Super 15 Review - Round 6 (Video Highlights and Team of the Week)

RESULTS

Highlanders 43-12 Rebels

Hurricanes 38-47 Cheetahs

Chiefs 30-13 Waratahs

Brumbies 26-29 Sharks

Force 45-19 Reds

Lions 13-23 Crusaders

Stormers 20-17 Bulls

ROUND 6 ROUND UP

Wow what a weekend of Super Rugby! Round 6 saw some colossal match-ups and a host of closely contested games. Friday night saw the Highlanders well and truly hammer the Rebels 43-12. The scores had been locked at 12 all by half time but a second half blitz inspired by Adam Thomson (who bagged a hat-trick) and Ben Smith left the men from Melbourne facing another heavy defeat. The win in Invercargill left the Highlanders top of the NZ conference overnight.

Saturday saw the Hurricanes play the Cheetahs at the Cake-tin in Wellington. The Hurricanes raced to an early 32 – 11 lead with some slick back play. Andre Taylor continued his electric form, adding another try to his tally. Beauden Barrett also seemed to be winning his battle with Johan Goosen, scoring the individual try of the season thus far, as he shed four would-be tacklers before sprinting 50 metres to the whitewash. Then the game was turned on it head. The Cheetahs produced some scintillating rugby to clutch victory from the jaws of apparent defeat, scoring 6 tries in a truly dazzling display. Two of them going to loosehead prop Connie Oosthuizen. The final scoreboard at Westpac read Cheetahs 47, Hurricanes 38; the Hurricanes not even gaining a losing bonus point after failing to end within 7 points of the Cheetahs.

The Chiefs were next up as they came off their bye with an impressive victory over the Waratahs at Waikato Stadium, winning 30-13. The Waratahs seemed to have long spells of possession without really hurting the Chiefs defence. The Chiefs however demonstrated why they have perhaps the most lethal backline in Super Rugby this year. Despite lacking the ball for long periods, Cruden, Sonny Bill, Kahui, Robinson and Nanai-Williams seemed to break the line at will when they had the opportunity, while Taumololo gave another barnstorming performance from prop. Rob Horne may be a prospect for the Wallabies at centre, but his tackling stats leave a lot to be desired. He currently is the worst tackler in this year’s competition.

Next up saw the Sharks begin their road trip with a bonus point win over the much improved Brumbies, finishing 29-26. Watching the Brumbies forward pack edge from their own try line to almost secure a draw/win in the dying moments was a real show of strength and resoluteness. One can see that Jake White is having a big influence with them. Being contenders this year may be a stretch too far though, as they showed that they lacked penetration and creativity (Jesse Mogg’s superb individual effort apart). Despite almost pulling off an unlikey comeback, the ball was ultimately knocked on by Ben Alexander and thus... to the victors went the spoils. The Sharks were far to precise for their opposition, Rian Viljoen getting on the score-sheet twice while Lwazi Mvovo turned on the after-burners to score a memorable length of the field try following concerted pressure from the Brumbies.

The Red’s season went from bad to worse last weekend. The opening game of the season saw them rewarded with an undeserved last minute victory over the Waratahs, but those 4 points just papered over the cracks. Without Digby Ione, Anthony Fai’inga and the incomparable Quade Cooper, the Reds look toothless in attack. With that potency gone, their other facets of play seem to be crumbling. They followed a shocking loss against the Bulls with a 45-19 loss against perennial bottom of the table dwellers, the Western Force in Perth. David Pocock, Nathan Sharpe and James Stannard produced their best efforts to date in this year’s comp while unlikely hero David Harvey continued his veign of goal kicking form to leave him near the top of the comp’s goal-kicking stats.

The Crusaders welcomed back Dan Carter to the starting line up in Jo’burg as they moved into the play-off positions with a 23-13 victory over the Lions at Coca Cola Park. Israel Dagg and Zac Guildford in particular were ‘lovin’ it’ as they often tracked Carter to glide through gaps in the defence on his inside shoulder. Todd Blackadder conceded that the performance was average, but with 2 wins in a row, and some of their All Blacks stars back on the field, the Crusaders are beginning to build a nice momentum. Next up are the Bulls at Loftus. If they can get a ‘W’ there, they’ll be in business.

The final game of the weekend saw the Stormers face the Bulls in a titanic top of the table battle in Cape Town. The Stormers came out on top by a scoreline of 20-17 thanks in main to yet another try from man of the match Tian Liebenberg (after some powerful work from Siya Kolisi) and some accurate goal-kicking from Joe Pieterson. It was a physically gruelling match and the Stormers remain the only unbeaten side in the tournament. The Bulls will be looking forward to the return game in Pretoria for some revenge. The Bulls’ pink jerseys were apparently ‘represenative of the Bulls’ famous physicality...like a Bull in a China Shop’.... nothing like Stade Francais’ attempts to gain the support of Paris’s famous gay community.

DUMPTACKLE TEAM OF THE WEEK

There were a host of top performers during round 6. It was difficult to fit them all in! However this is the team we have come up with, due in large to some positional switches in the backline! Notably Ben Smith moves from Fullback to centre while Andre Taylor moves to the wing. Taumololo also moves from loosehead prop to tighthead to make way for Connie Oosthuizen whose 2 tries demanded his selection. Unlucky absentees include Johan Goosen (and any of the Cheetash for that matter), Wynand Oliver and Ita Vaia who had a tremendous impact for the Brumbies as a sub.

Rian Viljoen, Andre Taylor, Zac Guildford, Ben Smith, Sonny Bill Williams, Beauden Barrett, Piet Van Zyl , Keegan Daniel, David Pocock, Adam Thomson, Steven Sykes, Nathan Sharpe, Arizona Taumololo, Tian Liebenberg, Connie Oosthuizen.

PLAYER OF THE ROUND

It has to be Adam Thomson. He has been a real force this year and was badly missed last week (as the Highlanders succumbed to the Brumbies’ prowess on the floor). His return though coincided with some real zip to the Highlanders attack, as they delivered their first blowout performance of the year. He scored the second hat-trick of this year’s comp too and seemed to cover every blade of grass on the field. All Black supporters have the right to ask Jerome who?? The All Blacks have found a natural replacement for Kaino and if Thomson continues his rich veign of form, he could be just as integral to Steve Hansen’s plans as Kaino was to Graham Henry’s last year.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS