THE TIGHT 5
MIKE GREENAWAY looks at SuperRugby’s stand out moment this past weekend
Diamond Dyantyi
Two Super Rugby matches, two Man of the Match accolades. Not too shabby a start to big time rugby for Aphiwe Dyantyi ... The fleet-footed Lions wing has the knack of making the opposition look like they are in slow motion, such is his incredible pace. But it is not just lethal finishing that has raised eyebrows – he has proved efficient under the high ball, solid on defence and he make tries as well as score them. He has an eye for the offload and is a team man.
Bulls centres playing at lock
Bulls coach John Mitchell has not only broken the mould that produced beefy battering rams at Loftus Versfeld for decades but manufactured a new one for second row fowards. It was incredible to see locks RG Snyman and Lood de Jager breaking through the Hurricanes backline and accelerating towards the tryline, one in support of the other. Locks just don’t do that. They take ball in the line-outs and push and shove. Mitchell sees things differently and it was a revelation to see forwards playing like backs in a brand of total rugby.
The Kiwis are coming, the Kiwis are coming
The first all-New Zealand clash of the season was a cracker in Dunedin where the Highlanders hung on to beat the Blues 41-34. In a game played at breakneck speed, there were nine tries in all, each of them coming from relentless, innovative attack rather than weak defence. There was also nine tries in total in the Crusaders’ 45-23 win over the Chiefs. Again, the Kiwi teams are the early pacesetters, but the Bulls showed that the New Zealanders can be beaten in downing the Hurricanes.
Aussies all over the place
It is no secret that Australian rugby is in a state of flux and under increasing pressure from other sporting codes. The axing of the Western Force from Super Rugby has left a stink that has still not gone away. he Reds, champions in 2011 were smashed by the Rebels 45-19; the Brumbies, who won the title in 2001 and 2004, had to come back from 19-8 down to beat the Sunwolves 32-25 in Tokyo. And the Waratahs, champions in 2014, deserved to lose at home to the Stormers.
A stronger SA challenge
In general, the South African teams can hold their heads up high after two rounds of Super Rugby. Last week, the Lions v Sharks match at Ellis Park was top notch entertainment. The Stormers were workmanlike in beating the Jaguares in Cape Town but then deserved to win in Sydney against the Waratahs. At the weekend the Lions easily overpowered the Argentineans, while the Bulls showed true grit in beating the Hurricanes while delivering an enlightening performance of attacking rugby. The Bulls host the Lions this week in what should be a cracker.