Ken Borland

10. Willie le Roux (Cheetahs)

The 22-year-old fullback was fearless in bringing his running game into his debut SuperRugby season, his counter-attacking skills often lifting an ailing Cheetahs team. Good in the air too and a strong kicker, his move from Boland has certainly paid off.

9. Paul Jordaan (Sharks)

The Sharks have had a motley record recently in terms of backline selection, but they recognised an exciting talent in centre/wing Jordaan, who was not even a member of their original squad. An explosive runner, the IRB Junior World Championship winner has the pace to threaten the best but also the ability to read the nuances of the game.

8. Tim Whitehead (Sharks)

The 24-year-old is in his third season of SuperRugby, but moved this year from the Stormers, who have considerable riches in midfield. The move has paid off for Whitehead, who has been a regular in the Sharks team and has stated his claim for future higher honours with commanding displays at centre, especially defensively. Well organised and strong.

7. Steven Kitshoff (Stormers)

Inexperienced and the youngest member of the Stormers squad, but charged with being the foundation of their scrum, a problem area in the past. The 20-year-old member of South Africa’s winning IRB Junior World Championship squad made life difficult for far more experienced tightheads and was also a test for defences with ball in hand.

6. Siya Kolisi (Stormers)

The 21-year-old filled in for the injured Schalk Burger so well that the Stormers hardly noticed the absence of the Springbok legend. A major defensive force, Kolisi gets himself around the park and has impressive strength.

5. JJ Engelbrecht (Bulls)

Lanky but fast with ball in hand and ferocious in defence, the former Stormer enjoyed a top-class season that brought him to the brink of a Springbok cap. Works well with the Bulls backline coach, former Springbok wing Pieter Rossouw, with whom he shares many similarities in playing style.

4. Jacques Potgieter (Bulls)

One of the Bulls’ best signings in many years, the former EP Kings loose forward delivered for his new employees with his unyielding defence and the momentum he generated with ball in hand. And he’s now a Springbok having never played SuperRugby before this year.

3. Juandre’ Kruger (Bulls)

The 26-year-old lock resurrected his career with his fiery displays in the tight and his tremendous lineout ability, both in terms of winning his own ball and disrupting the oppositions’. Seen as the potential successor to Victor Matfield, Kruger’s move from the Northampton Saints paid off with selection for the Springboks.

2. Marcell Coetzee (Sharks)

His work-rate alone pulverises the opposition and his all-action game includes efficient defence, powerful ball-carrying and the ability to play to the ball, working hard in the rucks as well. Coetzee made his SuperRugby debut last year, but this year he became a standout for the Springboks.

1. Eben Etzebeth (Stormers)

It is not often that someone as brilliant as Bakkies Botha seems to have a ready-made replacement within a year, but Etzebeth was a massive success both for the Stormers and South Africa. Over two metres tall and weighing 120kg, the 20-year-old lock makes big hits, can dominate the front of the lineout and has an unrelenting work rate.

While the Stormers or Sharks will still have to ward off a New Zealand franchise to win the 2012 SuperRugby title, it is fair to say South African teams have dominated the competition thus far.

The Stormers sit proudly on top of the standings and will host the final if they beat the Sharks, cock-a-hoop after their stunning qualifier triumph in Brisbane over the Reds, while the Bulls also finished in the top six and made the playoffs, although they then messed up in Christchurch against the Crusaders.

The Cheetahs had their best season yet in the southern hemisphere competition, winning five matches and earning 10 bonus points to finish in 10^th place.

The Lions, however, were the major disappointment again. Beset by rumours that they are going to be relegated from SuperRugby and replaced by the Eastern Cape-based Southern Kings, in financial trouble and then having to suspend coach John Mitchell because of unhappiness with his management style, they won just three games and finished last.

South Africans had approached the season with cautious optimism … and it turned out way better than expected.

The Stormers were tipped to challenge for the title, but to top the log was a massive bonus, even if there was some concern over their inability to score tries. They became the first team to qualify for the knockout stages without earning a single try-scoring bonus point, although the fact that they won 14 of their 16 matches shows tries might be over-rated in this competition.

The Sharks and Bulls both had handy line-ups, but the loss of key experience was meant to keep them from challenging.

John Smit and Stefan Terblanche had left the inconsistent Sharks, while the Bulls had said goodbye to Fourie du Preez, Victor Matfield, Danie Rossouw, Gurthro Steenkamp, Gary Botha and Derick Kuun.

The strong finishes of the Stormers, Bulls and Sharks also suggests they timed their climb to the summit better than some of their Australasian rivals in the first season of extended SuperRugby with a break for the June Tests.

South Africa are also the SuperRugby powerhouses based on attendances and TV viewership.

On any weekend, nearly 350 000 people could be expected to watch a SuperRugby match on TV, an increase of 17% on last year.

On derby days, that would increase to nearly a million – the average audience for derbies was 990 062.

The average attendance at the ground for all South African games was 26 617 but the Stormers, especially when they went on their six-match unbeaten run at the start of the season, had the best attendance figures averaging around 40 000. Compare this to the 16 000 people who watched the Crusaders beat the Bulls in such impressive fashion in their qualifier in Christchurch last weekend.

But the figures still do not match those of South Africa’s traditional domestic competition, the Currie Cup, and there is still a large school of thought that Sanzar have fabricated the current SuperRugby format in order to favour Australia.

Critics pointed to the fact that the leading Australian franchise were guaranteed at least third place on the final log as evidence and the Reds would have finished sixth had normal rules applied.

The Bulls raised their intensity in the second half to beat struggling neighbours the Lions 37-20 and qualify for the playoffs in their SuperRugby match at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

The three-time champion Bulls struggled to shake off the bottom-of-the-log Lions in the first half, which ended with the scores level 20-20, but lifted their game to score two tries in the first 10 minutes of the second half to set up victory and clinch fifth place in the final standings.

The Bulls thus became the third South African team to qualify for the playoffs, joining the first-placed Stormers and the Sharks, who were edged into sixth position by the result in the country’s capital.

“We had some great moments in the first half, but they really came at us in the scrums and we had some unforced errors which broke our rhythm,” Bulls coach Frans Ludeke told a news conference after the game.

“But we were much more clinical in the second half, we didn’t allow the Lions to get into the game.”

The Lions, with relegation from SuperRugby hanging over their heads, came out roaring for their possible last appearance, dominating the Bulls in the scrums and breaking through tackles.

But they were once again frustrated by the errors that have characterised their campaign, Bulls wing Akona Ndungane taking advantage of flatfooted passing down the backline to intercept and score the opening try in the 16th minute.

Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies kicked two penalties to keep the visitors in touch at 6-10 down until the half-hour, when their defence failed, two men going for Bulls scrumhalf Francois Hougaard as he darted from the base of a five-metre scrum, allowing wing Bjorn Basson to burst through a huge gap and score.

The Lions were trailing 6-17, but they bounced back superbly as tenacious scrumhalf Michael Bondesio ran straight through Bulls flyhalf Morne Steyn to score from a five-metre scrum and, although the visitors then presented Steyn with an easy penalty after a ruck infringement, an excellent dash down the left touchline by wing Anthony Volmink gave the Lions a lineout feed five metres from the tryline.

The Lions had struggled to secure their own lineout ball throughout the first half, but this time lock Hendrik Roodt took the ball at the front and eighthman and captain Josh Strauss was at the front of the drive over the line.

Jantjies converted the try from the touchline to draw the Lions level and leave the Bulls needing a much-improved second half to keep their campaign alive.

The Lions had an early reprieve in the second half when a Steyn penalty hit the upright, but the Bulls forwards stepped up their intensity and simply overwhelmed the Lions, who were unable to get out of their own territory for most of the second half.

Four minutes after the break, outside centre JJ Engelbrecht went on a superb, mazy run, while hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle punched the ball up well in midfield to set up a ruck, from which Hougaard broke and ran in a try from 25 metres out.

Four minutes later, the Lions were powerless to stop a succession of forward drives by the Bulls, with flank Jacques Potgieter having an easy run-in for the try.

“We need to address the first 10 minutes after half-time, last week it almost cost us the game, this week it did. It’s about concentration in defence. But up till then I was happy, especially with the forwards, the front row went very well,” Lions stand-in coach Johan Ackermann said.

Fullback Zane Kirchner, under pressure from front-rankers Martin Bezuidenhout and JC Janse van Rensburg, made a mess of dotting down for a fifth try in the 60th minute, but the Springbok then won an up-and-under to set up another penalty for Steyn that completed the scoring.

Loosehead prop Dean Greyling, who had been at the forefront of the Bulls’ driving play, was yellow-carded in the 79th minute for dangerous play, but it made no difference to the home side, who had already secured a trip to Christchurch to take on the Canterbury Crusaders, who finished fourth, in their playoff match.

Scorers

Bulls – Tries: Akona Ndungane, Bjorn Basson, Francois Hougaard, Jacques Potgieter. Conversions: Morne Steyn (4). Penalties: Steyn (3).

Lions – Tries: Michael Bondesio, Josh Strauss. Conversions: Elton Jantjies (2). Penalties: Jantjies (2).

The match was gone for the Valke by half-time as the EP Kings converted a 24-8 lead at the break into a 37-20 victory in their Absa Currie Cup First Division match at the Barnard Stadium in Kempton Park on Saturday.

The Kings led 31-8 after 55 minutes, but the Valke did get some salve for their wounded pride as they scored two late tries to add some respectability to the scoreline.

On an icy day with a strong wind, the Kings adapted well to the conditions with their pack enjoying dominance and flyhalf George Whitehead kicking well.

Whitehead kicked an early penalty for the Kings and the Valke then paid a heavy price for an injury to tighthead prop Nico Engelbrecht.

He was replaced by Hannes Ludik, who earned himself a yellow card just five minutes after his arrival, the Kings taking advantage of the extra man as wing Michael Killian powered over for the opening try.

The visitors continued to reap the rewards of laying a solid platform up front as experienced tighthead prop Clint Newland scored their second try and, four minutes before half-time, wing Jongi Nokwe was able to use his pace and an overlap to score the third try.

Whitehead converted all three of the tries to leave the EP Kings in firm control at the break, even though Valke eighthman Reg Muller rumbled over in a maul in injury time for the home side’s first try.

Newland went off early in the second half and his replacement, Lizo Gqoboka, had been in action for just over a minute when he crossed the tryline to put Eastern Province 31-8 in front after Whitehead’s conversion.

The Valke, with nothing to lose, then began to up the pace and play more expansively and, after a wonderful exchange of passes in the backline, wing John-Wessel Bell crossed for their second try.

The yellow-carding of Kings hooker Hannes Franklin in the 62nd minute helped the Valke even more and the strength of replacement eighthman Uzair Cassiem carried him over the line soon afterwards.

The conversion of the try by flyhalf Karlo Aspeling closed the gap to 20-31, but the composure of the Kings shone through and they were never in any obvious danger of losing the match.

With the benefit of territorial advantage, replacement flyhalf Wesley Dunlop was able to kick two penalties in the closing stages to seal the win and continue the unbeaten run of the EP Kings.

SCORERS

VALKE – Tries: Reg Muller, John-Wessel Bell, Uzair Cassiem. Conversion: Karlo Aspeling. Penalty: Aspeling.

EP KINGS – Tries: Michael Killian, Clint Newland, Jongikhaya Nokwe, Lizo Gqoboka. Conversions: George Whitehead (4). Penalties: Whitehead, Wesley Dunlop (2).

http://www.supersport.com/rugby/currie-cup-first-division/news/120714/Kings_ease_past_Valke