Being one of two teams that entered the new Super 14 competition alongside the Western Force, the Central Cheetahs surprised many with their maiden season performance, finishing 10th. The Cheetahs have since failed to consolidate their good opening year, finishing 2007 and 2008 in 11th and 13th position respectively.
Joe Pietersen scored 13 points and Springboks centre Jaque Fourie grabbed his third try for his new team as the Stormers beat the Cheetahs 21-8 in an all-South African match in the Super 14.
Pietersen kicked two early penalties and converted his own try on Saturday to help the Stormers to a third successive win and [...] Read article
The Otago Highlanders gained their first Super 14 win of 2010 with a 31-24 victory over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
The Highlanders were good value for their win in a hard-fought contest between two of the competition’s struggling teams – the New Zealanders always looked superior when they had the ball in hand.
The Cheetahs, [...] Read article
Central Cheetahs gained their first away win in three seasons when they upset Coastal Sharks 25-20 in an all-South Africa Super 14 match at Durban on Friday.
For the second week in succession, the Sharks, whose captain John Smit was playing his 100th Super 14 match, had to be satisfied with a bonus point for a [...] Read article
Springbok captain John Smit will become the first South African to play 100 games for one Super rugby team when the Sharks hosts the Cheetahs in round two of the competition.
The 31-year-old will reach the landmark in Durban on Friday and will be joined by Pedrie Wannenberg a day later when the loose forward makes [...] Read article
The defending champion Bulls opened their Super 14 title defence by scoring a bonus point in a 51-34 win over the Cheetahs on Friday.
The Bulls scored tries through Jaco Pretorius, Morne Steyn, Gerhard van den Heever, Zane Kirchner and Wynand Olivier and also awarded a penalty try at Vodacom Park.
Springbok flyhalf Morne Steyn scored 24 [...] Read article
The new interpretation of the breakdown laws promises to rewind Super Rugby back to the days when tries were the norm, rather than the exception. It’s exciting stuff, despite the risk that the pendulum will swing back too far and we’ll get a return to the bad old days of basketball scores.
Remember the 2004 final?
Brumbies [...] Read article
The last two rounds of the Super 14 tournament resemble a rope with a knot in the middle and the contending teams are pulling both ends as hard as they can. The result is a very tight knot of seven teams contending for four places in the finals.
It seems certain that the last match of [...] Read article
Northern Bulls wing Bryan Habana scored an intercept try in the final moments to ensure a bonus point 29-20 victory over the Central Cheetahs in the Super 14 on Saturday.
The five points earned allowed the Bulls, champions in 2007, to go top of the table with just one round of matches to go before the [...] Read article
The NSW Waratahs surged into the Super 14 top four with a hard-fought 14-10 triumph over Western Force in Perth on Saturday night.
The Waratahs trailed 10-8 at half-time but regained the lead courtesy of two penalties from five-eighth Daniel Halangahu, who took over the kicking duties from the wayward Berrick Barnes after the break.
The Force [...]
The Crusaders were made to work harder than expected to beat the hapless Lions 46-19 in their Super 14 clash in Christchurch on Saturday.
The win, their fifth from six outings, kept the seven-time champions on course to again make the playoffs while the Lions remain without a win.
But despite the 27-point margin the contest was [...]
Joe Pietersen scored 13 points and Springboks centre Jaque Fourie grabbed his third try for his new team as the Stormers beat the Cheetahs 21-8 in an all-South African match in the Super 14.
Pietersen kicked two early penalties and converted his own try on Saturday to help the Stormers to a third successive win and [...]
The Sharks finally broke their duck with a 30-16 Super 14 rugby win over the Highlanders in Dunedin on Saturday night.
It marked the first victory in six matches for the South Africans this season at the expense of a Highlanders team now boasting a similarly mediocre 1-5 win-loss record.
The result was only confirmed two minutes [...]
The result of the game against the Force has seen the Tahs move into fourth place. As a fan of the team this should be great news. What this round has shown us is that this is the most open super season we have all seen for a very long time, but things don’t look [...]
In-form Bulls flyhalf Morne Steyn kicked four penalties and a conversion to pass 100 points for the season and help the Bulls to a narrow 19-18 win over the Wellington Hurricanes on Friday.
The Super 14 leaders scored just one try, through fullback Zane Kirchner, and relied on Steyn’s radar-like boot to extend their winning run [...]
Quade Cooper’s irresistible Super 14 form has him leading the contest for Australia’s chief playmaking role, according to former Wallabies inside back Rod Kafer.
After the personal low of his controversial end to 2009, mercurial five-eighth Cooper has enjoyed a great start to 2010, spearheading Queensland’s amazing turnaround.
His performances beside Wallabies halfback Will Genia have helped [...]
NSW flanker Dave Dennis believes it will be counter-productive for the Waratahs to target Force young gun James O’Connor in Saturday night’s Super 14 derby in Perth.
O’Connor has been a shining light for the winless Force this season, starring at fullback, inside centre and five-eighth in the franchise’s injury-hit campaign.
The 19-year-old will wear the No.12 [...]
The Brumbies defence couldn’t answer all the questions posed by the Blues attack, slipping to a 39-34 loss in a Super 14 rugby thriller at Auckland’s Eden Park on Friday.
The Blues scored five tries to three as 19 points from the boot of five-eighth Matt Giteau couldn’t prevent the Brumbies suffering their first defeat [...]
Melbourne joining the Super 15 next year should not be taken lightly by the ARU. If foreign players are going to join the side, the ARU must ensure that they mentor younger Melbourne-based rugby players and ensure a strong rugby culture develops.
Being an AFL city, the ARU must stamp its authority strongly and swiftly, otherwise [...]
