AVIVA Premiership Final PreJudgement:

Twickenham, you couldn't ask for a better place to play a final. Today is the last day of the Aviva Premiership and a day of mixed emotions for two teams, Saracens and Leicester. One will walk away victorious and have great reward for months and months of grueling work with the top club prize in England, the other, well nothing!

 

 There is no doubting who I am supporting today and I would give many things for Sarries to take this down today. With their extremely mobile pack and the unmistakable danger that Schalk Brits brings to the table you would expect the game to be spread wide. Matt Stevens has also be in great form and has to be a contender for a recall to the English National Squad. whether that happens or not remains to be seen. Neil de Kock will start today and you would expect that to be very settling for the rest of the team as his experience is tight games is unquestionable.

You can't question this powerhouse that are the Tigers. They have an extremely well balanced and skillful team. They are captained today by New Zealander Craig Newby for the first time and what a stage to make your mark. Scott Hamilton, Toby Flood, Ben Youngs and Tom Croft are going to be the danger men today.

Today has match ups that definitely do justice to this epic battle. The half back pairings have two youngsters at 10 and I believe Owen Farrell is one of the best talents to come out of England since Jonny Wilkinson. He should have the beating of Toby Flood in my opinion. The Loose forward battle is going to be colossal, Croft, Newby and Crane for the Tigers versus Brown, Burger and Joubert (and Schalk Brits because we all know he is another loose forward) for Sarries, WOW!
I can't wait for this game and we are not in for a boring final, this one will have at least 3 tries in it.

PreJudgement: Saracens by 6

SupeRugby Round 15 Prejudgement:

15 Weeks into the 2011 SupeRugby tournament and we still can't clearly see who's our top six will be. Eight teams are playing for these six places and and two look guaranteed, The Reds and Stormers. The interesting fight is coming from the Bulls, Sharks, Highlanders and Waratahs. Anyone who slips up could see the dream slipping up too. There is no doubt that the Sharks are under serious pressure and the Highlanders need to rejuvenate their season. The Bulls are looking awesome and the 'Tahs are slowly but surely sneaking in. This week is crucial.

Hurricanes v Force (Palmerston North)
The Hurricanes have come from a weeks rest and will be looking to secure only their 4th win of the season. They are languishing at the bottom of the NZ conference and a bonus point win will take them level with the Chiefs (who have a bye). The Force are missing James O'Connor but will be looking to secure a good away win against their NZ counterparts. Look out for Sam Wykes and Hosea Gear. South African born Mark Swanepoel will be starting at 9 for the Force.
PreJudgement: Hurricanes by 5

Highlanders v Lions (Dunedin)
The Highlanders must be licking their lips ahead of this encounter, I just don't think that it will be that easy for them. The Lions have shuffled their backline around a bit and have an awesome mix of youth and experience. The Highlanders have however got great players and leaders in key positions if you look at Cowan, Thomson and Mackintosh. Watch out for those three as well as Taute, Vermaak and Strauss for the Lions.
PreJudgement: Highlanders by 4

Brumbies v Stormers (Canberra)
Wow, am I looking forward to this game. There has been an interesting shuffle in the centres as Johann Sadie gets dropped for Jaque Fourie, and Jean de Villiers is on the bench. There are still a few worries at flyhalf but we all saw how well Dewaldt Duvenhage handled that last week, should he be required to move there. The battle will be upfront but the backline is going to reap the rewards of this game. Keep an eye on Christian Lealiifano, Juan de Jongh and Nick Koster at 8th man.
PreJudgement: Stormers by 13

Sharks v Waratahs (Durban)
A must win for both teams. The Sharks desperately need to win and the Waratahs will be looking to put the south Africans to bed early. Its the Waratahs first game in South Africa so it will be interesting to see how they will go for the full 80 minutes. I have not been particularly blown away by the Waratahs play latley but they are sneaking up the log. Look out for Beale, Mvovo and Daniel.
PreJudgement: Sharks by 4

Bulls v Cheetahs (Pretoria)
I would like to base this on the fact that the Cheetahs are the Bulls' bogey team but sheesh the Bulls are looking hot (It really pains me to say that). The Bulls will be looking to keep the pressure on the Sharks, Highlanders and Waratahs and walk away with 5 points here. The Cheetahs have been awesome of late and the Ebersohn twins have been great to watch. This could be a gem of a game. Awesome to see Dustin Jinka on the bench for the Bulls! We used to play at the same club together...we were only separated by about 16 teams...but it was the same club!
PreJudgement: Bulls by 3

Reds v Crusaders (Brisbane)
The Reds can't be bumped off top spot this week but they sure as hell are going to be tested this Sunday. Brisbane must be about to boil over in anticipation of this clash. The Crusaders are pretty much fielding a full strength team and the Reds are looking good too but I am yet to find a teamsheet for Sundays game. Keep an eye out for Sonny Bill Williams, Richie McCaw and Kieran Read. The Reds will need Genia, Cooper and Ioane to fire on all cylinders.
PreJudgement: Crusaders by 4

SupeRugby Round 14 Recap:

It has been a while since I have posted due to some technical difficulties, I am however back and looking forward to the next few weeks of SupeRugby.
After this weekends results, the Sharks find themselves out of play-off contention and the Stormers came back with a bang. The Highlanders are in the Top 6 and this week we see the Reds take on the Crusaders.
Lets jump into the recap.

• The Blues must have thought they were golden sitting in the changing rooms at half time. What they weren't banking on was that the Stormers were going to mount the comeback of the year to win it. Unbelievable second half performance by the Stormers, not only from the usual suspects but especially from stand in fly-half Dewaldt Duvenhage. Stormers win 28-26
• The first half was pretty boring to be honest with both the teams going back at half time with the scores tied at 6 all. The second half provided a bit more action with a try from both teams. The poor discipline from the Chiefs and the deadly boot of Dan Carter proved to be the difference. Crusaders winning 25-19
• The Waratahs were very weary of a Lions team looking to take down yet another Australian team whilst on their travels. Five first half tries put the Waratahs in a great position to take the win. The Lions did however have a small moral victory by not allowing the home side any points in the second half. Waratahs winning 29-12.
• The Brumbies were looking to overtake the Force on the log with a win but only managed a draw and a low scoring game. It was 10 points a piece after 40 minutes of play and the next 40 got worse with only a penalty each added. The game finished a 13 all draw.
• The Cheetahs were looking to make franchise history with the most wins on the trot. They did this in style by running in 5 tries to the three of the Rebels. Sias Ebersohn is looking every bit the complete player the more I watch him and his accuracy off the tee is deadly. Cheetahs winning 41-21.
• The Sharks were made to pay by a solid looking Bulls team in Durban. The home team were trailing 23-6 at half time and didn't look like a comeback was on the cards. It wasn't. Bulls winning 32-23 and are putting serious pressure on the Sharks for a play-off spot.

Player of the Week: Dewaldt Duvenhage
Team of the Week: The Stormers
WTF of the Week: Rayno Benjamin's Red card for head butting

Who still plays rugby with Gloves on???

Off the top of my head I can name two and a half professional players, One is cool the other one and a half are useless in my opinion. Shaun Sowerby, Andy Goode and Earl Rose (yes, you guessed it, the half a pro). Why on earth do they do it and does it help?

Seriously, I think its a load of rubbish that players, at any level, should wear gloves! I have to be honest many years ago when they were in fashion I did own a pair for a season and wore them. Are they still in fashion? Are they still cool? Well looking at these three above mentioned examples, the answer is an emphatic NO! Shaun Sowerby could possibly make them cool and get a few points for it but the amount of negative points Goode and Rose bring to the table you would probably need 15 Sowerby's to get out of the red.

It just isn't cool at all anymore, but my opinion shouldn't count for too much unless I actually dissect the reason for them wearing gloves first.

Shaun Sowerby (Club: Toulouse, France)
OK, he brings in a massive coolness factor into the mix, and most times he wears gloves matching his kit (still trying to decide if that's a positive or a negative).
Functionality: He's an 8th man and top line out jumper, so there is an element of function there.
Image: Matches his kit and looks good, definitely part of his image and that counts in his favour. 
This scores 5/10

Andy Goode (Club: Worcester, England)
I am trying to put his Ricky Januarie stature (extremely short and wide) and ridiculous comb-over aside as I rate him so , unfortunately coolness is out the picture.
Functionality: He is predominantly a fly-half and that does require receiving loads of ball, so there is a slight element of function there but he often misses the balls passed to him! FAIL!
Image: You can't really add this as part of his image as there is a slight distraction with poor play, comb-over and Ricky's diet. Having said that he has played with them since he started rugby in the 90's
This scores 1/10

Earl Rose (Club: not sure out to pasture hopefully, South African Wilderness)
Wow, if you have never seen a sponsor throw up on you then have a look at a few images of Earl the Pearl playing a game. It doesn't look cool and sure as hell is only there to bank some Rands.
Functionality: None at all, he is either warming the bench or playing extremely badly at fly-half or fullback. OK OK OK, teeny weeny functionality for keeping hands warm on the bench.
Image: None. Apart from the fact it came as a package deal to hide his identity while playing.
This scores -9/10

So, there you have it, the combined scores of 'Are Gloves Cool?' -3/30 EPIC FAIL. They are not cool and should be banned. Who else wears gloves while playing? I don't think there is another pro or half a pro that does!

Heineken Cup Final PreJudgement

Hugh O'Connor has done it again. Another fantastic PreJudgement for this years Heineken Cup Final. 

Enjoy,

Leinster v Northampton Saints (Millennium Stadium)

It's all down to this. The two best teams in Europe this year face off for the biggest title in club rugby.

Injuries have been the talking-point of the week, with Northampton losing Aviva Premiership Player of the Year Tom Wood from the side of the scrum, while Leinster talisman Brian O’Driscoll faced a race against time to prove his fitness for Saturday evening. Unsurprisingly, O’Driscoll was named in the starting XV – let’s face it, he’s taken more knocks than anyone in his glittering career, and he’s played through most of them. Declan Kidney may be slightly nervous given the World Cup to come, but as far as Leinster are concerned this is the grand finale, and there was no way he was going to miss it.

Richardt Strauss, hooker and key man for Leinster tomorrow, has also shrugged off a hip injury that he picked up in a bruising encounter with Ulster last week which, for me, is of far greater importance than O’Driscoll.

Key Clashes

The scrum. The scrum, the scrum, the scrum. In their two knock-out matches so far, the Saints have dominated up front, and used this as the platform for their victories. Leinster were destroyed by Toulouse up front in last year’s semi-final, but put together a couple of huge shoves in the second half this year which proved decisive. Who holds the advantage?

The front row is a massive clash. Dylan Hartley, captain and hooker, leads Northampton from the front and is more than ably supported by props Mujati and Tonga’huia. The importance of Strauss’s fitness cannot be overstated – he must lead Leinster from the front, and alongside Mike Ross and Cian Healy Leinster don’t have a bad front three themselves. The clash of the man-mountains in Tonga’huia and Ross should be fascinating. The worry I would have for Leinster is Cian Healy – brilliant in the loose, he has been known to leak penalties in the scrum, and Mujati will be looking to squeeze him from the start. Whoever wins this early battle will be a key signal as to the shape of the game to come, and I’d give the Saints a marginal advantage from the off.

The rest of the pack is just as important. Leinster’s back three have been fantastic all season, with Sean O’Brien blossoming into one of the finest players in Ireland. Jamie Heaslip has continued his dominance at number 8, and Kevin McLaughlin has been given the nod to continue at blindside. His physicality at the breakdown and disruption at the line-out is a key strength for Leinster. Wood is a major loss for the Saints, but it doesn’t change the fact that they still have a very strong pack. Courtney Lawes is one of the new generation of English wonderkids, and continues to shine for his club. Strong in the line-out and in the loose, particularly in a defensive role, his early performance could be a game-changer in terms of momentum.

While I’d lean towards the Saints as regards the front row, Leinster’s back three are so powerful that, in the absence of Tom Wood, I’m going to call the scrum as pretty much even. The first few will be key. Heaslip will be looking to win a shove against the scrum early, and when that man gets fired up you’d better watch out. Both sides will attack from the start – whoever gets that first breakthrough will make it count.

Number 10. Jonathan Sexton has been the best outhalf in Europe this season. His tactical play has been superb, giving Leinster position and strong defence, and he’s kicked close to 90% of his shots at goal so far. Steadiness is fast becoming a synonym.

On the other hand, you have Stephen Myler. He’s streaky as bacon, both in terms of set-piece and in-play. I’ve seen him miss six kicks in a row, and seen him kick everything under the sun. No one needs an early confidence boost like Myler. Leinster need to get to him early, put in some big hits and put pressure on his clearances. If you let him get into his stride he’s as dynamic as they come. Knock him off and Jim Mallinder will have to turn to Shane Geraghty sooner than he would have liked.

Leinster definitely have the advantage at number 10, but they must make it count early and get inside Myler’s head. That alone could win them the game.

Won And Lost?

The final sees two team with amazing attacking ability – Ashton and Foden on the one hand, O’Driscoll, Shane Horgan and Isa Nacewa on the other. What will be decisive, however, is the defence. The Saints defence has been good for the entirety of their European campaign, and held firm against serious Leciester pressure at the weekend before succumbing to Alesano Tuilagi in the end. Leinster, though, have been rock solid. They have had the best defence in Europe all year, and that is where they will win this match. Northampton can hammer away for the whole game, but Leinster can hold firm, particularly with O’Driscoll back in the side. Isa Nacewa is strong tracking back, and I can see Leinster holding out longer than the Saints. Ashton and Foden could break through at some point, and with James Downey and Bruce Reihana also in that back line they’re not short of talent, but Leinster know how to defend when their lives depend on it. They’ve had a tougher run to the final this year, and proven themselves against every opponent.

I think both teams will touch down tries; they both play an attractive game, but Leinister should be able to get past their opposition one time too many, particularly as players begin to tire.

A final factor? The bench. Northampton have a great starting 15, but after that, their resources just don’t match Leinster. Leinster have cover in the shape of Fergus McFadden, Shane Jennings, Isaac Boss and Heinke van der Merwe, all top-class players. It was arguably van der Merwe’s introduction that swung the semi-final against Toulouse on the hour-mark. As the battering continues, front rows are bound to tire, even Tonga’huia, and I reckon that Leinster just have a bit more in reserve.

PreJudgement: An absolute cracker of a match. I think this could be as fine a game of club rugby as you’ll see this year. Both teams have an incredible passion and desire, backed up by some fantastic talent, both young and old. In the end though, I think experience will tell, and the cannier and older team will come out on top.

Leinster by 6.

Ricky Januarie: Are we flogging a dead horse?

So, a 47 test veteran for the Springboks with 72% win record but at 29 years of age and looking overweight and unfit, should he really be in the SupeRugby setup let alone the International setup?

His stats are good but the bottom line is why is he being favoured over players that clearly have more to offer, are younger, fitter and more consistent?

There are 5 scrum -halves that have been named in the Springbok provisional squad : Du Preez, Januarie, Hougaard, Pretorius & McLeod. Who would you cut from those five names? In fairness Hougaard has struggled with injury and du Preez hasn't been his best, McLeod has been in sparkling form but Sarel Pretorius, WOW, he has been sensational!

Yes, Hougaard doesn't start but he can fill a utility position in the Squad. Januarie has hardly started for the Stormers in this season SupeRugby Tournament, he has been playing behind a great young talent in Dewaldt Duvenhage.

Peter de Villiers has said in interviews that he is speaking to the player (Januarie) regarding his fitness and weight. Surely, he should not be rewarded for being out of shape with a Springbok call up and surely that is a conversation that Allister Coetzee (Stormers Coach) should be having?

I don't think he should be in the mix when it comes to Springbok selection and possibly SupeRugby selection until he sorts himself out. In this professional era all players have access to dieticians, fitness consultants, training plans just to mention a few perks but the bottom line is, YOUR A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE! Act like one and show the discipline to look after yourself and your physique. The rest will fall into place as he undoubtedly has the talent and skill.

Most of our memories of Januarie of late have been negative but there is one thing we all remember about him and that's his game winning try against the All Blacks!

SA Players Abroad: Scott Mathie (Leeds Carnegie)

At 1.79m and weighing just shy of 90kg's Scott Mathie was born in Durban early in 1983. Mathie has played for Leeds since 2008 but prior to that played Currie Cup and SupeRugby for the Sharks.
At the Sharks he played behind Ruan Pienaar and Rory Kockott in his first few seasons there. After Kockott injured himself Mathie forced his way back into the first team set up. 
Leeds Carnegie are at the bottom of the Aviva Premiership and face relegation, Head Coach Neil Back has also quit citing he has done all in his power and can do no more.

SupeRugby Round 12 Recap:

There were no real surprises in this past weeks results. The Cheetahs came out and smashed the daylights out of the Lions, I did think the Lions would challenge more and possibly win it. Other than that it was business as usual for most of the teams and for the first time in a while the Highlanders fall out of play off contention.

• The Hurricanes narrowly lost to the Blues in the opening game to Round 12. The Hurricanes looked a lop sharper than the usual rubbish they have been producing. An extremely hard and tough game and I think the Hurricanes might be turning the corner here...Lets see how they fare against the Highlanders in Round 13. Blues winning 17-11
• The Reds took all the points against the Rebels but the latter showed that you could unsettle the Reds team. It was never a cut and dry type of a win for the Reds as you always seemed to think the Rebels could pull one back. 12 kicking points missed by the Rebels changes things a bit. Reds winning 33-18
• The Cheetahs absolutely destroyed the Lions team on Friday night. Five tries scored by the visiting team and fullback Riaan Viljoen with a 3 tries earns him player of the week. The Lions were completely outplayed and looked extremely poor. Coach John Mitchell will no doubt run them into the ground this week. A serious miss on my Round 12 PreJudgement as I took a chance with the Lions. Cheetahs winning 53-19
• The Chiefs won what was always going to be a tough game for both the teams. The Highlanders have however been lacking some impetus in the past few weeks and it seems they are running out of gas for the end part of the season. The Chiefs are still 10 points behind the Highlanders but will no doubt be trying to catch them in the next few weeks. After this coming weekend they have 4 games left and 1 bye. Could they make the play offs? Chiefs winning 20-7 
• Waratahs fought hard for a win against the Force. It was a close game well fought out by both teams. I PreJudged a draw in this game and wasn't far off. The Waratahs needed the win to slip into the Wildcard section of the tournament. Great game to watch and a true derby game. Waratahs winning 20-15
• The game of the weekend was won by the visitors at Newlands on Saturday. The Crusaders won this tough game with some awesome skill from Sonny Bill Williams and 2 tries from prop Wyatt Crockett. Neither the Stormers or the Crusaders are in danger of missing out on qualification for the playoffs but how will this affect the Stormers now that they travel? Crusaders winning 20-14
• The Sharks did not slip up against the Brumbies as most people had predicted. An emphatic bonus point win has given the Durban based side the momentum again to push forward for the next 4 games. They are on a bye this week, then its 4 games on the trot to finish up. Sharks winning 34-16

WTF of the Week: Peter de Villiers stupid comments regarding SBW (Read Here)
Team of the Week: Cheetahs
Player of the Week: Riaan Viljoen (Cheetahs)

The Hurricanes are missing Piri Weepu:

There is no doubting the fact that the Hurricanes are extremely poor this season. The more you think about why one name stand out, and thats Piri Awahou Tihou Weepu. The All Black has been missing since he broke his leg in the NPC last season.
Better known as a scrumhalf he has played the last few seasons at flyhalf. To add to his versatility he has been the Hurricanes' first choice kicker for a number of seasons. I do know that he played a club game in the last week or so, so lets hope he is back to full fitness and we can see him in SupeRugby soon.

SupeRugby Round 12 PreJudgement:

I am not sure how the Bulls will be feeling having a buy this week. They will either welcome the break or will be chomping at the bit to start securing bonus point wins again. The Blues will be looking to extend their lead on the log. We are spoilt for choice regarding good games this week but there is no doubt that all eyes will be on the Stormers v Crusaders game at Newlands on Saturday. 

Hurricanes v Blues (Wellington)
The more I look at the team sheets the more I fear for the future of the Hurricanes coaching staff. The only real weakness I can see on the Blues team would be Stephan Brett's kicking. They have an extremely solid tight five and loose trio along with a fantastic backline. No Corey Jane for the Hurricanes but, he isn't having the best season ever.
PreJudgement: Blues by 17 

Rebels v Reds (Melbourne)
The Reds will need the Crusaders and Hurricanes to help them out if they want to go top of the log. They will be looking to secure 5 points in Melbourne on Friday and bounce back from their loss last week. Will Genia and Quade Cooper are the only two players to start in every game this season and the Australian half back pairing will be looking to tear into the SupeRugby newbies.
PreJudgement: Reds by 9

Lions v Cheetahs (Johannesburg)
The only South African derby of the weekend and the more you look into it better it gets. The Cheetahs are looking to build on their brilliant performance from last week while the Lions are looking to put their get only their second win of the season. These head to heads are mouthwatering : Brussow v Grobbelaar, Johnson v Strauss, Pretorius v Kockott, Burger v Mapoe. Dylan des Fountain makes his SupeRugby debut for the Cheetahs and I am looking forward to seeing how he gets on. This might be closer than initially thought.
PreJudgement: Lions by 5

Chiefs v Highlanders (Hamilton)
The Highlanders could end up outside the wildcards at the end of the weekend if they don't beat the Chiefs. They take on their third derby in three weeks and travel to Hamilton to take on a team that could shake them around a bit. Adam Thomson returns and will be looking to pick up where he left off two games ago.
PreJudgement: Chiefs by 9

Waratahs v Force (Sydney)
A tough game to call but the Waratahs are desperate to win to move above the Sharks and the Highlanders (should they lose). Players to keep an eye on will be James O'Connor, Willie Ripia, Kurtley Beale and Luke Burgess.
PreJudgement: Draw

Stormers v Crusaders (Cape Town)
What can I say about this game that hasn't been said already? We are all looking forward to the possible Springbok v AB centre pairing pre-world cup showdown. I think Lionel Cronje might be out of his depth in this fixture and I also think that all the hype has been on the #12 &13 match up, but Israel Dagg will be the danger man for the Crusaders.
PreJudgement: Crusaders by 5

Sharks v Brumbies (Durban)
A desperate game for both teams. The Brumbies are just looking for log points to brighten up their gloomy season but the Sharks, on the other hand, are fighting to stay in the running to be Champions. They are coming off an extremely poor performance against the Stormers and will be looking to prove to themselves and their supporters that they are worthy title contenders. A welcome return for longtime injured flanker Jean Deysel at 7 for the Sharks.
PreJudgement: Sharks by 11

SupeRugby Round 11 Recap:

This SupeRugby Recap has taken longer than usual to get posted purely for ONE reason, I HAVE BEEN SULKING! Well done to the Stormers on beating the Sharks. Honestly, the Sharks were beaten but a Stormers team that would have beaten anyone on the day. If the Stormers carry on like that the SupeRugby Trophy will stay in SA. My second apology goes to the Bulls. I wrote you off and what a turn around you produced. It was great to see a fight back like that.
The one positive thing for SA rugby is that, we as SupeRugby franchises have struggled to finish teams off when dominating them. This was not the case this weekend. The Cheetahs, Bulls and Stormers all went for the jugular when they smelled fear. Extremely professional performance and it will help towards the latter part of the season.
Here is my brief Recap of Round 11:

• The Blues won a typically tough and brutal derby game against the Highlanders. I didn't expect the Highlanders to maintain their top form, but lets hope they can come back against the Chiefs this weekend. Blues winning 15-10
• Take a bow, Cheetahs! What a performance. An awesome display of grit and determination and a will to win. Yet another great performance from scrum half Sarel Pretorius produced a brace of tries. the Brumbies continue to struggle through this seasons SupeRugby tourney and will be desperate and hungry for a win at the Shark Tank next round. Cheetahs winning 47-36
• The Hurricanes beat the much fancied visitors, Queensland Reds, by two points after Aaron Cruden slotted the match winning points from a penalty in the 80th minute. The Reds only lead twice but fought back well in the second half and eventually were leading by 1 with nine minutes to go. Hurricanes winning 28-26
• The Waratahs beat the Rebels convincingly as you would expect. One wonders if the Rebels upsets are all but finished for this season. All the tries were scored by the forwards and the only blemish was the Waratahs not getting a bonus point. Waratahs winning 28-9 
• The Crusaders brushed off their loss last week to the Highlanders by taking it out on the Force. The try count finished at 5-2 in favour of the Crusaders but the lead changed hands a number of times. Even when Richie McCaw spent 10 mins in the bin did they only concede 8 points. Crusaders winning 42-30
• I write this and smile just at the thought of what I wrote about the Bulls in this Round 11 PreJudgement. I applaud the Bulls performance (even if they did whore themselves out for money and play in Red). They trailed 20-3 in the 31st minute and not only scored 4 tries in their victory but kept the Chiefs virtually pointless after that too. In fairness the Chiefs let in 3 tries in 6 minutes which is a serious drop in concentration. Congratulations again to the Bulls. Bulls winning 43-27
• Aah yes, my favorite part of this piece! The review of the Sharks vs Stormers. well done Stormers. There, I said it. The Sharks were extremely disappointing and paid the price for going into this game not completely focussed. The Stormers and specifically the centre pairing destroyed the Sharks and they never recovered. Stormers securing a valuable bonus point win - 32-12

Player of the Week: Jean de Villiers
Team of the Week: Cheetahs
WTF of the Week: Meyer Bosmans performance at Centre

SA Players Abroad: Schalk Brits (Saracens)

Schalk Brits is another one of South Africa's best exports. If you want to dive deeper into it you will see that it was almost a no brainer considering he was schooled at Paul Roos Gymnasium and Stellenbosch University.
He left the Stormers/WP at the end of 2009 to play for the English Club Saracens.
Since his move he has notched up more points than caps for the club. The reason being is that as a tight forward (hooker) he plays like a loosie with the skills of a flyhalf. I honestly believe that he is a centre stuck in a hookers body, Wow! Did I just say that?
Truth be told, this reason probably didn't allow him to play more for the Springboks. When the Boks were hunting for a massive and solid tight five they overlooked an extremely mobile and talented player. I hope we get to see more of Brits in the SupeRugby years to come. In the mean time you can watch 5ft 11in running, passing, side-stepping hooker playing in the AVIVA Premiership for Saracens. You won't be disappointed.

Watch Schalk Brits in action against Wasps:

Heineken Cup Semi Finals Recap:

I hope you got to watch the 2 semi final game this weekend, as they were both good. Hugh has completed his post game write ups on both Semi Finals, here they are:

After another weekend of pulsating Heineken Cup rugby, the stage is set. On 21st May, the last two teams standing will play for the most prestigious crown in club rugby.

Their paths to the final have been different, but they promise another enthralling showdown.

Leinster v. Toulouse

This was, quite simply, one of the finest rugby matches I have ever watched. The atmosphere in Dublin was incredible, with the home supporters as vocal and as involved as you could wish. The 4,000 who traveled from the south of France to cheer on the defending champions may have been outnumbered, but they made their limited presence felt.

Right from the off it was clear we were in for something special. Then, 4 minutes later, we had as strange a start as you can get - David Skrela's opening penalty attempt clipped the post and, after bouncing cruelly over Brian O'Driscoll's head, sat up for Florian Fritz to gather and touch down for an early lead for the visitors. The question as to how the home team would respond to such a painful start was answered immediately as Gordon D'Arcy powered through the middle before winning a penalty to cut the deficit. A Skrela drop goal followed by another Sexton penalty kept the difference at 4 points until the half hour mark. After several phases where the forwards exerted pressure on the French defence, Sexton's pass found the ever-impressive Jamie Heaslip who powered over for Leinster's first try. 

Leinster's talisman Brian O'Driscoll was sin-binned late in the first half, but the French couldn't make it count, with the scores at 40 mins reading 16-13 in Leinster's favour.

 It looked as though the game was turning in Toulouse's favour early in the second half, when Louis Picamoles peeled off the back of a powerful scrum to give the French a 20-16 lead. But, as ever, when Leinster or Ireland are in trouble, who came to the rescue? After a huge scrum powered by substitute Heinke van der Merwe, the ball found it's way to O'Driscoll who crashed over for the score. The lead went to 9 points, and the day was won.

So what does this game tell us about Leinster's hopes in the final? It tells us that they are a team with a hell of a lot of belief, as well as no small amount of talent. Falling behind early and losing O'Driscoll for ten minutes didn't stop them. In the PreJudgement I looked at the key areas as being Leinster's back row and the battle at 10. Johnny Sexton as brilliant - he kicked 8 from 8 off the tee, and his tactical kicking was a good as any. He faces a streaky 10 in the final in Stephen Myler, and some early pressure from Sexton could do a lot to swing that game. In the back row, Jamie Heaslip. That is all. Future captain of Ireland and Leinster, the man is truly terrifying to watch when he gets pumped up - when that scrum was won to set up the O'Driscoll try, you could see the bloodlust in Heaslip's eyes. The scrum will be huge again in the final, and that man is the natural leader at the base.

It's no surprise that when the going got tough for Leinster, it was their signature players who came up with the goods. Every player performed yesterday, but it was Heaslip, Sexton and O'Driscoll who did the needful at the right time. Toulouse made a fantastic game of it, and were up for the match right until the end, but it was the determination and bravery of the home team that kept them at bay. It's very difficult to see Leinster failing to pick up a second European crown in 3 years, but let's wait and see. If they can deliver another performance like that in Cardiff, we've got some final on our hands.

Northampton v. Perpignan

Leinster's final opponents had an easier time of it in their semi-final, but it was of their own making. Our preview looked at the key areas being the scrum and the full-back spot, where both teams play as attacking a 15 as you'll see in the northern hemisphere.

This was borne out within the first ten minutes as Ben Foden nipped in for the Saints' first try, before setting off on a scything run through the Perpignan defence only minutes later. On 17 minutes, Northampton scored their second try, and it was all over bar the shouting.

Perpignan managed a try just before half-time, but failed to trouble the scorers in the second half. They were unable to breach a rock-solid Saints defence, while the English scrum dealt manfully with the simply huge Perpignan pack. Phil Dowson at 7 was instrumental in the first try, and the back row were impressive all day, while the mighty props either side of captain Dylan Hartley performed in both the scrum and in the loose to help script the win.

Perhaps as important as anything was the performance of fly-half Stephen Myler. As I never fail to mention, he's a confidence player. After missing his first kick at goal, it was imperative that he slotted over the conversion from Foden's try, which he managed from 15 metres in from the touch line. With that confidence, he went on to manage the game well, and Saints coach Jim Mallinder will be delighted with Myler heading into the final. In Johnny Sexton, he's up against the best outhalf in Europe, and he'll need to punish every mistake made by the Leinstermen.

Were Northampton to win the trophy, they would be the first team to go through a campaign unbeaten. It could be argued that they have had an easier path to the final from Leinster - then again, a young and inexperienced team have performed beyond any expectations had of them (except me, I backed them at a cheeky 12/1 back in September). Their young guns are some of England's key players in the World Cup plan, and they stood up to the task on Sunday, with Foden and Ashton combining beautifully to split the defence of the French. The final in Cardiff will undoubtedly be their biggest test yet, but you can be sure that this team will be up for it.

Three weeks seems a long time to wait, but it will be worth it. See you then.

Player of the Week: Jamie Heaslip

Team of the Week: Northampton Saints