Super Rugby 2016 Preview - Round 15

The Highveld were the in-form side before the break and they are leading the South African group. However, the team from Durban will no doubt be a tough nut to crack.

Warren Whiteley, the home team’s lively number eight and skipper, is out with a shoulder injury. The Cell Sharks are also missing a few of their stars, such as regular captain and flyhalf Pat Lambie and the suspended fullback Willie le Roux.

The match at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg kicks off at 19h20.

The DHL Stormers kick off a busy Saturday for the local teams when they line up against the Rebels at 11h45 in Melbourne. With regular leader Juan de Jongh on Springbok Sevens duty, the experienced Schalk Burger will instead lead the Cape side. Kick-off is at 11h45 (SA time).

In Bloemfontein, the Toyota Cheetahs will be aiming to bounce back to winning ways against the Force following their loss to the DHL Stormers in the previous round. Starting time is 15h00.

The Southern Kings and the Highlanders clash in the next match which starts at 17h10 in the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.

In the last match of the day (23h40), the Vodacom Bulls are playing away in Buenos Aires against the Jaguares. The Pretoria-side have a number of first-choice players missing because of injury.

On Friday morning, the Chiefs and Crusaders meet in a New Zealand derby in Suva, Fiji, while the Brumbies and Reds clash in the remaining Friday match. The Sunwolves host the Waratahs in Tokyo on Saturday morning and that match is followed by the encounter in Wellington between the Hurricanes and Blues.

Rebels v DHL Stormers

Date: Saturday, 2 July 2016

SA Time: 11h45

Venue: AAMI Park, Melbourne

Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referees: Nic Berry (Australia), Amy Perrett (Australia)
TMO: Ian Smith (Australia) 

Team News:

·      Jaco Taute will make his first start this season for the DHL Stormers against the Melbourne Rebels at AAMI Park on Saturday, after suffering a knee injury in pre-season. He returns at No 15 to replace Cheslin Kolbe, who is on Springbok Sevens duty.

·      Springbok flank Schalk Burger also returns to the starting side at No 8 and will captain the side in the absence of Juan de Jongh, also with the Springbok Sevens.

·      Vincent Koch replaces the injured Frans Malherbe at tighthead prop.

·      On the bench prop JP Smith and utility back Scott van Breda are both set to make their DHL Stormers debuts should they take the field.

 

Statistics:

·      The DHL Stormers have won three of their four encounters with the Rebels with their only blemish coming in a 30-21 loss in Round 14, 2013.

·      The Rebels are winless in four straight games (L3, D1), their longest streak since they ended their 2014 season with five consecutive defeats.

·      The Cape side have won on their last two trips to Australia, including a win against the Waratahs in round 9 when they were trailing at half-time.

·      The DHL Stormers remain as one of only two teams this season (Cell C Sharks) who are yet to concede 10 tries in any quarter of games.

 Quotes:

DHL Stormers coach Robbie Fleck: “The players have embraced the challenge on tour as they look to gather some vital momentum. The spirit in the squad is very positive, we know that the Rebels are a tough side to beat at home, but we are certainly up for the challenge.”

 Teams:

Rebels TBA

DHL Stormers: 15 Jaco Taute, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Daniel du Plessis, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Jean-Luc du Plessis, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Schalk Burger (captain), 7 Siya Kolisi, 6 Nizaam Carr, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Oli Kebble. Replacements: 16 Scarra Ntubeni, 17 Alistair Vermaak, 18 JP Smith, 19 JD Schickerling, 20 Rynhardt Elstadt, 21 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 22 Louis Schreuder, 23 Scott van Breda.

Toyota Cheetahs v Force, Bloemfontein - 15:00

Date: Saturday, 2 July 2016

SA Time: 15h00

Venue: Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein

Referee: Kubo Shuhei (Japan)
Assistant referees: AJ Jacobs (South Africa), Lourens van der Merwe (South Africa)
TMO: Willie Vos (South Africa) 

 

Team News:

        •     Junior Springbok loosehead prop Ox Nche is preferred over Charles Marais in the front row.

·       Springbok Lood de Jager is out injured and Carl Wegner will fill his place in the second row.

·       On the bench, Joseph Dweba dons the No 16 jersey and is in line for his debut should he take to the field.

·      Meanwhile, Reniel Hugo, Henco Venter, George Whitehead and William Small-Smith all return from their injury spells and are on the bench.

 

Statistics:

·      Despite not scoring more than nine points in an opening half against the Force since 2010, the Toyota Cheetahs have won four of their last five games against the Force.

·      The Bloemfontein side have won their last two home games by a combined margin of 89 points and a third straight home win would equal the team record in Vodacom Super Rugby.

·      The Force have won on only one of their last nine expeditions to South Africa, though that victory was against the Toyota Cheetahs in Round 13, 2014.

·      The Force have the best goal kicking conversion rate (90%) this season.

·       Wing Sergeal Petersen (63 carries) has made an average gain of 11.5m per carry, the most of any player in the competition who has made more than 10 carries.

 

Teams:

Toyota Cheetahs: 15 Clayton Blommetjies, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Francois Venter (captain), 12 Michael van der Spuy, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Fred Zeilinga, 9 Tian Meyer, 8 Uzair Cassiem, 7 Oupa Mohoje, 6 Paul Schoeman, 5 Francois Uys, 4 Carl Wegner, 3 Maks van Dyk, 2 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 1 Ox Nche. Replacements: 16 Joseph Dweba, 17 Luan de Bruin, 18 Johan Coetzee, 19 Reniel Hugo, 20 Henco Venter, 21 Shaun Venter, 22 George Whitehead, 23 William Small-Smith.

 

Western Force: 15 Dane Haylett-Petty, 14 Luke Morahan, 13 Junior Rasolea, 12 Kyle Godwin, 11 Marcel Brache, 10 Jono Lance, 9 Ian Prior, 8 Angus Cottrell, 7 Chris Alcock, 6 Brynard Stander, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Ross Haylett-Petty, 3 Tetera Faulkner, 2 Harry Scoble, 1 Pek Cowan (captain). Replacements: 16 Anaru Rangi, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Guy Millar, 19 Rory Walton, 20 Richard Hardwick, 21 Ryan Louwrens, 22 Peter Grant, 23 Semisi Masirewa.

 

Southern Kings v Highlanders, Port Elizabeth - 17:10

Date: Saturday, 2 July 2016

SA Time: 19h20

Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth

Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Jaco van Heerden (South Africa), Rodney Boneparte (South Africa)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa) 

 

Team News:

 

Statistics:

·         The Kings earned a 34-27 victory in the last and only time they faced the Highlanders in the competition (Rd 13, 2013).

·         A 29-22 win over the Jaguares in their last fixture means that the Kings have a shot at back-to-back wins for the first time in the competition.

·         A 45-24 victory against the Toyota Cheetahs in Round 14 means that the Highlanders will be looking for consecutive wins in South Africa for the first time in over a decade (Rd 4, 2006).

·         The Highlanders have conceded only two tries after conceding a turnover so far this season, the equal fewest of any team while the Kings have conceded 17 from the same method, the second most.

·         Flanker CJ Velleman has won 17 turnovers this campaign, the most of any South African player and the equal second most of any player in the league.

 

Teams:

Highlanders TBA

Emirates Lions v Cell C Sharks, Johannesburg – 19h20

Date: Saturday, 2 July 2016

SA Time: 17h10

Venue: Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg

Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Quinton Immelman (South Africa), Lesego Legoete (South Africa)
TMO: Johan Greeff (South Africa) 

 

Team News:

·      Springbok flank Jaco Kriel will captain the Emirates Lions against the Cell C Sharks at Emirates Airline Park on Saturday while youngster Ruan Ackermann will stand in at No 8 in the place of Warren Whiteley.

·      Regular skipper Whiteley injured his shoulder while playing for the Springboks against Ireland last weekend.

·      Fullback Andries Coetzee makes his return to action for the side after a lengthy injury spell.

·      With Springbok flyhalf Pat Lambie sidelined because of concussion, Garth April will now start in the No 10 jersey for the Durban franchise.

·      Veteran Odwa Ndungane starts at fullback in place of Springbok fullback Willie le Roux, who is suspended for a week following his yellow card in last weekend's third Test against Ireland in Port Elizabeth.

·      Rhyno Smith, the 23-year-old NWU-Pukke fullback, is amongst the reserves. He was crowned the overall Player that Rocks for the 2015 Varsity Cup and is considered an exciting prospect.

·     Bok prop Tendai Mtawarira has regained the captaincy in the absence of Lambie.

 

Statistics:

·       The last six games between these sides have seen both pick up three victories, only one of those games has seen a single digit margin of victory however.

·      The Emirates Lions have won their last three games each by a margin of 28 points or more, the last time they won more games in succession was in Round 11, 2015 (5 games).

·      Not since the opening round of the 2016 campaign has a Cell C Sharks away fixture been decided by more than five points.

·      The Durban-side have conceded an average of only 7.4 clean breaks per game, the fewest of any team, though they face a Emirates Lions team which averages more clean breaks (11.8) than any other South African team.

·      The Highveld team are only three first-half points away from becoming the first team this season to have scored 200 points in each stanza (197pts in first half, 222pts in second half).

 

Quotes:

Director of Rugby, Gary Gold: “It is important for us to utilise our opportunities and ask questions of our own. The set-piece battle is going to be important and it will lay the foundation for us to launch our attacks off. It’s crunch time in the competition and we are looking forward to the challenge of playing an in-form Lions team. We remain committed to improving from where we left off before the June break.”

 

Teams:

Emirates Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Ruan Ackermann, 7 Warwick Tecklenburg, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Andries Ferreira, 3 Julian Redelinghuys, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Dylan Smith. Replacements: 16 Armand Van Der Merwe, 17 Corne Fourie, 18 Jacques van Rooyen, 19 Lourens Erasmus, 20 Cyle Brink, 21 Ross Cronje, 22 Howard Mnisi, 23 Sylvian Mahuza.

 

Cell C Sharks: 15. Odwa Ndungane, 14 JP Pietersen, 13. Paul Jordaan, 12. Andre Esterhuizen, 11. Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Garth April, 9. Michael Claassens, 8. Philip van der Walt, 7. Jean-Luc du Preez, 6. Keegan Daniel, 5. Stephan Lewies, 4. Etienne Oosthuizen, 3. Lourens Adriaanse, 2. Franco Marais, 1. Tendai Mtawarira (captain). Replacements: 16. Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17. Thomas du Toit, 18. Coenie Oosthuizen, 19. Ruan Botha, 20. Tera Mtembu, 21. Stefan Ungerer, 22. Rhyno Smith, 23. S'bura Sithole.

Jaguares v Bulls, Buenos Aires - 23:40

Date: Saturday, 2 July 2016

SA Time: 23h40

Venue: Velez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires

Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Federico Anselmi (Argentina), Juan Sylvestre (Argentina)
TMO: Santiago Borsani (Argentina) 

 

Team News:

·      The Vodacom Bulls squad to travel to Argentina will be minus regular captain, Adriaan Strauss, who is rested following his Springbok commitments of the last month.

·     The team will also be without prop Trevor Nyakane (ankle) plus locks RG Snyman (ankle) and Grant Hattingh (knee).

·      Furthermore, the squad also includes Renaldo Bothma and Nqobisizwe Mxoli who could see some Vodacom Super Rugby action for the Pretoria-side for the first time, should they be selected for the match day squad. 

Statistics:

·      The Vodacom Bulls are the only South African team that the Jaguares are yet to play against, though it’s against South African teams that the Argentinian side have earned both of their Vodacom Super Rugby wins.

·      The Jaguares have won only one of four Vodacom Super Rugby games on home soil, though they’ve never lost such a game by more than five points.

·      The Pretoria team have won only two of their last 15 games outside South Africa, though nine of those 13 losses were by seven points or fewer.

·      They have missed just 14.8 tackles per game this season, the fewest of any team, and boast the best tackle success rate (88%) so far this season.

·      Nicolas Sanchez has scored 45.4% (64/141) of the Jaguares’ points in their last four fixtures, including 17 points in each of his last two appearances.

 

Teams:

Jaguares TBA

Vodacom Bulls:   SP Marais, Travis Ismaiel, Jesse Kriel, Burger Odendaal, Jamba Ulengo, Francois Brummer, Rudy Paige, Arno Botha, Lappies Labuschagne (c), Roelof Smit, Marvin Orie, Jason Jenkins, Marcel van der Merwe, Bandise Maku, Lizo Gqoboka. Replacements: Jaco Visagie, Pierre Schoeman, Werner Kruger, Jannes Kirsten, Renaldo Bothma, Piet van Zyl, Tian Schoeman, Dries Swanepoel.

 

Other fixtures:

Friday, 1 July 2016

09h35: Chiefs v Crusaders, Fiji

11h45: Brumbies v Reds, GI0 Stadium, Canberra

Saturday, 2 July 2016

07h15:   Sunwolves v Waratahs, Prince Chichibu Stadium, Tokyo

09h35:   Hurricanes v Blues, Westpac Stadium, Wellington