Bulls, Sharks need to defy history
16 Jul 2012
JON CARDINELLI looks at how the results of this week’s play-off matches will impact on South Africa’s bid for the Super Rugby title.
The Crusaders beat the Force last Saturday to book a play-off spot. It marks the 14th time the Crusaders have qualified for the knockout rounds in 17 years of Super Rugby. That they have won the title seven times is a well known fact, but perhaps there isn’t a similar appreciation for their overall record in these do-or-die matches.
Over the years the Crusaders have featured in 24 play-off matches, winning 18 and losing six. They’ve never lost a play-off match at home, winning on all 14 occasions. Home advantage is crucial at this stage of the competition, and the record books will confirm that the Cantabrians are (to date) unbeatable on their home turf.
Unlike the other five teams vying for the title, the Crusaders also have a good record on the road. They clearly aren’t daunted by the prospect of travelling to Australia or even to South Africa for a play-off, as last year’s semi-final win in Cape Town will attest. It is because of their great record home and away that they will always be a threat at this stage of the competition.
The same cannot be said of the South African sides. The Bulls won their first Super Rugby title in 2007, and did so away from home. However, they have never won a play-off match in Australasia, and so it’s another trend that will need to be broken if they are going to advance to the semi-finals.
The Sharks are South Africa’s most experienced team when it comes to play-off matches, having made 10 appearances. They have also managed to win Down Under (they beat Queensland in Brisbane back in 1996), but their overall record of games played in that part of the world is not encouraging. In seven play-off games in Australasia, the Sharks have lost six.
The optimist will look at the play-off they’ve won and declare it significant, as the Reds will host the Sharks this Saturday. It’s certainly not as big of a challenge as the one facing the Bulls in Christchurch, as the Reds aren’t nearly as intimidating when it comes to play-off scalps.
2011 saw the Reds winning a semi-final and final at Suncorp Stadium, but those victories were the first and second for the franchise as far as play-off successes are concerned. Prior to that, they had lost three semi-finals, two of which were played in Brisbane.
This will encourage the Sharks. A win this weekend would set up a semi-final showdown with the Stormers. The Cape side won 14 of their 16 league matches, but one of their two losses was to the Sharks.
A special effort would be needed to beat the Stormers at Newlands, but then history indicates that the Cape side has lost more play-offs than they’ve won at this iconic ground. Of the three semi-finals staged in Cape Town, the Stormers have only won one (against the Waratahs in 2010).
The Chiefs have lost some momentum in recent weeks, and unlike the Crusaders they don’t have a reputation for ruthlessness in the play-offs. They will host the highest-ranked qualifier in the semi-finals, and if the Sharks beat the Reds that would see the winner of the Crusaders vs Bulls clash heading to Hamilton.
The Chiefs have only appeared in the play-offs three times, the semi-final win in 2009 marking their sole victory. They will have home advantage in the semis, but the Crusaders have won 10 play-off matches away from home and even two titles. They also beat the Chiefs in Hamilton two weeks ago, so will hold no fear of travelling to Cowbell Country for a crunch match.
Nobody wants to come up against the Crusaders in the play-offs, which is why the Stormers, Chiefs, Reds and Sharks will cheer the Bulls on this Saturday. If the Bulls can achieve the improbable and win in Christchurch, it would eliminate the strongest title contender.
From a South African point of view, a Bulls win in Christchurch and a Sharks win in Brisbane would see three South African teams advancing to the semi-finals, thus increasing the chance of the title returning to this country.
If the Bulls can’t win on Saturday morning, the Stormers will be hoping that the Sharks can knock over the Reds. This would ensure the Stormers host the Sharks (the lowest-ranked qualifier) in the semis and avoid the Crusaders.
But there would still be a possibility of the Stormers hosting the Crusaders at Newlands in the final. It’s a venue where the Cantabrians would fancy their chances having won twice on that ground in 2011.
So while the Stormers may have the week off, they should watch this Saturday’s play-off matches with more than just keen interest.
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410 Comments
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16 Jul 2012, 13:06 pm
@William Webb Ellis is now at home(poppa69)-243:
Research (from Harvard) shows that internet users that dig up and post stats thereby downgrading any nation, religion, race or community or most likely to entertain and divulge in such activities themselves, as their interests serve as a diagram of the persons obsessions IE (homophobes are more likely to be homosexual)…………my guess is that you blog from a dark dingy basement (in Brisvegas) and and could be a Kiwi Josef Fritzl or Charles Whitman (just cause you were picked on at school and here on the net don’t troll with an anti-saffer intent)
16 Jul 2012, 13:06 pm
@NZINCHINA(NZINCHINA)-241: are you after fernly’s expat saffa comments?
16 Jul 2012, 13:08 pm
Is die fokker nog steeds aan die gang hier………
16 Jul 2012, 13:09 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-221: agreed Dawn…he obviously likes kicking a dead horse…this has been rehashed a 1000 times…we as Saffa’s are well aware of the problems…we live amongst them…
16 Jul 2012, 13:11 pm
OK back to the rugga!! So the Stormers will bear the SA flag after the weekend
16 Jul 2012, 13:11 pm
@stormerforlife1(stormerforlife1)-250:
Are you a person of coloured?
16 Jul 2012, 13:12 pm
@BrumbiesBoy(BrumbiesBoy)-214:
Don’t forget Dirty Harry(iet)as well.
16 Jul 2012, 13:13 pm
@William Webb Ellis is now at home(poppa69)-243: Again… Must I always correct you, my sensitive little Mofo
NZs transition to Rigged World Cup Champs has been accompanied by a surge in violent crime. Crime tends to increase markedly during periods of choking. In 1995, a third of all crimes recorded by the police in NZ were violent in nature. According to 1999 Interpol statistics, of the 110 countries whose crime levels are listed by Interpol, NZ had the highest per capita rates of cheating and sheepshagging, the second highest rate of ‘referee bribing’ and the fourth highest rates of ‘sheep assault’ and ‘sheep offences’. Research in NZ shows that victims of choking frequently know the perpetrator by name or by sight. For instance, according to the NZ Victims of Soozie Survey, 60% of choking victims and 63% of sheep offence victims knew the offender by name, and fewer than a quarter (20% for sheepshagging and 24% for RWC losses) of choking and sheep offence victims did not know the offender at all. There are simple patterns that characterise most Rigged World Cup crime in NZ: levels of choking, sheepshagging, and sheep assault are at their highest over the Christmas and Easter holiday periods. Ref crimes most notably bribery and cheating – are more likely to occur on Fridays and Saturdays than on any other day of the week. The reason for these patterns is that acquaintances, friends and family members come together over holiday periods and on weekends, with a subsequent increase in alcohol consumption at those times.
16 Jul 2012, 13:13 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-252:
Of course he is.
16 Jul 2012, 13:13 pm
@Jeraldjay(Jeraldjay)-256: That’s capo, the poodlefcker.
16 Jul 2012, 13:15 pm
@Provvas(Provvas)-255: Possibly although I hope silently that my Bulls pulls off a small upset. Sharkies game gonna be a tight affair.
16 Jul 2012, 13:16 pm
Quade Cooper is suspended for one week. What a joke, did Barnes not leave the field after that tackle? Anyway, good news for the Sharks!
16 Jul 2012, 13:20 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-260:
I know. The tik/mandrax combo is working quite nicely for him.
His MVK persona was probably into the crack/tik/methylated spirits combo. Which although extremely entertaining, definitely didn’t work in the long run.
16 Jul 2012, 13:20 pm
So the Bulls will stay in NZ to play the Chiefs if they win.
Seems it was a good idea to score 4 tries after all.
That’s if the Crusaders don’t send points.
Stormers didn’t need that “illusive” 4th try luckily.
16 Jul 2012, 13:24 pm
A brief history of SA:
-Prior to 1652…………………………………….who knows, dinosaurs or something.
-1652 Jan van Riebeeck arrives, with a…………….. “eat here” ……………..sign.
-1652 to 1994………………….a lot of unsavoury shiit.
-1992…………………………………Nelson and F.W. shake hands.
-1995…………………SA’s poison All Blacks and win RWC in extra time.
-1995 to 1998…..SA establish themselves as the filthiest Team in World Rugby.
- 1999…………………AB’s over-take SA on a head to head win count.
- 2000………………….SA get even more filthy.
-2000 to 2012…………………..AB’s roger SA at will.
16 Jul 2012, 13:24 pm
@Jeraldjay(Jeraldjay)-263: I’m not surprised he’s cosying up to Poeps here. Peas in a rotten pod, they are.
16 Jul 2012, 13:25 pm
Spies to have his brilliant game for the season.
What I said.
The Bulls by 4.
16 Jul 2012, 13:26 pm
@cane(cane)-191:
Yep, back in PTA (moved up here from Durbs when I was young).
The Bulls can win IF Steyn kicks EVERYTHING (and by everything I mean 8/8 and 3 droppies).
16 Jul 2012, 13:28 pm
@cane(cane)-265:
A brief history of NZL.
Nothing.
).
Hobbits.
Nothing.
The Boks own the All Blacks for 90 years.
The All Blacks own the Boks for 15 (but still trail in real WC’s 2 to 1
16 Jul 2012, 13:28 pm
What’s that got to do with the discussion Jerald.The fact of the matter is that more than 80 percent of the black population don’t have Internet access,so if it’s poppa’s aim to shock or embarrass he is wasting his energy on the aforementioned Aryan brotherhood characters.It hasn’t stopped them mocking the poor soul mercilessly because they don’t have any feelings for black suffering and problems.For them it’s a case of ,thumbs up to Aids and crime killing of the black masses.
16 Jul 2012, 13:28 pm
@cane(cane)-265: That’s an interesting read. Here’s a short history of New Zealand:
1600′s – not much to report
1700′s – still nothing
1800′s – nope
1900′s – mostly quiet
1999 – a Kiwi bloke starts caddying for Tiger Woods
2011 – Tiger kicks him out
2012 – nothing much
16 Jul 2012, 13:30 pm
@cane(cane)-265: brief history NZ:
- 1 BC to 2012 AD…………. paranoia replaces cannibalism as the dominant religeon
16 Jul 2012, 13:30 pm
If Bulls and The Sharks can’t win overseas then they aren’t championship material. Simple.
I don’t think anyone can be written off at this stage. Crusaders are losing games and so are the Bulls and The Sharks so it’s really anyones game.
I predict the wheels will come off for a certain team at the business end of the competition. All the teams going into the knockput stages are very good on attack.
It’s getting very interesting.
16 Jul 2012, 13:31 pm
@cane(cane)-265:
We beat you three times in a row in 2009.
Fark, is the Wiki stats correct. I see you beat us 8 times in row from July 2001 to July 2004.
I don’t remember that
16 Jul 2012, 13:33 pm
One week for Cooper is fair enough.Steyn should have received a sanction as well but nothing is said about that.
16 Jul 2012, 13:33 pm
@Jeraldjay(Jeraldjay)-274:
I think people forget how SH*T the Bok team was from 2000-2003.
Go check out a team sheet for any one of those games. Poor poor side.
16 Jul 2012, 13:34 pm
A short NZ Rugby World Cup History…
1987 Boozers Invitational – Won, despite just the year before getting humiliated in the guise of Cavaliers by the true unofficial World Champs
1991 RWC… Fckedup and knocked out by the Wobblies in a Semi… Were not good enough to choke
1995 RWC… Fckedup and knocked out by the World Champ Boks in the Final… Were not good enough to choke.
1999 RWC… Fckedup, flayed and knocked out by France in a Semi… Were further fckedup by the Boks in 3rd/4th playoff
2003 RWC… Choked. England Won
2007 RWC… Choked against France…. Boks Won
2011 Rigged World Cup… Choked in the Final… France won but Cup awarded to ABs cos Paddy said so.
16 Jul 2012, 13:36 pm
@stormerforlife1(stormerforlife1)-270: never heard of an internet cafe?
16 Jul 2012, 13:38 pm
@CenturionShark (aka LondonShark)(londonshark)-269:
“The Boks own the All Blacks for 90 years.”
Neutral Refs soon put a stop to that crapp.
8)
As for Katman’s poke at History………………………………………….2012 RWC.
Not exactly climbing Everest or splitting the atom, but hey WTF.
8)
16 Jul 2012, 13:38 pm
@Sharks fans are genuine Bok supporters(Predawn)-273:
Yeah, people forget that the Saders have had some shockers this year (the Rebels game comes to mind).
16 Jul 2012, 13:39 pm
@CenturionShark (aka LondonShark)(londonshark)-276: not to mention coaches.
16 Jul 2012, 13:42 pm
@cane(cane)-279:
Our refs were (and still are) the best in the world
Besides, if we going to talk about refs, 1981 could be discussed as well
Not to mention a certain NZL ref kicking the Boks out of the 2012 WC.
16 Jul 2012, 13:42 pm
garrath williamson to put in a man of the matc h performance on saturday.
16 Jul 2012, 13:43 pm
@cane(cane)-279: If you read a little wider than the local NZ press, you’ll have noticed that pretty much everyone has written the last WC off as a “sentimental home team” decision, handed to NZ for their “remarkable commitment to the game of rugby” and also because “they’re such a nice bunch, they deserve something like this”. Which is still something to feel proud of, so big up to you guys.
16 Jul 2012, 13:44 pm
@Jeraldjay(Jeraldjay)-274:
Okay Jerry,
Mine was a Brief History.
Very Brief.
There are parts that embarrass us both.
But you and I, are big enough to get over these moments.
HG and Katman on the other hand…………………..well they are a work in progress.
16 Jul 2012, 13:45 pm
@cane(cane)-279: Another thing – I know your TV programming is a little behind the rest of the world, but the WC was in 2011, not 2012.
Tell us if you’re still watching and don’t want us to spoil the outcomes of certain games.
16 Jul 2012, 13:45 pm
@CenturionShark (aka LondonShark)(londonshark)-269:
Well done. Should ask Pops to post some Sa education stats, you probably had a positive effect on them…….bright spark
.@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-277:
World Champions……now a chance for an all Nz final…coming together nicely…lets hongi.
16 Jul 2012, 13:47 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-284:
A “nice Bunch”‘.
Not someting that could be said for your lot ???????????
16 Jul 2012, 13:49 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-286:
8)
I’ve never been a great man for detail.
16 Jul 2012, 13:51 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-284:
No need to be like that.
Sore losers can get really nasty Kat, as you know.
Dont read the papers, those same poeple call South Africans thugs and the dirtiest team in the world, dont listen to them…..we dont.
@>^..^< katman(katman)-286:
lol
Kat, you guys were showing a movie at the movie theatres the other week, we have it on DVD already in the stores.
16 Jul 2012, 13:52 pm
@cane(cane)-285:
As I told you before, HM the Messaih is at the helm and the tide has turned (that if the majority of the players in the squad are Stormers and he drops Spies and Potgieter).
16 Jul 2012, 13:52 pm
@CenturionShark (aka LondonShark)(londonshark)-282:
I have great respect for SA Referees.
And for all Referee’s generally.
16 Jul 2012, 13:53 pm
Ok shooter!They have more important things in life like poverty ,crime etc etc to worry about and you want to chase them to an Internet cafe to read poppa’s stats on what they experience in their daily lives?Not all of us have unlimited Internet connection for 30 euro a month now or are as privileged as the Aryan Brotherhood on here.
16 Jul 2012, 13:54 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-277:
Thats an impressive list.
But lets look at the last 20 years….every year.
RWC is every 4 years that you guys live for. We own that and everything in between.
SA as yet have nothing.
Keep on going but you crying and bleating is not going to fill up your dusty trophy shelf
16 Jul 2012, 13:55 pm
I see Rangi and Hurricane have shown up.
That should clean out the ruck.
8)
16 Jul 2012, 13:56 pm
@cane(cane)-279: 2012 NZ played:
France
Tonga
Canada
Japan
qf: Argentina
sf: Aus
F: France
No, indeed, not really an Everest
16 Jul 2012, 13:57 pm
@Te Rangatira(Te Rangatira)-287: The truth is… Naah, maybe I give a little White Lie cos you one of few of the sheepshaggers I laaik…
Of course the AB’s deserved to win 2011 RWC after been totally dominated in the final by France who, lets not forget, already lost to Tonga and ABs in the pool games…
16 Jul 2012, 13:57 pm
@stormerforlife1(stormerforlife1)-293:
Why do people keep calling you capo?
16 Jul 2012, 13:58 pm
@cane(cane)-295: You guys are ok, but your compatriot brings shame on you as a nation in general
16 Jul 2012, 13:58 pm
@shooter(shooter)-296: off course. 2011
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