Preview: Super Rugby, Round Five, Part Two
CODED MESSAGES: The build-up to Round Five has been dominated by off-field dramas - from possible code-hopping to games called off as a result of the Corona virus.
The Hurricanes played down comments that the currently sidelined Ardie Savea made about a possible switch to Rugby League.
The back row forward floated the prospect of moving to the 13-man code on a podcast this week, saying that being able to play for his father's native Samoa was part of the attraction.
Hurricanes assistant coach Chris Gibbes said Savea's remarks "haven't dominated discussions", insisting the 44-Test All Black was focused on recovering from the knee injury sustained at last year's World Cup.
"If you look at it, he's a competitive athlete and he's not the first guy to talk about different codes," Gibbes told reporters.
"Ardie is part of us and he's working his way back into our team. We want to win a championship and we want him to be a part of it."
Meanwhile, Jack Goodhue's famous mullet hairstyle survived, after the Crusaders centre put his crowning glory to a public vote as part of a fundraiser for charity Bald Angels.
It wasn't even a close shave, as 90 percent of participants in the online poll voted for Goodhue to retain the best-loved mullet in sport since 1990s-era Andrei Agassi.
This all happened while SANZAAR officials scrambled to deal with the Corona virus outbreak, saying they were working to relocate a match in Japan and announcing sanitisation stations and temperature checks for all teams.
The Southern Hemisphere competition - featuring teams from Australia, Argentina, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa - has so far not had to cancel any matches due to the deadly COVID-19.
But SANZAAR said it was in "advanced discussions" about the Sunwolves' game against the Brumbies on March 6 in Osaka, after the Japanese government recommended cancelling, postponing or scaling back sports events over the next fortnight.
So far, there have been no identified cases of any players, management, match officials or family members with symptoms, including the Sunwolves, who are currently in New Zealand for Saturday's match against the Hurricanes.
"Daily review and monitoring of all participants is now in place under an agreed protocol," SANZAAR said.
We look at Saturday's matches!
Saturday, February 29:
Hurricanes v Sunwolves
(McLean Park, Napier - Kick-off: 16.45; 12.45 Japan time; 03.45 GMT)
The Hurricanes have promised some red-hot on-field entertainment to go with the expected 29°C when they host the hapless Sunwolves.
Last week's humiliating 5-64 loss to the Reds in Brisbane means the Sunwolves will be rank outsiders against a Hurricanes team ion a rich vein of form - coming off a bye and with wins over the Jaguares and Sharks to their credit.
Hurricanes coach Jason Holland said in the build-up this week fans will be treated to a running rugby spectacle.
"It should be pretty thrilling for the crowd at McLean Park," the coach said.
"The Sunwolves have a few quick boys in the ranks, but so do we.
"We're ready for 80 minutes played at a high intensity."
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Holland said the Sunwolves are the type of team that thrives on being the underdog.
"We know that they will capitalise on any mistakes we make, so we need to be accurate."
He said the visitors remained a dangerous outfit, despite last week's 60-point hammering.
He pointed to their first-round win over the Rebels as evidence of their threats.
"They're a side that has had some big results in the last few years," Holland said, adding: "They get up for big games, but can be off the mark for other games.
"We know if they put a performance together and we're off the mark, then they'll really hurt us.
"They'll live off our errors and our turnovers and play a fast brand of footy."
Head to head
Prediction: The Hurricanes have won each of their three Super Rugby meetings with the Sunwolves, however their most recent clash in 2019 was their narrowest victory in that run (29-23) with the Wellington side having to overturn a halftime deficit of 13 points. The Hurricanes have won 22 of their last 23 Super Rugby matches when hosting sides from outside New Zealand, their 20-28 defeat to the Jaguares the only blemish in that run. The Sunwolves have won just once in New Zealand in their Super Rugby history, that victory did come last year, however - a 30-15 win away to Chiefs. The Hurricanes have won the most turnovers on average of any side in Super Rugby this season (9.7), while they've also conceded the third-fewest turnovers per game (13.3). The Sunwolves' Mike Stolberg has made 41 tackles in his three games this season, of players to feature more than once this campaign only Crusaders flank Tom Christie (19.7) has averaged more tackles than the Sunwolves lock (13.7). It is not a case of who, but by how much the Hurricanes will win by. We suggested at least 25 points.
Teams
Hurricanes: 15 Chase Tiatia, 14 Kobus Van Wyk, 13 Vince Aso, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Ben Lam, 10 Fletcher Smith, 9 Thomas Perenara, 8 Gareth Evans, 7 Du'Plessis Kirifi, 6 Vaea Fifita, 5 Scott Scrafton, 4 James Blackwell, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Asafo Aumua, 1 Xavier Numia.
Replacements: 16 Ricky Riccitelli, 17 Ben May, 18 Alex Fidow, 19 Isaia Walker-Leawere, 20 Devan Flanders, 21 Jonathan Taumateine, 22 James Marshall, 23 Peter Umaga-Jensen.
Sunwolves: 15 Alex Horan, 14 Siosaia Fifita, 13 Keisuke Moriya, 12 Shogo Nakano, 11 James Dargaville, 10 Jumpei Ogura, 9 Rudy Paige, 8 Jake Schatz (captain), 7 Mitch Jacobson, 6 Tevita Tupou, 5 Michael Stolberg, 4 Kotaro Yatabe, 3 Hencus Van Wyk, 2 Jaba Bregvadze, 1 Jarred Adams.
Replacements: 16 Efitusi Maafu, 17 Nic Mayhew, 18 Conraad Van Vuuren, 19 Justin Downey, 20 Shunsuke Nunomaki, 21 Naoto Saito, 22 Johannes Engelbrecht, 23 Tautalatasi Tasi.
Referee: Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
Assistant referees: Mike Fraser (New Zealand) Dan Waenga (New Zealand)
TMO: Aaron Paterson (New Zealand)
Reds v Sharks
(Lang Park, Brisbane - Kick-off: 18.15; 10.15 SA time; 08.15 GMT)
Reds coach Brad Thorn is backing the depth in his squad to deliver back-to-back wins.
The Sharks (three wins from four outings) have presented as one of the competition's most impressive outfits this season - with their speed on the flanks proving too much for the Melbourne Rebels in Ballarat last weekend.
A trip to New Zealand to face defending champions the Crusaders next weekend ensures a testing fortnight for the Reds - who broke their duck with a 64-5 win over the Sunwolves last Saturday.
Thorn has challenged his side to back up that 10-try performance.
"If you are to get to the business end [play-offs] and be in good shape it's good to have that depth to manage games," he said.
"I've always thought in [Rugby] League and Union, you can tell a great team by its bench.
"I've been in Crusaders teams when we've had All Blacks sitting on the bench."
The Sharks have had mixed results on tour so far - beating the Highlanders (42-20) in Dunedin, losing (22-38) to the Hurricanes in Wellington and bouncing back with a (36-24) win over the Rebels in Ballarat last week.
For a performance-based side, improvement last week was exactly what coach Sean Everitt wanted after the Wellington hiccup.
"We were pleased with the improvement in our set-piece against the Rebels and that made the world of difference," Everitt said from the team's training base in Brisbane.
"As a whole, the team is displaying a lot of energy on the field and the excitement they show is rubbing off on one another and we've managed to put in some good performances along the way.
"Although the performances haven't been perfect, we are striving towards that end."
Head to head
Prediction: The Reds have won their last two games against the Sharks, as many as they'd won in their previous 10 Super Rugby encounters with the side from Durban. The Reds have won their last six games when hosting South African sides, only once before have they enjoyed a longer such run in Super Rugby - a 14-game winning run from 1997 to 2003. The Reds have scored seven tries originating from inside their own half in this Super Rugby season, more than any other side, while the Sharks have scored the second most (6). No other franchise has scored more than four from that range. The Reds' Tate McDermott has scored four tries and provided the assist for a further four this season, his eight-try involvements are the most of any player in Super Rugby this year. Makazole Mapimpi (Sharks) has gained 195 metres from 15 carries in Super Rugby this season, his average gain of 13 metres is the best rate of any player to carry the ball more than once. This is going be an extremely tense encounter, with a late score to decide it - the Sharks by three points.
Teams
Reds: 15 Jock Campbell, 14 Chris Feauai-Sautia, 13 Hunter Paisami, 12 Hamish Stewart, 11 Henry Speight, 10 James O'Connor, 9 Tate McDermott, 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Liam Wright, 6 Angus Scott-Young, 5 Harry Hockings, 4 Izack Rodda, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Alex Mafi, 1 JP Smith.
Replacements: 16 Ed Craig, 17 Harry Hoopert, 18 Josh Nasser, 19 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 20 Fraser McReight, 21 Scott Malolua, 22 Isaac Lucas, 23 Filipo Daugunu.
Sharks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Madosh Tambwe, 13 Lukhanyo Am (captain), 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Henco Venter, 6 Dylan Richardson, 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Kerron van Vuuren, 1 Retshegofaditswe Nche.
Replacements: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 John-Hubert Meyer, 19 Le Roux Roets, 20 Phepsi Buthelezi, 21 Sanele Nohamba, 22 Marius Louw, 23 Jeremy Ward.
Referee: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Graham Cooper (Australia), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO: James Leckie (Australia)
Stormers v Blues
(Newlands, Cape Town - Kick-off: 15.05; 13.05 GMT; 02.05, Sunday, March 1 NZ time)
These are two teams with contrasting fortunes - the Stormers aiming to make it five straight wins at the start of the season and the Blues with a hit-or-miss (lose-win-lose-win) beginning.
Stormers coach John Dobson talked up the Blues all week and said that his team is looking forward to a blockbuster at home.
"This game has all the makings of a classic South African-New Zealand battle, in front of the Newlands faithful," Dobson said.
"With our bye coming up next week, we are going to pour absolutely everything into getting the result and making it five consecutive wins.
"We have made some rotational changes up front, but otherwise we have managed to keep some good continuity as we look to keep building and raising our standards," he added.
Blues coach Leon MacDonald said the side, largely unchanged from last week, need to produce another 80-minute performance against the strong Stormers combination.
"They are unbeaten this season and pose threats across the park," MacDonald said.
"We need to concentrate on our core roles, securing set phase and winning the battle at the breakdown.
"We were patient last week and stuck to our game plan which was crucial.
"Clearly we need to be more disciplined because we can't play for 20 minutes with one player short like last week.
"We have had a good week in preparation at altitude and hope we can reap some rewards for that coming back down to sea-level at Cape Town."
The Stormers have, since pre-season, spoken about winning a maiden Super Rugby title as the perfect farewell to Newlands stadium.
The run-down 132-year Cape Town venue will be demolished later this year with the Stormers moving to the purpose-built Cape Town stadium in Greenpoint.
"With this being our last year at Newlands, there is extra motivation," flank Pieter-Steph du Toit, the 2019 World Rugby Player of the Year.
"The best way to say goodbye is by winning in the Final."
Head to head
Prediction: The Stormers have won six of their last eight Super Rugby matches against the Blues, including each of their last four in a row at home to the Auckland side. The Stormers are unbeaten in their last three games against sides from New Zealand (two wins and a draw). They have not enjoyed a longer such run in Super Rugby since winning six in a row against the New Zealand franchises across the 2010 and 2011 campaigns. The Blues have the lowest goal kicking success rate this season, slotting just 50 percent of their kicks at goal. However, the Stormers have the second-lowest rate from the tee (57 percent, level with Highlanders and Lions). The Stormers have won each of their 30 scrums on their own feed this season, one of three sides to maintain a 100 percent scrum success rate this Super Rugby campaign (also Highlanders and Hurricanes). Hoskins Sotutu (Blues) has made 45 carries this season - only three players have made more - with the back row forwards' total including 14 carries from a pick and go, no other player has made as many in that fashion. The Stormers may have looked patchy for the most part - relying mostly on their forwards. However, good teams find a way of winning and the Stormers should win by a converted try.
Teams
Stormers: 15 Dillyn Leyds, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Jaco Coetzee, 5 John Schickerling, 4 Chris van Zyl, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain).
Replacements: 16 Chad Solomon, 17 Kwenzo Blose, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 Cobus Wiese, 21 Ernst van Rhyn, 22 Godlen Masimla, 23 Jean-Luc du Plessis.
Blues: 15 Stephen Perofeta, 14 Joe Marchant, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Thomas Faiane, 11 Mark Telea, 10 Otere Black, 9 Sam Nock; 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Dalton Papalii, 6 Tom Robinson, 5 Jacob Pierce, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu (captain), 3 Sione Mafileo 2 Kurt Eklund, 1 Karl Tu'inukuafe.
Replacements: 16 Luteru Tolai, 17 Marcel Renata, 18 Ofa Tuungafasi, 18 Aaron Carroll, 20 Blake Gibson, 21 Jonathan Ruru, 22 Harry Plummer, 23 Matt Duffie.
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa), Divan Uys (South Africa)
TMO: Joey Klaaste-Salmans (South Africa)
Bulls v Jaguares
(Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria - Kick-off: 17.15; 15.15 GMT; 12.15 Buenos Aires time)
Desperate is a word that perfectly sums up the Bulls after the opening month of the season - a team that is suffering from the extreme need for a win.
Coach Pote Human has drawn a line in the sand in terms of his expectations from the team.
"Our backs could not be more against the wall at the moment," he said of his winless team.
"We have improved since the first match, but we're still not doing enough within 80 minutes.
"We need to get the win," he added.
He admitted it is a tall order against a Jaguares team littered with Argentinean internationals.
"They have a massive pack of forwards, with powerful ball carriers,"Human said.
"The pressure is on us, but we know that we can cause an upset if we get it together."
The desperation shows in some of his selections - most notably the inclusion of Tongan import Nafi Tuitavake - who will start at outside centre, with Johnny Kotze moving to inside centre in the place of injured captain Burger Odendaal.
The coach said the 31-year-old - with 13 Test caps, as well as more than 100 first-class games between Agen, Northampton Saints, North Harbour and the Crusaders - will make a big difference.
"He has a big heart and great skillset," Human said.
"You will see something different in the backline on Saturday.
"He is experienced and his organisation of the backline is exceptional."
The Jaguares, who rested the bulk of their frontline players in the 7-17 loss to the Stormers last week, has made nine changes to the starting XV for the Loftus showdown.
In the forwards only Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, Francisco Gorrissen, Tomás Lezana and Rodrigo Bruni remain in the starting XV.
Emiliano Boffelli and Sebastián Cancelliere are the only backs that retained their places.
Javier Ortega Desio and Tomás Cubelli have both returned home as a result of injuries they sustained at Newlands last week, while Matías Alemanno failed his concussion protocol and is also not available.
Head to head
Prediction: The Jaguares have won four of their six Super Rugby clashes with the Bulls, including victory in Pretoria the last time they met - a game in which the Argentinian side won despite trailing at halftime. The Bulls have lost their last four Super Rugby matches. They've not lost more consecutive games since a six-game run across the 2015 and 2016 campaigns. The Jaguares have gained 108 metres from their maul this season, almost double that of any other team (Reds next on 56 metres), scoring competition-high five maul tries in the process. The Bulls have averaged the fewest missed tackles per game of any side this season (16.7), while they've also restricted their opponents this year to a competition-low four offloads per game. Guido Petti Pagadizaval (Jaguares) has made 31/31 tackles in Super Rugby this season, the most of any player who is yet to miss one. The Bulls will put up some stern resistance, but the Jaguares' greater experience and physicality will see them win by eight points.
Teams
Bulls: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 Nafi Tuitavake, 12 Johnny Kotze, 11 Rosko Specman, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Jeandré Rudolph, 7 Josh Strauss, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Andries Ferreira, 3 Trevor Nyakane (captain), 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Lizo Gqoboka.
Replacements: 16 Corniel Els, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Wiehahn Herbst, 19 Ruan Nortje, 20 Ruan Steenkamp, 21 Ivan van Zyl, 22 Manie Libbok, 23 Divan Rossouw.
Jaguares: 15 Santiago Carreras, 14 Sebastian Cancelliere, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Jeronimo De La Fuente, 11 Emiliano Boffelli, 10 Joaquin Diaz Bonilla, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Rodrigo Bruni, 7 Tomas Lezana, 6 Francisco Gorrissen, 5 Marcos Kremer, 4 Guido Petti Pagadizaval, 3 Joel Sclavi, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro.
Replacements: 16 Santiago Socino, 17 Mayco Vivas, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Lucas Paulos, 20 Juan Bautista Pedemonte, 21 Domingo Miotti, 22 Juan Cruz Mallia, 23 Santiago Chocobares.
Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: AJ Jacobs (South Africa), Griffin Colby (South Africa)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Compiled by Jan de Koning; with additional reporting by AAP & AFP
* Stats provided by Opta Sports