Tri-Nations: Springboks vs Wallabies, Perth, 29 August 2009

It was mission accomplished for the Springboks as they beat the Wallabies 32-25 in Perth on Saturday but a late flurry by the Australians took some gloss off what could have been a record away victory.
The Springboks caught the Wallabies on the hop by playing more attacking rugby than they have up to now this season and scored two tries within the first ten minutes to take control of the match by jumping into a 12-0 lead.
The quick tries by Fourie du Preez and Jaque Fourie gave the Boks the platform they needed to push for the bonus point try and they duly accomplished this goal by the 52nd minute when Bryan Habana got over for his second try.
Added to Morne Steyn’s contribution from the boot that put the Boks 32-13 up after 67 minutes and seemingly headed for what would have been a record win on Australian soil.

However the Wallabies, who had controlled the ball for long spells and shaken the Boks up at scrum time, fought back strongly to score two tries in the last five minutes to gain the satisfaction of having outscored John Smit’s men in the second half.
The victory means that the Springboks now only require a bonus point from next Saturday’s test in Brisbane to claim the 2009 Tri-Nations as the All Blacks would then need bonus-point wins in their last two matches (one against the Aussies and one against Boks) while also having to erase a points differential that currently stands on 54 points.

However there was enough in the Wallabies’ performance to cause some concern in the Springbok camp.
The Boks were under the cosh in the scrums and heavily penalised in this area (especially in the second half) by referee Bryce Lawrence while they will be none too pleased with the amount of time the Wallabies were able to control possession and that Matt Giteau yet again managed to crack open their defences.

The Subiaco Oval has been a happy hunting ground for the Springboks and Fourie du Preez was able to put some gloss on his 50th test cap with the opening try in the fifth minute.
The Boks had signalled their intention to move the ball as Jean de Villiers and Jaque Fourie engineered a breakthrough with their first touch of the ball and with the South Africans hard on attack Du Preez caught the Wallabies napping by quickly tapping a penalty to himself and sniping over.
Morne Steyn’s conversion made it 7-0 and with the Wallabies appearing nervous -- particularly Richard Brown who knocked two balls into touch as he fielded clearance kicks -- the Boks drove home their advantage with a superb try by Jaque Fourie.

Clearly smarting at media insinuations that they could not run the ball the Springboks constructed a classic setpiece try as Du Preez made a dummy run to the right and Pierre Spies fed Steyn who in turn popped the ball to Fourie, coming hard and straight, who scythed clean through.
Steyn uncharacteristically duffed the point-blank conversion but then knocked over a penalty, after Giteau had missed one, to have the sizeable expat crowd ecstatically cheering a 15-0 advantage after just 16 minutes.

Giteau got the Wallabies on the board with a penalty in the 27th minute but the Boks’ well-schooled kick-and-chase game resulted in a telling blow as Habana scored the first of his two tries.
Du Preez, fielding a centre-field clearance by the Wallabies, sent a bomb back, Jean de Villiers challenged Lachie Turner for the catch, the ball ricocheted off the pair of them and Habana swooped on the rebound to sprint in.
Steyn’s conversion made it a 19-point advantage (22-3) which became 16 points on the stroke of half time when Giteau kicked his second penalty to make it 22-6 at the break.

However, the Wallabies returned to make the ideal start as they worked Giteau over for the first of his two tries after just three minutes.
A shocking clearing by JP Pietersen provided the Australians with attacking field position and a quickly taken tap penalty by Luke Burgess allowed the gamecock flyhalf to scurry over under the posts and then convert himself to cut the deficit to 13-22.

The Springboks had lost their intensity, the Wallabies were starting to string together the phases and the clinching score came somewhat against the run of play.
Fourie du Preez did well to hook a bouncing clearance kick back into play, JP Pietersen won a long touch and then the Wallabies were yet again made to pay for a mistake as a long throw over the top went straight to John Smit.
The Bok skipper went about winning a bridgehead as the Boks recycled the ball five times before Jaque Fourie was unable to thread the ball to Habana on the left. Fortunately for the Boks a Wallaby hand had made the slightest of knock-ons and from the ensuing scrum Smit’s men constructed another slick try as Spies picked up, fed Du Preez breaking wide and the scrumhalf, with Jean de Villiers providing the decoy run, slipped the ball inside to allow Habana to burst over.

With Steyn’s nailing the conversion and then also a penalty it should have been all over at 32-13 but the Wallabies had plenty of shouting left to do as Giteau made them pay for a rare botched lineout and a period of 11th phases provided Turner with the chance to cut through the traffic and score the final try of the match.

Scorers:

Wallabies - Tries: Matt Giteau (2), Lachlan Turner. Conversions: Giteau (2). Penalties: Giteau (2).

Springboks - Tries: Fourie Du Preez, Jaque Fourie, Bryan Habana (2). Conversions: Morne Steyn (3). Penalties: M.Steyn (2).

Blow-by-Blow

80	Conversion - Matt Giteau converts the try.
80	Try - The Wallabies in possesion inside the Boks 22. Pocock drives the ball up to the boks 5 meter line. Turner recives the ball on the blindside and runs straight through the broken up ruck and scorers the try.
76	Missed Conversion - Giteau misses the conversion.
75	Try - The Line out to the Boks on indside their own 22. The Boks lose their own line out and Pocock picks up the ball and drives forward. Genia receives the ball on the Boks 5 meter line and passes to Cooper. Cooper drfts right and switches nicely with Giteau who runs in his second try of the match.
68	Penalty - Scrum to the Wallabies in their own 22. Penalty to the Boks - Wallabies front row driving straight down. Morne Steyn converts the penalty attempt.
65	The Boks win their own line out ball in the Wallabies 22. The Boks drive it forward. The ball comes out and Du Preez passes to Jacobs, but he loses the ball forward.
64	Scrum to the Boks on their own 5 meter line. Penalty to the Wallabies - Boks front row collapsing. The Wallabies opt to take the scrum. Ashley-Cooper receives the ball and gas a run. Giteau has a little dart, but gets brought down short of the line. After 14 phases the Boks come away with the ball and send it wide to Pietersen. Pietersen runs up to the halfway line and kicks the ball forward. Habana chases and forces O`Connor to grubber the ball into touch.
60	The Wallabies in possesion inside the Boks 22. The Wallabies forwards driving forward, but the Boks defence holds and the Wallbies lose the ball forward at the breakdown. Scrum ot the Boks.
54	Conversion - Morne Steyn converts the try.
53	Try - Line out to the Wallabies deep inside their own 22. The Boks win the line out and John Smit drives and goes to ground on the Wallabies 5 meter line. The Boks drive the ball forward. Scrum to the Boks on the Wallabies 5 meter line- Knock on by the Wallabies. Du Preez recieves the ball from Spies from the back of the scrum. Du Preez drifts right and passes a lovely waited pass to Habana who runs staight line and dives over the line for the try.
44	Conversion - Matt Giteau coverts his try.
43	Try - Ashley-Cooper receives the ball on the halfway line and kicks for the corner. De Villiers and Pietersen go back to pick up the ball. De Villiers passes to Pietersen who kicks, but as far as Hynes on the Boks 10 meter line. Hynes runs the ball back into the Boks 22. The Wallabies drive the ball forward. Penalty tot he Wallabies taken qquickly on the Boks 5 meter line and Burges passes to Giteau. Giteau steps one and drives his way over the line for the Wallabies first try.
39	Penalty - The Wallabies trying everything to salvage some points before the end of the first half. The Wallabies working the phases and keeping the ball in hand. Penalty to the Wallabies - Boks entering the ruck from the side. Matt Giteau converts the penalty attempt.
33	Conversion - Morne Steyn converts the try.
32	Try - Giteau restarts from his own 22. Du Preez catches and puts up an up & under. De Villiers and habana chases the kick. Hynes goes up for the ball as well as De Villiers. Hynes loses the ball and Habana collects on the Wallabies 22 meter line. Habana breaks one tackle and cracks on the pace to run in and score the Boks third try.
32	Missed Penalty - The Boks win their own line out on the Wallbies 10 mete rline. The Boks forwards maul the ball forward into the Wallabies 22. George Smith enters the maul from the side - Penalty to the Boks. Morne Steyn misses the penalty attempt to the right.
28	Penalty - The Wallabies in possesion once again. Penalty to the Wallabies on the Boks 10 meter line - Bismarck not rolling away after making the tackle. Giteau converts the penalty attempt this time around.
25	Missed Penalty - Scrum to the Boks on their own 22. Spies drives the ball forward. Du Preez kicks a little box kick. hyne catches, but their where to many Springbok forwards infront of the kick - Penalty to the Wallabies on the Boks 10 meter line. Matt Giteau misses the penalty conversion to the left.
20	Line out to the Wallabies deep inside the Boks 22. Robinson drives the ball forward to the Boks 5 meter line. The Wallabies forwards trying to makes those last few yards to score the try, but the Boks defence holds and they force the knock on.
17	Penalty - Scrum to the Wallabies on their own 10 meter line. Penalty to the Boks - Robinson driving straight down in the scrum. Morne Steyn converts a great penalty attempt from the side on the Wallabies 10 meter line.
14	Missed Penalty - The Wallabies looking to hit right back after the Boks scored their second try. The Wallabies working the ball wide to Turner. Turner goes to ground on the 22 of the Boks. Penalty to the Wallabies - Smit off side at the breakdown. Matt Giteau misses the penalty converison.
11	Missed Conversion - Morne Steyn hits the upright and in doing so misses the conversion.
10	Try - Scrum to the Boks just outside the Wallabies 22. Du Preez passes to Steyn. Steyn passes to Fourie who runs a great line and breaks the Wallabies line. Fourie steps O`Connor and dots down the Boks second try.
7	Conversion - Morne Steyn converts the try.
6	Try - The Boks in possesion deep inisde the Wallabies half. The Boks moving the ball wide more and making the yards. Penalty to the Boks on the Wallabies 22. Fourie Du Preez takes the penalty quickly and catches the Wallabies off guard and drives over the line for the try.
1	Matt Giteau kicks off deep. Caught by Du Preez and kicked dow the line. Chisholm knocks the ball into touch.

Vodacom Tri-Nations | Log

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	BPts	Pts
1	South Africa	4	4	0	0	120	80	40	8	7	1	17
2	New Zealand	4	2	0	2	79	93	-14	4	4	0	8
3	Australia	4	0	0	4	76	102	-26	6	7	3	3

Injury News

Following hot on the heels of the disappointing departure of the injured JP Pietersen and Andries Bekker from the Springbok camp, came the news on Monday that Bakkies Botha, Bryan Habana and Danie Rossouw are battling niggles as well. The trio of Bulls stars are busy working with doctor Craig Roberts on their rehabilitation, with Botha carrying a knee injury, Habana having a groin niggle and Rossouw working on his conditioning following a mild hamstring strain he suffered before coming to Australia.
But with coach Peter de Villiers needing to find replacements for Pietersen and Bekker in the match-day 22 for Saturday's test in Brisbane, there is some trepidation in the camp.

"The Bakkies injury is more of a worry than anything else, especially since Danie is fit but hasn't played for a while. We haven't used him a lot and we'll have to see whether he can be an 80-minute player," De Villiers said on Monday.
"Bryan is more precautionary, he was rucked in the groin, but he could have played today if he had to. But it's a tough tour and the management of the players is important."

De Villiers hinted that he may change his mind over calling up replacements for Pietersen and Bekker.
"I don't want to weaken the provincial sides and then not use someone I've called over. But I will speak to the doctor and see if we really need someone. I appointed a brilliant support staff and I trust them with my life, I trust them to make those calls. If the doctor says I must look at other players, then I will do it," the coach said.

De Villiers, who has put aside the antipathy he had displayed towards the media earlier in the year, was philosophical about the injury concerns.
"We always prepare for the uncontrollables, that's part and parcel of being a rugby coach. Things are not always going to go all your way. We've been so lucky that we have not had a lot of injuries, but now we will just have to replace those players that do get injured," De Villiers said.

The one thing the former scrumhalf is loathe to do is take anything for granted, even though the Springboks seem to have built up unstoppable momentum on their march to the Tri-Nations title.
"We have done good up till now, but we need to keep that momemtum going. Now is not the time to make silly mistakes even though we are so close to winning the competition."

De Villiers made it quite clear that he will not be making a host of unforced changes to the Springbok team, admitting that he did not want a repeat of what happened in the final test of the British and Irish Lions series, when he made ten changes and lost 28-9 in Johannesburg.
"I only make the same mistake once. I made changes for the last test against the Lions, but it has worked in our favour because I now know where I stand in terms of combinations and individual players.
"We will take it game by game, even if we have won the Tri-Nations, because we want to stay number one. We want to lead, we want to set trends, lay down markers wherever we go. We want the world to follow the things we do well and we will not cheapen our emblem," De Villiers said.

Currie Cup 2009: Round Eight

Leopards 50 - 16 Boland

The Platinum Leopards claimed their first win of the season as they smashed the Boland Cavaliers 50-16 (half-time 17-9) in their Absa Currie Cup Premier Division match at Profert Olen Park in Potchefstroom on Friday.
Leopards’ flyhalf Cecil Dumond led the charge for the home side with 25 points from a try, four conversions, three penalties and a drop goal as the Leopards took revenge for their 26-18 loss against the Cavaliers earlier in the season.

Dumond was ably assisted by his scrumhalf Michael Bondesio who kept Boland’s defence honest throughout the game with some incisive running and astute tactical kicking as the bonus-point win lifted the Leopards above Boland on the Currie Cup table on point’s difference.

Scorers

Platinum Leopards – Tries: Shuaib Samaai (2), Christo van Niekerk (2), Michael Bondesio, Cecil Dumond. Conversions: Dumond (4). Penalties: Dumond (3). Drop goal: Dumond.

Boland Cavaliers – Try: Sarel Hoffman. Conversion: Justin Peach. Penalties: Peach (3).

WP 21 - 9 Sharks

Vodacom Western Province handed the Sharks their second defeat of the season as the visitors claimed a 21-9 (half-time 8-6) victory in their Absa Currie Cup match at the Absa Stadium in Durban on Saturday.
Province were full value for their victory as they scored two tries to nil over a disjointed Sharks side. Not only did the home side lose the match but they failed to pick up a bonus point for finishing within seven points of the men from Cape Town.

The Sharks began the weekend at the top of the Currie Cup table, with Province in second place, but the match failed to live up to its billing as a top-of-the-table clash although the visitors were the more industrious side on attack.
The Sharks committed crucial handling errors throughout the match while the first half in particular was punctuated with some injudicious kicking from out of hand as the Durban-based side’s run of six consecutive victories was brought to an end.

Joe Pietersen turned in a solid performance for Western Province from fullback, as well as contributing 11 points with his boot, while Province’s forwards as a whole turned in an unyielding effort.
There was little for the Sharks to be happy about although reserve hooker Craig Burden made some strong runs when he entered the game at the start of the second half while left wing Lwazi Mvovo looked dangerous with the limited opportunities that he had.

Scorers

The Sharks - Penalties: Rory Kockott (2). Drop goal: Juan Hernandez.

Vodacom Western Province: - Tries: Tonderai Chavhanga, Chris Jack. Conversion: Joe Pietersen. Penalties: Pietersen (2). Drop Goal: Pietersen.

Cheetahs 58 - 13 Griquas

Wing Jongi Nokwe scored a hat-trick to steer the Free State Cheetahs to a resounding 58-13 (halftime 23-8) win over GWK Griquas in an Absa Currie Cup premier division match in Kimberley on Saturday.
Nokwe completed his triple three minutes into the second half with a typical run-in after being freed through some clever build-up play by his teammates.

But the Bok flyer not only scored tries, he created two as well with some excellent running and offloads that led to touchdowns for lock Nico Breedt and No 8 Frans Viljoen.
Victory was the Cheetahs’ fourth in succession after losing their first four games of the campaign while Griquas slumped to their third straight loss after starting the competition with five consecutive wins.

Free State’s slim semifinal hopes remained alive as they moved to 20 points on the standings with Griquas still in the mix for a playoff place with 24 points.
But the form of the Kimberley-based team must be of huge concern for coach Dawie Theron. They lost 41-6 against the Sharks a week earlier and don’t seem to be able to halt the slide.
The Cheetahs’ curve by contrast is going up at the right time of the season. In all, they scored seven tries with flyhalf Jacques-Louis Potgieter contributing 21 points from six conversions and three penalties.
It was a collective effort though, with hooker and skipper Adriaan Strauss in the vanguard when it came to driving play and prop WP Nel superb in the tight loose. Scorers

Griquas - Tries: Bjorn Basson, Rohan Kitshoff. Penalty: Riaan Viljoen.

Free State Cheetahs - Tries: Jongi Nokwe (3), WP Nel, Nico Breedt, Frans Viljoen (2). Conversions: Jacques-Louis Potgieter (6), Louis Strydom. Penalties: Potgieter (3).

Lions 20 - 13 Bulls

The Lions produced a spirited performance in the Jukskei derby to beat a lacklustre Blue Bulls team 20-13 (halftime 10-0) in their Absa Currie Cup Premier Division match played in Johannesburg on Saturday. The home side were full value for their win, scoring 17 unanswered points in the first hour thanks to industrious work up front, clinical finishing by the backs, and the deadly kicking boot of flyhalf Herkie Kruger.
They might have picked up their fourth victory from eight starts, but the Lions remain in sixth position on the Currie Cup table, tied with the Free State Cheetahs on 20 points but with an inferior points difference.

Ironically, the Bulls began the weekend in fourth place but despite suffering their third defeat -- and a comprehensive one at that -- they actually climb up the ladder to third, thanks to a late bonus-point gained for finishing within seven points.
In truth, the scoreline flattered the Bulls, who were well beaten in all departments, with only a 79th-minute try from centre Jaco Pretorius and an injury-time penalty from replacement Francois Brummer creating the illusion that this was somehow a close affair.

Scorers:

Lions 20 – Tries: Alwyn Hollenbach, Jano Vermaak. Conversions: Herkie Kruger (2). Penalties: Kruger (2).

Blue Bulls 13 – Try: Jaco Pretorius. Conversion: Burton Francis. Penalties: Francis, Francois Brummer.

Selected Tries from Round Eight

Summary

The only real surprise of the weekend was the massive Leopards thrashing of Boland. Being at home they should have been expected to win, especially as they weren't thrashed by Boland in the first round.
However, the other results were what should have been expected all through the first seven rounds anyway. As I've stated before, the Sharks and the Bulls are the only two teams to have been truly weakened by Springbok call-ups (which may continue after the Boks return if Province gets their way and poaches several Sharks and Bulls players).
The Lions, WP and the Cheetahs are nearly at full strength and should by rights be in first, second and third position on the log.
The last few rounds of the Currie Cup, when the Boks return are going to be revelatory, as up to now I've thought the Currie Cup to be very lack lustre and boring to the point that Campese would suffer severe heart burn would he be forced to sit through a weekend of this. Watching the Air New Zealand NPC I've been dazzled by the level of competition in the Land of the Long White Cloud, and it's no surprise why New Zealand teams dominate the Super 14 year after year.

Here's a sample of what I'm on about.

NPC Round Four

NPC Round Three

NPC Round Two

NPC Round One

ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division | Log

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	BPts	Pts
1	Vodacom Western Province	8	6	0	2	234	134	100	24	10	4	28
2	Sharks	8	6	0	2	225	125	100	22	10	3	27
3	Vodacom Blue Bulls	8	5	0	3	209	151	58	24	14	5	25
4	GWK Griquas	8	5	0	3	243	211	32	30	25	4	24
5	Vodacom Free State Cheetahs	8	4	0	4	277	152	125	34	13	4	20
6	Xerox Lions	8	4	0	4	181	164	17	17	14	4	20
7	Platinum Leopards	8	1	0	7	148	325	-177	17	42	1	5
8	Boland	8	1	0	7	105	360	-255	10	50	1	5

Tri-Nations: All Blacks vs Wallabies, Sydney, 22 August 2009

New Zealand flyhalf Dan Carter celebrated his return to the All Blacks with a penalty two minutes from fulltime to seal a thrilling 19-18 win over Australia in the Tri-Nations in Sydney on Saturday. However, considering the sole try scored by New Zealand I was highly amused during the post match interview with Richie McCaw when the commentator asked, "How does it feel to return to running rugby?" Obviously a dig at the Springboks, but how this test could be seen as an advertisement for "running rugby" when only a single try was scored is beyond me. I seem to remember 3 being scored in the Newland's test between the Boks and the Wallabies.

Interestingly, New Zealand also seemed a lot more potent with the return of their kicking talisman, the sublime Daniel Carter. considering New Zealand and Aussie attacks on the Springbok style, it is even more ironic that all Australia could manage was 18 points from the boot of Matt Giteau, and New Zealand's victory is due in no small part to a late Carter penalty, along with a further 11 points by the boot...

Carter, playing his first test match this year after returning from injury, showed why he is regarded as one of deadliest kickers to ever play the game when he held his nerve to coolly slot the matchwinning goal at a packed Olympic stadium after Australia wing Lachie Turner was penalised for failing to release the ball.
The Australians, who are yet to win a match in this year's Tri-Nations, led for almost all of the contest after their own flyhalf Matt Giteau produced a flawless display of goalkicking but one again came up agonisingly short after conceding the late penalty.

Giteau landed all six of his shots at goal and the home side also had a chance to snatch victory at the death only to cough up the ball just metres from the New Zealand line.
The Wallabies had looked to be in control after opening up a 12-3 lead at halftime but failed to contain the All Blacks in the second half.
New Zealand scored the only try through replacement centre Ma'a Nonu and dominated possession and territory as the Australians struggled in the scrums, replacing tighthead prop Al Baxter after half an hour.
The first half failed to reach any great heights as both sides failed to deliver on their promise to play an expansive running game. This is, of course, obvious, because had any one of the tried that, it would've been suicidal. And at this stage neither of them can afford to lose anything. Seems to me, despite flapping their gobs and parading their sour grapes like bad sportsmen (the media and their rugby administrators - NOT the players AFAIK) for all the world to see, when it comes down to it everyone realises that a test team needs to do what it takes to win.
The opening term was dominated by relentless kicking and ferocious exchanges, with three players needing the blood-bin inside the first 20 minutes.

Scorers:

Australia - Penalties: Matt Giteau (6).

New Zealand - Try: Ma`a Nonu. Conversion: Daniel Carter. Penalties: Carter (4).

Blow-by-Blow

79	Penalty - Carter receives the ball inside his own half and kicks the ball for the corner. Mithcell picks up the ball and finds himself under pressure with a lot of All Blacks chasing him down. Penalty to the All Blacks - Holding on by the Wallabies. Daniel Carter converts the penalty attempt from 20 meters out.
76	Missed Drop Goal
76	Missed Drop Goal - The All Blacks driving the ball froward, keeping it close and availible for their forwards. The All Blacks through 12 phases inside the Wallabies 22. Carter drops back in the pocket. Cowan passes to Carter. Carter misses the drop goal attempt to the right.
74	After a lot of kicking from both sides Mitchell`s kick runs over the deadball line and the All Blacks get awarded a scrum on the Wallabies 10 meter line.
68	Penalty - From the restart Mitchell regathers the ball and has run and gets brought to ground inside the All Blacks 22. Penalty to the Wallabies. Matt Giteau converts the penalty attempt on the 22 meter line of the All Blacks.
66	Conversion - Carter converts the try.
65	Try - The Wallabies in possesion of the ball on their own 10 meter line. The ball is passed to Giteau and he kicks, but straight into an All Black player. The All Blacks with good counter rucking win the ball at the breakdown. The All Blacks move the ball wide to McCaw. McCaw offloads to Nonu. Nonu passes to Read. Read to Sivivatu. Sivivatu back to Nonu and will score the first try in the corner for the All Blacks.
59	Penalty - The All Blacks working the ball wide at every chance and finding themselves on the Wallabies 22. Penalty to the All Blacks - Wallabies offside at the breakdown. Daniel Carter converts the penalty attempt.
54	The Wallabies with a scrum on their own 5 meter line. Smith picks and drives, but runs into his own man. Scrum to the All Blacks. Free kick to the All Blacks taken quickly by Read. Read gets tackled 2 meters from the line. Cowan picks and dives over the line, but obstuctional play by Kaino and the referee awards the Wallabies a penalty.
52	Scrum to the All Blacks deep inside the Wallabies half. The ball is played to Sivivatu on the blindside and gets tackled inside the Wallabies 22. The All Blacks drive the ball forward through their forwards. Cowan goes to the blindside. Cowan passes to Sivivatu. Sivivatu passes to Carter and he dives for the try, but he has to come back as the pass was forward.
48	Penalty - The All Blacks trying to run at the Wallabies from inside their own half. nonu has a run, but he gets taken to ground by two Wallabies. Penalty to Australia - Nonu holds the ball on the ground. Matt Giteau converts the penalty attempt from the All Blacks 10 meter line.
45	Penalty - Carter's next attempt is right out in front and this time he makes no mistake.
43	Missed Penalty - Carter misses the penalty to the left and the Wallabies are let off the hook. How will they go with a man down for the next ten minutes.
42	Yellow Card - Brown is sent off for a dangerous takle on Franks.
41	Carter restarts and the Wallabies patiently work their way out of the half. Barnes kicks deep and Sivivatu is tackled into touch.
40	Penalty - The siren sounds, but the Wallabies running the ball at the All Blacks. Barnes receives the ball on the All Blacks 22 breaks a tackle and off loads to Sharpe 8 meters from the line. Sharpe goes to ground 3 meters short of the line looking for support, but the All Blacks kill off the ball - Penalty to the Wallabies. Giteau converts the penalty attempt and that is the end of the first half.
40	Missed Drop Goal
35	Penalty - Great defence by the Wallabies sees George Smith force the penalty for the Wallabies as McAlister holds onto the ball on the ground. Matt Giteau converts a 36 meter penalty attempt in the middlle of the field.
32	Line out ot the All Blacks after O`Connor slices a kick into touch on the full. The All Blacks win the line out just outside the Wallabies 22. And McAlister goes to gorund on the Wallabies 10 meter line. Scrum to the All Blacks on the Wallabies 10 meter line - Knock on by the Wallabies as one of their players tried to steel the ball at the breakdown.
28	A lot of kicking going on between both sides. Penalty to the All Blacks - Wallabies penalized for obstructional running. Carter kicks the ball from his own 10 meter line deep into the Wallabies half. The All Blakcs move the ball wide to Conrad Smith. Penalty to the Wallabies - Holding on by the All Blacks. The wallabies defence up to the constant backline atttacks from the All Blacks.
20	The All Blacks playing with more freedom, spreading the ball wide, but the All Blacks making some silly mistakes and just not finishing off their moves and in doing so struggling to build any momentum.
14	Line out to the All Blacks on the Wallabies 22. The Wallabies win the line out and clear the ball upfield and into touch.
11	Penalty - The Wallabies looking in control. The Wallabies move the ball forward through their forwards. Penalty to the Wallabies - All Blacks playing the ball on the ground. Matt Giteau converts the penalty attempt from 35 meters out in front of goal.
7	Penalty - Barnes kicks off. The Wallabies regain possesion on the All Blacks 22 meter line. Penalty to the Wallabies - Kaino playing the ball on the ground. Matt Giteau converts the penalty attempt on the All Blacks 22 meter line infront of goal.
4	Penalty - The Wallabies in possesion deep inside their own half. Barnes kicks the ball, but straight into a New Zealand player and then played by Giteau in an offside position - Penalty to the All Blacks. Daniel Carter converts the penalty attempt on the Wallabies 10 meter line.
1	Berick Barnes kicks off deep into the All Blacks half. Penalty to the All Blacks - McCaw tackled by Elsom in the air as he jumped for the ball. Carter kicks the ball into touch on the half way line.

Vodacom Tri-Nations | Log

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	BPts	Pts
1	South Africa	3	3	0	0	88	55	33	4	4	0	12
2	New Zealand	4	2	0	2	79	93	-14	4	4	0	8
3	Australia	3	0	0	3	51	70	-19	3	3	2	2

This test makes this article (and other's by the likes of Legendary Wallaby wing, David Campese) and the management of the Aussie and New Zealand rugby sides llok like sore losers. Here it is for your viewing pleasure (my comments in italics):

Australia and NZ criticise kicking game

Australia and New Zealand have joined forces in attacking the increasing reliance on kicking in international rugby.
Of course, seeing as they both got thumped at home by the Boks. However, if we lose in Oz and NZ, I'd like to think we'll take it like men, congratulate the victors and move on...

New Zealand coach Graham Henry said the game had become a "poor product" while his Australian counterpart Robbie Deans said kicking had taken over as the single deciding factor in major matches. Rich words for both men, seeing as how dismal their coaching records are, especially Graham Henry's botched RWC 2007 campaign. I would think they'd have bigger things to worry about than criticising the rules they helped push through. And considering their whingeing combined with their abysmal records, it's amazing that Wallaby and New Zealand supporters aren't clamouring for their resignations. They both do the proud histories of the Wallabies and All Blacks a grave disservice.

"Particularly when you've got a side like South Africa who are so able to play the game that way," Deans told reporters on the eve of Saturday's Tri-Nations match between New Zealand and Australia. Funny how the SA Super 14 sides didn't complain like old women and school girls when the Crusaders were so able in exploiting the ELVs to their advantage a season or so ago. Isn't the point to play by the rules and find weaknesses in the opposition whilst playing to your strengths in exploiting those weaknesses within the bounds of the rules?

"They essentially won the World Cup in 2007 without playing."
As opposed to not taking a vital drop kick or penalty against France that could've gotten New Zealand into the Semi-Finals of RWC 2007? does Henry really believe the crap that comes out of his own mouth? Why do the New Zealand supporters swallow it hook line and sinker? Time to let him go lads. Really.

Henry said he wants the sport's lawmakers to investigate ways of changing the laws to encourage teams to run the ball instead of always kicking it.
Sure, and when the Boks exploit those rules to their advantage and win three tests on the trot, will running the ball then no longer "be good for the game"?

"The product you're looking at needs some attention, quite frankly," Henry said.
Isn't that what they've been trying to do over the last two or three seasons with the experimental ELVs, ELVs and the new rules from those experiments that have been added to the current laws? It's because of all this experimenting, rule changes and other malarky from catering to certain unions to "revitalise" the game to compete with other codes that we are where we are! Namely, no one seems to know what the rules are anymore, least of all the fans. And what we have now is directly due to this sort of clamour to "revitalise" the game and make it more "exciting". What this "guru" of the modern game fails to realise is, it's one thing for the Crusaders to score 8 tries against the Lions in the Super 14, but no matter what the rules, that's simply not going to happen in tests between the three best sides in the world...

"I think we need to have some attention on that and the people who make the laws to try and improve the product."
You keep telling yourself that, Graham...

Arguments about the best way to play rugby have raged as long as the game has been played. While some exponents prefer a running-based game where the emphasis is on scoring tries, others prefer a kicking-game based on accumulating penalties from opposition errors.

Exponents of the riskier running game believe the balance has recently tipped too far in favour of the kicking game after England (2003) then South Africa (2007) won the last two World Cups with their conservative approaches.
They seem to forget the no try South Africa vs New Zealand 1995 final, the one try Australia vs England 1991 final and the two try Australia vs France 1999 final. Afterall, there were two tries in the 2003 final and and the no try 2007 final was no different from the 1995 final featuring New Zealand. Conservative rugby indeed.

But Henry said a formula was needed to ensure both styles of rugby remained effective and running rugby did not have to be replaced by a simpler, safety-first gameplan. He seems to be confused between Rugby LEAGUE and rugby UNION, CLUB rugby and international TESTS between the top sides in the world... How is this man still the national coach of one of the finest teams in the world?

"I think you can do both. We've done both in the past and I can't see why we can't do both in the future," Henry said.
Against who? Argentina? Italy? Traditionally there are rarely more than two or three tries between these three sides. Bonus points in the Tri-Nations are invariably due to losing by less than seven, not four tries or more...

"I know there's been a bit of an emphasis on kicking and sides not catching particularly well and people are trying to exploit that.
They're playing within the rules, son! And if your back three can't catch a bloody rugby ball they have no place in a test side. In fact, perhaps that's where the problem lies. Selecting players on name and reputation, not current form. Perhaps you're just not a good international test ;evel coach, Mr. Henry...

"We need to think outside the square about how we can change the game so it's more enjoyable to play and better to watch." Maybe, but as a coach you should be thinking outside the box in terms of exploiting weaknesses in the oppositions' game, and playing to your strengths whilst abiding by the rules...

All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw said he believed the current rules favoured teams who kicked the ball a lot and he had no problems with teams exploiting those rules to ensure they won. You guys could've used that sage advice in the RWC 2007 quarter final...

However, he said he also expected New Zealand and Australia to revert to their traditional running game at the Olympic stadium Saturday.
Yes. We saw. Wow! It was expansive. 18 points from the boot of Giteau. 14 points from the boot of Carter. And one solitary try by Nonu. Very expansive indeed. I'm impressed. I'd even buy the video, Campo...

"Usually the Australia-All Blacks fixtures are pretty entertaining," McCaw said. "(Both teams will be) keen to make sure it's a game where there's plenty of quick ball and there's no excuses for not having an entertaining spectacle."
Sure. We saw on August 22, 2009. Quite the spectacle of running rugby. I'm sure League fans in Aus were thrilled out of their boots.

Whether the Springboks win or lose their remaining three matches in Australia and New Zealand, I'm willing to bet any amount of money on one thing. There are going to be more than one stinking try in all three those games. And if we lose, at least we wont be bitching like little girls about it...

Currie Cup 2009: Round Seven

Blue Bulls 44 - 11 Leopards

A top-class display it certainly was not, but it was still a case of mission accomplished for the Vodacom Blue Bulls as they secured a convincing 44-11 victory, with a bonus point, over the Platinum Leopards in their Absa Currie Cup match at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Friday night. The Bulls always looked much the classier side, but dug themselves into holes for periods of the game, especially in the second quarter when the Leopards fought back to 17-11 down.

The home side's finishing was often profligate, but their big advantage up front in terms of physicality and mobility would eventually be translated on to the scoreboard through tries by centre Jaco Pretorius, flank Deon Stegmann, prop Flip van der Merwe, scrumhalf Francois Hougaard and wing Gerhard van den Heever.

Things went rapidly pear-shaped for the Leopards in the second half as they were given three yellow and two red cards and the Bulls scored four of their six tries after going into the break just 20-11 up.
The new boys to the Currie Cup premier division ended the match in disarray, with 12 men. But they had been quick to make their mark on the match when eighthman RW Kember, whose straight red card for a late shoulder charge on Hougaard was practically the final act of the game, charged upfield from the kick-off with ball in hand and forced a ruck penalty which flyhalf Cecil Dumond converted.

Scorers

Vodacom Blue Bulls - Tries: Jaco Pretorius, Deon Stegmann, Flip van der Merwe, Francois Hougaard, Gerhard van den Heever, Dewald Potgieter. Conversions: Burton Francis (4). Penalty: Francis. Drop goal: Francis.

Platinum Leopards - Try: Danie Dames. Penalties: Cecil Dumond, Clayton Durand.

Sharks 41 - 6 Griquas

The Sharks moved to the top of the Currie Cup standings after they romped to a 41-6 (half-time 20-6) win over the GWK Griquas in their Currie Cup match in Durban on Saturday. The Sharks scored five tries as their bonus-point victory ensured that the men from Durban would reach the half-way mark in the competition safely ensconced atop the points table.

After six consecutive wins the Griquas’ season is in danger of falling apart following consecutive losses to the Bulls and Sharks respectively.
Flank Jean Deysel turned in an all-action performance for the home side and he was a huge presence whether he was hitting rucks or providing excellent link play out wide.
Deysel received superb support from his fellow loosie Keegan Daniel, who capped his match with a try, while flyhalf Monty Dumond turned in a faultless kicking display to contribute 16 points with his boot.

The Griquas made the early running in the match with a couple of line-breaks stretching the home side’s defence but the Sharks were first on the board when Sarel Pretorius was caught off side. Dumond coolly slotted the resulting penalty as the Sharks eased into a 3-0 lead in the seventh minute.
And from there on it was one way traffic until the final whistle went.

Scorers

The Sharks - Tries: Waylon Murray, Charl McLeod, Monty Dumond, Lwazi Mvovo, Keegan Daniel. Conversions: Monty Dumond (5). Penalties: Dumond (2).

GWK Griquas - Penalties: Naas Olivier (2).

Cheetahs 59 - 8 Boland

Springbok wing Jongikhaya Nokwe scored four tries for the Free State Cheetahs as they destroyed the Boland Cavaliers for a 59-8 (half-time 26-8) victory in their Currie Cup match in Bloemfontein on Saturday. Nokwe produced the individual highlight as the Cheetahs continued their comeback from an awful start to the competition, playing some scintillating running rugby along the way.
Nokwe pinned his ears back and dashed down the left touchline for tries in the third, 14th, 62nd and 80th minutes to repeat his record-breaking feat for the Springboks against Australia in Johannesburg one week short of a year ago.

The Cavaliers were already staring a heavy defeat in the face by the 14th minute, with the Cheetahs already three tries and 19-0 to the good. But the visitors did lift themselves in the second and third quarters, scoring their eight points through a try by centre Cornel Hendricks and a penalty by fullback Justin Peach and conceding just seven points to the Free Staters. Nokwe's top-class finishing was obviously a highlight of the match, but Daniller also made a few incisive incursions into the backline. Eighthman Kabamba Floors and Strauss, who was an inspiration to his team with ball in hand and in terms of his leadership, were the star forwards for the Cheetahs as they lifted themselves into fifth place on the log.

Western Province 25 - 20 Lions

Western Province moved to second place on the Currie Cup Premier Division log with a 25-20 (halftime 18-8) victory over the Lions at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday. In doing so, the home side picked up their fifth win in seven starts to move up to 24 log points at the halfway stage of the competition -- the same as Griquas and the Blue Bulls but with a better points difference.

The Lions received a bonus point for finishing within seven points, but they remain in fifth place, two points ahead of the Cheetahs but seven points adrift of semifinal territory.
WP scored three tries to one and had fullback Joe Pietersen to thank for the bulk of their points. The man of the match scored an excellent try and once again proved accurate with the boot to notch a personal haul of 15 points.
That figure was matched by the Lions’ flyhalf Herkie Kruger, who slotted five penalties that kept the visitors in the game throughout.

Scorers:

WP 25 – Tries: Luke Watson, Joe Pietersen, Duane Vermeulen. Conversions: Pietersen (2). Penalties: Pietersen (2).

Lions 20 – Try: Jano Vermaak. Penalties: Herkie Kruger (5).

ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division | Log

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	BPts	Pts
1	Sharks	7	6	0	1	216	104	112	22	9	3	27
2	Vodacom Western Province	7	5	0	2	213	125	88	23	10	4	24
3	GWK Griquas	7	5	0	2	230	153	77	28	18	4	24
4	Vodacom Blue Bulls	7	5	0	2	196	131	65	23	12	4	24
5	Xerox Lions	7	3	0	4	161	151	10	15	13	4	16
6	Vodacom Free State Cheetahs	7	3	0	4	219	139	80	27	11	3	15
7	Boland	7	1	0	6	89	310	-221	9	44	1	5
8	Platinum Leopards	7	0	0	7	98	309	-211	11	41	0	0

At the half way point of this year's competition I think the time for surprises are over. I doubt Griquas will be able to seriously challenge the big three in the top four during the second half of the competition, and with occasional flashes of brilliance the Lions may prove to be the resurgent team in the second half. It is also quite possible that the Cheetahs may come back strongly to challenge for a semi-final spot.
I predict that in the end the fourth semi-final spot is going to be closely contested between the Lions, Cheetahs and Griquas. I kind of hope Griquas pulls through and I think SA Rugby has to start looking at our Super 14 teams. With the performances deliver so far in a second string Currie Cup competition (the Sharks and the Bulls are really the only teams heavily hit with Bok call ups), that resembles the Vodacom cup more than anything, one has to wonder how we can seriously place the Cheetahs and Lions in the Super 14 when they can't even accumulate bonus point wins at this level.

And if you've seen any of the Air New Zealand NPC cup matches so far, you'll realise how amateur this year's Currie Cup looks in comparison.

Clyde Rathbone Retires from Rugby

I saw this on rugbydump, Planet Rugby and SARugby:

It had been coming for a while, but on Tuesday Australia's winger Clyde Rathbone announced his retirement due to injury.

Rathbone suffered five fractures to his eye socket and cheekbone playing for club Uni-Norths Owls in Canberra on Saturday.

He said that injuries such as those, coupled with a declining desire, were behind his decision to leave a career that spanned 26 Tests for the Wallabies and 52 matches for the Brumbies, after having captained the South African U21 side.

His first year at the Brumbies in 2003 was largely a false start due to a groin problem, and subsequent knee injuries have seen him miss much of the last three seasons.

"I've decided to hang up the boots, it's all over," Rathbone said in the Canberra Times.

"I need to look after my long-term health and when I couldn't agree with any of the contracts that were in front of me for next year, I figured it would be best to step aside."

Rathbone, out of contract with the Brumbies, had had numerous offers to continue, including overseas, but nobody was willing to offer only a one-year contract.

Clyde Rathbone Player Profile

Born in Durban, South Africa, Rathbone attended Kingsway High where he represented the South African Schools side in 1999. Rathbone, a prodigy of South African rugby, captained the national Under 21’s side to a World Championship title and made his Super Rugby debut for the Sharks in 2002. At the end of that season, he joined the CA Brumbies. While a groin injury interrupted his 2003 season, Rathbone exploded onto the Australian provincial scene the following year, playing each match and scoring nine tries in the CA Brumbies’ Championship season.
Clyde Rathbone continued a remarkable 2004 season during the Bundaberg Rum Rugby Series after an impressive start in the Super 12 with the ACT Brumbies. Making his debut at outside centre against Scotland in the first Test, Rathbone was called into the starting lineup just before kick off against England, scoring a hat trick of tries off the right wing in the 51-15 victory at Suncorp Stadium.

Adapting well to the pressures of Test rugby, Rathbone then secured the starting wing spot for the Tri Nations series, scoring a match-winning try against the country of his birth, South Africa in Perth.

Clyde's Try Against South Africa in Perth, 2004

Position	Centre
Height	180cm
Weight	97kg
Date of Birth	23/7/1981
Club	Canberra
Super 14 Team	ACT Brumbies
State Caps	12
Super 12/14 Caps	15 - 12 (ACT), 3 (Sharks)
Tests	11 - 2004 S1, S2 (rep), E1 [3t], PI, NZ1, SA1 [1t], NZ2, SA2, S3 [2t], F, S4
Test Points	30 - [6 tries]
Test Debut	2004 v Scotland
Honours	South African Schools, Natal U21s, Natal, South African Under 21s, Sharks, ACT Brumbies, Australian Wallabies
Senior Tours	2004 - UK & Europe.

Clyde's Try Against South Africa in 2005

I never felt "betrayed" when Clyde left for Australia and decided to play for the Wallabies instead of Jake White's Boks. I always felt he made the best decision for his rugby career and especially his private life. Had I been a player of his calibre, I would also have gone the way of Clyde and several other South African players that have defected to Australia.

For me, he'll always be a young player that never really lived up to his potential, due to no fault of his own, due to injury. It's a real pity, because had he not had such bad luck I think he could have developed into a great international.

Travel well, Clyde. May the success that eluded you on the field be found in other areas. Go you good thing!

Currie Cup 2009: Round Six

Cheetahs 71 - 17 Leopards

The Vodacom Free State Cheetahs ran in 11 tries as they smashed the Platinum Leopards 71-17 (half-time 38-3) in their Absa Currie Cup match at Olen Park in Potchefstroom on Friday.
So dominant was the Cheetahs display that they wrapped up the bonus point for four tries as early as the 26th minute of the match to consign the hapless Leopards to their sixth consecutive defeat of the season.

The Cheetahs, who had endured a miserable start to their Currie Cup campaign losing their first four matches, built on their impressive 24-15 win over the Vodacom Blue Bulls in their previous game, by outplaying the Leopards in all facets of the game.
The visitors' forwards were particularly impressive on the drive while their backline produced a slick display with pivot Jacques-Louis Potgieter putting in a commanding performance from the flyhalf position.
The result leaves the Leopards rooted to the foot of the Currie Cup table while the Cheetahs, despite their fine performance, remain in sixth position, five points behind the Lions.

Scorers

Platinum Leopards – Tries: Russell Jeacocks (2). Conversions: Clayton Durand (2). Penalty: Durand.

Vodacom Free State Cheetahs– Tries: Jongi Nokwe (2), Nico Breedt (2), JW Jonker (2), Danwel Demas (2), JP Joubert, Johan Wessels, Robert Ebersohn. Conversions: Jacques-Louis Potgieter (6), Louis Strydom (2).

Blue Bulls 25 - 24 Griquas

The Vodacom Blue Bulls scored a try in the dying minutes of the match to beat the GWK Griquas 25-24 (half-time 13-14) in their Absa Currie Cup clash at GWK Park in Kimberley on Saturday. Trailing 24-18 with less than two minutes of the match to play replacement loose forward Pedrie Wannenburg barreled his way over for the Bulls’ bonus point try, under the posts.
Replacement flyhalf Burton Francis coolly added the extra two points to give the Bulls the win and end the Griquas' unbeaten season.
Despite the loss Griquas remain on top of the Currie Cup standings with 24 points.

The home side played with tremendous commitment and they harried their more fancied opponents at every opportunity with their captain Jonathan Mokuena putting in an enormous performance with his support play being particularly impressive.
For the Bulls, scrumhalf Francois Hougaard was a constant threat from the base of the scrum while loose forward Dewald Potgieter was a physical presence at the breakdown.

The Griquas were forced to play the last five minutes of the match with only 13 men when flank Rohan Kitshoff and Mokuena were yellow-carded within seconds of each other for killing the ball at a ruck.
The loss of the two players was the final nail in Griquas' coffin as the Bulls took advantage of their numerical advantage to score the winning try.




Scorers

GWK Griquas – Tries: Egon Seconds, Ryno Barnes, Trompie Nontshinga. Penalties: Naas Olivier (3).

Vodacom Blue Bulls – Tries: Derick Kuun, Francois Hougaard, Gerhard van den Heever, Pedrie Wannenburg. Conversion: Burton Francis. Penalty: Francois Brummer.

Western Province 38 - 7 Boland

Vodacom Western Province eased to a 38-7 (half-time 8-7) win over the Boland Cavaliers in their Absa Currie Cup match at Boland Stadium in Wellington on Saturday. The defeat left Boland second from bottom on the Currie Cup log with just one win from six matches while Province, who nabbed a bonus point for scoring four tries against Boland, took their record to four wins from six matches.

Juan de Jongh turned in a man-of-the-match performance for Province with the outside centre proving to be especially destructive on attack.
While Boland battled manfully against their opponents they were always in trouble as they failed to secure enough possession and territory.

Scorers

Boland Cavaliers – Tries: Penalty Try. Conversion: Justin Peach.

Vodacom Western Province – Tries: Gio Aplon, Juan de Jongh, Tonderai Chavhanga, Brok Harris, JJ Engelbrecht. Conversions: Joe Pietersen, Peter Grant. Penalties: Pietersen (3).

Sharks 30 - 19 Lions

There may be a new order running the show at Coca-Cola Park, but the same old basic errors were on display out on the field as the Xerox Lions were beaten 30-19 (half-time 17-0) by the Sharks in their Absa Currie Cup match in Johannesburg on Saturday.The Sharks were clinical at taking their chances in a first half in which the Lions had the better of the forward exchanges, and it was the visitors who went into the break 17-0 to the good.
The lead was extended to 23-0 by two penalties from the boot of flyhalf Monty Dumond, before the Lions fought back in the last ten minutes to add some respectability to the scoreboard.

The Lions, enjoying excellent service from their pack, particularly in the scrums, started strongly, but a trio of telling handling mistakes inside the Sharks 22 meant they remained scoreless and the first points would come from the boot of Dumond with a penalty after 16 minutes, after some superb direct running from wing Odwa Ndungane had forced a ruck offence.

One has to wonder if the Lions are ever going to get of this eternal slump they seem to be in. This quote regarding Lions replacement center, Pieter Engelbrecht's consolation try says it all: "His celebrations were mildly embarrassing given how well-beaten the Lions were and how they had put their own supporters through the wringer with a host of basic mistakes."

Scorers:

Xerox Lions - Tries: Cobus Grobbelaar, Derek Minnie, Pieter Engelbrecht. Conversions: Ruan Boshoff (2).

The Sharks - Tries: Ryan Kankowski, Craig Burden, penalty try. Conversions: Monty Dumond (2), Stefan Terblanche. Penalties: Dumond (3).

ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division | Log

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	BPts	Pts
1	GWK Griquas	6	5	0	1	224	112	112	28	13	4	24
2	Sharks	6	5	0	1	175	98	77	17	9	2	22
3	Vodacom Western Province	6	4	0	2	188	105	83	20	9	4	20
4	Vodacom Blue Bulls	6	4	0	2	152	120	32	17	11	3	19
5	Xerox Lions	6	3	0	3	141	126	15	14	10	3	15
6	Vodacom Free State Cheetahs	6	2	0	4	160	131	29	18	10	2	10
7	Boland	6	1	0	5	81	251	-170	8	35	1	5
8	Platinum Leopards	6	0	0	6	87	265	-178	10	35	0	0

Tri-Nations: Springboks vs Wallabies, Newlands, 8 August 2009

The South African juggernaut rolled on in the Tri-Nations championship on Saturday with a late Morne Steyn penalty sealing a 29-17 triumph over Australia at Newlands.
Flyhalf Steyn contributed 24 points from seven penalties and a drop goal while veteran lock Victor Matfield crossed for a try as the Springboks went eight points clear of New Zealand in the standings.
The result completed a run of three home victories in as many weeks for South Africa after defeating fiercest rivals the All Blacks in Bloemfontein and Durban.
The southern hemisphere championship takes a one-week break before Australia host defending champions New Zealand in Sydney on August 22 followed by two home fixtures against the Springboks.

Australia gave the capacity 49 000 crowd an early jolt by taking a second-minute lead when fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper dotted down in the corner for a try Giteau converted.
After scoring the early try, Australia were rocked by a number of setbacks, including the 30th-minute departure of injured captain Stirling Mortlock and yellow cards for Matt Giteau and Richard Brown within 60 seconds soon after.
As pressure gradually mounted on the Wallabies they committed frequent infringements and were severely punished by Steyn, who kicked three penalties to edge the green and gold into a 9-7 lead after 14 minutes.

Centre Berrick Barnes put the visitors ahead again 60 seconds later as he picked up a pass from loose play and struck a sweet drop goal.
Referee Alain Rolland warned both captains as the penalty count mounted and another Aussie transgression presented Steyn with the chance he gladly took to slot a fourth penalty and nudge the reigning world champions in front.
Steyn dropped a goal soon after and the increasingly dominant Springboks were 15-10 ahead as they applied the same pressure game plan that worked so well against the All Blacks.
That lead was stretched to ten points on 28 minutes as Matfield, partnering Bakkies Botha at lock for the 50th time, raced on to a John Smit grubber kick and touched down.

Australia were reduced to 13 men within 60 seconds as Giteau got a yellow card amid a chorus of booing for a late tackle on Fourie du Preez and Brown followed after being caught in a blatant offside position.
However, South Africa added only three points from another Steyn penalty before half-time to turn over leading 23-10 as they sought to maintain a 100 per cent Tri-Nations record against Australia in Cape Town.
Frustration at being repeatedly blown up was telling on the Australians with George Smith holding a "mini-summit" with Rolland before Steyn landed another penalty 15 minutes into the second half.

When the Boks come under pressure, they remained calm and clinical and a huge booted clearance from flanker Heinrich Brussow took play to the other end of the field where Lachie Turner was forced to concede a five-metre scrum.
But although 16 points adrift, Australia were in no mood to surrender and they survived two Bok put-ins and eventually relieved pressure when the home team were penalised.
And a counterattack from young replacement back James O'Connor led to the visitors lock Nathan Sharpe going close before Giteau skipped over beside the posts for a try he converted.

Scoring:

South Africa - Try: Victor Matfield. Penalties: Morne Steyn (7). Drop Goal: M Steyn.

Australia - Tries: Adam Ashley-Cooper, Matt Giteau. Conversions: Giteau (2). Drop Goal: Berrick Barnes.

Blow-by-Blow

79	Penalty - Penalty to the Boks as the Ausies get penalised for playing the man without the ball. Steyn kicks the ball into touch. The Boks maul the ball forward. Penalty to the Boks - George Smith playing the ball on the ground and he also gets shown a yellow card. Morne Steyn converts the penalty attempt.
79	Yellow Card
72	A lot of kicking going on between the two teams as they probe for field possesion.
67	Conversion - Matt Giteau converts his own try.
66	Try - Giteau receives the ball from burges from the 5 meter scrum. Giteau steps 2 Boks and stretches over the line to score the try.
65	The Boks with the ball on the half way line. Pienaar kicks a cross kick for Habana, but Habana loses the ball forward. O`Connor picks up the ball and runs back at the Boks. O`Connor kicks through the ball, but Spies runs back to cover the ball. 5 meter Scrum to the Ausies.
55	Penalty - Morne Steyn kicks a high up and under from inside his own half well chased by the Boks. Turner catches, but gets ball and player at the same time. penalty to the Boks - Holding on by the Ausies. Morne Steyn converts the penalty conversion.
50	Missed Drop Goal - Line out to the Ausies deep inisd etheir own half. Barnes kicks upfield for touch, but it is regathered by Francois Steyn and he attempts a drop goal form the half way line, but misses to the right.
44	Missed Drop Goal - The Ausies in possesion on the Boks 10 meter line. Barnes receives the ball and has a go atr the drop, but he misses way to the right.
37	Penalty - Morne Steyn converts the penalty attempt.
36	Yellow Card - The Boks kick for touch. The Boks play the ball nicely between backs and forwards just outside the Ausies 22. Brown plays the ball in an offside position. The referee shows him a yellow card for unsportsman like play.
35	Yellow Card - Barnes kicks a up and under. Giteau jumps straight into Du Preez with no intension to play the ball. Yellow card shown to him by the referee.
29	Missed Conversion - Morne Steyn misses the conversion attempt.
28	Try - The Boks on the attack deep inside the Ausies half. John Smith receives the ball in the centre position. Smit sees Habana calling for the ball and kicks a left footed grubber kick towards the corner. Ashlyey-Cooper is back, but can`t recover the ball and Matfield is there to pick up the ball and dive over the line for the try.
27	Missed Penalty - Penalty to the Boks inside their own half - George Smith playing the ball in an offside position. Francois Steyn misses a 58 meter penalty attempt to the right.
25	Drop Goal - The Boks playing the ball nicely from wing to wing, keeping possesion. Morne Steyn receives the ball form Du Preez and converts the drop goal 25 meters out.
21	Penalty - The Boks in possesion of the ball just inside the AUsies half. Penalty to the Boks - Ausies diving over the ball at the ruck. Morne Steyn converts another difficult penalty conversion.
15	Drop Goal - The Ausies in posession with the ball on the halfway line. Penalty to the Ausies taken quickly by Burges. Burges passes to Mortlock who goes to ground just before the Boks 22 meter ine. Burges passes to Barnes. Barnes slots over a sweetly timed drop goal.
14	Penalty - Good Pressure from the Boks defence forcing Burges to pass 2 wayward passes and thus forcing the Ausies to lose about 30 meters. Penalty to the Boks - Holding on by the Ausies. Morne Steyn converts the penalty attempt from 30 meters out.
12	Penalty - The Boks once again in posession just outside their own 22. Du Preez kicks a well waited box kick. Penalty to the Boks - Obstruction by the Australian players. Morne Steyn converts the penalty attwpmt from 48 meters out.
9	Penalty - The Boks under pressure inside their own 22. Francois Steyn kicks the ball deep into the Ausies half. Ashley-Cooper knocks the ball forward as he received a pass from Turner. Scrum to the Boks. The Boks move the ball wide. Penalty to the Boks - Offside play by the Ausies. Morne Steyn converts the penalty attempt.
3	Conversion - Matt Giteau converts the try.
2	Try - Line out won by the Ausies and they move the ball wide. Cooper receives th eball on the wing and hands off Pieterson and drives over the line for the try.
1	Morne Steyn kicks off deep. Giteau clears. Spies drives it up. Penalty to the Ausies - Boks not entering the ruck from the gates. Giteau kicks the ball into touch.

Vodacom Tri-Nations | Log

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	PD	TF	TA	BPts	Pts
1	South Africa	3	3	0	0	88	55	33	4	4	0	12
2	New Zealand	3	1	0	2	60	75	-15	3	4	0	4
3	Australia	2	0	0	2	33	51	-18	3	2	1	1

No Punishment for Matt Giteau

South Africa appeared on Monday 10 August 2009 before a disciplinary committee of the International Rugby Board (IRB) because Springbok players wore white armbands in support of Bakkies Botha in the final test against the Lions. Matt Giteau on the other hand got off scot-free for his dirty play in Saturday's test at Newlands.
SA Rugby's head of communications, Andy Colquhoun, confirmed on Sunday that there was no citation after South Africa's victory of 29-17 over Australia in Saturday's Tri-Nations match.

Giteau was one of three Aussies sent off the field during the match. He floored Fourie du Preez in the 35th minute while the Springbok scrumhalf was waiting for a high ball. Giteau knocked him down with his elbow and made no attempt at playing the ball.
He could easily have been given a red card for his offence, but the New Zealand citation official David Gray decided not to pursue the matter.

Bakkies Botha's two-week suspension, given for recklessly storming into a ruck during the second test against the British and Irish Lions, is still remembered by many and the lack of consistency in the disciplinary process will again leave a bitter taste in the mouth of South Africans.
The Springboks were so upset with Botha's suspension, which had surprised even their opponents, that they wore white armbands with the words "Justice 4" referring to Botha, in the third test against the Lions on July 4.
This led to fierce reaction from the IRB and it was announced that South Africa would on Monday appear before a disciplinary hearing.

The chairperson of the disciplinary committee is New Zealand's John Hansen, with Argentina's Guillermo Tragant and Australia's John Eales as other members. The hearing will take place via telephone conference and the general feeling is that South Africa will be given a hefty fine.
The punishment will however not stop the positive wave that has been caused by three consecutive victories by South Africa at home. Saturday's victory over the Wallabies followed back to back wins against the All Blacks and a series win over the British & Irish Lions.

Opinion

There have been some grumblings in certain camps regarding the nature of the Bok victories blah blah blah, bitch bitch bitch, sour grapes sour grapes sour grapes. To quote the indomitable John Eales when the Aussies won a test some years back against the Boks (which Eales captained) amidst a great deal of controversy regarding kicking (sound familiar?) and tries that shouldn't have been allowed (forward passes and runners impeding defenders), and questions that were asked post match to which he responded, "Look at the scoreboard, mate. We won."

And what he said then remains equally true. Today I doubt if any Aussies remember that game or that there win was highly suspect (some would say the Boks were out and out robbed). Today, all that is remembered is that the Wallabies won that test. The record attests to that. Period. Once the whistle blows, all that matters is the scoreboard.

Boks supporters may also remember the carnage after the RWC in 1996 and 1997. If you go back and check the stats of those games (Boks vs All Blacks, and Boks vs Wallabies) you'll find that the Boks outscored the Wallabies and the All Blacks with tries in those tests, but they lost the vast majority because with the retirement of Joel Stransky we had no kicker. We couldn't convert tries and penalties and we lost several tests. In fact, up to 1996 the Boks led the All Blacks in win-loss record, but since 1996 the All Blacks have surged ahead.

To those that call the Bok victories this year boring and predictable and whatever else, "Look at the scoreboard, mates. We won."

But as to the last test, for me the real revelation was James O'Connor. The youngster has shown great potential so far this year and had a wonderful game on Saturday. Definitely a talent to watch.

And as to the rest of the Tri-Nations and the Bok record so far: Everyone in SA is on such a high and much has been said about the three victories to date. Everyone seems to forget the home games are only half of the competition. They still have to win on the road. So far the Wallabies and All Blacks are also undefeated at home. Only the Wallabies have a bonus point. It could very well stay that way and whoever has the most bonus points could win this year's Tri-Nations.

I still have no faith in PDV and will only start to celebrate once the Boks actually hold the trophy aloft. Before that happens they've achieved nothing except the upper hand in the opening exchanges. The next few weeks will be the real tester.