Victories for four of South Africa’s five sides, plus a narrow loss for the Bulls, are reflected in the SuperWrap’s Super XV for Week 3 with eight local players getting the nod.
The teams compiled in SuperWrap are an indicator of current form with no attention paid to reputation or known ability.
As much as possible players are “picked” in the positions they filled at the weekend but occasionally a tweak is necessary to recognise exceptional individual glories – as was the case with Percy Montgomery and Philip Burger on Saturday.
Both played fullback and both were outstanding so rather than leave one of them out Burger has been included on the left-wing – a position with which he is quite familiar and which acknowledges his heroics down the left-hand touchline that eventually carried the Cheetahs to victory over the Waratahs.
As always there were hard luck stories because of strong showings in a certain position. We would, for instance, have loved to find room for Lions skipper Ernst Joubert, but he was up against Juan Smith for the No7 jersey, while Peter Grant, who must get some credit for the Stormers’ turnaround, gets the No10 jumper in the absence, yet again, of a strong contender at flyhalf.
The Super XV for Week Three:
1 Heinke van der Merwe (Lions), 2 Brendan Cannon (Force), 3 BJ Botha (Sharks), 4 Cobus Grobler (Lions), 5 Mark Chisholm (Brumbies), 6 Matt Hodgson (Force), 7 Juan Smith (Cheetahs), 8 Thomas Waldrom (Hurricanes), 9 Ruan Pienaar (Sharks), 10 Matt Giteau (Force), 11 Cameron Shepherd (Force), 12 Jaque Fourie (Lions), 13 JP Nel (Bulls), 14 Peter Hewat (Waratahs), 15 Percy Montgomery (Stormers).
The Springbok Barometer for Week Three:
1 Heinke van der Merwe (Lions), 2 Bismarck du Plessis (Sharks), 3 BJ Botha (Sharks), 4 Cobus Grobler (Lions), 5 Victor Matfield (Bulls), 6 Kabamba Floors (Cheetahs), 7 Juan Smith (Cheetahs), 8 Ryan Kankowski (Sharks), 9 Ruan Pienaar (Sharks), 10 Peter Grant (Stormers), 11 Philip Burger (Cheetahs), 12 Jaque Fourie (Lions), 13 JP Nel (Bulls), 14 Eddie Fredericks (Cheetahs), 15 Percy Montgomery (Sharks).
Match of the Week: Well, it definitely wasn’t the Reds against the Brumbies! There were some strong South African candidates but just to show how sporting we are the Oscar goes to the Western Force for their watershed come-from-behind 30-27 victory over the Bulls. How many sides can say they’ve come from 17-6 and 27-16 down and beaten the Bulls at Loftus…other than the Cheetahs of course who came back from 22-9 in arrears to win the 2005 Currie Cup Final. Could it be that Loftus is no longer the fortress we thought it was?
Try of the Week: As always there were many but in the week that he did the full Monty we thought it had to be Percy. The way he crashed through Peter Cowan’s flying tackle for his first was impressive enough but his second was a gem. Fielding a nothing kick up the middle Montgomery started the counter, Ruan Pienaar carried it on on a lovely straight line and then Monty showed there’s plenty of pace left in his legs as he kept sprinting up the middle to burst onto the ball to score. Could Philip Burger also come up onto the stage please to receive a round of applause for his 50m dash against the Waratahs; we especially liked the way he bamboozled Sam Norton-Knight and Peter Hewat, causing them to run into each other.
Newcomer of the Week: David Smith of the ‘Canes, a new speed king in the making.
Schlepper of the Week: Chiefs lock Toby Lynn for the violent tap dance he did on the back of Robby Diack. Not in deepest recesses of New Zealand rugby would that qualify as rucking.
The law is an ass I: TJ Marius Jonker calling play back to give Anton Leonard a yellow card for up-ending Matt Hodgson at a maul. No problem with Jonker pointing out dangerous play (as per the latest “directives”) but video replays showed ref Chris Pollock looking straight at the incident and waving play on. Thanks to Andre Watson, the manager of referees at SA Rugby, for not only defending the officials but for providing a pertinent summation of what we’re complaining about, namely that “the touch judge has an obligation, under instruction from the International Rugby Board, to point these incidents out whether the referee has seen it or not (and that)the referee has the authority to overrule any touch judge input or recommendation.
The law is an ass II: If ever there was a case for a red card it was Lloyd Johansson’s hatchet job on Stirling Mortlock. So he got yellow, but Neemia Tialata got off scot-free for an equally high, and dangerous, swinging arm on Greg Rawlinson.
The law is an ass III: Schalk Burger pinned by Paul Marks for playing the ball with his hands when in fact it was Brok Harris. Schalk Burger blamed for pulling down a maul when he was simply bowled over by the force of the Chiefs’ drive. Schalk Burger yellow-carded. What’s that you said about “give a dog a bad name?...:
The law is an ass IV: A scuffle breaks out between the Reds and the Brumbies. Berrick Barnes looks to be the lighter of the fuse and Ben Tune, Australia’s self-professed middleweight champion, throws the meanest punches, the whole thing breaks up and two players who didn’t seem to have much to do with it at all, No7s George Smith and David Croft, get carded. When in doubt blame the fetcher flank?
Stay with it: Even though the Stormers were a little OTT for celebrating 10 years of being in Super Rugby as though they had been as successful as the Crusaders (with no mention of 1997 when Western Province didn’t qualify) they might have hit on something with that black-and-white hooped commemorative strip of theirs. Perhaps they should keep it and change their name to the Mountain Zebras!
Milestones: 184 minutes. That’s how long it took the Stormers to score their first try of the season when Breyton Paulse crossed and flick-flacked against the Chiefs in the 24th minute. 235 minutes. That’s how long it took for the Sharks to concede their first try of the season when Jason Kawau of the Highlanders caught them napping in the 75th minute.
What the…?! BJ Botha’s expression when James Leckie penalised the Sharks for simply scrumming the Highlanders off the ball.
Something the Crusaders have got wrong: The colour flash at the bottom of their jerseys, plus band across their shorts makes it look as though their pants are falling down! After two defeats in three matches perhaps they are!
Congratulations to: Brendan Cannon on reaching 100 Super games, Deon Carstens on getting to his 50th and Paul Tito for making it to 200 first class games.
Watching (Red) paint dry: The 10 lowest-scoring games in Super 12/14 history:
1 - 17/02/2007 Brumbies 6, Reds 3
2 - 24/04/2004 Sharks 5, Reds 6
3 - 17/02/2007 Lions 9, Crusaders 3
4 - 18/04/1997 Highlanders 9, Brumbies 5
5 - 02/02/2007 Highlanders 8, Western Force 7
6 - 07/03/1997 Crusaders 9, Hurricanes 7
7 - 16/04/2005 Brumbies 6, Waratahs 10
8 - 24/03/2006 Cheetahs 10, Reds 6
9 - 01/05/1999 Highlanders 9, Brumbies 8
10 - 10/02/2007 Lions 11, Highlanders 6
Quote of the Week I: “The thing you need to do is support the ball, that’s all.” – Naas Botha.
Quote of the Week II: “You two heavyweights of the team…”referee Brett Bowden telling scrummies Jano Vermaak and Andrew Ellis to wind their necks in.
Quote of the Week III: “It’s bull*x#!” Schalk Burger getting it spot-on.
