2012 Super 15 semi finals results & live score sheets

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Friday 27 July, 5.35pm AES kick-off. Waikato Stadium, Hamilton. Chiefs 20-17 Crusaders. Attendance: 25000. (click on the link for video highlights of the match)

FT result: Chiefs 20 ( Tries: Taumalolo, Messam ; 2 conv & 2 pens: Cruden ) – Crusaders 17 ( Tries: Crotty; 4 pens: Carter)

The Chiefs are through to the 2012 Super Rugby final after defeating the Crusaders 20-17 in Hamilton last night. They will play the winner of the second semi-final between the Stormers and Sharks which will be played tonight in the Republic (Saturday).

Teams:

Chiefs: 15 Robbie Robinson, 14 Tim Nanai-Williams, 13 Andrew Horrell, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Asaeli Tikoirotuma, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8 Kane Thompson, 7 Tanerau Latimer, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 Craig Clarke (cap), 3 Ben Tameifuna, 2 Mahonri Schwalger, 1 Sona Taumalolo.
Bench: 16 Hika Elliot, 17 Ben Afeaki, 18 Michael Fitzgerald, 19 Sam Cane, 20 Brendon Leonard, 21 Jackson Willison, 22 Lelia Masaga.

Crusaders: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Adam Whitelock, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Richie McCaw (cap), 7 Matt Todd, 6 George Whitelock, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Ben Franks, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Bench: 16 Quentin MacDonald, 17 Owen Franks, 18 Tom Donnelly, 19 Luke Whitelock, 20 Willi Heinz, 21 Tom Taylor, 22 Sean Maitland.

Sunday 29 July, 1am AES kick off. Newlands stadium, Cape Town. Attendance: 48000. FT: Stormers 19-26 Sharks

Full-time result: Stormers 19 ( Tries: Aplon ; 4 pens & 1 conv: Grant ) – Sharks 26 ( Tries: Ludik, JP Pietersen  ; 2 drops, 2 convs & 2 pens: Michalak)

Etzebeth’s hit up on Bismark du Plessis after less than 5 minutes set up the tone of the match: it was going to be brutal and it sure was.  The Sharks have been dominant at scrum-time and capitalised through Michalak’s boot, the Frenchman scoring his now trademark drop goal.

The Stormers became bolder as we advanced in this first half, Habana getting very close to the try-line at the half hour mark but it’s Louis Ludik who scored the only five-pointer of the first half just before the break. 13-6 for the Sharks at the break.

When JP Pietersen sliced through Stormers defence at the hour mark after some great work from Michalak, the 48000-strong Newlands crowd was suddenly silenced, thinking that their guys hadn’t shown the type of rugby needed to break Sharks defence and score a couple of converted tries in the last 20 minutes.

But Gio Aplon did revive their hopes when he scored a try 15 minutes from the end. De Villier’s choice to kick a goal a few minutes from the end rather than have a go at scoring a try was probably not the best decision he made as although Peter Grant did convert from 15 metres in front, the Sharks got the little breezer they needed. Then their mercurial Frenchman scored another drop goal and it was all over for the locals.

Another trip across a couple of oceans awaits the Sharks next week. What a final it will be in Hamilton against SBW’s Chiefs for what will be his last Super rugby match before moving to Japan then the NRL again in 2013.

Teams:

Stormers: 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers (cap), 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Deon Fourie, 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Bench: 16 Frans Malherbe, 17 Deon Carstens, 18 De Kock Steenkamp, 19 Don Armand, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Gerhard van den Heever.

Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Tim Whitehead, 12 Meyer Bosman, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Charl McLeod, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Marcell Coetzee, 6 Keegan Daniel (cap), 5 Anton Bresler, 4 Willem Alberts, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Bench: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Steven Sykes, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Jacques Botes, 21 Odwa Ndungane, 22 Riaan Viljoen.

2012 Super 15 results & live score sheets, qualifying finals

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Saturday 21 July, 5.35 AES kick-off. AMI Stadium, Christchurch. Crusaders 28-13 Bulls. Attendance: 16000. (click on the link for video highlights of the match)

FT result: Crusaders 28 ( Tries: Guilford ; 1 convs, 1 drop & 6 pens: Carter) – Bulls 13 (Tries: D. Potgieter, Olivier ; 1 pen: Steyn)

1st half

Crusaders all over the Bulls in this first half with close to 70% territorial advantage. The saffas have been penalised far too many times for silly mistakes, Dan Carter converting a few penalties to give the kiwis a 16-3 lead at half-time. Ralepelle had to leave the field early in the first half, injured. Morné Steyn kicked pretty much all attacking balls he got and some of these kicks were just very average to say the least. Zac Guilford scored the only try of the first half using his speed and great footwork.

2nd half

Nothing much in the second half as Dan Carter extended Crusaders lead through a couple of goals before Dewald Potgieter gave a little bit of hope to the Bulls when he scored a try just after the hour mark, 22-8. But it was too little too late and the Crusaders will again play super rugby semi-finals next week. Great record.

Teams:

Crusaders: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Adam Whitelock, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Richie McCaw (cap), 7 Matt Todd, 6 George Whitelock, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements: 16 Quentin MacDonald, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Tom Donnelly, 19 Luke Whitelock, 20 Willi Heinz, 21 Tom Taylor, 22 Sean Maitland.

Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies (cap), 7 Jacques Potgieter, 6 Dewald Potgieter, 5 Juandre Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Dean Greyling.
Replacements: 16 Willie Wepener, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Deon Stegmann, 19 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Louis Fouché, 22 Francois Venter.

Saturday 21 July, 7.40pm AES kick-off. Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane. Reds 17-30 Sharks. Attendance: 30000 (click on the link for video highlights of the match)

FT: Reds 17 (Tries: Genia, Samo ; 2 conv & 1 pen: Harris) – Sharks 30 (Tries: JP Pietersen, Jordaan, McLeod  ;  3 convs, 1 drop goal & 2 pens: Michalak )

1st half

The Sharks came to Brisbane to play and it showed: great start, 2-3 superb moves with a very good Michalak and a great try by JP Pietersen in the first quarter of the game. Who would have thought?! And the show continued, Paul Jordaan scoring a great try of his own. What a rugby they are playing tonight the Sharks. The Reds are struggling at the breakdown, the set piece, in the game…just not their night so far. And they lost Ben Lucas after 20 minutes, injured. Genia restored some pride just before half time by scoring a great try following a bad pass by Michalak half way.

2nd half

It didn’t get any better for the Reds at the start of the second half with McLeod scoring a 70m try after reading well a long pass by Genia. Intercept, 70m race to the try-line, no one had the legs to catch the SA scrum-half.  

The Reds put a lot of pressure on the Sharks and had 93% possession in the first 20 minutes of the second half. They thought they had scored when Liam Gill dived over the line with the ball in his hands but the video ref was the only one to disagree….big, big call really.

This call did break Queenslanders’ spirit and the Sharks cruised to victory fairly comfortably during the last quarter.

No aussie side in the semis, 2 kiwis and 2 south Africans. 2012, a year to forget for Australian provincial rugby. Stormers v Sharks and Chiefs v Crusaders in the semis next week.

Teams:

Reds: 15 Luke Morahan, 14 Dom Shipperley, 13 Anthony Faingaa, 12 Mike Harris, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Ben Lucas, 9 Will Genia (cap), 8 Scott Higginbotham, 7 Liam Gill, 6 Jake Schatz, 5 Adam Wallace-Harrison, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 James Slipper, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Greg Holmes.
Replacements: 16 James Hanson, 17 Ben Daley, 18 Radike Samo, 19 Jarrad Butler, 20 Beau Robinson, 21 Nick Frisby, 22 Ben Tapuai.

Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Tim Whitehead, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Charl McLeod, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Marcell Coetzee, 6 Keegan Daniel (cap), 5 Anton Bresler, 4 Willem Alberts, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Steven Sykes, 19 Jacques Botes, 20 Cobus Reinach, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 Odwa Ndungane.

2012 Super 15 results & live score sheets, round 18

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Friday 13 July, 5.35 AES kick-off. FT result: Hurricanes 28-25 Chiefs. Westpac Stadium, Wellington. Attendance: 23500.  (click on the link for video highlights of the match)

Score full-time: Hurricanes 28 (Tries: Savea 2, Coles; 2 convs  & 3 pen: Barrett) – Chiefs 25 (Tries: Kerr-Barlow, Tameifuna, Cruden ; 2 conv & 2 pen: Cruden)

What a match it was! Westpac stadium was at its best tonight to welcome 2 happy stories of the year. Both teams needed a win with bonus in order to secure a/ the first spot and home semi (Chiefs) b/ to keep their hopes of a semi-final alive. And they wasted no time to show their intentions offering one of best rugby seen this year during the first half. Great tries, great running rugby, no or just a few errors, it was awesome to watch. Savea again showed what a classy player he is while Cruden offered some fantastic moments. His intercept and try at the hour mark proved to be the difference tonight ..or se we thought! 82nd minutes, replacement prop dan Coles scores what looks like a try after a 5 minute-siege of the Chiefs try-line. video-ref says yes. Unbelievable. The Canes are still alive while the Chiefs could well lose the home advantage if other results don’t go their way. Gutting after such a year.

Teams:

Hurricanes: 15 Andre Taylor, 14 Cory Jane/Alapati Leiua, 13 Conrad Smith (c), 12 Tim Bateman, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Chris Eaton/Frae Wilson, 8 Victor Vito, 7 Jack Lam, 6 Faifili Levave, 5 Jason Eaton, 4 Jeremy Thrush, 3 Ben May, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Reg Goodes.
Replacements: 16 Motu Matu’u, 17 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 18 James Broadhurst, 19 Brad Shields , 20 Frae Wilson/Jamie Nutbrown, 21 Tusi Pisi, 22 Jayden Hayward.

Chiefs: 15 Andrew Horrell, 14 Lelia Masaga, 13 Jackson Willison, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Robbie Robinson, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8 Kane Thompson, 7 Tanerau Latimer, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 Craig Clarke (c), 3 Ben Tameifuna, 2 Hika Elliot, 1 Toby Smith.
Replacements: 16 Mahonri Schwalger, 17 Sona Taumalolo, 18 Michael Fitzgerald, 19 Sam Cane, 20 Brendon Leonard, 21 Asaeli Tikoirotuma, 22 Tim Nanai-Williams.

Saturday 14 July, 5.35 AES kick-off. Brumbies 16-30 Blues, Canberra stadium. Attendance: 13000

FT result: Brumbies 16 ( Tries: Speight ; 1 conv & 2 pens: Holmes; 1 pen: Mogg) – Blues 30 (Tries: Moli, Braid, Parkes ; 2 pens & 3 convs: Weepu; 1 pen: Hobbs)

The Brumbies needed only a point at home against one of the worse sides of 2013 to secure a finals berth ahead of the Reds and top the aussie conference. And they fail to deliver on D-day. What a bad timing to have an abysmal performance in defence and with the boot!

The Blues started the game with the right intentions, quickly scored a couple of tries and spent the afternoon in front on the scoreboard.

What a huge disappointment for Jake White’s men who went from home semi-finalist certainties to probably missing the finals in the space of 80 minutes. Final answer in a few hours.  

Teams:

Brumbies: 15 Jesse Mogg, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Andrew Smith, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Joe Tomane, 10 Zack Holmes, 9 Nic White, 8 Ben Mowen (c), 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Peter Kimlin, 5 Sam Carter, 4 Scott Fardy, 3 Dan Palmer, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Ben Alexander.
Replacements: 16 Anthony Hegarty, 17 Ruaidhri Murphy, 18 Leon Power, 19 Fotu Auelua, 20 Ian Prior, 21 Tevita Kuridrani, 22 Robbie Coleman.

Blues: 15 Charles Piutau, 14 Lachie Munro, 13 Francis Saili, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Hadleigh Parkes, 10 Michael Hobbs, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Luke Braid, 7 Daniel Braid, 6 Chris Lowrey, 5 Steven Luatua, 4 Liaki Moli, 3 Charlie Faumuina, 2 Keven Mealamu (c), 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 Tom McCartney, 17 Tevita Mailau, 18 Andrew Van der Heijden, 19 Peter Saili, 20 Alby Mathewson, 21 Orene Ai’i, 22 Sherwin Stowers.

Crusaders 38-24 Western Force. AMI stadium, Christchurch. Attendance: 15000

FT result: Crusaders 38 ( Tries: Dagg, Maitland, Ellis, Todd ; 3 convs & 2 pens: Carter; 2 pens: Taylor) – Western Force 24 (Tries: Godwin, Mafi, Holmes ; 1 pen: Seymour; 2 convs: Sheehan ; 1 conv: Godwin)

42 seconds. That’s what it took for the Crusaders to score their first try. And what a controversial try it was as Israel Dagg seemed to have lost control of the ball but the TMO was probably the only person not to see it this way.

The rest was a one-way traffic and the Crusaders will make the finals again this year. Last super rugby match for Nathan Sharpe after 162 games. Not quite the end of his rugby career though as he is expected to be called by Robbie Deans to play for the wallabies in the first rugby championship.

Teams:

Crusaders: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Adam Whitelock, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Richie McCaw (c), 7 Matt Todd, 6 George Whitelock, 5 Tom Donnelly, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Ben Franks.
Replacements: 16 Quentin MacDonald, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Samuel Whitelock, 19 Luke Whitelock, 20 Willi Heinz, 21 Tom Taylor, 22 Robbie Fruean.

Western Force: 15 Alfie Mafi, 14 Nick Cummins, 13 Patrick Dellit, 12 Rory Sidey, 11 Napolioni Nalaga, 10 Ben Seymour, 9 Brett Sheehan, 8 Lachlan McCaffrey, 7 Angus Cottrell, 6 Richard Brown, 5 Nathan Sharpe (c), 4 Toby Lynn, 3 Salesi Manu, 2 Nathan Charles, 1 Tetera Faulkner.
Replacements: 16 Ben Whittaker, 17 Ruan Smith, 18 Pek Cowan, 19 Ollie Atkins, 20 Josh Holmes, 21 Kyle Godwin, 22 Will Tupou.

Reds 32-16 Waratahs. Suncorp stadium, Brisbane. 7.40pm AES kick off. Attendance: 41533

FT: Reds 32 (Tries: Higginbotham, Gill, Slipper, Shipperley, Genia ; 1 pen & 2 convs: Harris) – Waratahs 16 (Tries: Mitchell, Carter ;  1 pen: Foley; 1 drop: Ashley-Cooper)

The equation was fairly simple: the Reds needed a bonus win to finish top of the Australian conference and make the finals. And they did just that. In front of more than 40000 spectators, Doug Shipperley the winger scored Reds 4^th try after 50 minutes giving a 24-11 advantage to his troops. 30 minutes to hold on and finish top of the ladder ahead of the Brumbies securing a semi-final berth. Incredible. The 2012 champs are still in the race.

Teams:

Reds: 15 Luke Morahan, 14 Dom Shipperley, 13 Anthony Faingaa, 12 Mike Harris, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia (c), 8 Scott Higginbotham, 7 Liam Gill, 6 Jake Schatz, 5 Adam Wallace-Harrison, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 James Slipper, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Greg Holmes.
Replacements: 16 James Hanson, 17 Ben Daley, 18 Radike Samo, 19 Beau Robinson, 20 Jarrad Butler, 21 Ben Lucas, 22 Ben Tapuai.

Waratahs: 15 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Grayson Hart, 8 Dave Dennis, 7 Chris Alcock, 6 Dean Mumm, 5 Kane Douglas, 4 Sitaleki Timani, 3 Paddy Ryan, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Benn Robinson (c).
Replacements: 16 John Ulugia, 17 Jeremy Tilse, 18 Lopeti Timani, 19 Jono Jenkins, 20 Brendan McKibbin, 21 Tom Carter, 22 Tom Kingston.

Stormers 26-21 Rebels. Newlands, Cape town

Stormers 26 (Tries: De Jongh 2; 2 convs & 4 pens: Grant) - Rebels 21 (Tries: Blake, Phipps, Vuna; 3 convs: Huxley)

Not an easy win against the Rebels but a win nonetheless. The Stormers finish overall n1 of the regular season booking a home semi and possibly final too should they win their sf. Favorites’ tag is for them.

Teams:

Stormers: 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Deon Fourie, 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 De Kock Steenkamp, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Brok Harris, 17 Deon Carstens, 18 Quinn Roux, 19 Jebb Sinclair, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Gerhard van den Heever.

Rebels: tbc

Sharks 34-15 Cheetahs, Kings Park Stadium, Durban

Sharks 34 (Tries: Daniel, McLeod, Coetzee, Kankowski; 4 convs & 2 pens: Michalak) - Cheetahs 15( 5 pens: Smit)

A win and a finals spot for the Sharks who had to fight back from a 6-15 deficit at half-time. They will play the Reds in Brisbane next w-e.

Teams:

Sharks: 15 Patrick Lambie, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Tim Whitehead, 12 Francois Steyn, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Charl McLeod, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Marcell Coetzee, 6 Keegan Daniel (capt), 5 Anton Bresler, 4 Jandre Marais, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Craig Burden, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Pieter-Steph du Toit/Jean Deysel, 19 Willem Alberts, 20 Jacques Botes, 21 Meyer Bosman/Paul Jordaan, 22 Louis Ludik.

Cheetahs: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Nico Scheepers, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Barry Geel, 11 Philip Snyman, 10 Riaan Smit, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Boom Prinsloo, 7 Pieter Labuschagne, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Izak van der Westhuizen, 4 Andries Ferreira, 3 WP Nel, 2 Adriaan Strauss (c), 1 Trevor Nyakane.
Replacements: 16 Hercu Liebenberg, 17 Marcel van der Merwe, 18 Waltie Vermeulen, 19 Ashley Johnson, 20 Jacques Coetzee, 21 Sias Ebersohn, 22 Andries Strauss.

Bulls 37-20 Lions. Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria

Bulls 37 (Tries: Ndungane, Basson, Hougaard, J Potgieter; 4 convs & 3 pens: Steayn) – Lions 20 (Tries: Bondesio, Strauss; 2 convs and 2 pens: Jantjies)

The Bulls have set up a trip to Christchurch to take on Crusaders in next week’s knockout stages after defeating the Lions 37-20 at Loftus.

Teams:

Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies (c), 7 Jacques Potgieter, 6 Dewald Potgieter, 5 Juandrè Kruger, 4 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Dean Greyling.
Replacements: 16 Willie Wepener, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Deon Stegmann, 19 CJ Stander, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Louis Fouchè, 22 Francois Venter.

Lions: 15 James Kamana, 14 Lionel Mapoe, 13 Waylon Murray, 12 Butch James, 11 Anthony Volmink, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Michael Bondesio, 8 Joshua Strauss (capt), 7 Grant Hattingh, 6 Derick Minnie, 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Hendrik Roodt, 3 Jacobie Adriaanse, 2 Callie Visagie, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.
Replacements: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 Ruan Dreyer, 18 Etienne Oosthuizen, 19 Jaco Kriel, 20 Ross Cronje, 21 JR Esterhuizen, 22 Ruan Combrinck.

2012 Super 15 results & live score sheets, round 17

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Friday 6 July, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton. Attendance: 25000. FT result: Chiefs 21-28 Crusaders  (click on the link for video highlights of the game)

Chiefs 21 (Tries: Retallick, SBW ; 1 conv and 3 pens: Cruden) – Crusaders 28 (Tries: Read, Romano, Ellis ; 2 pens, 2 convs and 1 drop goal: Carter)

The Chiefs have already booked their spot to the final and it was clear that the result mattered more to the Crusaders who had no choice but to win after their surprise loss at home last w-e against the Hurricanes.

The Chiefs started the game at full throttle but the Crusaders quickly found their game and dominated up front, Read and Romano scoring to tries before the break. Andy Ellis scored a rather controversial try at the beginning of the second half and the Crusaders were suddenly in a good position to leave Hamitlon with 4 points. SBW had another moment of brilliance and kept his troops within range but Carter managed to convert some important kicks. The Crusaders get 4 points and keep in the race for a finals spot.

Teams:

Chiefs: 15 Robbie Robinson, 14 Tim Nanai-Williams, 13 Andrew Horrell, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Asaeli Tikoirotuma, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8 Alex Bradley, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 Craig Clarke (cap), 3 Ben Tameifuna, 2 Mahonri Schwalger, 1 Sona Taumalolo.
Bench: 16 Hika Elliot, 17 Toby Smith, 18 Romana Graham, 19 Tanerau Latimer, 20 Brendon Leonard, 21 Jackson Willison, 22 Lelia Masaga.

Crusaders: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Adam Whitelock, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (cap), 6 George Whitelock, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Ben Franks, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Owen Franks.
Bench: 16 Quentin MacDonald, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Tom Donnelly, 19 Matt Todd, 20 Willi Heinz, 21 Tom Taylor, 22 Sean Maitland.

Reds 19-13 Highlanders. Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane. Attendance: 33899

Full time score: Reds 19 (Tries: slipper; 1 conv & 4 pens: Harris ) – Highlanders 13 (Tries: Thomson, King; 1 pen: Delany)

Try-less first half in Brisbane; F’Sautia who was probably the best player in the first half, did his hamstring just before the break and had to leave the field.

At the hour mark, the tries finally came in, first by Reds prop James Slipper then All Black Adam Thomson. But it’s Mike Harris who delivered the coup de grace kicking a penalty 8 minutes from the end that gave an 11 lead to the Reds, 19-8. Replacement prop Chirs King did score a try 5 minutes to the end but it was too little too late and the Reds get a crucial win in the race for a finals spot.

Teams:

Reds: 15 Luke Morahan, 14 Dom Shipperley, 13 Anthony Faingaa, 12 Mike Harris, 11 Chris F’Sautia, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Scott Higginbotham, 7 Beau Robinson, 6 Jake Schatz, 5 Adam Wallace-Harrison, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 James Slipper, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Greg Holmes.
Replacements: 16 James Hanson, 17 Ben Daley, 18 Radike Samo, 19 Jarrad Butler, 20 Ben Lucas, 21 Ben Tapuai, 22 Nick Frisby.

Highlanders: 15 Ben Smith, 14 Kade Poki, 13 Siale Piutau, 12 Phil Burleigh, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Mike Delany, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Nasi Manu, 7 James Haskell, 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Nick Crosswell, 4 Josh Bekhuis, 3 Ma’afu Fia, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Jamie Mackintosh (capt).
Replacements: 16 Jason Rutledge, 17 Chris King, 18 Jarrad Hoeata, 19 Tim Boys, 20 Aaron Smith, 21 Chris Noakes, 22 Kenny Lynn.

Sharks 32-10 Bulls, Kings park, Durban. Attendance: 35000

FT result: Sharks 32 ( Tries: B. du Plessis, JP Pietersen, Daniel, Ludik; 2 convs & 1 pen: Michalak ; 1 pen: F. Steyn; 1 conv: Bosman ) – Bulls 10 ( Tries: Kirschner ; 1 conv & 1 pen: Steyn )

Bonus point victory for the Sharks who were all over the Bulls from beginning to the end. Both teams are now even with 54 points each.

Teams:

Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Tim Whitehead, 12 Francois Steyn, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Charl McLeod, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Marcell Coetzee, 6 Keegan Daniel (cap), 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Anton Bresler, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Jandre Marais, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Cobus Reinach, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 Odwa Ndungane.

Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies (cap), 7 Jacques Potgieter, 6 Dewald Potgieter, 5 Juandre Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Dean Greyling.
Replacements: 16 Willie Wepener, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 CJ Stander, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Louis Fouche, 22 Francois Venter.

Saturday 7 July

Blues 32-9 Western Force. Eden Park, Auckland. Attendance: 10000

FT result: Blues 32 ( Tries: Luatua, Piuatau, Nonu, Luke Braid ; 3 conv & 2 pens: Munro) – Western Force 9 ( 3 pens: Seymour )

A dead rubber that lived up to its low expectations at Eden Park. The only sparks came from Charles Piutau who scored a try on debut and Ma’a Nonu for his 100^th first grade try.

Without Pocock and Sharpe, the guys from Perth hung in there as much as they could doing everything to keep the score as decent as possible. And they did ok for the first 50 minutes before letting it go under relentless Blues assaults. Bonus point victory for the Blues who should avoid the wooden spoon.

Teams:

Blues: 15 Charles Piutau, 14 Lachie Munro, 13 Francis Saili, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Rene Ranger, 10 Michael Hobbs, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Luke Braid, 7 Daniel Braid, 6 Steven Luatua, 5 Andrew Van der Heijden, 4 Liaki Moli, 3 Tevita Mailau, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements:16 Tom McCartney, 17 Angus Ta’avao, 18 Chris Lowrey, 19 Peter Saili, 20 Alby Mathewson, 21 Orene Ai’i, 22 Hadleigh Parkes.

Western Force: 15 Alfie Mafi, 14 Nick Cummins, 13 Will Tupou, 12 Winston Stanley, 11 Napolioni Nalaga, 10 Ben Seymour, 9 Brett Sheehan, 8 Lachlan McCaffery, 7 Angus Cottrell, 6 Richard Brown, 5 Nathan Sharpe (c), 4 Toby Lynn, 3 Salesi Manu, 2 Nathan Charles, 1 Pek Cowan.
Replacements:16 Ben Whittaker, 17 Ruan Smith, 18 Ollie Atkins, 19 Anare Koliavu, 20 Josh Holmes, 21 Kyle Godwin, 22 Patrick Dellit.

Waratahs 15-19 Brumbies, ABZ stadium, Sydney. Attendance: 22844

FT result: Waratahs 15 ( Tries: Polota-Nau, Barnes ; 1 conv & 1 pens: Barnes) – Brumbies 19 ( Tries: Speight ; 1 conv & 2 pens: Holmes ; 2 pens: Mogg )

Another lifeless aussie derby during this first half. Dave Dennis has been one of the best on the field, having a few good burst-runs. Waratahs scrum is again dominant tonight, Polota-Nau scoring a try at the half-hour mark after a few scrums near Brumbies try-line. That’s about it.

A bit more intensity in the second half as the Waratahs took the lead through Barnes which had the merit to open up the game. The Brumbies replied straight after with their wing Speight and held on till the end. They need only one point against the Blues next week to make the finals as the Australian conference winners.

Teams:

Waratahs: 15 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Grayson Hart, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Chris Alcock, 6 Dave Dennis, 5 Kane Douglas, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Josh Mann-Rae, 17 Paddy Ryan, 18 Sitaleki Timani, 19 Lopeti Timani, 20 Brendan McKibbin, 21 Tom Carter, 22 Tom Kingston.

Brumbies: 15 Robbie Coleman, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Andrew Smith, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Jesse Mogg, 10 Zack Holmes, 9 Nic White, 8 Ben Mowen (c), 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Peter Kimlin, 5 Sam Carter, 4 Scott Fardy, 3 Dan Palmer, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Ben Alexander.
Replacements: 16 Anthony Hegaty, 17 Ruaidhri Murphy, 18 Leon Power, 19 Ita Vaea, 20 Ian Prior, 21 Tevita Kuridrani, 22 Cam Crawford.

Cheetahs 6-13 Stormers . Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein

FT score: Cheetahs 6 ( 2 Pens: Smit ) - Stormers 13 (Try: Aplon ; 1 conv & 2 pens: Grant )

Teams:

Cheetahs: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Philip Snyman, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Barry Geel, 11 Cameron Jacobs, 10 Riaan Smit, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Justin Downey, 7 Pieter Labuschagne, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Izak van der Westhuizen, 4 Andries Ferreira/George Earle, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Adriaan Strauss (c), 1 Trevor Nyakane.
Replacements:16 Hercu Liebenberg, 17 WP Nel, 18 George Earle/Waltie Vermeulen, 19 Ashley Johnson, 20 Tewis de Bruyn, 21 Sias Ebersohn, 22 Nico Scheepers.

Stormers: 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers (c), 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Jebb Sinclair, 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 De Kock Steenkamp, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Deon Fourie, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Tiaan Liebenberg, 17 Deon Carstens, 18 Quinn Roux, 19 Don Armand, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Gerhard van den Heever.

Lions 37-32 Rebels. Coca-Cola Park Stadium, Johannesburg

Lions 37 (Tries: Murray, Minnie 2, Kriel; 4 convs & 3 pens: Jantjies) - Rebels 32 (Tries: Robinson, Pyle 2, Hilgendorf; 3 convs & 2 pens: Huxley)

Teams:

Lions: 15 James Kamana, 14 Lionel Mapoe, 13 Waylon Murray, 12 Butch James, 11 Anthonie Volminck, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Michael Bondesio, 8 Joshua Strauss (c), 7 Grant Hattingh, 6 Derick Minnie, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Hendrik Roodt, 3 Jacobie Adriaanse, 2 Callie Visagie, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.
Replacements: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 Ruan Dreyer, 18 Etienne Oosthuizen, 19 Jaco Kriel, 20 Ross Cronje, 21 JR Esterhuizen, 22 Ruan Combrinck.

Rebels: 15 Julian Huxley, 14 Mark Gerrard, 13 Mitch Inman, 12 Stirling Mortlock (c), 11 Cooper Vuna, 10 James Hilgendorf, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Gareth Delve, 7 Hugh Perrett, 6 Tim Davidson, 5 Al Campbell, 4 Cadeyrn Neville, 3 Jono Owen, 2 Ged Robinson, 1 Nic Henderson.
Replacements: 16 Adam Freier, 17 Paul Alo-Emile, 18 Hugh Pyle, 19 Luke Jones, 20 Richard Kingi, 21 Lachlan Mitchell, 22 Lloyd Johannson.

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Friday 25 June, Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin. Attendance 17401. FT result: Highlanders 21 – 27 Chiefs

Highlanders 21 (Tries: Hore, Gear; 1 conv: Delany ; 3 pens: Noakes) - Chiefs 27 (Tries:  Nanai-Williams, Robinson ; 1 conv and 5 pens: Cruden)

Teams:

Highlanders: 15 Ben Smith, 14 Kade Poki, 13 Tamati Ellison, 12 Phil Burleigh, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Chris Noakes, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Nasi Manu, 7 Tim Boys, 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Nick Crosswell, 4 Jarrad Hoeata, 3 Ma’afu Fia, 2 Jason Rutledge, 1 Jamie Mackintosh (c).
Replacements: 16 Andrew Hore, 17 Chris King, 18 Josh Bekhuis, 19 James Haskell, 20 Jimmy Cowan, 21 Mike Delany, 22 Buxton Popoali’i.

Chiefs: 15 Robbie Robinson, 14 Tim Nanai-Williams, 13 Jackson Willison, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Asaeli Tikoirotuma, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8 Kane Thompson, 7 Tanerau Latimer, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 Craig Clarke (c), 3 Ben Tameifuna, 2 Mahonri Schwalger, 1 Toby Smith.
Replacements: 16 Hika Elliot, 17 Sona Taumalolo, 18 Michael Fitzgerald, 19 Sam Cane, 20 Brendon Leonard, 21 Andrew Horrell, 22 Lelia Masaga.

AAMI park, Melbourne. Attendance: 14110. FT score: Rebels 17- 32 Reds

Rebels 17 (Tries: Beale, Mitchell ; Cons: Huxley, Beale ; Pen:O’Connor) – Reds 32 (Tries: Feauai-Sautia, Shipperley, Wallace-Harrison, Frisby; 3 convs and 2 pens: Harris ) 

Teams:

Melbourne Rebels: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Mark Gerrard, 13 Mitch Inman, 12 Stirling Mortlock (c), 11 Cooper Vuna, 10 James O’Connor, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Gareth Delve, 7 Hugh Perrett, 6 Tom Chamberlain, 5 Hugh Pyle, 4 Cadeyrne Neville, 3 Jono Owen, 2 Adam Freier, 1 Nic Henderson.
Replacements: 16 Ged Robinson, 17 Rodney Blake, 18 Al Campbell, 19 Tim Davidson, 20 Nic Stirzaker, 21 Lachlan Mitchell, 22 Julian Huxley.

Reds: 15 Luke Morahan, 14 Dom Shipperley, 13 Anthony Faingaa, 12 Mike Harris, 11 Chris Feauai-Sautia, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia (c), 8 Scott Higginbotham, 7 Liam Gill, 6 Jake Schatz, 5 Adam Wallace-Harrison, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 James Slipper, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Greg Holmes.
Reserves: 16 James Hanson, 17 Ben Daley, 18 Radike Samo, 19 Beau Robinson, 20 Ben Lucas, 21 Chris F’Sautia, 22 Nick Frisby.

AMI stadium, Christchurch. Attendance: 17500. FT: Crusaders 22 -23 Hurricanes

Crusaders 22 (Try Guildford; 1 conv & 5 pens: Taylor) – Hurricanes 23 ( Tries: 2 Smith; 2 convs & 3 pens: Barrett)

Teams:

Crusaders: 15 Sean Maitland, 14 Adam Whitelock, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Tom Taylor, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Richie McCaw (c), 7 Matt Todd, 6 George Whitelock, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Ben Franks, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements: 16 Quentin MacDonald, 17 Owen Franks, 18 Tom Donnelly/Ross Kennedy, 19 Luke Whitelock, 20 Willi Heinz, 21 Tyler Bleyendaal, 22 Patrick Osborne.

Hurricanes: 15 Andre Taylor, 14 Alapati Leiua, 13 Conrad Smith (c), 12 Tim Bateman, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Chris Eaton, 8 Brad Shields, 7 Jack Lam, 6 Faifili Levave, 5 Jason Eaton, 4 Jeremy Thrush, 3 Ben May, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Reg Goodes.
Replacements: 16 Motu Matu’u, 17 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 18 James Broadhurst, 19 Karl Lowe, 20 Frae Wilson, 21 Tusi Pisi, 22 Jayden Hayward.

NIB stadium, Perth. Attendance: 13000. FT score: Western Force 17 – 28 Brumbies

Force 17 (Tries: Cummins 2, Lynn; Con:Harvey) - Brumbies 28 (Tries: Mogg, Alexander, Speight, Holmes
; 1 conv & 2 pen: Holmes)

Teams:

Western Force: 15 Alfie Mafi, 14 Nick Cummins, 13 Will Tupou, 12 Rory Sidey, 11 Napolioni Nalaga, 10 Ben Seymour, 9 Josh Holmes, 8 Matt Hodgson, 7 David Pocock (c), 6 Richard Brown, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Toby Lynn, 3 Salesi Ma’afu, 2 Nathan Charles, 1 Pek Cowan.
Replacements: 16 Elvis Taione, 17 Tetera Faulkner, 18 Salesi Manu, 19 Phoenix Battye, 20 Lachlan McCaffrey, 21 Brett Sheehan, 22 David Harvey.

Brumbies: 15 Robbie Coleman, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Andrew Smith, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Jesse Mogg, 10 Zack Holmes, 9 Nic White, 8 Ben Mowen (c), 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Peter Kimlin, 5 Sam Carter, 4 Scott Fardy, 3 Dan Palmer, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Ben Alexander.
Replacements: 16 Anthony Hegaty, 17 Ruaidhri Murphy, 18 Leon Power, 19 Ita Vaea, 20 Ian Prior, 21 Tevita Kuridrani, 22 Cam Crawford.
Newlands, Cape town. Attedance: 30000. FT score: Stormers 27 – 17 Lions

Stormers 27 (Tries: Aplon, Sinclair, Van den Heever; 3 convs & 2 pens: Grant) - Lions 17 (Tries: Strauss, Van der Merwe
; 2 convs & 1 pen: Jantjies)

Teams: 

Stormers: 15 Gio Aplon, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers (c), 11 Danie Poolman, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Siya Kolisi, 7 Don Armand, 6 Tyrone Holmes, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 De Kock Steenkamp, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Deon Fourie, 1 Deon Carstens.
Replacements: 16 Tiaan Liebenberg, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Quinn Roux, 19 Jebb Sinclair, 20 Louis Schrueder, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Marcel Brache.

Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Deon van Rensburg, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Butch James, 11 Anthonie Volminck, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Tian Meyer, 8 Joshua Strauss (c), 7 Grant Hattingh, 6 Derick Minnie, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Hendrik Roodt, 3 Jacobie Adriaanse, 2 Callie Visagie, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.
Replacements: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 Ruaan Dreyer, 18 Ruan Botha, 19 Jaco Kriel, 20 Michael Bondesio, 21 Waylon Murray, 22 Ruan Combrinck.

Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria. Attendance: 25000. FT result: Bulls 40 – 24 Cheetahs

Bulls 40 (Tries: Spies, Greyling, Kirchner, Hougaard, Kruger, Basson; 5 convs: Steyn) - Cheetahs 24 (Tries: Nel 2, Le Roux, Brussow; 2 convs: Ebersohn)

Teams:

Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies (c), 7 Jacques Potgieter, 6 Dewald Potgieter, 5 Juandre Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Dean Greyling.
Replacements: 16 Willie Wepener, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 CJ Stander, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Louis Fouche, 22 Francois Venter.

Cheetahs: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Philip Snyman, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Rocco Jansen, 10 Riaan Smit, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Ashley Johnson, 7 Pieter Labuschagne, 6 Heinrich Brussow, 5 Andries Ferreira, 4 Izak van der Westhuizen, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Adriaan Strauss (c), 1 Trevor Nyakane.
Replacements: 16 Hercu Liebenberg, 17 WP Nel, 18 George Earle, 19 Justin Downey, 20 Tewis de Bruyn, 21 Sias Ebersohn, 22 Nico Scheepers.

test matches, Saturday 23 June 2012, round 3

Saturday 23 June , Apia Park, Apia (Samoa). 12.30pm AES kick off. HT: Samoa 6-7 Scotland

Full Time result: Samoa 16 ( Try: Pisi; 1 drop goal, 1 conv & 2 pen: Pisi) – Scotland 17 (Tries: Gray, Harley; 2 conv & 1 pen: Laidlaw )

What a thriller! Heartbreaking loss for Manu Samoa who was led 16-10 until the dying seconds of the game. But replacement Robert Harley finally scored the winning try converted by Laidlaw, 17-16 at the final whistle.

The islanders, who are currently ranked 9 just below Ireland, showed lots of guts behind playmaker Tusi Pisi who scored all the points of his team. Leading 16-10 at the hour mark, Samoa’s try-line was under siege for the last 20 minutes with Scotland at last showing what a team of this calibre is capable of, 3 weeks after beating n2 Australia on home soil. Kudos to the Samoans who offered an heroic resistance till the end. Clean sweep for Scotland in Australia, Fiji and Samoa. Not a bad tour. 

*In the match between the 2 other P.I nations, Fiji beat Tonga 29-17.

Teams:

Samoa: 15 Fa’atoina Autagavai, 14 Paul Perez, 13 Fautua Otto, 12 Paul Williams, 11 David Lemi (cap), 10 Tusi Pisi, 9 Kahn Fotuali’i, 8 Kane Thompson, 7 Maurie Fa’asavalu, 6 Ben Masoe, 5 Daniel Crichton, 4 Fa’atiga Lemalu, 3 Census Johnston, 2 Ti’i Paulo, 1 Sakaria Taulafo.
Reserves: 16 Wayne Ole Avei, 17 Logovi’i Mulipola, 18 Joe Tekori, 19 Afa Aioni, 20 Jeremy Sua, 21 Ki Anufe, 22 Lolo Lui. 

Scotland: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Sean Lamont, 13 Nick De Luca, 12 Matt Scott, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Greig Laidlaw, 9 Chris Cusiter, 8 Richie Vernon, 7 Ross Rennie, 6 Alasdair Strokosch, 5 Alastair Kellock, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Ryan Grant.
Reserves: 16 Scott Lawson, 17 Geoff Cross, 18 Tom Ryder, 19 Robert Harley, 20 Mike Blair, 21 Duncan Weir, 22 Max Evans.

3pm kick off, Allianz stadium, Sydney. Sunny, 15deg. Attendance: 43000. HT score: Wallabies 12-9 Wales

Full Time result: Wallabies 20 (Tries: Horne ; 5 pens: Barnes) - Wales 19 (Try: Ryan Jones; 1 conv & 4 pens: Halfpenny)

The Welsh slightly dominant in the first half although Alun Wyn Jones messed up 3 balls on re-starts. Captain Sam Warburton had to leave the field after 30 minutes, groggy, and was replaced by Justin Tipuric. The wallabies had more possession but didn’t use the ball like they should have. Again, nothing much between the 2 teams. Game still up for grabs at half-time.

HALF TIME STATS (Wallabies listed first): Possession 62/38, Runs 61/41, Run Metres 308/239, Turnovers 6/2, Ruck & Mauls 51/34.

The second half was tense and the Welsh scrum more and more dominant as the game advanced. Pocock again dominated the ruck and the Welsh were penalised countless times. Enough for the wallabies to get a lucky win against some brace but undisciplined Welsh.

Argentina: 15 Joaquin Tuculet, 14 Facundo Barrea, 13 Agustin Gosio, 12 Felipe Contepomi (cap), 11 Manuel Montero, 10 Benjamin Urdapilleta, 9 Tomas Cubelli, 8 Leonardo Senatore, 7 Tomas Leonardi, 6 Tomas De la Vega, 5 Esteban Lozada, 4 Julio Farias Cabello, 3 Francisco Gomez Kodela, 2 Andres Bordoy, 1 Eusebio Guinazu.
Bench: 16 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 17 Bruno Postiglioni, 18 Santiago Guzman, 19 Benjamin Macome, 20 Rodrigo Baez, 21 Martin Landajo, 22 Gabriel Ascarate.

France: 15 Brice Dulin, 14 Benjamin Fall, 13 Florian Fritz, 12 Maxime Mermoz, 11 Yoann Huget, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Maxime Machenaud, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 6 Alexandre Lapandry, 5 Yoan Maestri, 4 Pascal Pape (cap), 3 David Attoub, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Vincent Debaty.
Bench: 16 Christopher Tolofua, 17 Thomas Domingo, 18 Christopher Samson, 19 Wenceslas Lauret, 20 Morgan Parra, 21 Francois Trinh Duc, 22 Wesley Fofana.

 Saturday 16 June , Churchill Park, Lautaka (Fiji). 12pm AES kick off. Fiji 25-37 Scotland

Final score: Fiji 25 ( Tries: Domolailai, Nayacalevu, Talebula ; 2 pens & 2 convs: Ralulu) – Scotland 37 (Tries: Laidlaw, penalty try, 2 Visser ; 4 convs & 3 pen: :Laidlaw )

Teams:

Fiji: 15 Isimeli Koniferedi, 14 Waisea Nayacalevu, 13 Wereniki Goneva, 12 Aloisio Buto, 11 Watisoni Votu, 10 Jonetai Ralulu, 9 Nikola Matawalu, 8 Netani Talei, 7 Malakai Ravulo, 6 Iliese Ratuva, 5 Leone Nakarawa, 4 Apisai Naikatini, 3 Setefano Somoca, 2 Viliame Veikoso, 1 Jeremaia Yanuyanutawa.
Reserves: 16 Tuatpati Talemaitoga, 17 Waisea Daveta/Graham Dewes, 18 Josefa Domolailai, 19 Kelepi Ketedromo, 20 Nemia Kenatale, 21 Kameli Ratuvou, 22 Metuisela Talebula. 

Scotland: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Max Evans, 13 Nick De Luca, 12 Matt Scott, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Greig Laidlaw, 9 Mike Blair, 8 John Barclay, 7 Ross Rennie, 6 Alasdair Strokosch, 5 Richie Gray, 4 Alastair Kellock, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Ross Ford (c), 1 Ryan Grant.
Reserves: 16 Scott Lawson, 17 Geoff Cross, 18 Tom Ryder, 19 Richie Vernon, 20 Chris Cusiter, 21 Duncan Weir, 22 Sean Lamont.

5.35pm kick off, AMI stadium, Christchurch. Attendance: 21500. All Blacks 22-19 Ireland (video highlights)

FT result: All Blacks 22 ( Tries: A. Smith ; 1 conv, 1 drop goal & 4 pen: Carter ) – Ireland 19 (Tries: Murray ; 4 pens & 1 conv: Sexton)

What a match! What a turn around for the Irish after last week’s heavy loss. Not often than the AB scrum suffers like this particularly in its own backyard. Full credit to the Irish who gave all they have. Like the French during the RWC final, they proved tonight that the AB aren’t unbeatable when they are put under enormous physical pressure at the breakdown and tackle areas.

Not enough though as Dan Carter gave the win to the men in blacks thanks to a last minute drop goal. No first win against NZ for Ireland. Kudos to them for an outstanding performance.

Teams:

New Zealand: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Zac Guildford, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 Hika Elliot, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Ali Williams, 19 Sam Cane, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Aaron Cruden, 22 Ben Smith.

Ireland: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Fergus McFadden, 13 Brian O’Driscoll (c), 12 Gordon D’Arcy, 11 Andrew Trimble, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip. 7 Sean O’Brien, 6 Kevin McLaughlin, 5 Donnacha Ryan, 4 Dan Tuohy, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Declan Fitzpatrick, 18 Donncha O’Callaghan, 19 Peter O’Mahony, 20 Eoin Reddan, 21 Ronan O’Gara, 22 Simon Zebo.

8pm kick off, Etihad stadium, Melbourne. Wallabies 25-23 Wales

FT result: Wallabies 25 (Tries: Horne ; 1 conv & 5 pens: Barnes; 1 pen: Harris ) – Wales 23 (Tries: North, Davies; 3 pen & 2 conv: Halfpenny )

2-0 in the series between the Tri Nations champs and the current 6 Nations holders. Wales were about  to win their first test  in Australia since 1969 when Mike Harris converted a last second penalty after the sirene. Unbelievable. Last test next w-e in Sydney.

Argentina: 15 Roman Miralles, 14 Belisario Agulla, 13 Joaquin Tuculet, 12 Felipe Contepomi (c), 11 Manuel Montero, 10 Ignacio Mieres, 9 Martin Landajo, 8 Tomas Leonardi, 7 Tomas De la Vega, 6 Julio Farias Cabello, 5 Esteban Lozada, 4 Benjamin Macome, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Bruno Postiglioni, 1 Eusebio Guinazu.
Bench: 16 Andres Bordoy, 17 Pablo Henn, 18 Rodrigo Bruno, 19 Rodrigo Baez, 20 Tomas Cubelli, 21 Benjamin Urdapilleta, 22 Facundo Barrea.

France: 15 Brice Dulin, 14 Jean Marcellin Buttin, 13 Wesley Fofana, 12 Florian Fritz, 11 Yoann Huget , 10 Francois Trinh Duc, 9 Morgan Parra , 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 6 Wenceslas Lauret, 5 Yoan Maestri, 4 Pascal Pape (c), 3 David Attoub, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Yvan Watremez.
Bench: 16 Christopher Tolofua, 17 Vincent Debaty, 18 Romain Taofifenua, 19 Alexandre Lapandry, 20 Maxime Machenaud, 21 Frederic Michalak, 22 Maxime Mermoz.

FT score: New Zealand 42 (Tries: Savea 3, Thomson, C Smith; 4 cnonvs and 3 pens: Carter) – Ireland 10 (Try: McFadden ; Pen: Sexton)

Teams: 

New Zealand: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Zac Guildford, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (cap), 6 Victor Vito, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tony Woodcock. Bench: 16 Hika Elliot, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Ali Williams, 19 Adam Thomson, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Aaron Cruden, 22 Ben Smith.

Ireland: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Fergus McFadden, 13 Brian O’Driscoll (cap), 12 Keith Earls, 11 Simon Zebo, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Sean O’Brien, 6 Peter O’Mahony, 5 Donnacha Ryan, 4 Dan Touhy, 3 Declan Fitzpatrick, 2 Rory Best, 1 Cian Healy.Bench: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Ronan Loughney, 18 Donncha O’Callaghan, 19 Kevin McLaughlin, 20 Eoin Reddan, 21 Ronan O’Gara, 22 Darren Cave.
Wallabies 27-19 Wales

FT result: Australia 27 ( Tries: Higginbotham, Genia, McCabe; 3 convs, 1 drop and 1 pen: Barnes) - Wales 19 (Try: Cuthbert; 1 conv and 4 pens: Halfpenny) 

Teams:

Australia: 15 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 Cooper Vuna, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Berrick Barnes, 9 Will Genia, 8 Wycliff Palu , 7 David Pocock (cap), 6 Scott Higginbotham, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Rob Simmons , 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Benn Robinson. Replacements: 16 Stephen Moore, 17 Ben Alexander, Dave Dennis, 18 Michael Hooper, 19 Nic White, 20 Anthony Fainga’a, 21 Mike Harris.

Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Scott Williams, 11 George North, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Toby Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (cap), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Luke Charteris, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Ken Owens, 1 Gethin Jenkins. Replacements: 16 Matthew Rees, 17 Paul James, 18 Alun Wyn Jones, 19 Ryan Jones, 20 Lloyd Williams, 21 James Hook, 22 Ashley Beck.
Springboks 22-17 England

FT result: South Africa 22 (Tries: M Steyn, De Villiers; 4 Pen:M Steyn) - England 17 (Try: Foden ; 4 pens: Farrell)

Teams: 

South Africa: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jean de Villiers, 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 François Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Remps: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Coenie Oosthuizen, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Keegan Daniel, 20 Ruan Pienaar, 21 Patrick Lambie, 22 Wynand Olivier.

England: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Manusamoa Tuilagi, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Ben Foden, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Chris Robshaw (capt), 6 Tom Johnson, 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Mouritz Botha, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Joe Marler.
Remps: 16 Lee Mears, 17 Paul Doran-Jones, 18 Tom Palmer, 19 Phil Dowson, 20 Lee Dickson, 21 Toby Flood, 22 Jonathan Joseph.

Pumas 37-22 Italy

FT result: Argentina 37 (Tries: Leonardi, Roncero, Senatore, Contepomi; 4 convs and 3 pens: Contepomi) - Italy 22 (Tries: Penalty try, Gori, Bergamasco; convs: Burton, Bocchino; 1 pen: Burton)

Teams: 

Argentina: 15 Joaquin Tuculet, 14 Belisario Agulla, 13 Gabriel Ascarate, 12 Felipe Contepomi (c), 11 Agustin Gosio, 10 Ignacio Mieres, 9 Martin Landajo, 8 Leonardo Senatore 7 Tomas Leonardi, 6 Genaro Fessia, 5 Julio Farias-Cabello, 4 Benjamín Macome, 3 Francisco Gomez-Kodela, 2 Eusebio Guinazu, 1 Rodrigo Roncero.
Replacements: 16 Bruno Postiglioni, 17 Nahuel Tetaz-Chaparro, 18 Santiago Guzmán, 19 Tomas De La Vega, 20 Tomas Cubelli, 21 Manuel Montero, 22 Roman Miralles

 Italy: 15 Luke Mclean, 14 Giovanbattista Venditti, 13 Roberto Quartaroli, 12 Alberto Sgarbi, 11 Tommaso Benvenuti, 10 Kristopher Burton, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Robert Barbieri, 7 Mauro Bergamasco, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 Antonio Pavanello, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Carlo Festuccia, 1 Alberto de Marchi.
Replacements: 16 Davide Giazzon, 17 Lorenzo Romano, 18 Joshua Furno, 19 Simone Favaro, 20 Tito Tebaldi, 21 Riccardo Bocchino, 22 Giulio Toniolatti.

Here we are. 3 weeks of international rugby between Northern Hemisphere sides traveling down under to get a taste of Southern Hemisphere’s winter.

It all kicked off on Tuesday when the Scots beat the Wallabies 9-6 in atrocious conditions in Newcastle: rain, strong wind, no more than 10 deg. If SH sides were thinking they were well ahead of their NH counterparts they got a reality check: they will have to play their best rugby to defeat England, Ireland, Wales, France and Italy.

4 huge games this w-e: All Blacks v Ireland; Wallabies v Wales; Springboks v England; Pumas v Italy. Teams and match preview to come as starting line ups are named.

It’s on.

Saturday 9 June

All Blacks v Ireland. 5.40 AES kick off. Eden Park, Auckland

Steve Hansen has named three uncapped players in his run-on AB side to face Ireland at Eden Park on Saturday.

Lock Brodie Retallick, wing Julian Savea and scrumhalf Aaron Smith will all get their first All Black cap on Saturday. Elsewhere, Sam Whitelock is chosen ahead of veteran Ali Williams while SBW finally gets Ma’a Nonu’s scalp at inside centre. He will team up with Conrad Smith in the centres. Could this mark of trust keep SBW in rugby? Wait and see.

Israel Dagg might not have been as dominant as he was last year, he will still wear the n15 jersey with Crusaders team mate Zac Guildford on the wing. In the back row, Victor Vito has been preferred to Adam Thomson. Richie McCaw and Dan Carter have less than 10 rugby games altogether in 2012 but have showed enough in the last few weeks to retain their starting spots.

On Thursday afternoon, Ireland coach Declan Kidney named his side calling 2 uncapped players, wing Simon Zebo and tighthead prop with Declan Fitzpatrick.

Elsewhere, Fergus McFadden starts on the right wing with Rob Kearney at full back and Jonathan Sexton starts at No.10. Conor Murray will be Ireland’s n9. Ronan O’Gara will play off the bench.

Our prediction/tips: All Blacks by 5-12

Sportsbet betting odds: AB 1.09 - (draw: 36) – 7.50 Ireland

Teams:

New Zealand: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Zac Guildford, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (cap), 6 Victor Vito, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Bench: 16 Hika Elliot, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Ali Williams, 19 Adam Thomson, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Aaron Cruden, 22 Ben Smith

Ireland: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Fergus McFadden, 13 Brian O’Driscoll (cap), 12 Keith Earls, 11 Simon Zebo, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Sean O’Brien, 6 Peter Mahony, 5 Donnacha Ryan, 4 Dan Touhy, 3 Declan Fitzpatrick, 2 Rory Best, 1 Cian Healy. Bench: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Ronan Loughney, 18 Donncha O’Callaghan, 19 Kevin McLaughlin, 20 Eoin Reddan, 21 Ronan O’Gara, 22 Darren Cave.

Wallabies v Wales. 8pm kick off. Suncorp stadium, Brisbane

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans has made eight changes for the first of 3 test matches against Wales to be played in Brisbane on Saturday.

In the forwards pack, we have an all-Waratahs front row with Benn Robinson starting his first test since 2010, alongside Polota-Nau and Kepu. Rob Simmons is back in the starting XV with future new-retiree Nathan Sharpe again in the run-on side. Wycliff Palu comes back at n8 with Scott Higginbotham moving to n6. Barnes is retained at n10 while we have a brand nbew centre combination with McCabe and Horne. AAC takes the full-back position.

On Thursday afternoon, Wales announced their side, making four changes to the team that won the 2012 Six Nations Grand Slam.

Scott Williams comes in at inside centre (i.o injured Jamie Roberts) pairing with Jonathan Davies while Scarlets hooker Ken Owens replaces Matthew Rees. Locks Bradley Davies (Blues) and Luke Charteris (Dragons) are in for Ian Evans and Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), the latter plkaying off the bench.

Wales assistan coach/caretaker in the absence of Warren Gatland Rob Howlet believes his troops are ready for the big test: “We are well prepared and looking forward to the challenge this weekend. Australia will be disappointed after their defeat to Scotland, but that will make them all the more dangerous for us. The Wallabies are still the second highest placed side in the world rankings and we are playing them in their own back yard. We all appreciate the enormity of the task ahead of us, the long term stats don’t make happy reading for the Welsh against the Wallabies, but as recently as this season we have two losses racked up against Australian opposition and we are determined to stop that trend. We have created some winning momentum, we have a recent home win against the Barbarians to take into this game and have built a certain amount of confidence within the squad.”

The new rivalry between the 2 sides will be tested on Saturday as the wounded wallabies have no choice but to win, if possible convincingly, to shut the growing number of critics.

Our prediction/tips: Wales by 1-5

Sportsbet betting odds: Wallabies 1.50 - (draw: 321) – 2.60 Wales

Teams:

Australia: 15 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 Joe Tomane, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Berrick Barnes, 9 Will Genia, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 David Pocock (cap), 6 Scott Higginbotham, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Benn Robinson. Bench: 16 Stephen Moore, 17 Ben Alexander, 18 Dave Dennis, 19 Michael Hooper, 20 Nic White, 21 Anthony Faingaa, 22 Mike Harris.

Wales: 15.Leigh Halfpenny, 14.Alex Cuthbert, 13.Jonathan Davies, 12.Scott Williams, 11.George North, 10.Rhys Priestland, 9.Mike Phillips; 8.Toby Faletau, 7.Sam Warburton (cap), 6.Dan Lydiate, 5.Luke Charteris, 4.Bradley Davies, 3.Adam Jones, 2.Ken Owens, 1.Gethin Jenkins. Bench: 16.Matthew Rees, 17.Paul James, 18.Alun Wyn Jones, 19.Ryan Jones, 20.Lloyd Williams, 21.James Hook, 22.Ashley Beck.

Springboks v England

Heyneke Meyer’s (photo) first Springboks starting XV was expected with much anticipation as most saffas were fearing a (too?) strong Bulls flavor. And they were right although Meyer tried to keep everyone happy. Let’s have a look.

Flanker Marcell Coetzee (Sharks) and locks Eben Etzebeth (Stormers) and Juandre Kruger (Bulls) will get their first cap against England this Saturday. The three of them have played some tremendous rugby this season and represent SA’s future. Meyer was adamant they are ready for the international stage: ‘Marcell has played great rugby all year and I believe he will be a superstar in years to come. It’s unusual for the Springboks to have two uncapped locks starting, it’ll be a huge step up for them and they need to prove they can play at this level. But I’m very confident they can. Flip van der Merwe and Juandre have played together so it would have been easier to pair the Bulls players, but I went for form. Eben brings something different to the party. He is physical and big and doesn’t shy away from contact and is also very good at contesting. I won’t say he is the next Bakkies Botha. He can surpass Bakkies.

The only controversial selection might be at full back where Zane Kirchner has been preferred to Pat Lambie. ‘We didn’t have a lot of time to prepare. I went for combinations and guys that know each other. Pat is a great player and he can potentially make a huge difference off the bench’ Meyer said.

Elsewhere, Francois Hougaard will start at scrumhalf with Bulls’ team mate Morne Steyn next to him. Jean de Villiers will captain the side. Pierre Spies retains the n8 spot despite mounting pressure for a new, more complete, backrower. The over athletic Spies will be under huge scrutiny from the media and anything else than a strong display would jeopardise his participation to this year’s first Rugby Championship.

England’s tours of SA are always epic and this one should be no different. Ben Morgan, Chris Robshaw and a few others will be the leaders of the group with the south african born duet of Brad Barritt and Mouritz Botha most probably targetted by their ex-countrymen. Tuilagi should bring some much needed beef in the midfield.

Rough night in Durban on the cards.

Our prediction/tips: Boks by 5-12

Sportsbet betting odds: Boks 1.35 - (draw: 23) – 3.23 England

Teams:

South Africa: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jean de Villiers (cap), 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Subs: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Coenie Oosthuizen, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Keegan Daniel, 20 Ruan Pienaar, 21 Pat Lambie, 22 Wynand Olivier

England: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Manusamoa Tuilagi, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Ben Foden, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Chris Robshaw (cap), 6 Tom Johnson, 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Mouritz Botha, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Joe Marler.
Bench: 16 Lee Mears, 17 Paul Doran-Jones, 18 Tom Palmer, 19 Phil Dowson, 20 Lee Dickson, 21 Toby Flood, 22 Jonathan Joseph.

Argentina v Italy

Santiago Phelan has named a mixed side with plenty of experience in some key positions but also some exciting new talents. Felipe Contepomi, new retiree Rodrigo Roncero and also Leonardo Senatore will be among the leaders of the group with the goal of launching the new generation of Pumas.

Same story on the other side as Jacques Brunel’s Azzurri are at a crossroads. Props Alberto De Marchi and Lorenzo Romano will earn their first cap in a very unexperienced front row with Marco Bortolami (cap) and Maura Bergamasco bringing their experience in the 2nd and 3rd row.

In the backline, full-back Luke McLean will be the leader as the most experienced player while outside centre Roberto Quartaroli makes a return in the team three years after his last appearance in an Italy jersey.

Our prediction/tips: Pumas by 10-15

Teams:

Pumas: 15 Joaquin Tuculet, 14 Belisario Agulla, 13 Gabriel Ascarate, 12 Felipe Contepomi (cap), 11 Agustin Gosio, 10 Ignacio Mieres, 9 Martin Landajo, 8 Leonardo Senatore 7 Tomas Leonardi, 6 Genaro Fessia, 5 Julio Farias-Cabello, 4 Esteban Lozada, 3 Francisco Gomez-Kodela, 2 Eusebio Guinazu, 1 Rodrigo Roncero.
Remps: 16 Bruno Postiglioni, 17 Nahuel Tetaz-Chaparro, 18 Benjamin Macome, 19 Tomas De La Vega, 20 Tomas Cubelli, 21 Manuel Montero, 22 Roman Miralles

Italy: 15 Luke Mclean, 14 Giovanbattista Venditti, 13 Roberto Quartaroli, 12 Alberto Sgarbi, 11 Tommaso Benvenuti, 10 Kristopher Burton, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Robert Barbieri, 7 Mauro Bergamasco, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 Marco Bortolami, 4 Antonio Pavanello, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Carlo Festuccia, 1 Alberto de Marchi.
Remps: 16 Davide Giazzon, 17 Lorenzo Romano, 18 Joshua Furno, 19 Simone Favaro, 20 Tito Tebaldi, 21 Riccardo Bocchino, 22 Giulio Toniolatti.

2012 Super 15 Round 15 stats

Week 15 results: (to watch video highlights of a match, just click on one of the below links)

Crusaders 51-18 Highlanders

Rebels 19-27 Brumbies

Blues 34-41 Chiefs

Waratahs 12-33 Hurricanes

Lions 38-28 Sharks

Bulls 14-19 Stormers

*Force/Reds/Cheetahs bye 

• 2 home wins, 4 away

• Total pts: 334 . Avg: 55.66 pts/match (highest total this season)

• Total tries: 34. Avg: 5.7 /match

• Overall, 38 penalties were scored, totalling 114pts , i.e. 34% of all points scored in round 15 (highest this season)

• No drop goal were scored

• 2 games were won/lost by 7pts or less. The Hurricanes, Crusaders, Chiefgsd, Blues and Lions all scored 4 tries or more, earning an offensive bonus point.

• With 20 points (4 tries, record this season) Tikoirotuma was the highest points/tries scorer of round 15.

Attendances round 15:
Christchurch: 20600
Melbourne: 12422
Albany: 20200
Sydney: 13500
Jo’burg: 40274
Pretoria: 50000

Total: 156696; avg: 26200 (Avg Oz: 13000; Avge NZ: 20300; Avge SA: 45000)