5FLASHPOINTS
SPRINGBOK midfielder Jesse Kriel scored the winning try to seal a dramatic 20-14 comeback Super Rugby win for the Bulls over the Cheetahs in their clash on Saturday evening in Pretoria.
Kriel’s try secured a crucial win for his team who have now managed to register consecutive wins for the first time this season, following their success over the Jaguares last weekend. The Bulls rallied to win this Super Rugby round nine game after trailing for most of the match.
The Sharks, meanwhile, could only manage a frustrating 9-9 draw with the Melbourne Rebels in the late fixture in Durban. While, earlier in the day the Stormers stumbled to a disappointing 57-24 loss to the unbeaten Crusaders in Christchurch.
Friday did, however, deliver two wins for the local franchise teams.
Deon Davids’ brave Southern Kings side overturned their 17-7 half-time deficit to edge the Waratahs 26-24 in Sydney to finish their Australian visit on a winning note.
Springbok pivot Elton Jantjies JINNE, BUT THESE AUSSIE TEAMS ARE SWAK, HEY? We’ve known for a while that the five Australian teams are pretty poor and wouldn’t get into the play-offs if that was determined by log points only, but the men from Down Under hit a new low this past weekend. Okay, so the Rebels held the Sharks in Durban, but they only scored nine points, and the Force didn’t concede more than 16 points against the Chiefs in Perth, but the Sharks were coming off a bye and were rusty, while the Chiefs are travelling back home after their trip to South Africa.
But what about two Australia’s supposed strongest teams, the Waratahs and the Brumbies? The Tahs were terrible in losing to the Kings, while the Brumbies gave up a Lions (Q) Stormers (Q) Sharks (Q) Jaguares Bulls Kings Cheetahs Sunwolves 21-14 lead at half-time to lose 56-21 to the Hurricanes. And Sanzaar only want to chop one Aussie team from the competition? BARRETT IS SIMPLY
BRILLIANT Former Crusaders and All Blacks flyhalf Dan Carter was once considered the best No 10 in the world, and many have even said he is the best flyhalf to have ever played the game. Well, Beauden Barrett is better than Carter and will go down as one of the greatest players of all time. His influence on rugby matches is unmatched and while Vince Aso scored a hat-trick of tries against the Brumbies this past weekend, it was Barrett who stole the show.
Again. His linebreaks and attacking kicks are in a league of their own, but it’s his reading of the game that stands out above everything else ... he just knows what to do every time he touches the ball. Brilliant. HOLY MOLEY! CRUSADERS
KEEP MARCHING ON There was Robbie Deans, there was Todd Blackadder and now there is Scott Robertson ... it makes little difference who is in charge of the Crusaders, they still play the same attackminded rugby they did years ago when they dominated the competition. 9-9 20-14 57-24 24-21 24-26
The men from Christchurch may not have won the Super Rugby title in a few years, but they look every bit a champion team as this year’s competition hits the halfway point.
They are playing some sparkling rugby and on Saturday smashed the Stormers 57-24, scoring eight wonderful tries in the process.
They are the only unbeaten side in the competition and with 44 tries scored and 17 conceded after eight matches are second only to the Hurricanes for the ratio tries scored and conceded. SOMETHING FOR THE KINGS Okay, let’s first state very clearly that the Waratahs were horribly poor in their home match against arguably South Africa’s weakest side, but let’s also take nothing away from the Kings, and that means their players and the coaching staff.
No one gave the underthreat South Africans a chance to beat the former champions in Sydney, but they played with fire in their bellies and never stood back for anything and deservedly triumphed 26-24 for only their second win this season.
They are a side without a sponsor, there are concerns about their future participation in the Super Rugby competition and they do not have great depth, but they’re a team that play for 80 minutes, they care for each other and they just want to play rugby ... and you can’t ask for more than that.
They’re certainly not easybeats and here’s hoping they pull off a few more upsets in the weeks to come. SHARKS: WHAT A SHOCKER ... The Bulls’ 20-14 win against the Cheetahs was a rather poor advertisement for Super Rugby but it was still far better than the horror show produced in the late game on Saturday in Durbs.
The 9-9 draw reminded one of that other shocker involving the Sharks a good few years ago, when they faced the Reds in Durban, too, and won 6-3. The fact neither side scored a try tells the full story … it was a snore-fest best forgotten very quickly; it’s no surprise many feel Super Rugby is no longer very super.
Anyhow, the Sharks had their chances, but poor option-taking (read, quick-tap penalties) cost them dearly, as did the red-carding of Andre Esterhuizen, who can expect several weeks sidelined because of his dangerous tackle on a Rebels player. And now the Sharks have to travel to Buenos Aires for a date with the Jaguares.
Good luck to them.