Super Rugby 2018

Great win Lions!

Tambwe was amazing, speed, power and good hands. Combrinck played well after long layoff. Orie played his best game of the year, he did the hard job of clear the rucks and securing the ball. Corné Fourie :mad: cant scrum on tighthead or loosehead and tonight at hooker, time to stop picking him. Pieter-Steph du Toit wow what a player! 80 min at 120%
 
:D

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Good news for the Lions ahead of their tour. From Supersport.com

Whiteley fit and ready to tour

The Emirates Lions were given a dollop of good news ahead of their four-week Vodacom Super Rugby tour to Australia and New Zealand as a number of injured players, including Springbok captain Warren Whiteley, will be fit and ready for the trip.

The Lions confirmed that Whiteley and fellow Springboks Rohan Janse van Rensburg and Ross Cronje have all been cleared for the tour along with winger Aphiwe Dyantyi.

In addition to this, two players who were injured in the win over the DHL Stormers at the weekend, flanker Cyle Brink and halfback Dillon Smit, have both been cleared for action again after the bye.

“Cyle Brink has a nerve entrapment in the right shoulder. He should be available for the next Vodacom Super Rugby game. Dillon Smit injured rib cartilage but should be ready for the next game,” a team statement said.

Whiteley was suffering from a posterior cruciate ligament injury and his return will be welcomed by the team.

Cronje was struggling with a rib and knee strain, while Janse van Rensburg had an upper thigh haematoma. Dyantyi has a torn pectoral muscle.

The Lions are still to name their tour squad, but will leave on Tuesday, 17 April.
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OT:

The World Club 10s in Mauritius line-up in June has been announced. The Vodacom Bulls being the current (2017) title holders.

Teams:

- Vodacom Bulls
- Cell C Sharks
- Newcastle Falcons
- Montpellier Hérault
- Western Force
- AP Dragons (Africa Pacific Dragons)
- Pyrenees Rugby Seven (PR7)
- Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers
 
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/...-1-change-to-starting-xv-for-blues-clash.html

Rugby: Sunwolves make just 1 change to starting XV for Blues clash

Sunwolves coach Jamie Joseph was finally able to show consistency Thursday as he named his side for their Round 9 Super Rugby game against the Blues.

Despite going down 50-29 to the Waratahs last week, Joseph has made just one change to the starting XV and a further three on the bench for Saturday's game at Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground.

Grant Hattingh comes in for Sam Wykes at lock, while Shintaro Ishihara, Willie Britz and William Tupou replace Keita Inagaki, Ed Quirk and Hosea Saumaki, respectively, on the bench.

"There are two reasons for change -- one is injury and one is form," Joseph said Thursday at Tatsumi Rugby Ground, adding that Wykes was an example of the latter after making just two tackles last week.

"We've had a lot of changes in the past because there's been lots of injuries and that has affected our performance because you can't build anything when guys are getting injured all the time."

"Grant's been injured, but when he has played he has been very good," Joseph said of the 2.01-meter Hattingh, who recently joined Kobe Kobelco Steelers from Kubota Spears. "He's a highly skilled lock forward and really fits the way we play the game."

Tupou's inclusion was something of a surprise given Saumaki is one of the form players in the competition. But Joseph said Tupou's all around skillset would be more useful as the game wears on than Saumaki's bullocking runs down the wing.

"Willie can play on the wing and he can also play in the midfield and is a goal kicker, so it isn't really (that) Saumaki (has been dropped), it's more about what we want to do in the second half."

...

The Sunwolves are currently bottom of the Australian conference with six losses to their name, while the Blues prop up the New Zealand conference with one win and five losses.

"Like the Blues, we are suffering mentally from a lack of results," Joseph said. "It's going to be quite an interesting game. Both teams need to put a good performance in first and then they also need a result."
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Now my spider senses are telling me that the Sunwolves may win this one… The Blues are also largely unchanged, and they have Rieko-Ioane back at 12, but still many young guns and with positioning in doubt. Damn, I'm going to change my call.
 
Fulcrum29 said:
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/...-1-change-to-starting-xv-for-blues-clash.html

Now my spider senses are telling me that the Sunwolves may win this one… The Blues are also largely unchanged, and they have Rieko-Ioane back at 12, but still many young guns and with positioning in doubt. Damn, I'm going to change my call.
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I was wondering why you made the big call to back the 'wolves. Here's hoping you're on the money. It would be a fantastic result for the lads to get a win - and away from home.
 
Agent_Smith said:
Good news for the Lions ahead of their tour. From Supersport.com
Whiteley fit and ready to tour

The Emirates Lions were given a dollop of good news ahead of their four-week Vodacom Super Rugby tour to Australia and New Zealand as a number of injured players, including Springbok captain Warren Whiteley, will be fit and ready for the trip.

The Lions confirmed that Whiteley and fellow Springboks Rohan Janse van Rensburg and Ross Cronje have all been cleared for the tour along with winger Aphiwe Dyantyi.

In addition to this, two players who were injured in the win over the DHL Stormers at the weekend, flanker Cyle Brink and halfback Dillon Smit, have both been cleared for action again after the bye.

“Cyle Brink has a nerve entrapment in the right shoulder. He should be available for the next Vodacom Super Rugby game. Dillon Smit injured rib cartilage but should be ready for the next game,” a team statement said.

Whiteley was suffering from a posterior cruciate ligament injury and his return will be welcomed by the team.

Cronje was struggling with a rib and knee strain, while Janse van Rensburg had an upper thigh haematoma. Dyantyi has a torn pectoral muscle.

The Lions are still to name their tour squad, but will leave on Tuesday, 17 April.
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Definitely good news. His leadership in the squad is immense. Timing is just perfect now that they're going on the road.
 
McT said:
I was wondering why you made the big call to back the 'wolves. Here's hoping you're on the money. It would be a fantastic result for the lads to get a win - and away from home.
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This is why,

Sunwolves

15 Kotaro Matsushima, 14 Semisi Masirewa, 13 Timothy Lafaele, 12 Michael Little, 11 Lomano Lemeki, 10 Yu Tamura, 9 Yutaka Nagare (captain), 8 Kazuki Himeno, 7 Lappies Labuschagne, 6 Yo****aka Tokunaga, 5 Grant Hattingh, 4 James Moore, 3 Jiwon Koo, 2 Shota Horie, 1 Craig Millar

Substitutes: 16 Jaba Bregvadse, 17 Shintaro Ishihara, 18 Nikoloz Khatiashvili, 19 Wimpie van der Walt, 20 Willie Britz, 21 Fumiaki Tanaka, 22 Hayden Parker, 23 William Tupou

Blues

15 Michael Collins, 14 Jordan Hyland, 13 Orbyn Leger, 12 Rieko Ioane, 11 Matt Duffie, 10 Stephen Perofeta, 9 Jonathan Ruru, 8 Akira Ioane, 7 Kara Pryor, 6 Jimmy Tupou, 5 Josh Goodhue, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu, 3 Ofa Tu'ungafasi, 2 James Parsons (captain), 1 Pauliasi Manu

Substitutes: 16 Matt Moulds, 17 Ross Wright, 18 Mike Tamoaieta, 19 Ben Neenee, 20 Dalton Papali'i, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Bryn Gatland, 23 TJ Faiane
Click to expand...

The Sunwolves backline are all within position and they have Tupou on the bench which is a multi-dimensional player to add continuity on centre and wing, and an abled long-range kicker when they need range. Strange that they never utilised Tupou in this capacity previously, must be the new coaching team who have sought this out. They don’t need Saumaki, he is a straight-runner, against the Blues as they will need to be innovative. Additionally, since last week they have depth in two #10s, but I wish that Tamura regains the skillset he displays with the Brave Blossoms. Then they have Hattingh back which is a huge bonus going into this game. Sam Wykes is poorly conditioned this season, I’m glad that he is replaced. Add Labuschagne and Britz and they will be able to neutralise the Blues. The Japanese loose, Himeno, also impresses this season, must be Jake White’s doing at Toyota Verblitz which improved him.

When it comes to the Blues, no Kaino and no Moala. They have a young debutant in the backline and many new players being promoted which represents the Blues A side (or development team). Rieko Ioane is on centre switch at 12, where he previously struggled in the Blues setup, due to them bringing in Leger in Moala’s place.

Where the Sunwolves are normally disturbed in the backline positionally, it is now the Blues in this position. As we have it, the Sunwolves picked a good side and Blues had to plunder into their reserves.

Last season when the Sunwolves ran over the Blues it was a record high warm day to play rugby in, it is going to be a cold day this season between the two. This is still the best chance the Sunwolves will have to win a game this season, otherwise they will never gain momentum, mentally, to win another.
 
Sharks team for the Bulls match -

15 Curwin Bosch
14 Sbu Nkosi
13 Lukhanyo Am
12 Andre Esterhuizen
11 Lwazi Mvovo
10 Robert du Preez
9 Louis Schreuder
8 Tera Mtembu
7 Jean-Luc du Preez
6 Philip van der Walt
5 Stephan Lewies
4 Ruan Botha (captain)
3 Thomas du Toit
2 Chiliboy Ralepelle
1 Beast Mtawarira

Replacements: 16 Akker van der Merwe, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 John-Hubert Meyer, 19 Tyler Paul, 20 Dan du Preez, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Marius Louw, 23 Kobus van Wyk.
 
OT:

The Japan A tour in New Zealand is opening tomorrow with them versus the Highlanders A. The Sunwolves are soon to start their New Zealand tour and outstanding Japan A players may bolster their depth which is good as they desperately need to win games.

I see this game will actually be streamed, might have a look pending on an available stream :whistle: JSport streams are hard to come by. I would like to see how these players play, many good Top League players in this Japan A squad.
 
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