Sports After Dark

With the All Blacks now back in Super 14, now is the time for them to make their mark. Last weekend some of the results mean there are several teams who are now facing uphill battles to make the semi finals.

The top six teams have opened a small gap over the rest, but the middle of the table is still very crowded. The other gap on the table is between the Reds and Waratahs, and the rest. The two traditional Australian state teams are both riding seven game losing streaks, putting pressure on both players and coaches. Reds’ coach Eddie Jones is expected to either quit or be fired early next week.

Highlanders vs Cheetahs
These two teams are separated by just one point on the table, but are polar opposites in confidence. The Cheetahs are coming off the bye, easing their travel woes, after beating the Brumbies convincingly in their last outing. Contrast that with the Highlanders’ dreadful performance last week against the Bull and you have all the makings of an upset. Both Highlanders’ All Blacks, prop Carl Heyman and hooker Anton Oliver, return to the starting line up but this alone in unlikely to solve their team’s problems. For the Cheetahs to make a success of their tour to Australasia, this is a match they need to win. With another one of their trademark explosive starts, they should dispatch the Highlanders.

Force vs Sharks
The Force have surprised many this season, currently sitting in fifth place on the table.
But the real test for them begins now, playing the second place Sharks. The Force have benefited from a fairly favourable early season draw, and if they perform over the next few weeks against some of the other top teams remains to be seen. The Sharks suffered their first loss of the season last weekend against the resurgent Brumbies, but are still one of the favourites for this year’s title. Using last week’s loss, the Sharks should be too good for the Force, but like all South African teams the Sharks have a history of struggling away from home.

Hurricanes vs Bulls
After showing good early season form, the Hurricanes have lost their last four games in a row and are in danger of missing the semi finals. Meanwhile good results away from home have lifted the Bulls to equal third, and a win against the Hurricanes would put them in an excellent position to make the semi finals. The Hurricanes could be without the services of All Black flanker Jerry Collins who rolled an ankle against the Lions last week, further denting the confidence of a team who had little to begin with. Despite losing badly to the Crusaders on tour, the Bulls got their tour back on track last week with a good win over the Highlanders and should be too good for the floundering Hurricanes this Saturday.

Chiefs vs Blues
The table topping Blues head down the road to Hamilton to play the ninth place Chiefs. With the Blues’ All Blacks starting to filter back, an already strong team is getting even better. Keven Mealamu starts at hooker and Tony Woodcock at prop, while lock Ali Williams will get some game time off the bench. After a shocking start to the season, the Chiefs are riding high on a two game win streak after eking out an ugly win last week against the Reds. But their win streak is about to come to an end against the powerful Blues, who are almost assured of a semi final place at this stage.

Waratahs vs Crusaders
All Blacks’ captain Ritchie McCaw returns to the helm, captaining the Crusaders against the lowly Waratahs, while playmaker Dan Carter is out with a neck injury. But replacing the All Blacks’ maestro is Stephen Brett who has been in superb form this year and is the second leading scorer in 2007. The Waratahs season cannot get much worse after being held tryless against the Blues, in fact the last Waratahs’ try was scored against the Stormers, and it was a penalty try. Expect an easy win for the Crusaders.

Lions vs Brumbies
The Brumbies’ season got back on track last week when they snapped the Sharks winning streak, thanks largely to the pairing of Stephen Larkham and Julian Huxley in the five eighths positions. The Lions currently sit in sixth place and will need a win here to keep in touch with the front runners, after easily dispatching the hapless Hurricanes last week. But the Lions will need to step up against a Brumbies’ team which is beginning to peak at the right time of the season. If the Brumbies are able to cope with the altitude of Johannesburg, they are capable of winning this game, but the Lions are a hard side to beat at home and I expect a Lions victory in a close encounter.

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The Super 14 Week 9 Preview by Hamish McBrearty, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.