Front Row Grunt

This is no place for gay banter or fence sitting, so let’s get right to it …

Friday, March 19, 2010

Blues v Brumbies, Auckland 08:35

You could get excited about the Brumbies, who are on a bit of a winning streak, until you notice that the most recent wins were at home against the Lions and the Sharks! The Blues have had a breather, and last went down to the Crusaders in a great match. They did beat the high flying Reds before that though. It actually could make for a fairly entertaining and high quality encounter. Toeava, Rokocoko and Wulf to do the business out wide. Blues by 9.

Blues: 15. Isaia Toeava, 14. Joe Rokocoko, 13. Rene Ranger, 12. Benson Stanley, 11. Rudi Wulf, 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
Bench: 16. Tom McCartney, 17. Charlie Faumuina, 18. Filo Paulo, 19. Peter Saili, 20. Chris Smylie, 21. Daniel Kirkpatrick, 22. Paul Williams

Brumbies: 15. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14. Pat McCabe, 13. Tyrone Smith, 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. Ben Hand, 3. Salesi Maafu, 2. Stephen Moore, 1. Ben Alexander
Bench: 16. Huia Edmonds, 17. Jerry Yanuyanutawa, 18. Justin Harrison, 19. Mitchell Chapman, 20. Patrick Phibbs, 21. Matt Toomua, 22. Andrew Smith

Bulls v Hurricanes, Loftus Versfeld 19:10

A lot of teams would pay good money NOT to have to play the Bulls at fortress Loftus with the likes of Spies, Rossouw, Steyn and Hougaard in the form they are in. So you would think that a team having not only lost to both the Cheetahs and Stormers in recent weeks, but rather demolished, might be begging their bank managers for cash! Instead, seven changes later, and the Canes are ready to front up in Pretoria. I suppose the only concern is the way the Bulls have lets sides back into matches this year, and the one thing this Wellington side can do, is score tries from strange places. It could be a fun, high scoring game. Nonu vs Dippenaar could be a fun clash. Bulls by 14.

Referee: Steve Walsh
Assistant referees: Stuart Berry, Stefan Breytenbach
TMO: Shaun Veldsman

Head to Head: P: 14 W: 6 L: 8 PF: 372  PA: 426          

Bulls’ recent form at home: (W, W, W, W, W, W, W, W, W, W)
Hurricanes’ recent form on the road:  (L, L, W, L, W, L, W, L, W, W)

Super Rugby history:
Hurricanes          P: 174  W: 90 L: 81 D: 3 PF: 4452 PA: 4365 TF: 516 TA: 488
Vodacom Bulls    P: 173 W: 76 L: 90 D: 7 PF: 4459 PA: 4926 TF: 490 TA: 584

Bulls: 15. Zane Kirchner, 14. Gerhard van der Heever, 13. Stephan Dippenaar, 12. Wynand Olivier, 11. Francois Hougaard; 10. Morné Steyn, 9. Fourie du Preez, 8. Pierre Spies, 7. Dewald Potgieter, 6. Deon Stegmann, 5. Victor Matfield (captain), 4. Danie Rossouw, 3. Werner Kruger, 2. Gary Botha, 1. Gurthrö Steenkamp
Bench: 16. Bandise Maku, 17. Bees Roux, 18. Flip van der Merwe, 19. Derick Kuün, 20. Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 21. Jaco van der Westhuyzen, 22. Pedrie Wannenburg

Hurricanes: 15. Andre Taylor, 14. Tamati Ellison, 13. Conrad Smith, 12. Ma’a Nonu, 11. Alapati Leiua, 10. Willie Ripia, 9. Tyson Keats, 8. Rodney So’oialo, 7. Karl Lowe, 6. Victor Vito, 5. Michael Paterson, 4. Jeremy Thrush, 3. Neemia Tialata, 2. Andrew Hore (captain), 1. John Schwalger
Bench: 16. Dane Coles, 17. Jacob Ellison, 18. Bryn Evans, 19. Nick Crosswell, 20. Piri Weepu, 21. Aaron Cruden, 22. David Smith


Saturday, March 20, 2010

Crusaders v Lions, Christchurch 06:30
Watching the Lions play rugby should be declared a form of torture - It’s traumatically painful. The CEO has flown over to provide morale support, and he has taken a shrink across with him, but me thinks this lot is shrink-proof. The Saders have benched a lot of top players given the opposition, including Carter, Jack and new man-beast Fruean, so the Lions will probably be somewhat competitive for a while. For a short while … Crusaders by 22.

Referee: Keith Brown (NZL)
Assistant referees: Matthew Stanish (NZL), James McPhail (NZL)
TMO: Ben Skeen (NZL)

Head to Head: P: 6 W: 4 L: 2 PF: 155 PA:
                
Crusaders’ recent form at home: (W, W, W, W, W, W, D, L, W, W)
Lions’ recent form on the road:  (L, L, L, L, W, L, L, L, L, L)

Super Rugby history:
Crusaders    P: 185 W: 126 L: 55 D: 5 PF: 55248 PA: 4175 TF: 626 TA: 457
Lions            P: 79 W: 21 L: 55  D: 3 PF: 1551 PA: 2348  TF: 165  TA: 284

Crusaders: 15. Jared Payne, 14. Sean Maitland, 13. Adam Whitelock, 12. Ryan Crotty, 11. Zac Guildford, 10. Colin Slade, 9. Kahn Fotuali’i, 8. Thomas Waldrom, 7. Jonathan Poff, 6. Richie McCaw (captain), 5. Isaac Ross, 4. Sam Whitelock, 3. Owen Franks, 2. Ti’i Paulo, 1. Ben Franks
Bench: 16. Corey Flynn, 17. Wyatt Crockett, 18. Chris Jack, 19. George Whitelock, 20. Willi Heinz, 21. Dan Carter, 22. Robbie Fruean

Lions: 15. Earl Rose, 14. Wigan Pekeur, 13. Walter Venter, 12. Doppies la Grange, 11. Wandile Mjekevu, 10. Burton Francis, 9. Jano Vermaak, 8. Todd Clever, 7. Derick Minnie, 6. Cobus Grobbelaar (captain), 5. Franco van der Merwe, 4. George Earle, 3. Ross Geldenhuys, 2. Hannes Franklin, 1. JC Janse van Rensburg
Bench: 16. Charles Emslie, 17. Heinke van der Merwe, 18. Willem Stoltz, 19. Robert Kruger/Jacques Lombaard, 20. Jacques Coetzee, 21. Carlos Spencer, 22. Michael Killian


Highlanders v Sharks, Dunedin 08:35

A fairly grizzly fixture between two sides that have managed just 1 win from 10 starts. 11 plays 12 on the log, and you can almost smell the desperation. Especially from the visitors, who have benched the Bok captain in an attempt to find a victory. Given that the Du Plessis brothers seem to play for themselves rather than the team, this might actually work out for the Sharks! And to be honest, the Durban boys have come very, very close in their last two matches, a referee’s decision costing them on both occasions. This while the Highlanders have travelled back from SA this week having taken hammerings from the Stormers and Bulls. I smell a slight change of fortune. Sharks by 9.

Referee: Jonathan White (NZL)
Assistant referees: Garratt Williamson (NZL), Kane McBride (NZL)
TMO: Glenn Newman (NZL)

Head to Head: P: 14 W: 6 L: 8  PF: 386  PA: 382        

Highlanders’ recent form at home: (L, L, W, W, W, L, W, L, L, L)
Sharks’ recent form on the road:  (L, L, L, L, W, L, W, W, W, L)

Super Rugby history:
Highlanders    P: 172 W: 79 L: 91 PF: 4184 PA: 4363 TF: 450 TA: 511
Sharks            P: 176 W: 82 L: 88 D: 6 PF: 4361 PA: 4375 TF: 500 TA: 492

Highlanders: 15. Israel Dagg, 14. Ben Smith, 13. Kenny Lynn, 12. Michael Hobbs, 11. James Paterson, 10. Robbie Robinson, 9. Jimmy Cowan, 8. Adam Thomson, 7. Alando Soakai, 6. John Hardie, 5. Hayden Triggs, 4. Josh Bekhuis, 3. Clint Newland, 2. Jason Rutledge, 1. Jamie Mackintosh
Bench : 16. Jason Macdonald, 17. Chris King, 18. Joe Tuineau, 19. Tim Boys/Steven Setephano, 20. Sean Romans, 21. Jayden Hayward, 22. Fetu’u Vainikolo

Sharks: 15. Patrick Lambie, 14. Stefan Terblanche, 13. Adrian Jacobs, 12. Riaan Swanepoel, 11. JP Pietersen, 10. Andy Goode, 9. Ruan Pienaar, 8. Ryan Kankowski, 7. Jean Deysel, 6. Keegan Daniel, 5. Johann Muller (captain), 4. Steven Sykes, 3. Jannie du Plessis, 2. Bismarck du Plessis, 1. Tendai Mtawarira
Bench: 16. Craig Burden, 17. John Smit, 18. Alistair Hargreaves, 19. Willem Alberts, 20. Jacques Botes, 21. Rory Kockott, 22. Waylon Murray

Western Force v Waratahs, Perth 13:10

Force proving to be as poor as their pre-season form in Cape Town suggested. They are the 2010 Super14 clip ons, and that is with the Lions in the same tournament!! Waratahs by 12.

Force: 15. Dane Haylett-Petty, 14. Scott Staniforth, 13. Ryan Cross, 12. James O'Connor, 11. Nick Cummins, 10. David Hill, 9. Brett Sheehan, 8. Richard Stanford, 7. Matt Hodgson, 6. Ben McCalman, 5. Nathan Sharpe, 4. Sam Wykes, 3. Tim Fairbrother, 2. Ryan Tyrrell, 1. Nic Henderson
Bench: 16. Ben Whittaker, 17. Kieran Longbottom, 18. Tom Hockings, 19. Luke Jones, 20. Chris O'Young, 21. Sam Harris, 22. Mitchell Inman

Waratahs: 15. Sosene Anesi, 14. Lachie Turner, 13. Tom Carter, 12. Berrick Barnes, 11. Drew Mitchell, 10. Daniel Halangahu, 9. Luke Burgess, 8. Wycliff Palu, 7. Phil Waugh (captain), 6. Dave Dennis, 5. Kane Douglas, 4. Dean Mumm, 3. Al Baxter, 2. Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1. Benn Robinson
Bench: 16. Damien Fitzpatrick, 17. Sekope Kepu, 18. Will Caldwell, 19. Ben Mowen, 20. Josh Holmes, 21. Kurtley Beale, 22. Rob Horne


Stormers v Cheetahs, Newlands Rugby Stadium 17:05

And it’s the pudding on the Super14 round 6 cake! A classic derby where form goes for a stroll round the local park. Gio Aplon a strange selection as the home side look to pit “like with like” against the rocket like Nokwe. Perhaps a better call would have been to pit the human battering ram, Naqelevuki, against the stick insect? But defence was probably foremost in Alistair Coetzee’s mind when making that selection. Losing Juan de Jongh is massive, but Tim Whitehead is a really classy player who deserves a stab at the big time, with Rob Fleck suggesting that a change in flyhalf would have been more disruptive as Grant is getting his line away so well. Against Ebersohn, we may well be seeing the future of SA rugby in action. The front row clash will be epic, and perhaps providing another glimpse into the future of Springbok rugby? Even against the class of Smith, I think the loose trio of Burger, Vermeulen and Louw – all playing amazingly good rugby – will prove too much for the visitors. Stormers by 16.

Referee: Chris Pollock (NZL)
Assistant referees: Vinny Munro (NZL), Reuben Roussouw (RSA)
TMO: Johann Meuwesen (RSA)
 

Head to Head: P: 4 W: 2   L: 2   PF: 96   PA: 102     

Stormers’ recent form at home: (W, W, L, W, W, W, L, W, L, W)
Cheetahs’ recent form on the road:  (W, L, L, L, L, L, L, L, L, L)

Super Rugby history:
Vodacom Stormers    P: 158 W: 72 L: 81 D: 5 PF: 3621 PA: 4001 TF: 395 TA: 448
Vodacom Cheetahs    P:  67  W: 19 L: 47 D: 1 PF: 1417 PA: 1919 TF: 156 TA: 225

Stormers: 15. Joe Pietersen, 14. Gio Aplon, 13. Jaque Fourie, 12. Tim Whitehead, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Peter Grant, 9. Dewaldt Duvenage, 8. Duane Vermeulen, 7. Francois Louw, 6. Schalk Burger (captain), 5. Andries Bekker, 4. Anton Van Zyl, 3. Brok Harris, 2. Tiaan Liebenberg, 1. Wicus Blaauw
Bench: 16. Deon Fourie, 17. JC Kritzinger, 18. De Kock Steenkamp, 19. Pieter Louw, 20. Ricky Januarie, 21. Willem De Waal, 22. Sireli Naqelevuki

Cheetahs: 15. Hennie Daniller, 14. Lionel Mapoe, 13. Robert Ebersohn, 12. Meyer Bosman, 11. Jongi Nokwe, 10. Naas Olivier, 9. Sarel Pretorius, 8. Frans Viljoen, 7. Juan Smith (captain), 6. Hendro Scholtz, 5. Waltie Vermeulen, 4. Nico Breedt, 3. WP Nel, 2. Adriaan Strauss, 1. Wian du Preez
Bench: 16. Ryno Barnes, 17. Coenie Oosthuizen, 18. Barend Pieterse, 19 Kabamba Floors, 20. Tewis de Bruyn, 21. Corne Uys, 22. Danwel Demas

Two saliva inducing evening battles on the menu, one just after an evening braai, and one just before the evening braai. Could one ask for anything better?

Just leave a little in the tank for the Varsity Cup semi finals on Monday …

Enjoy,
Tank