Category: Super 14

News and discussion about the Super 14

The Vodacom Blue Bulls take on the Vodacom Stormers at Orlando Stadium in Soweto at 5pm on Saturday 29 May in the all-South African final of the 2010 Super 14.

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Game details

Date: Saturday 29 May 2010
Kick off: 17:00
Venue: Orlando Stadium, Soweto
Referee: Craig Joubert (SA)
Assistant Referees: Cobus Wessels (SA), Christie du Preez (SA)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (SA)

Teamsheets

Bulls – Zane Kirchner, Gerhard van den Heever, Jaco Pretorius, Wynand Olivier, Francois Hougaard, Morné Steyn, Fourie du Preez, Pierre Spies, Dewald Potgieter, Deon Stegmann, Victor Matfield (c), Danie Rossouw, Werner Kruger, Gary Botha, Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Reserves: Bandise Maku, Bees Roux, Flip van der Merwe, Derick Kuün, Jacques-Louis Potgieter, Jaco van der Westhuyzen, Pedrie Wannenburg.
Coach: Frans Ludeke.

Stormers – Joe Pietersen, Gio Aplon, Jaque Fourie, Juan de Jongh, Bryan Habana, Peter Grant, Dewald Duvenhage, Duane Vermeulen, Francois Louw, Schalk Burger, Andries Bekker, Adriaan Fondse, Brok Harris, Tiaan Liebenberg, Wikus Blaauw.
Reserves: Deon Fourie, JC Kritzinger, Anton van Zyl, Pieter Louw, Ricky Januarie, Willem de Waal, Tim Whitehead.
Coach: Allister Coetzee.

History and stats make the Vodacom Bulls favourites to win their third Vodacom Super Rugby title in four years when they host the Vodacom Stormers in the final of the 2010 tournament at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto at 17h00 on Saturday.

Among the distinctions held by the Vodacom Bulls are the fact that the defending champions will be aiming to become the third Super Rugby franchise to win back-to-back titles after claiming their second Super Rugby trophy last season following their 61-17 victory over the Chiefs in Pretoria. Only the Crusaders (2005, 2006 and 1998, 1999, 2000) and Blues (1996, 1997) have ever won consecutive competitions.

Factors in Bulls favour

• This is the Vodacom Bulls’ third Vodacom Super 14 final in four years – the Stormers are appearing in their first
• Nine Vodacom Bulls players – Wynand Olivier, Morné Steyn, Fourie du Preez, Pedrie Wannenburg, Victor Matfield, Danie Rossouw, Derick Kuün, Gurthrö Steenkamp and Pierre Spies – will be playing in their third Vodacom Super 14 final.
• Zane Kirchner, Jaco Pretorius, Dewald Potgieter, Deon Stegmann, Werner Kruger and Chiliboy Ralepelle represented the Pretoria franchise during last year’s final.
• Jaco van der Westhuizen and Gary Botha were part of the successful Vodacom Bulls squad that competed in the 2007 Vodacom Super 14 at The Absa Stadium Durban. (Francois Hougaard and Gerhard van den Heever are the only Vodacom Bulls players selected in their starting line up who have not played in a Vodacom Super 14 final).
• The only Stormers to have appeared in a major final are Bryan Habana, twice with the Bulls in Vodacom Super 14, and with Stormers team-mates Schalk Burger and Jaque Fourie in a Rugby World Cup final.
• The Bulls have won five of the last six meeting between the two teams – the exception being the final round meeting two weeks ago when the Bulls fielded a team showing 14 changes from the previous week

Other statistics

• Matfield will lead the Vodacom Bulls for a record 60th time and could join former Crusaders captain Todd Blackadder and Richie McCaw as the most successful Super Rugby captains of all time should the Vodacom Bulls win by leading a team to the title on three occasions.
• The Vodacom Stormers have the best defensive record in the competition, conceding only 17 tries
• The Vodacom Bulls have the best attacking record in the competition, having scored 50 tries.
• The Vodacom Stormers have the best disciplinary record in the competition having received only one yellow card
• The defending champions have set a new South African record for the most points scored in a Super Rugby competition
• This will be the sixth occasion in the history of Super Rugby where a final will be contested in a local derby.
• It is the second time two South African franchises compete in a Vodacom Super Rugby final
• New Zealand sides have battled it out in four other finales. Two Australian teams have never competed in the final.
• This will be only the third occasion on which a New Zealand team have not competed for the coveted trophy.
• SARU referee Craig Joubert will handle his 50th Super Rugby game

Form

• The defending champions, who will be playing in their second Vodacom Super 14 match in Soweto, have been undefeated at their traditional home – Loftus Versfeld for the last two seasons. They defeated the Crusaders 39-24 in last weekend’s semi-final match at the Orlando Stadium.
• The Vodacom Bulls last conceded a home defeat back in 2008 when they suffered a 22-50 loss against the Hurricanes.
• The Cape franchise recorded three away victories in this season’s competition against the Auto & General Lions (26-13), Chiefs (49-15) and the Blues (33-21).
• The Vodacom Stormers have also conceded three away defeats against the Western Force (15-16), Reds (13-16) and The Sharks (14-20) in Durban.

Head to Head: 1996-2009
Bulls – P: 14 W: 6 L: 7 D: 1 PF: 383 PA: 313

Bulls recent home form:
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Stormers recent away form:
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Player/match stats

• The Vodacom Bulls will be competing in their third Vodacom Super 14 final in four years while the Vodacom Stormers will be making their Super Rugby final debut on Saturday.
• The defending champions have yet to concede defeat in a Vodacom Super 14 final.
• Nine Vodacom Bulls players – Wynand Olivier, Morne Steyn, Fourie du Preez, Pedrie Wannenburg, Victor Matfield, Danie Rossouw, Derick Kuün, Gurthrö Steenkamp and Pierre Spies will be playing in their third Vodacom Super 14 final.
• Zane Kirchner, Jaco Pretorius, Dewald Potgieter, Deon Stegmann, Werner Kruger and Chiliboy Ralepelle represented the Pretoria franchise during last year’s final.
• Jaco van der Westhuizen and Gary Botha were part of the successful Vodacom Bulls squad that competed in the 2007 Vodacom Super 14 at The Absa Stadium Durban.
• Matfield made his first class debut for the Blue Bulls in 1997 at the age of 19.
• The only Vodacom Bulls players selected in their starting line up who have not played in a Vodacom Super 14 final are wingers Francois Hougaard and Gerhard van den Heever.
• Wannenburg is the only Vodacom Bulls player that has competed in all Vodacom Super 14 matches this season.
• Scrumhalf Du Preez will earn his 99th Super Rugby cap for the Pretoria franchise on Saturday. He represented the SA Under-21s during 2002-2003 after earning his SA Under-19 colours in 2001.
• Vodacom Bulls flyhalf Morne Steyn is currently SA’s Super Rugby record holder for most points in a career – 737.
• Steyn is also the leading points’ scorer in the 2010 competition with 243.
• Bryan Habana is the only Vodacom Stormers player who has competed in a Vodacom Super 14 final. He played in 2007 final for the Vodacom Bulls and scored the match-winning try. Habana also played in 2009 final for the Pretoria franchise.
• Peter Grant currently holds the Vodacom Stormers record for most points scored in a career – 526. He represented the SA Schools and the Sharks Under-18 side at the 2002 Coca-Cola Craven Week.
• Andries Bekker, who is the tallest player in the Vodacom Super 14 at 2.08 metres, made his SA Under-21 debut in 2003.
• Francois Louw, who will be making his Springbok debut against Wales next month, is the grandson of former Bok and Western Province President Jan Pickard.
• Vodacom Bulls coach Frans Ludeke has taken charge of the Pretoria franchise for the last three seasons and has a winning record of 69 percent.
• Former Springbok assistant coach Allister Coetzee has a 71 percent winning record in his first year in charge of the Vodacom Stormers.
• Referee Craig Joubert will handle his 50th Super Rugby game and his first final on Saturday at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto.

Super Rugby history

Blue Bulls
P:183 W:83 L:93 D:7 PF:4735 PA:5156 TF:516 TA:604
Stormers
P:167 W:78 L:84 D:5 PF:3871 PA:4124 TF:417 TA:461

Stormers 25 (13)
Try: Juan de Jongh. Conversion: Peter Grant. Penalties: Peter Grant (6).

Waratahs 6 (6)
Penalty: Berrick Barnes. Drop goal: Berrick Barnes.

What they said:

Chris Hickey:
“Defence was definitely a big part of the game. The Stormers have the best defensive record in the competition while we had the third best defensive record. The fact that only one try was scored highlighted that. The Stormers were very physical in contact and it’s difficult gaining momentum on the back foot. Our discipline was also poor. In the first 10 minutes of the second half, we conceded six penalties. That allowed them to have the momentum. We had our opportunities as well, but we failed to turn them into points. I think the final is a fair reflection on the competition. The Bulls and Stormers finished first and second respectively. I don’t think there has been a Super Rugby competition as tight as this one. Semi-final places were only confirmed after the last round. The final will definitely be close, too close to call. It will be a great game of footy.”

Phil Waugh:
“We broke their line and we won some turnovers, but we didn’t capitalise on that. You need to score in a match where opportunities are rare. That cost us. We were a young side and the guys really stood up. There were a lot of injuries but we had depth and that helped us stay in top gear. I’m very happy with the team’s performances this season, especially with our intentions of running with the ball in hand. I’m not too concerned about the final if you ask me.”

Allister Coetzee:
“I think we’ve stuck to what we promised to do at the beginning of the season. We’ve always copped a lot of flak for being a team that flatters to deceive, or a team that is good on paper, but we’ve really matured and learned from the lessons of the past. We’re happy to be part of history, but the job isn’t done yet. Some athletes go to the Olympics to compete, and some go to win gold medals and break records. We have a lot of respect for the Bulls, but we’re not going there just to run the race, we’re going to win. Our defence against the Waratahs was splendid. It just goes to show how systems can win matches. We pitched up physically and the work rate was good, and when you have those two attributes working for you, it will be very hard for the opposition to cut your defence. The Bulls have played in a lot of finals and know how to win them. They’ve been the pacesetters in both the Super 14 and Currie Cup for some time. They’ve dominated opposing teams. But we are getting there too. We have a solid set piece, a fantastic kicking game and there’s something special about our ball-in-hand approach in the backline. The decision making on when to kick and when to run has also impressed. I will have to look at why our scrum was reset so many times against the Waratahs. Other than that, I’ve been pleased with the way the guys have handled the pressure.”

Schalk Burger:
“The crowd has been fantastic the whole season. It was apparent in the warm-up matches how badly they wanted us to win. We’ve also made Newlands a fortress this season by only losing one game. It was a great way to finish our last match at home. Well, if you look at the Bulls record there, they’re probably better in Soweto than they are at Loftus.”

Bulls 39 (23)
Tries: Pierre Spies, Zane Kirchner, Fourie du Preez. Conversions: Morne Steyn (3). Penalties: Morne Steyn (6)

Crusaders 24 (10)
Tries: Richie McCaw, Sean Maitland, Sam Whitelock. Conversions: Dan Carter (3). Penalty: Dan Carter

What they said:

Richie McCaw:
“We weren’t allowed any space out wide and we didn’t adapt. When we did find some space we didn’t capitalise on our opportunities. It’s been symptomatic of our season, we just make too many errors, and against a side as good as the Bulls you can’t get away with that. I’m not going to use (travel) as an excuse. This is a really good Bulls side that deserved their victory. We were ready to go but we came up short and that’s entirely our fault. You can’t play catch-up against the Bulls.”

Todd Blackadder:
“Basic mistakes are the reason we finished fourth on the table. I was pleased with our performance in the last two weeks but tonight we just made too many mistakes.”

Victor Matfield:
“The break clearly freshened us up. The energy was there for everyone to see. There was a lot of criticism and pressure from the media and some of the public, but our decision proved to be the right one. We put in an 80-minute performance and I think that has a lot to do with the guys having a week off. It benefitted us against the Crusaders and we’re hoping it will give us an edge in the final. The atmosphere was amazing and it definitely lifted the guys. At times I couldn’t hear what the guy next to me was saying but luckily it seemed to settle down when the lineout calls were made. Boeremusiek and vuvuzelas. Brilliant. Loftus will always be home, but the atmosphere here is something special and it’ll be even better for the final. I can’t wait. The Stormers have played a good brand of rugby and have an outstanding defence, so we’ll have to be on top of our game on attack. Tonight illustrated the value of a good start and we’ll have to start well again in the final. The team who grabs the initiative early on will be hard to stop. It’s going to be a massive game.”

Frans Ludeke:
“It helped that we knew what their strategy would be. They didn’t offer any surprises but that didn’t make it any easier, we still had to defend well through 80 minutes and we did that. ‘The strategy worked well on the day. The kickers were really accurate and our chasers put them under huge pressure. When we forced turnovers we had numbers and were able to capitalise. It all worked out nicely tonight. We must not over-hype the final. It’s about having a clear picture of what we want to achieve this week and focusing on what has made us successful to date.”

Saturday 22 May

Semifinal 1 – Bulls v Crusaders (Soweto 17:00)

Check the Odds with GreatOdds: Bulls v Crusaders

Bulls record v Crusaders at home:
P 9 | W 5 | L 4
Last 3 results:
2010: Bulls 40 – 35 Crusaders
2008: Bulls 36 – 23 Crusaders
2006: Bulls 19 – 54 Crusaders

Teams:
Bulls Р15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Jaco van der Westhuyzen, 13 Jaco Pretorius, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Morn̩ Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Victor Matfield (c), 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Gary Botha, 1 Gurthr̦ Steenkamp.
Subs: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Bees Roux, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Derick Kuün, 20 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 21 Stephan Dippenaar, 22 Pedrie Wannenburg.

Crusaders – 15 Colin Slade, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Robert Fruean, 12 Daniel Bowden, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 George Whitelock, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Ti’i Paulo, 1 Ben Franks.
Subs: 16 Daniel Perrin, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Chris Jack, 19 Thomas Waldrom, 20 Kahn Fotuali’i, 21 Tim Bateman, 22 Jared Payne.

Semifinal 2 – Stormers v Waratahs (CPT 19:10)

Check the Odds with GreatOdds: Stormers v Waratahs

Stormers record v Waratahs at home:
P 7 | W4 | L 2 | D 1
Last 3 results:
2010: Stormers 27 – 06 Waratahs
2008: Stormers 13 – 13 Waratahs
2006: Stormers 26 – 32 Waratahs

Teams:
Stormers – 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Juan de Jongh, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Schalk Burger (c), 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Adriaan Fondse, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Wicus Blaauw.
Subs: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Eusebio Guinazu, 18 Anton van Zyl, 19 Pieter Louw, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Willem de Waal, 22 Tim Whitehead.

Waratahs – 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Tom Carter, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Berrick Barnes, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Ben Mowen, 7 Phil Waugh (c), 6 Patrick McCutcheon, 5 Kane Douglas, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Al Baxter, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Dan Palmer.
Subs: 16 Damien Fitzpatrick, 17 Jeremy Tilse, 18 Chris Thomson, 19 Dave Dennis, 20 Josh Holmes, 21 Daniel Halangahu, 22 Rory Sidey

2010 Super 14 final standings

Team P W D L BP Pt
01. Bulls 13 10 0 3 7 47
02. Stormers 13 9 0 4 8 44
03. Waratahs 13 9 0 4 7 43
04. Crusaders 13 8 1 4 7 41

05. Reds 13 8 0 5 7 39
06. Brumbies 13 8 0 5 5 37
07. Blues 13 7 0 6 9 37
08. Hurricanes 13 7 1 5 7 37
09. Sharks 13 7 0 6 5 33
10. Cheetahs 13 5 1 7 4 26
11. Chiefs 13 4 1 8 8 26
12. Highlanders 13 3 0 10 7 19
13. Force 13 4 0 9 3 19
14. Lions 13 0 0 13 5 5

Following the Crusaders defeat of the Brumbies and the Waratahs defeat of the Hurricanes, the Super 14 top four looks as follows:

1. 47 – Bulls
2. 43 – Waratahs
3. 41 – Crusaders
4. 39 – Stormers

The Stormers play the Bulls tomorrow with the following possible outcomes for the Stormers:

Win – Move to 2nd (on points difference if no bonus points) and play the Waratahs in Cape Town

Lose by > 7 points – Stay 4th and play The Bulls in Soweto
Lose by < 7 points and score 4 tries - Move to 3rd and play the Waratahs in Sydney Lose by < 7 points and don’t score 4 tries - Stay 4th and play The Bulls in Soweto

Good news all round for Stormers supporters as the Bulls elect to field a second string side in their final league game of 2010. Take that you Wingeing Waratahs! More good news on the Stormers’ side is that Naqelavuki is dropped from the matchday 22.

Stormers – 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Juan de Jongh, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Schalk Burger (c), 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Adriaan Fondse, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Wicus Blaauw.
Subs: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Eusebio Guinazu, 18 Anton van Zyl, 19 Pieter Louw, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Willem de Waal, 22 Tim Whitehead.

Bulls – 15 Tiger Mangweni, 14 Jaco van der Westhuyzen, 13 Stephan Dippenaar, 12 De Wet Barry, 11 Deon Helberg, 10 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 9 Heini Adams, 8 Pedrie Wannenburg, 7 Gerrit-Jan van Velze, 6 Derick Kuün, 5 Bakkies Botha (c), 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Bees Roux, 2 Bandise Maku, 1 Jaco Engels.
Subs: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Dean Greyling, 18 Fudge Mabeta, 19 Okkie Kruger, 20 Ruan Snyman, 21 Francois Brummer, 22 Stefan Watermeyer.