The Bulls have won the 2010 Super 14, the last of it’s kind as it takes the form of a Super 15 next year complete with a new format. The Bulls won 25 points to 17 at Soweto’s Orlando stadium, with Morne Steyne kicking 20 points and missing just one kick. Francois Hougaard scored the Bulls only try in an impressive, individual effort. The Stormers will surely take heart from finally delivering on all their promise, and will be even better in 2011. They scored two tries, one to Enrico Januarie and the standard intercept try to Bryan Habana. Peter Grant converted both tries and kicked a penalty.
The Bulls always looked too strong and at one stage in the first half were leading 16-0. The Stormers came back to within 6 points but Morne Steyne penalty kicked the Bulls through to victory.
Morne Steyne continues his two-season dominance in Super Rugby scoring 263 Super Rugby points in 2010, a new record. In fact, he has eclipsed Crusaders fly-half Dan Carter’s record by 42 points. His epic point scoring is also an indication of just how dominant the Bulls have been this year.
It is the Bull’s third Super 14 title in four seasons. Fellow Super Rugby teams will be hoping the eventual retirements of old warriors like Victor Matfield and suspended lock partner Bakkies Botha will help bring the team back into line in the future. Australian and New Zealand teams will be hoping the same goes for many of the experienced Springboks dominating at all levels of rugby right now.
Rugby Union Results from the semi finals of the 2010 Super 14
Bulls 39 v 24 Crusaders
Stormers 25 v 6 Waratahs
As predicted it’s an all South African semi final, with the Bulls hosting the Stormers in Soweto. They really are the two most deserving finalists, with both teams showing great form all year. No other two teams really come close.
Rugby Union Results from Round 14 of the 2010 Super 14
Crusaders 40 v 22 Brumbies
Waratahs 32 v 16 Hurricanes
Sharks 27 v 22 Force
Blues 30 v 20 Chiefs
Reds 38 v 36 Highlanders
Cheetahs 59 v 10 Lions
Stormers 38 v 10 Bulls
Upset of the Round: The one sided nature of the Crusdaders, Brumbies and Waratahs, Hurricanes games. Game of the Round: Reds v Highlanders. Some fancy tricks from Quade Cooper and a gritty comeback from the Highlanders.
The Crusaders and Waratahs have convincingly won their virtual quarter finals and the Hurricanes’ and Brumbies’ seasons are over.
The Crusaders scored 40 points to the Brumbies’ 22. Sean Maitland, Kieran Read, Owen Franks, Richie McCaw and Zac Guildford scored tries for the Crusaders. Dan Carter had an off night with the boot but still kicked 4 conversions and 3 penalties. Tyrone Smith, Ben Alexander and Huia Edmonds scored tries for the Brumbies, with Matt Giteau kicking 2 conversions and 1 penalty.
In an equally comfortable game the Waratahs beat the Hurricanes 32 to 16. Conrad Smith scored the solitary try for the Hurricanes, and Piri Weepu kicked the conversion and 3 penalties. The Waratahs did everything in twos. For their bonus point win both Kurtley Beale and Drew Mitchell scored two tries, and Berrick Barnes kicked 2 conversions and 2 penalties.
Unless a series of mysterious events unfold and the inform Stormers lose or draw to the heavily rotated Bulls team then the final four, in order, will be the Bulls, Stormers, Waratahs and Crusaders. This would mean both the Waratahs and Crusaders will have to fly to South Africa to play the Stormers and Bulls respectively.
Hurricanes 44 v 21 Reds
Bulls 40 v 35 Crusaders
Chiefs 19 v 46 Waratahs
Brumbies 31 v 3 Highlanders
Lions 14 v 56 Blues
Cheetahs 29 v 14 Force
Sharks 20 v 14 Stormers
Most matches went the way of the form sheet this week. Arguably the Sharks and Cheetahs victories could be considered upsets. However, both teams were at home and up against relatively even opponents in the Stormers and Force respectively. There are some pretty big scorelines on that result sheet. Four teams scored 40 or more and only one team scored less than 14.
At the beginning of the year not many people would have picked this to be the table with two weeks to go. The Bulls being at the top aren’t a surprise, and with a five point buffer and being back in South Africa they can get used to it. Both the Hurricanes and Brumbies are barely holding on to their Super 14 semi final hopes for 2010, while the Stormers look to have come from nowhere and pretty much secured their place. The Reds and Waratahs have their destiny in their hands if they win their remaining games. This is made possible by the Crusaders having to take on the Bulls at Loftus this weekend, and if they can’t do the impossible and take away a win then they could find themselves out of the top 4 going into the last round.
Highlanders 26 v 10 Waratahs
Stormers 42 v 14 Crusaders
Hurricanes 33 v 27 Chiefs
Brumbies 32 v 12 Reds
Cheetahs 36 v 32 Blues
Lions 12 v 33 Force
Bulls 27 v 19 Sharks
A few upsets in Round 12 of the Super 14. Firstly, the Highlanders finally came to life against the Waratahs. If they keep this up they could play spoiler to a few teams in the remaining rounds. The second upset occured later that night, in the Stormers versus the Crusaders game. While the winner was arguably form related, the margin surely wasn’t, with the Stormers thrashing the Crusaders. It took the Brumbies to finally bring the Reds down to earth, and the Cheetahs put the final nail in the Blues’ coffin. As expected the Force beat the Lions and the Bulls held out the Sharks.
Chiefs 25 v 25 Cheetahs
Reds 16 v 13 Stormers
Force 24 v 16 Crusaders
Highlanders 31 v 33 Hurricanes
Waratahs 19 v 12 Brumbies
Bulls 51 v 11 Lions
Sharks 23 v 10 Blues
Not a good week for my picks, or for the hopes of the New Zealand Super 14 teams. The only win came in the all-New Zealand match between the Hurricanes and the Highlanders, with the Hurricanes winning in a try fest that left more questions than answers as to their 2010 aspirations.
The Chiefs and the Blues must surely have kissed their playoff hopes goodbye now. The Chiefs will be especially disappointed to have drawn what should have been a gimme 5 points game at home. Stephen Donald will have trouble looking his teammates in the eye after one of the worst displays ever put on by a professional goal kicker. Graham Henry will even more disturbed with his two back up first-five stocks. Stephen Donald capitulated and Mike Delany is out for 6 months with a shoulder injury.
There were hard fought wins amongst the title contenders. The Reds showed continued there amazing 2010 form with a win over fellow 2010 movers the Stormers. The Waratahs beat the Brumbies in the Australian derby of the round. As expected the Bulls thrashed the Lions in South African derby.
In quite possibly the upset of the tournament, the Force finally beat the Crusaders after 4 years of near misses.
Here are the highlights to the Crusaders v Force game:
Chiefs 15 v 49 Stormers
Brumbies 13 v 23 Hurricanes
Blues 38 v 17 Force
Crusaders 45 v 6 Cheetahs
Reds 19 v 12 Bulls
Lions 28 v 32 Sharks
What a disastrous weekend for my rugby picks. I picked a grand total of 3 out of 6, and the ones I did get were all straight forward.
Admittedly, common sense dictated the Stormers should win, but I naively thought the Chiefs had a big game in the them for the weekend. The Stormers work on the road this year is incredible.
Great work by the Hurricanes and Reds to get up for scrappy wins over the more vaunted opponents in the Brumbies and Bulls respectively. Their wins prove just how open this competition is this year.
In a week where four of the New Zealand teams had games at home, it took the Crusaders to stop an unwanted whitewash in round 9 of the Super 14. The Chiefs started proceedings by giving the Bulls a 5-point victory in Hamilton on Friday, losing 19 – 33.
Saturday should have been a festival of New Zealand victories, with all three home teams being odds-on favourites. Only the Blues were playing someone ahead of them on the table, and they were fresh off beating competition leaders the Bulls the week before.
The first game of the Saturday was the Highlanders hosting the Force in Queenstown. The dramatic backdrop of The Remarkables must surely make for the most picturesque playing venue of any televised sport. It wasn’t enough inspiration for the Highlanders though, who after swapping leads with the Force throughout the match, eventually lost 27 – 41. Former All Black David Hill, temporarily helping his former coach John Mitchell at the Force, showed his experience and composure throughout the match.
The Blues were unable to carry their promising form from the week before into their match against the Stormers who overwhelmed the Blues to an early 19-0 lead. The Blues forgot how hard they worked to against the Bulls the week before and seemed to think the win against the Stormers would be easy. The final score was the Stormers 33, the Blues 21. One of the highlights of the match included a huge fend by Isaia Toeava to bust the line, before linking with Joe Rokocoko twice before Rokocoko scored for the Blues.
Three games in, it was up to the Crusaders to stop the whitewash on NZ soil by beating the table topping Waratahs in Christchurch. Despite being a bit off with the boot at the moment, Dan Carter did enough to overtake Stirling Mortlock and become the leading point scorer in Super Rugby history. With 5 penalties on the night, Carter ended with 1022 Super Rugby Points. A late miss gave the Waratahs a bonus point. The style of the win would have not just Crusaders fans worried, but as New Zealand’s only realistic chance, all New Zealand fans worried. The final score was 20 to 13 with the Crusaders’ Kahn Fotuali’i and the Waratahs’ Rob Horne scoring tries.
In other Super 14 results, Australian teams thrashed their respective South African opponents. A cricket score looked to be on the cards early on in the Reds v Lions match, before finishing 41 – 26 to the Reds at Coca Cola Park in Johannesburg. As expected, the Brumbies had a field day against the Cheetahs at Canberra Stadium in Canberra, winning 61 to 15.
