Super12 2005: Pre-season games
That was a busy week-end for all the Super 12 franchises, 2 weeks away from D-day.
First of all, on Thursday night, the Sharks thrashed the Harlequins in London 31-3. Thing is, the game played by the South-African side was not as smooth as the score shows...but luckily for them, the Poms confirmed they are just the shadow of what they used to be...Brent Russell, coming out of the bench, still managed to score a try and win a deserved "man of the match" performance...
Friday night, in an exciting 100% Kiwi duel, the Hurricanes confirmed their excellent form, beating the Blues 26-24 in Hastings. They dominated most of the time and without plenty of substitutions, they might have bashed the Auckland lads up. Nonu and Fa'atau lead the charge and showed the 'Canes should be considered a threat this year.
Meanwhile in the Australian Outback, Wagga Wag' for the locals, the Brumbies reassured their supporters after a convincing win over the Chiefs 38-17. With all their top boys but Larkham, Gregan and Young, they dominated the Waikato side, scoring 6 tries to 3 {Smith 2, Mortlock, Fava, Ashley-Cooper, McLaughlin against Davidson, Lutui and Anesi for the Chiefs}.
On a cold and rainy Friday night in Belfast, the Bulls have increased the South-African rampage against British clubs beating Ulster 24-9. The big lads of the pack rolled over their opponents, a sight that we should get used to during the coming 2005 Super12. Brosnihan, Rossouw, Botha, Wannenburg were the try scorers for the Bulls who will fly back to the Southern-Hemisphere's summer in a couple of days.
On Saturday night at Aussie Stadium, in Sydney, the Waratahs got their preparation back on track with a rather convincing win over the Crusaders 39-14,...and one guy who stood out was Wycliff Palu! Not only 'cause he was the bulkiest guy on the turf, but also because he showed what outstanding impact he can have for the Tahs, finishing an uncontested Man of the Match. He has strength, pace, ability ball in hands and should be a nightmare for the defense of all the other teams in this Super12 2005. Morgan Turinui was impressive in the backs, scoring twice and distributing good attacking balls to his teammates.
The Crusaders will have to work a bit more during the coming 2 weeks to get ready and overcome their rustiness, but no worries, they will be contenders this year, too....as usual.
And to conclude the Poms bashing by South-African teams, on a Sunday afternoon which saw the French winning poorly at Twickenham against England 18-17, the Stormers thrashed the Wasps 62-21, scoring 10 tries to 3...
Does it really reflect the supremacy of southern teams?True the English didn't put their best sides during those games, but still, they are half way through their season, were playing against teams which were still rusty and involved 30 players or so per game, so...yes, I think it shows the Super 12 franchises would own the european teams in most games if they had to play against them....And when we see the poor rugby played during this 2005 6 Nations Tournament, no doubt the Southern Hemisphere is a step ahead....or 2.
Anyway, the Stormers are going back home, reassured about their possibilities this year in the Super12, and no doubt the likes of Hendricks, Joubert, Paulse, Chavhanga, Van Niekerk, Rossouw, Du Toit and co will disturb a few lads in the coming weeks...
First of all, on Thursday night, the Sharks thrashed the Harlequins in London 31-3. Thing is, the game played by the South-African side was not as smooth as the score shows...but luckily for them, the Poms confirmed they are just the shadow of what they used to be...Brent Russell, coming out of the bench, still managed to score a try and win a deserved "man of the match" performance...
Friday night, in an exciting 100% Kiwi duel, the Hurricanes confirmed their excellent form, beating the Blues 26-24 in Hastings. They dominated most of the time and without plenty of substitutions, they might have bashed the Auckland lads up. Nonu and Fa'atau lead the charge and showed the 'Canes should be considered a threat this year.
Meanwhile in the Australian Outback, Wagga Wag' for the locals, the Brumbies reassured their supporters after a convincing win over the Chiefs 38-17. With all their top boys but Larkham, Gregan and Young, they dominated the Waikato side, scoring 6 tries to 3 {Smith 2, Mortlock, Fava, Ashley-Cooper, McLaughlin against Davidson, Lutui and Anesi for the Chiefs}.
On a cold and rainy Friday night in Belfast, the Bulls have increased the South-African rampage against British clubs beating Ulster 24-9. The big lads of the pack rolled over their opponents, a sight that we should get used to during the coming 2005 Super12. Brosnihan, Rossouw, Botha, Wannenburg were the try scorers for the Bulls who will fly back to the Southern-Hemisphere's summer in a couple of days.
On Saturday night at Aussie Stadium, in Sydney, the Waratahs got their preparation back on track with a rather convincing win over the Crusaders 39-14,...and one guy who stood out was Wycliff Palu! Not only 'cause he was the bulkiest guy on the turf, but also because he showed what outstanding impact he can have for the Tahs, finishing an uncontested Man of the Match. He has strength, pace, ability ball in hands and should be a nightmare for the defense of all the other teams in this Super12 2005. Morgan Turinui was impressive in the backs, scoring twice and distributing good attacking balls to his teammates.
The Crusaders will have to work a bit more during the coming 2 weeks to get ready and overcome their rustiness, but no worries, they will be contenders this year, too....as usual.
And to conclude the Poms bashing by South-African teams, on a Sunday afternoon which saw the French winning poorly at Twickenham against England 18-17, the Stormers thrashed the Wasps 62-21, scoring 10 tries to 3...
Does it really reflect the supremacy of southern teams?True the English didn't put their best sides during those games, but still, they are half way through their season, were playing against teams which were still rusty and involved 30 players or so per game, so...yes, I think it shows the Super 12 franchises would own the european teams in most games if they had to play against them....And when we see the poor rugby played during this 2005 6 Nations Tournament, no doubt the Southern Hemisphere is a step ahead....or 2.
Anyway, the Stormers are going back home, reassured about their possibilities this year in the Super12, and no doubt the likes of Hendricks, Joubert, Paulse, Chavhanga, Van Niekerk, Rossouw, Du Toit and co will disturb a few lads in the coming weeks...
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