Could it be that with the halfway point not yet reached three of the four semi-finalists in this year’s Vodacom Super 14 rugby tournament have already been decided?
This certainly could be the implication after Round 6 of the 14 that will complete the round robin section of the competition.
The Blues, Sharks and Bulls are in the first three places on the table but this is not the only indicator that these three teams will be among the top four after the completion of Week 14 on May 5.
Another pointer is the SuperWrap’s weekly teams, the Super XV and the Springbok Barometer, which show that these teams possess a concentration of form players contributing to their current success.
The Blues have five players in the Super XV for Week 6, the Bulls 4 and the Sharks 3 and when the spotlight is narrowed to focus exclusively on South Africa the Springbok Barometer contains seven players each from the Bulls and the Sharks; Cheetahs flank Hendro Scholtz being the only outsider to crash the party.
The SuperWrap’s concentration on current form has consistently highlighted players who regularly “front up,” as Sean Fitzpatrick liked to put it, and this has contributed to their teams gaining the inside lane.
So even though this forthcoming weekend will signal the official halfway point there is enough evidence to suggest that these three will maintain their standards and be among the semi-finalists at the end.
In last year’s inaugural Super 14 the Bulls made it into the semis with seven victories, one draw and five losses (out of 13 league matches) and the Blues and the Sharks already have five apiece.
The Blues, unlike the Sharks, have had the added bonus of being able to accumulate points for scoring tries but there is every indication that the Natalians, having stiffened their set pieces and defensive play, are on the brink of gaining more returns for their build-up work.
The Bulls seem to have shaken off their “can’t-tour” bogey and must certainly be looking forward to completing perhaps the most successful visit to the antipodes by a South African side.
Thus, even though it might be a long way out, the SuperWrap would not be surprised if the top three in March are still there in May – in all likelihood to be joined by the Crusaders.
One of the key clashes will take place in Christchurch on Saturday when the Bulls take on the Crusaders in their last outing without their All Blacks.
After that the Bulls will still have the Highlanders and the Hurricanes, who will just have returned from their tour to South Africa and Western Australia, to play before returning home for their bye followed by three home games and the Lions away.
For the Sharks, still the only unbeaten team in the competition, the outlook is even more promising with two more home games before going on tour at the end of March to play the Force, the Reds, the Blues and the Chiefs and then returning for a home game against the Lions and an away fixture against the Stormers.
Never has there been such an opportunity for a South African side to finish top of the log and the Sharks against the Blues, in Auckland on April 14, and the Bulls against the Blues, at Loftus on April 27, are obviously going to be crucial to the eventual standings – especially as the Blues finish their league programme with three successive away games; the Stormers, the Bulls and the Force.
Super XV for Week Six:
1 Gurthro Steenkamp (Bulls), 2 John Smit (Sharks), 3 BJ Botha (Sharks), 4 Bakkies Botha (Bulls), 5 Troy Flavell (Blues), 6 Daniel Braid (Blues), 7 Jerome Kaino (Blues), 8 Nick Williams (Blues), 9 Fourie du Preez (Bulls), 10 Nick Evans (Highlanders), 11 Bryan Habana (Bulls), 12 Brad Barritt (Sharks), 13 Stirling Mortlock (Brumbies), 14 Doug Howlett (Blues), 15 Adam Ashley-Cooper (Brumbies).
Springbok Barometer for Week Six:
1 Gurthro Steenkamp (Bulls), 2 John Smit (Sharks), 3 BJ Botha (Sharks), 4 Bakkies Botha (Bulls), 5 Victor Matfield (Bulls), 6 Hendro Scholtz (Cheetahs), AJ Venter (Sharks), 8 Pedrie Wannenburg (Bulls), 9 Fourie du Preez (Bulls), 10 Derick Hougaard (Bulls), 11 Bryan Habana (Bulls), 12 Brad Barritt (Sharks), 13 Waylon Murray (Sharks), 14 Odwa Ndungane (Sharks), Francois Steyn (Sharks).
Match of the Week: Clinical is the word for what the Bulls did to the Waratahs – simply one of the best performances by a South African side overseas in the history of Super Rugby. Not only did the Bulls triumph over a team picked to outmuscle them but they kept their heads up and their focus intact in the face of an 18-3 against penalty count from Kiwi referee Kelvin Deaker. What a way to put to bed those dinosaur jibes that used to emerge from New South Wales! A special mention to the Western Force for getting their first win at home.
Try of the Week: In a week that finally produced the flow of stupendous tries normally associated with Super Rugby the vote simply has to go to Cameron Shepherd’s goal (try + conversion) that got the Force their first win at the Subiaco Oval. Shepherd, incidentally, is a runaway leader as the season’s top accumulator of points with 82. Stephen Brett and Peter Hewat are next on 60 with Percy Montgomery the leading South African on 51.
Tackle of the Week: Doug Howlett x 2 on The Flash (the comic book hero, judging by his get-up, masquerading as Earl Rose in the Lions team). Rose learnt a valuable lesson about indulging in off-the-ball niggles as Howlett exacted his revenge in age-old rugby fashion. Just imagine how many bandages Rose is going to be wearing the next time he runs out.
From SuperWrap One: Cruising for a bruising: JP Nel and Hilton Lobberts of the Bulls could be the next to play pick-a-card. From Week Six of the Super 14. “Findings of SANZAR judiciary hearings: A SANZAR judicial hearing in Sydney has resulted in a three week suspension for Bulls player J P Nel from the Super 14 competition. Nel was cited to appear before Judicial Officer Terry Willis on a charge of striking Waratahs player Rocky Elsom in the March 10 game between the Waratahs and the Bulls at Aussie Stadium…” there are none so deaf as those who will not hear.
That said:Yet again an Australian judiciary panel has dealt harshly with a South African offender while taking no action against a Waratah player who should at least have been cited. As they say, it’s the same old Tune and still SA Rugby puts up with it.
Bad hair of the week: Quade Cooper of the Reds looks as though he had it taken off by a weed eater and we can only presume Brumbies prop Guy Shepherdson must have lost a bet – or something.
Bad hands of the week: JP Pietersen of the Sharks.
Bad blows of the week: Marius Jonker and Mark Lawrence who did everything but endear themselves to the Highlanders, the Reds, the Hurricanes and the Force. Jonker’s snail-paced calling of the scrum engage turned the set-pieces into a shambles in Dunedin and Lawrence was not much better before compounding an unhappy outing by awarding Jimmy Gopperth a try, which might have cost the Force their first-ever home win, and then having video replays reveal the Hurricanes flyhalf had in fact lost the ball! We’ll refrain from the plonker and ref-you-need-glasses jokes.
The Television Generation: That’s the Super 14 judging by all the “Hollywood” names bestowed on some of the players by their soapie age parents. Here’s a quick list: Gene Fairbanks, Quade Cooper, Berrick Barnes, Aaron Bancroft, Kane Thompson, Cam Treloar, Brando Va’alu, Mitchell Chapman, Stirling Mortlock, Julian Huxley, Cameron Shepherd, Cory Jane, Earl Rose, Kurtley Beale, Wycliff Palu, Digby Ioane, Haig Sare, Troy Takiari, Kristian Ormsby, Dwayne Sweeney, Clarke Dermody, Keegan Daniel, Gio Aplon, Selborne Boome and probably the best of all, Wyatt Crockett.
Not well thought out: It was nice of Phil Kearns and Rod Kafer to give Schalk Burger’s dad such a complimentary mention during the Brumbies/Stormers game but “Groot” Schalk would probably have preferred an international mention for the excellent wines being produced on the Burger clan’s Welbedacht estate in Wellington!
Congratulations to: Doug Howlett for equalling Joe Roff's record of 57 Super tries. Howlett scored No57 in his 97th match. It took Roff 85 matches for his 57. Half centuries in caps came up for André Pretorius, Jaque Fourie, Luke Watson, Gary Botha & Josh Blackie.
Quote of the Week I: “He makes the brilliant things look easy and the easy things difficult.” – Andy Capostagno on JP Pietersen.
Quote of the Week II: “I’m sorry.” – Jannie du Plessis’s contrite and boyish apology to referee JC Fortuin after being pulled up for manhandling Ryan Kankowski and using his hair as a handle!
Quote of the Week III: “Another weekend of the wives complaining and trying to fight for the remote control.” – Joel Stransky describing a regular Super Rugby occurrence.
Quote of the Week IV: “I asked you, I begged you!” – Marius Jonker demonstrating his control over the Highlanders vs Reds match.
Quote of the Week V: “Just one thing, it’s 12 penalties now, you must look at them as well.” – Victor Matfield amazingly getting the penalty count against his side midway through the second half correct and pointing out the blindingly obvious to referee Kelvin Deaker.
