Ken Borland

The teams that supposedly did not have a prayer in SuperRugby this year were the most impressive South African sides in a rather depressing seventh round over the weekend.

While the Cheetahs claimed their fourth successive victory and climbed into the playoff places with their comprehensive victory over the Melbourne Rebels, and the Southern Kings once again shone in defeat, both the Bulls and Stormers paid the fee for terrible set-pieces and slumped to defeat against the Brumbies and the Crusaders respectively.

The Cheetahs are really beginning to bloom and their 34-16 win over the Rebels featured five tries, all scored by backline players – fullback Hennie Daniller, left wing Raymond Rhule, right wing Willie le Roux, outside centre Johann Sadie and replacement wing Rayno Benjamin.

The Rebels were far stronger opposition than they were last weekend against the Sharks and, apart from the manner in which the Cheetahs put them away in the second half, the other impressive feature of their victory was that they had just arrived from overseas.

“The guys had jet lag and we needed to start fresh after our success overseas, so I would have been happy with just the victory,” coach Naka Drotske said.

The Cheetahs started the match energetically enough, going 3-0 up inside the first 10 minutes, but they then fell asleep and allowed the Rebels to dictate terms and take a 6-3 lead before the last 10 minutes of the first half, when Le Roux’s exquisitely-timed pass allowed Sadie to burst through a gap and put Daniller away for the try.

The Cheetahs had spurned two clear try-scoring chances a few minutes earlier, so it was necessary for them to really switch on in the second half.

They did that and the backline were superb – Le Roux, inside centre Robert Ebersohn, Sadie and Rhule looked lethal every time they had the ball. Credit should also go to Burton Francis, the Cheetahs’ third-choice flyhalf, who gave a polished all-round display despite being rushed into the pivot position when Riaan Smit tore his hamstring while kicking before the match.

Amongst the forwards, the scrum finished strongly, hooker Adriaan Strauss had some inspirational moments and Coenie Oosthuizen was practically impossible to stop on the advantage line. Lock Lood de Jager made a few mistakes, but he had presence, while loose forward Lappies Labuschagne was once again hugely impressive.

Le Roux said after the game that he loved playing in a Cheetahs team “that has no structure”, at the same time having a dig at the structure of the Bulls and Stormers, but for all his wonderful skills with ball-in-hand, the 23-year-old from the Western Cape is clearly not gifted with the most astute tactical brain.

Rugby becomes a very difficult game to play successfully without any structure (who’s going to attend the breakdown for instance?) and the Cheetahs’ four-match winning streak – equalling their best ever in 2011 – has more to do with the huge improvement in their defensive structure than their willingness to run from anywhere.

Of course, Le Roux is at his best when the game becomes open and unstructured and the Cheetahs are certainly masters at playing ad lib, while the Bulls and Stormers can become stifled by their own precise planning.

While structure has become the watchword of modern rugby, ensuring you have a solid scrum and lineout has been law since those set-pieces were introduced.

Sadly, both the Bulls and Stormers seem to have ignored the importance of those facets and, as a result, slumped into even more trouble in the competition as they both suffered their third defeats.

The Stormers were 11-0 up after 23 minutes of their crunch clash with the Crusaders at Newlands, but could score just three more points in the next hour as they were beaten 19-14.

The Crusaders, despite missing Dan Carter, Kieran Read and Richie McCaw, losing Israel Dagg on the day of the game and Owen Franks and Johnny McNicholl early in the match, played with more precision and brought more ferocity to the breakdowns than the Newlands faithful have seen all season. Young Tyler Bleyendaal stepped into Carter’s considerable boots at flyhalf more than adequately and dictated the flow of the game as he comprehensively won the territorial battle.

But more than anything else, the Stormers were condemned by their awful lineout. Retreaded flank Deon Fourie’s throwing has always been dodgy but questions also have to be asked of Andries Bekker, who was comprehensively outplayed by the brilliant Sam Whitelock, but continued to call lineout throws to himself when he was heavily marked.

Stormers coach Allister Coetzee also owes flyhalf Elton Jantjies a bit more faith. The Lions recruit was sublime last week in the victory over the Brumbies; against the Crusaders he looked a bit-player as Joe Pietersen was given the goalkicking duties and Jantjies was very seldom used as the first receiver. Unsurprisingly, he lacked confidence and was replaced midway through the second half.

Jake White is as sly a coach as you get but his Brumbies were disappointing in beating the Bulls 23-20 in Canberra, needing a controversial penalty after the hooter to beat a visiting side who were horribly mediocre themselves.

The Bulls had been typically reliant on kicking for position, but did so poorly, the Brumbies beating them at their own game. When the tourists did go wide with ball-in-hand, they had been physically dominated by the imposing Brumbies trio of wings Henry Speight and Jo Tomane and outside centre Tevita Kuridrani, leading to turnovers.

But, most importantly, the Bulls scrum had been an absolute disaster, conceding a string of penalties and ultimately a yellow card to loosehead prop Morné Mellett for repeated infringements.

Having reported on many Tests during White’s tenure with the Springboks when they failed to dominate seemingly “weak” Australian scrums, it was ironic to see a Brumbies pack shoving a Blue Bulls scrum all over the place. But White has always been a student of the game and is strong on traditional values like building a solid scrum around a powerful tighthead prop (Dan Palmer in this case).

But even though they had such a good platform, the Brumbies struggled to put the Bulls away and were clearly not on top of their game, perhaps due to the burden of travelling back from South Africa.

And it almost cost them as, on the stroke of full-time, lock Juandré Kruger ripped the ball off the Brumbies and fed replacement prop Frik Kirsten, who burst clear before outside centre JJ Engelbrecht sped away for the try. Flyhalf Morné Steyn was practically on the touchline as he provided the conversion that brought the Bulls back on to level terms (20-20).

Sadly for the Bulls, they then tried to run from the kick-off, Arno Botha taking the ball up and being penalised for holding on, even though Brumbies scrumhalf Nic White was clearly not on his feet as he played the ball at the ruck.

The slick Christian Lealiifano stepped up and kicked the penalty and there was little doubt the Brumbies deserved the win marginally more than the Bulls.

The Kings went down 46-30 to the Hurricanes in Wellington but there continues to be improvement in the rookies’ game.

There can be few more threatening attacking sides than the Hurricanes and the Kings were better in defence even though they conceded six tries.

There were three tries for the Kings and, in the third quarter, there were moments when the Eastern Cape side looked capable of winning as they closed the gap to 23-29 and had the Hurricanes under pressure in their own half.

 http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2013-04-02-superrugby-wrap-cheetahs-stretch-winning-run/#.VGX0rfmUde8

The Stormers have the chance to re-establish themselves as strong SuperRugby contenders on Saturday when they take on the mighty Crusaders at Newlands.

The Stormers made a poor start to the competition when they lost to the Bulls and the Sharks on successive weekends, leaving them with plenty of ground to catch up in the all-important South African Conference.
And they did that by beating last year’s champions, the Chiefs, and this year’s pace-setters, the Brumbies.

They now come up against the most successful side in SuperRugby history, the seven-time champion Crusaders and they will want to build on the momentum gained by their superb showing against the Brumbies by beating one of the New Zealand kingpins and really laying down a marker for the rest of the competition.

The Crusaders will also want to build on recent momentum as they too lost their two opening games before returning to form over the last fortnight with crunching wins over the Bulls and Southern Kings.
There is no doubt the Stormers are going to have to be on top of their game again this weekend.

The suspension of Steven Kitshoff for a dangerous tackle and the injury to hooker Tiaan Liebenberg means Pat Cilliers and Deon Fourie will have to team up with the impressive Frans Malherbe in matching a formidable Crusaders scrum.

The Crusaders will look to their mighty pack to provide the front-foot ball that allows such impressive athletes as Israel Dagg, Robbie Fruean, Zac Guildford, Tom Marshall and Ryan Crotty to run wild.

But the New Zealand powerhouses are also under pressure to find capable cover for injured loose forward stars Richie McCaw and Kieran Read, while ace flyhalf Dan Carter is also not on tour, having stayed in Christchurch for the birth of his first child.

For the Stormers, it’s bad enough that they’ve lost two-thirds of their front row, but it could have been even worse, with Gio Aplon, arguably their greatest attacking force, doubtful for the game after the terrible blow to the head he received in trying to tackle Brumbies man-mountain Fotu Auelua.

Aplon has been named in the starting line-up, a credit to the Hawston dynamo’s toughness, but it remains to be seen whether he will actually run out on to the field on Saturday.

The Stormers were up to the physical challenge last weekend, but the Crusaders are likely to ask different defensive questions and Allister Coetzee’s men will be looking to raise their game by another notch.

The vanquished Brumbies will have to pick themselves up from their Newlands let-down, as well as cope with the long-haul flight back to Australia, as they come up against the Bulls in Canberra on Saturday.

The Bulls, after successive losses to the Crusaders and Reds, have made a significant change in midfield with last year’s IRB Junior Player of the Year, Jan Serfontein, getting his first start having proven his ability to make the step up with two impressive cameos off the bench.

The selection of Francois Venter, who had just flown over from South Africa, ahead of Serfontein for last weekend’s match against the Reds raised eyebrows and Bulls coach Frans Ludeke has made more changes to a backline that is obviously misfiring.

Morné Steyn returns at flyhalf after the one-match experiment of playing young Louis Fouché there, while Jurgen Visser replaces Bjorn Basson on the left wing.

The selection of Lionel Mapoe on the right wing and JJ Engelbrecht at outside centre, and not the other way around, is also baffling the minds of many Bulls supporters.

Even more extraordinary is the selection of flank Deon Stegmann after team doctor Org Strauss stated earlier in the week that the openside flank would be out for between five to 10 days with a sprained ankle.
Coming after the messy Francois Hougaard situation – the scrumhalf being chosen on the bench with an injury and being unable to play – it all points to the Bulls being in a state of some disrepair.

The Southern Kings are the other South African team playing abroad this weekend and information from Wellington suggests they will face a Hurricanes side strengthened by the return of fullback André Taylor, flank Ardie Savea, hooker Dane Coles and prop Jeffery Toomaga-Allen.

The Hurricanes are certainly not the Crusaders, however, and the Kings’ second tour match could be billed as one they might target for their first away victory.

But to do that, the Kings will have to be much more intense in defence. They gave the Crusaders way too much space and too much latitude at the breakdowns, and the Hurricanes backline is one of the most dangerous in the competition.

The Hurricanes’ halfback pairing of TJ Perenara and Beauden Barrett is among the most highly-rated in the competition, while there is the tremendous danger of Julian Savea lurking on the wing and the steady, skilful hand of Conrad Smith in midfield.

The high-flying Cheetahs have completed the overseas portion of their campaign and the mood will be buoyant in Bloemfontein as they take on the Rebels on the back of an unprecedented three successive wins on tour.

Coach Naka Drotske is hoping his team will show the same composure and tenacity at home as they did in Invercargill, Sydney and Perth.

There certainly seems to be a new maturity in the side because this season their response to being under pressure has been to tighten up in defence and not give the game away, unlike in previous years when they became the most prolific gatherers of losing bonus points the competition has ever seen.

The Rebels have to bounce back from an awful mauling at the hands of the Sharks in Durban and coach Damian Hill’s decision to send both Kurtley Beale and Cooper Vuna home after their fist-fight on the team bus.

Hill also has to find a way to fix the problems in his team that caused 19 turnovers and 31 missed tackles in the 64-7 hammering at Kings Park.

Drotske will be looking to a resurgent Heinrich Brüssow to keep the pressure on the Rebels at the breakdowns, while the other rangy loose forwards, Phillip van der Walt and Lappies Labuschagne, and backline stars Willie le Roux, Raymond Rhule and Sarel Pretorius will be looking to stretch the Rebels defence in the same fashion as the Sharks did.

The three weekend fixtures not involving South African teams see the embattled Highlanders hosting the Reds, the Blues looking to regain their form as they visit the high-flying Chiefs and an Australian derby between the Waratahs and the Force.

Teams

Bulls (v Brumbies, 10:40): Zane Kirchner, Lionel Mapoe, JJ Engelbrecht, Jan Serfontein, Jurgen Visser, Morné Steyn, Jano Vermaak, Pierre Spies, Dewald Potgieter, Deon Stegmann, Juandré Kruger, Paul Willemse, Werner Kruger, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Morné Mellett. Replacements: Willie Wepener, Frik Kirsten, Wilhelm Steenkamp, Arno Botha, Ruan Snyman, Louis Fouché, Francois Venter.

Cheetahs (v Rebels, 17:05): Hennie Daniller, Willie le Roux, Johann Sadie, Robert Ebersohn, Raymond Rhule, Riaan Smit, Sarel Pretorius, Phillip van der Walt, Lappies Labuschagne, Heinrich Brüssow, Francois Uys, Lood de Jager, Lourens Adriaanse, Adriaan Strauss, Trevor Nyakane. Replacements: Ryno Barnes, Coenie Oosthuisen, Rynhard Landman, Boom Prinsloo, Piet van Zyl, Burton Francis, Ryno Benjamin.

Stormers (v Crusaders, 19:10): Joe Pietersen, Gio Aplon, Juan de Jongh, Jean de Villiers, Gerhard van den Heever, Elton Jantjies, Dewaldt Duvenage, Duane Vermeulen, Rynhardt Elstadt, Siya Kolisi, Andries Bekker, De Kock Steenkamp, Frans Malherbe, Deon Fourie, Pat Cilliers. Replacements: Martin Bezuidenhout, Brok Harris, Don Armand, Nizaam Carr, Nic Groom, Damian de Allende, Jaco Taute.
* The Southern Kings team to play the Hurricanes at 5:35 was not available by deadline.

*Congratulations to Cyprus, who beat Bulgaria 79-10 to notch their 18th successive win and thus break the world record. Rennos Ioannides scored four tries as the Moufflons went past the previous mark of 17 wins set by New Zealand (1965-69), South Africa (1997-98) and Lithuania (2006-10). Lithuania recently had two other wins removed because they were in friendly matches.

Cyprus is also rumoured to be engaging the services of former Ireland and US Eagles coach Eddie O’Sullivan as a consultant.

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The Stormers are not going to relinquish the South African Conference title without a fight judging by their brilliant 35-22 victory over the previously-unbeaten Brumbies at Newlands in the pick of the weekend’s SuperRugby action.

Although the Stormers are currently lying third in the conference standings, they are just three points behind the first-placed Sharks.

The Sharks have gone to the top of the conference after a thumping 64-7 win over the Rebels in Durban, but not too much should be read into that because the Melburnians were desperately poor and unable to secure much first-phase possession.

The Stormers, in contrast, were up against the competition-leading team who had dismantled the Sharks so impressively the weekend before. But this time the Brumbies were not able to physically dominate the opposition and, with the superb Stormers’ pack matching them in the collisions, the Australians were always chasing the game.

Brumbies coach Jake White perhaps divulged too much during the week when he expressed his confidence that his side could physically dominate the Stormers as well; if nothing else, it fired up the home side and the likes of Andries Bekker, Duane Vermeulen, Siya Kolisi and De Kock Steenkamp came out in a ferocious mood.

And the Stormers’ backs were no less impressive.

Current Springbok captain Jean de Villiers produced an inspirational performance at inside centre, while Gio Aplon was electrifying on attack. Elton Jantjies may not be the incumbent Springbok flyhalf, but on Saturday night’s showing he might just be the form number 10 in the country as he pulled the strings beautifully for the Stormers’ backline, showing wonderful vision, skill and awareness.

But the premier reason why the Brumbies’ four-match unbeaten run was finally ended was their failure to get forward momentum and Bekker was immense and prominent all over the field in ensuring the Stormers had the front-foot ball. South Africa’s best number 5 lock left many bemoaning the fact he is off to Japan at the end of the competition and will probably not be available for the Springboks.

In Durban, the Rebels made a tasty meal for the Sharks as the home side made up for their anonymous display against the Brumbies with a record 10-try feast.

Such was the dominance and vigour of the Sharks’ tight five that the Rebels were made to look rather foolish, conceding a couple of tightheads, making no impression in the lineouts and comprehensively losing the crucial battle of the gain-line.

Hooker Kyle Cooper, who is rapidly becoming a cult figure at Kings Park, gave another livewire display and scored a memorable try from 20m out, while 20-year-old Pieter-Steph du Toit looks a top-class prospect.

A thoroughly dominant scrum gave a rampaging loose trio a wonderful base to launch from and Keegan Daniel, Ryan Kankowski and Jacques Botes produced a marvellous display of support play and skilful attack.

Coach John Plumtree’s changes obviously sparked a more enthusiastic display from the Sharks and the Kings Park hierarchy will be delighted that members of the younger generation like Cooper, Wiehahn Herbst, Du Toit, Cobus Reinach, Pat Lambie and Paul Jordaan are making such progress.

But veterans such as Meyer Bosman, a sly old hand at inside centre, Tendai Mtawarira, the cornerstone of their pack, Franco van der Merwe, the leader of the lineout, their loose trio, and exciting backs Louis Ludik, Lwazi Mvovo and JP Pietersen are also still making vital contributions.

The other South African winners over the weekend were the Cheetahs, who completed their most successful tour ever with their third victory, 19-10 over the Western Force in Perth.

Apart from getting themselves in trouble by exorbitantly trying to run the ball from their own 22 on a couple of occasions, the Cheetahs were impressive, especially in defence.

Their attempt in the 27^th minute to run the ball out of their own 22, having held the Force scoreless until then, was particularly expensive as a flustered Raymond Rhule passed the ball into a Force player, the visitors regained possession and quickly spread the ball wide for Winston Stanley to dive over in the corner for their only try.

It gave the Force the lead and they held it until the last 10 minutes when the Cheetahs showed the character and new maturity that had been missing in the last couple of seasons when they went down to numerous narrow defeats.

Riaan Smit, the replacement for the injured Johan Goosen in the number 10 jersey, then kicked a couple of penalties and then made the crunching tackle that dislodged the ball as the Force desperately attacked in the closing minutes. The loose ball was hacked ahead and right wing Willie le Roux, a conspicuous absentee from Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer’s plans thus far, was on hand to claim the match-winning try.

Another Cheetah who has been given short shrift by Meyer – openside flank Heinrich Brüssow – returned to the starting line-up and had a huge impact, especially at the breakdowns.

Bulls coach Frans Ludeke’s controversial selection backfired as the Bulls slumped to a 23-18 defeat at the hands of the Reds in Brisbane.

The introduction of some fresh faces up front, especially the return of Dewald Potgieter to the loose trio, certainly added some extra intensity to the Bulls’ early efforts, but the backline defence and the poor game plan gave little protection when the Reds’ elusive backs began stepping and weaving.

The Reds’ kickers did not pose any such threat and the Bulls could easily have won this game had they stuck to kicking the home side into the corners and pressurising their lineout.

But a flatfooted, often porous defence did not put any pressure on the Reds’ ball-carriers and, just to add to the growing sense of frustration, referee James Leckie did not officiate with any consistency either.

The one area where Leckie was consistent was in the yellow-carding of Jono Lance and Lionel Mapoe for tip-tackles. According to the details of the law, the decisions were correct because both Lance and Mapoe lifted their opponents’ legs beyond the horizontal. But neither tackle had any malicious intent whatsoever and Mapoe was particularly unfortunate because, in his case, prop James Slipper was actually leaping upwards anyway to evade the tackle.

The current rule on tip-tackles is ridiculous because it is open to exploitation by the ball-carrier and, if the IRB law-makers had any feel for the game, they would amend it. Reinach was the third unfortunate casualty of the nonsense law during the Sharks game.

Just to show how easily the Bulls could have won the game, outside centre JJ Engelbrecht came within inches of scoring a match-winning try after the hooter, but had just stepped on the touchline.

The Southern Kings were the least surprising South African losers of the weekend, going down 55-20 to the seven-time champion Crusaders in Christchurch. The Kings actually scored first with a first-minute penalty by Demetri Catrakilis, but the Crusaders replied with two tries in the opening 15 minutes as the rookies seemed overawed by playing in Christchurch, away from home for the first time.

The in-your-face defence that characterised their previous games was strangely absent and they were soundly dominated in the rucks, again not committing enough players.

Flank Wimpie van der Walt did drive over for a try in the dying moments of the first half, but the Crusaders went into the break 31-13 in front.

The nerves obviously settled a bit in the second half and the Kings gave a better account of themselves, even though there was still some hesitancy in defence. Fullback George Whitehead capped an impressive game as he rounded off a great try in the closing moments, but the Kings now know that being on the road in Australasia is not a cosy experience for greenhorns.

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The Stormers return to SuperRugby action at Newlands on Saturday with a crunch match against a top-class Brumbies side enjoying a four-game unbeaten run.

A compelling victory over the Sharks last weekend in Durban has ensured that the pressure is not on the Brumbies in Cape Town – a venue they have also enjoyed impressive success at – but on a Stormers side that is painfully aware that a defeat will leave them with a dismal record of just one win in four matches, and a game against the Crusaders to follow.

The Brumbies have stated in no uncertain terms that they see the collisions as the key battle on Saturday and it just happens to be the area where they most comprehensively outplayed the Sharks last weekend.

It’s no secret that the Stormers regard the Sharks as the most physical challenge they face in this competition, so they have certainly taken notice of last weekend and coach Allister Coetzee was happy to concede that the Australians will be favourites at Newlands.

“I can’t remember when last I saw a Sharks team giving away so much momentum to the opposition. The Brumbies are a quality team and there is no doubt they must start as favourites this weekend,” Coetzee said this week.

It is also no secret that the Brumbies are the masters of ball retention, so if the Stormers forwards don’t front up on Saturday, they will be spending a lot of time without the ball, tackling, and, as stout as the Capetonians’ defence is, Jake White’s team have shown enough on attack this year already to suggest they can score tries against any team.

“If we score tries I can’t see the Stormers winning against us with kicks,” White rather bullishly said this week.

But it’s true because the Brumbies have been just as impressive on defence this year, they are in the faces of the opposition, their discipline under White has been good and, having lost just two of their six matches at Newlands since 1998, it’s easy to see why many people consider the Brumbies to be the favourites on Saturday.

The Stormers have lost star wing Bryan Habana, who had an operation for torn knee ligaments and is out for at least 10 weeks, but fellow Springbok Juan de Jongh returns at outside centre, allowing Jean de Villiers to shift back to his regular position of inside centre. Tiaan Liebenberg is also back, bringing a more physical presence at hooker.

Six Springboks have paid the price for the Sharks’ poor show last weekend with coach John Plumtree dropping Odwa Ndungane, Frans Steyn, Charl McLeod, Ryan Kankowski, Jannie du Plessis and Craig Burden. Ndungane is out of the match-day 22 altogether, but the other five are on the bench for the game against the Melbourne Rebels in Durban on Saturday.

After a miserable afternoon last weekend in pouring rain watching a lacklustre effort by the home side, Sharks fans will be hoping to get much better value for their Kings Park ticket fee on Saturday as last year’s beaten finalists look to bounce back against one of the competition’s minnows.

The Sharks have provided little hint of their attacking quality this year and the dropping of inside centre Steyn in favour of the more subtle skills of Meyer Bosman suggests Plumtree has identified his vice-captain as the problem.

More particularly, the lack of conditioning of Steyn, who has come off a long period of inactivity after an ankle injury and a tough week of training awaited the 2007 World Cup winner.

But the Sharks will obviously need a much better effort from their forwards if they are to do any meaningful attacking on Saturday and the eagerness of promoted players such as Jacques Botes, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Kyle Cooper and Wiehahn Herbst could inspire the pack to dominate the rather no-name-brand mediocrity of the Rebels.

What could threaten the Sharks is a fast and loose game which brings Rebels backs such as James O’Connor, Lachlan Mitchell, Cooper Vuna and Mitch Inman into the contest.

A change of personnel is also what Bulls coach Frans Ludeke has prescribed after his team’s disappointing performance in last weekend’s 41-19 defeat by the Crusaders, with nine changes being made. Four of those are due to injury, with wing Akona Ndungane, centre Wynand Olivier, scrumhalf Francois Hougaard and lock Flip van der Merwe all ruled out.

“Player management” and “rotation policy” is what Ludeke is calling flyhalf Morné Steyn’s demotion to the bench for the match against the Reds in Brisbane on Saturday, but the points machine could be paying the price for some defensive lapses last weekend in Christchurch.

With Steyn heading for France at the end of the SuperRugby campaign, the reign of Louis Fouché as the Bulls’ pivot could start this weekend against one of the world’s most innovative flyhalves in Quade Cooper.

The Reds will be smarting after their 19-12 defeat at home to the Force last weekend and will be hoping for a much better display from their fit-again halfbacks, Will Genia and Cooper, in particular.

The Queenslanders will be desperate to get back to winning ways at home, with the Force upset being only their fourth loss in 26 games at Suncorp Stadium, because the gap between them and the Brumbies, who have a game in hand, at the top of the Australian Conference could be more than 10 points if they lose to the Bulls.

Suncorp Stadium is a “fast” venue, a quick pitch helping the expansive style of the Reds and, with inspirational 2011 title-winning captain James Horwill back in harness and so much disruption in the Bulls camp, the home side will be favourites.

The Crusaders are most definitely favourites in Christchurch on Saturday as they take on the Southern Kings, playing in New Zealand for the first time.

The Kings have produced some stirring displays in Port Elizabeth this season, showing plenty of tenacity and spirit, but they are in for the fight of their lives against the Crusaders, who looked back in top form in dispatching the Bulls so clinically last weekend.

Coach Matt Sexton is also rapidly going through his store of captains with prop Schalk Ferreira becoming the fourth player to lead the team out in four matches. Luke Watson, Darron Nell and Steven Sykes have all succumbed to injury.

If the Kings fail to match the tremendous passion and determination they showed in Port Elizabeth, then their first SuperRugby tour could get off to the most inauspicious of starts.

The Cheetahs are also in action overseas as they take on the Western Force in Perth and we will see if the central franchise is dependent on flyhalf Johan Goosen for its success.

The Cheetahs have won in Invercargill and Sydney on this tour, with Springbok flyhalf-in-waiting Goosen playing a key role. But the 20-year-old tore his cruciate ligament while practising his goal-kicking at the start of the week and Naka Drotske’s team will be without him for the rest of the campaign.

“To lose Johan to injury is a major blow, but this is the perfect time for Riaan Smit to prove his worth and we have full confidence in him,” Drotske said.

Apart from the exciting Smit appearing at flyhalf, the match also marks the return of Heinrich Brüssow to the starting line-up. Out-and-out fetchers are not exactly in vogue in South African rugby at the moment, but with the Cheetahs looking to play a fast-paced game, the Springbok will be looking to impress with his skills at the tackle area.

With the Kings, Bulls and Stormers all up against tough opposition we are probably relying on the Sharks and Cheetahs to provide odds-on South African victories this weekend.

Whatever the result in Cape Town, the Brumbies are guaranteed to retain the top spot on the combined log, with the Bulls, Blues and Reds all chasing second place if the Chiefs slip up against the Highlanders in Hamilton in Friday’s only game.

The top spot in the South African Conference will be there for the taking if the Bulls go down in Brisbane, with the other four teams all theoretically capable of overtaking the three-time champions, although the Sharks are the most likely to claim the bonus-point victory that will secure first place on the log. DM

Teams

Southern Kings (v Crusaders, Saturday 8h35): George Whitehead, Marcello Sampson, Ronnie Cooke, Hadleigh Parkes, Sergeal Petersen, Demetri Catrakilis, Shaun Venter, Jacques Engelbrecht, Wimpie van der Walt, Cornell du Preez, David Bulbring, Daniel Adongo, Kevin Buys, Bandise Maku, Schalk Ferreira. Replacements: Edgar Marutlulle, Jaco Engels, Rynier Bernardo, Devin Oosthuizen, Nicolas Vergallo, Waylon Murray, Elric van Vuuren.

Bulls (v Reds, Saturday 10h40): Zane Kirchner, Lionel Mapoe, JJ Engelbrecht, Francois Venter, Bjorn Basson, Louis Fouché, Jano Vermaak, Pierre Spies, Dewald Potgieter, Deon Stegmann, Grant Hattingh, Paul Willemse, Werner Kruger, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Morné Mellett. Replacements: Willie Wepener, Frik Kirsten, Juandré Kruger, Jacques Potgieter, Ruan Snyman, Morné Steyn, Jan Serfontein.

Cheetahs (v Western Force, Saturday 12:45): Hennie Daniller, Willie le Roux, Johann Sadie, Robert Ebersohn, Raymond Rhule, Riaan Smit, Sarel Pretorius, Phillip van der Walt, Lappies Labuschagne, Heinrich Brüssow, Francois Uys, Lood de Jager, Lourens Adriaanse, Adriaan Strauss, Trevor Nyakane. Replacements: Ryno Barnes, Coenie Oosthuisen, Rynhard Landman, Boom Prinsloo, Piet van Zyl, Burton Francis, Ryno Benjamin.

Sharks (v Melbourne Rebels, Saturday 17:05): Louis Ludik, JP Pietersen, Paul Jordaan, Meyer Bosman, Lwazi Mvovo, Patrick Lambie, Cobus Reinach, Keegan Daniel, Marcell Coetzee, Jacques Botes, Franco van der Merwe, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Wiehahn Herbst, Kyle Cooper, Beast Mtawarira. Replacements: Craig Burden, Jannie du Plessis, Jandré Marais, Ryan Kankowski, Charl McLeod, Frans Steyn, Riaan Viljoen.

Stormers (v Brumbies, Saturday 19:10): Joe Pietersen, Gio Aplon, Juan de Jongh, Jean de Villiers, Gerhard van den Heever, Elton Jantjies, Dewaldt Duvenage, Duane Vermeulen, Rynhardt Elstadt, Siya Kolisi, Andries Bekker, De Kock Steenkamp, Frans Malherbe, Tiaan Liebenberg, Steven Kitshoff. Replacements: Deon Fourie, Pat Cilliers, Don Armand, Nizaam Carr, Nic Groom, Damian de Allende, Jaco Taute.

 http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2013-03-22-superrugby-preview-crunch-time-for-the-stormers/#.VET05PmUde8