Preview: Super Rugby, Round Four, Part Two
CROSS-CONFERENCE RAIDS: Despite the significance of the BIG match at Newlands, the bulk of Saturday’s encounters are between miles and continents apart.
It starts when the Rebels will look to make it back-to-back wins, facing the Sharks in the early match.
That is followed by the Trans-Tasman encounter between the Chiefs and Brumbies, before the Reds host the Sunwolves in one of only two matches on the day that features teams from the same conference – the Australian conference in this case.
The other is the Stormers hosting the Jaguares at Newlands – a crucial South African conference clash
The weekend’s drama is concluded when the Bulls host the Blues at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
We look at Saturday’s matches!
Saturday, February 22:
Rebels v Sharks
(Eureka Stadium, Ballarat Kick-off: 14.45; 05.45 SA time; 03.45 GMT)
The Rebels beat the Durban-based Sharks on their last visit to Melbourne in 2018, but that was their only success in seven matches.
Rebels coach Dave Wessels said the Sharks, who have won two of their opening three rounds, would bring plenty of strike power in their back three – most notably World Cup-winning Springboks wing Makazole Mapimpi.
But he believed that the Rebels were up to containing them.
“They will come with a lot of confidence and will bring some things they’ve adopted from the Springboks,” Wessels said.
“We’re fortunate in that we have some firepower in those areas as well, you know guys like Marika [Koroibete], Dane [Haylett-Petty] and that sort of thing,” he said.
“We need to figure out how we isolate those guys and force them to do some of the things in the game that they don’t really want to do.
“If you allow them to get their tails up and do the things they do want to do, they enjoy that so our job is to try and make that difficult for them.”
Wessels said it was important to consolidate on last week’s win.
“If we can play well again this week then our season has really got some wind behind it.”
The Sharks will be looking to fix their misfiring set-pieces, after their unbeaten start to the season came to an abrupt end against the Hurricanes last week.
“The line-outs have been a bit of a concern,” lock Ruben van Heerden said from the team’s training base in Australia.
“In the last three games we haven’t delivered at line-out time as we’d like to, and it’s something we are focusing on because, like all facets of play, we have to. But this weekend you’re going to see something different from us, it’s going to be a good attacking platform for us.
“And because we have such a potent backline, we want to give them the best possible platform to operate from.”
With two matches of the four-week tour remaining, the Sharks are setting high hopes for the final fortnight in Australia.
After losing to the Sunwolves and Brumbies in the opening two weeks, the Rebels struck back against the Waratahs last week.
“The Rebels are a very good side and we’re not taking them lightly,” Van Heerden said.
“They have a really good coach in Dave Wessels, we know he likes a certain style of play and we’re preparing for that really well. We’ve been working hard to prepare for whatever they throw at us and I’m confident for what lies ahead.
“The Rebels are quite a physical side and that’s the kind of game I like to play and how we like to play defensively, and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
Head to head
Prediction: The Sharks have won five of their previous seven Super Rugby games against the Rebels – with one loss and a draw. However, their only loss in that stretch came in their last visit to Victoria (23 March 2018). The Rebels have lost their last six SuperRugby games against South African opposition, picking up just one losing bonus point in that span. The Sharks will be on the hunt for back-to-back regular-season wins in Australia in Super Rugby for the first time since 2013/14 after earning a 23-15 win over the Waratahs in their last such fixture. The Rebels have crossed the gainline with 59 percent of all carries this Super Rugby season, the highest rate of any team in the competition. Aphelele Fassi (Sharks) has beaten 20 defenders so far this Super Rugby season, more than any other player in the competition; he’s also scored two tries and made one try assist in his last three Super Rugby appearances. The Sharks won’t run away with the match, but they could deny the Rebels a losing bonus point and win by eight.
Teams:
Sharks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Madosh Tambwe, 13 Jeremy Ward, 12 Andre Esterhuizen (captain), 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Sanele Nohamba, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Tyler Paul, 6 James Venter, 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Kerron van Vuuren, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Mzamo Majola, 18 John-Hubert Meyer, 19 Le Roux Roets, 20 Henco Venter, 21 Louis Schreuder, 22 Marius Louw, 23 Lwazi Mvovo.
Rebels: 15 Dane Haylett-Petty (captain), 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Campbell Magnay, 12 Billy Meakes, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Andrew Deegan, 9 Ryan Louwrens, 8 Isi Naisarani, 7 Richard Hardwick, 6 Michael Wells, 5 Matt Philip, 4 Ross Haylett-Petty, 3 Jermaine Ainsley, 2 Steven Misa, 1 Matt Gibbon.
Replacements: 16 Anaru Rangi, 17 Cameron Orr, 18 Ruan Smith, 19 Gideon Koegelenberg, 20 Angus Cottrell, 21 Rob Leota, 22 Frank Lomani, 23 Tom English.
Referee: AJ Jacobs (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Damon Murphy (Australia), James Quinn (Australia)
TMO: George Ayoub (Australia)
Chiefs v Brumbies
(Waikato Stadium, Hamilton – Kick-off: 19.05; 17.05 Canberra time; 06.05 GMT)
The former Wales coach Warren Gatland can tick off the first of his goals in charge of the Chiefs if they defeat the Brumbies.
Gatland has the Chiefs on top of the New Zealand conference, with three wins from three, including a shock victory over reigning champion Crusaders.
He revealed he has divided the season into blocks and has targeted wins in the first four matches to give his side a flying start.
“Our whole focus has been about this first part of the season – part one was the first four games, and if we can win those it’ll give us a great start to the season,” he said.
“Then we can have a rest in the bye week and then start thinking about the rest of the campaign.”
Gatland said he was pleased to return home for another entertaining battle.
“It was great to collect another win on the road and allow several of our players to run out in the Chiefs jersey for the first time this season.
“This week again we have a privilege to rotate a couple of players and provide the opportunity for several others to return for the Chiefs.
“It will be great to have the likes of Luke Jacobson and Sam McNicol take the field for the first time this season. They are both talented individuals and have been training hard, so will be excited for the run.
“We have another tough battle ahead of us on Saturday.
“The Brumbies are leading the Australian conference and will be on the hunt for redemption following a close loss to the Highlanders last weekend.
“We know it will be an exciting and entertaining game for our fans to watch and it’s one the team are looking forward to,” he added.
The Brumbies’ hopes of upsetting the pace-setting Chiefs took a blow with the squad hit by an outbreak of mumps.
The Brumbies were expected to name a full-strength side, but confirmation that some players and staff had been affected by a mumps outbreak saw them revise those plans.
Head to head
Prediction: The Brumbies picked up a 54-17 win against the Chiefs in their last Super Rugby encounter – their biggest win against them since 2001 – snapping a four-game losing streak against them. The Chiefs have won their last six regular season Super Rugby games in succession, despite having led at halftime only three times in that period. The Brumbies have lost their last 13 Super Rugby games in New Zealand, the last time they won across the ditch was in March 2014 (against the Hurricanes). The Chiefs have averaged more tackles (149) and turnovers won (11) per game than any other team in the competition this Super Rugby season. The Brumbies Irae Simone is the only player to have scored the opening try of the game on multiple occasions this Super Rugby season; he’s done so twice. The disruptions means the Brumbies will be massive underdogs and Chiefs should win by 12 points or more.
Teams:
Chiefs: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Sean Wainui, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Alex Nankivell, 11 Sam McNicol, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 8 Pita Gus Sowakula, 7 Sam Cane (captain), 6 Luke Jacobson, 5 Mitchell Brown, 4 Michael Allardice, 3 Atu Moli, 2 Bradley Slater, 1 Aidan Ross.
Replacements: 16 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17 Reuben O’Neill, 18 Ross Geldenhuys, 19 Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 20 Mitchell Karpik, 21 Lisati Milo-Harris, 22 Kaleb Trask, 23 Quinn Tupaea.
Brumbies: 15 Tom Banks, 14 Solomone Kata, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Irae Simone, 11 Andy Muirhead, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Joe Powell, 8 Pete Samu, 7 Will Miller, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Murray Douglas, 4 Cadeyrn Neville, 3 Allan Alaalatoa (captain), 2 Connal McInerney, 1 James Slipper.
Replacements: 16 Lachlan Lonergan, 17 Scott Sio, 18 Tom Ross, 19 Nick Frost, 20 Lachlan McCaffrey, 21 Ryan Lonergan, 22 Bayley Kuenzle, 23 Toni Pulu.
Referee: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Mike Fraser (New Zealand), Dan Waenga (New Zealand)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
Reds v Sunwolves
(Lang Park, Brisbane – Kick-off: 18.15; 17.15 Japan time; 08.15 GMT)
The Reds will look to end their losing start to the season when they tackle the unpredictable and dangerous Sunwolves in their first home match of the season.
And they need to do that after an around-the-world trip that saw them go down to the Brumbies, Lions and Jaguares.
“We’re looking forward to playing in front of our Queensland fans for the first time this year,” coach Brad Thorn said.
“I’m not fazed. We’ve got a few bonus points there,” Thorn said of the Brumbies and Lions matches.
“The hardest part is that big trip [to South Africa and Argentina] and it’s done now.
“There are 13 rounds to apply ourselves and to get better and to grow our game and be positive.
“Last year we dropped our first three as well and by mid-season we were equal with the Rebels at the top of the conference.”
The emergence of Hunter Paisami and return of Fraser McReight has certainly lifted the mood at the Reds – as they battle with the loss of Jordan Petaia to another season-ending injury.
Teenage Wallabies centre Petaia dislocated his shoulder at training in Argentina last week and missed the clash with the Jaguares.
Scans this week revealed the 19-year-old will require surgery and a 20-week lay-off.
While still a massive blow for the Reds and Australia, Paisami’s player of the match performance in Buenos Aires has raised expectations and allowed Brad Thorn the luxury of naming an unchanged line-up for Saturday.
Assistant coach Peter Ryan said it was tough to swallow the news of Petaia’s latest setback but that the Reds had the depth to cope.
“Everyone just feels for his own well-being,” Ryan said, adding: “Two years in a row he’s missed a season and unfortunately for him it was an injury in training.
“You can live with it more as a player when you get an injury in game, but in training it’s just not supposed to happen.
“But for certain [we have the depth]; Hunter filled into that position, did an admirable job, got player’s player against the Jaguares in a very physical game.”
Head to head
Prediction: The Reds have won their last three Super Rugby games on the spin against the Sunwolves, despite having trailed at half-time in each of their last two encounters. The Reds have lost their opening three games of the 2020 Super Rugby campaign; the last time they lost more in succession to open a season was a four-game stretch in 2006. The Sunwolves will be hunting for back-to-back wins against Australian opponents in Super Rugby for the first time after securing a 36-27 win over the Rebels in their last intra-conference encounter. The Sunwolves have averaged 124 carries and 488 metres gained per game this Super Rugby season, more than any other team in either category. Harry Wilson (Reds) has crossed the gainline with 19 carries so far this Super Rugby campaign, more than any other player in the competition. If you fancy a punt on the underdog, you will good odds on the Sunwolves. However, the Reds should win comfortably – at least 15 points.
Teams:
Reds: 15 Jock Campbell, 14 Chris Feauai-Sautia, 13 Hunter Paisami, 12 Hamish Stewart, 11 Henry Speight, 10 James O’Connor, 9 Tate McDermott, 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Liam Wright (captain), 6 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 5 Angus Blyth, 4 Izack Rodda, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Alex Mafi, 1 JP Smith.
Replacements: 16 Ed Craig, 17 Harry Hoopert, 18 Josh Nasser, 19 Harry Hockings, 20 Fraser McReight, 21 Scott Malolua, 22 Isaac Lucas, 23 Bryce Hegarty.
Sunwolves: 15 Jordan Jackson-Hope, 14 Siosaia Fifita, 13 Johannes Engelbrecht, 12 Ben Te’o, 11 James Dargaville, 10 Garth April, 9 Naoto Saito, 8 Jake Schatz, 7 Mitch Jacobson, 6 Kyo Yoshida, 5 Michael Stolberg, 4 Corey Thomas, 3 Conraad van Vuuren, 2 Jaba Bregvadze, 1 Chris Eves.
Replacements: 16 Effie Ma’afu, 17 Nic Mayhew, 18 Hencus van Wyk, 19 Kotaro Yatabe, 20 Tevita Tupou, 21 Rudy Paige, 22 Keisuke Moriya, 21 Shogo Nakano.
Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant referees: Jordan Way (Australia), Aaron Pook (Australia)
TMO: James Leckie (Australia)
Stormers v Jaguares
(Newlands, Cape Town – Kick-off: 15.05; 13.05 GMT; 10.05 Buenos Aires time)
Stormers coach John Dobson has been talking up the ‘physicality’ of the Jaguares all week and said that his team want to raise their standards in what should be a tough examination.
“We have managed to keep some settled combinations and we would like to see the result of that out on the pitch on Saturday with a clinical performance,” Dobson said about a match he regards as a crucial intra-conference outing.
“We know that we will have to be as accurate as possible, but that is a challenge we have embraced as we look to play the kind of rugby that our fans deserve,” he added.
“I want our forwards to carry the ball nicely and create space for the backs to score tries.”
He spoke about taking ‘time’ and ‘space’ away from a Jaguares team that has lost a few of their key players that helped them reach the Final last year.
“They are direct and if they get momentum, they’ve got some really big players to take the inside balls – with the swing-runners and a couple of really good carriers,” the coach said.
“It will be a physical battle with the Jaguares, there’s no question.
“We know what’s coming our way.
“They are a very abrasive side who live on the edge of the laws when it comes to niggling and physicality.
“It’s part of their game to get under your skin and we can’t react to that.
“We’ve got to try and get certain physical dominance; it will be a battle of physicality this game.
‘”They are capable of playing fairly expansive rugby, and so are we, but we have no doubt they will try to disrupt us upfront.”
Head to head
Prediction: Each of the last five Super Rugby games between the Stormers and Jaguares has been won by the home team on the day, with the Argentinian squad picking up two wins in the last three iterations. The Stormers have kept their opponent scoreless in each of their last two Super Rugby games at home, as many times as they had done so in their nine seasons prior. The Jaguares have won their last five Super Rugby games on the bounce against South African opposition, as many as they had won in their 18 games prior. The Jaguares have scored five tries from mauls so far this Super Rugby campaign, more than any other team in the competition and four more than the Stormers. Guido Petti Pagadizaval (Jaguares) has made the most tackles (29) of any player yet to miss a single attempt this season; he’s also won (22) and stolen (4) more line-outs than any other player. The Stormers will start favourites, but it will be hard work and may end up with another squeaker – winning by five or seven points.
Teams:
Stormers: 15 Dillyn Leyds, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Jaco Coetzee, 5 John Schickerling, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain).
Replacements: 16 Chad Solomon, 17 Alister Vermaak, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Chris van Zyl, 20 Johan du Toit, 21 Ernst van Rhyn, 22 Godlen Masimla, 23 Jean-Luc du Plessis.
Jaguares: 15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Santiago Chocobares, 12 Juan Cruz Mallia, 11 Sebastian Cancelliere, 10 Domingo Miotti, 9 Tomas Cubelli (captain), 8 Rodrigo Bruni, 7 Tomas Lezana, 6 Francisco Gorrissen, 5 Lucas Paulos, 4 Matias Alemanno, 3 Santiago Medrano, 2 Santiago Socino, 1 Nahuel Tetaz.
Replacements: 16 Julian Montoya, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Joel Sclavi, 19 Guido Petti Pagadizaval, 20 Marcos Kremer, 21 Gonzalo Bertranou, 22 Joaquin Diaz Bonilla, 23 Matias Moroni.
Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Egon Seconds (South Africa), Griffin Colby (South Africa)
TMO: Willie Vos (South Africa)
Bulls v Blues
(Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria – Kick-off: 17.15; 15.15 GMT; 04.15, Sunday, February 23 NZ time)
The Bulls, one of two teams who are still pointless, are desperate to get a win for under-fire coach Pote Human.
However, rather that the lack of victories, it is the team’s tactics that appear to be the cause of the pressure being piled on Human.
His decision to continue playing veteran Springbok Morné Steyn at flyhalf is seen as a move away from the game plan that took them to the quarterfinals last season.
Instead of maintaining a ball-in-hand approach introduced by New Zealand coach John Mitchell two years ago, the Bulls rely heavily on tactical kicking from Steyn.
The change has backfired.
The Bulls failing to score a try in losses to the Sharks and the Stormers and they lie second last in the combined standings – ahead only of the Waratahs on points difference, -21 (for the Bulls) to -52 (the Waratahs).
The men from Pretoria will be feeling the pressure, but will take confidence in their ability as a unit and the fact that out of the nine matches played against the Blues at Loftus Versfeld, they have won six and drawn one.
A record the Bulls would like to keep in the positive according to Human.
“We know that we need to win and have done our homework against the Blues – with the added bonus of a bye week assisting us.,”the coach said.
“They remain a threat as always but if we can starve them of the ball and make our opportunities stick then that should be enough to secure a valuable win.”
Human remained optimistic with regards to a home turnaround before they go on tour‚ with the mentor adding that they’ve worked hard on their attacking flaws.
“It’s not a sprint and we can still come back.
“If we can win the next three games at Loftus Versfeld and take that attitude with us overseas‚ we could have a great tour.
“Yes‚ the pressure is on us. It’s a home game and we haven’t got any log points‚ so it’s a must that we perform.
“In the away losses [against the Sharks and Stormers]‚ we really worked hard on our attack.
“I’m looking forward to Saturday and I really hope it won’t be raining. I’m happy with where the players are and I’m very confident.”
Head to head
Prediction: The Bulls have lost only two of their nine previous Super Rugby home games against the Blues, also managing a losing bonus point in one of those two defeats. The Bulls have opened their 2020 Super Rugby campaign with back-to-back defeats; the last time they lost more consecutive games to start a season was in 2005. The Blues have won on only two of their last 13 visits to South Africa in Super Rugby, the most recent of which came in Round 4, 2018 (v Lions). The Bulls remain the only team yet to score a try this Super Rugby campaign. However, they’ve also conceded the joint-fewest tries of any team (4). Thomas Faiane (Blues) has provided one try assist in each of his last three Super Rugby games after not having done so in any of his seven games prior. The Bulls may just end their losing streak, but the win is likely to come by a single score margin – a late penalty.
Teams:
Bulls: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 Johnny Kotze, 12 Burger Odendaal (captain), 11 Rosko Specman, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Ivan van Zyl, 8 Josh Strauss, 7 Wian Vosloo, 6 Jeandré Rudolph, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Andries Ferreira, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Lizo Gqoboka.
Replacements: 16 Corniel Els, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Wiehahn Herbst, 19 Ruan Nortje, 20 Ruan Steenkamp, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Divan Rossouw.
Blues: 15 Stephen Perofeta, 14 Emoni Narawa, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Harry Plummer, 11 Mark Telea, 10 Otere Black, 9 Jonathan Ruru, 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Tony Lamborn, 6 Tom Robinson, 5 Jacob Pierce, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu (captain), 3 Sione Mafileo, 2 James Parsons, 1 Karl Tu’inukuafe.
Replacements: 16 Kurt Eklund, 17 Ezekiel Lindenmuth, 18 Ofa Tuungafasi, 19 Aaron Carroll, 20 Dalton Papalii, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Thomas Faiane, 12 Matt Duffie.
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Cwengile Jadezweni (South Africa), Divan Uys (South Africa)
TMO: Joey Klaaste-Salmans (South Africa)
Compiled by Jan de Koning; with additional reporting by AAP & AFP
* Stats provided by Opta Sports
