Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2020 i SA RUGBY

To turn this image into a paint-by-number masterpiece, purchase a kit from Kentucky-based Easy 123 Art ($35; easy123art.com/countryliving). Share your finished project on Instagram by tagging it #clpaintbynumber. Although no South African side reached the 2019 Super Rugby semi-finals, that seems like ancient history when one considers the Springboks surged to victory in the Rugby Championship and World Cup, while the Blitzboks finished the year at the summit of the World Rugby Sevens Series standings after impressing at the first two tournaments, in Dubai and Cape Town. A new year brings a fresh slate, and there is a different look to many of our Super Rugby sides, in terms of the player and coach rosters. In this preview issue, we take an in-depth look at each team that will be…

Despite missing out on a tournament win, what pleased you the most about the team’s performance at the Cape Town Sevens? The guys managed to focus on themselves and not get caught up in the Cape Town atmosphere and the vibe of the stadium. It might have got to them a bit at some stage because they did one or two things out of character. We had to emphasise that no matter where we play, the processes are the same. I must give the guys credit; they did really well. It is always disappointing to let down the fans at home when we couldn’t give them the result they wanted. There were too many mistakes in that final. But the guys were incredible on defence and there were just one…

Have you taken off your World Cup winner’s medal yet? My daughter loves the medal because she thinks it’s chocolate! she keeps fooling around and pretending to take bites out of it, which is quite funny. my parents and wife love it. What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen on the rugby pitch? Anton Lienert-Brown getting his pants pulled down during the world Cup. Your funniest teammates? With the springboks it’s Lood de Jager. He always has a few jokes and cheers up the boys. He loves to sing and he backs himself singing and rapping, so maybe he’ll be a rapper after rugby. He’s an entertainer. Any pranks you can share with us? At Toulouse, Maxime Medard will go into players’ lockers and take their shoes or car keys or…

OVERVIEW There’s good news and bad news for long-suffering Bulls fans. The good news is that the best-performing South African side of the 2019 season has received a significant financial boost with billionaire Patrice Motsepe buying a major share in the franchise. One would expect the Bulls to be able to recruit top players. The bad news is the Bulls will go into the 2020 campaign with a severely depleted squad. Schalk Brits retired in the wake of the 2019 World Cup, while other senior Springboks such as Duane Vermeulen, Handre Pollard, Lood de Jager and Jesse Kriel opted to further their careers overseas. Bok locks RG Snyman and Jason Jenkins won’t be available this season, while experienced forwards Thembelani Bholi, Jannes Kirsten, Hanro Liebenberg and Roelof Smit have left…

OVERVIEW The Stormers haven’t been in a position to compete for the Super Rugby title for some time. While they are perennially hyped by some sectors of the Cape media, the financial issues afflicting the union have hampered the team’s ability to retain and recruit top talent – be it coaches or players. With this in mind, the disappointing results recorded in recent years have not come as much of a surprise. The Stormers finished their 2019 campaign at the bottom of the South African conference. While there was a lot of talk in the pre-season about a bold attacking approach, they ended the conference phase with the joint-worst try-scoring record. Robbie Fleck’s men scored 34 tries – 12 fewer than they did in 2018 – and claimed just one…

OVERVIEW The Chiefs will be hard-pressed to emulate their success of the past. After a heartbreaking quarter-final loss last season, all eyes will be on the Chiefs as they aim to go deeper into this season’s playoffs. The Chiefs also failed to live up to their billing as Super Rugby entertainers last season, as they battled their way to a 7-2-7 regular season record. They also conceded the second-most tries (59) and the third-most points in the competition and were fortunate to sneak into the knockout stages. But new boss Warren Gatland will want the Chiefs to do more than keep their heads above water. He’d want his team to compete for top honours in the New Zealand conference and with the quality of players available to him, there’s every…

OVERVIEW Having bowed out in the semi-finals for the past three years in a row, the star-studded Wellington-based franchise will be aiming to reach the decider in 2020 in the hope of claiming a second Super Rugby title. If there’s one team in 2019 who had a bone to pick with the Super Rugby conference system, it’s the Hurricanes. Their 12-1-3 record was second to none in the entire competition, but the Crusaders pipped them to the summit of the New Zealand table because they accumulated more bonus points. Conference winners the Jaguares and Brumbies automatically finished higher on the overall ladder and relegated them to fourth. They made it through the quarter-finals but came up against the eventual champion Crusaders in the final four, and they were, unsurprisingly, thoroughly…

OVERVIEW The Reds have been one of the more erratic teams of the Super Rugby era. Famously, for Bulls fans, the Brisbane-based side were the whipping boys in 2007 as they succumbed to a 92-3 thrashing, sending the Bulls into the semi-finals, and eventually to the trophy. However, four short years later, the Reds were lifting the trophy after beating the mighty Crusaders at home. It would be fair to say the Reds are now near the bottom of their cycle, having not placed better than 13th since 2014. Indeed, the Reds have struggled to build momentum, with a bevy of new and exciting youngsters getting their starts but not really kicking on. Coupled with that, there have been controversies in Queensland, such as Karmichael Hunt being charged with possession…

JANUARY/FEBRUARY SEVENS SUPER RUGBY MATCH YOU CAN’T MISS STORMERS VS BULLS Saturday, 8 February Newlands, Cape Town 17:15, SS1 2 The number of tries Rosko Specman scored against the Stormers at Loftus in 2019 40-3 The score when the Bulls met the Stormers at Loftus Versveld in Super Rugby in 2019 24-23 The score, in favour of the Stormers, when they did battle, at Newlands in April 2019 2011 The year in which the Bulls last won a Super Rugby match at Newlands, beating the Stormers 19-16 PRO14…

Of the many mysteries unique to South African rugby, the reason momentum is such a non-negotiable catalyst for success is difficult to unravel. Momentum has always been behind the spark – or indeed confidence – that drives team performance in any sport, but when it comes to local rugby sides its importance seems more exaggerated. For some reason, significant achievements by our rugby teams almost always have to be preceded by others, to the point where success appears impossible without the stimulus of triumphs which have gone before. The 1995 World Cup victory had its roots in the confidence the Springboks gleaned from Transvaal and Natal having been in all three of the Super 10 finals before that upset against the All Blacks, while the win in 2007 can be…

WITH BEAST MTAWARIRA 1 OS DU RANDT A powerful scrummager, good tackler and a carrier all over the field with a solid presence at the set piece. 2 BISMARCK DU PLESSIS At his peak he was the world’s best hooker. 3 JANNIE DU PLESSIS The Doc. One of the best tightheads and a real anchor in the scrum. 4 EBEN ETZEBETH He brings another level of physicality on the field. 5 VICTOR MATFIELD The best lineout man I played with or against. 6 SCHALK BURGER With ball in hand, Schalk was incredibly destructive, yet he could also link the forwards and backs. 7 RICHIE McCAW (c) The only overseas player in my side is also my captain because he was a phenomenal leader. He also had a crazy work rate.…

Last year was a great one for South African rugby, as far as the national side was concerned. The Springboks won the World Cup and the Rugby Championship and finished the season at the top of the World Rugby rankings. It’s important to note how long South Africa had to wait for each of those titles and accolades. It took the Boks 10 years to end their Rugby Championship drought and 12 years to win another World Cup. Consistency was evidently a problem. Director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has spoken about the importance of continuity in the period that follows a World Cup tournament. Most of the South African coaches have been retained and this will – as I mentioned in my previous column – ensure the Boks begin the…

CRAIG LEWIS SAYS THE SHARKS It would be disingenuous to not admit at the outset that I am a Durbanite who grew up in the home of the Sharks. However, this prediction calls for objectivity and, with this in mind, there is still plenty of reason to suggest the Sharks should top the SA conference. In 2019, the Jaguares were runaway winners in the group, while the Bulls were the surprise package from a South African perspective. However, a swathe of players have left the Pretoria-based franchise and I can’t see the Jaguares repeating the same rich run of form they enjoyed last year. The Lions are going through a rebuilding phase, while the cash-strapped Stormers have been unable to recruit any standout players. This leaves the Sharks, who have…

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OVERVIEW The Lions’ Super Rugby journey over the past decade has been fascinating. In 2011 and 2012, the team were in woeful shape, and were eventually relegated from the competition. Then came a remarkable rebuilding phase that resulted in the Johannesburg-based side reaching three consecutive finals, although there will still be some regrets that they failed to bag at least one title. Celebrated coach Johan Ackermann moved on, as have a host of gutsy players who revolutionised the Lions side and turned them into one of the most exciting attacking teams in Super Rugby. Last season was also rather tumultuous for the Lions due to various off-field drama, and ultimately they bid farewell to coach Swys de Bruin, who had some personal challenges. The Lions have also lost a swathe…

OVERVIEW After three frustrating years in Super Rugby, the Jaguares finally came good in 2019, fulfilling their promise as they went all the way to Christchurch for their first final. However devastated the players were after their 19-3 loss to the Crusaders, the 2019 season as a whole was a sign of what the team could do when they pulled together. Coach Gonzalo Quesada emphasised the positives of their achievement, viewing it as the beginning of something special. The guys are in tears because they went through a hell of a season,’ he said. ‘But it is good to know there is no mediocrity. It was something quite historic. No one could have imagined this a couple of years ago, even at the beginning of the season.’ The 2020 season…

OVERVIEW The Crusaders have dominated most facets of play for the past three years and are rightly recognised as one of the world’s best club teams. Their record under coach Scott Robertson included 48 wins, three draws and five losses. The Waratahs were the only team outside New Zealand to beat the Cantabrians during that period. The Crusaders’ most recent win, against the Jaguares in the 2019 Super Rugby final, marked their 24th consecutive playoff victory at home and extended their unbeaten run for all games in Christchurch to 31. Overall, they’ve won 10 titles and are the undisputed kings of Super Rugby. Will they have what it takes to finish at the top of the pile again in 2020? Robertson, who was surprisingly overlooked for the All Blacks position…

OVERVIEW While the Brumbies have not been the title-chasing force they were in the early 2000s, they have consistently been near the top of the Australian conference. This has often put them in contention for playoff rugby, albeit based largely on the convoluted system of the expanded Super Rugby era. Still, the Brumbies have stuck rigorously to their traditional strengths over the years: bruising forwards and backs who are happy to run straight and hard, have always given them the kind of edge most teams are not used to in an Australian side. This year it will probably be more of the same. The Brumbies should be able to get into their stride nicely with their opening three matches to be hosted in Canberra, always a difficult venue to visit.…

OVERVIEW The Sunwolves start their fifth and final season in Super Rugby in a familiar position – with yet another new head coach. Naoya Okubo, a former director of rugby at Top League club Suntory Sungoliath, follows in the footsteps of Mark Hammett, Filo Tiatia, Jamie Joseph and Tony Brown, and he does so with a squad that looks very different from past editions. With the Super Rugby season running at the same time as the Top League, many of Japan’s best players will be unavailable to the Japanese franchise, which opens its campaign on 1 February in Fukuoka – one of its four ‘home grounds’ – against the Melbourne Rebels. As of mid-December, the Sunwolves had just 24 players on their roster, with Springboks Rudy Paige and JJ Engelbrecht,…

Rugby is a different game in a World Cup year. International players are released for short planning camps during the domestic season. Once Super Rugby and the European events have ended, Test coaches get to spend several uninterrupted months with their players. Test rugby is the priority in a World Cup year. There’s no drama around scheduling and World Rugby-sanctioned windows. Once every four years, players – such as the Boks, for example – are given sufficient time to condition their bodies for the demands of a global showpiece. Coaches are provided with an extended opportunity to train their players and strengthen the team culture. Every other year in the World Cup cycle, however, coaches routinely lament the short turnaround between the end of the club season and the start…

What a difference a year makes. Thinking back to 12 months ago, I must admit that I and, I’m sure, the South African public in general were on a completely different rugby planet. Very few would have predicted a World Cup victory, never mind a near-perfect demolition job of Eddie Jones’ England team in the final. We may still be smiling and basking in World Cup glory, but with Super Rugby about to kick off, we are all in for a rude wake-up call. I am not sure how to feel about this year’s Super Rugby challenge and I’m aware of some concerns going into the first couple of rounds of the competition. The World Cup hangover for the players will be real, and that’s understandable after such a fantastic…

SIYA KOLISI ‘So much respect for the work you do Didier! You really inspire me to do more!’ said the springbok captain alongside Chelsea FC legend Didier Drogba. DILLYN LEYDS An honour to walk away with the 2019 MVP award at the Herschel Jantjies awards night,’ chirped the Stormers utility back along with this photo of him and former teammate Ricky Schroeder. JUSTIN GEDULD Water babies,’ joked the Blitzboks playmaker with his daughter Niyah while on a family getaway. PERCY MONTGOMERY Rugby was the winner once again. #blitzbokke,’ said the former world Cup-winning fullback at the Cape town sevens. JUANDRE KRUGER Great to see this champion,’ said the veteran lock with former Bulls teammate and ireland international CJ stander. STEVEN KITSHOFF My other ginger friend,’ teased the Bok prop while…

OVERVIEW Always the bridesmaid, but never the bride. It’s difficult not to use this reference when reflecting on the Sharks’ run of results in Super Rugby. Over the past four seasons, they have managed to sneak through to the first round of the playoffs, but failed to progress beyond that. For fans, it’s been a combination of highs and lows. Despite the fact the Sharks have consistently headed into a new season with great expectations, often with several Springbok players in their ranks, they’ve failed to make the most of the resources at their disposal. Last year, in particular, was a tumultuous time as some off-field drama became a distraction when former coach Robert du Preez found himself in a stand-off with sections of the local media. Whatever the case…

OVERVIEW The Blues have been the perennial underachievers of New Zealand rugby for the past decade. While they have had exciting attacking players, a lack of forward grunt – combined with off-field culture issues – have seen the team finish bottom of the New Zealand conference seven times in the past nine years. The 2019 season was no different in this regard. Despite bringing in veteran midfielder Ma’a Nonu and switching head coaches from Tana Umaga to Leon MacDonald, the Blues still finished in a disappointing 13th place with a -22 point differential. However, The Auckland side will go into 2020 with lofty ambitions. Part of the reason is that, unlike their New Zealand rivals, they have managed to retain a good deal of their 2019 squad. In fact, they…

OVERVIEW The Highlanders, like other New Zealand franchises, have said farewell to a raft of experienced players. However, the Dunedin team will be undergoing possibly the biggest rebuild of any Kiwi side in 2020 after losing no less than 16 players. Most keenly felt will be the absence of fullback Ben Smith, who has signed for French side Pau, and flank Liam Squire, who will take up a two-year contract in Japan. Waisake Naholo has also left for newly-promoted English Premiership side London Irish. That leaves the team relying on the experience of hooker Liam Coltman and scrumhalf Aaron Smith. As an added bonus, the Highlanders have managed to rope in the services of Japan assistant Tony Brown as an attack coach. A deep thinker and innovator, Brown earned plenty…

OVERVIEW The Rebels, now into their 10th year of Super Rugby and having survived the cull that saw the Western Force drop out of the competition, will know they need to start pushing on. They have always struggled but are known to throw out a surprising result or two – this was evident in 2018 when they managed their best finish of ninth. Other than that strong season, the Rebels have mostly languished in the bottom third of Super Rugby, picking up the wooden spoon in 2017 with only nine points from 15 games. Last season, the Melbourne-based side showed some promise, but ultimately slipped to an 11th-place finish. The Rebels kick off 2020 with two away games, but those are against the outgoing Sunwolves and inconsistent Brumbies, before welcoming…

OVERVIEW Arguably Australia’s best Super Rugby side, the Sydney-based Waratahs have had some up-and-down seasons of late. The Tahs peaked in 2014, clinching the trophy in a thrilling final against the Crusaders, but their form has fluctuated dramatically. The Waratahs are now at one of their lower ebbs, having come in a rather disappointing 12th position in 2019 after placing third the year before. They boast one of the stronger sides on paper and have the history and culture to perform well, but they’ve lacked fire in recent times. If they are to be a success again in the Australian setting, and the overall standings, they will need to shine from the first game. However, they travel to the defending champions Crusaders in round one, before facing another New Zealand…

The Bulls may have been the surprise package of the 2019 Super Rugby season, but some big-name departures and the winds of change that have been blowing through South African rugby will make their task even more difficult this year. There is no doubt any Super Rugby side that suffered the losses the Bulls did at the end of last season would be in a quandary. How do you replace the likes of World Cup winners Handre Pollard, RG Snyman, Lood de Jager, Duane Vermeulen, Schalk Brits and Jesse Kriel? The core of experience that helped them win five out of six derbies and qualify for the playoff rounds for the first time since 2013 was ripped out in one fell swoop. And to make it worse, it wasn’t just…

Given his credentials as a first-class tighthead for the better part of 16 years, you’d think that little would scare Jannie du Plessis. But Johannesburg traffic is a different beast altogether. ‘You’ve got to have your wits about you, especially when you’re trying to drive without GPS,’ says the gnarled forward. ‘I’ve had some moments.’ ’ His experience on the roads could be a metaphor for a season or two with the Lions, a team in transition with a new coach and a raft of new players. The news of Du Plessis’ signing for the Lions came as a surprise. Prop stocks are impressive in the city, although the big men are mostly callow. Du Plessis was thus sounded out by Rudolf Straeuli, the chief executive, to anchor the scrum…

In 2010 the Stormers had one of the most complete Super Rugby sides ever assembled. That was amplified by a world-class coaching team, overseen by current world champion coach Rassie Erasmus. Sadly for them they ran into the Bulls in the final. The Pretoria-based franchise were at the peak of their power, boasting the most tactically astute and talent-laden South African team in the tournament’s history. Despite this, the Stormers acquitted themselves well, losing narrowly but testing the Bulls in a manner few had that season. The Stormers were never able to build on that season, partly due to key players taking up contracts abroad, an uncharacteristically average crop of young players coming through, the appointment of coaches without the requisite experience and technical competency, and turmoil at boardroom level.…