Stormers, Cheetahs look to bounce back; Bulls search for first tour win – Vodacom Super Rugby Round 8 Preview

The pressure will be on the DHL Stormers and Toyota Cheetahs in the Vodacom Super Rugby competition this weekend as they search for victories following winless Australasian tours, while the Vodacom Bulls will aim to extend their unbeaten run to five matches as they embark on their tour.

 

The Lions, meanwhile, will be hunting their fifth victory of the season against seven times champions, the Crusaders, while combined log-leaders, the Cell C Sharks, will enjoy a bye with the peace of mind that they will remain in the favourable position regardless of the weekend’s results.

 

The Vodacom Bulls will be the first domestic franchise to take the field on Saturday when they line up against the Hurricanes at McLean Park in Napier. The Pretoria team has had a decent run against the New Zealand teams so far this season, with a victory against the Blues and a draw against the Chiefs. This week they face the added challenges of adapting to the vastly different time zone and recovering from the long journey to New Zealand. However, should they register a victory it would mark the first win by a South African side on tour this season.

 

This clash will be followed by an action-packed afternoon for South African fans with the Toyota Cheetahs hosting the Chiefs at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein at 15h00, the Lions taking on the Crusaders at Ellis Park at 17h05 and the DHL Stormers facing the Waratahs at DHL Newlands at 19h10.

 

Vodacom Super Rugby information:

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Hurricanes v Vodacom Bulls

 

The Vodacom Bulls have not lost to the Hurricanes since the 2008 season in which they were on the receiving end of a heavy 50-22 defeat in Pretoria. They have won four on the trot since then, including two wins in New Zealand in 2011 and 2009.

 

With three back-to-back victories followed by a draw at home, the Pretoria side will look to build on this form against the Hurricanes who have had a stuttering start to the season with two wins in six outings. However, the hosts will also draw confidence from their narrow victory against the Crusaders in Christchurch last week.

 

Pace out wide and quick interchanges between the Chiefs players allowed them to score three tries in the final 11 minutes against the Vodacom Bulls last week, and the Hurricanes may be well placed to try and emulate their countrymen, as they are the most dangerous attacking side in the competition.

 

They currently occupy joint first place for tries scored (20), and they are the top team in clean breaks (52), defenders beaten (146), carries (736) and total meters gained (2928).

 

In contrast the Bulls are in 10th, 14th, 15th, 13th and 14th place in these respective categories.

 

The Pretoria-based side, meanwhile, have relied heavily on their powerful pack to stamp their authority, with flyhalf Jacques-Louis Potgieter kicking down field in their search for victories.

 

Vodacom Bulls coach Frans Ludeke made two personnel changes to his starting team for the clash with Springbok and captain Flip van der Merwe returning from injury, while Jacques Engelbrecht comes in at No8 and Dewald Potgieter moves to the side of the scrum in place of Jacques du Plessis. Van der Merwe replaces stand-in captain Victor Matfield, who is dropped from the match-23 to fulfil a coaching role on tour.

 

“We are looking to start rotating players from now on and with the depth we have in the squad, it is something I don't mind doing,” Ludeke said.

 

The teams are:

 

Hurricanes: Andre Taylor, Cory Jane, Conrad Smith (captain), Alapati Leiua, Julian Savea, Beauden Barrett, TJ Perenara, Victor Vito, Jack Lam, Faifili Levave, James Broadhurst, Jeremy Thrush, Jeffery Toomaga-Allen/John Schwalger, Dane Coles, Ben Franks. Replacements: Ash Dixon, Chris Eves, John Schwalger/Reggie Goodes, Blade Thomson, Brad Shields, Billy Guyton, Hadleigh Parkes, Marty Banks.

 

Vodacom Bulls: Jurgen Visser, Akona Ndungane, JJ Engelbrecht, Jan Serfontein, Bjorn Basson, Jacques-Louis Potgieter, Francois Hougaard, Jacques Engelbrecht, Dewald Potgieter, Deon Stegmann, Flip van der Merwe (captain), Paul Willemse, Werner Kruger, Callie Visagie, Dean Greyling. Replacements: Bongi Mbonambi, Marcel van der Merwe, Morné Mellett, Grant Hattingh, Jacques du Plessis, Piet van Zyl, Handré Pollard, Ulrich Beyers.

 

Head to head (since 1998)

Hurricanes		Vodacom Bulls
7	Won	8
8	Lost	7
0	Drawn	0
388	Points for	395
395	Points against	388
45	Tries scored	38
38	Tries conceded	45
26	Average score	26

 

Hurricanes v Vodacom Bulls

Date: Saturday, 5 April

SA Time: 09h35

Venue: McLean Park, Napier

Referee: Steve Walsh (Australia)

Assistant referees: Nick Briant and Ben O’Keefe (New Zealand)

TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)

 

Toyota Cheetahs v Chiefs

The Chiefs could undoubtedly be seen as the Toyota Cheetahs bogey team given the unfortunate results for the Bloemfontein side in match-up’s between them.

The Toyota Cheetahs have never registered a victory against the Chiefs since their entry into Vodacom Super Rugby in 2006, but they secured two draws in their seven matches, while they went down to the Hamilton side by less than six points in three of the fixtures. Adding to this, the Bloemfontein side scored more than 20 points in all but two of the games.

 

The Toyota Cheetahs, however, suffered their heaviest defeat against the Chiefs last season in New Zealand with the hosts emerging 45-3 victors.

 

While the match has the potential to be a high-scoring affair given both side’s attacking flair, the hosts will have to tighten up their defence to keep alive hopes of registering their second victory of the season, as they have conceded the most tries so far in the competition – 23 in six matches. In stark contrast, the Chiefs have conceded only nine tries.

 

Toyota Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske made three changes to his run-on team for the clash with Springbok prop Trevor Nyakane starting for the first time this season in place of Caylib Oosthuizen, who has a minor hamstring niggle.

 

In the loose trio, Lappies Labuschagne returns to starting line-up, which has resulted in a positional switch for Jean Cook from flank to No8.

 

“It is important to put the tour behind us,” said Toyota Cheetahs captain Adriaan Strauss. “The Chiefs are a strong attacking team, so we have to ensure that we do not concede turnovers and that we play a constructive brand of rugby against them.”

 

The teams are:

Toyota Cheetahs: Willie le Roux, Cornal Hendricks, Johann Sadie, Ryno Benjamin, Hennie Daniller, Johan Goosen, Sarel Pretorius, Jean Cook, Lappies Labuschagne, Boom Prinsloo, Francois Uys, Lodewyk de Jager, Maks van Dyk, Adriaan Strauss (captain), Trevor Nyakane. Replacements: Ryno Barnes, Caylib Oosthuizen, Rossouw de Klerk, Andries Ferreira, Teboho Mohoje, Shaun Venter, Elgar Watts, Howard Mnisi.

Chiefs: TBC

 

Head to head (since 2006)

Toyota Cheetahs		Chiefs
0	Won	5
5	Lost	0
2	Drawn	2
145	Points for	214
214	Points against	145
13	Tries scored	28
28	Tries conceded	13
21	Average score	31

 

Toyota Cheetahs v Chiefs

Date: Saturday, 5 April

SA Time: 15h00

Venue: Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein

Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)

Assistant referees: Lourens van der Merwe, Francois de Bruin (South Africa)

TMO: Deon van Bloemmestein (South Africa)

 

Lions v Crusaders

 

The Lions will be hunting their second victory against the Crusaders as a stand-alone franchise on Saturday after winning only one of their matches against the side since breaking away from the combined Cats franchise with the Free State in 2006. This victory was in 2007 at Ellis Park where the Lions registered a 9-3 victory.

 

Since then they have suffered four successive defeats against the Christchurch side, all of which were by 10 points or more.

 

However, it remains to be seen what influence history will have on Saturday as the Lions have experienced a good run of form this season with four victories in their first six matches. This has earned them the fourth spot on the combined log standings, while the Crusaders have won only two of their five matches so far and occupy 13^th position on the standings.

 

The scrums, in particular, will be one of the main battles as the teams currently top the list for scrums won, both boasting a 91% success rate.

 

If the Johannesburg team succeeds in toppling the Crusaders they will secure their third successive win against Australasian opposition this season.

 

Lions coach Johan Ackermann made three changes to his starting XV with lock Martin Muller and backs Andries Coetzee and Lionel Mapoe starting, while Springbok flyhalf Elton Jantjies has been drafted onto the bench in only his third Vodacom Super Rugby clash of the season.

 

“The Crusaders are a great attacking team, so we are expecting a challenging encounter,” said Lions coach Johan Ackermann. “But we would like to build on our momentum in the competition, so if we could secure a victory, no matter how it comes, we will take it. If the weather plays along it could be a good game.”

 

The teams are:

 

Lions: Andries Coetzee, Deon van Rensburg, Lionel Mapoe, Stefan Watermeyer, Courtnall Skosan, Marnitz Boshoff, Faf de Klerk, Warren Whiteley (captain), Willie Britz, Jaco Kriel, Martin Muller, Franco Mostert, Julian Redelinghuys, Willie Wepener, Schalk van der Merwe. Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Corne Fourie, Ruan Dreyer, MB Lusaseni, Warwick Tecklenburg, Ross Cronje, Elton Jantjies, JW Jonker.

Crusaders: Israel Dagg, Nemani Nadolo, Kieron Fonotia, Ryan Crotty (captain), Johnny McNicholl, Colin Slade, Andy Ellis, Luke Whitelock, Matt Todd, George Whitelock, Samuel Whitelock, Dominic Bird, Owen Franks, Ben Funnell, Wyatt Crockett. Replacements: Corey Flynn, Daniel Lienert-Brown, Nepo Laulala, Jimmy Tupou, Jordan Taufua, Willi Heinz, Tyler Bleyendaal, Tom Taylor.

Head to head (since 2006)

Lions		Crusaders
1	Won	5
5	Lost	1
0	Drawn	0
82	Points for	178
178	Points against	82
7	Tries scored	21
21	Tries conceded	7
14	Average score	30

 

Lions v Crusaders

Date: Saturday, 5 April

SA Time: 17h05

Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg

Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)

Assistant referees: Stuart Berry, Jaco van Heerden (South Africa)

TMO: Johan Greeff

 

DHL Stormers v Waratahs

 

The DHL Stormers face a monumental task to bounce back from a disappointing start to the season when they line up against the Waratahs at DHL Newlands following only one victory in their first six matches.

 

But they will take comfort from the fact that the visitors have also had a seesaw season and come off a heavy 32-10 defeat against the Cell C Sharks.

 

The Cape side has won 62% of their home games against the Waratahs since the 1998 season, which included victories in their last two encounters at DHL Newlands in 2012 and 2013.

 

Unfortunately for the hosts, however, their attack has let them down in the first seven rounds, with the team scoring only nine tries in their six matches compared to the Waratahs’ 17 tries in five matches.

 

Despite this, Stormers coach Allister Coetzee believes all his team needs to sway their fortunes and get their campaign back on track is a victory, and their encouraging success rate at home is expected to motivate the players.

 

Coetzee made four changes to his team for the clash, the most notable of which is Springbok captain Jean de Villiers being ruled out due to injury. Damian de Allende will replace the veteran at inside centre. Springbok looseforward Duane Vermeulen, meanwhile, will take over the captaincy.

 

“Depth is crucial in this competition,” said DHL Stormers coach Allister Coetzee. “Having Juan de Jongh back to full fitness, following his comeback from a pre-season knee injury, means that we can still field a formidable centre combination – with Juan and Damian – in Jean’s absence. Jean and a few other players will benefit from this two-week rest period, with next week being a bye, and more players will be returning after the brief break.”

 

The teams are:

 

DHL Stormers: Jaco Taute, Kobus van Wyk, Juan de Jongh, Damian de Allende, Sailosi Tagicakibau, Peter Grant, Louis Schreuder, Duane Vermeulen (captain), Siya Kolisi, Nizaam Carr, Michael Rhodes, Ruan Botha, Frans Malherbe, Deon Fourie, Steven Kitshoff. Replacements: Stephan Coetzee, Oliver Kebble, Brok Harris, Tazz Fuzani, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Nic Groom, Demetri Catrakilis, Michael van der Spuy.

 

Waratahs: Kurtley Beale, Alofa Alofa, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Jono Lance, Peter Betham, Bernard Foley, Nick Phipps, Dave Dennis (captain), Michael Hooper, Jacques Potgieter, Kane Douglas, Will Skelton, Sekope Kepu, Tatafu Polota Nau, Benn Robinson. Replacements: TBC

Replacements: To be confirmed.

 

Head to head (since 1998)

DHL Stormers		Waratahs
9	Won	6
6	Lost	9
1	Drawn	1
340	Points for	317
317	Points against	340
33	Tries scored	32
32	Tries conceded	33
21	Average score	20

 

DHL Stormers v Waratahs

Date: Saturday, 5 April

SA Time: 19h10

Venue: DHL Newlands, Cape Town

Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)

Assistant referees: Mike Fraser (New Zealand), Quinton Immelman (South Africa)

TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)

 

Other fixtures (South African kick-off times):

 

Friday, 4 April:

08h35: Highlanders v Rebels – Dunedin

10h40: Brumbies v Blues – Canberra

 

Saturday, 5 April:

10h40: Reds v Force – Brisbane

 

Bye: Cell C Sharks