Super charged
Ashfak Mohamed gives the Super Lowdown on this weekend’s clashes
FRONT ROW SEATS Today Hamilton: Chiefs v Blues (8.35am kickoff, live on CSN/SS1/SS HD):
You can expect some serious backline play in this clash of the attack merchants! Watch out for the special Sonny Bill offloads and damaging Rene Ranger runs, the probing of Aaron Cruden and the heavy punch of Keven Mealamu’s surges. The Chiefs, though, have been massacred by injuries – both props, speedy wing Lelia Masaga and All Black scrumhalf Brendon Leonard are all out. But coach Dave Rennie will unveil a 138kg prop, Ben Tameifuna, who is a junior All Black. And they do still have a potent backline, with Sonny Bill, Tim NanaiWilliams, Richard Kahui and Cruden. The Aucklanders have decided against rushing back new recruit Ma’a Nonu, who has just come back from Japanese club rugby. Coach Pat Lam has also lost tighthead Charlie Faumuina. But with All Blacks Mealamu, Anthony Boric, Ali Williams and Jerome Kaino powerful in a narrow loss to the Crusaders, the Blues pack will have the edge. Prediction: Blues to win by 8 points.
Tomorrow Bloemfontein: Cheetahs v Bulls (5.05pm, M-NET/SS1/SS HD):
Which Bulls team will rock up – the one that executed a kick-fest win over the Sharks, or the three-times Super Rugby champions who can score beautiful tries with their backs as well as from a maul by the forwards? Well, Bulls fans better hope for the latter, otherwise this young and refreshing Cheetahs team will run them off their feet. Naka Drotské’s men are much tougher to beat in Bloem, and with new 19-year-old playmaker Johan Goosen out to prove that he is even better than Morné Steyn, captain Pierre Spies and his blue (or is that pink!) troops better watch out. Wynand Olivier is back from injury to offset the loss of Johann Sadie, and the one area the Bulls are much stronger in is the lineout – Juandré Kruger looked like Victor Matfield in snatching those kickoffs at Loftus last week. This is going to be really tight … Prediction: Cheetahs by 5!
Newlands: Stormers v Sharks (7.10pm, M-NET/SS1/SS HD):
Do the Stormers have more than just a rolling maul up their sleeve? If they do, they are going to have to haul it out in this game, as the Sharks have spoken all week about avenging the beating they took from the Stormers in Super Rugby last year. Bismarck du Plessis will try to push Eben Etzebeth around (but I doubt that he will be able to reach the face of the 2.04m youngster), but the Sharks have lost their two-ton truck Willem Alberts. If the Stormers can just win their set pieces – and there is no reason
“Super Rugby is back! Razzle dazzle, it’s all good!” – Justin Marshall
why they shouldn’t – the backs are capable of cutting the Sharks to shreds. It’s time for Jean, Juan, Bryan, Gio and Joe to turn it on! Prediction: Stormers by 12 (with a bonus point).
CHEAP SEATS Today
Melbourne: Rebels v Waratahs (10.40am, CSN/SS1/SS HD) – Prediction: Waratahs by 7. Johannesburg: Lions v Hurricanes (7.10pm, M-NET/SS1/SS HD) – Prediction: Lions by 8.
Tomorrow
Dunedin: Highlanders v Crusaders (8.35am, M-net/ SS1/SS HD) – Prediction: Crusaders by 11. Brisbane: Reds v Force (10.40am, M-NET/SS1/SS HD) – Prediction: Reds by 9.
Bye: Brumbies.
QUICK TAPS A-team
“Look at that mohawk on him as well! He looks like Mr T!” – Justin Marshall is well impressed with Crusaders centre Robbie Fruean’s hairstyle.
Razzle Dazzle
“Super Rugby is back! Razzle dazzle, it’s all good!” – Marshall loving the all-out attacking styles of the Blues and Crusaders.
Get off the Bus
“Aah! Don’t argue!” – Marshall screams in delight with Robbie Fruean’s unbelievable hand-off on Blues flyhalf Piri Weepu, who was sent flying backwards.
Backing Bryce
“South Africa’s favourite referee, Bryce Lawrence!” – Phil Kearns puts the knife in as Brycie took charge of the Brumbies-force clash.
Cramp my Style
“How are you doing for cramp there, Kafe?” – Kearns asks sideline comments man Rod Kafer after Brumbies fullback Robbie Coleman limped off the field with cramp.
Ja, well, Nola, fine
“Ja, Nola ...” – It’s not quite on the “rock scientist” level of a few years ago, but one of my favourite coaches, Frans Ludeke of the Bulls, got it totally wrong when addressing presenter Xola Ntshinga before
the Sharks game.
Big Vic the Jinx
“I really put a jinx on him!” – Victor Matfield after he assured the viewers in his new role as a sideline comments man that Bulls flyhalf Morné Steyn was going to slot his second penalty after missing the first. But Steyn duffed quite an easy kick!
Black and Blue
“There are a lot of blue-clad people who will be happy leaving this stadium – the blacks aren’t happy. The people in black should I say ...” – Hugh Bladen quickly realising his serious gaffe at the end of the Bulls-sharks game.
Sonny still the Chief
Sonny Bill Williams showed that he is not going to stop his mind-boggling offloads at the Chiefs, pulling out a magical pass in the tackle in his first run against the Highlanders.
Checkmate
“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon, sort yourselves out, this isn’t chess!” – Referee Marius Jonker blasting the Hurricanes forwards for taking a long time to form their lineout against the Stormers.
Long Gone
“This is a long kick – it is on the end of Conrad Jantjes’s range.” – Joel Stransky thinks it’s the ex-stormers fullback instead of the Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies who lined up a penalty against the Cheetahs. For the record, Jantjies drilled the 49m kick!
Over the Colour
“If there had been one pole down the middle, he would’ve hit that pole with the kick!” – Great one by Stransky in describing a brilliant straight penalty by Jantjies to win the game for the Lions, as the ball sailed over the colour strip in the middle of the cross bar.
Hairy Stuff
“I think his father should give him a clip over the ears and tell him to get his hair cut – he’s got those rat’s tails sticking around the back. But that’s certainly something coaching staff don’t worry too much about. They just worry about what’s happening on the field, and Barrett’s knocked that through the poles.” – Bob Skinstad trying to say something about Hurricanes flyhalf Beauden Barrett’s hairstyle. At least I think ...
Man to Man
“Oh yuck!” – Phil Kearns after Waratahs replacement hooker Damien Fitzpatrick plants a kiss on scrumhalf Sarel Pretorius’s cheek after he scored a try on debut. Pretorius must’ve wished he still played for the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein, where men are men ...
Putting Surface
“It’s like playing golf with Clarkey, there are so many divots!” – Rod Kafer after a scrum from the Reds v Waratahs game at the Suncorp Stadium broke up the surface badly.