Rovers Book Club Champs Slot for KwaZulu-Natal

Jonsson College Rovers are set to represent KwaZulu-Natal at the SARU National Club Championships for the seventh year in a row while Witbank Ferros ended the challenge of Mpumalanga champions Middelburg on a dramatic weekend of nationwide club rugby action.
 
With just 52 days to go until the tournament kicks off on 15 September at the Rustenburg Impala Club, Rovers are set to be the seventh team to qualify automatically, alongside Roodepoort (Golden Lions), Rustenburg Impala (Leopards), Villagers Worcester (Boland), Durbanville-Bellville (WP), Blanco (SWD) and Sishen (Griqualand West). 
 
The eight remaining automatic qualifiers will be decided in the coming weeks, while SARU will announce next month the name of the invited club that will round out the 16-team draw.
 
College Rovers, the 2010 national club champions, beat Thanda Zululand Rhinos 53-3 in the penultimate round of the Fidelity Security Moor Cup to ensure that Acer Durban Collegians, who are five points adrift in second place, can now no longer catch their neighbours and arch-rivals on the log, due to Rovers' huge points difference advantage.
 
Durban Collegians, who last won the Moor Cup in 2005 and then went on to reach the semi-finals of the Club Champs, will travel the few hundred metres across the Kings Park precinct on Saturday to take on Rovers in the final round.
 
Attention has already begun to switch to the province's historic Castle Murray Cup knockout tournament, which was first played for in 1890. The FA Cup-style tournament is unique in South African club rugby in that it pits the eight Moor Cup clubs against the eight top second-division teams – all of whom enjoy home-ground advantage in the first round which takes place on Saturday 4 August.
 
Monday night's draw, as usual, provided a number of interesting match-ups, with College Rovers arguably having the toughest challenge after being drawn to undertake the 470km-long journey to Piet Retief – a town within the borders of Mpumalanga but whose club plays in the KZN leagues.
 
The race for the Mpumalanga title proper delivered a surprise when Witbank Ferros beat reigning champions Middelburg 21-18 to advance to the Club Champs decider. Ferros, who, together with Middelburg, play in the Valke Merlin cross-border league, will now play the winner of the Mpumalanga domestic final between Highveld champions Bethal and Lowveld log leaders Witrivier, scheduled for 3 August.
 
The Free State Club Champs race comes down to the wire on Friday night at the CUT Stadium in Bloemfontein when Police and Crusaders, who are tied on 11 logs points, face CUT's 2nd XV, Tjisas (kick-off 1915) and Varsity Shield outfit FNB CUT (kick-off 20:45), respectively in the final round of the City League.
 
Champions FNB Shimlas have already qualified automatically for the 11 August final, with CUT and Shimlas' 2nd XV, Irawas, facing off on 4 August in the only semi-final.
 
Police sides remain in Club Champs contention in at least three provinces, after Pretoria Police's 64-8 win over TUT in the penultimate round of the Blue Bulls' Carlton League took them four points clear of FNB Tuks, who have a match in hand.
 
And in the Border Super League, East London Police remain in contention despite losing 30-20 to the University of Fort Hare, which allowed Old Selbornians to climb to the top of the table following a 27-19 victory over Buffalo.
 
Up north, FNB UJ and FNB Wits remain unbeaten and top of the Predator Super League after wins over Alberton (83-0) and Springs (27-25) respectively. Brakpan beat Boksburg 66-30 in a high-scoring East Rand derby to move one step closer to Club Champs qualification. Source: SARugby

Chiefs seek winning formula in Hamilton semifinal

The Chiefs are desperately seeking the winning formula that has deserted them over the closing stages of the Super Rugby season.

Losses in their last two regular season games have stalled the Chiefs' momentum heading into Friday night's semi-final against the red-hot Crusaders in Hamilton. Towering lock Brodie Retallick admitted defeats against the Crusaders and Hurricanes had knocked the wind out of their sails.

They had spent their playoffs bye last week reviewing what had gone wrong after a chance to qualify top of the standings had been ruined.

"Some of the things that were working well for us earlier in the season, we might have just lost after coming back from the three-week break in June," he said. "We got away from doing what we were doing so we've sat down and had a good look at the video. Then we've taken it onto the training field to nail out the couple of areas that have hurt us."

One glaring problem has been the set piece, with the Crusaders clearly dominant at lineout and scrum time when the sides met at Waikato Stadium three weeks ago.

Retallick said he was one of the big men determined to "redeem themselves" up front against their All Blacks-laden opponents. Helping the cause is the return from injury of fellow lock Craig Clarke.

"He's been around a few years and he's got some good game sense," Retallick said. "He knows what's going on in different parts of the field. It's good to have him there as a leader of the forward pack."

Meanwhile, Retallick denied he was feeling any fatigue after a remarkable debut season at Super Rugby level.

The 21-year-old has impressed with his high work rate and physicality for a man of his 2.04m frame, earning an All Blacks call-up for the Test series against Ireland.

"I'm still trucking on pretty well although it was good to have a bit of a lighter week last week," he said. Source: stuff.co.nz

Sharks can do the impossible – Jean

They may have only finished sixth on the overall log after an inconsistent league season, but Stormers Jean de Villiers reckons the Sharks will be deserved champions if somehow they overcome the travel obstacles to win the Super Rugby trophy.

The Springbok and Stormers captain was asked a lot of questions at a press conference at Newlands on how he thought all the travel will impact on the Sharks, who flew to Australia only last week and are now back in South Africa preparing for the semifinal in Cape Town on Saturday. In a way they were pointless questions because De Villiers is hardly going to come out and say that the Sharks have no chance, thus motivating them.

But he left little doubt that he thought that going all the way, which would mean them following up their Brisbane win over the Reds with another over the Stormers on Saturday and then in New Zealand the following week, would be an enormous challenge for Keegan Daniel’s team.

“This is what I will say – if the Sharks can beat us and then go to New Zealand to play the Crusaders or the Chiefs, and then win there too, then it will be the greatest achievement and the greatest performance in the history of the Super Rugby competition,” said De Villiers.

But if that sounds as if he was writing off the chances of the Sharks think again, for he made a telling addition to his comment.

“The unfortunate thing (for us) is that they are quite capable of doing it,” he said.

De Villiers clearly does believe travel will be a factor, which should go without saying, but he warned the Cape media and public that the fact the Sharks are in a semifinal will mitigate against the drawbacks of travel fatigue.

“The thing about this stage of the season is that you enter a different space mentally. When you get to this stage, the motivation is there, you know it is the defining moment of the season, and an edge is introduced.

It enables you to overcome the things that might normally stop you from playing well.”

De Villiers was in a way echoing the words of former Springbok captain John Smit when he spoke ahead of the series against the British and Irish Lions in 2009, when he said that the fact that it was a Lions tour would mean the British and Irish players would overcome the end of season fatigue that often trips up UK sides when they tour the southern hemisphere at the end of the northern season.

But travel fatigue may be a different thing, and it may be that the Stormers are working at putting the potential of the Sharks being short of a gallop out of their minds.

“The thing about the Sharks is that they are big game players, and we have seen that time and again. They are a quality side who are the inform team in the competition and they beat the reigning champions,” said Stormers captain Allister Coetzee.

What the Stormers are not doing is making the same mistake as last year, where perhaps they underestimated the Crusaders because of the travel factor.

“Last year we took the whole week off and only got together to start the build-up to the semifinal on the Monday before the game,” recalled De Villiers.

“This year have done it differently. We got together again on the Thursday after the last league match, and have worked hard at keeping ourselves sharp. We feel better mentally prepared this year than last season. I feel we are in a good space for this game.”

The Sharks are also departing from their usual practice by coming down to Cape Town a day earlier than they would normally. Coetzee said it was irrelevant, a “small thing”, but it is interesting to note that they did something similar before their season defining clash with the Bulls in the last match of the league stage last year. They scored an upset win over the Bulls at Loftus when the hosts started as clear favourites.

Source: Supersport

Absa Currie Cup First Division Preview – Round 5

The last two remaining unbeaten sides in this year's expanded eight-team Absa Currie Cup First Division go head to head on Saturday when the Griffons host the EP Kings in an eagerly-anticipated top-of-the-table clash in Welkom.

In Saturday's other match, the third-placed Leopards travel to the Barnard Stadium in Kempton Park to take on the Valke.

Round 5 kicks off on Friday with the bottom-placed Border Bulldogs hosting the Ford Pumas in East London, while the defending champion Regent Boland Kavaliers will look to break their four-match losing streak against the SWD Eagles in George.

The Griffons, after early-season wins over the Valke, Leopards, Bulldogs and Kavaliers, have 19 points – the same amount as the Kings, who have a slightly better points difference after wins over the Kavaliers, Eagles, Valke and Bulldogs.

Coach Oersond Gorgonzola is able to recall fullback Philip Burger, flanker Francois Uys and hooker PW van Vuuren, all of whom were unavailable for the Welkom-based side's away match against the Kavaliers last week.

The centre pairing of skipper Werner Griesel and the abrasive Japie Nel is given another opportunity to build on their impressive outings already this season, while utility back Tertius Maarman is once again handed the No 10 jersey, with former Pukke scrumhalf Andries Mahoney on his inside.

The Griffons' good run of form has also been largely thanks to left wing Reinhardt Erwee, who continues to top the First Division point-scoring log after Round 4, with 53 points made up of three tries, seven conversions and eight penalties. Just behind Erwee is EP Kings flyhalf George Whitehead on 46, with Valke No 10 Karlo Aspeling in third place on 43.

Leopards wing Allister Kettledas leads the try-scoring stakes with six touchdowns, followed by Pumas flanker Jaco Bouwer and Valke fullback JW Bell, with four tries apiece.

This weekend's fixtures – Round 5:

Border Bulldogs vs Ford Pumas Date: Friday, 27 July Kickoff: 19:00 Venue: Buffalo City Municipal Stadium, East London Referee: Sindile Mayende Assistants: Christie du Preez, Dilbert November Television match official: Johan Greeff Last meeting: 18 March 2011 in Witbank (Vodacom Cup): Pumas won 73-14

SWD Eagles vs Regent Boland Kavaliers Date: Friday, 27 July Kickoff: 19:00 Venue: Outeniqua Park, George Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen Assistants: Lusanda Jam, Cobus Wessels Last meeting: 24 March 2012 in Mossel Bay (Vodacom Cup): Kavaliers won 46-26.

Valke vs Leopards Date: Saturday, 28 July Kickoff: 14:05 Venue: Barnard Stadium, Kempton Park Referee: Joey Salmans Assistants: Rasta Rasivhenge, Pieter de Villiers Television match official: JC Fortuin Last meeting: 23 March 2012 in Kempton Park (Vodacom Cup): Valke won 31-28.

Griffons vs EP Kings Date: Saturday, 28 July Kickoff: 15:00 Venue: North West Stadium, Welkom Referee: Lesego Legoete Assistants: Lourens van der Merwe, Jaco Kotze Last meeting: 10 September 2011 in Welkom (Currie Cup First Division): Kings won 21-19.

Source: SARugby.net

Stormers and Sharks teams announced

Cape Town - Stormers skipper Jean de Villiers has labelled flyhalf Peter Grant as their best performing player in this year's Super Rugby competition.

Grant will come up against the skilful Frenchman Frederic Michalak when the Stormers and the Sharks lock horns in the semi-final at Newlands on Saturday.

The Springbok captain told Die Burger he's more than happy with "Bash" - as Grant is known to his team-mates - at his side.

Grant has a staggering goal-kicking record this season. He's been successful with 45 out of 48 kicks at goal - a 94% strike rate.

"I believe Peter Grant is our best player this year. He clinched games in our favour, and it was his penalty (from the corner in the dying minutes) which helped us beat the Sharks (15-12) earlier this year at Newlands."

De Villiers did, however, note that Michalak is a dangerous player they'll need to keep their eyes on.

"Fred is a flamboyant player. He can swing the outcome of a match and with Charl McLeod (scrumhalf) on his inside, they have good halves," said De Villiers.

The clash at Newlands kicks off at 17:05 on Saturday.

Teams:

Stormers: 15. Joe Pietersen, 14. Gio Aplon, 13. Juan de Jongh, 12. Jean de Villiers (captain), 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Peter Grant, 9. Dewaldt Duvenage, 8. Deon Fourie, 7. Rynhardt Elstadt, 6. Siya Kolisi, 5. Andries Bekker, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 3. Brok Harris, 2. Tiaan Liebenberg, 1. Steven Kitshoff

Substitutes: 16. Frans Malherbe, 17. Deon Carstens, 18. De Kock Steenkamp, 19. Don Armand, 20. Louis Schreuder, 21. Burton Francis, 22. Gerhard van den Heever

Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Tim Whitehead, 12 Meyer Bosman, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Charl McLeod, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Marcell Coetzee, 6 Keegan Daniel (captain), 5 Anton Bresler, 4 Willem Alberts, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira

Substitutes: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Steven Sykes, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Jacques Botes, 21 Odwa Ndungane, 22 Riaan Viljoen

Sharks plan to Storm(er) Newlands early on

Springbok and Sharks forward Ryan Kankowski says that he believes the Sharks will need to make another fast start against the Stormers in their Super Rugby semi-final in Cape Town on Saturday.

The Sharks have started to make a habit in recent matches of making fast starts in big games as in two of their crunch wins over the last three weeks were a result of early points on the scoreboard.

They led the Reds 17-0 in their weekend play-off with the final scoreline reading 30-17, while a 32-10 triumph over the Bulls was set-up by a 20-3 half-time lead.

Earlier this season, they were also 14 points clear of the Stormers at the interval, allowing them to close out a 25-20 win.

"A fast start is massive," Kankowski said. "I think it's very important how you start a game and that's something we've been concentrating on during the later parts of the competition.

"When you let any team in at the beginning, it's very hard to come back at the end. So we've really been focusing on building pressure on the beginning and keeping it."

The 26-year-old has turned his season around dramatically since the June international break, starting all three games for John Plumtree's side.

He had not started a match all year prior to that, with an early season finger injury hampering his progress, followed by a lack of form.

He was still selected by Bok coach Heyneke Meyer for the three-match series against England, outlining his importance to both club and country, and that seems to have rejuvenated him.

"I think we've just started gelling (after the June internationals)," Kankowski said.

"We came back after a nice long break when we had plenty of time to get settled.

"I think the Sharks like making things tough for themselves -- we only play (well) when we are under a bit of pressure and that's the way it's worked out for us.

"So we just have to keep building on that for the rest of the competition."

He said the match at Newlands could be "anyone's game" because of the knock-out nature and he was wary of the line-out threat posed by the Stormers.

"They've got the tallest line-out and have been going really well in the competition," Kankowski said.

"Eben (Etzebeth) and Andries (Bekker) are both brilliant line-out options.

"We've been watching some footage of some of their games and come up with our own plans, so hopefully we can execute them on the weekend." Source: RugbyXV

List of rugby games for this weekend

Herewith a quick list of the rugby games for this weekend sponsored by Zurich Insurance Company. 

All times CAT (SA, GMT+2)

27 July 2012
ABSA Currie Cup First Div	19:00	Border Bulldogs	v	Ford Pumas	BCM Stadium, East London
ABSA Currie Cup First Div	19:00	SWD Eagles	v	Regent Boland Kavaliers	Outeniqua Park, George
ABSA Under 19 Competition	17:15	SWD Eagles	v	Sharks	Outeniqua Park, George
ABSA Under 21 Competition	17:05	Border Bulldogs	v	Sharks	BCM Stadium, East London
Vodacom Super Rugby	09:35	Chiefs	v	Crusaders	Waikato Stadium, Hamilton

28 July 2012
ABSA Currie Cup First Div	14:05	Valke	v	Leopards	Barnard Stadium, Kempton Park
ABSA Currie Cup First Div	15:00	Griffons	v	Eastern Province Kings	North West Stadium, Welkom
ABSA Under 19 Competition	12:45	DHL Western Province	v	Blue Bulls	DHL Newlands Rugby Stadium, Cape Town
ABSA Under 19 Competition	15:00	MTN Golden Lions	v	Leopards	Coca-Cola Park Stadium, Johannesburg
ABSA Under 21 Competition	14:45	DHL Western Province	v	Blue Bulls	DHL Newlands Rugby Stadium, Cape Town
ABSA Under 21 Competition	17:00	MTN Golden Lions	v	Platinum Leopards	Coca-Cola Park Stadium, Johannesburg
FNB Varsity Shield Promotion Relegation	15:00	FNB Univ of Natal	v	NWU Vaal Triangle	Peter Booysen Sports Park
Vodacom Super Rugby	17:05	DHL Stormers	v	Sharks	DHL Newlands Stadium, Cape Town

Source: Supersport

Bryce Lawrence's Test career over!

Cape Town - SANZAR head of referees Lyndon Bray confirmed on Wednesday that New Zealand referee Bryce Lawrence’s Test career is over, according to EWN Sport. 

Lawrence, who was unbelievably named New Zealand’s referee of the year in 2011, has been in freefall since taking charge of the Rugby World Cup quarter-final between the Springboks and Wallabies, a game where he allowed the Wallabies the freedom of the park as they won despite having little possession.

Lawrence was widely criticised for his handling of the game, which bundled the Springboks out of the World Cup and was subsequently not given any Six Nations games at the beginning of 2012, with Sanzar refereeing boss Lyndon Bray admitting he needed to be “rehabilitated” following the performance. Source: News24

NAKA PRAAT OOR AANWINS: Sadie

BLOEMFONTEIN. – Die Cheetahs sal volgende jaar se Super-reeks met die vier beste senters sedert die bestaan van dié streekspan se franchise in 2005 aandurf. Só sê afrigter Naka Drotské, nadat hy gister bevestig het dat die Bulls se Johann Sadie later vanjaar ’n Cheetah word. 

Sadie sluit hom op 1 November by die Cheetahs aan en het ’n tweejaarkontrak met dié sentrale streekspan gesluit. 

Sport24 het reeds verlede week eksklusief berig oor Sadie se skuif na die Cheetahs, nadat hy eers einde verlede jaar die Stormers vir die Bulls van Pretoria verruil het. 

Hy, Andries Strauss, Robert Ebersohn en Barry Geel is die senters wat reeds kontrakte met die Vrystaat gesluit het. 

Griekwas se senter-aanwinste, JP Nel en Stefan Watermeyer, het tot dusver net Curriebeker-kontrakte met die Poubloues gesluit en dit is nog onseker of hulle vir die Super-reeks oorweeg kan word. 

Drotské was gister verheug toe hy die kontrak met Sadie gefinaliseer het. 

“Ek dink hy sal baie goed in ons wedstrydplan (van hardlooprugby) inpas. 

“Om eerlik te wees, dink ek nie die Bulls se spelpatroon het sy rugby 100% gepas nie,” sê Drotské.

“Hy het hom reeds by die Stormers op Super-vlak as ’n aanvallende speler bewys. 

“Ek het min twyfel dat hy in ons stelsel sal gedy.

“Ek is ook opgewonde oor wat ons agterlyn ons volgende jaar op die aanval kan bied.

“Dis nou, veral as jy in ag neem dat Johan Goosen dan op losskakel sal wees en ’n mens uit die gekontrakteerde senters kan kies. 

“Andries het al internasionale rugby gespeel, Robert is ewe goed op binne- en buitesenter en Barry is ’n gehalte-binnesenter. Johann se kontraktering bied aan ons welkome diepte op buitesenter.”

- Sadie word die derde Stormers-buitesenter wat sedert 2007 ’n kontrak met die Cheetahs gesluit het in die hoop om sy loopbaan hier weer op koers te kry. 

In 2007 het die oud-Bok Marius Joubert die Vrystaat gehelp om die Curriebeker te behou, voordat hy na die Franse klubspan Clermont is en hom verlede jaar by die Sharks aangesluit het. 

Die speler wat Joubert destyds uit die kussings by die Stormers gelig het, Corné Uys, het hom in 2009 by die Cheetahs aangesluit. 

Ook hý het goeie spel in die Cheetahs-trui gelewer, voordat hy einde 2010 besluit het om sy loopbaan by die Newcastle Falcons te gaan voortsit. 

Sadie sal vanjaar nog Curriebeker-rugby vir die Bulle speel en met William Small-Smith en JJ Engelbrecht om ’n plek in die beginspan meeding. Vanaf Volksblad: Hendrik Cronjé

Crusaders team announced to face Chiefs

The Crusaders team that beat the Bulls in last weekend’s qualifier match will get another chance to prove they are finals quality this Friday night. Crusaders Head Coach Todd Blackadder has made just one change to his team to take on the Chiefs in Hamilton.

Ben Franks will start in the number three jersey this week and brother, Owen, will rotate to the bench.

Kieran Read is still unavailable for selection this week as he is not fully recovered from the rib injury sustained last time the Crusaders played the Chiefs. That means captain Richie McCaw will again play at number eight and Matt Todd at seven.

The Crusaders have had a loss and a win to the Chiefs in the regular season this year. The winner of this game will progress to the final, against either the Stormers or the Sharks.

Crusaders team to play the Chiefs:

1. Wyatt Crockett, 2. Corey Flynn, 3. Ben Franks, 4. Luke Romano, 5. Samuel Whitelock, 6. George Whitelock, 7. Matt Todd, 8. Richie McCaw (Captain), 9. Andy Ellis, 10. Dan Carter (vc), 11. Zac Guildford, 12. Ryan Crotty, 13. Robbie Fruean, 14. Adam Whitelock, 15. Israel Dagg.

Reserves: 16. Quentin MacDonal, 17. Owen Franks, 18. Tom Donnelly, 19. Luke Whitelock, 20. Willi Hein, 21. Tom Taylor, 22. Sean Maitland. Source: Rugby15

Odds now favour Stormers: Duane could be playing

Duane Vermeulen did not participate in the DHL Stormers training session on Monday afternoon, but coach Allister Coetzee indicated that the big No8’s chances of starting against the Sharks were now better than 50/50.

The influential loose-forward’s race against time to be fit for the big Super Rugby semi-final against the Sharks at Newlands on Saturday has been the talking point around the Stormers during their two week build-up to the match. Initially he was given only an outside chance of being able to play as he recovered from the knee injury that has kept him out since April.

However when he pitched at training last Thursday his chances strengthened to the point where he was given an outside chance of playing, and those chances got better when he apparently took a full part in training sessions at Hermanus last Friday. When he wasn’t on the field on Monday journalists assumed that it was an indication he was out of the game, but Coetzee gave a different story.

“Duane has taken part in two big training sessions after a long period of inactivity so we felt it was wise to keep him off his feet today,” said Coetzee.

“It all hinges on how he recovers from the training. That is what we are waiting to see. Sitting him out today was a precautionary, but we are expecting him to train with the side tomorrow (Tuesday). He is definitely still in the mix for the weekend.”

When asked what the chances of Vermeulen playing were, Coetzee hesitated for a bit, but then gave an answer that should please Stormers fans who know how important his physicality will be to the quest to suffocate the Sharks.

“It’s a difficult question to answer as it depends on a few things, but I would say that he has about a 65% to 70% chance of playing,” said the coach.

“He hasn’t taken contact as yet. He will do that for the first time tomorrow. We don’t want to rush him back if he is not ready as there are various targets we are working towards. And we won’t field him against the Sharks if there is a chance he won’t be completely ready and won’t be able to participate fully. This is a semi-final and if we play him it will be because he is really strong and fit. He has got to be effective.” Source: SuperSport

Cheetahs confirm Sadie signing

Cape Town - Cheetahs CEO Harold Verster has confirmed that they've signed Bulls centre Johan Sadie on a two year deal, according to EWN Sport. He will join the Bloemfontein-based outfit next season.

Sadie has had an indifferent season since joining the Pretoria side from the Stormers at the end of last year. He's struggled to hold down a spot in the Bulls' 22-man squad after a season plagued by injury and a dip in form.

The Bulls management had apparently given the 23-year-old their blessing to “look at other options” ahead of a release from his contract.

It is believed he's unhappy with the lack of game time he has received this season. Source: Sport24

Lambie likely to miss Sharks Semi-final

Springbok and Sharks star back Patrick Lambie looks likely to miss another week of Super Rugby play off action and will most likely miss the Semi-final against the Stormers. Sharks coach John Plumtree has conceded that Lambie is highly unlikely to play this weekend after he missed the qualifying match against the Reds.

The Sharks were hoping that the week off would allow Lambie to recover from his ankle injury in time to play in the Stormers Semi-final but Plumtree has little hope of him playing.

"The news is not that good regarding Patrick as he is still struggling and is unlikely to play," Plumtree told SuperSport.

Lambie's absence is not all bad news for the Sharks as they didn't miss him too much last weekend and Plumtree has preferred to keep his line ups consistent making changes only when necessary and for rotational purposes.

Given Plumtree history with selections he won't be too unhappy about the loss of Lambie as he was happy with the way the team performed last week.

"I thought the boys played some great rugby. I was really proud of the way they performed," said Plumtree.

"We had to win by various means - in the first half we did it through attacking rugby, and in the second we did it with defence."

Plumtree has a lot of respect for the Stormers and having lost 20-25 to them recently he is expecting a titanic battle.

"I have really admired the Stormers this season. They've performed so consistently and finished on the top of the South African conference as well as the overall log. "

"They very rarely lose at home, and it will be a huge challenge for us. I think the last time we beat them at Newlands was 2007 (it was actually 2009). They have been sitting back waiting while we are returning from some travel.

"We've got to be smart about our preparation. Everyone is talking about the travel factor, but we knew we would have to travel for a semifinal. "

"The players are positive about being back home. It's nice to sleep in your own beds. It's always nice coming home." Source: SuperXV

Top 20 Superugby points’ scorers

The Sharks will travel to Cape Town for an all-South African Vodacom Super Rugby semi-final against the DHL Stormers after they eliminated the Reds in their qualifier in Brisbane on Saturday afternoon. The KwaZulu-Natalians reached the semi-finals for the first time since 2008 when they beat the Reds by 30-17. This was only the 11th away victory out of 62 knock-out matches in the history of Vodacom Super Rugby.


However, the Vodacom Bulls bowed out of the competition when they were beaten by a brilliant Crusaders team in Christchurch in the fifth playoff match between these sides. The Cantabrians won by 28-13 and will travel to Hamilton next week where they will face the Chiefs in the first semi-final.



The Hamilton semi-final between the New Zealand Conference winners, the Chiefs, and the Crusaders will kick off at 09h35 (SA time) on Friday, 27 July.



The semi-final at DHL Newlands in Cape Town between the DHL Stormers, who won the South African Conference and finished top of the overall standings, and The Sharks is scheduled for 17h05 on Saturday, 28 July.



To illustrate how little there is to pick between the four teams that will contest the semi-finals, look at the results in their derbies this year. The DHL Stormers beat the Sharks by 15-12 in Cape Town in round two and then lost by 20-25 in Durban in round 14.



The Chiefs beat the Crusaders by 24-19 in Christchurch in round three and recently lost in Hamilton by 28-21 in round 17.



Reds 17 (10) The Sharks 30 (20)



The Sharks ensured a new Vodacom Super Rugby champion will be crowned this year when they beat the defending champion Reds by 30-17 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday afternoon.



With their pack setting the tone, The Sharks’ backs followed suit. The visitors from Durban were rampant in the first half and scored their first two tries, by JP Pietersen and Paul Jordaan, in the opening 25 minutes.



Pietersen crossed in the corner after a surging attack upfield by The Sharks that involved superb handling and angled running.



Jordaan, who last month was part of the South African Under-20 squad that won the Junior World Championship, rounded off after another great attacking move where he got the ball on the wing and stepped inside to score untouched under the sticks.



Charl McLeod got The Sharks’ third try when he intercepted and ran 60m to score under the uprights early in the second half. At 27-10, the match was all but sealed by the visitors.



Their defence was also superb and the Reds were not afforded the space to launch any attacks. Will Genia scored their first try very late in the first half and Radike Samo got their second on the stroke of full-time.



To further illustrate how impressive The Sharks’ victory was, one only needs to look at the history of playoff matches in Vodacom Super Rugby. This was the first away-win in four qualifiers, while there were only six away victories out of 32 semi-finals and four from 16 finals.



Scorers:



Reds – Tries: Will Genia, Radike Samo. Conversions: Mike Harris, Genia. Penalty goal: Harris.



The Sharks – Tries: JP Pietersen, Paul Jordaan, Charl McLeod. Conversions: Fred Michalak (3). Penalty goals: Michalak (2). Drop goal: Michalak.



Crusaders 28 (16) Vodacom Bulls 13 (3)



Dan Carter scored 23 points as the Vodacom Bulls’ somewhat inconsistent Vodacom Super Rugby season came to an end in Christchurch on Saturday morning when they were beaten by 28-13 by the Crusaders at AMI Stadium.



The Vodacom Bulls were far from their best, while the Crusaders showed why they have won this competition seven times before with a clinical display of knock-out rugby.



Their task was made a bit easier by a lacklustre Vodacom Bulls side that seemed to lack the intent, conceded far too many silly penalties and made the one unforced error after the other, especially during a very ordinary first half that.



Their play in the set phases was also not good enough and meant the Vodacom Bulls were on the back foot for most of the match.



Carter was at hand to punish the Pretorians every time their discipline let them down – and it happened quite often. The Crusaders flyhalf slotted six penalty goals and missed a further two.



To compound matters for the visitors, their normally good tactical kicking was not good, which often enabled the Crusaders to keep the Vodacom Bulls pinned back in their own half.



The Vodacom Bulls did improve in the second half, when they managed to hang on to the ball for a bit longer, things went better, while their defence was also solid. Dewald Potgieter and Wynand Olivier went over for well-worked tries, but by then it was already too late and Carter hammered the final nail into the visitors’ coffin on the stroke of full time.



Scorers:



Crusaders – Try: Zac Guildford. Conversion: Dan Carter. Drop goal: Carter. Penalty goals: Carster (6).



Vodacom Bulls – Tries: Dewald Potgieter, Wynand Olivier. Penalty goal: Morné Steyn.



Top 20 points’ scorers:

Player	Team	Tries	Conv	Pen	Drops	Tot
Morné Steyn	Vodacom Bulls	1	38	46	3	228
Aaron Cruden	Chiefs	3	37	45	0	224
Beauden Barrett	Hurricanes	2	35	39	0	197
Mike Harris	Reds	0	22	34	1	149
Tom Taylor	Crusaders	1	15	37	0	146
Johan Goosen	Toyota Cheetahs	3	17	31	1	145
Patrick Lambie	Sharks	1	20	32	0	141
Peter Grant	DHL Stormers	2	15	30	0	130
Elton Jantjies	MTN Lions	0	21	28	0	126
Christian Lealiifano	Brumbies	0	17	25	0	109
Gareth Anscombe	Blues	2	13	21	1	102
Joe Pietersen	DHL Stormers	2	6	25	0	97
Brendan McKibbin	Waratahs	1	16	19	0	94
Dan Carter	Crusaders	1	20	13	3	93
David Harvey	Force	1	12	20	0	89
Chris Noakes	Highlanders	2	14	16	0	86
Frederic Michalak	Sharks	2	21	10	1	85
James O`Connor	Rebels	2	6	21	0	85
Zack Holmes	Brumbies	2	8	16	0	74
Lachie Munro	Blues	3	10	11	0	68

Source: Rugby15