Spicy coastal derby in Durban on the cards – Vodacom Super Rugby Round 14 Preview
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- 50 up for locks Du Toit, Oosthuizen and De Jager
- Vodacom Bulls name Jesse Kriel on wing
- Van Jaarsveld to lead Toyota Cheetahs in Tokyo
- Emirates Lions expecting huge Kings challenge
Three local locks, Pieter-Steph du Toit (DHL Stormers), Etienne Oosthuizen (Cell C Sharks) and Lood de Jager (Vodacom Bulls) will each make their respective 50th Vodacom Super Rugby appearances for their franchise teams this weekend.
Meanwhile, a spicy local derby can be expected on Saturday when the Cell C Sharks host the DHL Stormers in the first of two local Vodacom Super Rugby derbies scheduled for this weekend. The match between the coastal rivals starts at 17h15.
In a rare Sunday afternoon fixture, the Emirates Lions host the exciting Southern Kings in a 14h30 kick-off in Johannesburg, with both sides naming their teams on Friday.
The two remaining local outfits, the Toyota Cheetahs and the Vodacom Bulls, are both in action on Saturday as all 18 teams take to the field during jam-packed Round 14 fixture list this weekend.
The Toyota Cheetahs team show three changes for their meeting in Tokyo with the Sunwolves, with hooker Torsten van Jaarsveld taking over the leadership from the injured Francois Venter.
Van Jaarsveld is the starting hooker, with Elandré Huggett moving to the bench. Neil Marais and Fred Zeilinga rotate at flyhalf, with Marais in the starting line-up. William Small-Smith comes in to cover outside-centre in place of the injured Venter.
Cell C Sharks coach, Robert du Preez, has made just one change from the team that beat the Sunwolves 38-17 last Saturday. Springbok front ranker Coenie Oosthuizen returns after being rested for last week’s match in Singapore, with Lourens Adriaanse named on the bench.
Hard-working lock Oosthuizen is set to play in his 50th Vodacom Super Rugby game for the Durban side if he gets game time off the bench.
Interestingly, the Durbanites have won six of their last nine games against the Capetonians, while the home team is also a real force when playing at Growthpoint Kings Park. They are undefeated in their last nine games in KwaZulu-Natal with eight wins and one draw.
However, Robbie Fleck’s team always seem to do well against local opposition, having won five of their last six South African derbies. The DHL Stormers backline shows four changes for the Durban match, with scrumhalf Jano Vermaak and fit-again flyhalf Kurt Coleman, who will start his first match this season, as the new half-back combination.
Dillyn Leyds moves from flyhalf back to the left wing, with Seabelo Senatla on the replacements bench alongside Juan de Jongh. Experienced centre Damian de Allende starts at inside-centre. The pack of forwards is retained, with Bok lock Du Toit making his 50th appearance.
De Jager will also make his 50th competition appearance in a much-changed Vodacom Bulls team against the Hurricanes at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, where Adriaan Strauss will return to the starting line-up at hooker and as captain.
One of the several changes sees Jesse Kriel moving from the fullback position to left wing to accommodate the inclusion of Warrick Gelant.
The Emirates Lions’ home match against the Southern Kings should be an eye-pleasing affair for the neutrals, as both teams have a liking for attacking play. The Highvelders have won each of the previous three encounters between them and they are in impressive form at the moment.
Warren Whiteley’s team is on a nine-game winning run and the last and only time any South African team has won more games in succession were a 12-game winning streak by the Vodacom Bulls across the 2009 and 2010 campaigns.
Vodacom Super Rugby Resources:
2017 MEDIA GUIDE | MATCH STATS| MATCH CENTRE
Sunwolves v Toyota Cheetahs
Sunwolves: 15. Kotaro Matsushima, 14. Takaaki Nakazuru, 13. Derek Carpenter, 12. Harumichi Tatekawa, 11. Shota Emi, 10. Yu Tamura, 9. Fumiaki Tanaka, 8. Rahboni Warren Vosayaco, 7. Shuhei Matsuhashi, 6. Malgene Ilaua, 5. Sam Wykes, 4. Kotaro Yatabe, 3.Takuma Asahara, 2. Yusuke Niwai, 1. Keita Inagaki. Replacements: 16. Takeshi Hino, 17. Koki Yamamoto, 18. Yasuo Yamaji, 19. Hitoshi Ono, 20 Shokei Kin, 21. Keisuke Uchida, 22. Jumpei Ogura, 23. William Tupou.
Toyota Cheetahs: 15. Clayton Blommetjies, 14. Sergeal Petersen, 13. William Small-Smith, 12. Clinton Swart, 11. Raymond Rhule, 10. Niel Marais, 9. Shaun Venter, 8. Henco Venter, 7. Oupa Mohoje, 6. Uzair Cassiem, 5. Carl Wegner, 4. Armandt Koster, 3. Johan Coetzee, 2. Torsten van Jaarsveld (captain), 1. Ox Nche. Replacements: 16. Elandré Huggett, 17. Charles Marais, 18. Tom Botha, 19. Francois Uys, 20. Niell Jordaan, 21. Junior Pokomela, 22. Tian Meyer, 23. Fred Zeilinga.
Match information:
Date: Saturday, 27 May
SA Time: 07h15
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, Tokyo
Referee: Will Houston
Assistant Referees: Shuhei Kubo, Akihisa Aso
Television match official: Minoru Fuji
Vodacom Bulls v Hurricanes
Vodacom Bulls: 15. Warrick Gelant, 14. Duncan Matthews, 13. Jan Serfontein, 12. Burger Odendaal, 11. Jesse Kriel, 10. Tian Schoeman, 9. Rudy Paige, 8. Hanro Liebenberg, 7. Jannes Kirsten, 6. Ruan Steenkamp, 5. Lood de Jager, 4. Jason Jenkins, 3. Jacobie Adriaanse, 2. Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1. Lizo Gqoboka. Replacements: 16. Jaco Visagie, 17. Pierre Schoeman, 18. Coenraad van Vuuren, 19. Abongile Nonkontwana, 20. Nic de Jager, 21. Ivan van Zyl, 22. Tony Jantjies, 23. Ulrich Beyers.
Hurricanes: 15. Jordie Barrett, 14. Wes Goosen, 13. Vince Aso, 12. Ngani Laumape, 11. Julian Savea, 10. Beauden Barrett, 9. TJ Perenara (captain), 8. Brad Shields, 7. Ardie Savea, 6. Vaea Fifita, 5. Sam Lousi, 4. Mark Abbott, 3. Jeff To’omaga-Allen, 2. Ricky Riccitelli, 1. Loni Uhila. Replacements: 16. Leni Apisai, 17. Chris Eves, 18. Ben May, 19. Reed Prinsep, 20. Callum Gibbins, 21. Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22. Otere Black, Ben Lam 23.
Match information:
Date: Saturday, 27 May
SA Time: 15h05
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Referee: Egon Seconds
Assistant referees: Quinton Immelman, Jaco Pretorius
Television match official: Christie du Preez
Cell C Sharks v DHL Stormers
Cell Sharks: 15. Lwazi Mvovo, 14. Kobus van Wyk, 13. Lukhanyo Am, 12. Johan Deysel, 11. Sbu Nkosi, 10. Garth April, 9. Cobus Reinach, 8. Daniel du Preez, 7. Jean-Luc du Preez, 6. Philip van der Walt (captain), 5. Stephan Lewies, 4. Ruan Botha, 3. Coenie Oosthuizen, 2. Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1. Thomas du Toit. Replacements: 16. Franco Marais, 17. Beast Mtawarira, 18. Lourens Adriaanse, 19. Etienne Oosthuizen, 20. Tera Mtembu, 21. Michael Claassens, 22. Bernhard Janse van Rensburg, 23. Odwa Ndungane.
DHL Stormers: 15. SP Marais, 14. Cheslin Kolbe, 13. EW Viljoen, 12. Damian de Allende, 11. Dillyn Leyds, 10. Kurt Coleman, 9. Jano Vermaak, 8. Nizaam Carr, 7. Siya Kolisi (captain), 6. Kobus van Dyk, 5. Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 3. Frans Malherbe, 2. Bongi Mbonambi, 1. Oli Kebble. Replacements: 16. Ramone Samuels, 17. Ali Vermaak, 18. Wilco Louw, 19. Chris van Zyl, 20. Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 21. Dewaldt Duvenage, 22. Juan de Jongh, 23. Seabelo Senatla.
Match information:
Date: Saturday, 27 May
SA Time: 17h15
Venue: Growthpoint Kings Park, Durban
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen
Assistant referees: AJ Jacobs, Archie Sehlako
Television match official: Marius Jonker
Emirates Lions v Southern Kings
Both teams TBA – see www.sarugby.co.za for more information on Friday.
Match information:
Date: Sunday, 28 May
SA Time: 14h30
Venue: Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistant referees: Egon Seconds, Ben Crouse
Television match official: Christie du Preez
Other Round 14 fixtures:
Friday 26 May 2017
09h35: Blues v Chiefs (Auckland)
11h45: Reds v Force (Brisbane)
Saturday, 27 May 2017
09h35: Highlanders v Waratahs (Dunedin)
11h45: Rebels v Crusaders (Melbourne)
23h40: Jaguares v Brumbies (Buenos Aires)
Issued by SA Rugby Communications
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