South Africa’s Rugby World Cup winner Bryan Habana picked up where he left off last season to help the Bulls make a successful start to the defence of their Super 14 title.
News24 reports that Habana, who was named as the IRB’s World player of the Year after a magical season in 2007, continued his fairytale run of form by scoring the only try in the Bulls’ 16-9 win over the Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday.
The flying wing, who also scored the winning try in last year’s Super 14 final, dived over four minutes before the break, but hurt his arm and did not return in the second half.
Last year’s beaten finalists, the Sharks, also got off to a winning start with a 17-10 win over Australia’s Western Force in Durban on Friday.
Fullback Stefan Terblanche, who was called into the team when French flyhalf Frederic Michalak withdrew with a calf injury, scored the winning try midway through the second half.
South Africa recorded a third win during the opening round when the Lions pipped the Cheetahs 23-22 in Bloemfontein on Saturday, with replacement flyhalf Earl Rose landing two late kicks to decide the match.
New Zealand and Australian teams won two matches each over the first weekend, which was played under a range of experimental rules which made the games fast and exciting but did not produce the feast of tries expected.
The Crusaders and Blues, the most successful teams in the tournament’s history with nine titles between them, both collected bonus points after racking up easy wins while the Waratahs and Reds started off on the right foot after finishing at the bottom of the standings in 2007.
The Crusaders ran in four unanswered tries on a wet and cold Friday night in Christchurch to hammer Australia’s Brumbies 34-3.
Flyhalf Dan Carter, playing his first serious match since the All Blacks were knocked out of the World Cup quarter-finals, rebounded from last season’s dip in form to put in a brilliant all-round display, scoring a try and kicking four conversions and two penalties for a personal haul of 19 points.
“The conditions made it a little bit tricky but I thought we adapted well. Four tries, we’re pretty happy with it,” Crusaders captain Richie McCaw said in a televised interview.
The Blues scored three second half tries to beat their New Zealand rivals the Chiefs 32-14 at Eden Park on Friday.
Lock Troy Flavell, wing Joe Rokocoko and replacement Ben Atiga took advantage of the tiring Chiefs defence to cross the line after the Chiefs had led 11-8 at the interval.
“I was really pleased with the guys in the second half,” captain Flavell said.
“We were a bit tighter and able to execute our game plan a bit more. It was a good hit-out for us.” to deny the Australians any chance of a late comeback.
Exciting young fullback Lachlan Turner scored two tries to lead the Waratahs to a convincing 20-3 victory over New Zealand’s Hurricanes in Sydney. Loose forward Rocky Elsom also crossed while former rugby league international Timana Tahu made an impressive debut after switching codes this season.
“We knew last season wasn’t too good so it’s a good start for us,” Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie said.
Last year’s wooden spooners, the Reds, were awarded two disputed tries then survived a late fightback from New Zealand’s Highlanders to win 22-16 at Brisbane on Friday.
The Reds outscored the Highlanders three tries to one but there were doubts about two of their tries scored off rucks. However they were given the benefit of the doubt by South African referee Marius Jonker.
February 18th, 2008 at 10:03 am
The thing that comes out for me is that when you stay the same, you can be sure of one thing, miore of the same. History does not repeat itself, but it echoes.
For the fifth year in a row, I predict a pasting for the Stormers, Lions and Cheetahs. Sharks and Bulls to do better.
It was interesting to watch the speeches of the Super 14 Coaches and their captains. If this is transformatiuon, then I simply don’t understand the concept. Dick Muir’s pitch for his team was dour, boring and purile, but it was the best of them. Contrast this to the colorful coaches and captains that you find in the NFL, and even our own, the PSL.
Where was a South African Coach or Captains saying. “We have turned the corner, got ready and we are going to go out there, rip off their heads and $%#* down their necks”, and then back it up by promising to shave his head for cancer if his teasm loses a game. Without this guys, sport becomes boring.
This was a week in Rugby in which the most intersting thing was Jake White denying he a girl in every port.
What possible interest could a Black man have in watching a whole bunch of indistinguishable people, struggling to get their tongues around the identical phrases, “This is a really tough competition, but the guys have worked really hard in preparation, Ya well er, we’ll see”
Read the story about the boy from Durban a minor college in the US, With a stadium of 105 000 sold out in advance of the season.
Rugby can continue to play to the 10% of South Africans who find it acceptable to mumble humbleness in broken English into the mike, but don’t expect the other 90% to take much interest.
February 18th, 2008 at 10:28 am
90 000 people for the warmup games