Round 3 Super 12 2005 Wrap

Highlanders 23 Bulls 0

The mighty Blue Bulls Currie Cup champion side from South Africa is the backbone of the Bulls team. The way that the Highlanders ran over them, made them look like a high school team in the wrong league! The Highlanders is not really a team that would scare most other teams in the world, but a great performance by Nick Evans on flyhalf and the safety and attacking from Ben Blair at nr 15, had the Bulls grabbing in the air. The Highlanders won the game by taking on the mighty Bulls pack and although they did not destroy the Bulls, they were good enough to secure a constant stream of ball to their backline. Evans carved the Bulls up in midfield and the Highlanders won their first game at home this year.

For the Bulls, well they could really do with a top class flyhalf and any other player who looks like he may want to play rugby. On this performance, they are going to spend a lot of time behind the poles this year!

Brumbies 22 Stormers 19

The Brumbies have been struggling with injuries to a number of their major players. Many years ago a wise man said that one of the qualities of a good team is that they win, even when the stakes are down and they are not firing on all their cylinders. The Brumbies have proven in this year’s Super 12 that they are really a quality team.

I think if I have to be perfectly honest, they were a little lucky to keep the Stormers out, but the men from the Cape were their own worst enemies. They got a lucky break when a try was awarded after Jeremy Paul clearly dotted down in his own in-goal area, but two yellow cards (De Wet Barry & Werner Greeff) meant that the Stromers played for a quarter of the game with 14 men!

Two players who really showed their class for the Stormers were Schalk Burger and Jean de Villiers. There was one movement when the Brumbies were on the attack that Burger stopped three phases in a row with his defensive work. Jean de Villiers is proving on a weekly basis why he is rated so highly in his home country and must be one of the most intelligent players on a rugby field.

The Brumbies had old man Finegan frustrating the hell out of the Stormers with the flair and ball skills of Radike Samo as impressive as always. It was however, at the back where Larkam, and later in the match Gregan, who ensured that they stayed calm. This team can already start taking the measurements for the jerseys they are going to wear in the final, because when their backline stars return, they are not going to be easily stopped.

Sharks 23 Hurricanes 29

After the previous weekend’s result against the Cats, the Hurricanes were definitely the favorite to win this match. You have probably all heard about “the house that Jack built”. This match was the game that Matt blew. It was as if you were watching the proverbial paint dry as the whistle controlled this match from start to finish. Apart from the fact that they could never – with the exception of about 20 minute – get going, Matt Goddard had a nightmare as nr 31 on the field. He made a couple of very dubious decisions – not really favoring any side, but still dubious - and that did not contribute to much constructive play.

The Sharks started very well and led 6-0 after just four minutes. Then the Sharks left and the Goldfish took their place to let the Canes build up a 29-9 lead. The Sharks then returned and play spectacular rugby for the last 10 or minutes and nearly pulled this one out of the fire. The end result even shocked the Sharks fans and scared the Canes supporters.

Crusaders 59 Reds 24

Dan Carter scored 22 points in this game that was controlled by the men from New Zeeland. The Reds got some consolation tried at the end to at least walk away with a bonus point, but the half time score of 35-5 tells the story.

The Crusaders are again showing that they will more than likely reach the semi-finals this year. With the star-studded backline that has players like Carter, Marshall and the very underestimated Aaron Mauger in the line-up, they only want ball. The pack has the giant Chris Jack in the engine with a lose trio that can take on any side in the world.

The Reds have always been one of the very conservative teams in the Super 12 and if it was not for a player like Chris Latham to add a spark every now and then, they would never win a game!

Chiefs 18 Blues 9

The Chiefs managed to pull off a victory that I thought would be very unlikely. It is obvious that the Blues are still not firing on all their cylinders and the try given away when Mils Mulliaina tried a long throw, supports that theory. With player like Mulliaina and the devastating Joe Rococoko in the backline and a good pack lead by Eric Rush, I expect a lot more from them.

The Chiefs are the team who has the hard grafters. They do not have the big stars, but the team is fully committed to achieve results. From the day when the flying Roger Randall were the only try scorer and the veteran Ian Jones was the sole All Black in the pack, they have been a side not to underestimate. They do, however, still remain one of the easier teams to beat in the Super 12 if you play basic constructive rugby.

That brings me back to the Blues and the man their fans lie to call King Carlos. This is a player who can have moments of brilliance and create tries out of nothing, but I do not think it is really measured against the stupid things he does on the field. Someone should sit done and really measure the two against each other and see what the true count is.

Cats 19 Waratahs 40

The Cat and Waratahs met at Ellispark o a beautiful evening. The Cats started off very well and managed to pin the Waratahs back in their half for the first 25 or so minutes. It looked like they had that same fire they had when they played the Bulls. The mountain of a prop, Os du Randt then scored a try to break the deadlock. Unfortunately for the home team, the Waratahs then “unlocked” and ran all over the Cats.

The Waratahs were sensational in the rest of the game. It started to look as if they could score whenever they wanted to and the final score of 19-40 flatters the Cats a little. Better ball handling and distribution could have given the Waratahs at least three more tries.

Something I could not understand is that every time after a Cats kickoff the Waratahs passed the ball to Berne who kicked. If he looked to his right he would have seen that they had a two man overlap and even if it was in their 22, they should have run it up a little.

For the Cats the season, which started promising, looks very bleak, but the Waratahs are going home with a full 10 points in the bag after their South African trip. They do, however, have a reputation that they will fade towards the latter part of the tournament. Time will tell if it will be so again.

Other International Rugby

The Six Nations is in full swing and on Saturday Ireland had their hopes of a first grand slam since 1848 dashed when they went down by 19-26 to the French in Dublin. England has no problems to run 39-7 over Italy. The Wales vs Ireland clash on the 19th March is going to be one not to miss.

The Final Word
is a section where I will in future give a very straight and often controversial view on a number of rugby issues. I will take on topics like:

• The best player in the world

• The man of the match award

• Referees and their impact on matches

• Ex rugby players who play analysts

• International tours

• The English bubble

• Bonus points in competitions

• Yellow and red cards in rugby

There are many more, but if there is something you would like me to add to the list, please feel free to let me know!