"I think you enjoy the game more if you don’t know the rules. Anyway, you’re on the same wavelength as the referees." - Jonathan Davies, former Welsh rugby player

Volume 19, Number 14 25 April 2019 Register to receive your own free weekly newsletter at www.leopardnewsletters.co.za

Normal Service Resumes in

There has been a beautific smile plastered all over the visage of our editor this week. We put it down to the Lions’ win against the in Hamilton last Friday morning (our time). That was the first match of the weekend but it could have been so different.

The visitors ran out to a 0-20 lead at half-time, completely outplaying the home side. After the third quarter the home side scored in the rigft-hand corner thanks to a defensive lapse by Ross Cronje. Two minutes later the Chiefs scored again in that corner to get back into the contest as the Lions tired. But The first of three games on Saturday was Highlanders the visitors held on to win: 17-23. welcoming the to Dunedin. Before the match the home team was bottom of the New Zealand A little later in Tokyo, the ran out to a conference but thanks to a solid performance they half-time lead of 23-10 over the visiting managed to close to within two points of their and looked odds for their third win of the season. opponents in third on the table. Final score 24-12. But the New Zealanders fought back in the second half to score 19 unanswered points and snatch the In the only other derby of the weekend, the victory: 23-29. travelled to the Cricket Ground [yeah, puzzles us too – Ed] to face the The last game on Friday was very scrappy and Waratahs. The half-time score was 7-20 in favour of featured some of the worst refereeing seen in this the Rebels and the game was theirs to lose, which is year’s Super Rugby. Poor decisions by Federico exactly what they did in the second half. Final score Anselmi kept the home team in the match and led 23-20. directly to their first try. Of course, the ref wasn’t helped by the incompetence running the lines: Jaco The final match of the weekend was a bottom of the Peyper and Glen Jackson. tables clash: bottom of the Africa conference versus second from bottom on the Australian conference. The Australian visitors were unlucky to go into the hosted the and the quality of play break leading by only seven: 7-14. It stayed that way in the first half inspired us to switch to the European until the 60th minute, when brilliant support running Champions Cup final at half-time. Final score at led to the Reds’ third try. In the end, the home side Newlands was 17-19. burgled another losing bonus point.

KEY TOPICS IN THIS NEWSLETTER

The Final That Might Have Been Masters of Their Own Fate, or Not French Flair Sets Up An Exciting Final More Than Just A Touch of Rugby Wit SuperSport Challenge 2019 Kicks Off Column: Don’t Disneyfy Rugby!

Page 1 The Final That Might Have Been French Flair Sets Up An Exciting Final

Neutral observers looking at the line-up for the The Challenge Cup is the second-tier competition for Heineken Champions Cup semi-finals would have European clubs behind the Champions Cup. The been intrigued and, perhaps, a hopeful of exciting former is contested between 20 teams; 18 qualifying matches and, subsequently, a highly entertaining from the three main European domestic leagues final. On paper, Saracens vs Munster was a (Premiership Rugby, Top 14, and PRO14), and two tantalising prospect. But on grass, it wasn’t as good qualifying from the Continental Shield competition as it should have been. between teams from second-tier level Rugby Europe nations. When all was said and done on Saturday, Muster was simply not allowed to get into the game. Between the The semifinals this year were contested this past strange interpretations at the breakdowns of the Saturday evening when La Rochelle entertained Sale referee, Jerome Garces, and the obduracy of the at Stade Marcel-Deflandre and Clermont Auvergne Saracens defence, the Irish team was always going to welcomed another English club, Harlequins, to struggle. Final score 32-16 to Saracens. Clemont-Ferrand.

The other semifinal was a home game for Leinster at The first match kicked off at 16:30 and got off to a the in Dublin, where they faced the crazy start with Sale taking an early lead with a exciting French side, Toulouse. Both teams have won penalty try and a three-pointer while La Rochelle’s the Champions Cup four times in their history so the Victor Vito received a yellow card. Ten minutes later outcome was going to give one of them a shot at a the roles had been reversed after the home side record-breaking fifth title. scored a three-pointer and were also awarded a penalty try while Sale’s Denny Solomons was sent to Toulouse came out all guns blazing but just couldn’t the bin for ten minutes. breach the Irish defence. On the other hand, the Irish crossed the French line twice in the first half and A little while later the home side went ahead through again in the second half. In reply, all Toulouse could a converted try and then Sale equalised. After half- accomplish was to score four penalties. Final score time, La Rochelle scored seven again and the best the 30-12. visitors could manage was another three points. It ended 24-20. The Guardian described the result as Leinster “suffocating” Toulouse, with which we can’t argue, In the other semi-final, the home side had built a indeed, the same could be said of what Saracens did commanding lead in the first half (23-3) but to Munster. All of which which means that the final Harlequins struck back with a Mike Brown try just is likely to be a dour affair, pleasing only to the fans before the break. The second half saw Clemont keep of the two teams involved. Neutral rugby fans will the pressure on by continually extending the lead have to look elsewhere for excitement on 11 May. with penalty kicks.

Eventually the Quins chipped in with two tries in ten minutes and a third just before the final whistle. It was too little, too late as the match ended 32-27 in favour of the hosts.

The final will be played on Friday night 10 May at St James’ Park in Newcastle, England. Apparently the venues for finals are selected before the combatants are known. Irrespective, the fans can look forward to a cracking game of rugby.

Page 2 Page 3 SuperSport Challenge 2019 Kicks Off Masters of Their Own Fate, or Not

The 2019 edition of the SuperSport Rugby Challenge The final round of PRO14 2018/19 is upon us and the kicks off on Friday night with the first of seven Southern Kings face the in matches this weekend. take on the Blue at on Saturday. And yes, if the Kings win, they should the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit at 7pm. stay clear of the on the Conference B log. But that’s not the real focus for the PE team: they’re Then on Saturday, play Valke in Kimberley, shopping for talent for next season. Free State take on in Bloemfontein – as a curtain raiser to Cheetahs vs Kings in the PRO14, Namibia welcomes the Golden Lions to Windhoek and Griffons entertain Leopards in Welkom.

But there’s more. Another two matches are scheduled for Sunday, both at the Sisa Dukashe Stadium in Mdantsane, near East London. It’s one of the double- headers that will be a feature of the revamped SuperSport Rugby Challenge and this one features the SWD Eagles against Western Province at 12:00pm and at 2pm, the Boland Cavaliers against the EP Elephants. Back to the permutations: it’s certainly true that If you happen to be in or around East London on Dragons must beat to get ahead of the Kings Sunday, take a drive out to Mdantsane to catch one or and that's not likely as the red team still has an both of the games, and have a boerie roll or two. It’s outside shot at the knock-out rounds (the top three in bound to be an occasion to remember so take lots of both conferences go through) if they take five points pictures and, if you’re on Twitter, tag us with some of from the game. the best ones. Who knows, one or more of them may even feature in next week’s newsletter. The two teams ahead of them on the Conference B table are Edinburgh and Treviso (aka Benetton). The For everybody else not within reasonable driving Scots travel to Glasgow to face the Conference A distance of East London, all the games will be table-topping Warriors and are unlikely to come broadcast on SuperSport so, if you don’t have DStv away with points. Premium, get down to a pub nearby that does have it. It could be your first look at some of the players of the Benetton, meanwhile, are two points ahead of future. Scarlets and travel to Parma to face compatriots – in last place in Conference A. Scarlets will be hoping for an upset – even a draw – and while that seems unlikely, stranger things have happened.

But looking at the two conferences, it’s clear that Conference B leaders. Leinster cannot be caught.

Conference A, on the other hand, features an interesting tussle with Munster in second place and just three points behind . Munster’s last match is a derby at home against Connacht (in third) and four points from that match could be enough to go top if the Glaswegians stumble against Edinburgh. Could be interesting.

Page 4 Page 5 More Than Just A Touch of Rugby Wit Whatever Happened to Bismarck du Plessis

Our publisher reminded us this week of a wonderful little book compiled by Richard Benson Rugby Wit: Quips and Quotes for the Rugby Obsessed. We’ve extracted a few of the funnier quotes:

"I think you enjoy the game more if you don’t know the rules. Anyway, you’re on the same wavelength as the referees." - Jonathan Davies, former Welsh rugby player.

“It went well. There are no problems, and, as a bonus, it showed that I have a brain.” - Corné Krige, former Springbok, after going for a brain scan. Many rugby fans would have been wondering about “There’s nothing that a tight forward likes more than a the omission of Bismarck du Plessis from the loosie right up his backside.” - Murray Mexted, former Springbok squad to play England last June when New Zealand rugby player and commentator. Spoiler Malcolm Marx was out injured. While we knew that alert: he features quite a lot. both him and Frans Steyn had been withdrawn due to injuries, the details were scant. If you want to order your own copy, it’s available in eBook format for the low, low price of R125 from Well, now Craig Lewis has gotten to the bottom of it takealot.com. in a piece he penned for SA Rugby magazine. There is an abbreviated version of the article on SARugbymag.com that provides some of the detail:

“...Du Plessis describes just how he played through the pain in an effort to contribute to Montpellier’s progression to last season’s Top 14 final.

“‘[When I got the Bok call-up] I was as happy as the first time I was selected for the Springboks, but then disaster struck. I had been struggling for an extensive period with pins and needles down my left arm, and I maybe should have stopped playing, but in the moment, a desire to help my team made me take risky decisions.’

“It got to a stage where Du Plessis was taking pain medication every two to three hours, while needing to drive with a pillow under his left arm in order to help alleviate the pain. Nevertheless, he battled on to start in the Top 14 title decider."

There's more on the website and even more in the magazine. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more.

Page 6 Column: Don’t Disneyfy Rugby!

In the rush to grow the game and attract more sponsorship, there’s a real risk that the powers that be at World Rugby fall into the trap of trying to change the game in ways that might hasten its demise. The worry is that law changes will attract new fans until the novelty wears off and they’ll leave as quickly as the came.

The most common justification for crazy law changes in sport is the Indian IPL but such comparisons always omit one key fact: Indian fans are already mad about cricket, even the watered down slap-and-giggle 20-over nonsense. The same cannot be said of new rugby fans. Yet. “Clearly the brainchild of an unfettered hipster running amok in the bowels of World Rugby’s headquarters, And in a column on AllOutRugby, Keba the law states that, should a team kick the ball from Mothoagae unpacks some of the “crazy” law within its own half (the ‘50’), and it lands in the changes presently being contemplated by World opponent’s 22-metre area and [in] touch, the kicking Rugby: team is rewarded with an attacking line-out.”

“A couple of weeks ago, I chanced upon the Mothoagae further describes this proposed new law as backend of a rugby television programme out of the “another unnecessary way to further ‘Disneyfy’ rugby Antipodes in which the panel was excitably union...” discussing the proposed ‘50-22’ law. Indeed. One only has to look at the Sevens game. While it is true that it is a high-paced and compelling spectacle, the reality is that the type of people who attend those tournaments are in no way, shape or form, traditional rugby supporters.

They’re not there for the rugby; Like fans at an FNB Varsity Cup match, they’re only there to have a party and are most likely hoping to be seen on the big screen.

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Page 7 For your weekend viewing pleasure

Apart from the usual Super Rugby fare (see schedule alongside) our Ultimate Rugby app reveals that there is plenty of other rugby action this weekend. As mentioned on page four, the final round of this season’s PRO14 plays out as a series of derbies.

There is also Major League Rugby from the USA, the English Premiership and French Top14 rugby over the weekend. And then as we discuss in some detail on page four as well, the revamped SuperSport Rugby Challenge kicks off this weekend with some intersting innovations.

But, as usual, we’ll focus on the Super Rugby. As they were last week when they sprung a surprise by beating the Chiefs in Hamilton, the Lions are up first again this weekend. They play the in Christchurch in a repeat of last year’s final.

On Saturday morning the Sharks begin their tour of the islands (north island, south island and west island) in Later in the afternoon the Stormers face the Bulls in Sydney against the Waratahs. a local derby at Newlands.

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