rugby – Page 2 – praag.org

Springboks annihilate Argentina

The Springboks got their Rugby Championship campaign off to a good start with a 73-11 annihilation of Argentina at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

The Boks were in rampant form as they scored nine tries to one for their biggest winning margin over the South Americans to sound a warning that they want to stake a claim for the title in this year’s competition.

They were not only impressive on attack but deprived Los Pumas of possession, while their defensive line proved to be impenetrable.

The match, played as part of the Nelson Mandela Sport and Culture Day, had little entertainment value in the opening 10 minutes.

However, Springbok flyhalf

converted two penalties in this period to hand his side a six-point lead.

At the quarter-hour mark Argentine captain Felipe Contepomi added to the scoreline with a successful conversion.

The two placekickers exchanged two more penalties between them, with only three points separating the two sides.

However, the momentum swung in the hosts’ favour when a deliberate knock down by hooker Eusebio Guinazo metres from the line earned him a yellow card and a penalty try against his team.

Steyn converted the try to extend the Boks’ lead to 10 points after 27 minutes of play.

The try sparked the Boks into action as they added another five-pointer six minutes later when JJ Engelbrecht fielded a Willie le Roux grubber kick to canter through for the try.

Steyn converted and added another penalty conversion in the 38th minute which saw the Boks go into the change room leading 26-6.

Shortly after the restart the Boks showed their intent with a driving maul from a lineout that saw Adriaan Strauss crossing the whitewash for the their third try of the match, with Steyn converting.

To add insult to injury Argentina received their second yellow card of the match, with Leonardo Senatore receiving his marching orders for a dangerous tackle on Engelbrecht in the 50th minute.

Four minutes later Willem Alberts scored the Boks’ bonus-point try, while captain Jean de Villiers added the fourth a minute later as he intercepted an Argentine ball from the kickoff to find an open goalline, with Steyn converting both tries.

Playing in his first match in more than a year, Fourie du Preez also got onto the score sheet in the 62nd minute.

In the 66th minute Bryan Habana scored the team’s seventh try in the to bring up their 66th point in the match, with only six points against them.

Four minutes before the end of the match Bismarck du Plessis closed South Africa’s try-scoring account, with Steyn finding his target once again.

The Argentineans had the final say of the match as Contepomi got over the whitewash to add some respectability to the score sheet.

Scorers: Springboks 73 (26): Tries: Penalty Try, JJ Engelbrecht, Adriaan Strauss, Willem Alberts, Jean de Villiers, Bryan Habana, Fourie du Preez, Duane Vermeulen, Bismarck du Plessis. Conversions: Morne Steyn (8). Penalties: Steyn (4).

Argentina 11 (6): Tries: Felipe Contepomi. Penalties: Contepomi (2). – Sapa

Springboks lead Argentina at half-time

The Springboks led Argentina 26-6 at the half-time break in their opening Rugby Championship match at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

Referee Chris Pollock awarded a penalty try 10 minutes before the break after Argentine hooker Eusebio Guinazo deliberately knocked an Adriaan Strauss pass down metres from the tryline. Guinazo also received a yellow card for his indiscretion.

Three minutes later JJ Engelbrecht went over for the second try of the match, with flyhalf Morne Steyn converting.

Steyn converted four penalties, while Argentina flyhalf Felipe Contepomi converted two of his attempts at goal. – Sapa

Springboks to play with Mandela effigy on sleeves

South Africa’s national team will have an outline image of Nelson Mandela on a sleeve of their shirts when they tackle Argentina Saturday in the Rugby Championship.

A Springboks spokesman said a logo that included the image would be worn by each player, and captain Jean de Villiers vowed his team would triumph to “make Madiba smile”.

Most South Africans call Mandela, a long-time political prisoner who in 1994 became the first democratically elected president of the republic, by his clan name Madiba.

“We are ready to play for Madiba and to bring a smile to his face by defeating Argentina,” centre De Villiers, 32, said after a warm-up session at the match venue.

“Every game you play for the Springboks is special and if you add to that playing for Madiba as well, then suddenly the occasion just becomes massive.

“This is an occasion to celebrate the life of a fantastic man and of a person who has given so much to rugby, to sport, and to the country,” said 87-cap De Villiers.

It is the first time an outline image of a person will appear on the green and gold shirt, which traditionally carries a sponsor logo, the national sport emblem, and a leaping Springbok.

The match is part of a historic day of sport at the 94,000-seat Soccer City stadium in Soweto that also features a friendly match between the national soccer team and Burkina Faso.

Branded the ‘Nelson Mandela Sport and Culture Day’, the event includes a football match between former South African and Italian stars and a music concert.

International icon Mandela turned 95 during July in a Pretoria hospital, where he has spent more than two months after being admitted for a recurring lung infection.

The latest official bulletin on his condition said Mandela remained “critically ill”, but doctors added that the former president “is making a slow but steady improvement”.

While president, Mandela had a huge influence on rugby and football, inspiring the Springboks to win the 1995 World Cup and Bafana Bafana (The Boys) to win the Africa Cup of Nations a year later.

A government brainchild, the Sport Day stages two football matches before the pitch markings are changed and the goals give way to posts during a 90-minute pre-Test break.

“We have practiced the changes several times and are confident they will be done quickly,” said a Soccer City management spokesman.

The organisers, who say they sold 50,000 tickets by Friday, believe it is the first time national football and rugby teams have played in the same stadium on the same day.

Tickets range between $22 (16.50 euros) and $50 and with the cheapest $18 more expensive than for local football fixtures, there is concern that more affluent rugby supporters may dominate the crowd.

While the Springboks lost two previous Tests at the Soweto ground — to the New Zealand All Blacks in 2010 and 2012 — they are favoured to make it 15 wins in 16 outings against the Pumas.

But there is less optimism about Bafana Bafana, who were outplayed by African champions Nigeria two days ago and lucky to lose only 2-0 in Durban. – AFP

SARU to introduce stricter racial quotas

In a renewed bid to bring black players into a mostly white sport, the South African Rugby Union (Saru) will introduce a stricter racial quota system in domestic rugby.

As from next year, Vodacom Cup teams will have to field seven players of colour in their 22-man squad. According to a Sport24 report, at least five of these players will have to start the match. At least two of the seven quota players will have to be forwards.

Saru chief Oregan Hoskins is hoping that the new quota system will see more black players coming through the system and playing at the top levels of Currie Cup, Super Rugby and in Tests.

“The feeling within our organisation is that we had to step in to see more black players come through. The provinces also shared our views,” Hoskins was quoted as saying by Sport24.

“To have certain targets will show that SARU is committed towards transformation. The Vodacom Cup is of critical importance to development and it has moved away from its primary aim to provide opportunities to promising young players, especially those of colour.

“The aim is to enlarge the pool of players of colour from which Currie Cup and Super Rugby coaches can pick. Hopefully, it would then also give the Springbok coach more options,” the Saru chief said.

Scrums a headache for Province

Province coaches: Allister Coetzee, Robbie Fleck, Matthew Proudfoot

The new process of engagement will put the scrums firmly in the spotlight when the Currie Cup competition kicks off this weekend.

The IRB changed the sequence from ‘crouch-touch-set’ to ‘crouch-bind-set’. Props will now be required to pre-bind before the “hit”.

It doesn’t sound like much of a change, but Western Province forwards coach Matthew Proudfoot said it has been one of the main focus points of their build-up to the start of the competition.

The Currie Cup will also be the first high-profile competition to use the new sequence ahead of the new law’s introduction to Tests in the forthcoming Rugby Championship.

It is hoped that the new sequence will ensure the hit will be less powerful, that scrumming will be safer and more orderly – without removing the need for strong, skilled props in the game.

In addition referees have been instructed to police more accurately the putting of the ball into the scrum.

Proudfoot, speaking to Rugby365 ahead of the big north-south derby between WP and the Blue Bulls at Newlands on Saturday, admitted there is a certain amount of “apprehension” ahead of their first encounter with the new engagement sequence.

His remarks come in the wake of suggestions that South African props will need to “learn to scrum””[Springbok coach] Heyneke [Meyer] expressed that in the press and the apprehension about it, starting a Test match that way.

“We feel similar and I am sure the Bulls will feel similar.

“No matter how much prep time you do on the field, or live scrummaging practice – and we’ve done two sessions of live scrummaging [in training] – it is not quite game related. It is not quite a real game.”

Proudfoot admitted there is a level of apprehension and how it is going to work.

“Our whole focus has just been on the execution – making sure that we can execute and apply what the referee wants us to apply.

“The team that does that can then start developing a bit of dominance. If you can’t get your execution right you can put yourself in a bad situation. That has what we have been focussed on and what our whole mental message has been about the scrum for this week.”

Asked if he felt the new sequence will make for a better or more even contests in the scrums, the WP forwards coach said it is too early to tell. – Rugby 365

Murray joins Bulls

Former Springbok midfielder Waylon Murray has signed a two-year contract with the Bulls, the Pretoria-based franchise announced on Tuesday.

“We have just received the clearance, so can now officially announce the signing,” said Bulls high performance manager Xander Janse van Rensburg.

“Waylon is a highly-rated player with heaps of experience, especially at Super Rugby and Currie Cup level. He will add experience to our back division as well as a cool head.”

Clearance was received from Murray’s Super Rugby franchise, the Southern Kings, and the 27-year-old could be considered for selection ahead of Saturday’s Currie Cup opener against Western Province in Cape Town.

His contract runs until October 31, 2015. – Sapa

Bees Roux returns to rugby while black family forgives him

Bees Roux will soon join the Golden Lions rugby team, while the family of the black metro policeman he had killed in Pretoria, Johannes Nshimane Mogale, had “forgiven him unconditionally”.

In 2010 the rugby player beat the 38-year old sergeant to death in Hatfield and the following year he received a suspended sentence of 5 years in prison. Among the conditions of his plea bargain was as payment of R750 000 in compensation to the Mogale family.

Lions coach Johann Ackermann confirmed on Monday that Roux (31) would most likely be included as prop in the team during the coming Currie Cup season. According to Manie Booysen, the chief executive of the Golden Lions Rugby Union (GLRU), there was “technically no impediment to choosing Bees. It will be a pity if people saw his involvement in the wrong light. The chap has shown remorse.”

“We are selecting him for rugby and no other reason. He is a prop that is available coming back from abroad,” Ackermann said.

“We are in a tight spot as there are no other players that are not under contract, so we’ll pull him into the group and see how he goes.”

The Lions coach said letters in which the Mogale family offered their forgiveness to Roux had made the decision easier to look at the player.

“We have two letters dating to 2011 and 2013 where the parents and the family personally give their blessing to him to play rugby and they even want him to play for South Africa,” Ackermann said.

“This gave us somewhat of a positive outlook because they (the family) are willing to forgive and forget and to give him a second chance in life.”

A month after he pleaded guilty the Blue Bulls Rugby Union sacked Roux for breach of contract and he later took up a contract with French club the Bordeaux Eagles.

In 2012 he joined Italian team Treviso until the end of the European season this year, while he also featured in the South African Barbarians team in a match against Saracens in May.

Fresh off securing their place in the 2014 Super Rugby competition through a superior points difference to the Southern Kings in their two leg promotion-relegation matches, the Lions are facing a crisis at prop.

Captain JC Janse van Rensburg, who was the main anchor in the front row for the Lions has left the team for Bayonne in France, while Julian Redelinghuys suffered a long-term injury over the weekend.

“We are looking to borrow another prop from somewhere as we actually only have three fit props in Ruan Dreyer, Jacques van Rooyen and CJ van der Linde,” Ackermann said. – Sapa and praag

Lions back in Super Rugby

The Lions have clawed their way back into Super Rugby despite going down 23-18 to the Southern Kings in their second leg promotion-relegation match at Ellis Park on Saturday.

Coach Johan Ackermann said they are keen to retain the services of flyhalf Elton Jantjies and lock Franco van der Merwe.

“We’re going straight into negotiations with senior players this week.

“We couldn’t commit to the players until we knew the outcome of these two games against the Kings.

“We had a plan B in place in case we didn’t earn promotion, which was to focus on… our junior structures, but now we can start speaking to players such as Franco van der Merwe and Elton Jantjies.

“Obviously their agents have been negotiating with other unions, so we need to move quickly if we want to retain their services.

“The floor for negotiation is now open, and in Elton’s case it’s up to him to decide where he wants to play, said Ackermann.

Jantjies was loaned to the Stormers while Van der Merwe spent time at the Sharks during this year’s Super Rugby competition.

Regarding Saturday’s match, the Kings needed to win by more than eight points to remain in Super Rugby, but did not have enough firing power to get themselves over the final hurdle.

It was billed as one of the matches of the season, however, the first half did not live up to the hype as handling errors were the order of the day which added to an uneventful half of rugby.

While the Kings went into the match as overwhelming underdogs following last weekend’s defeat in the Port Elizabeth, they came out firing.

The visitors drew the first blood 11 minutes after the start of the match with Scott van Breda succeeding with a penalty conversion.

Van Breda extended their lead three minutes later to give the team a good cushion early on in the game, but missed the opportunity to take another three points on the 20 minute mark.

While Van Breda had some success with his place kicking, Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies had some trouble with his aim at the posts.

Jantjies missed three of his attempts at goal, which ultimately did not have a major influence on the game.

The flyhalf’s ball distribution was nevertheless crisp as he put the backline on the front foot.

The Lions had their first opportunity to diminish the Kings’ lead in the 23rd minute, but Jantjies’ kick dropped short of the cross-bar.

Seven minutes later he was on target to bring his side within three points of the coastal side.

The hosts then took the lead for the first time in the match, five minutes from the half-time whistle, when Derick Minnie scored from a driving maul from a lineout, with Jantjies missing the conversion.

The Kings, however, had the last say in the match as Van Breda slotted over a penalty a minute from the break to give them a slender one-point lead.

After the break the Lions wrested the lead back again through a penalty conversion (11-9).

The Lions continued to grow in confidence and scored their second try of the match when Jaco Kriel found his way over the whitewash, with Jantjies converting for a nine-point lead.

The home side’s fortunes, however, started to turn when centre Stokkies Hanekom was yellow-carded for a tip tackle in the 67th minute.

A minute later the Kings prop Schalk Ferreira forced his way over the line, with Van Breda converting for a two-point deficit.

With seven minutes left on the clock the Kings scored again with Van Breda touching down in the corner and converting his own try for a five-point lead.

It, however, proved to be a bitter-sweet victory for the Kings as they needed to win by eight points to remain in Super Rugby.

As referee Stuart Berry signaled the end of the match Ellis Park erupted with Queen’s We are the Champions echoing through the stadium.

Scorers: Lions 18 (8): Tries: Derick Minnie, Jaco Kriel. Conversions: Elton Jantjies.Penalties: Jantjies (2) Southern Kings 23 (9): Tries: Schalk Ferreira, Scott van Breda. Conversion: Van Breda (2). Penalties: Van Breda (3). – Sapa and Praag

Losing Southern Kings complain of ‘rugby before 1994’

Alan Solomons, coach of the Southern Kings — Alan Solomons, rugby director of the Southern Kings

Outgoing Southern Kings director of rugby Alan Solomons went out in a blaze of glory following his franchise’s relegation from Super Rugby on Saturday, despite a 23-18 victory over the Lions at Ellis Park.

“I think it is an absolute disgrace that we are not in Super Rugby and if we are interested in truly transforming this game the Eastern Cape has to be there,” Solomons said.

“We need some leadership here and leadership has got to decide what they want to do about South African rugby. Do they want to move it on or do we want to stay where we were prior to 1994?”

The Kings lost the first leg of the promotion-relegation matches in Port Elizabeth and needed to win by eight points on Saturday to maintain the status quo.

Instead, there were scenes of celebrations in Doornfontein as the Lions clawed their way back from the Super Rugby wilderness.

“I look at it from our franchise’s point of view and we’ve had a fantastic debut season,” Solomons said.

“We got the rough end of refereeing decisions in the first match and it cost us our Super Rugby status. To say the least it is unsatisfactory.”

While Lions coach Johan Ackermann was overjoyed with their new-found Super Rugby status, he conceded that it was a flawed process.

“It should have been better dealt with and there could have been a better solution,” Ackermann said.

“Tonight there is no winner: We win, so we are all smiles and they lose, so all the work they’ve done there, will be on hold now.

“From a South African perspective, if I was Heyneke Meyer and I had six franchises to choose from, I would be smiling.”

Solomons said their relegation was not only a setback for rugby in the Eastern Cape but for the sport as a whole.

“The Kings have got to do everything in their power to keep things going, the South African Rugby Union have to ensure that we are in the Premier Division of the Currie Cup at the very least,” Solomons said.

Ackermann was sympathetic to the Kings’ cause as their relegation had consequences in many facets of their structures.

“There are many changes that happen — you plan to sign coaches for your Super Rugby, your Vodacom Cup and your Under-20s — then suddenly things change and you have to adapt,” he said.

“There are many implications…I honestly can’t say how you find a solution for it now.”

He said the Lions were now in the same situation as the Kings were in a year ago where they had little time to assemble a squad for next year’s Super Rugby competition.

“We couldn’t commit to a Super squad until we knew the results after these two games,” Ackermann said.

“We worked on a plan B where the focus was on youngsters and now we can start looking at Franco van der Merwe, Elton Jantjies and all those high-profile players.”

Brumbies beat Bulls for final berth

A last minute try by Brumbies centre Tevita Kuridrani and a number of dubious decisions saw the Bulls go down 26-23 in their Super Rugby semi-final at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday.

The battle among the forwards was always going to be the deciding factor in the match, with the tourists enjoying the upper-hand in this department for most of the match.

The first 10 minutes belonged to the Brumbies as they put 10 points on the board in this period to leave the Bulls reeling.

The Australians fired the opening salvo as inside centre Christian Leali’ifano succeeding with a penalty three minutes into the match.

The visitors further showed their intent to dominate the set phases as they out-muscled the Bulls in the first scrum of the match in the fifth minute, enforcing a penalty from a kickable position.

Leali’ifano pulled his penalty attempt to the right that would have given his team a psychological six-point lead early in the match.

The missed opportunity, however, came at a small price as they found their way over the whitewash three minutes later to score the first try of the evening.

Danger man Henry Speight lived up to his reputation as playmaker and showed up the Bulls’ defence.

When he was finally chased down, he managed to offload to fullback Jesse Mogg to score the try, with Leali’ifano converting, to extend their lead to 10 points.

The Bulls’ plight was further complicated with Steyn missing his first attempt at goal in the 14th minute.

Two minutes later the Bulls reduced the deficit when outside centre JJ Engelbrecht powered his way over the tryline, with Steyn’s attempt going wide of the posts.

The Bulls flyhalf finally found the target in the 22nd minute to bring his side within two points of the Brumbies.

However, the visitors pulled back another three points with Leali’ifano succeeding with his attempt, while the Bulls responded with three points of their own 10 minutes from the half-time break.

Leali’ifano had the final say in the first half with Leali’ifano bringing an end to the tit-for-tat kicking to hand his side a five-point lead going into the break.

The Bulls started the second period with great intent and came painstakingly close to scoring shortly after the kickoff with Grant Hattingh being held up over the line.

Steyn, however, gathered the three points through a penalty conversion to again get his side within two points of the Brumbies.

The Bulls flyhalf and Leali’ifano continued to exchange kicking duties two more times until the hosts took the lead for the first time in the match in the 51st minute when Steyn landed his sixth penalty of the game.

The plot, however, reached farcical levels as Bulls captain Dewald Potgieter opted to go for the sideline rather than going for the points on three occasions.

All three times the Bulls failed in their attempt to score from the lineout and it ultimately backfired for the Pretoria side.

Potgieter’s earlier doubtful decisions, however, came back to haunt him as Brumbies outside centre Tevita Kuridrani crossed the whitewash to silence the Loftus faithful, with Leali’ifano ending the match as he started it, with a conversion.

Scorers:

Bulls 23 (11): Tries: JJ Engelbrecht. Penalties: Morne Steyn (6).

Brumbies 26 (16): Tries: Jesse Mogg, Tevita Kuridani. Conversions: Christian Leali’ifano (2). Penalties: Leali’ifano (4). – sapa

Lions victorious in away game against Kings

Last night's match between the Lions (in red) and the Kings — Last night’s match between the Lions (in red) and the Kings

Lions captain JC Janse van Rensburg praised the courage and character of his team as they registered a crucial away win in the first leg of their Super Rugby promotion-relegation series against the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth on Friday.

The visiting side, who lost their Super Rugby status this year to the Kings, beat them 26-19 to take a massive advantage into the second leg in Johannesburg next Saturday.

The Kings, though, picked up one bonus point for ending within seven points of the Lions’ score.

Van Rensburg, whose team have not had many tough matches recently, said it was the most physical game they had played this season.

“Yes, it was definitely a tough, physical game and we made a lot of mistakes in the first half, but hats off to our team for the guts they showed tonight (Friday),” Janse van Rensburg said.

The Lions tested the Kings’ defence, one of the Eastern Cape franchise’s outstanding assets this season, he said.

“We worked hard to attack their defence because we knew it was very good and in the second half it went well.

“We showed a lot of character and we fought for each other.

“Now we are looking forward to Ellis Park, which suits our game, and we will have 40 000 fans behind us this time.”

For Kings skipper Darron Nell, it was a tough pill to swallow, but he took some solace from the fact they had earned a bonus point.

“That bonus point was the at least something,” Nell said, “and now we know what we have to do — win by more than seven points — and we must plan accordingly.”

He paid tribute to the Lions for their efforts, while adding that the Kings’ attacking moves were not as clinical as they should have been.

“The Lions did very well, they kept the ball better than we did and we didn’t get our set phases right to get into the game. So that is something we need to get work on and get right for next week,” Nell said.

“I think we can just look at where we went wrong and work on those things, and that should help our game massively. I thought the guys played well at stages but there were times, on attack, when we weren’t great.” – sapa

Set pieces will determine outcome for Bulls: Potgieter

Dewald Potgieter giving the thumbs-up sign

Bulls captain Dewald Potgieter says his side will be looking for set-piece domination against the Brumbies in their Super Rugby semi-final at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria on Saturday.

“The Brumbies play total rugby which is similar to the type of rugby we play and, given that it is a semi-final, the greatest aspect of play would be the set pieces,” Potgieter said.

“The team that dominates the set pieces will control possession and will play in the right areas for most of the match.”

Despite the Bulls’ home-ground advantage, there is little to choose between the two sides with the match likely to go down to the wire.

The stadium has done justice to its reputation as ‘Fort Loftus’, with the Bulls not losing a match there, so far, this year.

The three-time Super Rugby champions have also never lost a semi-final at their base and will be looking to win their fourth semi-final.

The Brumbies have lost their last three matches against the Bulls at Loftus with their last victory in the capital dating back to 2006.

Potgieter said the Bulls needed to be accurate at the breakdown area against the two-time champion Brumbies.

“They are a world class team in terms of the breakdowns as they do not only have one or two players committing to this area, but every single player attacks the breakdowns,” he said.

“It is important for us to secure the ball and enable guys like Hougie (Francois Hougaard) and Jano Vermaak to control the ball behind the breakdown and set pieces.”

While the Bulls have introduced a few rookies this season, the side has a sufficient number of seasoned campaigners with the experience of playing knockout matches.

Potgieter said the core of senior players within the team brought some calm, ahead of the match, which made his task as captain slightly easier.

“The fact that it is a semi-final makes my job easier and the magnitude of the occasion is not lost on the players,” he said.

“It is almost more important to remain calm in everything you say, and through the way you execute everything, because the youngsters look up to you.

“We are fortunate to have senior players who know you have to bring the energy when it matters. It doesn’t help to make a big deal out of it at the beginning of the week.”

The Brumbies, coached by former Springbok coach Jake White, have not played in a Super Rugby final in nine years and the Australians would be determined to ensure a final berth.

White is a wily tactician and would have done all his homework ahead of the match, and the Bulls will have to be spot-on in the execution of their game plan.

Bulls flyhalf Morne Steyn is pivotal in that plan and his performance on Saturday could — as often is the case — be a deciding factor.

“When one talks about the territory game, Morne is the guy you want at number 10 to lead the charge,” Potgieter said.

“He knows exactly what the team’s strengths are and how to bring them out in a match.

“It is important for your number nine and 10 to make the decisions and Morne is one of the best in the world in that department.”

The teams:

Bulls team: Zane Kirchner, Akona Ndungane, JJ Engelbrecht, Jan Serfontein, Bjorn Basson, Morne Steyn, Francois Hougaard, Dewald Potgieter (captain), Jacques Potgieter, Deon Stegmann, Grant Hattingh, Flip van der Merwe, Werner Kruger, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Dean Greyling. Replacements: Callie Visagie, Frik Kirsten, Morne Mellett, Paul Willemse, Jono Ross, Jano Vermaak, Jürgen Visser.

Brumbies team: Jesse Mogg, Henry Speight, Tevita Kuridrani, Christian Lealiifano, Clyde Rathbone, Matt Toomua, Nic White, Ben Mowen (captain), George Smith, Peter Kimlin, Scott Fardy, Sam Carter, Ben Alexander, Stephen Moore, Scott Sio. Replacements: Siliva Siliva, Ruan Smith, Fotu Auelua, Colby Faingaa, Ian Prior, Andrew Smith, Joseph Tomane. – Sapa

Solomons eager to retain Super Rugby status for Kings

Southern Kings director of rugby Alan Solomons has encouraged his team to live up to expectations when they meet the Lions in the first of their Super Rugby promotion/relegation playoff fixtures on Friday.

In what is being billed as their biggest challenge of the season, the teams clash at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, in Port Elizabeth, in the first of two legs, with a spot in next year’s Super Rugby competition the prize.

The second leg will be played in Johannesburg on August 2 and the team with the most log points after the two games will join the remaining four South African franchises in the 2014 competition.

“This match is critical to both franchises because the consequences of these matches are extremely serious,” Solomons said ahead of the crunch encounter.

“The winners of these two matches remain in Super Rugby and the side that loses is out of Super Rugby.

“And you have to understand the consequences of not playing in Super Rugby, because there is no inspiration to retain young players and no top-class rugby for the public, so the consequences are dire.”

His words were echoed by Lions’ president Kevin de Klerk, who said it had become extremely difficult to retain sponsors and the fans’ interest without the lure of Super Rugby.

The Kings suffered a blow when regular centre and captain Andries Strauss was ruled out of the promotion series, and was replaced by young Shane Gates, with lock Darron Nell taking over as skipper.

The Lions will be desperate to regain their Super Rugby status and have named an experienced line-up for the first encounter, with flyhalf Elton Jantjies and lock Franco van der Merwe set to play key roles.

After seeing the Lions team, Solomons said he was expecting a massive test, but was up to the contest.

“There is no question that the Lions have got some really good players, but I do not think they are better than we are,” he said.

“I think this will be a tight affair that will turn on little things.”

Kings’ centre Ronnie Cooke said the coastal outfit were prepared for a running game from the Lions.

“Elton brings an x-factor to the game that will suit the Lions because they play a running game,” Cooke said. “He could spark something for them.”

Both Solomons and Kings’ coach Matt Sexton said there was a feeling of excitement in the camp, but said they were concentrating on the basics and sticking largely to the game plan which had worked for them this season.

“I think the general feeling we have is excitement, it’s a huge occasion, it’s like a test match or world cup final,” Sexton said.

“The guys are looking forward to the occasion.”

The New Zealander said he did not want to give too much away about the game plan.

“You take each team on their merits and there are opportunities that will be presented during the match and we just need to capitalise on that,” he said.

“The times where we have been successful on the score board are times where we’ve been very clinical in our approach.”

Meanwhile, Lions coach Johan Ackermann is well aware of the implications for the two matches.

“We all know how important it is and the [Lions] players are hungry to get another taste of Super Rugby,” he said. “We can’t hide from the fact that there’s a lot at stake and for both teams there are two important weeks ahead.”

Ackermann has had to weld a side together after many senior players were loaned out during the season and he is hoping the Lions will not have to face the situation again.

“It [defeat] will be a huge blow for either union. In their case, having been in just for one year, then fall out and stop the entire process… it will be an enormous setback. – sapa

Chiefs the underdogs in Super Rugby semifinal

by Steve McMorran

Despite being defending champions and finishing atop the Super Rugby standings in the regular season, the Chiefs accept that they’re underdogs in Saturday’s all-New Zealand semifinal against the Crusaders.

Though they won 12 of 16 games to qualify automatically for the semifinals and though they beat the Crusaders in the first of two regular season meetings, the Hamilton-based Chiefs are given little chance of halting the Crusaders’ drive to an eighth Super Rugby title.

The Christchurch-based Crusaders have developed an irresistible momentum in the second half of the season, winning five straight matches since their 28-19 loss to the Chiefs on May 24. Their 43-15 win over the Chiefs three weeks ago and their 38-9 quarterfinal win over the Queensland Reds make them hot title favorites.

The Pretoria-based Bulls will host the ACT Brumbies in the other semifinal after finishing second behind the Chiefs in the regular season to earn home advantage in the playoffs.

The Bulls performed substantially above expectations to finish atop the South African conference and won eight straight matches before a loss to the Stormers in the last round cost them the chance of finishing in first place overall.

The Canberra-based Brumbies, who edged the Cheetahs 15-13 last weekend, face the immense task of traveling to South Africa for the semifinal and attempting to overcome the Bulls’ formidable home advantage at Loftus Versfeld.

The task is a larger one for the members of the Brumbies’ squad who played for Australia against the British and Irish Lions and may still be recovering from the physical and emotional strain of that series defeat.

The All Blacks’ mid-year series against France was less taxing and neither the Chiefs nor the Crusaders have been harmed by their players’ involvement. If anything, the Crusaders’ form has steadily improved in the month since the test window, led particularly by an upswing in the form of star flyhalf Dan Carter, who scored 18 points in their win over the Chiefs and 20 against the Reds.

The Chiefs’ sandwiched their loss to the Crusaders between unconvincing wins over the Blues and Hurricanes and seem well short of the form which carried them to their first Super Rugby title last year.

“Most of the country is writing us off, which is not a bad thing,” Chiefs coach Dave Rennie said. “But we’re happy with where we’re heading and we’ve got a pretty happy bunch who are keen to make amends from the last time we played,” the Crusaders.

“Obviously they’ll come in as favorites but we get to play them at home.”

The Chiefs have carefully analyzed their recent heavy loss to the Crusaders and are confident of repairing the deficiencies that match highlighted.

“We were caught short, especially from an intensity point of view, so we can change that quickly because we can control that,” Rennie said. “We’ve been here before, we’ve played the Crusaders quite a bit over the last couple of years and so we know what to expect.”

The Crusaders have named the same 22 they deployed against the Reds, resisting any temptation to elevate All Blacks captain Richie McCaw from the bench into the starting XV. McCaw returned to top rugby in last weekend’s match, playing the last 15 minutes.

Coach Todd Blackadder said starting McCaw “was never part of our thinking” because the veteran backrower is only just returning from an extended break and “it would be a huge step to go into a game like this.”

The Bulls have been able to nurse several key players back to health during the break they earned by qualifying directly for the semifinals. Scrumhalf Francois Hougaard and center Jan Serfontein have recovered from injuries and been named in the starting lineup, while Junior Springboks lock Paul Willemse has been included on the bench.

“We have worked hard to put ourselves in a position where we could host a semifinal at home and achieved that,” Bulls coach Frans Ludeke said. “We cannot allow all that effort to go to waste.

“We certainly respect the Brumbies. But this match will be about us and our ability and drive to make them play the game at our tempo.”

Brumbies coach Jake White shunned the temptation to ring changes after last weekend’s unconvincing performance against the Cheetahs.

“They have a good record at Loftus and … they are a typical South African side: very big and physical with some quality finishers out wide,” said White, who guided South Africa to the 2007 World Cup title. “So it’s up to our players to combat that with our own game.” – AP