The grim rugby played by the Super Rugby contenders of late is informed by the rigours of the newly adopted structure.
All bets are off on the remaining fixtures as the Super Rugby tournament has created constantly changing fortunes.
It’s almost certain which teams will finish in the top four, but there are still two play-off places up for grabs, with four teams vying for them.
It has been a bad couple of weeks for the Stormers, writes <strong>Andy Capostagno</strong>.
How to deal with New Zealand’s best player is just one problem South Africa’s top teams will have to solve.
There have been times, even before their unbeaten run was ended by the Reds, that the Stormers looked too one-dimensional to compete for honours.
As the Super Rugby tournament reaches its halfway mark, fans are growing weary of the repetition.
Former champions’ slide in the log speaks of a "been there, done that" attitude.
We have reached the introspective stage of the Super Rugby season, where pre-season optimism has been dashed.
The pragmatic coach is one who knows when to take the foot off the accelerator.
Last Saturday at Loftus Versfeld the team that dominated the lineouts and scrums kicked well, and showed infinite patience as the minutes ticked by.
The switch of venue from the Crusaders’ home turf in Christchurch to Twickenham plays into their hands.
It’s still early in the Super season, but sofar the Durbanites look set to overtake theBulls as SA’s rugby stars.
The Bulls and Stormers have started slowly, but still managed not to lose.
There have been times since the end of isolation when it was difficult to know where the next Springbok flyhalf was coming from.
The new Super Rugby tournament kicks off this weekend without the Stormers. The Cape side have a bye, which may seem like a waste of time.
The Super Rugby competition has expanded to 15 teams but the Bulls still look like the ones to beat.
While the teams involved in the Super 15 prepare to enter the murky waters of a new competition the familiar tug of war in SA rugby remains in place.
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/ 3 December 2010
When SA take on the Barbarians it will be not quite 50 years since the most famous invitation team in the world defeated Avril Malan’s Springboks.
Peter de Villiers doesn’t seem to have learned lessons from the Springboks’ ‘mistakes’ against Scotland.
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/ 19 November 2010
Halfway through the tour, any chance that the Boks might be able to concentrate on closing out a Grand Slam ended early on Monday morning.
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/ 12 November 2010
The Springbok squad, with sterling performances from fringe players, looks too strong for this weekend’s opposition
If Peter de Villiers truly has the ability to lead the Boks successfully in New Zealand 10 months hence, now is the time to prove it.
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/ 29 October 2010
Notwithstanding a poor international season, the anticipation ahead of the Currie Cup finalsuggests that the game in SA is in rude health.
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/ 22 October 2010
As expected, Springbok coach Peter de Villiers has insisted on taking his strongest team on tour at the end of the season.
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/ 15 October 2010
It seems that the South African Rugby Union has decided to give Peter de Villiers one last chance to prove his credentials.
It would have been fairly simple before the Currie Cup season began to predict the identities of the four semifinalists.
For now Springbok coach Peter de Villiers is safe and so, it seems, are his deputies, Gary Gold and Dick Muir.
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/ 17 September 2010
Young flyhalf Elton Jantjies has been instrumental in the Lions’ Currie Cup comeback.
This week Saru reminded the press that there is a process to be followed and that, at least for now, Peter de Villiers remains the coach of the Boks.
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/ 3 September 2010
The international season ends for the Springboks this weekend when they take on the Wallabies in
Bloemfontein.
Saru faces some serious dilemmas in the months to come. It has to find a credible way to get the Eastern Cape-based Southern Kings into the Super 15.