Super 14: Week 8 Review

Thanks to Jonathan Main for providing this article on the 2008 Super 14 Tournament.

A review of another eventful weekend of Super 14 rugby as the top team Crusaders from New Zealand and Cape Town based Stormers had a bye, while top South African franchise The Sharks played the first match in their gruelling (and frankly ridiculous) five match tour of Australasia.

Highlanders 29 -20 Lions
The first match of the weekend saw the two worst sides in the competition square up to each other in Dunedin. The Lions were looking to start their Australasian tour on a high, while the Highlanders were simply looking to pick up their first win in this year’s competition.

The home team duly delivered despite a spirited effort from the men from Jo’burg which saw an early 2nd half lead of 21-3 for the Highlanders reduced to 21-20 in the space of five minutes. At that stage it looked like only one team would be the winner with the Highlanders defence looking shell-shocked, but they re-grouped to close the game out in the last 10, picking up a bonus point for scoring four tries in the process.

Brumbies 28 – 42 Chiefs
The inconsistent Chiefs headed to Canberra looking to put a marker down for a semi-final place against the Brumbies, another side still in the mix at the halfway point in the season. They did so with some style in a six try to four demolition.

The scoreline perhaps flattered the Australian side somewhat as the Chiefs raced out to a 35-7 lead early in the second half through tries from Sivivatu, Bruce, Donald (2) and Waqaseduadua before the Brumbies rallied to within fourteen points before themselves obtaining a 4-try bonus point in the last minute. This timely return to top form puts the Chiefs ahead of the Stormers and Western Force in the race for a top four finish.

Western Force 15 – 14 Bulls
What can you say about the form of the Bulls this year? Last year’s champs have been an embarrassment to South Africa with no wins on their Australasian tour contrasting with the three they garnered during their victorious 2007 campaign.

The last stop before heading for the sanctuary of mom and dad’s in Pretoria (although I suspect the locals might be inclined to abuse their favourites) was in Perth, WA. The Force were looking to regain their early season form after a sound thrashing at home last week from the Stormers, but in truth they looked second best throughout as the Bulls marched into an early lead thanks to two tries by IRB Player of the Year Bryan Habana.

It was 14-3 to the Bulls at the interval and a second successive defeat on home soil looked inevitable for the Force as they strived to find the cutting edge that had made them early contenders. The second half, however, produced a combination of Force phase play and continuity and Bulls ineptitude to allow the Perth franchise back into the game with a try by the team’s talisman, Matt Giteau, on 42 minutes. The conversion was slotted to narrow the gap to four points with most of the second period remaining.

The Bulls were clinging on desperately from that point on with replacement flanker Deon Stegmann compounding the pressure by being sent to the sin-bin for the last six minutes for cynically killing the ball. It looked however as if they were to do just that and head back to SA with some small crumbs of comfort, only for the impressive Force centre Ryan Cross to ‘cross’ for the decisive score as time ran out on the clock. Abject misery for the Bulls, who are now certain to miss out on a semi final place in defence of the title that they won so memorably last May.

Hurricanes 13 - 13 The Sharks
As the top match of the week it was always going to be a tight game! The Sharks from Durban rolled into the New Zealand capital with a 100% record in the competition to meet the Hurricanes, who themselves will fancy a shot at securing a home semi-final berth come May. This game, sadly, will not be remembered for the quality of the rugby played by two evenly-matched and undoubtedly talented sides on a wet night hardly conducive to free flowing rugby. It will be remembered for the scandalously incompetent standard of refereeing, step forward Mr Paul Marks of Australia, and for an equally scandalous headbutt by The Sharks Tongan import Epeli Tiaone, which probably cost the men from Natal the game.

The first half was an arm-wrestle between two sides playing against the elements as much as the opposition, with The Sharks tactical kicking game appearing to have won them the upper-hand as the teams turned at 3-3 - little sign of the mayhem to follow. It was 6-3 to The Sharks midway through the second half when the match exploded into life with big All Black prop Neemia Tialata receiving a yellow card for barging Sharks fullback Stephan Terblanche off the ball as he chased a kick.

Game over it seemed with the Natalians already ahead and looking the more composed of the two teams. Not so, as a few minutes later replacement flanker Tiaone decided it would be a good idea to “stick the head” on a Hurricanes player for having the temerity to be on the wrong side of a Sharks rolling maul. This act of thuggery was perpetrated right under the noses of ref Marks and touch judge Kelvin Deaker and the Tongan was rightly sent packing with a straight red card. A long suspension will surely follow and, to be honest, The Sharks would be well advised to release him immediately from his contract for gross misconduct.

It was to be about the last thing the over-officious Aussie did get right as he completely lost the plot from this point onwards. First he awarded a penalty try to The Sharks, penalising the ‘Canes for deliberately pulling down a rolling maul close to the tryline, replays appeared inconclusive but it was certainly harsh on the home team. The commentators from host broadcasters Sky in New Zealand were fairly wound up at this point, but it was to get even better in the last 10 minutes! The Hurricanes, stung into action, duly poured on the pressure and the best defence in the competition finally cracked when hooker Andrew Hore burrowed his way over from close range. Jimmy Gopperth slotted the conversion to level it up at 13 with only a few minutes remaining.

The Sharks could, and should, have won it in the last minute but replacement scrum-half Rory Kockott hit an upright with a penalty attempt, which then sparked a length of the field break by the ‘Canes. The Sharks went to sleep defensively and as time expired All Black centre Conrad Smith appeared to be tackled without the ball by Brad Barritt in the act of scoring. Had he not done so it seemed certain that Smith would have scored the winning try as all he had to do was catch the ball and fall over the line. Much to the relief of everyone in Durban, ref Marks ruled the ball had been knocked on by the Hurricanes and called time up, instead of referring the decision upstairs to the TMO, who would surely have ruled in favour of the home team by awarding a penalty or, more appropriately, a penalty try!

A shocker by the official and a bitter pill for the Hurricanes to swallow, although to be honest they were fortunate to be that close on the scoreboard in the first place as, had the Sharks taken all their chances, the game would have been out of sight for them. An indirect benefit of this circus-act should be that referee Marks doesn’t get to blow another match in this year’s comp.

Waratahs 37 – 16 Blues
The men from Sydney look to have hit form at the right time with an impressive and emphatic win over the much-hyped Blues from Auckland. The patience and structure of the ‘Tahs play proved too much for the Blues to handle as they routed the Aucklanders by 5 tries to 2, leaving them right in contention for a semi final spot at this stage in the season.

Cheetahs 29 – 14 Reds
The Queenslanders travelled to Bloemfontein looking for a win to show for their much-improved efforts on tour this season - a last-gasp draw at Ellis Park versus the Lions and a creditable loss against The Sharks in Durban preceded this match, with the Cheetahs returning home to SA after a long and winless tour to Australasia.

It wasn’t to be for the Reds, however, as the Cheetahs treated the home crowd to two tries in the opening ten minutes. Shortly after, the situation was compounded for the visitors as captain Sam Cordingley and the evergreen Wallaby fullback Chris Latham both had to leave the field due to injury. From that moment on they never really stood a chance with the Cheetahs running in four tries to earn a full house of five log points – a reward long overdue for the unluckiest team in the competition.