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**dudeabides** · 02-11-2010, 07:55 PM

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After a few months of sun, sand and a daunting pre-season schedule, the southern hemisphere's leading lights will be back in action this weekend as the race for the 2010 Super 14 title gets underway.

This will be the final season under the current format, with the tournament embracing a conference structure and a new team, the Melbourne Rebels, from 2011. Two of Australia's existing franchises, the Queensland Reds and New South Wales Waratahs will kick-off our Game of the Week on Saturday at Suncorp Stadium.

The action gets underway on Friday with the Blues hosting the Hurricanes at North Harbour Stadium. The home side hand a debut to draft pick Stephen Brett at fly-half, with Alby Mathewson wearing No.9. In the absence of Ali Williams due to a long-term injury Anthony Boric and Kurtis Haiu pack down in the second-row, with Keven Mealamu leading the side from hooker.

His opposite number, Andrew Hore, will lead the Hurricanes for the first time after succeeding Rodney So'oialo as skipper during the close-season. Hore is joined in the front-row by All Black Neemia Tialata, while Cory Jane starts at fullback in a classy backline featuring the All Black centre combination of Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith.

Matt Giteau has been ruled out as the Brumbies' take on Western Force at ME Stadium. Giteau had been struggling with a thigh problem but was desperate to face his former team-mates, his place eventually going to youngster Matt Toomua. Wallabies skipper Rocky Elsom is named in the back-row alongside George Smith and skipper Stephen Hoiles.

The Force have been rocked by a season ending injury to marquee signing Andre Pretorius. The former Springbok fly-half has left a hole in their armoury, which will be filled on Friday by former Brumbies utility Mark Bartholomeusz. Nathan Sharpe returns to the second-row to lead the home side, while David Pocock is named at openside.

The reigning champions, the Bulls, kick off their campaign against rivals the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Friday. Gary Botha returns to the Bulls line-up after leaving English club Harlequins and Victor Matfield takes the captain's armband. Morne Steyn and Fourie du Preez start at halfback.

The big boost for the Cheetahs comes in the back-row, where skipper Juan Smith is fit to return after missing the end of last season through injury. He is joined by Springbok fetcher Heinrich Brussow and powerful rookie Ashley Johnson. Naas Olivier starts at fly-half as replacement for Jacques-Louis Potgieter, who is on the Bulls' bench following a summer move.

Dan Carter returns to Super 14 action for the first time since 2008 when the Crusaders host the Highlanders on Saturday. The All Black pivot is partnered by Andy Ellis while flanker Kieran Read will skipper the franchise in the absence of Richie McCaw, who is being rested for the opening three rounds. There is a Crusaders debut on the wing for Zac Guildford, who will continue to play club rugby for Hawke's Bay despite a switch from the Hurricanes.

Former Blues favourite Carlos Spencer will also make his return to Super 14 action, but in the colours of the Lions as they welcome the Stormers to Ellis Park. The away side will not be lacking for big names themselves as Springboks Bryan Habana and Jaque Fourie make their bows, Fourie against his former union.

The round concludes on Saturday with the Sharks taking on last season's beaten finalists the Chiefs at Kings Park. The home side have been rocked by the shock retirment of fly-half Steve Meyer, meaning that the out of favour Monty Dumond starts the season as their fly-half. John Smit returns to lead the side at tight-head.

Liam Messam will lead the Chiefs after Sione Lauaki was forced to withdraw with an abscess on his arm. Mike Delany fills in at fullback as Mils Muliaina enjoys an extended break, with Stephen Donald starting at fly-half.

Big names gear up for Super 14 kick-off | Rugby Union | Super 14 2010 | Rugby News | Scrum.com

Going to watch all I can and forget all about sleep, Super 14, Six Nations and the Guiness premiership make for a great weekend

**dudeabides** · 02-12-2010, 07:40 AM

Hurricanes v Blues

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The Hurricanes made a winning start to this year's Super 14 with a 34-20 victory over the Blues at North Shore City.

Stephen Brett started his new Blues career as a hero but his dream of a winning debut disappeared when his two errors in the second half let the Hurricanes come from behind win. The former Crusader No.10 Brett ghosted through a gap to score the opening try of the season in the fifth minute, kicked a penalty and set up prop John Afoa for another converted try to have the Blues 17-6 ahead after just 18 minutes. Another Brett penalty ahead of half-time saw the Blues take a halftime lead of 20-12, with the Hurricanes' points coming off the boot of first fly-half Willie Ripia.

The first half was a scrappy affair as both sides came to terms with new interpretations of a number of laws, particularly at the tackle. Australian refreee Stu Dickinson dished the penalties out and Auckland were on the wrong side of the ledger as Ripia kept the Hurricanes in touch, despite missing three kickable penalties in the first half.

The Blues, with former Hurricane Alby Mathewson having a fine debut game, appeared to dominate proceedings as the Hurricanes' vaunted backline struggled to find rhythm, although All Blacks Conrad Smith and Ma'a Nonu produced some fine tackles. Ripia closed the gap with a penalty in the 42nd minute and then the game turned on its head.

Brett tried to float a long cut-out pass to Rudi Wulf but powerful Hurricanes wing Hosea Gear snaffled the intercept from 40 minutes out to tie the score. Gear, unwanted by the All Blacks in the latter part of last season, showed he was back to his best with some long runs which the Blues defence had trouble stopping.

Piri Weepu, who had shifted from halfback to first five-eighth in place of Ripia, kicked the easy conversion to give the Hurricanes the lead. A penalty after Aaron Cruden charged down Brett's ill-judged chip kick saw the Hurricanes stretch their lead out to 25-20. With 12 minutes to go , Blues centre Isaia Toeava was shown the yellow card after a tackle infringement and the Blues never recovered. Another three penalties from Weepu saw the Hurricanes outscore the Blues 22-0 in the second half alone.

"We were a little bit nervous in the first half, but we got our act together in the second half and put a pretty good perfromance in," Hurricanes captain Andrew Hore said in a televised interview.

Auckland captain Keven Mealamu was left lamenting his team's lapses in discipline. "We let the Hurricanes back in with all those penalties in the first half and weren't able to build any pressure, but in the second half it just wasn't good enough," he said.

Hurricanes too good for Blues in Super 14 opener | Rugby Union | Super 14 2010 | Rugby News | Scrum.com

**dudeabides** · 02-12-2010, 02:54 PM

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In Friday's second game, the Brumbies beat Australian rivals Western Force 24-15 at the ME Stadium in Perth. Former Force scrum-half Josh Valentine opened the scoring for the Brumbies when he finished a brilliant breakout instigated by front rowers Stephen Moore and Ben Alexander, with George Smith giving the scoring pass whilst lying on the ground.

The Force's James O'Connor responded for the home side, slotting a penalty to narrow the gap but another piercing run led to Moore strolling over untouched for the visitors' second try. Veteran Stirling Mortlock's conversion gave him exactly 1000 career Super Rugby points, and gave his side a 14-3 lead. O'Connor again cut the margin, with three more penalties and the game remained in the balance at the break.

Mortlock opened the scoring in the second half when he made Nathan Sharpe pay for his infringement at a ruck but O'Connor responded with his fifth penalty ten minutes later to make the score 17-15. A sweeping move down the left hand side by the Brumbies was finished by replacement Huia Edmonds, who bumped off a tackler before crashing over. Mortlock's conversion took his points tally for the match to nine, and his career tally to 1005.

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The Bulls kicked off the defence of their Super 14 crown with a 51-34 bonus point victory over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

Jaco Pretorius, Morne Steyn, Gerhard van den Heever, Zane Kirchner and Wynand Olivier all crossed for the visitors with a penalty try three minutes from time completing the rout. Steyn also kicked 19 points with the final conversion from Jacques-Louis Potgieter rounding out the scoring. The Cheetahs had stolen an early advantage with a try from Lionel Mapoe in the first minute and the boot of Naas Oliver ensured they were still in touch at the break. The Bulls powered on in the second half but the Cheetahs closed the gap once more with tries from Juan Smith and Jongi Nokwe. However, they were unable to overhaul their South African rivals and ended the match emtpy-handed.

The early table after one day:

Bulls.......... 1-0..... 5 pts
Hurricanes. 1-0.... 4 pts
Brumbies... 1-0.... 4 pts

**dudeabides** · 02-13-2010, 12:18 PM

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The Waratahs had a last-gasp try from Australia No.8 Wycliff Palu to thank for a hard-fought 30-28 derby victory over the Reds in their Super 14 opener at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

The victors were second best for the duration of the game, but fought back in the dying embers to snatch the points from a vastly improved Reds outfit. Rory Sidey crossed with eight minutes to go to spark the comeback and it fell to Palu to cancel out earlier efforts from the Reds' Daniel Braid and James Horwill and a penalty try.

The latest instalment in their 128 year rivalry was given added spice by the return of Wallabies playmaker Berrick Barnes, who kicked off his Waratahs career against his long-time former club. The fly-half kicked 15 points but was left in the shade by his opposite number, Quade Cooper, who was cleared to play despite a burglary charge hanging over his head.

Barnes made a promising start with a sniping break along the short side, with the Reds swarming around him in defence. The No.10 took on a long-range drop-goal immediately after, but the ball drifted wide as boos erupted from the crowd.

The visitors continued to press as Lachie Turner failed to gather a bobbling ball as he raced towards the try-line but they were thankful for an awkward bounce themselves soon after as Rod Davies charged down Drew Mitchell's clearance, only to see the ball rebound into touch.

The Reds spurned the opportunity to turn territory into points as Cooper's first penalty clipped a post and Ewen McKenzie's side were then thankful for some pedestrian play by the Waratahs as a brilliant burst from Palu was wasted when Benn Robinson knocked forward. Will Genia was forced into a last-ditch intervention as Tatafu Polota-Nau threatened the Reds' line but Barnes made sure that the Waratahs' pressure told with a drop-goal.

Not to be deterred, the Reds hit back immediately. Ioane stretched the blue line with a powerful surge before Cooper cut in behind the ruck and fired a long pass to Braid on the wing, the former All Black ignoring Davies outside him and crashing over the line.

Cooper curled in the conversion but put his side under immense pressure soon after. Mitchell arrowed a kick deep into Reds territory, the home side safely securing lineout ball. Genia cleaned up at the ruck, firing the ball back to Cooper, who knocked on in-goal. The Tahs squeezed a penalty at the ensuing scrum but were shoved off the ball by a rejuvenated Reds pack. They failed to find touch however and were punished by a Barnes penalty, slotted with an accompanying soundtrack of jeers from the crowd, when Peter Hynes failed to release Sosene Anesi in the tackle.

Cooper hit back with his second kick to extend the Reds' lead to four and the difference remained at the break as Barnes failed with a long-range effort.

The Reds gathered the restart and showed their willingness to run the ball as Cooper sent Morgan Turunui scampering along the touchline. The ball was carried over the line by the Waratahs and the hosts set up camp, driving across the line but held up by the scrabbling Tahs defence. There was no such luck on the next phase as Ioane darted and Horwill powered across the whitewash from close range.

Barnes narrowed the gap with his third penalty but Cooper showed great composure to hammer over a kick from just inside his opponents' half. The exchange continued as Barnes hit back, but the Reds continued to do all of the running in possession. Hynes carved a path through the defence to set up yet another attack for the home side, ably supported by Horwill, and Cooper dropped back into the pocket and chipped over a measured drop-goal.

The Reds continued to press but it was Barnes' replacement, Daniel Halangahu, who was next to trouble the scorers with a penalty to close the gap to three points. Genia continued an enterprising shift by capitalising on swift turnover ball from Horwill, chipping ahead and racing Ben Mowen to the line. Mowen grappled with the pacy scrum-half before punching the ball dead, forcing referee Craig Joubert to award a penalty try with consultation from the TMO. Cooper slotted the easiest of conversions for a 10-point lead heading into the final minutes.

The Waratahs poured forward, with Turner forced into touch by three Reds defenders as he closed in on the corner. The men in blue were not to be deterred and after pinching possession the ball was shipped wide to Sidey, who dived in to score. The former Dragons centre did not head for the posts, leaving Halangahu with a difficult conversion, which he missed.

The Tahs lost back-row Dean Mumm to the sin-bin as the Wallaby was pinged for a dangerous clear-out on Reds replacement hooker Saia Faingaa. Nevertheless the 14 men desperately pressed the Reds' line, winning a brace of penalties in the shadow of the posts. Phil Waugh took a quick tap and darted for the line, being stopped just short. Palu collected and launched himself past Cooper to score the vital try, which Halangahu converted for the win and a sickening blow for the Reds.

Wycliff Palu snatches victory from Reds | Rugby Union | Super 14 2010 | Rugby Match Pack | Scrum.com

Angelica · 02-13-2010, 02:30 PM

Great thread Dude. I tried to send you pm, but your mailbox is full.

The Sharks just lost...damn. I am a Bulls supporter, so at least they didn't fail me. I am actually playing the Superbru thing and have been out with my predictions for the Blues and the Sharks now.

I really thought the Sharks might pull off a win against the Chiefs, but I was clearly wrong.

The Bulls look great btw.

**dudeabides** · 02-13-2010, 04:08 PM

Congrats on that win over the Cheetahs! I only had 11 messages in my inbox, but they're deleted now so should be a little vacancy.

Some articles about the other Saturday matches:

Crusader v Highlanders

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The Crusaders ended their two match losing streak to the Highlanders with a 32-17 victory at AMI Stadium on Saturday.

The Crusaders dominated the early stages and went out to a 10-0 lead at half time after Andy Ellis scored the opening try and Dan Carter had kicked a conversion and a penalty.

The Highlanders however surged in the second half and in particular NZ Rugby Boss Jock Hobbs' son Michael Hobbs who scored two tries, converted both and added a penalty which brought the Highlanders to within a point.

Hobbs scored all 17 of the Highlanders points.

The turning point in the game however came with 10 minutes remaining and Zac Guildford scored a crucial try which gave the Crusaders some breathing space.

In the final stages the Crusaders put the pressure on and as the clock ticked over for full time Sean Maitland scored the bonus point try which gave the Crusaders a scoreline which flatters them given how close the match was 10 minutes earlier.

A crucial difference in this match compared to the other three super 14 matches in 2010 was the minimal number of penalties conceded by both teams. Penalties have dominated the opening round so far.

Crusaders end Highlanders losing streak | Super 14 Rugby News, Super14 Fixtures,Results

Stormers v Lions

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The Stormers proved to be too strong for the Lions and came away from Coca Cola park with a 13-26 victory that sealed fourth place on the points table with one match still to play in round one.

Neither side took control for the first half hour as the Lions held their own, but as the first half whistle beckoned, the visitors surged ahead.
With 10 minutes left in the opening half, Jean de Jongh set up a superb try that gave the visitors the boost they needed.

De Jongh off-loaded to Bryan Habana, who in turn handed over to Joe Pietersen who dotted down and converted his own try to give his team a 19-6 lead.

And with less than two minutes on the first-half clock, Jaque Fourie further compounded the Lions' woes when he scored against his former team to hand the home side a 26-6 lead going in to the break.

The Lions pushed forward from the restart and camped on the Stormers try-line for a good period of time before the visitors woke from their slumber and started to defend their lead.

The only points of the second half, however, came from the Lions when Deon van Rensburg passed on to Franco van der Merwe who found a break to put down and close the gap.

But the Stormers held off the hosts and, while the Lions came close to diminishing the gap further, the visitors did well to hold them off.

Stormers eighthman Duane Vermuelen, named the Man of the Match, said he hoped his side would capitalise on their successful start to the season.

"It was great to come out, especially in this heat, and start off with a win," Vermuelen said, "and hopefully we can build on it."

Stormers too strong for toothless Lions | Super 14 Rugby News, Super14 Fixtures,Results

Sharks v Chiefs

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Stephen Donald kicked a last minute penalty for the Chiefs which secured an 18-19 victory over the Sharks in Durban in the final match of round one in the Super14.

Rory Kockott who kicked all of the Sharks points won man of the match.

The match was marred by ill-discipline from the Sharks players and unsportsmanlike crowd behaviour, with the lead changing hands three times in the last four minutes.

With the Sharks supporters throwing objects onto the field as Stephen Donald took what seemed like the winning kick after the match's only try by Chiefs centre Jackson Willison, they nevertheless took the lead at 16-15.

From the kick-off and with only three minutes to go, the Sharks got a penalty right in front after the kick-off and the game seemed won at 18-16.

But there was time for the Chiefs to restart and kick off.

Man of the Match Rory Kockott knocked on and the ball was played from an off-side position.

Donald again found the target and the Sharks carried on as disappointingly as they finished the 2009 season.

The Chiefs showed just how difficult an outfit they can be when they ran whenever the opportunity presented itself.

The Sharks, frustrated by their inability to keep to the laws as interpreted by referee Keith Brown, lost captain John Smit to a yellow card after 20 minutes.

Bismarck du Plessis, who must soon make up his mind whether he wants to play the game by the laws or increasingly watch from the side, then got his marching orders after 72 minutes for a cynical late shoulder charge.

He was fortunate not have been sent off for frequent spoiling earlier on.

A deluge before and consistent rain during the match made underfoot conditions extremely difficult.

The first half was, therefore, a stop-start affair, with especially the Sharks being frequently punished at breakdown.

Kicks from hand, driving play around the edges and many handling errors marked the match that was dominated by the Chiefs who played the most rugby but also made the most mistakes.

They had the better of the scrums, albeit marginally, which again brought the selection of John Smit at tighthead under scrutiny.

Although the first half belonged to the Chiefs, mainly because of the pressure they could exert with their eight penalties, the scores were 6-all at halftime.

It was only shortly before the final quarter that the Sharks started playing a little more purposefully.

However, they had taken the initiative and a faultless kicking display by Kockott in the wet saw them advance to a 15-6 lead after seeing off concerted pressure from the Chiefs.

It be became 18-6 when Kockott slotted his sixth penalty and then 18-9 before the last few minutes' drama.

Chiefs put the boot into Sharks for victory | Super 14 Rugby News, Super14 Fixtures,Results

**dudeabides** · 02-13-2010, 04:21 PM

All teams with points on the table at the conclusion of Round 1:

1. Bulls......... 1-0 5 pts.
2. Crusaders 1-0 5 pts.
3. Hurricanes 1-0 4 pts.
4. Stormers .. 1-0 4 pts.
5. Brumbies .. 1-0 4 pts.
6. Waratahs.. 1-0 4 pts.
7. Chiefs ...... 1-0 4 pts.
8. Sharks ....... 0-1 1 pt.
9. Reds ......... 0-1 1 pt.