S15 Preview: Round Twelve, Part Two
With time running out for teams to make a charge and secure a place in the play-offs there should be some hard-hitting Super Rugby action in store this weekend, we take a look at the match-ups.
The last three matches of the weekend all promise to be gripping affairs, and with the June Test window not far away there will be extra motivation for the players to prove their worth.
There will be two matches in South Africa on Saturday evening with the Sharks taking on the Force in Durban before the big derby at Newlands between the Stormers and the Cheetahs.
The last match of the weekend should be a humdinger as the Reds host the Chiefs in Brisbane on Sunday, with the Waikato side looking to make it ten wins on the trot when they face the defending champions.
Sharks v Force
(Kings Park, Durban – Kick-off: 17.05; 15.05 GMT)
Both the Sharks and the Force have named unchanged starting line-ups for their clash at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday and both teams will be hoping that they can score more than one try this week.
The Force proved against the Cheetahs that their tight five is not to be sniffed at, but they lack a creative edge in the backline to capitalise on the hard work that is done up front.
The challenge for the Sharks will be to sustain pressure in the opposition 22, which they never really managed to do against the Highlanders last week, and they will know that if they are to sneak into the play-offs this year then this game is a must-win.
If the Sharks front row are expected to have the upper hand at scrum-time then the Force should be favourites to dominate the line-outs with veteran locks Nathan Sharpe showing some good form in recent weeks.
Jacques Botes has been retained on the flank for the home side and he will be tasked with competing with Wallaby openside David Pocock while Marcell Coetzee and Keegan Daniel carry the ball and test the Perth team’s defence.
The sharks have more backline flair, with players like Pat Lambie, JP Pietersen and Lwazi Mvovo all capable of producing some magic and they seem to outgun the Force who look fairly thin in this department.
Both teams stuck to their structure and discpline last week, so it will be interesting if they are willing to take a few more risks on Saturday to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
Recent results:
2011: Sharks won 39-12 in Perth
2010: Sharks won 27-22 in Durban
2009: Sharks won 22-10 in Perth
2008: Sharks won 17-10 in Durban
2007: Force won 22-12 in Perth
Prediction: The Force will be desperate to follow up their close loss last week with a win to make it a successful tour, but the Sharks are playing at home and have too many quality players so they should take this one by about seven points.
Teams:
Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Tim Whitehead, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Patrick Lambie, 9 Charl McLeod, 8 Keegan Daniel (captain), 7 Marcell Coetzee, 6 Jacques Botes, 5 Anton Bresler, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Ryan Kankowski, 21 Frederic Michalak, 22 Meyer Bosman.
Western Force: 15 Alfie Mafi, 14 Samu Wara, 13 Nick Cummins, 12 Winston Stanley, 11 Napolioni Nalaga, 10 David Harvey, 9 Brett Sheehan, 8 Matt Hodgson, 7 David Pocock (captain), 6 Richard Brown, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Toby Lynn, 3 Salesi Ma’afu, 2 Nathan Charles, 1 Pek Cowan.
Replacements: 16 Elvis Taione, 17 Salesi Manu, 18 Phoenix Battye, 19 Lachlan McCaffrey, 20 Josh Holmes, 21 Ben Seymour, 22 Rory Sidey.
Referee: Mark Lawrence (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Joey Salmans (South Africa), Christie du Preez (South Africa)
TMO: Johann Meuwesen (South Africa)
Stormers v Cheetahs
(Newlands, Cape Town – Kick-off: 19.10; 17.10)
The Stormers are back in front of their home crowd and the bye last week means that they have been bolstered by the return of a few big names for the derby clash with the Cheetahs.
It will be the most effective defensive system in the competition up against one of the most exciting attacking teams so the territorial battle will be key as both teams look to exert their own brand of pressure in the opposition’s half.
The Cheetahs looked off-colour against the Force last week, and struggled to build momentum so it will be interesting to see how they approach this match as running at the Stormers from your own half is a risky strategy.
The Free State side were bullied at scrum-time last week and they will need to make a big step up on Saturday against a Stormers team whose set-pieces have been impressive all season.
If the Cheetahs’ ball-carrying forwards like Coenie Oosthuizen and Adriaan Strauss manage to get some forward momentum then it could free up some space for their dangerous backline out wide, but it will take some effort to win the gainline battle against the Stormers.
The home team will look to put the squeeze on the team from Bloemfontein and harass them into coughing the ball up in vulnerable positions, so accuracy will be crucial for Naka Drotske’s men.
Recent results:
2011: Stormers won 44-34 in Bloemfontein
2011: Stormers won 21-15 in Cape Town
2010: Stormers won 21-8 in Cape Town
2009: Stormers won 28-22 in Bloemfontein
2008: Stormers won 34-22 in Cape Town
Prediction: The Cheetahs certainly have the ability to cause an upset but they have not looked as potent since they returned from tour and the Stormers‘ controlled and disciplined gameplan should get them a win by about five points.
Teams:
Stormers: 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers (captain), 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Deon Fourie, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Tiaan Liebenberg, 17 Frans Malherbe, 18 De Kock Steenkamp, 19 Jebb Sinclair, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Gerhard van den Heever.
Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Cameron Jacobs, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Willie le Roux, 10 Sias Ebersohn, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Justin Downey, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Izak van der Westhuizen, 4 George Earle, 3 WP Nel, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Coenie Oosthuizen.
Replacements: 16 Hercu Liebenberg, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Andries Ferreira, 19 Ashley Johnson, 20 Tewis de Bruyn, 21 Riaan Smit, 22 Philip Snyman.
Referee: Steve Walsh (Australia)
Assistant referees: Stuart Berry (South Africa), Cobus Wessels (South Africa)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)
Reds v Chiefs
(Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane – Kick-off: 16.10; 06.10 GMT)
It will be the defending champions up against the table-toppers when the Reds welcome the Chiefs to Brisbane on Sunday, and although they are playing at home the Queensland outfit will have to produce a special performance if they want to prevent the visitors from notching a tenth consecutive victory.
The Chiefs have been incredibly consistent this season, and even showed impressive control and composure despite not playing to their potential against the Lions last week, so if the Reds can knock them off their pedestal it would be a significant result.
Coach Ewen McKenzie’s team put up a stern fight against the Crusaders last week, and they will play with just as much desperation in front of their home crowd this week as they know that another loss will put their play-off hopes in even greater jeopardy.
The Chiefs tight five have bruised a few egos this year, so it will take a big effort for the Reds to stamp their authority up front, but they are a cunning outfit and certainly have the artillery to mix it with the most physical teams in the competition.
The backline battle will be the most intriguing aspect of this match and a lot of responsibility will fall on the shoulders of Wallaby general Will Genia to dictate the pace of the game for the home side, while Digby Ioane will be expected to break the line and create opportunities.
The Chiefs will look to flyhalf Aaron Cruden to unleash their potent backs, but perhaps even more crucial will be their defensive organisation, with outside centre Richard Kahui leading the charge in this regard.
Recent results:
2011: Reds won 19-11 in Hamilton
2010: Reds won 23-18 in Hamilton
2009: Chiefs won 50-26 in Brisbane
2008: Chiefs won 32-20 in Hamilton
2007: Chiefs won 21-19 in Brisbane
Prediction: The Reds are incredibly tough to beat in Brisbane and have plenty of motivation with their play-off chances looking thinner each week, but the Chiefs have been the most classy team in the competition so we are backing them to sneak a win by about three points.
Teams:
Reds: 15 Luke Morahan, 14 Dom Shipperley, 13 Anthony Faingaa, 12 Mike Harris, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Ben Lucas, 9 Will Genia, 8 Scott Higginbotham, 7 Liam Gill, 6 Jake Schatz, 5 James Horwill (captain), 4 Rob Simmons, 3 James Slipper, 2 James Hanson, 1 Ben Daley.
Replacements: 16 Saia Faingaa, 17 Greg Holmes, 18 Adam Wallace-Harrison, 19 Eddie Quirk, 20 Beau Robinson, 21 Nick Frisby, 22 Rod Davies.
Chiefs: 15 Andrew Horrell, 14 Lelia Masaga, 13 Richard Kahui, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Asaeli Tikoirotuma, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Brendon Leonard, 8 Alex Bradley, 7 Tanerau Latimer, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 Craig Clarke (captain), 3 Ben Tameifuna, 2 Mahonri Schwalger, 1 Arizona Taumalolo.
Replacements: 16 Hika Elliot, 17 Toby Smith, 18 Kane Thompson, 19 Sam Cane, 20 Augustine Pulu, 21 Jackson Willison, 22 Robbie Robinson.
Referee: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Andrew Lees (Australia), Simon Moore (Australia)
TMO: Steve Lesczcynski (Australia)
By Michael de Vries
