SA Rugbymag

South African rugby news, fixtures, results, video, interviews, and more. Covering the Springboks, Bulls, Stormers/Western Province, Sharks, Cheetahs, Kings and Lions, as well as schools and club rugby.

Primary Menu Search
  • Home
  • Match Centre
  • British & Irish Lions
  • Videos
  • Supabets
  • Cars
    • Motoring News
    • Used Cars For Sale
    • New Cars For Sale
    • Demo Cars For Sale
  • Daddy’s Deals

You are here: Home ∼ Super Rugby round 17 wish list

Super Rugby round 17 wish list

Bulls scrumhalf Embrose Papier Super Rugby round 17 wish list
Published on June 6, 2019 | Leave a response

The SA Rugby magazine team identifies what they would love to see come out of round 17 of Vodacom Super Rugby.

Craig Lewis (senior writer) hopes to see the SA conference battle remain alive.

A South American team winning the South African conference? That may sound a bit odd, but then again, there are plenty of quirks about the Super Rugby format that tend to defy logic. Take nothing away from the Jaguares, though. The Argentine side has surged through the second half of the season, and now hold a six-point lead at the top of the SA standings.

It’s almost impossible to see the Jaguares being displaced from this position of ascendancy as we head into the penultimate round of the pool stages, but they do face a challenge against the unpredictable Sharks this weekend.

The Durban-based side has almost bizarrely performed best when away from home, while the Jaguares have only recently returned from an arduous tour to Australasia. It could provide an opportunity for the Sharks to snatch an upset win, and possibly keep the SA conference fight alive for at least one more week.

Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that the Jaguares will finish the round-robin stage with a home game against the Sunwolves, and they will almost surely bank a full haul of log points from that fixture.

Jon Cardinelli (chief writer) wants Embrose Papier to make an impression against the Highlanders.

Herschel Jantjies outplayed All Blacks scrumhalf Aaron Smith in the recent battle between the Stormers and Highlanders. It remains to be seen if Papier, the Springboks’ second-choice scrumhalf in 2018, can do the same.

Jantjies has been backed consistently this season, and has often had the opportunity to play behind a dominant pack. The same cannot be said of Papier, who has had to share the No 9 berth with Ivan van Zyl and Andre Warner.

It probably isn’t fair to judge Papier on one performance. But given that there are two games left in the regular season, he is running out of chances to remind Rassie Erasmus about his attacking and tactical-kicking prowess.

Vodacom Super Rugby teams (Round 17)

Mariette Adams (staff writer) hopes the Sharks give a better account of themselves against the Jaguares this time around.

When these two conference rivals met in Durban on 13 April, the Sharks were diabolical in every sense of the word as they fell to a humiliating 51-17 defeat.

Centre Matías Orlando – rightly – hogged the headlines for his hat-trick heroics, but the South Americans were superior in every facet of the game. One telling statistic from the match that stood out was that the Sharks had conceded 18 – EIGHTEEN – turnovers against the team boasting one of the best attacks in the competition.

I hope the Sharks learned a few valuable lessons from that encounter and that they produce a better performance against the high-flying Jaguares in this return fixture. Not just for the sake of preventing them becoming the first-ever South African side to lose back-to-back games against coach Gonzalo Quesada’s men, but also to keep their topsy-turvy season alive.

If that is not motivation enough for the Sharks to show up and do the business in Buenos Aires, we could witness more than just the end of the Durban-based franchise’s title race.

Dylan Jack (junior staff writer) wants Elton Jantjies to make a statement.

It would be a bit of an understatement to say it hasn’t been the best week in Jantjies’ career. A tough game against the Sharks, where he struggled with his goal-kicking and threw two intercept passes, was followed by the news that he would be dropped for last weekend’s game against the Stormers for a ‘breach of team protocol’.

Shaun Reynolds proved a more than capable stand-in for the Springbok, looking comfortable as he commanded the backline that overran the Cape side in one of the more memorable Lions’ victories this season.

Lions hooker Malcolm Marx spoke after the game how the Lions have rallied around Jantjies and said that he feels the matter has been dealt with. Equally, young flank Vincent Tshituka told the media this week how important Jantjies is to the team.

One therefore expects Jantjies to regain his starting role against the Hurricanes this weekend, where he will come up against an in-form Beauden Barrett. With two matches to go, and the Lions still very much in the playoff mix, Jantjies has a massive opportunity to remind everyone of his quality.

Photo: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix

Posted in Bulls, Lions, News, Sharks, Stormers, Super Rugby, Teams, Top headlines, Tournaments, Uncategorized Tagged Super Rugby

Post by SA Rugby magazine

SA Rugby magazine

MPU #1 - (DESKTOP SIZE 300x250 / MOBILE SIZE 320x50, 300x250, 320x100)
← Previous Next →

Ratings: Du Toit one of the few standouts for Boks

The Boks faded in the second half to slump to a 22-17...

Five key areas the Boks need to dominate for first victory

SA Rugby magazine highlights five crucial areas the Boks will need to...

Duhan should be celebrated for his Lions success

Duhan van der Merwe’s achievements should be truly appreciated by South Africans,...

JdV: Boks-Lions have everything to play for

Performing in empty stadiums will be a key factor in the series...

Dynamic Dayimani: Forward to back

While he has been signed as an ‘edge’ forward, Hacjivah Dayimani could...

Boks have muscle memory to rely on

Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber are experts at finding solutions to tricky...

Top six: Best and worst foreign imports

SARugbymag.co.za identifies six of the best and worst foreign players to play...

Column: When context is needed

As highlighted by the Argentina controversy, ‘cancel culture’ needs a spoonful of...

Dark cloud hangs over WP Rugby

The problems at Western Province Rugby are layered, and everyone involved needs...

From the mag: Foreign Favourites

As Vodacom Super Rugby turned 25 this year, JON CARDINELLI picks an...

Bulls rookies to watch

After a massive exodus of players the Vodacom Bulls will be eager...

Analysis: The new suffocate-and-strangle game

For the Boks to emerge as World Cup winners, they need to...

VIEW MORE
  • Team graphics: Springboks vs B&I Lions
  • Boks vs Lions (1st Test): Predict and WIN!
  • Lions team announcement: Duhan to front Boks
  • Teams: SA A vs Bulls
Boks

Why the Boks should be bullish

There is good reason for the Springboks to enter the British & Irish Lions series with confidence, writes MARK KEOHANE in the latest SA Rugby magazine.

  • Watch: Did Gatland’s words influence Jonker?


COVID-19 Corona Virus
South African Resource Portal

ABOUT

  • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Videos
  • Player Features
  • Subscribe
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy Policy

TOURNAMENTS

    • Rugby Championship
    • Super Rugby
    • Currie Cup
    • Varsity Cup
    • Gold Cup
    • Schools
    • Six Nations
    • Champions Cup
    • World Cup

OPINION

  • Mallett on SuperSport
  • Cardinelli column
  • Lewis column
  • Xabanisa column
  • Borchardt column
  • Superbru

Primary Menu

  • Home
  • Match Centre
  • British & Irish Lions
  • Videos
  • Supabets
  • Cars
    • Motoring News
    • Used Cars For Sale
    • New Cars For Sale
    • Demo Cars For Sale
  • Daddy’s Deals
×