The Bulls were crowned SA Conference winners in Cape Town on Saturday, but the Sharks and Stormers took the spoils in the final round of Super Rugby league action.
Although these two coastal sides, semi-finalists in 2012, missed out on the Finals Series this year, they recorded splendid final round victories to end a disappointing season on a high note.
The Sharks scored their biggest South African derby victory ever when they beat the Kings by 58-13 in Durban on Saturday afternoon, carding 10 tries in the process.
And the Stormers were simply too good for the Vodacom Bulls in Cape Town, ending the team from Pretoria’s nine-match winning streak with a 30-13 victory. This defeat also meant the team from Pretoria, champions in 2007, 2009 and 2010, missed out on becoming the first local team to record a “SA Slam” by winning all their derbies in one season (since the expansion of the competition in 2011).
The 2013 season is now over for the Stormers and The Sharks, who finished seventh and eighth respectively on the log.
The Bulls, second overall behind the Chiefs, will enjoy a bye next weekend before hosting one of the two semi-finals in a fortnight’s time, while the sixth-placed Cheetahs will travel to Australia next week for their first-ever Vodacom Super Rugby playoff match, against the Brumbies in Canberra.
The Kings will have some time to recuperate before taking on the Lions in two promotion/relegation matches, in Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg, on the weekends of the semi-finals and final.
The Super Rugby quarter finals:
Saturday, 20 July 2013
09h35 – Crusaders v Reds, AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Sunday, 21 July 2013
08h10 – Brumbies v Cheetahs, Canberra Stadium
Bryan Habana’s provincial career in South Africa came to an end on Saturday. He is off to France where he will play for Toulon. He made his debut in 2005 and played a total of 118 Super Rugby matches (61 for the Bulls and 57 for the Stormers).
He is South Africa’s top try scorer in Super Rugby history, with 56 tries (37 for the Bulls and 19 for the Stormers), placing him in joint-fourth position on the all-time list with Christian Cullen and Stirling Mortlock.
Along with Australia’s Nathan Sharpe, he is one of only two players to have played in more than 50 matches for two teams, while Habana also won the competition twice in the colours of the Bulls (2007 and 2009).
Weekend match reviews:
Sharks 58 (26) Kings 13 (13)
The Sharks finished their season on a high, scoring nine tries and a penalty try.
The Kings, through George Whitehead (flyhalf) in the third minute, scored the first of 12 tries in the match after the previous match between these two sides ended try-less, but in the end there was only team on the field …
The Kings did rest a number of their first-choice players, yet started with a bang, but once the dust had settled, the Sharks took control of the match, the home team scoring their fourth try before the break, and adding five more in the second half.
Three of the home team’s tries – by their captain Keegan Daniel, debutant Fred Zeilinga and Meyer Bosman, who is off to France soon – came in the final 10 minutes of the match.
It was The Sharks’ biggest ever win over a fellow South African team and the Kings second biggest defeat of their debut Super Rugby season.
Sharks – Tries: Bismarck du Plessis, Marcell Coetzee, Odwa Ndungane, Riaan Viljoen, Tendai Mtawarira, Louis Ludik, Keegan Daniel, Fred Zeilinga, Meyer Bosman, Penalty try. Conversions: Bosman (4).
Kings – Tries: George Whitehead, Mpho Mbiyozo. Penalty goal: Whitehead.
Stormers 30 (23) Bulls 13 (13)
The Stormers, on the back of yet another sublime defensive effort, produced probably their best performance of the season at Newlands on Saturday evening.
It was a high-paced and thoroughly entertaining match and a typical South African derby where neither side gave an inch.
The Stormers saved their best for last – they attacked with intent in the first half and basically wrapped it up by the break. The Bulls were made to tackle and tackle, but they could not keep Eben Etzebeth and Bryan Habana out.
When Jean de Villiers, who spent time in the sin bin for an illegal tackle, added the Stormers’ third try in the 55th minute, it was basically game over. The home team used their opportunities and bagged the points when they were on offer.
However, the Bulls never gave up and the Stormers had to show why their defence is regarded as the best in the competition in the final half hour, but they managed to keep the Bulls scoreless in the second half.
With a home semi-final looming in two weeks’ time, the Bulls will realise they can’t repeat the litany of errors they made in Cape Town, while their ball retention and set-piece play were also not good enough.
Stormers – Tries: Eben Etzebeth, Bryan Habana, Jean de Villiers. Conversions: Gary van Aswegen (3). Penalty goals: Van Aswegen (3).
Bulls – Try: Zane Kirchner. Conversion: Morné Steyn. Penalty goals: Steyn (2).
Other results – Round 20:
Crusaders 25-17 Hurricanes (Christchurch)
Rebels 38-37 Highlanders (Melbourne)
Blues 16-26 Chiefs (Auckland)
Waratahs 12-14 Reds (Sydney)
Force 21-15 Brumbies (Perth)
Nice performance from Gary “BMT” van Aswegen on the weekend. Think the Lions can have Jantjies back now. The kid had no confidence this year and was a shadow of the player we saw at the Lions. I was very excited to see him play this year but he never got going. Tough year with the passing of his father and then struggling in the blue and white. Still think he is a class act and hope he can rebuild his confidence and make another push for the green and gold.
For now I hope van Aswegen gets some solid game time in the Currie Cup to see if he can make the spot his own before SupeRugby next year.
I was always concerned re EJ … square peg and all that … But now the tough call is who to pick out of GvA and Catrakilis, who is back for the CC … My gut says that GvA needs game time … But DK now tried and tested!