Sports After Dark

After spending the first 7 rounds of Super 14 on the side line, most of the 22 man reconditioning squad have been named to play for their Super 14 franchises this weekend.

Some are starting, some are on the bench and some have been left out entirely but there is no mistaking the fact that every single New Zealand Super 14 team just got whole lot better. All the New Zealand sides, except the Chiefs, are still in the hunt for semi finals places and some teams, such as the Hurricanes, are in desperate need of this injection of new talent.

Blues vs Waratahs
Being in second place on the table gives Blues’ coach David Nucifora the luxury of not playing all his returning All Blacks. He also has the luxury of playing one of the Super 14 cellar dwellers. Only Keven Mealamu returns from the 22 man reconditioning squad, but only to the bench. For the Waratahs, this has been a season to forget. Even the return of their highest paid player, Lote Tuqiri, last week failed to ignite them, going down to fellow cellar dwellers the Stormers. This game will likely see the Blues run up their highest score of the season, claiming an easy win.

Highlanders vs Bulls
The Highlanders only had two players in the reconditioning squad, prop Carl Heyman and hooker Anton Oliver, but they are two of the team’s most experienced players. In an effort to ease them back into the pace of Super 14 coach Greg Cooper has named both players on the bench. With play maker Nick Evans showing such superb form against the Blues two weeks ago, the Highlanders seem to be hitting form at just the right time. By contrast the Bulls seem to have run out of fuel on this tour. After two good wins in Australia they were completely demolished by the Crusaders. The return of captain Viktor Matfield from his surprise benching last week will boost the Bulls’ spirits, but the Highlanders will be too good for them at home.

Crusaders vs Stormers
Six All Blacks return for the Crusaders into many crucial positions. Among those returning are All Blacks’ captain Ritchie McCaw and play making maestro Dan Carter. Oddly enough McCaw will not captain the Crusaders as Corey Flynn retain the captaincy for the mean time. This mean that Flynn will be leading not only the current All Blacks’ captain, but also former captains Reuben Thorne and Aaron Mauger. The Stormers are coming off an ugly win against a dreadful Waratahs outfit and despite the good form the Stormers have shown in patches, they will be not match for a powerful Crusaders’ team.

Reds vs Chiefs
The Chiefs, who have been decimated by injury this season, welcome back half back Byron Kelleher and flying winger Sitiveni Sivivatu, while the Reds welcome back fullback Clinton Schifcofske from injury. But even with top name players returning, this is still a match between two teams in the bottom three on the points table. The Chiefs finally registered their first win of the season last week in convincing fashion against the Lions, and the Reds lost badly to the Force. The Chiefs know they are a better side than their position on the table would indicate, and they should dispose of a Reds’ side low on confidence.

Sharks vs Brumbies
The Sharks are still the only unbeaten side in this season’s Super 14, but they do have a long way to go before they threaten the 2002 Crusaders’ perfect season. A good win last weekend against the Hurricanes will have further boosted the Sharks’ already high confidence. The Brumbies went down to an explosive Cheetahs’ outfit and are struggling on tour. The Sharks are going to lose at least one game this season, but not to the Brumbies.

Lions vs Hurricanes
Usually playing in South Africa is difficult for touring teams as they have such a long way to travel. This week the roles are some what reversed as the Lions have travelled all the way back from New Zealand, where they lost their last game to the Chiefs, while the Hurricanes are already in South Africa having played the Sharks. The Hurricanes are also welcoming back several All Blacks including loose forwards Jerry Collins and Rodney So’oialo. This is a must win game for the Hurricanes if they are to challenge for a semi final place, sometimes dubbed the “Cardiac ‘Canes” for their shocking inconsistency, the Hurricanes have done little to erase that reputation this season. The Lions opened the season well but lately have struggled for form, and despite home advantage will struggle against a Hurricanes’ team that is far better on paper. Of course the game is played on a field and that is where the Hurricanes struggle sometimes.

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The Look out Super 14, the All Blacks are back! by Hamish McBrearty, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.