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Super 15- Round 12 Preview: It's Business Time
By Michael MacRitchie on Fri, 06/05.2011Welcome to the money end of the Super 15 Rugby competition where it is make or break for
all teams in the Super 15 Rugby competition.
Well, Queensland Reds finally got a chance to have a crack at a New Zealand team last week
and they failed , big time.
It was the top Aussie team against the bottom Kiwi team, and what should have been an
eighth-straight win for the Queenslanders, ended in a heartbreaking loss after the final
whistle.
Sure Queensland did a great job getting back into the game and even taking an early lead,
but all the damage was done in the first half when the Reds fell off tackle after tackle and
the Hurricanes built up a handy lead thanks to four unanswered tries. When watching these
games Robbie Deans must be slightly nervous? Quade Cooper again demonstrated that he is
weak at tackling (even when shifted to fullback in defence)
The Hurricanes then looked to be heading for another loss, but they managed to clinch victory
with a last-minute penalty goal through Aaron Cruden.
Reds' fans can blame the ref as much as they like, but it should never have come down to
that last penalty.
New South Wales Waratahs defeated the Melbourne Rebels in Sydney, but it was hard to get
excited about how they went about succeeded in tricky conditions at the SFS.
Tries were hard to come by (until late in the match) and the kicking game wasn’t great overall.
Still, they picked up the four points to keep them in the hunt and that’s what matters most.
The Rebels still can’t put together a decent 80-minute effort, and until they do, they’ll have
to ponder what might have been. Again with Stirling Mortlock on the field they looked to be
better organised in defence, but when he went off they leaked two late tries.
It was great to see a packed stadium in Perth as Western Force hosted the Crusaders and
the fans got to see an exceptional game of Rugby. The Crusaders got out to a handy lead
before the Force hit back to get in front, only to see the Crusaders come home strongly.
The less said about the Brumbies efforts against the Cheetahs the better. They were slow to
start out of the blocks and you simply can’t afford to give any team 25 points start.
They might have outscored the Cheetahs by five tries to four, but their poor defence in the
opening quarter, and their lack of discipline in the second half cost them dearly.
The season can’t end soon enough for the Brumbies and they have an even tougher
assignment against the Sharks this weekend.
Hurricanes v Blues, Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Macca says: "The Hurricanes have won five of the last seven against the Blues and are
coming off a win over the top Australian side, the Reds. But the men from Wellington haven't
won consecutive games all season. Once again they’ll be without All Blacks Ma’a Nonu
Conrad Smith and Corey Jane. The Blues are on top of the table and deservedly so, with their
only loss coming to the Sharks back in week two. They've beaten every New Zealand rival
so far this year and while the Highlanders let them off the hook with some sloppy finishing
last week, the Blues will still take plenty of confidence into this week’s clash. They beat the
Hurricanes in round five 41-17, scoring five tries to one in the process."
Tip: Blues
Melbourne Rebels v Queensland Reds, AAMI Park
Macca says: "The Rebels were up to their old tricks in Sydney last week, failing to play out
the full 80 minutes. Their defence was good early, restricting the Waratahs to just one try in
the first half and they got to within one point of them early in the second spell. But they faded
late in the match and allowed the Waratahs to score two late tries. They will be better at home
and they’ll need to be. The Reds should have taken the points against the Hurricanes last
week, but they turned on an embarrassing defensive effort in the first half and conceded four
tries. They still had the chance to win the game, but blew it right on full time. It’ll be interesting
to see how they respond to their first loss in eight games, but I think they’ll come out firing and
smash the Rebels.
Tip: Reds
Lions v Cheetahs, Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg
Macca Says: "It might look like a 'who cares' fixture to many fans from outside the two
regions, but there’ll be plenty of feeling in this one as both sides look to avoid the South
African wooden spoon. They used to be one team, the Cats, but since they split in 2006, it’s
been three wins apiece. The Lions have the home-ground advantage and are hoping for a
repeat of their 20-15 victory in Bloemfontein earlier in the season. If the Cheetahs are to deny
the Lions their first victory on home soil in 2011, they’ll have to go back to back for the first
time all year.
Tip: Cheetahs
Chiefs v Highlanders, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
Macca Says: "The Chiefs return home to Hamilton after their South African tour which
resulted in a win over the Lions and a heavy loss to the Bulls. They’re three from 10 this year
and are no chance of contesting the play-offs, so they’ll be playing for pride and hoping to
impress whoever it is that takes over from coach Surely it’s time for a change at the top after
eight seasons. The Highlanders were their own worst enemy against the Blues last week and
despite scoring the only try of the match, they squandered many chances and came up short.
It was their first loss in five games, but they’re still in touch with the leaders and should be
able to break an eight-year drought in the Waikato."
Tip: Highlanders
NSW Waratahs v Western Force, SFS, Sydney
Macca says: "With six wins from ten outings so far this season, the Waratahs cannot afford
to lose this one if they want to stay in touch with the top six. They’re not playing well enough
to be regarded as a genuine title contender, they are also suffering from a lot of injuries. At
the start of the season coach Chris Hickey thought he had enough depth to cover injuries so I
guess we’ll find out over the coming weeks. But the Force have been very competitive of late
beating the Brumbies and Bulls and then giving the Crusaders a huge fright in the second half
last week. It was just their inability to close out a game that cost them last week and they’ll
feel they can win this one. They still haven’t lost at the SFS after a draw in 2007 and a win
two years ago. The Tahs won by 28 points in Perth earlier in the year, but it won’t be that one-
sided this time. Could go either way….
Tip: Waratahs
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