Kaplan: Bulls Were Lucky 2nd Try Was Awarded

The Bulls were lucky to have been awarded their second try against the Lions in Saturday’s Super Rugby match in Pretoria, said former South African test referee, Jonathan Kaplan.

Kaplan explained that the try scored by scrumhalf Piet van Zyl in the 10th minute was preceded by a forward pass from No 8 Arno Botha to centre Jan Serfontein.

Kaplan wrote on his website, www.ratetheref.co.za:  “The Bulls’ second try should never have been as there was a clear forward pass in the build-up. It should have been picked up by the officials, and it wasn’t. The difference in score in the end was two points, but that’s not really the point. The Bulls were probably the better outfit on the day, but this is professional sport and we need to be looking for solutions to these issues, not running for cover and hoping the dust settles quickly after each weekend.”

The Bulls beat the Lions 35-33.

Vodacom Super Rugby SA Conference Review

The Vodacom Bulls are back at the top of the South African Conference, taking over from the DHL Stormers who came up short in Bloemfontein on an exhilarating Saturday of Vodacom Super Rugby.

The weekend started on a disappointing note for the Cell C Sharks in Dunedin though. After a solid start for the visitors, the Highlanders turned on the heat and eventually beat the Durbanites by 48-15 in their opening tour match Down Under.

Saturday saw two cracking local derbies, both won by the home teams.

First up, the Toyota Cheetahs caused a minor upset when they won their third successive home game against the DHL Stormers in Bloemfontein, by 25-17.

The home team outscored the visitors by three tries to two and thoroughly deserved their fourth win of the season. It was also only the third time in 14 matches that the DHL Stormers could not score any log points against the Toyota Cheetahs.

The final match of the weekend was a proper humdinger in Pretoria, where the Vodacom Bulls beat their neighbours, the Emirates Lions, by 35-33. A total of seven tries were scored as both sides went hammer and tongs against each other for the full 80 minutes.

Highlanders 48 (24) Cell C Sharks 15 (10)

The Cell C Sharks started their tour of Australasia on a losing note when they were beaten 48-15 by a determined Highlanders side at the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on Friday morning.

Thirty minutes into this fixture, the scores were still level at 10-10, each side having scored a try with Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira burrowing his way over for the visitors.

But two tries late in the first half gave the home side a 14-point gap at the break. The Highlanders capitalised on this lead in the second half with some great skills coupled with too many mistakes by the Cell C Sharks as they crossed for four more tries.

The KwaZulu-Natalians got a second try when Bismarck du Plessis went over with less than 10 minutes to go on the clock, but by then it was game over in the deep south of New Zealand.

Scorers:

Highlanders – Tries: Gareth Evans, Waisake Naholo, Patrick Osborne, Mark Reddish, Aaron Smith, Brendon Edmonds, Elliot Dixon. Conversions: Lima Sopoaga (5). Penalty: Sopoaga.

Cell C Sharks – Tries: Tendai Mtawarira, Bismarck du Plessis. Conversion: Fred Zeilinga. Penalty goal: Zeilinga.

Toyota Cheetahs 25 (18) DHL Stormers 17 (10)

The Toyota Cheetahs scored a memorable 25-17 victory over the DHL Stormers at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Saturday afternoon, capping off a fine showing by outscoring the Capetonians by three tries to two.

It was a typically tough South African derby and the result was in the balance until Clayton Blommetjies cut through the DHL Stormers’ defence in the 70th minute to put his side up by eight points.

Shortly before that, DHL Stormers replacement flyhalf Kurt Coleman missed two penalty attempts, which could’ve seen the match pan out differently. He also pulled wide an attempt at the death which cost his side a valuable bonus-point.

In the end the Toyota Cheetahs deserved this win. They started the match strongly and led 18-3 after 25 minutes thanks to tries by Michael van der Spuy and Rayno Benjamin, and Joe Pietersen’s boot. The DHL Stormers closed the gap to only eight points when Dillyn Leyds went over for a converted try.

With just over 20 minutes to go, it was 18-17 thanks to a converted try by DHL Stormers captain Duane Vermeulen, but 15 minutes later Blommetjies sealed the win for the home side.

Scorers:

Toyota Cheetahs – Tries: Michael van der Spuy, Rayno Benjamin, Clayton Blommetjies. Conversions: Joe Pietersen (2). Penalty goals: Pietersen (2).

DHL Stormers – Tries: Dillyn Leyds, Duane Vermeulen: Conversions: Demetri Catrakilis, Kurt Coleman. Penalty goal: Catrakilis.

Vodacom Bulls 35 (25) Emirates Lions 33 (13)

The Vodacom Bulls had to withstand a superb second-half fight-back by the Emirates Lions, but in the end the men from Pretoria had enough in the tank as they won this nail-biting Jukskei derby by 35-33 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday evening.

The home team scored three tries in first half, two of them going to Piet van Zyl in the first 10 minutes. The Vodacom Bulls started like a house on fire and almost had their fourth try in the bag before the break.

But the Emirates Lions had different plans after the break and came out firing in the second half. The visitors, whose first try was scored by Faf de Klerk, played great rugby and turned the half-time deficit into a one-point lead (26-25) within 15 minutes of the break.

The home team took back the lead thanks to a converted try by Pierre Spies, while Handré Pollard’s third penalty goal increased the Vodacom Bulls’ lead to nine points with five minutes left.

Yet again the Emirates Lions fought back, this time through a great converted try by Jaco Kriel, but in the end it wasn’t enough as the Vodacom Bulls, buoyed by a very strong defensive performance and solid work in the line-outs, outlasted their neighbours, who played with their usual attacking freedom built on a very strong scrum.

Scorers:

Vodacom Bulls – Tries: Piet van Zyl (2), JJ Engelbrecht, Pierre Spies. Conversions: Handré Pollard (3). Penalty goals: Pollard (3).

Emirates Lions – Tries: Faf de Klerk, Jacques van Rooyen, Jaco Kriel. Conversions: Elton Jantjies (3). Penalty goals: Jantjies (4).

Other results – Round 12:

Brumbies 10 Waratahs 13
Blues 41 Force 24
Hurricanes 29 Crusaders 23
Rebels 16 Chiefs 15

SuperRugby: Two South African Derbies This Weekend

Johannesburg and Cape Town will be the focus points in South Africa on Saturday afternoon for two local Vodacom Super Rugby derbies which could have a massive influence on the final standings in less than two months’ time.

The claws will be out at Emirates Airline Park when two former partners, the Emirates Lions and Toyota Cheetahs, clash for the 12th time since the demise of the Cats franchise after the 2005 season.

The home team is on a four-match win-streak and a win on Saturday will be their best-ever run of results as a franchise and to achieve that, the Emirates Lions will have to record their seventh win over the Toyota Cheetahs.

All eyes will then move to Cape Town for the second North/South derby of 2015, between the DHL Stormers and the Vodacom Bulls – currently the two pace-setters in the South African Conference.

It will in all likelihood be a typically tough local derby yet again – the last time any of these two teams scored a try-scoring bonus point against the other, was almost five years ago, in 2010.

The Cell C Sharks have a bye and will leave on their Australasian tour this weekend. - SARU

Rugby Bonanza To Descend In Soweto

The City of Johannesburg in partnership with Gauteng Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation as well as the Soweto Rugby Club, will again host a rugby tournament at the Braamfischer Multipurpose Complex in Soweto, from 24 April.

The Soweto Rugby Tournament will be preceded by a diner to honor the success of this tournament which has produced 13 professional rugby players since its inception 23-years ago. Cllr. Chris Vondo: MMC Community Development in the City of Johannesburg said the City is proud to host the Soweto Rugby Tournament dating back to its inception.

“Rugby is one of the key Transformative codes which we believe has to be replicated across the City. It is an ideal platform that is building and nurturing future champs and stars that continue to take sport to the next level in this country”, MMC Vondo added.

Gauteng MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation Ms Molebatsi Bopape said:  “It is encouraging that 4 years-on the Soweto Rugby Tournament is growing stronger and is becoming one of the prominent sporting highlight in the township. It is not only about the festivities of the tournament but the product thereof, where national stars such as Victor Seketekete and Malungisa Nkosi started”.

"As the home of champions, Gauteng should be leading in producing future stars for our sport from all corners of our province and this tournament is a platform to unearth more of these. It gives us hope and assurance that there’s a solid foundation to identify and find talent as well as continue influencing the transformation of rugby in our country”, added MEC Bopape.

The Soweto Rugby Club was formed in 1992 following the unification and revival of clubs that existed before within this area. Since then, players who started their career at this club have been featured in prestigious competitions in the country such as Vodacom Cup, Varsity Cup as well as Varsity Shield.

This year’s tournament will feature 4 semi pro rugby teams, 4 development teams, 6 under-13 teams as well as 4 senior women teams from across South Africa. The teams will do battle for the crown and pride of development, growth and high performance of township and rural rugby, however the most important will be the tournament’s potential to produce the next Victor Seketekete or Malungisa Nkosi from the grass roots.

The teams are from 4 provinces and Gauteng has 4 teams- Eldoronians Rugby Club from Eldorado Park, Eersterus, Atteridgeville as well as the Soweto Rugby Club. From Kwazulu Natal is Seskhona Rugby Club, North West –Matlosana Rugby Club and from Free State- and Harmony Rugby Club as well as Eye of The Tiger Rugby Academy.

The format of the competition will be the Super 8 senior teams that will split into 2 groups of 4 teams to play against each other after the top 4 teams and bottom 4 has qualified on Saturday, 25 April. The 2 teams from each group will go on to play the on the 26th April cup, plate, shield & bowl semi final on Monday, 27 April will be Bowl, Shield, Plate and Cup Final. The 25th April will be dedicated to the under 13 tournament and Women Rugby.

“This initiative has influenced and encouraged clubs like Soweto Rugby Club, Matlosana Rugby Academy to focus on Club Development the past 2 years hence we have taken stance to support and create more awareness about Junior Club Rugby Programmes and Women’s Rugby Programme. Since 2012 Soweto Rugby Club has been producing not less than 4 Women to represent in the Golden Lions Rugby teams.

"Our legacy for 2015/2016 is to start under16 women development teams in Soweto, as well as spread our net and expand our development programme from Braamfischer to Meadowlands and Orlando East etc.” says Mzamo Mjekevu Chairman Soweto Rugby Club.



The Tournament has played in Soweto 4 years in succession since 2012 where Soweto Rugby Club has lost two finals against The Eye of The Tiger Rugby Academy, and the winners were against the best of the country’s top clubs.

Schalk Burger's Miraculous Return To International Rugby Earns Him A Laureus

South African rugby star Schalk Burger received an emotional reception at the Laureus World Sports Awards at the Shanghai Grand Theatre as he accepted the Comeback of the Year Award.

Burger had a cyst next to his spinal cord and went into hospital for treatment, but developedlife-threatening meningitis and was taken to intensive care. Miraculously, he battled for his life and returned to the sport he loves to win his place back in the Springboks rugby team.

Reflecting upon the most serious stage in his time in intensive care, Burger said: “I remember the day where my wife phoned and everyone said, listen, this is probably it, it’s time to say goodbye. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.

“It was super scary if you think back now.  But when you’re going through the middle of this and there’s no time to think really, there’s no time to think about consequences; it was pretty much just me versus something.”

Burger, also a Laureus Ambassador, transferred his ferocious competitiveness from the rugby pitch to the intensive care unit and with the grit and determination he has been known for throughout his career, he overcame his illness in miraculous style.

He recalled: “The odds weren’t on my side, as I gather.  It’s probably one that I shouldn’t have come out being as normal as I am.  But for me, through a bit of luck and I think through a bit of stubbornness, I was able to pull through.”

Not only did the 31-year-old pull through and pull on the Springbok jersey once again, he was a key member of the squad to play Australia and New Zealand in the Rugby Championship. Then he was named man of the match in the November victory over England at Twickenham, in which he scored the decisive third try.

Laureus World Sports Academy Member and All Blacks rugby legend Sean Fitzpatrick said: “The story of Schalk’s recovery is amazing. He not only survived such a serious illness, but in a relatively short time he was back in the Springboks team and winning matches for them. What a great tribute to his fighting spirit. All he needs now to complete this remarkable comeback is to have a wonderful World Cup later this year.”

Former Springboks captain Morné du Plessis, who was also manager of the 1995 World Cup winning team, said: “I have known Schalk and his family for many years and I know that there were very real concerns for his wellbeing during his illness. It really was a great relief for his family, friends and supporters  to just see him well again, not even to think at that stage that he would make a miraculous comeback and be back to his best on the rugby pitch.”

The Laureus World Sports Awards were unveiled at the Shanghai Grand Theatre. In other categories, Serbia’s  won his second Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award after another brilliant 12 months which featured a second Wimbledon victory, while Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba was named Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year after breaking three world records in different events in two weeks. She was only the third ever person to achieve that feat in different events, along with athletic giants Jesse Owens and Usain Bolt.

The  was named Laureus World Team of the Year after becoming the first European side to win the FIFA World Cup in South America, while there was a double success for the United States with wheelchair racer winning the Laureus Disability Award and  receiving the Laureus Action Sports Award after his record-breaking freefall from the edge of space.

Australia’s  was named winner of the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award after a brilliant rookie season in which he won three Formula One Grand Prix for Red Bull.



The Awards were announced in seven categories. The full list of winners is:

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: Novak Djokovic

Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year: Genzebe Dibaba

Laureus World Team of the Year: Germany Men’s Football Team

Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year: Daniel Ricciardo

Laureus World Comeback of the Year: Schalk Burger

Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Tatyana McFadden

Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year: Alan Eustace

There were three additional Awards: theLaureus Spirit of Sport Award was presented to Chinese basketball legend Yao Ming, the  retired tennis star Li Naand the Laureus Sport for Good Award was presented to the worldwide skateboard programme Skateistan.

During the event, it was also announced that Yao Ming and Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar had been elected the newest members of the Laureus World Sports Academy.

Your Weekend Sports Preview

Sports lovers are in for a treat this weekend. We have SuperRugby, the Barclays Premiership, MotoGP, La Liga, the Masters and more rugby.

Here are some of the biggest sporting events to watch this weekend on DStv's SuperSport.

Golf: The Masters

So of course the second day of the 79th Masters Tournament, like the first, was all about the phenomenal Jordan Spieth. His 66 was arguably better than Thursday’s 64, a little more controlled, a little less hectic and reliant on the odd lucky bounce. The young man’s a genius. And most likely this year’s champion. But there are enough big names hovering around in case of any dramatic slip. You never know in golf. You just never know. Join the action today and tomorrow to witness the spectacular.

-14: Spieth
-9: Hoffman
-7: Rose, D Johnson, Casey
-6: Mickelson
-5: Els
-4: Na, Streelman, Haas, Moore
-3: Cabrera, Oosthuizen, O’Meara, Day, Scott, Matsuyama, Schwartzel
-2: Woods, Garcia, Willett, Henley, Blixt, Reed, B Watson, McIlroy

Verdict: I think Spieth will win if he manages to maintain his composure.

La Liga: Sevilla vs Barcelona

A hyper moralized Barcelona will travel to Andalusia to measure forces with Sevilla at the emblematic Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan for round 31 of the Spanish Liga BBVA.

Will Sevilla be able to put an end on Barça’s winning streak?

Barcelona continued with their fantastic streak when they hosted Almeria last Wednesday. Luis Enrique’s boys sealed their 24th win of the season thanks to another excellent performance by the erratic Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, who scored twice against the Andalusian team at Camp Nou. Barça’s Asturian manager implemented some changes in the team’s lineup against Almeria by giving some more playing time to young players, such as the centre back Marc Bartra and the talented deep-lying playmaker Sergi Roberto.

The unpredictable home defeat against Málaga in the end of February was an excellent eye opener for the Catalan team, who from that moment on embarked on a fantastic streak of seven consecutive wins for La Liga and two for the UEFA Champions League.

Verdict: Barcelona appear very strong and might just snatch it. Sevilla will aim for at least a point.

Barclays Premiership: Manchester United vs Manchester City

A motivated Manchester United will measure forces with their neighbours and rivals, Manchester City, at the emblematic Old Trafford for round 32 of the English Premier League.

Will City be able to return to winning ways against such a highly motivated United on Sunday?

The current EPL champions, Manchester City, have not yet managed to find a way to get back on tracks and keep collecting unimpressive results as we enter into the season’s final countdown. After an easy home win over a ten-men West Brom almost three weeks ago, the Citizens have once again been defeated last Monday’s night at Selhurst Park by a mighty Crystal Palace, who in the end were the fair winners of the match. A goal from Glenn Murray in the first-half and another one at the expenses of Jason Puncheon from a superbly placed free-kick right after the break, proved to be enough to impose the sixth defeat of the season to a deeply fragilized Manchester City, which has dropped to the 4th place of the table after their recent unimpressive results.

The defeats against Barcelona and the respective elimination from the UEFA Champions League had a major impact on the team and, if to that we add the EPL’s setbacks against Liverpool, Burnley and Crystal Palace, one can say that Manchester City are free falling and have very slim chances of recovering from such poor streak.

Their upcoming match at Old Trafford will surely be a very complicated one and, in case of defeat, the Citizens will eventually say goodbye to the second place of the EPL table for good.

Verdict: Manchester United will pile more misery on Pellegrini.

Lions vs Sharks

The Lions have been a shining light in a so-far dire Super Rugby campaign for the   South African sides. With four runs on the trot, including a record-equalling three away wins and a last-gasp victory over trans-Jukskei rivals the Bulls, the men in red have built up a fine head of steam. They should feel confident of beating the Sharks at the Emirates Airline Park (Ellis Park) and give their home fans something to cheer about at last.

Johann Ackermann’s team has shown a resilience under talismanic skipper Warren Whitely that was sorely lacking in seasons past and their miserly defence has seen them get past more fancied opponents. A place in the playoffs beckons for the ninth-placed Lions if they can maintain their run and pivots Marnitz Boshoff and Elton Jantjies stay injury-free.

The Sharks find themselves on the opposite end of the form spectrum as they are coming off a humiliating 52-10 loss to the Crusaders at King’s Park in Durban. Loose forward Jean Deysel was red-carded for kneeing in that game, continuing a worrying penchant for indiscipline that has been a hallmark of the Sharks’ season so far. They were lucky to escape with the points against the Chiefs two weeks ago when both captain Bismarck du Plessis and centre Frans Steyn were sent off for infractions.

With all three stalwarts suspended for the next few games, new head coach Gary Gold faces an uphill battle. As it stands, the Sharks are two places ahead of the Lions in seventh and remain in contention for a playoff spot. To do that, they will have to rein in their emotions and plug the holes in their defence.

Verdict: Lions are usually at their best when playing at home and i dont see the Sharks upsetting them.

IPL: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

The reigning champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, kicked off the ongoing Indian Premier League 2015 positively by beating Mumbai Indians by a margin of seven wickets. The latter managed 168 for the loss of three wickets in the allotted twenty overs and the former smashed 3-170 with nine balls remaining. Royal Challengers Bangalore held the seventh spot in the previous tournament by grasping just five matches out of 14, lost nine and attained 10 points. They will be playing their opening game of the event against KKR.

Players to watch

Gautam Gambhir tasted his maiden fifty of the event for KKR vs. MI as Suryakumar Yadav and Manish Pandey contributed 46 and 40 runs. Robin Uthappa, is capable of scoring brisky runs whereas Shakib Al Hasan and Andre Russell are tremendous all-rounders. Morne Morkel, Piyush Chawla, Sunil Narine and Umesh Yadav bowled superbly in the last match.

AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle were the star performers in the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 while Rilee Rossouw has improved in the shortest versions of the game. Nic Maddinson, Dinesh Karthik, S Badrinath, Mandeep Singh, Vijay Zol and Yogesh Takawale are useful batsmen of RCB. The formidable bowling unit will be looked after by Mitchell Starc, Adam Milne, Harsh Patel, Sarfraz Khan, Iqbal Abdulla, Darren Sammy, Ashok Dinda, Abu Nechim, Varun Aaron and Sean Abbott.

Verdict: RCB will walk away victorious, but inly if they manage to fully utilise their arsenal.

President Zuma Gives Young Rugby Players Befitting Send Off

Any sportsman can attest that receiving a send off from the head of state is inspiring.

Well, that send off came into fruition for a young bunch of rugby players from Orchard Primary School who paid a courtesy call at Sefako Makgato Presidential Guest House yesterday.

The under 12s are due to participate in the Saint Devote International Rugby Tournament for under 12s in Monaco on 11 April and got that inspiring "try" after they met President Jacob Zuma.

"This will be an experience that none of you will forget,” the President told the team ahead of their departure.

"Sport is an important aspect in the life of a person, in the life of a community, in the life of a country and in the life of the world. Sport makes things happen. We will be watching you and supporting you. Go and play and do your best. Don’t have too much anxiety. That’s why I’m here to encourage you to do your best," added Zuma divulging that he played rugby in the C division at Robben Island.

All the best to the lucky youngsters as they unfurl the country's flag on foreign territory.

Habana Hopes To Sting Wasps In European Champions Cup

You just have to love rugby!

Flamboyant French outfit, Toulon will enter Sunday's European Rugby Championship quater final crunch encounter against Wasps with their eyes firmly fixed on one asset: To become the first team in history to win a hat-trick of European Cups.

For someone who once famously raced a cheetah, Bryan Habana has made an impressive fist of ensuring his career has been a marathon rather than a sprint. It is more than 10 years since a 21-year-old Habana made a try-scoring debut for South Africa at Twickenham, and in that time he has won two Super Rugby titles, the 2007 World Cup, last year’s Heineken Cup and Top 14 double as well as scoring international try No57 last November.

All this when international wings are getting bigger, faster, stronger and younger – George North has more than 50 caps, aged 22, but his career could already be in danger, according to some commentators, should he take another blow to the head.

The evergreen wing, Habana has his eyes set on dominating for club and country, starting with providing the fatal sting for Wasps on Sunday.

“It does get harder to keep doing it, without a doubt. It’s probably like that for all players that want to be seen as the best. I think the pressure you put on yourself is to constantly succeed and that pressure only becomes more once you are a world champion and once you are a title holder. If you want to stay at No1 then you gotta train like you’re No2," Habana said during the launch of ‘We Deal In Real’, Land Rover’s Rugby World Cup 2015 campaign.

“The drive is still there and for me it is about playing a level of rugby that is good enough to be selected for the World Cup and being in an environment where you are constantly driven by the players around you,” he added.

Toulon have won 10 of their 11 Champions Cup games against English opposition including all five home games.