Canterbury Challenge: Bryan Habana

In the quest to get an unbreakable rugby jersey Canterbury have challenged a number of International Players to try and tear/break the new design jersey, This is Bryan Habana...

Springbok Photo Shoot

Leading into the Tri Nations and IRB Rugby World Cup all brands involved are trying to maximise their exposure by advertising and capitalising on the excitement. Watch and Enjoy as a few of the Springboks and Canterbury do a shoot.

What motivates these teams in the Knock Outs?

With the qualifiers and wild cards sorted I am taking a little look at the past and what it really means for the teams in the next few weeks. Besides the Trophy and money, the international selection for each player, these teams have either won it or come second, besides the table toppers, the Reds. They want it and they want it bad! All the following stats exclude Super 10 (Pre-SANZAR).

The Reds:

There is no doubting that they are having the best season in their history. Coach Ewen McKenzie has been working his magic for them since late 2009 and it seems to be paying dividends...but for how long? There half back pairing has been the main focus this season as Will Genia and Quade Cooper have been destroying the opposition. The have finished top this season and have earned a week off. The Reds have been losing semi finalists three times in their history, the last being in 2001, and will be looking to cap a top of the log season off with the trophy.

The Stormers:

It is great to see that they have built on their good performance from last year. They are looking much better and their combinations and depth will help. They have lacked the deadly finishing of Bryan Habana but they have been able to cope without him... and he aint done yet. They look solid up front and look deadly out wide... Cape Town has been patiently waiting for this trophy for some time. Losing finalist in 2010, they will be looking to go one better and have set themselves up perfectly for it.

The Crusaders:

The seven time champions have made it into the knock out stages...yet again. Their experience on this end of the tournament will be crucial to them making the final. The have had by far the most disruptive and emotional season ever and their is no doubt that they will want to prove to everyone that they can overcome it and win this tournament, not only for themselves but in memory of all those who lost their lives in that tragic earthquake. They have produced some of the best running rugby this season and will have to thank their powerhouse forwards for that clean ball. Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Sonny Bill Williams and Robbie Fruean     are all desperate for this.

The Blues:

They dominated in the first two years but since then have played second fiddle to the Crusaders. They have turned their season around and will be looking to take their forward momentum and capitalise. The have struggled at fly half but Stephen Brett seems to be settling nicely with Luke McAlister  outside him. Jarred Payne and Kevin Mealamu have both had solid seasons. With three wins and one runner up they will be looking to win and start challenging the Crusaders.

The Waratahs:

Two times runners up, the Sydney based Waratahs have sneaked into the knock out phases of the tournament. Fair enough they needed some results to go their way but they're in and are going to show their true fight now. They have been playing second fiddle to the Brumbies in the Australian SupeRugby pissing contest and we all know how big that rivalry is. With the nerves of the last week gone and the focus of the Blues this weekend who knows what they will dish up.

The Sharks:

They did their utmost to finish seventh this season after a great start. Eventually head coach John Plumtree knocked some sense into the players and they sneaked into the wildcard spot, I just don't think sneaked is the correct word here. If ever the Durban boys needed any motivation or belief they got it last weekend against the Bulls. They have a solid team with a few of the bigger names only coming into their own now. The young shoulders of Pat Lambie have been carrying this team the entire season. They will never forget and will be looking to make amends for their last minute loss to the Bulls in 2007. If they are to do it they are going to take the toughest road traveled as they won't be playing at home again this season.

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SupeRugby Round 17 Recap:

And then there were seven fighting for six places. The only real surprise out of this weekend were the Lions. They came at the Sharks so hard that it took them about an hour to recover from the initial shock. This weekends games are going to be massive as the Bulls, Sharks and 'Tahs fight for two positions. The rest are fighting for prime positioning on the log.

• After all the controversy surrounding the Hurricanes this week it was good to see the players in the middle of it stepped up. It was however a rather tame game but you would have thought the chiefs would have finished the 'Canes off with a 10 point half time lead. It was however not to be and the 'Canes fought back well for a draw. Points level at 18 all.
• The Brumbies made short work of the Rebels at Canberra. The Rebels were never really in it apart from a tiny little burst around the 60th minute. The Brumbies however never lost control and ran in five tries to the two from the Rebels. Brumbies winning 32-17.
• The Crusaders too the Blues down in Timaru to take top spot in the NZ conference by one point. The Crusaders were briefly behind in the early parts of the first half but pulled it together and never looked back. Crusaders winning 23-16.
• Both the Waratahs and the Highlanders were in a battle to secure a play off position when they clashed in Sydney. It was the Aussies that clearly wanted it more as they ran in five tries to one. Tom Carter scored a hat trick of tries as he was clearly enjoying his new position at outside centre. Waratahs winning 33-7
• What an epic battle this game was. The Force were in a great position to shut out the table toppers but just could not withstand the pressure that they were put under. The Force deserved the win but the Reds earned it. It was a great game and the result came down to missed conversions by the Force. reds winning 24-21
• The Sharks might as well have been on the bus for the first 40. That is the only way to explain why they only started playing from the 53rd minute. The Lions were great and they showed why I believe they will be a great outfit next season. They made one mistake though, and that was when the Sharks woke up after 53 minutes it seemed that the opposite happened to the home team. The Lions did not register a single point after the 48th minute and leaked 21 points to allow the Sharks to earn a draw. I fell the Sharks have thrown their season away with this result but lets see the fighting spirit against the Bulls. 30-30
• Although there were only two tries in the game it was one of the most exciting games to watch. The first half was as boring as they come with only three penalties kicked in 40 minutes but the second half came alive albeit only from the 65 minute. Bryan Habana nearly stole the show in the dying seconds but could not escape the pace of Bjorn Basson. Bulls winning 19-16

This weeks action is going to be heartbreaking for some as there is a fight for the top two positions as well as just a place in the knock outs. What will SupeRugby deliver for us this week, the last of the league stages?

Player of the Week: Tom Carter
Team of the Week: The Lions
WTF of the Week: The Sharks seemingly flushing the competition down the toilet.

Adidas and the Stormers are ALL IN

A few of the Stormers were at Canal Walk, Cape Town promoting the new Adidas campaign, Adidas All In. Some of the Stormers Springbok representatives were present: Schalk Burger, Peter Grant, Jaque Fourie, Bryan Habana, CJ van der Linde, Jean de Villiers, Gio Aplon and Juan de Jongh.

Just looking at these eight players it is no surprise that the Stormers are top of the SupeRugby log. The Stormers have the added bonus of welcoming captain, Schalk Burger, back from injury on Saturday, as he starts against the Sharks in Durban.Conrad Jantjies returns from injury too but can't make the Stormers squad to travel to Durban and plays in the Vodacom Cup.