Three South Africans in Stats XV

ONLYthree players from South African franchises made it into the Stats XV team for the 13th round of the Super Rugby season.

South Africa boasted six players for two consecutive weeks in the team compiled using statistics on the Vodacom Rugby App.

With the Cheetahs and the Bulls enjoying a bye at the weekend, it reduced the chances of more players from South African shores making it into the team.

The Stormers made the largest contribution from a South African point of view, with props Frans Malherbe and Steven Kitshoff.

The duo have formed an integral part of a demolishing Stormers scrum this season.

Players earn points according to their positions and the statistics taken from app.

While a prop will certainly get points for running 50m to score a try, he will get more points for winning scrums.

Kitshoff was the leading loosehead this weekend, ranking third for the 16 carries he made while beating two defenders – an impressive statistic for a 120kg prop.

As the top tighthead this weekend, Malherbe made 11 tackles and one carry.

The third South African in the team is Lions flanker Jaco Kriel, who cracks the list for the second consecutive week.

Kriel was the top-ranked player for turnovers won with the four balls he stole in his side’s come-from-behind victory over the Highlanders.

He also contributed to the scoreboard with his try in the 56th minute, while his 16 tackles were also the third most over the weekend.

The Stats XV team has an otherwise New Zealand feel to it, with five players from the Crusaders, two from the Blues and two from the Hurricanes.

The Waratahs, Brumbies and Reds each contributed a player from the Australian conference. – ANA

Vata Ngobeni DON’T be deceived by their log position or the fact that they have won only two of their 12 matches so far this season – the Blues will be a tough nut to crack, according to Bulls coach Frans Ludeke.

There is glaring daylight between the sixth-placed Bulls and the 13th-placed Blues, not only by the seven log positions between them, but also by the manner in which both teams approach their games and the Bulls’ uncompromising brutality in winning their games.

Adding further insult to injury for the Blues will be the two season-ending injuries to influential All Blacks Jerome Kaino and Charles Piutau, but Ludeke remains wary of the type of game the Blues play and the fact that they will be playing at home at Eden Park in their clash on Friday morning.

What will make the Blues an even more difficult opponent for the Bulls is that their two victories so far this season have come at Eden Park against the Brumbies and the Western Force.

While acknowledging the Blues’ bad run of results this year, Ludeke is quick to point out the narrow margins with which the Blues have ended up on the losing side, a clear sign for Ludeke that the New Zealanders remain competitive and are a dangerous side.

“If you look at how they’ve played this season, every game they got a bonus point for finishing within seven points,” said Ludeke. “That shows that they are competitive, and maybe it was down to one or two calls or big moments they lost in the game that took the game away from them. If you look at how they score their tries with nine of them coming from scrums, it shows the quality of their attack. They know how to break the line from setpieces although they are also a dangerous side from broken play. They have all the qualities of a team that can be dangerous on the day and be a handful to compete with.”

Ludeke, though, is optimistic about his team’s chances of picking up their eighth win of the season even though they don’t enjoy a good record in New Zealand.

The Bulls have struggled over the past few seasons to overcome teams in the land of the Long White Cloud, managing to win just one of their last eight matches there, but that win came against the Blues in Auckland two years ago.

The Bulls will also take plenty of heart from the manner in which they have performed against New Zealand teams so far this season.