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

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!