“You've got to give it to World Rugby, they've made a right mess with this World Test League. So many questions still unanswered – not just who is in and out – but what about travel, fatigue, watering down test rugby, etc.” - Brenden Nel Volume 19, Number 7 07 March 2019 Register to receive your own free weekly newsletter at www.leopardnewsletters.co.za Yesterday’s Heros are Today’s Also-Rans A year ago, the Blitzbokke were on top of the world after round five of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series – literally. Sitting atop the standings 10 points clear of second-placed New Zealand and 13 points ahead of eventual runners-up, Fiji. What a difference a year makes. This year they’re languishing in fifth on the table a full 31 points behind the leaders, USA. At the halfway mark, they already have virtually zero chance of winning the title for a third consecutive year. That together with untimely injuries to key playmakers Branco du Preez and Justin Geduld as So how did they fall so fast and so hard? Two well as to stalwart Chris Dry is, in the words of coach reasons, Super Rugby and injuries. First Super Neil Powell, testing the depth of the squad. It’s also Rugby: Tim Agaba, Ruhan Nel, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, instructive to hear what Dylan Sage has to say about Dylan Sage, Seabelo Senatla, Kwagga Smith and it in an interview with Brenden Nel. Rosco Specman were all key members of last year’s winning squad of 12. This year, all seven are trying But did it really have to be this way? Shouldn’t to make their way in Super Rugby. players wearing national colours in any discipline be contracted for fixed terms specifically to prevent this sort of mass exodus? It is, after all, much easier to maintain standards if you bring a few young players into a largely settled squad than when you only have a handful of veterans left behind to provide guidance. This is particularly true in a fast-moving game like sevens rugby. So why is SA Rugby not putting in place all the mechanisms needed to assure the fanatical public of a consistent standard of play from our national sevens team? Oh yes, they play again in Vancouver this weekend but fans won’t be expecting too much. KEY TOPICS IN THIS NEWSLETTER Another mostly dismal Super Rugby weekend Gold Cup 2019 Kicks Off This Weekend Cheetahs’ and Kings’ Poor Runs Continue World Rugby League Booted into Touch Varsity Cup Rocks With Tries Galore Craven Week Loses Headline Sponsor Page 1 Another mostly dismal Super Rugby weekend There’s a dark cloud hanging over the newsroom this week – again – following what our editor is calling another weekend of daylight robbery. To hear him tell it, the referee was either incompetent or crooked, and he’s leaning toward the latter. Stripped of expletives – and there were many – he reckons the Lions were robbed of possession in the Bulls half of the field all day. The only way, he adds, the Bulls could have been onside at the breakdown Cheetahs’ and Kings’ Poor Runs Continue would have been if they too were wearing red and white. But Lions coach Swys de Bruyn says the Bulls Confession time, nobody in the newsroom were better on the day. remembered to watch the locally relevant PRO14 fixtures this past weekend so we’re completely reliant Looking back at the weekend as a whole, the on other reports this time. Hurricanes thrashing of the Brumbies came as no surprise but the Highlanders loss to the Rebels was According to the official tournament web site, unexpected. And, speaking of unexpected, the Leinster battled past a dogged Cheetahs outfit. Sunwolves comprehensively out playing the Chiefs on However, a cursory look at the match stats suggest that their own patch was a spectacular and well-deserved the reporter was being generous. And this impression result. is confirmed by a rather colourless report from a local news outlet. Another surprise was the Crusaders inability to put up a cricket score against the Reds but part of the reason could have been the typically poor officiating. Still, despite the visitors not getting anywhere near their share of the 50-50 calls, like the champions they are they pulled through to win. Then came the match at Ellis Park, already discussed, followed by the other local derby, which was an arm- wrestle if the reports are to be believed. And to wrap up the weekend, the Jaguares hung on for a famous victory over Blues in Buenos Aires. Similarly, the official report suggests that the Southern Kings gave the Cardiff Blues a good run for their money. And while the stats appear to suggest this at first glance, a deeper dive considering metres made, defenders beaten and all the tackle numbers indicates otherwise. Furthermore, that the Kings were always chasing the game is clearly shown by the Ultimate Rugby commentary record. This view is also supported by the only local report we could find. The competition is on a two-week break this weekend with action resuming with yet another away fixture for both teams on Saturday 23 March. But the good news is that both teams will be back for a string of home games in April. Page 2 Page 3 Varsity Cup Rocks With Tries Galore Gold Cup 2019 Kicks Off This Weekend We hang our heads in shame in the newsroom this The new-look 16-team strength-versus-strength week. We completely forgot to watch “Rugby the format of the local Gold Cup non-university club Rocks” this past Monday and have to rely on whatever rugby competition will kick off on Saturday with the reports we can find on the interwebs. first round of eight matches scheduled for venues around the country. The first match in the FNB Varsity Cup this week was the Joburg derby in which UJ triumphed over Wits – In the way of the modern world, the venerable and by quite a margin: 39-16 in the end after leading competition has given its new sponsors naming rights 17-0 at half-time. The Varsity Sports App offers and will now be known as the SSG Gold Cup, interesting match statistics if you dig a little by drilling Presented by Blu Approved & M4Jam. down on the results of each match. Traditionalists may be a bit taken aback by the unwieldy name but hey, as long as these companies The match in Bloemfontein was a high scoring affair are planning to support local club rugby by funding that was fairly evenly balanced until about the 33rd this competition for a decent period of time, who minute, after which Shimlas ran in four unanswered really cares what they call it? tries to finish with a commanding 51-40 victory over UCT-Ikeys. On the longevity issue, some comfort can be taken by the fact the former Springbok hooker and world cup- But down in Bellville a hapless UWC was on the end winning captain, John Smit is the Acting CEO of of a 11-try thrashing by a resurgent UP-Tuks. The stats SSG Holdings. The first round of matches om reveal that the home team conceded a lot of penalties Satirday are: (16 to Tuks’ 4) and kicked the ball away a lot in general play. It clearly wasn’t a successful strategy. POOL A Stiles Progress George v Durbanville-Bellville Meanwhile, in Stellenbosch, Maties set about ending (Rosemoor Stadium, George, 16:00) the unbeaten run of NWU-Pukke unceremoniously. OneLogix United Bulk Villagers Worcester v The 43-15 victory included a hat-trick of tries by Northam Platinum Rhinos (Boland Park, Worcester, Maties speedster Edwill van der Merwe, which had 16:00) Oom Rugby salivating on Twitter. POOL B The mouth-watering fixtures for next Monday’s Rugby Multisure Gardens v Sasol Digi Mag Secunda that Rocks can be found on the last page of this (Derrick Ferreira Stadium, Uitenhage, 15:30) newsletter as well as on the official web site. College Rovers v Phakisa Holdings East Rand United (KP3, Kings Park, Durban, 15:30) POOL C ABE Midas Naka Bulls v CT Hydraulics Sishen (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, 14:40 — c/raiser to Vodacom Super Rugby between Vodacom Bulls and Cell C Sharks) Welkom v Recall Security Bloemfontein Police (Griffons Stadium B Field, Welkom, 15:30) POOL D RotoTank Roodepoort v Newrak Rustenburg Impala (Ruimsig Athletics Stadium, Roodepoort, 15:00) KWV Springs v Hollywoodbets Swallows (Olympia Park Sports Ground, Springs, 16:00) Page 4 Page 5 World Rugby League Booted into Touch News emerged last week of a proposed new international rugby calendar, apparently conceived in a boardroom at World Rugby head-quarters in Dublin. The proposal apparently involves a 12-nation competition involving the teams competing in both the Six Nations and the Rugby Championship along with Japan and USA, both of which will be added to the latter competition. The plan, if that’s what it is, is for the competition to begin in 2020 and require all 12 nations to play each other once in the calendar year, with a semi-final and final to be played in late November, possibly early On the same day Ultimate Rugby reported the first December. denials from New Zealand Rugby CE Steve Tew, who said no decisions have been made about the future Significantly, it makes no provision for promotion or format for international rugby. The web portal also relegation from either the Six Nations or Rugby quoted a similar comment from Rugby Australia CE Championship.