TRUTH BE TOLD

The general consensus seemed to be that England were in a  favourable position(see previous post) , some even said “It will be a collossal choke if England loses it from here!”… 20odd overs later and England have lost the wickets of Trott, Prior and on Swann. They are currently left with Broad at the Crease, he will be joined by either Monty Panesar or James Anderson needing another 81 runs for the win. 

Sri Lanka have turned this around brilliantly, Herath has taken 6 once more, and Randiv picked up the all important wicket of the big fish Trott. Herath has equalled the record for the most wickets by a left arm spinner against England in a test match wit his 12 and doesn’t look like he’s finished. 

81 runs suddenly looks a tough ask, and taking into account the way the English batsman and specially the tailenders have struggled against spin, there doesn’t seem to be much hope left. Broad will be the senior batsman at the crease, and he’ll be expected to make sure they don’t lose another wicket, playing defensively has seen the English batsman struggle even more against spin. 

The action is about to start

It seems The end is Nigh 

Update:

It’s all over, it took Sri Lanka exactly 1.1 overs to take the remaining two wickets. Sri Lanka win by 75 runs and go 1-0 up in the series. 

Day 4 of the England vs Sri Lanka test up until Lunch has received some mixed views. 

On the one hand you have Sport24 claiming “England are on course for victory” and on the other you have Cricbuzz simply stating “Sri Lanka make early inroads”

With the post Lunch session starting a few minutes ago, England are 180/4 needing 160 more runs with 6 wickets in hand, Samit Patel, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Monty Panesar and James Anderson yet to bat. with their apparent weakness against spin, having lost two wickets this morning which is it?

are England in the favourable position at this stage or are the Sri Lankan bowlers a wicket or two away from the tail and inevitably rapping it up…? 

You decide…

Update: 

I know I’ve gone against the SA teams previously with very little success, which is why this post may the equivalent of an “anti-jinx” once again. The previous time I predicted one win for the South African sides was in round 4, when I predicted the Sharks would go down against the Reds, the Cheetahs would get beaten in Australia by the Rebels while the Lions and Bulls had their bye. We all know how that ended, the Sharks claimed a come from behind win while the Cheetahs snatched a win after the hooter, So one could argue, although I was wrong, It took some individual brilliance in both games to swing the result. 

I’ve made my Round 6 predictions without any agenda on Superbru, I’ll admit I changed them a few times before finally submitting them. There are a few of the matches that I’m a little undecided on, The Cheetahs vs Hurricanes encounter is at the top of that list, while the Brumbies vs Sharks game is another toughie(specially after last week), and obviously the Big North/South derby isn’t an easy pick, specially for the neutral. 

After reviewing my picks, I noticed I’ve gone against all the SA teams taking on overseas opposition, Ionly picked a SA team to win where I was forced to do so, that being the SA derby. I hate going against the SA teams though, as I support them all when they play overseas opposition, but having my predictions in the back of my mind does sometimes put me in a position where I would be genuinely happy with whatever the result is, an upset win for a SA side is always a joy to see, but bagging some Superbru points also puts a smile on my face…

Here’s my reasons for my unpatriotic round 6 predictions. 

First up, the Cheetahs take on the Hurricanes 06: 30 SA time on Saturday Morning, The Cheetahs are the worst SA side thus far this year, taking into account along with the Sharks they are the only team to have toured Australasia, the Lions, Bulls and Stormers having a favourable draw in the early stages of te competition(they are also yet to receive their bye and 4 bye points which would influence the standings). For me, The Hurricanes have been great, they are basically on level terms with the  Highlanders and Chiefs at the Top of the NZ conference, They are at home after an away win against the Blues in week 5 and will be very confident of their chances, I just feel they’ll have a little too much for the Cheetahs, with their own youngster Beauden Barrett turning out to be an attacking genius, Game Breakers like Jane, Smith and Taylor might dent the Cheetahs’ chances of a second win on tour. The Cheetahs have their fair share of promising young players and game breakers and Johan Goosen has shown that he can controll a game against top opposition in week 5, his confidence is also growing with every game he plays and he’ll be key to the Cheetahs’ cause. My pick: Hurricanes by 3

Andre Taylor on his way to the tryline 

Then In Canberra the Brumbies take on the Sharks, the Sharks fell short against the Waratahs in round 5, while the Brumbies looked quite amazing under the guidance of Jake White , beating the then undefeated log topping Highlanders. I was impressed by their defense, ability on the ground and how easily they struck back on the counter. The Sharks lost it at the end, they weren’t bad, but were almost going to run out of steam later in the game, it bieng their first game on tour. This week there will be no excuses though, The Brumbies were imo very lucky to be where they were on the log prior to round 5, but in round 5 against the Sharks, they convinced me, and many others, I believe, that they are in fact a real force in 2012. The Sharks have selected a very strong line-up, Deysel comes back and is on the bench, JP rejoins Tim Whitehead in the centres, but Lambie misses out completely. I’ve picked the Brumbies by 4

Back home the Lions will face the touring Crusaders side, One thing that will almost certainly count in favour of the Lions is the combination of jetlag and altitude , The Crusaders should tire as the game goes on, which would mean they’d want to get ahead early and defend their lead, if the lions can play a similar game to the one against the Stormers on the weekend they might have a shout in this one, I feel their injury list is the only thing standing between them and an upset win on Saturday, quite a few of the players will play their first SR game against overseas opponents, unknown opponents, Dan Carter is likely to start, and his hand in the game may determine the outcome. My pick: Crusaders by 8

So this means that the only SA team to win a game in week 6, if my predictions come true, would be the winner in the Bulls vs Stormers derby at Newlands. But more on that game later in the week…My prepiction: Stormers by 5 

The Stormers team to face the Bulls on Saturday has been announced 

Team: 

15. Joe Pietersen

14. Gio Aplon

13. Juan de Jongh

12. Jean De Villiers (C)

11. Bryan Habana

10. Peter Grant

9. Dewaldt Duvenage

8. Duane Vermeulen

7. Rynhardt Elstadt

6. Siya Kolisi

5. Andries Bekker (VC)

4. Eben Etzebeth

3. Brok Harris

2. Tiaan Liebenberg

1. Steven Kitshoff

Reserves:

16. Deon Fourie

17. Frans Malherbe

18. De Kock Steenkamp

19. Nic Koster

20. Louis Schreuder

21. Burton Francis

22. Gerhard van den Heever

The team selection sees the return of both Rynhardt Elstadt and Deon Fourie after long injury layoffs. Elstadt is brought in on the side of the scrum, which sees Duane Vermeulen move to his usual position at the back of the scrum, Nick Koster get demoted to the Bench. 

Burton Francis also gets a rare start from the bench, many have been calling for him to be included ahead of van Aswegen after looking the better player in te first round. 

The rest of the team remains unchanged. 

I like the idea of Elstadt coming in as a blindside flanker, he adds some bulk to an already strong forward pack, Koster is also perhaps better suited as an impact player. I am also glad to see Coetzee has stuck to Siya ahead of Koster, both playing somewhat similar styles although wearing different numbers on their back. 

Should be good. 

Day 4 has come to an end, and as it stands, the Proteas need to bowl out NZ one more time on the final day for the win, there’s however a little more to it, after NZ avoided the follow on by a single run, South Africa had to pad up and come out to bat, at the close of play Alviro Petersen was on 38 not out with his captain Graeme Smith on 34, South Africa have a lead of 274 and now have to decide when the ideal time will be to declare.

There’s quite a few things that could influence this decision, a big blow for the Kiwis is that Top order batsman Ross Taylor has suffored a broken arm and won’t be batting on the final day, this will however reduce the number of wickets needed on the final day by SA to 9. 

The weather in NZ has played along on day 3 and 4, and one can only hope for a full day’s play on day 5. 

Vernon Philander picked up 6 wickets in NZ’s first innings to become the second fastest player to get to 50 wickets in test cricket ever. An Achievement that is nothing short of ‘phinomenal’. With him in sensational form, The Proteas will be confident that they have what it takes to bowl out the Black Caps. 

Vernon Philander 

The South African pace attack struggled initially with NZ putting up a decent opening stand. But like we’ve seen a few times on this tour, after the big fish fell the collapse was always on the cards. The middle order all cotributed but no one managed to stick around and score a much needed half century. 

With limited time left in this test, when exactly should the Proteas declare? 274 seems a decent lead, having bowled out NZ for 275 in their first innings. will we simply look to get to that psychological 300 run mark? could overcast conditions at the start of play, force Graeme into an earlier declaration? 

Whatever they decide to do, the final day is shaping up to be a thriller. 

Wow…on the edge of my chair and I’m not even watching the game…will catch the highlights when I get home, but the weekend’s Super Rugby seems to be going according to plan thus far. Hurricanes win away against the Blues. 

To everyone who picked the Blues on Superbru: Thank you. 

Final score: Hurricanes 26 Blues 25

Here’s the match summary: 

The last two Super Rugby matches between the Blues and the Hurricanes were both won by the Blues. However, in the 2012 tournament the Hurricanes have been averaging the most tries per game and have been scoring in about half the time that the Blues have been.

Match details

We are waiting for the kick-off.

1.00: Piri Weepu gets proceedings under way as he kicks off for the home side.

2.00: The Blues have the first chance to attack but Alby Matthewson spills the ball and the Hurricanes get a turnover. Frenetic rugby on half way as both teams end up making handling errors.

4.00: The Blues earn a penalty on their 22 and Weepu kicks for touch.

6.00: The Blues are awarded another penalty but this time it is about 30m out. Jack Lam is penalised for offside and Lachie Munro will take a shot at goal.

7.00: Munro bangs over the kick to give the Blues an early lead.

10.00: The Blues are on attack and have an opportunity to gain momentum within the Hurricanes’ half. A poor offload by the Blues sees the Hurricanes get a boot on the ball and Andre Taylor chases. The Hurricanes drive the Blues over the line, resulting in a 5m scrum for the visitors.

13.00: The Blues get a throw in at a lineout on the Hurricanes’ 22. They look to set up a maul and are just 5m from the line.

15.00: Ma’a Nonu dots down for the opening try of the game.

16.00: Munro adds 2 with a successful conversion.

17.00: The Hurricanes reciprocate immediately. Julian Savea makes a brilliant offload to Taylor, who runs 50m to score for the visitors.

18.00: Beauden Barrett converts the try.

19.00: The Hurricanes are awarded a penalty within their own half and kick for touch. They gain momentum off the back of their lineout.

22.00: The Blues are awarded a penalty as the Hurricanes go off their feet. Munro bangs over the kick to extend the Blues’ lead.

25.00: The Hurricanes are penalised for going off their feet again. Weepu kicks for touch and the home side will get a throw in at a lineout 22m out.

29.00: The Hurricanes are working through phases on half way but Jack Lam knocks on and the Blues will get the put in at the scrum.

31.00: Savea makes a break up the touch line for the Hurricanes but Nonu tackles him into touch. The Hurricanes win the Blues’ lineout and start building phases within the Blues’ half.

32.00: Cory Jane scores his third try of the tournament after a classy kick into the corner by Taylor.

34.00: Barrett misses the conversion and the Blues hold onto their lead.

36.00: The Blues are awarded a penalty as the Hurricanes are ruled offside. Munro’s kick sails over and the Blues extend their lead.

39.00: The Hurricanes build momentum and two classy kicks by Tim Bateman and Conrad Smith sees Smith gather and dot down directly underneath the posts.

40.00: The hooter sounds as Barrett converts the try.

The half time score is Blues 16 Hurricanes 19.

40.00: Barrett kicks off the second half. The visitors gain momentum early on.

41.00: The Blues are awarded a penalty and are able to clear the ball. The Blues’ lineout woes continue as the Hurricanes are able to win yet another lineout against the throw.

44.00: The Blues are dominating in the scrums and earn themselves a penalty just on half way. Munro takes a shot at goal and the scores are now tied at 19-all.

48.00: The Blues gain momentum and work their way up into the visitors’ 22 but handling errors are costing them at crucial moments and they knock-on once again. The Hurricanes get the put in at the scrum but the home side puts in a massive effort to win back the ball.

51.00: The Blues are awarded a penalty directly in front of the uprights and Munro will line up the kick.

52.00: Munro bangs over the kick and the home side regain the lead.

55.00: The Hurricanes are penalised for holding on and Munro will kick for posts from close to 50m out on the touch line.

56.00: Munro’s kick is short and the scoreline remains unchanged at 22-19.

57.00: The Hurricanes have conceded eight penalties in their own half and this is starting to cost them. They are penalised yet again and Munro bangs a kick over the sticks to increase the Blues’ lead.

62.00: The Hurricanes get a throw in at the lineout, 10m into the Blues’ half. They work through several phases but are penalised for going off their feet and Weepu kicks for touch.

65.00: The Blues are penalised for playing the ball on the ground and Barrett will take a kick at goal.

66.00: Barrett misses the kick and the Blues still retain their 6-point lead.

68.00: The Hurricanes build momentum off a strong scrum and are able to gain about 25m. They spill the ball, however, and Nonu tries to run the ball before being scragged by a Hurricanes defender.

73.00: The Blues are gaining momentum and work through over 15 phases but are penalised and the Hurricanes kick for touch.

78.00: The Hurricanes are on the attack from just inside their own half. They are desperate to score in the last minute and continue to build phases.

79.00: A brilliant break by Beauden Barrett and an offload to Conrad Smith sees the captain run 30m to score in the dying seconds.

80.00: Barrett kicks the match-winning conversion and the Hurricanes snatch a victory at Eden Park.

The full time score is Blues 25 Hurricanes 26.

Scorers

Blues

Tries – M. Nonu

Pen – L. Munro 6

Con – L. Munro

Drop -

Cards -

Hurricanes

Tries – A. Taylor, C. Jane, C. Smith

Pen -

Con – B. Barrett 2

Drop -

Cards -

Match Officials

Referee: Steve Walsh

Assistant Referee 1: Jonathan White

Assistant Referee 2: Ben Skeen

TMO: Bryce Lawrence

Teams

Blues

1. Tony Woodcock, 2. Tom McCartney, 3. Charlie Faumuina, 4. Liaki Moli, 5. Ali Williams, 6. Chris Lowrey, 7. Daniel Braid (c), 8. Brad Mika, 9. Alby Mathewson, 10. Piri Weepu, 11. Rudi Wulf, 12. Ma’a Nonu, 13. Benson Stanley, 14. David Raikuna, 15. Lachie Munro.

Replacements : 16. James Parsons, 17. Tevita Mailau, 18. Filo Paulo, 19. Sean Polwart, 20. Gareth Anscombe, 21. Michael Hobbs, 22. Hadleigh Parkes.

Hurricanes

1. Ben May, 2. Dane Coles, 3. Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 4. Jeremy Thrush, 5. Jason Eaton, 6. Faifili Levave, 7. Jack Lam, 8. Victor Vito, 9. TJ Perenara, 10. Beauden Barrett, 11. Julian Savea, 12. Tim Bateman, 13. Conrad Smith (c), 14. Cory Jane, 15. Andre Taylor.

Superxv.com

Replacements: 16. Motu Matu’u, 17. Michael Bent, 18. James Broadhurst, 19. Brad Shields, 20. Chris Eaton, 21. Daniel Kirkpatrick, 22. Charlie Ngatai.

Hopefully the rest of the weekend delivers similarly pleasing results. Enjoy the Rugby. 

Rebels vs Force

Another positive result for me. another game that couldn’t have been any closer. 

Final score Rebels 30 (24) Force 29 (12) 

Week 5 of the 2012 Super 15 is upon us and with the midweek holiday behind us, I feel slightly pressed for time, having only one day to make my Superbru picks and sell my Chiefs players on Testrugby.com. 

Round 5 is already causing some headaches before it even started. Not to kill the bit of optimism you might have left but round 5 might be the toughest to predict yet. here’s why…

The weekend’s action starts early Friday morning with a NZ derby, the 14th placed Blues(home) square off against the 8th placed Hurricanes, home ground advantage to the Blues, Weepu at 10, Wulf back on the wing, Kaino and Toeava astill out injured, Mathewson back in the number 9 jersey and Luke Braid suspended the Blues have a mixed bag of positives and negatives ahead of teh clash, they’ve only won one game thus far, despite being tipped as possible dark horse title contenders prior to the start of the season. They will however have travelled back from SA during the week, The Hurricanes have been the surprise package of NZ, after letting go the majority of their All Black stars for the 2012 season, few expected them to impress, however with young FH sensation Beauden Barrett at the helm they’ve looked very dangerous at times. No doubt this game can easily go either way. I’ve picked purely on form. Hurricanes by 3. 

The two bottom of the log Australian teams also take each other on Friday, the Force coming from a close win over the Waratahs and the Rebels coming off a close loss to the Cheetahs. These Australian derbies have yet again proved last week that they are as unpredictable as ever. I have no idea why, but I’ve gone for a Rebels win by 3…they are the home team. 

The Sharks kick off their tour against the Waratahs very early on Saturday morning, the Sharks displayed great fighting spirit to beat the Reds in round 4, while the Waratahs went down against the Force. For me the Sharks should be huge favourites here, they are the form team, they are the settled team in comparison(combinations wise) and they will be extremely positive after their come from behind win in round 4, however the travelling aspect might  come in to play, quite a few inexperienced members of their squad might take some time to adjust to the enviroment, a stat that counts in favour if the Sharks team is that they’re yet to win an away game this season, and the furthest they’ve travelled is Capetown. Still doubting the Sharks’ consistency, I’ve gone for the home team, just, Waratahs by 2. 

The Crusaders will return from their bye against the Cheetahs at home, the Cheetahs have done surprisingly well on tour, picking up 5 points from 2 encounters, and we all know just how close they came to making it two wins from two. The Crusaders have finally moved Israel Dagg back to fullback, and Dan Carter will make his return from the bench, The Cheetahs are either trying to fool the Crusaders into false confidence by selecting a new frontrow and again benching Piet van Zyl and Ashley Johnson OR they might be doubting their chances of picking up a win against the Crusaders in NZ, and have rather selected a somewhat understrength line-up with their focus on the Hurricanes in round 6? This is the most obvious pick of the week, but the Cheetahs have shown they won’t simply be taken lightly. Crusaders by 13

The top of the log Highlanders(who’ve been great) are travelling to Canberra to face the Brumbies, the Brumbies have picked up points from their bye and a lucky win over the Cheetahs which sees them 6th on the log, a flattering popsition in my opinion. The Highlanders should be the better team, players like Kade Poki and Hosea Gear should rip the Brumbies to shreds in theory, but as we’ve seen this year, teams have seldom displayed the killer instinct needed to close out a game, trailing teams always seem to come back, and close scores are the norm. None the less, the Highlanders should win. I’ve picked them by 6. 

Moving on to the two games played on SA soil ths weekend, The Bulls host the depleted Reds at Loftus, The Bulls have opted to break their trusted centre combination of Francois Venter and Wynand Olivier, and have opted to bring in Johann Sadie(who returns from injury) at outside centre, shiftin Olivier to #12, a mistake in my opinion, but against a makeshift Reds backline, it could still pay off. The Reds have brought in a rookie Fly Half since all their FH cover was sent home injured. the Suspension of Ioane will also see regular bench players starting. The Bulls should easily win, in the forwards there won’t be too much in it, but the Bulls will field the superior backline(unless Olivier reverts back to his usual inside centre game) Bulls by 10

The Currie Cup winners will be at home to the Stormers in the final round 5 fixture, The Stormers are along with the Highlanders the only unbeaten teams left in the competition, and will hope to stay unbeaten after round 5, The Stormers have fielded an unchanged team to face the Lions, while the Lions haven’t had that luxury, they have some serious injury issues, and John Mitchell has said this is the worse injury crisis he has ever experienced in his career. I’m expecting a depleted Lions team to be announced, and therefor a Stormers win seems to be the logical choice, however with these SA derbies there’s usually very little in it, teams seem to up their game for these clashes, I’m expecting  the Lions to put up a big fight,  complacency might still be an issue for the Stormers specially if they are to face a weakened Lions side. Stormers by 11

There’s been quite a few interesting developments in Super Rugby since the Weekend. 

First off, the Yster and Dosie from the Stormers round 4 needs to be identified. I received quite a few suggestions on my previous post, and after careful consideration I’ve come a conclusion. 

My Yster for week 4 is none other than captain Jean de Villiers, he was also easily my man of the match, Jean has received quite a bit of criticism over the past year or two and deservingly so. I’m sure he’ll be quick to concede he wasn’t always at the top of his game, for me Friday was Jean’s best game in years…The try he scored was impressive, receiving the ball 10odd meters out with no space in front of him, beating the first line of defenders with raw acceleration, (very few people may know this, but Jean is in 2012 still the third quickest member of the Stormers squad over 40m, behind only Bryan Habana and Gio Aplon). The intercept he made while running back to his own line which surely saved a try was just another piece of brilliance, his general defense was what impressed me most though, on countless occassions he drove back Blues defenders in the tackle. Without a doubt the best player on the pitch although Bryan Habana, the Stormers tight five and Duane Vermeulen also deserve a mention. 

Dosie was much tougher to pick, it was a solid team effort, specially defensively. There were some Doos-worthy moments in the game, Some have said the fans not respecting the moment of silence deserve a nomination, I also think the booing of the Blues kicker was at a whole new level, but for some reason the crowd even booed Joe when it was his turn to kick, There were also once again some locals in AB jerseys, Bob Skinstad sarcastically said it’s a long way to travel to come support your team, when the local All Black supporters appeared on screen. But I prefer to limit this to players only, so for me the worst performer was Peter Grant, in his defence though, it was his first start since returning, but he did seem to fade from the game at times, perhaps if he was given the kicking duties, I would have felt differently…. I’m still against his return, if he isn’t used to kick at poles, and we use Joe for clearance kicks, and Joe or Aplon for line kicks, he is literally just there to distribute the ball…something I would like to think any of our young options could have done. 

In other news, With the Reds losing Ben Lucas, Mike Harris and now Digby Ioane(after he received a 5 week suspension) they are in serious trouble ahead of their clash with the Bulls. I doubt Quade Cooper is back to full fitness just yet, so expect a makeshift backline to run out against the Bulls. The Bulls also have Johann Sadie available for the weekend although he should only be starting from the bench, a very good replacement to have, one can’t help but feel this one can only go one way. 

a lot has been said about Willie le Roux of the Cheetahs in recent weeks, he appears to be a real talent, but so have many before him in Cheetah colours. With the Cheetahs’ expansive game, outside backs tend to thrive, in the recent past we’ve seen somewhat average players like Phillip Burger, Giscard Pieters, Eddie Frediricks, Rayno Benjamin, etc. do well on the wing for the Cheetahs, Burger in particular was a try scoring machine, but never really gave one the impression that he was test wing quality, no matter how many times he crossed the whitewash. So with le Roux still new on the scene, one can’t help but wonder is he just another average player made to look much better than he actually is or unlike his predecessors might he actually be the real deal? …at this point in time I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt. 

Carter has been declared fit for the Crusaders’ match against the Cheetahs in week 5, Coach Blackadder has however said that Carter is most likely to start from the bench.  None the less, comes through the first 60min unscathed, we might be treated to a Goosen vs Carter showdown. – Lets hope the scores are very close at this point…Wouldn’t mind another upset win by the Freestate men. 

Last week I did this post, Where I gave my predictions for the South African teams in Round 4. 

I predicted that only the Stormers would win, with the Bulls & Lions having their byes. My weekend started well superbru-wise, The chiefs by 7, Stormers by 10 and Highlanders by 2 gave me 3 from 3 all with half a margin point for being within 5 with my Margin prediction, I didn’t watch the Force vs Waratahs game(the only game that I thought didn’t really have the ability of going either way) and was shocked to find out the Waratahs went down at home against the bottom of the log Force. I knew though that only Force supporters would have gone against the Tahs, so no real harm was done. 

I watched the Sharks vs Reds match in two minds, on the one hand I was supporting a South African team against overseas opposition, while on the other hand I was hoping for a Reds win by 3, like I predicted, and you have to admit, after 10-20odd minutes, The Sharks down two tries to none, I think it was 17-0, It looked like I was a little conservative with my margin. I have no idea what happened, but I’ve never seen a game of two more contrasting halves, perhaps the Reds running out of half back cover might have aided the Sharks’ resurgence, but the Sharks were having injury problems of their own, two Props and a lock out injured with some time left on the clock. I’ll concede I underestimated the Sharks, They showed great fighting spirit and determination to come back from that deficit. a Great game to watch, even better if you’re a Sharks supporter, I’m sure. 

The Cheetahs also showed that they can be a competitive side at SR level, with their last minute win away from home against a vastly improved Rebels side. a Vital away win for them, after coming very close against the Brumbies the week before. They play a very entertaining brand of rugby, a brand of rugby that saw them beat the Crusaders last year, with them coming up against the Crusaders again this coming week, a Crusaders side that appears substantially weaker than the one of 2011, an upset could be on the cards(stranger things have happened). I am very impressed by Willie le Roux, he looked dangerous against the Brumbies and even more so against the Rebels. I believe he’s a natural fullback, and I can just imagine how deadly he’d be joining the line from the back. perhaps a move worth experimenting with in the last 10 minutes of their matches. 

Not going to say too much about the Stormers’ result, but was impressed by Jean and the Stormers’ pack of forwards, specially the tight five. Habana also had a good game although Jean de Villiers would have been my man of the match. I’m not sure who selects the man of the match, but I’ve been puzzled by a few of the choices in recent times – but that’s a different post, for a different day. 

So Congrats to all the SA sides for their wins in Round 4. – Only good for SA rugby that I was proven wrong. 

For those of you not following the India vs Bangladesh ODI(all of you) 

Finally. the fact that it’s against Bangladesh does somehow dampen the achievement. But Sachin Tendulkar has scored a 100 centuries in Cricket, the first man to ever achieve this feat, so Hats off to him.