A look at the weekend’s results:
Vodacom Cup:
Pampas 30 – 27 Boland
Border 7 – 31 WP
Pumas 20 – 21 Griquas
Lions 71 – 25 Griffons
Leopards 15 – 28 Blue Bulls
Sharks 38 – 20 SWD
EP 36 – 22 Free State
Super Rugby:
Stormers 20 – 17 Bulls
Lions 13 – 23 Crusaders
Force 45 – 19 Reds
Brumbies 26 – 29 Sharks
Chiefs 30 – 13 Waratahs
Hurricanes 38 – 47 Cheetahs
Highlanders 43 – 12 Rebels
5 from 7 for me (Cheetahs and Force had me) but margin points were scarce, so I remain in that mid table morass in most of my pools. Congrats to Tephen teasedale (Stevovo) who remains atop the Front Row Grunt Superbru pool, and Henry Lotter (marvel) on his yellow cap – up 225 places!
Purple my arse … That Bulls jersey is as pink as you get, and as indigestion causing as you get! It’s horrific and should be sent to the incinerator NOW! Since when did the “Poublou” of the Bulls clash with the blue and white stripes of the Storm in any case? Classic case of sponsors / marketers having more of a say than rugby folk …
Cheetahs game one of the more entertaining I have ever seen. Sensational tries from both teams … Cheetahs defense being on vacation allowed the Canes to fly in the first half, and boy did they fly! But the Cheetahs, together with Johann Goosen, who had a mare early on, pulled themselves toward themselves, and staged an incredibly gutsy fight back … Proper choke from the Canes though.
Derby Day at Brookeside:
Village 10 – 42 Hamilton
Village U20 19 – 20 Hamilton U20
Tough day for the hosts on the pitch, but good to see so many people out, especially given the competition for the entertainment rand (Lions vs Saders, Jazz festival, K-Day, Stormers vs Bulls), and it’s heart warming to see the vibe building again at SA’s second oldest club (Hammies being the oldest).
Tokyo Sevens:
Blitzbokke 17 – 21 England (Cup 1/4 final)
Wales 14 – 21 Australia (Cup 1/4 final)
Samoa 24-21 Fiji (Cup 1/4 final)
New Zealand 40-5 Argentina (Cup 1/4 final)
England 12-33 Australia (Cup semi final)
Samoa 17-12 New Zealand (Cup semi final)
Australia 28-26 Samoa (Cup final)
Blitzbokke 10-14 Fiji (Plate final)
The pool draw for round 8 of the Sevens World Series, the Glasgow Sevens to be played at Scotstoun Stadium on 5-6 May 2012 was confirmed on Sunday …
The Blitzbokke were drawn with hosts Scotland, Wales and Russia in Pool D.
And in closing, the full and final Stormers touring squad …
Management:
Head Coach: Allister Coetzee
Assistant Coach: Mathew Proudfoot
Assistant Coach: Robbie Fleck
Team Manager: Chippie Solomon
Defence Coach: Jacques Nienaber
Fitness & Conditioning Coach: Greg Hechter
Fitness & Conditioning Coach: Stephan du Toit
Team Doctor: Dr. Arthur Williams
Physiotherapist: Wayne Hector
Technical Analyst: Human Kriek
Masseur: Greg Daniels
Squad:
1. Steven Kitshoff
2. Tiaan Liebenberg
3. Brok Harris
4. Eben Etzebeth
5. Andries Bekker
6. Siya Kolisi
7. Duane Vermeulen
8. Nick Koster
9. Dewaldt Duvenage
10. Burton Francis
11. Gio Aplon
12. Jean de Villiers
13. Bryan Habana
14. Gerhard van den Heever
15. Joe Pietersen
16. Siyabonga Ntubeni
17. Frans Malherbe
18. De Kock Steenkamp
19. Nizaam Carr
20. Louis Schreuder
21. JP du Plessis
22. Rynhardt Elstadt
23. Juan de Jongh
24. Peter Grant
25. Deon Fourie
26. Deon Carstens
First half: Stormers 14 Bulls 0
Second half: ” 6 ” 17
Whether in pink, blue or green, you can’t give so many penalties away. The Bulls front row get “pinged” just about every week end for scrum infringments. I think the Stormers would have walked away saying a win is a win and the Bulls would have said we should have won that.
Another way to look at it is that this is a game that the Stormers would probably have lost last year, yet this year, they hung in to sneak the win … But yes, the Bulls will leave Cape Town thinking it a wasted opportunity