Round 6 Super 12 2005 Tips and Predictions

Hurricanes v Chiefs
After their shock loss against the Bulls, I think the Hurricanes will be ready to face the Chiefs at home. The Chiefs have not lit up the Super 12 as yet and apart from the experienced Byron Kelleher and Jonno Gibbs in the pack, I don’t think they have enough firing power for the Hurricanes. This one to the Canes by 10.

Reds v Highlanders
The Reds have so far only managed to beat the Chiefs in this year’s tournament and need a little luck to bounce their way. The Highlanders should be suffering from jet lag and have only lost the game against the Blues. I do, however, think that the Reds are going to hold on and beat the Highlanders by 5.

Blues vs. Brumbies
The Blues have not put many convincing performances together this year. I can only emphasize like I did before, that they have enough talent to beat any team on a given day. The Brumbies will be on the rebound after their disastrous match against the Sharks and is going to be very dangerous. I have a feeling that the Blues may just find out why the Brumbies are the champion side and if the jet lag is not going to catch up to the men from down under, they are going to whip the blues at home by at least 15.

Waratahs vs Crusaders
This is going to be the highlight of the weekend. The Waratahs are still unbeaten and the Crusaders have only lost one against the Brumbies. Apart from the match against the Brumbies, both the teams have won all their other matches by a margin greater than 15 points! Not a bad record! As this match up is home to the Brumbies, I should probably favour them, but I think the Crusaders is such a good side that they will win this one by 5.

Round 5 Super 12 2005 Wrap

Hurricanes 12 Stormers 9
This match had the making of one of the great running games with some of the best carriers of the ball in the two sides. What happened was something totally different and it ended up being one of the most dreadful Super 12 games I have ever seen. The 12 – 9 scoreline in favour of the Hurricanes is not a fair result as a draw would have been more justified.

The Hurricanes were woeful and the Stormers even worse. The number of handling and tactical errors in the match were unbelievable. The two backlines which promised so much before the match would have done better not to take the field. Both teams have very talented players like De Villiers, Paulse, Nonu and Gear on the wings and yet they see no ball! Makes a lot of sense!

The Hurricanes have a lot of hard work ahead, but at least they ended up the winners at home. The Stormers, well I really don’t know what they are going to do. Their stars are not performing and it may be time that the big cut is made and people who want to play the game are picked.

Cats 12 Highlanders 16
The Cats were unlucky to let this one get away at home. The Highlanders were the team to beat, but they can only blame themselves. They got enough balls to do the damage, but like all the South African sides the backline had not rhythm. They tried to score from standing starts and could not penetrate the Highlanders' defense.

The Highlanders would be very happy with the result as this gives them two wins on their SA tour, something which most of the teams have managed to do this year against the Cats and the Sharks.

The Cats had their chances to win the game in the final minutes when the ball was kicked away when they were on the attack outside the Highlanders 22 meter line. A huge tactical error which probably cost them the match.

Waratahs 42 Bulls 12
Paul Honiss is the most hated New Zealand referee after the match between the Springboks and Ireland last year, when Ireland scored a try when Honiss told John Smit to talk to the guys. He did not do anything to improve the situation this year with a very average performance with the whistle in this match. Even the commentators said at four occasions in the first half that the calls against the Bulls were a little harsh.

This does, however, not have any bearing on the final outcome of the game. The Bulls' pack, who should have dominated the Waratahs, reached a new low as they were crushed – not by the Waratahs pack – but by their own pathetic play. They did not have any momentum and have serious issues as they did not even manage to secure their own line out ball. With a tower like Victor Matfield in the line out, there is no reason you should ever loose a line out. The Bulls managed to lose two within the first minute and a half into the game.

The Waratahs did not have a performance to remember either and although they won comfortably, they cannot be too happy with their performance, especially in the first half. They do however seem to be maintaining the momentum and is still unbeaten in the Super 12 this year.

The Bulls, well their hopes are fading fast. They now have four home games and will definitely try and salvage some pride at home.

In 1997 Matthew Burke set a Waratahs record by scoring 33 points against Northern Transvaal in the Aussie Stadium. On Saturday it was the turn of the stand-in fullback, Peter Hewat, to set a new record by scoring 34 points. It once again took place in the Aussie stadium and also against the Bulls, which were created in the place of the old Northern Transvaal. By this performance, Peter Hewat has probably ensured that he will no longer be a stand-in for the magical Mat Rogers, but someone who will be given a place somewhere – more than likely on the wing. The fortunes have sure changed for the man who was on his way to France, until he was given a contract – as a bit of an after thought – by NSW.

Sharks 36 Brumbies 24
You fire your coach two days before the game and have a number of players that are totally out of form, yet the Sharks managed to protect the only record they probably hold in the Super 12 – not to have ever lost against the Brumbies at home.

I shall be brutally honest. I made the call in the tipping that the Brumbies would win this by 20. That was even before they fired Kevin Putt! I do have a lot of respect for Dick Muir as a player, but as a coach he still has many miles to travel.

What we saw on Saturday was one of two things. Either a massive flash in the pan or on of the most remarkable turnarounds I have ever seen. The Sharks never had a chance before the match and yet they came out with a new sense of purpose and blew the Brumbies off the field. Face it, of the 24 points the Brumbies scored more than half of it were from two very soft tries. Two tries they only scored because they are the Brumbies and that you should never relax your guard against them.

The hero of the day was the son of the former Bok fullback, Gysie Pienaar. His son Ruan showed some promise as an understudy for the Cats’ Paul Delport in the SA under 19 squad, but now moved out of that shadow with a faultless performance. I hope that he can maintain the momentum for the Sharks. It is always nice to see new talent on the horizon.

At the end of the day the Brumbies hit their first loss of the season and the rest of the teams who have not yet played the Sharks, are shivering in anticipation to see if the Sharks are going to repeat the performance.

General Super 12 comments
Ali Williams did some ballet on a player's head and got a suspension for it. In a number of matched there were some severe and less severe high tackles. There was also a punch or two thrown which did not seem to be picked up by the officials.

The one thing I cannot understand is that player still makes these types of mistakes in this professional era. I can understand that it was done in the amateur era when, but when there are the huge sums of money at stake – as we currently have in rugby, what will cause anyone to risk that by one silly mistake? Is it really a case that all rugby players are just plain stupid – as many of the fairer sex have claimed over the years? I personally will not go with the latter statement, but have unfortunately no other explanation for it. As an ex player myself, I will just argue against the stupidity charge on principle!

Other Rugby
Congratulations to Fiji for winning the sevens world cup. It would have been nice to see sevens as a serious sport in some of thet bigger rugby nations and have the likes of Joe Rokocoko, Loti Tiquiri, Brent Russell, Tana Umaga, Matt Rogers, Schalk Burger, etc. at the sevens World Cup.

The Final Word
One of the modern day features of a match is the awarding of the man of the match award after the completion of a match. It is a nice gesture, but is something that is ridiculous as it its solely based on the perception of a person. In many occasions there is a financial reward included in the awarding of the man of the match title. What you often find is that when the adjudicator is a forward, the award goes to a forward and when it is a back, the award will go to a backline player.

The biggest problem I have is that we award it to the person who is seen the most by the public and more than often not the person who had a real impact on the game. The chance that the open side flanker will get the award is probably 80% better than the blind side flanker getting it. This although the blind side flanker will make 20 great tackles and for the heart of all the tight play. We so often see – without mentioning names – hookers getting the award because they run around like loose forwards and score a try or two. It is forgotten that in the same match he missed his jumpers four times in the lineout and dropped a tight head. That is what he was selected for in the first place - to perform his basic duties and to do his work in the tight phases. He did not do any of that and gets a man of the match award for it!

What are the chances that a prop that destroys his opposition and ensures that they consistently get bad ball will get awarded man of the match? I can tell you that the answer is zero!

I know that we like to give all types of awards and that it is nice for the public to see someone get this type of recognition, I have to query the fairness of the award and can dig out many examples where people got rewarded for doing something that looked nice as opposed to something that really made a difference in the match.

What do you think?

Futures topics:

• The best player in the world

• The man of the match award

• If you want a short term job, become a coach in SA!

• 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

• The format of the Rugby World Cup and spreading of the game

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!

Tips & Predictions for round 5 Super 12 2005

Hurricanes v Stormers
The Hurricanes should have dropped off the jet lag by this weekend and after the dismal performance by the Stormers, the Canes must be the favorites to take this one. We all know that the Stormers can be very dangerous and as this is their last game on this trip, they may just get themselves right. I do however not see it happening and baring the fact that the Stormers may blow hot and the Hurricanes style of play suit them, I shall give this to the Hurricanes by 5.

Cats v Highlanders
The Cats gave their best performance of the season against the Brumbies and I think this may be their day. I still am not convinced that the Highlanders are a real contender for the ultimate title and think that their wins against the Bulls and the Sharks have been rather due to the poor form of the opposition that good form by them. The Cats have a talented side and may just be over their initial problems. I give this one to the Cats by 10.

Waratahs v Bulls
The Bulls may just pull off another surprise on their tour. If the mighty pack can dominate the Waratahs, the result may just go their way. The Tahs are however a good side at home this year and have won their two home games by 18 and 17 respectively. I think they will keep the Bulls out, but only by about 3.

Sharks v Brumbies
This is a slaughter waiting to happen. The Brumbies are the top side and if they fire on all their cylinders, this could have them win in an empty stadium in Durban. The fans are so frustrated with the home team and the fact that the expected result may be big against them, may just keep the people away from the game. I give this one to the Brumbies by 20.

Round 3 Super 12 2005 Wrap

Chiefs 6 Reds 20

The weekend started with a shock when the first of the upsets took place in the day of the weekend. The Reds, managed to ease out the Chiefs at home. I must admit that I never saw this one coming. I really did not think that the Reds had the ability to beat the Chiefs at home.

This was the first time since 1999 that the Reds managed to pull off a victory in Hamilton!

Hurricanes 12 Bulls 21

This must the biggest shock of all. We have all known that the fire power does exist in the Bulls to beat a number of teams, but the way that they have performed up to know has been woeful.

The Hurricanes looked like a team that was out before they started and that can be attributed to the terrible jet lag you get from flying against the clock – something I hinted to in the tips for the weekend. I did, however, never expected them to drop out this badly.

The Bulls recorded their first win of the year and the Hurricanes their first loss. The Hurricanes should bounce back quickly from this loss and the Bulls have posed a warning that they may not be a pushover for teams visiting South Africa.

Blues 19 Crusaders 41

As predicted, the Crusaders were far too strong for the Blues. The Crusaders have a very nicely polished outfit and is without any doubt still the pacesetters in the competition with the Brumbies.

Dan Carter had another blinder and has proven how dangerous he can be. Aaron Mauger also showed that the All Black selectors must not forget him as he had the Blues grabbing in the air.

The final results is actually not a true reflection of the game as the Blues got three soft tries closer to the end of the game, after the Crusaders had wrapped it up already. The half time score of 34-0 shows how the Crusaders dominated the play.

Waratahs 25 Stormers 10

The Waratahs came home after the long flight from SA and did not show the after effects from the trip. This was only due to the fact that the Stormers were very bad.

This was the one game that the Stormers could have won. They had all the bullets in their arsenal to beat the Waratahs on any day, but losing eight on nine lineouts on your own throw is just part of the problem. This lineout problem was there last year and is again there this year. The coaching staff/selectors do not seem to learn from their mistakes. The question must surely be posed as to how long will Peter Dixon still have to throw in so badly when you have the Springbok reserve hooker, Hanyane Shimange on the bench? Their magnificent backline cannot operate without the ball. More questions can be asked about the resting of Breyton Paulse. There is a screw loose somewhere.

The Waratahs took their chances and they would be happy with the result after a week of turmoil through the withdrawal of Justin Harrison after some racial slurs against the Cats. They were ready for the picking and the Stormers were not able to capitalize against a “wounded” team.

Morgan Turinui made the Springbok centre pairing look like amateurs in the midfield and the misunderstanding between Barry and Joubert to let Morgan score a great try, does not reflect that this combination has played together since high school. It looked like their first outing together!

Cats 29 Brumbies 34

The Brumbies continued on their winning streak and managed to hold off a big effort by the Cats. It was the brilliant return of matt Giteau that made it possible. He was dearly missed in the Brumbies backline and he could not have returned at a better time when Stephen Larkham had to withdraw after an operation to remove a malignant growth.

The Brumbies dominated most of the play in the first half and would have lead even further if it was not for solid defense by the Cats. The introduction of Jacques Fourie in the Cats midfield in the place of the struggling Jorrie Muller made a big difference.

At the end of the day, the Cats can count themselves unlucky not to win as they let a number of opportunities slip, but the Brumbies did what we expected them to do – win another game in the Super 12. A great result for a wonderful team. They have created a love-hate relationship in SA as the SA public hates it when their teams play the Brumbies, but their style of play is always attractive and an example too many others in the competition. Like I said before, I cannot see them being stopped on their way to the final. The only team that has any chance to match them at this stage is the Crusaders.

Sharks 7 Highlanders 43

The Sharks gave their worst performance of the season against the Highlanders. I expected a lot more from the men in Durban, especially after the previous weekend when there were flashes of their form returning. They did however not manage to do so and was destroyed by a very mediocre Highlanders team.

Ben Blair showed good form in knocking the Shark over early with two of his hat-trick of tries and showed overall that he is a much underestimated rugby player. Paul Miller lead the pack from the front and lead the pack is the demolishment of the Goldfish – eh, Sharks.

This gave the Sharks their third home defeat on the trot and it looks like it may take a big effort from any other team to keep the Sharks out of the last place in the 2005 Super 12 log!

General Super 12 comments

We had and unfortunate incident this past week where first Nathan Grey and was accused of racial slurring, but later admitted by Justin Harrison. This is part of the world phenomenon called “sledging” and has always been very controversial in sport. The problem with this last incident is that it referred in a derogatory way to a player of colour. Something that the world is over-sensitized with at the moment. You can basically call someone anything you like, as long as it does not have any reference to the colour of the person.

The incident that took place is unfortunate and I personally think blown totally out of proportion, but in today’s society public figures, like professional sportsman, must realize the sensitivity around it and take care not to fall into an old trap.

Comments like the ones that Mark Ella made that he did not mind when people called him racial names. It may be true, but that is unfortunately not the way to go Mark. Those kind of statements only fuel the type of behaviour and you must also remember you were in a totally different era.

I feel sorry for Justin and hope that he does not get a too harsh sentence for his mistake. I just hope that the rest of the teams all learn from this mistake.

On a lighter note, the confusion between who actually said what had Nathan Grey initially accused of making the comments. A reported noted that it was now obvious why the Cats are struggling in the tournament; they do not know the difference between Harrison and Grey – or put differently, the difference between the locks and the centres. No wonder their game plan seemed cock-eyed against the Waratahs!

Other Rugby

Wales grabbed their first grand slam in 27 years when they beat the Irish by 32 – 20 in the Millennium stadium. The Welsh were brilliant and deserved their success to become the Six Nations champions. This was their first title since 1994 and they seem to have the makings of a very good side in future. Maybe this was the first steps towards the glory days in the seventies when they destroyed all opposition. The re-emergence of Welsh rugby started last year when they had good results against both the All Blacks and the Springboks.

The Final Word

The concept of the best player in the world is asked often and is a difficult one to answer. The question must be posed as too how do you qualify someone as the best player as it is difficult to measure the impact of a prop in the scum to flyhalf. who has a lot mere visible play. The prop can therefore be very solid in the scrum and do all the hard work, but will never catch the headlines like the flyhalf.

I intend to look at the best players on the following basis. There are a number of people who make an impact on the game and who is missed when they are not playing. Think in the past of players like the legendary Gareth Edwards; Phil Bennett; JPR Williams; Serge Blanco; Jo Maso; the Spangero brothers; Sean Fitzpatrick; Zinzan Brooke; Colin Meads; Michael Linagh; Tim Horan; John Eales; Frik du Preez; Danie Gerber; Naas Botha and Joost vd Westhuizen – just to name a few.

In the modern game, we also have a number of players who are starting to make that impact on the game. Within the Tri Nations I can think of a few, e.g. Schalk Burger; De Wet Barry; Jean de Villiers; George Gregan; Matt Gitau; Stephen Larkim; George Smith; Daniel Carter; Justin Marshall; Joe Rokocoko; Richie Macaw; Chris Jack.

If I have to make a decision of whom I regard as the current best player in the world, I have to go with one of the most devastating players on attack that can create tries out of any situation. That is the captain of Ireland, Brian O’ Driscoll. O’ Driscoll has been the top centre in the world for a number of seasons and although he also makes his mistakes, I would much rather have him in my team than play against him. He is very talented and can step off both feet and makes a major difference to the Irish team when he is not playing. Can you imagine if we could have had O’ Driscoll playing behind The All Black, Aussie, Springbok or England pack at their best? He would have destroyed any opposition and set a number of records in his career.

Any other ideas?

Futures topics:

• 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!

Super 12 Rugby Round 4 tips

This coming weekend see some interesting clashes. Look out for the Stormers against the Waratahs and the Sharks against the Highlanders for the better games to look at this weekend.

Chiefs v Reds
The Chiefs have the home advantage and after they scraped home against the Blues in their first home game, I must favor them to beat the Reds. None of these teams have been very good away from home – both went down in the fifties against the Crusaders and both had close games against the Blues. It should therefore be very close and I think that the home ground advantage in Hamilton will give it to the Chiefs by 3.

Hurricanes v Bulls
If the jet lag is not too bad, I cannot see the Hurricanes have much of a problem here. The only think that can help the Bulls is the fact that the Canes had to take the dreaded flight against the clock (100 times worse than flying with the clock). That may make the score closer, but listening to the problems that the Bulls have in their camp and the non commitment from their senior player, the Canes should still win this one. If it was a week later, I would have said the Hurricanes by 20, but as the flight is going to be a leveler, I reckon it will only be by 10.

Blues v Crusaders
The Blues battled to beat the Reds at home and lost their last game against the Chief in Hamilton. The Crusaders are on a roll and has won both their home games by recording half centuries and lost away form home against the Brumbies (not a sin is it?). I think the men in black in red are going to whip the Blues in their backyard and take this one by 20 points. We all know that the Blues can be devastating when firing on all cylinders, but they need a miracle to give them a chance in this one.

Waratahs v Stormers
The Waratahs are going to struggle with jet lag and also a very good outfit in the Stormers. The Stormers have lost two on the road so far, but is has been closely contested matches. They would have settled down by now and have enough to beat the Waratahs. The gap left by the injury to Mat Rogers will not be filled in a tight game. The Stormers can win this one by 9.

Cats v Brumbies
I am afraid that the Cats have had two big losses at home and I think this one will be their third. They were only impressive in the match against the Bulls and 20 minutes against the Waratahs. The Brumbies is still injury ridden, but have proved that they are an exceptional side. They have won three games at home without some of their stars and this one should be one of the easier ones. Baring a miracle for the Cats, George and his team should walk off the field with at least a 20 point margin. If Clyde Rathbone is also going to walk off is another question…..

Sharks v Highlanders
This could be one of the matches of the weekend. None of these teams have lit up the world so far and the Highlanders have only one victory and one draw after their three home games. The Sharks are one of the disappointments of the 2005 Super 12 after loosing three on the trot. They did however show a lot of promise in their last outing against the Hurricanes and if they pull it together, the Highlanders can find the going tough in the Shark tank. I am going to go with The Sharks to take this one by 10!

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!

Welcome

Welcome to my corner, written all the way in Pretoria, South Africa. I am going to give you my opinioned impressions on rugby. If you want to give me yours, either enter them as comments or email me personally at hansie@cup-rugby.com