Joe blows the whistle on .....

VODACOM SUPER 14 ROUND 2

THE SHARKS VS VODACOM CHEETAHS

South Africa enjoyed mixed success in the 2nd round of the Vodacom Super 14 season with 3 victories and 2 defeats.

The Sharks, led by John Smit celebrating 100 Super Rugby matches for his beloved franchise squared off against old foes the Vodacom Cheetahs.

The men from Bloemfontein were out to repeat their 2009 performance that saw them to victory in the semi finals of the Absa Currie Cup Competition.

Rory Kockott and Naas Olivier traded penalties but it would be the Cheetahs who crossed the line for the first try. Impressive Griquas fullback Riaan Viljoen sliced through the Sharks midfield before dotting down for his first Super rugby try.

Kockott added 2 more penalties that kept the Sharks in the hunt at the break….

Their was drama even before the first whistle of the second half as Referee Jonathan Kaplan was forced to withdrew with a stomach bug. Kaplan’s deputy Pro Legoete’s first port of call was in the Cheetahs in goal area as Ryan Kankowski dived over to the delight of the home fans.

The Sharks lead only lasted a few minutes as Viljoen slotted two long range penalties that Francois Steyn would have been proud off while Olivier added a penalty and a drop goal to put the Cheetahs out of reach.

Kockott slotted a last minute penalty that earned the Sharks a bonus point for finishing within 7 points but the celebrations belonged to the Cheetahs who claimed victory by 25 points to 20, their first Super Rugby success on the road in almost 3 years.

Scorers:
Sharks (20) - Try: Ryan Kankowski. Penalties: Rory Kockott (5).

Vodacom Cheetahs (25) - Try: Riaan Viljoen. Conversion: Naas Olivier. Penalties: Olivier (3), R. Viljoen (2) Drop Goal: Olivier.

AUTO & GENERAL LIONS VS CHIEFS

What can you say about the match in South Africa’s City of Gold……18 tries, 137 points, 3 yellow cards (All to the Chiefs) and 2 hat tricks was all part of a massive evening!

The Chiefs (Last years beaten finalists) arrived in Johannesburg on the back of a narrow victory against the Sharks in Durban….More favorable playing conditions provided the recipe for running rugby which both teams were more than eager to exploit.

At one stage the result seemed to be a mere formality with the Chiefs ahead by 65 points to 25 but in a massive turnaround the Lions fought back with some exquisite play.

With the Chiefs down to 14 men the Lions pounced as Doppies Le Grange, Wandile Mjekevu x 2, Tonderai Chavhanga, Cobus Grobbelaar and Jacques Lombaard all scored tries as a pulsating match drew to a close with the Chiefs victorious by 72 points to 65.

The match produced the highest aggregate points tally in Super Rugby history while 18 tries certainly added to the evening’s entertainment in front of a disappointing 7000 strong crowd.
Scorers
Lions (65) – tries: Wandile Mjekevu (3), Todd Clever, Carlos Spencer, Doppies la Grange, Tonderai Chavhanga, Cobus Grobbelaar, Jacques Lombaard. Conversions: Earl Rose (5), Burton Francis (2). Penalties: Rose (2).

Chiefs (72) – tries: Callum Bruce, Richard Kahui (3), Stephen Donald, Liam Messam, Junior Poluleuligaga, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Brendon Leonard. Conversions: Stephen Donald (9). Penalties: Donald (2)

VODACOM BULLS VS BRUMBIES
Vodacom Bulls stalwart Pedrie Wannenburg celebrated his 100th Super Rugby cap on the winning side as the Defending Champions scored a half century of points for the second successive week.
Morne Steyn was once again the general in the Bulls back line, Steyn contributed 35 points that included 2 tries, 5 conversions and 5 penalty kicks.
Despite going down to a rampant Bulls outfit the Brumbies certainly played their part in a highly entertaining fixture as Rocky Elsom, George Smith and Pat McCabe all crossed the try line but despite their efforts the Brumbies left Pretoria without any log points from their second fixture.
The Bulls will be relieved following the clearance of Skipper Victor Matfield who appeared in front of a disciplinary committee for striking Elsom in the face.
A full house of points from their 2 matches has earned the Bulls the deserved top spot on the log and it remains to be seen if anyone can stop the Champions this season.

Scorers:
Vodacom Bulls (50) - Tries: Wynand Olivier, Fourie du Preez, Gerhard van den Heever, Morne Steyn (2). Conversions: Steyn (5). Penalties: Steyn (5).

Brumbies (32)- Tries: : Rocky Elsom, George Smith, Pat McCabe. Conversion: Stirling Mortlock. Penalties: Mortlock (4):

VODACOM STORMERS VS WARATAHS
I am really excited about the Stormers prospects this season after their defensive structures stood firm to deny the Waratahs a single try at Newlands.
Following their victory over the Lions in Johannesburg the Stormers returned to Cape Town for their first encounter in front of a packed house.
While the hosts failed to score a bonus point for the second successive week they should still be pleased having scored 3 tries without really looking under pressure against one of the Tournament favorites.
Bryan Habana is quickly becoming one of Cape Town’s most chanted names. The former Bulls flyer scored a brace that included another moment of individual brilliance where a successful charge down had him strolling through for a very important 5 pointer.
The Stormers coaching staff will however be concerned over the well being of Captain Schalk Burger who was forced to leave the field through injury.
Overall the Stormers will be relieved with another win but it remains to be seen how they will face up against another difficult opponent in the form of the Brumbies this week.

Scorers:
Vodacom Stormers (27) - Tries: Francois Louw, Bryan Habana (2). Conversions: Joe Pietersen (3). Penalties: Pietersen (2).

Waratahs (6) - Penalties: Berrick Barnes (2).

After 2 weeks the log reads as follows:
1 Vodacom Bulls 2 2 0 0 101 66 35 11 6 2 10
2 Hurricanes 2 2 0 0 81 42 39 8 5 1 9
3 Chiefs 2 2 0 0 91 83 8 10 9 1 9
4 Vodacom Stormers 2 2 0 0 53 19 34 5 1 0 8
5 Reds 2 1 0 1 69 50 19 7 4 2 6
6 Crusaders 2 1 0 1 52 58 -6 6 6 1 5
7 Brumbies 2 1 0 1 56 65 -9 6 5 0 4
8 Blues 2 1 0 1 39 49 -10 5 3 0 4
9 Vodacom Cheetahs 2 1 0 1 59 71 -12 4 7 0 4
10 Waratahs 2 1 0 1 36 55 -19 2 6 0 4
11 The Sharks 2 0 0 2 38 44 -6 1 2 2 2
12 Auto & General Lions 2 0 0 2 78 98 -20 10 11 2 2
13 Highlanders 2 0 0 2 32 51 -19 4 7 1 1
14 Western Force 2 0 0 2 37 71 -34 3 10 0 0

Week 3 will see the following teams go head to head
26 Crusaders v The Sharks Christchurch 08:35
26 Vodacom Stormers v Brumbies Newlands Rugby Stadium 19:10
27 Hurricanes v Auto & General Lions Wellington 08:35
27 Reds v Blues Brisbane 10:40
27 Western Force v Chiefs Perth 13:05
27 Vodacom Cheetahs v Highlanders Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein 17:05
27 Vodacom Bulls v Waratahs Loftus Versfeld 19:10
Good luck to all the SA teams!

Cheers
Joe