Super Rugby – praag.org

New Sharks recruit SP Marais has Springbok ambitions

New Sharks recruit SP Marais said it was not easy leaving Port Elizabeth for Durban, following his recent switch from the Southern Kings, but felt the move was necessary for his long-term ambitions.

The 24-year-old was the biggest pre-Currie Cup signing for the KwaZulu-Natal side and their new coaching staff.

Marais revealed on Tuesday he turned down offers from the Bulls and Cheetahs following his former team’s relegation from Super Rugby.

“There were a few options but I had to look at the bigger picture,” he said.

“I had to make a sound decision and, for any rugby player, the most important thing is your game time and that was one of the big factors that brought me here.”

The Cape Town-born player made a successful start with the Sharks scoring a match-winning try on debut against the Lions last Friday.

“As you see, I’ve been here a week and already got the opportunity,” Marais said.

“I need to use these opportunities now, so that when Super Rugby comes around next year, I’ve already found my place here.

“The first game was good, but it was more about the team winning and I’m glad I was part of that.”

His decision to leave Eastern Province was based on his ultimate goal to play for the Springboks.

“If you want to go further and into the green and gold, then this is the way to do it.

“So it was time for me to move and I’m very happy to be here.”

Marais credited Alan Zondagh, former Western Cape coach and founder of the Rugby Performance Center (RPC), as well as ex-Springbok assistant Alan Solomons, who recently left the Kings, for enhancing his development.

“The two of them played quite a big role in my career,” he said.

The Sharks on Tuesday confirmed Jacques Botes would stay on as captain for the competition, despite the return of Keegan Daniel.

The regular skipper missed the opening two games of the campaign with a knee injury, but would be back this week, said backs coach Sean Everitt.

“We want to keep Jacques as captain just for continuity purposes,” Everitt said. “

Just because it’s a new group, with new coaches, the more continuity you have the better. He’s done really well and we want him to continue.”

Daniel would wear the number six jersey instead of Brynard Stander, who was ruled out due to a ligament problem.

Odwa Ndungane and Tim Whitehead (ankle and rib) were also out — the former after sustaining a hamstring injury on Friday, although Sizo Maseko, Jean Deysel and Marco Wentzel have all been passed fit to play. – Sapa

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

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

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

Serfontein, Hougaard return for Bulls

The Bulls will be buoyed by the return from injury of scrumhalf Francois Hougaard and centre Jan Serfontein for their crucial Super Rugby semi-final against the Brumbies at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

Serfontein replaces Francois Venter in the midfield and Hougaard’s inclusion comes at the expense of Jano Vermaak, who will supply cover from the bench.

Bulls coach Frans Ludeke said on Wednesday that accuracy would be decisive against a Brumbies side desperate to make the final.

“We would like to be accurate from the first minute to the last, and turnovers in a semi-final will be vital,” Ludeke said.

“We are playing against very good opposition and that is why they finished third in the competition [after the league phase] and they have a lot of strengths all-round.”

The team will be further boosted by the inclusion of lock Paul Willemse, who takes the place of Jacques du Plessis on the bench.

While the Brumbies narrowly won 23-20 in the previous encounter between the two teams in Canberra in March, the Bulls’ semi-final history at Loftus counts heavily in their favour.

The Pretoria side have never lost a Super Rugby last-four clash on home turf and they should use the support from the Loftus faithful to their benefit.

Ludeke, however, said they could not rely solely on the home fans and they would have to be accurate in executing their game plan.

“It is about getting in the right areas and setting up a good platform to launch a good attack, and it is all about being patient because we believe we’ve got the ability to score tries and to squeeze points when we are in the right area,” he said.

The Bulls mentor believed the Brumbies played a similar style of rugby to the men in blue, which would make for an intense battle.

“They play a lot like us — it is field position, a suffocate type of game.

“They are very good on defence, with a solid pack of forwards, and in broken field they have players that can finish off.

“The set pieces will be vital and you have to control the broken field, and we will have to use the opportunities when we get there.”

Meanwhile, Brumbies coach Jake White named an unchanged team for the match.

Though his side faced an uphill battle against the Bulls, White said his charges were up for the challenge.

“The Bulls present us with a huge challenge this weekend. We know they will play through their forwards and use Morne [Steyn] to finish with points,” White said.

“They have a good record here at Loftus and for our players to experience running on in front of a full house of more than 50,000 people will be fantastic.

“They are a typical South African side — very big and physical with some quality finishers out wide — so it’s up to our players to combat that with our own game.”

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, Jurgen Visser.

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

Darron Nell to lead Kings against Lions in crucial match

Experienced lock Darron Nell will captain the Southern Kings in the first of the two-leg Super Rugby promotion-relegation matches against the Lions in Port Elizabeth on Friday.

“Darron has done a tremendous job for us over the years in a leadership role,” Kings director of rugby Alan Solomons said on Tuesday.

“Whenever he has captained a side he has done so successfully, and after giving the matter careful consideration we feel he is the best man to lead the side in this big game.”

Nell stepped into the leadership role after centre Andries Strauss broke his left hand in training on Friday and was ruled out of the double-header against the Lions.

Strauss assumed the captaincy earlier in the season when first-choice captain Luke Watson was sidelined through injury.

Former Sharks lock Steven Sykes, who has also captained the Kings this season, was named on the bench for Friday’s clash.

The second leg of the promotion-relegation matches will be played in Johannesburg on August 2.

Promising young centre Shane Gates stepped up to replace Strauss and will partner vice-captain Ronnie Cooke in the midfield.

New Zealander Hadleigh Parkes, who missed much of the season with a broken arm, will slot in at wing.

“He (Cooke) has, throughout the season, had a very influential role and has played nearly every single game for us, and we are very fortunate to have someone of that ilk taking leadership of the backs,” Solomons said.

Solomons said there was a fair amount of consistency in the team that had been selected, with many pairings having played together during the season.

The pack remained relatively unchanged, with Schalk Ferreira, Bandise Maku and Kevin Buys forming the front row, while the loose trio of Wimpie van der Walt, Jacques Engelbrecht and Cornell du Preez would be looking to make a significant impact.

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

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

Southern Kings team: SP Marais, Marcello Sampson, Shane Gates, Ronnie Cooke (captain), Hadleigh Parkes, Demetri Catrakilis, Shaun Venter, Schalk Ferreira, Bandise Maku, Kevin Buys, Cornell du Preez, Darron Nell, David Bulbring, Wimpie van der Walt, Jacques Engelbrecht.

Replacements: Hannes Franklin, Charl du Plessis, Steven Sykes, Devin Oosthuizen, Nicolas Vergallo, Waylon Murray, George Whitehead. – Sapa

Super Rugby: McCaw v. Cooper as Crusaders face Reds

Richie McCaw’s return will add extra spice to Saturday’s Super Rugby qualifier between Canterbury Crusaders and Queensland Reds as the All Blacks skipper comes up against old foe Quade Cooper.

McCaw is back after a six-month sabbatical from rugby and has been named among the replacements as the seven-time champions look to stay alive in the Super 15 title race in the sudden-death encounter against the 2011 winners.

The Reds are looking to overturn a six-match losing record in Christchurch, and have not beaten the Crusaders in New Zealand since 1999.

The winners will progress to next week’s semi-finals against either holders Waikato Chiefs or triple champions Northern Bulls, who have a bye after finishing first and second in the final standings.

McCaw’s debut appearance of the season provides a psychological lift for the Crusaders, who also have All Black ace Dan Carter calling the shots in his fly-half duel with discarded Cooper.

And there’s little love lost between the Wallaby and McCaw.

Cooper shoved the Kiwi in the head after James O’Connor scored a match-winning try in the 2010 Bledisloe Test in Hong Kong.

During the 2011 Tri-Nations decider the Australian kneed McCaw following a ruck but was later exonerated.

Cooper said he was anticipating a torrid time from the Crusaders’ supporters following his past incidents with the revered All Blacks skipper.

“I expect that every week. Nothing changes. We just played down in NSW and I take it I’m not the most favourable bloke down there either,” Cooper said.

“It is what it is and that’s part and parcel of rugby and rivalries in rugby. We’ve got a great rivalry with the Crusaders as a team. We played them in 2011 and managed to get the win. I’m sure that will add to the occasion.”

Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder said of McCaw: “While he’s mentally tough, he won’t be physically fit to the level that’s required. He’s a quality player and he’s Richie McCaw, of course, but at the end of the day we’ve still got to put this team first.”

The match will have a Test feel to it with 13 All Blacks (nine present and four former) in the Crusaders up against a Reds team containing 14 Wallabies (six present and eight former).

The Reds will also be strengthened by the return of key Wallabies –scrum-half Will Genia and lock James Horwill — who missed last week’s 14-12 win over the Waratahs.

While Queensland haven’t won in Christchurch for 14 years they have beaten all four New Zealand sides they have played this season.

If they defat the Crusaders they will become the first Australian team to clean sweep all five Kiwi opponents.

In Sunday’s other qualifier, South Africa’s Central Cheetahs are searching for their first victory in five trips to Canberra when they take on the ACT Brumbies.

It will be the Brumbies’ first playoff game since 2004 when they downed the Crusaders in the final, while the Cheetahs are making their debut in the finals.

The Brumbies lost out on the important second spot to the Bulls after their 21-15 last-round slip-up against the lowly Western Force in Perth.

Wallaby flanker George Smith will return to the Brumbies starting side after playing 30 minutes off the bench against the Force.

“For me now it’s about picking a team that can win the competition,” Brumbies World Cup-winning Springbok coach Jake White said.

“George has all that experience, has played in play-offs and won the competition before so any bit of advantage we can get going into this knockout stage of the competition is going to be vital.”

The Cheetahs narrowly lost 24-23 on their last trip to Canberra. – AFP

Cheetahs outsiders in Super rugby playoffs

The Bloemfontein-based Cheetahs will celebrate their best season in Super Rugby on Saturday by gate-crashing a playoff party for former champions.

The Cheetahs – who have qualified for the playoffs for the first time -are the only one of the six remaining teams which has never won a Super Rugby title. Their quarterfinal opponents, the ACT Brumbies, have two; the Canterbury Crusaders, who host the other quarterfinal, have seven and their opponents, the Queensland Reds have one.

Two teams received a bye to the semifinal stage: the Hamilton-based Chiefs will defend their only Super Rugby crown and the Pretoria-based Bulls will attempt to win their third title and their first since 2010.

The Cheetahs are unused to being among such illustrious company.

Their best-ever finish was seventh in 1997, after which they left the tournament for nine years. Since rejoining the competition in 2006, they have never finished higher than 10th.

But this season, under former Springboks hooker Naka Drotske, they have perfected one of the most expansive gameplans in the competition, winning 10 of 16 regular-season games and showing an ability – vital to South African teams – of winning in Australia and New Zealand.

They won at the Dunedin-based Highlanders, the New South Wales Waratahs and the Western Force, losing only to the Chiefs on their overseas games.

“We have a confident atmosphere in the team and we know if we play well, we can beat any team on the day,” Drotske said.

“The last two tours – where we have won in Australia – have done our confidence the world of good. And we prefer to play the Brumbies. They are also new to the playoffs and their current group of players hasn’t played in this round of the competition yet, so it is a new thing to them as well.”

The Cheetahs were underestimated by many opponents, and hope to exploit the same advantage on Sunday when the Brumbies, champions of the Australian conference, might take them too lightly.

“We play better as a team when we are underdogs as there is absolutely no pressure on us,” Drotske said.

The Brumbies have been the top team in Australia this season but the confidence of many players may have been dented by being part of an Australia team that was beaten by the British and Irish Lions, while the ACT was also beaten last week in Perth.

Brumbies coach Jake White says veteran flanker George Smith will definitely be among his starting lineup for the match, though Smith had a tough time in the third Lions

test after suffering an early head knock.

The Crusaders have named All Blacks captain Richie McCaw on the bench and international lock Luke Romano in their starting lineup for Saturday’s match at Christchurch.

McCaw expected to miss all of the Super Rugby season during an eight months “sabbatical” which began after New Zealand’s loss to England at Twickenham in December. He was due to return for the All Blacks’ first Rugby Championships match against Australia on Aug. 17 but has answered the Crusaders’ call for late-season reinforcement.

The Crusaders are attempting to win an eighth Super Rugby title. This will be their 12th-straight appearance in the playoffs but the players are not yet jaded.

“You have got to treat it as an honor, not a burden,” scrumhalf Andy Ellis said. “As soon as you think ‘we have been here so many times, we should win it, we should win it’ it just creates anxiety.”

Queensland has named Wallabies James Horwill and Will Genia in their starting lineup, though they have lost center Anthony Faingaa, winger Rod Davies and utility Mike Harris from a backline which has changed in four places after last week’s narrow win over New South Wales.

“There is always going to be some damage at this time of the year and while it’s disappointing to be without a few guys, we are getting the experience of James and Will back,” coach Ewen McKenzie said. “Their influence can’t be understated and you need world-class players and strong leaders if you are going to win these games on the big stage.” – AP

Peyper to referee Super rugby playoff

South African referee Jaco Peyper will be in charge of the first Vodacom Super Rugby qualifier between the Crusaders and the Reds in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Saturday.

This was confirmed by the SA, New Zealand and Australian Rugby (Sanzar) body on Tuesday.

The second qualifier, scheduled for Sunday morning in Canberra, Australia, between the Brumbies and the Cheetahs, would be refereed by New Zealand’s Glen Jackson.

Sanzar also confirmed that the first semi-final of the southern hemisphere franchise competition would be hosted at Loftus Versfeld, in Pretoria, when the Bulls take on the highest placed qualifier at 5.05pm on July 27.

The second semi-final, between the Chiefs and the other qualifier, would take place at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, New Zealand, at 9.35am (SA time) on the same day.

Referee appointments for the semi-finals would be confirmed early next week. – Sapa

Stormers hungry for consolation win

Turning out in their final game of the 2013 Super Rugby season may seem like a formality, but departing winger Bryan Habana says the Stormers will play their hearts out against the title-chasing Bulls at Newlands on Saturday.

Habana, who leaves for big-spending French outfit Toulon at the end of the campaign, did not believe the Bulls’ log aspirations would weigh heavily on the Cape players’ minds.

“This Saturday is not about trying to spoil the Bulls’ party,” Habana said.

“It is about the (Stormers) players getting some pride back for the supporters.

“There is a lot of pride at stake for the Stormers and for me personally. I feel disappointed that I haven’t contributed enough to see us get into the playoff stages.”

The late kick-off slot means the Stormers, in seventh place and out of the running for the playoffs, could have a say in the final outcome of the log, with the Bulls eager to remain in top spot overall after the last game of the regular season.

Bulls coach Frans Ludeke knew his charges had a mountain to climb at Newlands.

“We are up against an opponent we know. It is always very physical and there are no easy metres to be gained,” Ludeke said. – Sapa