Tag: Rugby

16 women’s and 24 men’s teams are all set to fight it out for Rugby World Cup Sevens silverware at AT&T Park in San Francisco this weekend.

Over 95,000 fans are expected to attend across three days of pulsating action at the venue, which has been transformed from its traditional baseball diamond format into a spectacular home for rugby sevens.

Ahead of a mouth-watering weekend, USA men’s captain Madison Hughes admits they’ll be aiming to inspire the crowd with their performances.

“Having the opportunity to play in the marquee sevens event here in the US is just so exciting. Hopefully we can do well, put in a good performance so those new to rugby can get really excited about it,” he said.

Meanwhile, reigning Rugby World Cup Sevens champions in both the men’s and women’s events, New Zealand, will be looking to retain their crowns in San Francisco.

“Winning the last Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow 2013 was a pretty special moment – we were all extremely inexperienced. It was incredible to take a Rugby World Cup home and a title that we’d never won before. It’s definitely going to give us extra motivation to do the same again here in San Francisco,” said Sarah Goss, New Zealand women’s captain.

“It’s going to be extremely tough with the knock-out format and the high quality of teams, but I have full confidence in the girls and the way we’ve been performing over the last few months. We’re just really excited to start playing on Friday and we’re extremely hungry to defend our title and take another Rugby World Cup Sevens home to New Zealand.”

New Zealand men’s captain Scott Curry added: “It’s awesome to be here in San Francisco. To be playing at AT&T Park in a baseball stadium is pretty unique and I’m sure the atmosphere is going to be electric. We’ve had a good week building up to the competition, we’ve trained really well and we’re looking forward to the weekend. It’s going to be a tough task to defend our title and as it’s a knock-out format we’ll be focusing on one game at a time.”

South Africa and Australia will enter the men’s and women’s competitions respectively in good form after claiming the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series titles last month, with Blitzboks captain Philip Snyman looking forward to the challenge.

“Everybody is focusing on the Rugby World Cup Sevens, it’s an interesting new format with knock-out stages from the start meaning you have to be at your best from the get go and get out of the blocks as quickly as possible. Where the World Series was a marathon, this is more like a one hundred metre sprint,” he said.

“We can take a lot of confidence from our performance in Paris and we’ve had a boost with a couple of players returning from injury so we’re really happy with where the squad is at the moment. Playing in San Francisco is a dream come true and playing in a baseball stadium is really interesting. Rugby is growing fast in America and we’re looking forward to a wonderful weekend of sevens.”

A new and innovative ‘knock out’ style format will see every match count meaning both men’s and women’s teams will have to win every match to be crowned World Cup winners.

With thanks to World Rugby

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Jaguares head coach Mario Ledesma has made several changes to his squad to face the Lions in the Super Rugby quarter-final at Ellis Park.

With qualification already secured last weekend, the Argentinian outfit decided to rest a number of key first team players.

All those duly return with Emiliano Boffelli, Matias Orlando, Jeronimo de la Fuente, Matias Moroni, Nicolas Sanchez and Gonzalo Bertranou named in the backline.

Among the forwards, out go six of the eight which started against the Sharks and in come Javier Ortega Desio, Tomas Lezana, Guido Petti, Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, Agustin Creevy and Santiago Garcia Botta, while Marcos Kremer is shifted to lock.

On the bench, Ledesma has decided to go with a six-two split with Matias Alemanno, Tomas Lavanini and Juan Manuel Leguizamon providing lock and back-row cover.

Jaguares: 15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matias Orlando, 12 Jeronimo de le Fuente, 11 Matias Moroni, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Tomas Lezana, 6 Pablo Matera (c), 5 Marcos Kremer, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Agustin Creevy, 1 Santiago Garcia Botta
Replacements: 16 Julian Montoya, 17 Juan Pablo Zeiss, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Matias Alemanno, 20 Tomas Lavanini, 21 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 22 Martin Landajo, 23 Sebastian Cancelliere

Date: Saturday, July 21
Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 15:05 local (14:05 BST, 13:05 GMT)
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistant Referees: Marius van der Westhuizen, Egon Seconds
TMO: Marius Jonker

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Check out the team line-ups ahead of the Super Rugby quarter-finals with the action kicking off in Wellington.

Friday

Hurricanes v Chiefs
@ Westpac Stadium, Wellington

Hurricanes: 15 Nehe Milner-Skudder, 14 Julian Savea, 13 Jordie Barrett, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Ben Lam, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Blade Thomson, 7 Gareth Evans, 6 Brad Shields (c)/Reed Prinsep, 5 Sam Lousi, 4 Michael Fatialofa, 3 Jeff Toomaga-Allen, 2 Ricky Riccitelli, 1 Toby Smith
Replacements: 16 James O’Reilly, 17 Chris Eves, 18 Ben May, 19 Vaea Fifita, 20 Reed Prinsep/Sam Henwood, 21 Jamie Booth, 22 Ihaia West, 23 Wes Goosen/Jonah Lowe

Chiefs: 15 Solomon Alaimalo, 14 Sean Wainui, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Charlie Ngatai, 11 Shaun Stevenson, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Brad Weber, 8 Liam Messam, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Lachlan Boshier, 5 Michael Allardice, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Angus Ta’avao, 2 Nathan Harris, 1 Karl Tu’inukuafe
Replacements: 16 Liam Polwart, 17 Sam Prattley, 18 Jeff Thwaites, 19 Jesse Parete, 20 Mitch Karpik, 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Marty McKenzie, 23 Alex Nankivell

Saturday

Crusaders v Sharks
@ AMI Stadium, Christchurch

Crusaders: 15 David Havili, 14 Seta Tamanivalu, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 George Bridge, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Bryn Hall, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Matt Todd, 6 Jordan Taufua, 5 Samuel Whitelock (c), 4 Scott Barrett, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Tim Perry
Replacements: 16 Andrew Makalio, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Michael Alaalatoa, 19 Luke Romano, 20 Pete Samu, 21 Mitchell Drummond, 22 Mitchell Hunt, 23 Manasa Mataele

Sharks: 15 Curwin Bosch, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Daniel du Preez, 7 Jacques Vermeulen, 6 Philip van der Walt, 5 Ruan Botha (c), 4 Tyler Paul, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 John-Hubert Meyer, 19 Hyron Andrews, 20 Wian Vosloo, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Marius Louw, 23 Makazole Mapimpi

Waratahs v Highlanders
@ Allianz Stadium, Sydney

Waratahs: 15 Israel Folau, 14 Alex Newsome, 13 Curtis Rona, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Taqele Naiyaravoro, 10 Bernard Foley (c), 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Michael Wells, 7 Will Miller, 6 Ned Hanigan, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Jed Holloway, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Damien Fitzpatrick, 1 Tom Robertson
Replacements: 16 Tolu Latu, 17 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 18 Paddy Ryan, 19 Tom Staniforth, 20 Brad Wilkin, 21 Jake Gordon, 22 Cameron Clark, 23 Bryce Hegarty

Highlanders: 15 Ben Smith (cc), 14 Waisake Naholo, 13 Rob Thompson, 12 Teihorangi Walden, 11 Tevita Li, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Luke Whitelock, 7 James Lentjes, 6 Liam Squire, 5 Tom Franklin, 4 Jackson Hemopo, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Liam Coltman, 1 Daniel Lienert-Brown
Replacements: 16 Ash Dixon (cc), 17 Aki Seiuli, 18 Kalolo Tuiloma, 19 Shannon Frizell, 20 Elliot Dixon, 21 Kayne Hammington, 22 Josh Ioane, 23 Matt Faddes

Lions v Jaguares
@ Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg

Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Ross Cronjé, 8 Warren Whiteley (c), 7 Cyle Brink, 6 Kwagga Smith, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Marvin Orie, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Jacques van Rooyen
Replacements: 16 Corne Fourie, 17 Dylan Smith, 18 Johannes Jonker, 19 Lourens Erasmus, 20 Marnus Schoeman, 21 Dillon Smit, 22 Courtnall Skosan, 23 Howard Mnisi

Jaguares: 15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matias Orlando, 12 Jeronimo de le Fuente, 11 Matias Moroni, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Tomas Lezana, 6 Pablo Matera (c), 5 Marcos Kremer, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Agustin Creevy, 1 Santiago Garcia Botta
Replacements: 16 Julian Montoya, 17 Juan Pablo Zeiss, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Matias Alemanno, 20 Tomas Lavanini, 21 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 22 Martin Landajo, 23 Sebastian Cancelliere

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Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson admits he doesn’t know if he would have taken the job if he knew what he would be getting himself into.

Gibson’s first two years saw the ‘Tahs finish 10th in 2017 and a record-lowest 16th last year in an initiation of sorts at the start of his tenure. Despite pressure on him to be sacked, the ‘Tahs brains trust stuck with their man.

And now, Gibson looks to be repaying the faith shown in him, with the Sydneysiders comfortably topping the Australian Conference, thus setting up a home quarter-final against the Highlanders on Saturday.

But it wasn’t always plain sailing as Gibson revealed in an interview with the Fox Rugby Podcast.

“They backed me last season off two pretty average, mediocre years,” Gibson said.

“I don’t know whether I would have taken the job when I look back.

“As much as it was a winning team, it was very much a team in transition in terms of the roster, the playing list.

“The systems and everything that goes with the experience of all your staff being in place had gone, disappeared.

“To put that back in place and to really, truly own it and do it the way I wanted to do it — it’s taken to this point just to get here.

“One of my goals as NSW coach is making sure that part of the legacy that I want to leave behind is all those development systems and positions that we have in our club, are filled and work regardless of who the head coach is.”

He added: “If I had my time again, I probably would have been a little bit more patient.

“I’ve learnt how important it is that the head coach is supported from an organisational view.

“Having incredible stability and direction — the CEO, the chairman, the captain, your support staff — all in place and being really stable and all aligned towards one direction and a firm direction.

“When I look back to 2015, when Cheik left to take on the Wallabies, he took six staff with him, which is a big hole to fill.

“At the time we had no CEO, no general manager — the ingredients that you need to be a really successful club weren’t in place and so we really were starting from a blank canvas.

“For some coaches that would be a really appealing thing, but I guess being inexperienced at that stage, I made some mistakes.

“When I reflect on that, I would have probably taken my time a little bit more and been far more considered with my moves.”

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The Lions and Jaguares will clash for the third time this season when they go head-to-head in the fourth and final Qualifier at Ellis Park on Saturday.

For the hosts, they are attempting to reach the semi-finals for the third successive year having competed in the showpiece event in 2016 and ’17. They lost to the Hurricanes and Crusaders in the respective finals but, after once again finishing top of the South African Conference, their consistency is to be admired.

Unlike the past two campaigns, however, the Johannesburg-based outfit have endured a much tougher season in 2018 and their opponents this weekend came close to usurping Swys de Bruin’s men.

Only defeats to the Bulls and Sharks prevented the Argentinians from overtaking De Bruin’s outfit and claiming a home game in the quarter-finals. As it is, the Jaguares will have to travel to Ellis Park and face the Lions at altitude but you get the feeling that Mario Ledesma and his charges will not be too concerned.

After disappointing in their first two years in Super Rugby, this has been a marked development by the Jaguares, who have looked far more assured under the former front-rower. He has improved their previously ailing set-piece and been slightly more conservative than the all-out attack approach that encompassed the previous regime.

The Lions are still the favourites, though, and have been on good form recently, winning three of their past four matches. Home form has also been a significant factor in matches between the teams with neither managing to pick up a victory on their travels.

Last year was the closest either came to upsetting the hosts when the Argentinians succumbed 24-21 in Johannesburg but, in the other five encounters, neither have got within 12 points of the opposition.

That should change on Saturday with the South Africans not quite at the same level as the previous couple of seasons. They should ultimately have enough to defeat the Jaguares but it is a difficult game to call with the Argentines going into the contest under little pressure.

The last time the teams met: The Jaguares gained revenge for their defeat in Round Two by overcoming the Lions 49-35 in Buenos Aires. It was the start of a remarkable run which saw them claim eight victories in nine matches as they reached the play-offs for the first time. Bautista Delguy’s first minute score set them on their way and, although Marvin Orie and Sylvian Mahuza responded for the visitors, two tries via Emiliano Boffelli and another from Javier Ortega Desio put the Argentines in command. The Lions did close the gap through Malcolm Marx’s brace and Lourens Erasmus’ effort but Bautista Ezcurra and Ortega Desio completed the win for the hosts.

Players to watch:

For Lions: After being maligned for his performance against England, Elton Jantjies has settled back in nicely to the Lions’ surroundings, but this will be his first truly high pressure match since returning to the franchise. How will he react and can the Jaguares put him under enough pressure to make him wilt? That is what the Hurricanes and Crusaders managed to do in the previous two Super Rugby finals and there are significant question marks over his temperament in big games.

For Jaguares: Following Tomas Lezana’s emergence in the back-row, previous incumbent at openside Marcos Kremer has been moved to lock. The 20-year-old has been in excellent form this season but the back five forward has struggled to reproduce that over recent weeks. However, he has an opportunity to rectify that in his other position having played much of his age-grade career in the second-row. Kremer is a powerful ball-carrier and obviously adept at the line-out so they will look for the youngster to get them on the front foot.

Team news: Ross Cronje and Aphiwe Dyantyi will start for the Lions on Saturday as they look to make it a third successive semi-final.

They have replaced Courtnall Skosan and the injured Nic Groom in the starting line-up with boss Swys de Bruin making two changes to the side.

De Bruin has also altered the bench slightly following Groom’s enforced absence with Dillon Smit among the replacements, while prop Dylan Smith is selected ahead of Jacobie Adriaanse.

Meanwhile, Jaguares head coach Mario Ledesma has made several changes to his squad to face the Lions.

With qualification already secured last weekend, the Argentinian outfit decided to rest a number of key first team players.

All those duly return with Emiliano Boffelli, Matias Orlando, Jeronimo de la Fuente, Matias Moroni, Nicolas Sanchez and Gonzalo Bertranou named in the backline.

Among the forwards, out go six of the eight which started against the Sharks and in come Javier Ortega Desio, Tomas Lezana, Guido Petti, Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, Agustin Creevy and Santiago Garcia Botta, while Marcos Kremer is shifted to lock.

On the bench, Ledesma has decided to go with a six-two split with Matias Alemanno, Tomas Lavanini and Juan Manuel Leguizamon providing lock and back-row cover.

Form: Following a mid-season blip where the Lions suffered three successive losses, going down to the Reds, Hurricanes and Highlanders, they have recovered to claim the South African Conference. Swys de Bruin’s outfit go into the match in decent form having beaten the Brumbies, Stormers and Bulls in their previous four matches, with their only defeat coming against the Sharks in Durban.

Meanwhile, the Jaguares go into the contest off the back of consecutive losses after succumbing to both the Bulls and Sharks. It prevented them from claiming top spot in the division having put themselves in an excellent position following seven victories in a row. They have proven that they can win away from home this season but they have remarkably yet to do so on South African soil.

Prediction: The Jaguares are much improved from the side that went down by 20 points in the regular-season fixture at Ellis Park, but we think that home advantage will be a decisive factor. Lions by 5.

Previous results:

2018: Jaguares won 49-35 in Buenos Aires
2018: Lions won 47-27 in Johannesburg
2017: Lions won 24-21 in Johannesburg
2017: Jaguares won 36-24 in Buenos Aires
2016: Jaguares won 34-22 in Buenos Aires
2016: Lions won 52-24 in Johannesburg

The teams:

Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Ross Cronjé, 8 Warren Whiteley (c), 7 Cyle Brink, 6 Kwagga Smith, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Marvin Orie, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Jacques van Rooyen
Replacements: 16 Corne Fourie, 17 Dylan Smith, 18 Johannes Jonker, 19 Lourens Erasmus, 20 Marnus Schoeman, 21 Dillon Smit, 22 Courtnall Skosan, 23 Howard Mnisi

Jaguares: 15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matias Orlando, 12 Jeronimo de le Fuente, 11 Matias Moroni, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Tomas Lezana, 6 Pablo Matera (c), 5 Marcos Kremer, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 2 Agustin Creevy, 1 Santiago Garcia Botta
Replacements: 16 Julian Montoya, 17 Juan Pablo Zeiss, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Matias Alemanno, 20 Tomas Lavanini, 21 Juan Manuel Leguizamon, 22 Martin Landajo, 23 Sebastian Cancelliere

Date: Saturday, July 21
Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 15:05 local (14:05 BST, 13:05 GMT)
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistant Referees: Marius van der Westhuizen, Egon Seconds
TMO: Marius Jonker

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The Hurricanes progressed to the Super Rugby semi-finals with a hard-fought 32-31 victory over the Chiefs at Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Friday.

Tries from Julian Savea, Ben Lam, a TJ Perenara brace and two penalties from Beauden Barrett proved too much for the visitors, who scored through Brad Weber, Anton Lienert-Brown, Damian McKenzie, Lachlan Boshier as well as a McKenzie penalty.

The Chiefs dominated the opening 20 minutes of both halves but were thwarted by the Hurricanes’ line speed and discipline on defence, while the hosts were the more clinical of the sides on the day.

The Hurricanes will now meet the winner of the Crusaders versus Sharks clash, taking place on Saturday.

The home side took the lead within the opening minute when McKenzie tried to get a static Chiefs backline going with a long, looping pass which Savea clutched out the air ahead of opposite number Shaun Stevenson before racing in under the posts to give the home side a dream start.

However, the visitors hit back in the seventh minute. Lienert-Brown got the offload away for Nathan Harris, who made the mini-break and released Weber on his inside for a clear run to the line, capping off a well-worked team try involving superb interplay between backs and forwards.

The Chiefs had an overwhelming majority of the possession and territory in the opening 20 minutes. Credit to the Hurricanes, who defended stubbornly to limit the damage. And having soaked up the pressure, the hosts would the enjoy the better of the second part of the second half and score next in the 33rd minute.

It came after brilliant work from Ngani Laumape to hold up an opposition player five metres from the Chiefs try-line, creating the maul and winning the scrum penalty for his side in a wonderful position. From the resulting set-piece, Perenara got over with a trademark sniping break as the hosts took a 17-10 lead in to the interval.

11 minutes after the half-time break, Charlie Ngatai’s kick held up in the breeze and was pounced upon by the chasing Boshier, who went on a bullocking 40-metre run, shrugging off a couple of defenders, before being halted five metres short. The ball was shifted out to the left where Lienert-Brown had numerous options on the overlap, but finished the job himself, as McKenzie levelled matters at 17-17 after 51 minutes, setting up a tense final 30 minutes.

Just when the Hurricanes needed a response, one of their big players rose to the occasion in the 62nd minute when the talismanic Perenara went over for his brace from first phase with the sniping dart in identical fashion to his first.

Soon after, Solomon Alamailo was penalised for a deliberate knock-down and was lucky to escape the yellow card. However, the hosts would capitalise from the resulting scrum, spreading the ball out to the left wing, where Lam finished an incisive backline move on the overlap for a 32-17 lead

The visitors hit back with two late tries when Alamailo went on a scintillating break and delayed the pass expertly for McKenzie, who ran a great support line to dot down before Boshier powered over after a series of powerful carries from the forwards.

It wasn’t enough to overturn the 15-point deficit though as the Hurricanes won by just the one point – 32-31.

The scorers:

For Hurricanes:
Tries: Savea, Perenara 2, Lam
Cons: B Barrett 2, J Barrett
Pens: B Barrett 2

For Chiefs:
Tries: Weber, Lienert-Brown, McKenzie, Boshier
Cons: McKenzie 3, Ngatai
Pen: McKenzie

Hurricanes: 15 Nehe Milner-Skudder, 14 Julian Savea, 13 Jordie Barrett, 12 Ngani Laumape, 11 Ben Lam, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Blade Thomson, 7 Gareth Evans, 6 Brad Shields (c), 5 Sam Lousi, 4 Michael Fatialofa, 3 Jeff Toomaga-Allen, 2 Ricky Riccitelli, 1 Toby Smith
Replacements: 16 James O’Reilly, 17 Chris Eves, 18 Ben May, 19 Vaea Fifita, 20 Reed Prinsep, 21 Jamie Booth, 22 Ihaia West, 23 Wes Goosen

Chiefs: 15 Solomon Alaimalo, 14 Sean Wainui, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Charlie Ngatai, 11 Shaun Stevenson, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Brad Weber, 8 Liam Messam, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Lachlan Boshier, 5 Michael Allardice, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Angus Ta’avao, 2 Nathan Harris, 1 Karl Tu’inukuafe
Replacements: 16 Liam Polwart, 17 Sam Prattley, 18 Jeff Thwaites, 19 Jesse Parete, 20 Mitch Karpik, 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Marty McKenzie, 23 Alex Nankivell

Referee: Glen Jackson
Assistant Referees: Nick Briant, Paul Williams
TMO: Glenn Newman

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The Waratahs host the Highlanders at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Saturday in what should be a thrilling trans-Tasman Super Rugby quarter-final.

This is the fifth consecutive year the Highlanders have made the play-offs, finishing in sixth position at the end of the round robin stage. They are also in the familiar position of being on the road having played only two knockout games at home since the inception of Super Rugby (1999 and 2015).

For the Waratahs, it has been some turnaround after last year’s record-low finish of 16th. The Sydneysiders are top of the charts for points, metres made and clean breaks, and third overall for tries.

However, their success has come mainly against weaker Australian opposition as they have only managed the one win against New Zealand teams – a 41-12 victory over the Highlanders earlier in the season. That scoreline may look emphatic, but it is important to remember that the Waratahs were playing with a man extra for three quarters of the game after Tevita Nabura was red-carded in the 19th minute.

The Highlanders have a pack equipped to stifle quick ball for the opposition, and if they do that successfully, it should prevent a potentially dangerous Waratahs backline stretching their legs. 125kg Taqele Naiyaravoro and three-times John Eales medal record-holder Israel Folau have scored 27 tries between them this season and that’s not counting how many they have created.

The Waratahs will take confidence from the fact that they average 35 points per game this season and in the Highlanders they are coming up against a side that has conceded 127 points in their last three fixtures since returning from the international break.

Much has been made in the build-up to the game, however, of the Highlanders’ decision to rest the majority of their key players last weekend, with the mind games being ramped up in midweek as the Waratahs said this could backfire on the visitors come Saturday. This was in response to Aaron Smith’s initial barb that the Waratahs may feel the ‘pressure’ of defending their ‘fortress’.

Whoever wins between these two sides will set up a semi-final meeting with either the Lions or Jaguares, who meet later on Saturday.

The last time the teams met: The Waratahs ended Australian sides’ 40-match losing streak against New Zealand opposition with a 41-12 win. They were helped somewhat considerably by Highlanders wing Tevita Nabura’s early red card, as they scored through Lalakai Foketi, Curtis Rona, Taqele Naiyaravoro (2) and Israel Folau (2).

Players to watch:

For Waratahs: While many of the plaudits have gone to Naiyaravoro and Folau this season, there is one man who has quietly gone about his business under the radar and that is Kurtley Beale. Since returning from his one-year-stint with Wasps, he has brought a calmness and assuredness that was sorely missing in the ‘Tahs backline last season. Certainly, Bernard Foley’s game has benefited from having Beale on his outside, who takes on the responsibility of doing plenty of the tactical kicking.

For Highlanders: Aaron Smith returns to the starting line-up in a huge boost for the men from Otago and will be a wanted man after his mind-game comments earlier in the week. Smith will thrive on the attention and harass and badger the opposition as usual, looking to prey on any mistakes or gaps left by the ‘Tahs defence. He is a big-match player and his high-intensity quick-tempo game sets the tone for the Highlanders at the beginning of matches. He’ll be looking to get his side off to a fast start as usual.

Team news: Waratahs head coach Daryl Gibson has made just one change to his starting line-up.

Alex Newsome will start on the right wing in place of Cam Clark, who moves to the bench.

Waratahs hooker Damien Fitzpatrick will play his 50th match for New South Wales and is three caps away from a half century of Super Rugby games.

Meanwhile, the Highlanders welcome back several players such as All Blacks Ben Smith, Aaron Smith and Luke Whitelock, with Rob Thompson also in the side.

Coach Aaron Mauger is excited by the opportunity they have this weekend.

“These are the opportunities the guys work hard all year for and there are no second chances,” he said.

“It’s simply about putting our best performance on the field on Saturday. The Waratahs are a quality side playing at home which presents an awesome challenge for our guys, but like I said, these are the games we love to play.”

Form: The Waratahs have won four of their last six fixtures and two of their last three since returning from the international break. Last weekend’s loss to the Brumbies brought them back down to earth somewhat but they are still in decent form.

Meanwhile, the Highlanders, by contrast, are having a bit of a hard time of things of late. As mentioned above, they have conceded 127 points in their three fixtures since the international break. They lost to the Crusaders and Chiefs by the same scoreline (45-22) before beating the Rebels 43-37 last weekend.

Previous results:

2018: Waratahs won 41-12 in Sydney
2017: Highlanders won 44-28 in Dunedin
2016: Highlanders won 30-26 in Sydney
2015: Highlanders won 35-17 in Sydney
2015: Highlanders won 26-19 in Dunedin
2014: Waratahs won 44-16 in Sydney
2012: Highlanders won 18-17 in Dunedin
2011: Waratahs won 33-7 in Sydney

Prediction: The hosts to show they can beat Kiwi teams with 15 men. ‘Tahs by 5.

The teams:

Waratahs: 15 Israel Folau, 14 Alex Newsome, 13 Curtis Rona, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Taqele Naiyaravoro, 10 Bernard Foley (c), 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Michael Wells, 7 Will Miller, 6 Ned Hanigan, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Jed Holloway, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Damien Fitzpatrick, 1 Tom Robertson
Replacements: 16 Tolu Latu, 17 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 18 Paddy Ryan, 19 Tom Staniforth, 20 Brad Wilkin, 21 Jake Gordon, 22 Cameron Clark, 23 Bryce Hegarty

Highlanders: 15 Ben Smith (cc), 14 Waisake Naholo, 13 Rob Thompson, 12 Teihorangi Walden, 11 Tevita Li, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Luke Whitelock, 7 James Lentjes, 6 Liam Squire, 5 Tom Franklin, 4 Jackson Hemopo, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Liam Coltman, 1 Daniel Lienert-Brown
Replacements: 16 Ash Dixon (cc), 17 Aki Seiuli, 18 Kalolo Tuiloma, 19 Shannon Frizell, 20 Elliot Dixon, 21 Kayne Hammington, 22 Josh Ioane, 23 Matt Faddes

Date: Saturday, July 21
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Kick-off: 20:05 local (11:05 BST, 10:05 GMT)
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referees: Nic Berry (Australia), Will Houston (Australia)
TMO: George Ayoub (Australia)

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The tournament’s in-form team the Crusaders continue the defence of their Super Rugby title against the Sharks in Christchurch on Saturday.

Scott Robertson’s men are on a purple patch after winning their last 12 matches and are overwhelming favourites to progress into the semi-final stage at the expense of the Sharks, who are 10/1 with some bookmakers to win. History and the formbook makes a shock highly unlikely.

Looking at the Opta stats doesn’t make for pretty reading for the Sharks coming into the match which kicks off Saturday’s action. No South African franchise has ever won a finals game in New Zealand, with this being the 13th such fixture in Super Rugby history. Furthermore the Crusaders have won 17 of their last 21 games against the Durban outfit including each of their three previous meetings in the post-season.

Adding further weight to the Crusaders’ case for victory and a spot in the last four is the fact they have won their last 16 games on the bounce when hosting teams from outside New Zealand; the last time they lost such a fixture was in the opening round of the 2015 campaign.

What is positive for the Sharks however is the fact they’ve fared well against New Zealand sides so far in 2018. They’ve beaten the Blues, Highlanders and Chiefs this campaign, losing their only other clash with a Kiwi outfit 38-37 at the Hurricanes, which will give them hope.

But it’s extremely difficult to envisage the Crusaders not winning on Saturday as they are playing such formidable rugby at present, with the likes of Codie Taylor, Scott Barrett, Sam Whitelock, Jordan Taufua, Richie Mo’unga, Jack Goodhue and George Bridge all in great form.

Victory would see them face the winner of Friday’s opening qualifier between the Hurricanes and Chiefs, which already whets the appetite.

The last time the teams met: It’s been well over two years since the Crusaders and Sharks last faced off, with that match taking place in Durban. The Crusaders won 19-14 as David Havili, Nemani Nadolo and Kieran Read crossed, with Lwazi Mvovo scoring a brace for the Sharks.

Players to watch:

For Crusaders: It’s been a superb campaign from young centre Jack Goodhue as his stock continues to rise in New Zealand. More game time in an All Black jersey is surely not too far in coming as his powerful and intelligent lines, skill-set and strong defence make him a talent. Also keep an eye on Scott Barrett, who is back in the side this week. His form for New Zealand and the Crusaders in 2018 has been excellent.

For Sharks: Winning the battle up front has to be the first port of call for the Sharks so the likes of tighthead prop Thomas du Toit need to gain the upper hand at the set-piece and in the tight exchanges. There will also be a lot of pressure on Daniel du Preez‘s shoulders as his carrying and dynamism must come to the fore against the likes of Jordan Taufua and Kieran Read. Du Preez will of course empty the tank.

Team news: Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson has made five changes to the line-up that defeated the Blues for Saturday’s quarter-final.

All Black duo Codie Taylor and Owen Franks return at hooker and tighthead, meaning Andrew Makalio and Michael Alaalatoa move to the bench.

Scott Barrett also returns from a rest week to resume his role at lock, and Luke Romano will once again provide cover on the bench. The loose forward trio of Jordan Taufua, Matt Todd and Kieran Read remains unchanged, with Read having recovered from the wrist/thumb injury.

Bryn Hall and Mitchell Drummond will again switch for this game, so that Hall takes the starting spot at scrum-half and Drummond moves to the replacements bench. The only other change to the starting XV sees David Havili rejoin the squad at full-back in place of Israel Dagg.

Meanwhile, Sharks head coach Robert du Preez has been able to name a completely unchanged 23 for this Super Rugby quarter-final showdown.

A good effort against the Jaguares at Kings Park last week saw the Sharks through to the knockout stage courtesy of an eighth place finish.

Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira will play his 150th Super Rugby game in a Sharks shirt. He holds the record for being the most capped Super Rugby player for a single province and is just behind hooker Adriaan Strauss, who is the most capped South African Super Rugby player with 156.

Form: What more can be said about the Crusaders? 12 wins on the spin puts them in the best possible form coming into this game. Their only two defeats this season came in March, against the Hurricanes and Highlanders but since then they have been unstoppable in the competition.

The Sharks, meanwhile, have been inconsistent this season and haven’t strung back-to-back wins together since April 21 and May 5. Since then their record is lost, won, lost, won, lost, won, but that latter victory proved enough to see them make this knockout trip to Christchurch.

Prediction: Home win here as the reigning champions march on. Crusaders by 15.

Previous results:

2016: Crusaders won 19-14 in Durban
2015: Crusaders won 52-10 in Durban
2014: Crusaders won 38-6 in Christchurch
2014: Sharks won 30-25 in Christchurch
2013: Sharks won 21-17 in Durban
2011: Crusaders won 36-8 in Nelson
2011: Crusaders won 44-28 in London
2010: Crusaders won 35-6 in Christchurch

The teams:

Crusaders: 15 David Havili, 14 Seta Tamanivalu, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 George Bridge, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Bryn Hall, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Matt Todd, 6 Jordan Taufua, 5 Samuel Whitelock (c), 4 Scott Barrett, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Tim Perry
Replacements: 16 Andrew Makalio, 17 Wyatt Crockett, 18 Michael Alaalatoa, 19 Luke Romano, 20 Pete Samu, 21 Mitchell Drummond, 22 Mitchell Hunt, 23 Manasa Mataele

Sharks: 15 Curwin Bosch, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Daniel du Preez, 7 Jacques Vermeulen, 6 Philip van der Walt, 5 Ruan Botha (c), 4 Tyler Paul, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 John-Hubert Meyer, 19 Hyron Andrews, 20 Wian Vosloo, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Marius Louw, 23 Makazole Mapimpi

Date: Saturday, July 21
Venue: AMI Stadium, Christchurch
Kick-off: 19:35 local (08:35 BST, 07:35 GMT)
Referee: Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand), Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
TMO: Shane McDermott (New Zealand)

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Perry Baker scored a brace as USA brought the curtain down on a scintillating day of Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018 action at AT&T Park with a 35-0 defeat of Wales to take their place in the Championship quarter-finals.

The hosts are joined in the race for the Melrose Cup by defending champions New Zealand, Olympic champions Fiji, HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2018 winners South Africa, RWC Sevens 2013 runners-up England, Argentina, France and Scotland.

The Championship quarter-finals will get underway at 15:32 local time (GMT-7) on Saturday with Scotland facing South Africa, Argentina taking on Fiji, France meeting New Zealand and USA tackling England.

The men’s tournament began with a preliminary round featuring the nations ranked ninth to 24th to determine who would progress to face the top eight seeds in the round of 16 and who would take their place in the Bowl bracket on the final two days of the tournament.

Papua New Guinea, making their RWC Sevens debut, came close to upsetting the form book when the 23rd seeds battled back from 24-7 down against Canada with some slick handling and pace leading to tries by Henry Kalua and Hensley Peter. There was to be no fairytale comeback, though, with Connor Braid making certain of a 29-21 victory for Canada.

Chile and Ireland were also involved in an epic battle that went down to the wire. Ireland, winners of a bronze medal in the London round of the series, looked to be heading for extra-time against the battling South Americans until they worked Jimmy O’Brien over in the corner with time up, much to the relief of the Irish fans in the stands.

The drama continued into the round of 16 with an incredible comeback by Scotland to beat Kenya 31-26. The eighth seeds had trailed 26-0 against the Kenyans, who had battled past Tonga 19-7 in their opening match, but five second-half tries to the delight of the AT&T Park crowd. Scotland made the most of the space created by Belgium Tuatagaloa’s sending off for two yellow cards to storm back, captain Scott Riddell coolly sending Jamie Farndale over for the winner.

Argentina’s 28-0 victory over Canada was more straightforward before the drama continued as France shocked Australia. With two and a half minutes to go the scores were level at 17-17 before Les Bleus found Tavite Veredamu in space out wide and he had too much pace and power for Australia.

The reward for France is a Championship quarter-final with defending champions New Zealand. The All Blacks Sevens beat Russia 29-5 to signal their intentions to become the first nation to win back-to-back tournaments. They led 12-5 at half-time but quickly built on that with Joe Ravouvou a constant threat with his physicality and speed.

Fiji endured an intense battle with Japan to start their bid for a third RWC Sevens title and went in at half-time trailing the Asian champions 10-7. However, the footwork of captain Jerry Tuwai, one of five Olympic gold medallists in San Francisco, ignited the Fijian attack and three quick-fire tries from Josua Tuisova, Semi Radradra and Jasa Veremalua helped wrap up a 35-10 win.

South Africa faced no such problems against Ireland with Siviwe Soyizwapi becoming the first player since RWC Sevens 2005 to score four tries in a match in their emphatic 45-7 victory. That left the hosts to bring the curtain down on day one and, drawing on the euphoria of the crowd, they ran out 35-0 winners with captain Madison Hughes converting all five of their tries.

Rugby World Cup Sevens Results, Day One:

Kenya 19 – 7 Tonga
Canada 29 – 21 Papua New Guinea
France 50 – 0 Jamaica
Wales 33 – 12 Zimbabwe
Samoa 45 – 7 Uganda
Russia 21 – 7 Hong Kong
Japan 33 – 7 Uruguay
Ireland 17 – 12 Chile
Scotland 31 – 26 Kenya
Argentina 28 – 0 Canada
Australia 17 – 22 France
England 19 – 15 Samoa
New Zealand 29 – 5 Russia
Fiji 35 – 10 Japan
South Africa 45 – 7 Ireland
USA 35 – 0 Wales

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Ahead of Saturday’s qualifiers in Super Rugby, we are putting our head on the block and picking our winners from the three games.

The Crusaders open proceedings against the Sharks before the Waratahs host the Highlanders and the Lions and the Jaguares complete the day’s action at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.

SUPER RUGBY

Crusaders v Sharks

Preview: The tournament’s in-form team the Crusaders continue the defence of their Super Rugby title against the Sharks in Christchurch on Saturday.

Prediction: Home win here as the reigning champions march on. Crusaders by 15.

Waratahs v Highlanders

Preview: The Waratahs host the Highlanders at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Saturday in what should be a thrilling trans-Tasman Super Rugby quarter-final.

Prediction: The hosts to show they can beat Kiwi teams with 15 men. ‘Tahs by 5.

Lions v Jaguares v

Preview: The Lions and Jaguares will clash for the third time this season when they go head-to-head in the fourth and final Qualifier at Ellis Park on Saturday.

Prediction: The Jaguares are much improved from the side that went down by 20 points in the regular-season fixture at Ellis Park, but we think that home advantage will be a decisive factor. Lions by 5.

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