four.

The Others:

The Waratahs: Like always the Waratahs started off with a hiss and a roar but like always I can see them fading and with a trip to South Africa and a bye still to come the Tahs’ have a hard run in if they are to be semi-finalists this year.

The Chiefs: The Chiefs have had some impressive wins of late but with a bye and three games in South Africa to come the Chiefs will find it hard to continue to keep winning games the way they have been.

The Hurricanes: Once again the Hurricanes have not lived up to expectations. They have been to inconsistent and haven’t been winning their games convincingly enough to make me put think they will finish in the top four.

The Brumbies: While they are not completely out of it I just don’t see the Brumbies as having the consistency to make the top four this year.

The Blues: 223 points against in seven games is far too many.

The Force: The Force still have a journey to the republic ahead of them and still have to play some of the competitions leading teams. They have only been average so far and I can’t see their record improving enough to get them into the semi-finals.

The Stormers: With only two wins and three games on the road to go the Stormers season is as good as over.

The Lions: While they are very strong and tough to beat at home, they are the competitions easy beats away from home. Despite a gutsy performance against the Chiefs on Saturday, the Lions will struggle to win too many more games this season.

The Reds: The Reds are a side full of promise but with only two wins after seven games it’s too much of an ask for them to jump nine places on the table.

The Cheetahs: Zero wins so far and not too many more coming.

Top Four:
The Sharks
The Bulls
The Crusaders
The Highlanders

The Contenders:
The Waratahs
The Chiefs
The Hurricanes
The Brumbies

Still A Glimmer Of Hope:
The Blues
The Force

The Season’s Over:
The Stormers
The Lions
The Reds
The Cheetahs

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Home is where the heart is but the Highlanders saved their very best for neutral territory, hammering the Bulls 36-12 in a major Super 14 rugby boilover at Palmerston North today.

A boistrous crowd at Arena Manawatu carried an inspired Highlanders to a memorable win, scoring five tries to two against the only unbeaten team heading into round seven.

The Bulls lose their competition lead and will leave Palmerston North muttering about the howling wind and manic supporters wearing blue buckets on their heads.

In contrast, New Zealand’s southern-most franchise will surely want to return to Palmerston North, producing one of the best performances in their history and announcing themselves as playoff contenders.

“When you win like that, there’s no reason we won’t come back,” a beaming Highlanders captain Jimmy Cowan said.

“It’s been a great week, we’ve been up here since Wednesday and thoroughly enjoyed it.

“The crowd got right in behind us, a big thanks to them.”

The Highlanders forwards grabbed control of the game from the outset, dominating the breakdown in particular and not letting their powerful Bulls opposites settle with possession.

Cowan and fellow-All Blacks Adam Thomson and Jamie Mackintosh were all outstanding but nobody let the Highlanders down in a performance packed with accuracy and resolve.

“These boys (Bulls) are known to be big bullies, they want to boss you around the field but our boys were up for that,” Cowan said.

“Our structure was there and on defence we were going in in twos and threes.

“We were disappointed against the Chiefs in Invercargill (two weeks ago), we felt we let ourselves down.

“We reassessed our season and we’re taking stepping blocks on our way forward.”

The bonus try win lifts the Highlanders into the top four, at least momentarily but they will drop following the remainder of this round and next week’s bye.

Bulls captain Fourie Du Preez admitted his side were rocked from the start.

“First up into the wind they really put us under pressure,” he said.

“At ruck time they were quite physical and put us under pressure there, and at scrum time and lineout time.

“You’re going to lose a few games in this competition, it’s just the way it is, so we have to get together on Monday and see what happens.”

A Bulls side that had conceded just 16 points a game before today were opened up early through a try to centre Jason Shoemark after some concerted pressure.

The Bulls struck back into the wind through a try to winger Gerhard van den Heever but they spent most of the first half defending from then, conceding tries to second five-eighth Daniel Bowden and the inspirational Cowan.

At 5-21 down, the Bulls turned with the wind at the back but quickly saw the game slip away from them courtesy of a try and penalty to first five-eighth Matt Berquist, who scored 16 points.

Morne Steyn responded with a Bulls try but the final say went to young Highlanders fullback Israel Dagg, who capped another assured performance with a try.

The Bulls next face the Crusaders in Christchurch on Friday.

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CHICAGO — Kirk Hinrich scored 24 points filling in for the injured Derrick Rose, and the Bulls pulled within a game of the seventh-place Pistons in the Eastern Conference with a 99-91 win on Tuesday night.

Tyrus Thomas had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Joakim Noah scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Bulls earned their fifth win in six games.

Tayshaun Prince and Will Bynum scored 20 each for the Pistons, who clearly miss injured stars Allen Iverson, Rasheed Wallace and Richard Hamilton. Bynum also had nine assists while Antonio McDyess scored 16 for Detroit, which lost five of six.

Lakers 107, Thunder 89

OKLAHOMA CITY — Kobe Bryant scored 19 points before taking the fourth quarter off, and the Los Angeles Lakers cruised to a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Lakers led from start to finish for the ninth time this season and closed within one game of idle Cleveland for the best record in the NBA.

Lamar Odom scored 18 points before fouling out and Pau Gasol had 14 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists for Los Angeles. All of the Lakers starters spent the final 8 minutes on the bench, getting some needed rest two games into a seven-game road trip.

Kevin Durant scored 24 points to lead Oklahoma City, which had all five starters reach double figures.

Spurs 107, Warriors 106

SAN ANTONIO — Tony Parker scored 30 points and the Spurs finally won a close finish in San Antonio.

Roger Mason scored 24 and sank the go-ahead jumper with 23.8 seconds left as the Spurs dodged a rare three-game skid after last-minute losses against Boston and Houston last week.

Monta Ellis had two chances to win it for Golden State but missed a jumper with 5.9 seconds left, then watched his running 3-pointer as time expired clank off the front of the rim.

Ellis led the Warriors with 27 points and Stephen Jackson had 18.

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