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'Anything can happen in Super Rugby, and it usually does'

rugby20 May 2019 16:22| © SuperSport
By:Johan Coetzee
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Eben Etzebeth © Gallo Images
SuperWrap - week 14, 2019

It says something about the quality of Vodacom Super Rugby’s South African conference when the odds-on favourite to take the crown this year is not even a South African team.

Argentina’s Jaguares are tied with the Bulls on 32 points at the top of the SA conference, but the two leaders have vastly different run-ins to the playoff series due to start in little over a month.

If the Argentinean outfit builds in any way on their Wellington performance last Friday, they should be able to just breeze through Sydney and Brisbane before finishing off their regular season with two home games (of which one is against the log-propping Sunwolves).

The Bulls, on the other hand, still have three weeks left in the Antipodes, including two games against New Zealand sides. Kiwi attacks this year is something that still has the men from Pretoria waking up in cold sweat every night - and so far they’ve only faced them at Loftus.

Together the two teams remind me of a passage we all learned in Sunday School: “The last shall be first and the first last.”

Indeed.

Down at the bottom of the conference table things are also hotting up after Siya Kolisi wisely chose to go for goal from a penalty to secure a draw against the Crusaders and bank two log points no one would have bargained on before. Only a win and two bonus points behind the conference leaders, they will play three of their last four games at their beloved Newlands.

The Stormers will be eyeing the Lions’ current position on the log (one that comfortably qualifies for the playoffs). They are four points behind the Joburg crew, but the two sides are set to fight it out for those four points between themselves when they meet at Emirates Airline Park in the third-last round of this year’s regular season.

The Lions have it tough in their other remaining fixtures as well. With local bragging rights up for grabs, they still have to travel to Pretoria and Durban to face teams that are also still in the running for overall honours. Their remaining match will be against a Hurricanes side that will be in fighting mode after their shock loss at home to the Jaguares.

Together the two teams remind me of a Monty Python skit: “Oh, it's the meek! Blessed are the meek! Oh, that's nice, isn't it? I'm glad they're getting something, 'cause they have a hell of a time.”

Indeed.

Meanwhile the Sharks, lurking just out of sight, have a fixtures list that is guaranteed to make them king-makers (even if they have to make kings of themselves). They are scheduled to play three of their four conference opponents in the next month. Win everything and they will probably win the conference (barring some miracle from the Bulls campaign); lose everything and they are stone last.

The Sharks remind me of something that fictional motorsport’s greatest mind, Ricky Bobby, once said: “If you ain’t first, you’re last!”

Indeed.

Except, maybe not.

It may not be a South African hand that hoists the Conference Trophy in four weeks’ time, but all four of our teams are still comfortably within striking distance of a spot in the fancily named Finals Series.

We can pretty much take it as fact that the Crusaders and the Hurricanes will qualify. It is also almost certain that the Sunwolves, the Reds and the Chiefs (who still have a bye waiting) won’t qualify. That leaves us with ten teams vying for the six remaining qualification slots.

Those ten teams still jostling for position only have six log points separating them with four regular-season match weekends ahead.

The tournament is generally criticised for having too many meaningless games, but that is about to change as we enter the home straight.

Ten has to go into six, except you won’t find four teams willing to give up the prize for all the money in the world.

We know that in this World Cup year teams will be forced to rest their International stars. The Bulls, for example, won’t have the services of captain Handre Pollard and talisman Duane Vermeulen when they complete the New Zealand leg of their tour. Just as the Crusaders didn’t have many of their stars available when they were held to a draw by the Sharks in Christchurch.

World Cup stalwarts being rested should not detract from the mouth-watering menu that Super Rugby has just placed in front of us. We’re in for a treat!

On seeing this Murray Walker would probably have opined: “Anything can happen in Super Rugby, and it usually does”.

Indeed.

Remaining fixtures for teams in the SA Conference (log points in brackets):

Jaguares (32): Waratahs (a) Reds (a) Sharks (h) Sunwolves (h)

Bulls (32): Brumbies (a) Blues (a) Highlanders (a) Lions (h)

Lions (30): Sharks (a) Stormers (h) Hurricanes (h) Bulls (a)

Sharks (29): Lions (h) Hurricanes (h) Jaguares (a) Stormers (a)

Stormers (26): Highlanders (h) Lions (a) Sunwolves (h) Sharks (h)

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Let’s have a look at what happened elsewhere in the world of rugby this week.

Tries of the week:

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Best of social media:

We can't beat them at rugby, but we sure as hell will in wordplay...

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It's full when the Crusaders are in town, not sure it means what you think it means, though...

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Still plowing back into the game. Tip of the hat to you, sir...

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This tweet didn't age well...

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Game Of Throwns

Fans of both rugby and the recently concluded hit series Game Of Thrones may be surprised that the actor playing Khal Moro used to be a relatively well-known professional rugby player.

Joe Naufahu got into acting after injury forced him to retire from being a pro rugby player.

"When you can't play anymore, you don't feel like you're enough, you don't want to go to the gym," he told the website stuff.co.nz.

"I'd done a little acting as a teen. At the time, there weren't many Polynesian actors in New Zealand, so I got a small part when I was injured.

"I never went to formal drama school or whatever. But what acting did was give me a creative outlet which had been closed when I lost the ability to play rugby."

Eden Park’s loss was Hollywood’s gain.

"Naufahu made his mark in rugby at Auckland's King's College in the mid-1990s and was named in the New Zealand Colts in 1998," reports stuff.

"Signed by the Canterbury Rugby Union academy, he played in pre-season games for the Crusaders in 1998 and was on the fringes of their Super Rugby squad in the early 2000s.

"Naufahu signed for the Southland Stags in 2000 and before returning to Christchurch to play for Canterbury in 2001.

"He joined English club Leicester Tigers in 2002, playing five games before moving later that year to the Glasgow Warriors.

"But his knee problem restricted him to eight appearances in Glasgow before he had to hang up his boots."

Bakkies Botha - a star on Hollywood Boulevard awaits .....

Rugby in America...

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