Fantasy Super Rugby Review Round 3

Another great week of Super Rugby and a great week of fantasy.

The Blues ran the show against the Crusaders on Friday morning, completely justifying the decision to get up so early on a day off. Rene Ranger and Chris Noakes in particular were outstanding, and both were at the fulcrum of all the good work that the Blues managed. Piri Weepu looks in great shape, and his passing seems a lot faster than last year.

The Crusaders seemed very rusty in their first game, and the Blues will be thankful they got them at this stage. It seems like just a blip, and they showed their class for being in it for so long without playing close to well. Dagg's positioning showed that he is not a winger, and Carter only seemed to be interested in passing the ball out, without providing anything else.

Luke Braid got a try while bleeding heavily, made 12 carries, burst through 3 tackles and made 15 tackles without missing any for the highest fantasy points total of Round 3, which transports him into the dream team overall.

Halai, Piatau, both Saili's and Luatua look like fantastic young prospects and seem to gel together well. The Blues could be a team to watch, but they will need to find a consistent goalkicker. Maybe letting Gareth Anscombe go to the Chiefs will be a mistake they'll regret more and more.

Anscombe was fantastic against the Cheetahs with 9/9 and a try. He looks at home at fullback despite it only being his 2nd appearance ever in the position. Cruden seemed to awake from a slumber from being anonymous by his standards for 130 minutes, to turn it on for 5 minutes and 2 tries before being taken off. It bodes well for the Chiefs going to the future. They seemed to have grown after winning last year and the loss of Sonny Bill Williams and Sona Taumalolo hasn't hit too hard.

Elsewhere, the Reds and the Hurricanes denied the Hurricanes victory at Suncorp stadium. The consensus seemed to be that the Hurricanes should have taken their chances, and with the Blues resurgent could face a battle to avoid being the bottom team in the NZ conference.

Elsewhere, The 'Tahs overcame a dreadful first half to dispose of the Rebels, who are improving year on year; the Bulls escaped against the Force with a late rally; and the Stormers and the Sharks played out a boring test match.

From a fantasy point of view, it's been three weeks now, and ideas on how to manage your team should be coming together nicely. A look at the dream team hints what positions are most valuable and who is performing well. As an example, James O'Connor miles ahead of other inside backs, and is second highest points scorer. Ged Robinson of the Rebels is also miles ahead of other hookers and is the highest point scorer, but both have had an extra game to most of the competition.

Scrum halves totals are very low. Highest has been playing on the wing, which is Richard Kingi.

Overall dream team full of Australians (extra game) with Blues. Is that a hint that the Blues are going to continue their form? Only time will tell

Going through the positions about what is acceptable per game and where allowances can be made.

Props important- about 20-30 points acceptable per game. Props who make a lot of tackles and are strong in the scrum are the most point-scoring.

Hooker = vital. highest scorer at the moment, and was last year. Need to be getting 30+ points a week. Lineout throws, runs and tackles all gain lots of points.

Second rows playing flanker get most points. Lineout forwards with lots of tackles and carries are wanted 15+ points. Flankers are important and score well 25+ points a round.

As mentioned, scrumhalves aren't that important and could be sacrificed. Want someone who gets a good number of points, makes breaks and affects the game. Be happy with 10 points. Only 6 9's atm have over 10 points per game average.

Outhalf is a new position in the fantasy this year, it used to be part of the inside backs. But it's usually important as my inside backs were full of outhalfs. A creator or a very safe boot is what's needed, and there are plenty of them. 20+ is a decent haul of points a game, but Outhalves tend to me more inconsistent than other positions in terms of points scoring.

Inside backs, James O'Connor seems to be head and shoulders above the rest. A try scoring 13, or kick taking 12 are the main options, but a few seem to be doing some good business too.

Outside backs are as inconsistent as outhalves, as most tries come out here. While two tries one week can get a winger up to 50 points, a tryless week might leave him with under 10.

It'll be easier to see as the season goes on who is consistent or whose form is only temporary. The Blues seem to be doing the business at the moment but can it last? The most valuable players to have in your fantasy team are cheap high scoring youngsters. Anyone under 150K and getting 20+ points a game keeps the points ticking over and releases funds for more expensive transfers elsewhere.

Transfers can happen every week, so make use of them. Wildcards need to be used effectively. Now might benefit to get the fast starters, but if the Blues fail to maintain form it might bit you in the ass. With the Lions and internationals in the middle that could interrupt things too. Wildcards could make and break your team's aspirations.

On to our leagues, with the leagues changing from 3 to 2, and the inclusion of the "celebrities", things are hotting up.

In SuperIrish Murray Kinsella's "Les Mecs" had a stormer of a week with a whopping 510 points from 5 dream team players with only the scrumhalf contributing less than 19 points. This brings Les Mecs up two spaces. 500+ points shows how easy it is to make up a gap, so it's still all to play for for each player.

Garbhan Hogan retains his lead thanks to a strong bench which holds off the gathering challengers. With 4 teams over 1,000 points and only 38 points separating them, it's all to play for. Things are hotting up.

The "Twittersphere" league sees the introduction of the "celebs" with Rod Kafer and Tim Horan storming to the front with commanding leads. Brendan Cannon and Greg Martin are amongst the "top 4" with Nathan Sharpe just outside. Greg "Clarkie" Clark, Nick McArdle and Phil "Kearnsy" Kearns separate the top 4 from the rest. Peter Corley and Simon Farrell are yet to join this league.

In further fantasy news, there will be a head to head league and a cup competition starting in the following months, so new players are encouraged to join.

Irish Squad Announcement Reaction

First thing I do when I see a squad announcement is to put each player in their positions and see who's who, it gives a better view of who is in the squad and who is not. Alphabetical order, and versatility makes this difficult ish, but it's a good read of the squad.

1. Healy, Kilcoyne,
2. Best, Cronin,
3. Fitzpatrick, Ross,
4. O'Callaghan, Ryan,
5. McCarthy, Toner, Tuohy,
6. Henderson, O'Mahony,
7. O'Brien, O'Donnell
8. Heaslip, Diack
9. Murray, Reddan
10. Jackson, Madigan, Sexton,
11. Earls, Fitzgerald,
12. Marshall, McFadden,
13. O'Driscoll, O'Malley,
14. Gilroy, Trimble,
15. Kearney, Kearney

Right, because it's the main issue and twitter has exploded, but the eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that a certain Ronan O'Gara is missing from this squad and an Ian Madigan has replaced him. Despite what Monday's paper might lead you to believe, this is a good thing. O'Gara had been off form lately and there are alternative options that are playing better. Madigan should be in there and should have been in there for a while now. So it's a positive. Has Kidney handled it badly? Probably, but the people that are saying this are the people that didn't want him in the Welsh squad in the first place. It is sad when a great player's career might be at an end against his wishes, but he will be remembered for the fantastic moments in his career, like the drop goal in '09 or the drop goal after 42 phases in the Heineken Cup last season to name just two.

Madigan and Jackson provide two clear different options in the 23, and both deserve their chances. Jackson showed enough against Scotland in open play to keep his place, and his kicking against Treviso was hugely improved. Even still, someone like McFadden to come in and take that pressure off him would allow him to flourish. Madigan provides a better Plan B than O'Gara ever would, as O'Gara is more suited to seeing out an advantage than chasing a game which screams out for someone as unpredictable as Madigan.

Part of me thinks that this isn't the last we've seen of ROG in an Irish shirt, but Kidney's history would suggest against it. He has had a wonderful career, and will be remembered as a legend. He might have left with more dignity, but no one will remember that in a few years. Sexton might be ruled out in between now and the team announcement, which might lead Kidney to call O'Gara up to have some experience in the 23. Watch this space.

Now, surprisingly there are a number of other talking points from this squad. Tom Court who parachuted over Dave Kilcoyne for the Scottish match is deemed surplus to requirements and Kidney seems to have made his mind up about the two of them. This is a tough call, just as it was to pick Court over Kilcoyne last week. Kilcoyne seemed to struggle as much if not more than Court in the scrum when he came on. It's as if Kidney wants Kilcoyne to be next in line, but doesn't trust him enough.

Speaking of trust, the treatment of Cronin in the last few games screams of a lack of trust. It's a toss up between him and Sherry for me, but in reality it won't matter because neither will get on the field, no matter how bad Best's throwing will be. On Best's throwing, it was bad in the first half against Scotland, but we didn't lose any in the second half, and one bad half does not mean he is having a bad tournament. I think he's been our best player.

O'Donnell and Henderson have cemented themselves in the squad are great seasons, with Henry injured. The big call in the back-row is the inclusion of South African Robbie Diack. Diack is a versatile player that has been used across the back row and the second row this season for Ulster. He is good enough, and could be a useful player for Ireland. He won't get in the 23 this match, but it's the second project player to be included and paves the way for others like Nathan White, Jared Payne, Quinn Roux and CJ Stander to be included. A lot will be made of this, but I'm supportive of it. These are what the rules state, let's make the most of it and get on with things. Strauss showed how to do it, and do it properly, hopefully the rest will follow. Skip to 2:30 below

It's fantastic to see Eoin O'Malley in there. He's a great talent if he would get a run without injuries. And Andrew Trimble is back. With Gilroy struggling he is a live contender for the 23.

Probable 23:
1. Healy, 2. Best, 3. Ross, 4. Ryan / O'Callaghan, 5. McCarthy / Tuohy, 6. O'Mahony, 7. O'Brien, 8. Heaslip, 9. Murray, 10. Sexton / Jackson, 11. Earls, 12. Marshall, 13. O'Driscoll, 14. Gilroy / McFadden / Fitzgerald, 15. Kearney.
16. Cronin, 17. Kilcoyne, 18. Fitzpatrick, 19. Toner, 20. Henderson, 21. Reddan, 22. Jackson/Madigan, 23. Fitzgerald/McFadden/Trimble


All the /s are injury permitting, with the inclusion of McFadden to take the kicks off Jackson should Sexton not make it. This is Kidney's probable 23, not the 23 that I would choose.

Overall, I am very happy with this squad. It's incredibly hard to find fault with it. It shows to me that Kidney is trying to earn another contract by showing the IRFU that he is looking to the future with bringing the youngsters in, and how the project players are now being included. It's Kidney's last roll of the dice, will it work?

Connacht's plan

Worthy of it's own post.

The Future of Irish Rugby by Ciaran Burke

In a first for this blog, there is a new writer, Introducing Ciaran Burke who looks into the crystal ball for Irish rugby's future. Follow Ciaran on twitter

As the pain of defeat to Scotland wavers and our thoughts turn to Saturday week against France, we as rugby fans still have the lingering thoughts of the elephant in the room that is the Future.

Two points in particular; A, The Kidney debate; and B, The future of this Irish team that in my opinion, has for a long time not realised its true potential.

Over the last few days, the kidney debate has brought up on various sites, blogs and twitter and I see it a knee jerk reaction, It’s rightly an issue that needs to be discussed in depth but the wisdom that by getting rid of Kidney will suddenly turn our fortunes around and everything will be rosey in the garden is foolhardy.

If the IRFU get rid of Kidney; who will replace him? The list of potential names mentioned where Conor O’Shea, Mike Ruddock and Joe Schmidt. All fantastic and respected rugby men, but as I put it they are either unavailable at this time or probably not interested for various reasons. 

My preference would be for Conor O’Shea take the job, but he is contractually tied to Harlequins until at least 2014. It must also be said that, realistically, would these guys want to take the job with such a short window of games and time to stamp their style and systems on the team with the World Cup fast approaching.

This is why I wouldn’t be surprised it the big-wigs at the IRFU decide its better the devil you know and offer a new contract to kidney until after the next World Cup, and have O’Shea lined up to take the reins if things go pear shaped .

Now back to the team; I was reading the independent supplement on Ireland’s best XV of last 50 years, and one thing that struck me was the fact that a lot of the guys picked won shag all in their playing time with Ireland, save for sporadic big moral boosting victories here and there.

Now I know it was different times for these guys, but the fact that most of us have lived through triple crowns, a Grand slam and multiple Heineken cups just shows how far we have come and to an extent how greedy we have become.

This team and extended squad, including injured guys, are a talented bunch individually but why can’t we get it together consistently? That is a question for the management and players. Injuries have played their part in our present slump and Ireland as a rugby country has a very small pool of players to pick from, and to have the spine of that team ripped out is bound to affect us and to think otherwise is silly. The Argentina and Wales games glossed over this, but gave us a chance to infuse some good young players into the cut and thrust of test rugby. Regardless of whether Deccie planned to do this or not; it is a positive to the development of a squad working to a World Cup. 

Whether its Deccie or someone else who takes us forward I know there is a lot of thing to work with and work on heading into the future.

A Lack of Experience

As seen here

After that performance, the bandwagon for Deccie to leave has gotten bigger and bigger. This isn't a post about whether he should stay or go, but rather, what needs to be done between now and the World Cup. Whenever the World Cup comes around, it's emphasised that the World Cup is the be all and end all, and that teams should be focusing on it. I, for one, would love to see Ireland finally do well at the World Cup. That Welsh game was the most depressed I've been about sport in my life, and I'd rather not go through it again.

Thus far under Kidney's reign, rightly or wrongly, there has always been an emphasis on the next game. Best players out for winning as many games as possible. This means that players who won't make the world cup are collecting caps, while promising youngsters sit on the bench. This means that when the pressure situation comes, the young players don't have enough experience to know what to do.

Take a look at England. Stuart Lancaster decided last 6 Nations to build a squad for 2015 World Cup. They have been blooding young talented players that will play a huge part in their fortunes over the next few years. Some have even begun to be mentioned as Lions candidates. People like Tom Youngs, Joe Marler, Mako Vunipola, Joe Launchbury, Geoff Parling, Tom Johnson, Chris Robshaw, Ben Morgan, Freddie Burns, Owen Farrell, Jonathan Joseph, Billy Twelvetrees, Alex Goode and Brad Barritt have all either made their debut or been brought into the squad and started featuring as a regular since Lancaster took over.

Lancaster has managed to bring in these talents while making huge strides and winning matches. That must be the goal for Kidney. Bringing in too much too soon will be bad, but not bringing in enough is detrimental in the long run. I firmly believe that most of Kidney's youthful introductions to the side are forced on him through injury like Marshall and Jackson last weekend or Zebo to fullback last November. If Kearney had been fit, or Sexton and D'Arcy fit now, it wouldn't be unreasonable to suggest that all three talented youngsters might still be waiting for their first caps.

This 6 Nations should be the perfect time to blood inexperience. It's the first chance after the World Cup seeding is settled so there isn't as much pressure. Especially now that the championship has gone for another year, the time to give experience is now. The only way that Kidney can attempt to win another contract is by doing some forward thinking and preparing this side for the challenge in 2 years’ time.

There are a number of talented players on the cusp of the national side that need exposure and will be needed in the next two years. Players like Kilcoyne, Strauss, Sherry, Tuohy, Henderson, Ruddock, O'Donnell, Ryan, Marmion, Paul Marshall, Madigan, Jackson, Luke Marshall, McSharry, Cave, O'Malley, O'Hallorhan, Felix Jones and Henshaw are going to be in the top two or three in their positions in two years and are ready to make the step up to internationals now. Others like Paddy Butler, Jordi Murphy, Jared Payne and Ian Keatley will be ready soon and need their chance too. While the tight head prop situation needs someone to get some time, whether it's Fitzpatrick, Bent, Archer, John Ryan or someone completely left field like Nathan White.

The overall focus has to be developing a squad of 30-40 quality alternatives for the World Cup cycles. This means that quality youngsters have to be given the chance to show what they can do. We've already seen the uplifting impact they can have on the squad, so why not give those chances. Kidney only blooded Marshall and Jackson because of injuries. And there are many others that are worth having a look at.

Players aren't trusted because they've no experience. Now is the time to give them some of this experience. Whether Cian Healy or Jonathan Sexton are available for France or not, neither should play. Kilcoyne and Jackson need another go. As does Marshall, but I think he's earned it. Kidney needs to help Jackson out by selecting McFadden on the wing in place of Earls, while letting Gilroy continue his acclimatization to this level. Henderson needs to be thrown in at the deep end, while Dan Tuohy and maybe Tommy O'Donnell should be on the bench at least. I would also like to see Reddan replaced on the bench. Not because he's not good enough, but when the world cup comes around he'll be 34, and Marmion or Marshall will be in a better position to challenge Murray. 

Speaking of experience, last Autumn Chris Robshaw was lambasted for some poor decision making in defeat to South Africa. Fast forward a few months and its Jamie Heaslip's turn. The decision has been made Heaslip is captain. It wouldn't have been my choice, but nonetheless, Heaslip will make a great captain. He will learn on the job. It's said leaders are born, but leaders can be made too. And not all born leaders take to it straight away. Heaslip is the man, and keeping him in the captaincy is the right call. Sure there were doubts when O'Driscoll was made captain the first time. And there were concerns about Keith Wood.

Team for France:

1. Kilcoyne

2. Best

3. Ross

4. Ryan

5. Tuohy

6. O'Mahony

7. O'Brien

8. Heaslip

9. Murray

10. Jackson

11. McFadden

12. Marshall

13. O'Driscoll

14. Gilroy

15. Kearney

16. Cronin /Sherry - just as long as they get on this time

17. Tom Court

18. Fitzpatrick

19. Henderson

20. O'Donnell

21. Marmion

22. Madigan

23. Fitzgerald / Darren Cave 

Team for Italy (injury permitting)

1. Kilcoyne

2. Cronin

3. Fitzpatrick

4. Tuohy

5. Ryan

6. Henderson

7. O’Donnell

8. Heaslip

9. Murray

10. Jackson

11. McFadden

12. Marshall

13. Cave

14. Gilroy

15. Kearney

16. Best.

17. Court

18. Bent

19. Stevenson

20. O’Mahony

21. Marmion

22. Madigan

23. Fitzgerald

Fantasy Super Rugby Round 2 Review

Super Rugby is back for 14 of 15 teams, with just the Canterbury Crusaders to play their first game.

And wow is it back. The first match of Round 2 set the tone for some quality rugby over the weekend. The Highlanders and the Chiefs played out a classic with some end to end rugby that was a joy to watch.

Tim Nanai-Williams stole the show with two tries, first a great line and step to torch Ben Smith on the outside, the second coming after 3 minutes of non stop end to end rugby which knackered the players. However, he showed how much of a 13 he is NOT in defense by letting in Kade Poki in for an "easy" try.

The try of the game for me was Ben Smith's outstanding pickup an inch from the ground and somehow grounding it with the attentions of several Chief's defenders.

The Chief's surprised me and will be worth a watch as the competition progresses, with Gareth Anscombe looking a key signing.

The Brumbies could be underlining their title credentials with a great display, and Jesse Mogg is fast becoming a bolter for the Lions tour. He seems quality, with serious pace and took his try well, his 2nd in 2 weeks. Having said that, it's clear that the Rebels have improved.

I noticed a lot more use of the TMO this weekend, with a lot of refes using the TMO for seemingly obvious tries, and it also showcased the new rulings of being able to go back 2 phases to spot any reasons for disallowing tries. Chiliboy Ralepelle's try was a perfect example of this, and an example of how technology still won't provide clearcut results. Sidenote: How Joe Pieterson isn't starting for the Stormers is beyond me.

Julian Savea shows that he is still scoring tries in the Hurricanes loss to the Blues, which introduced a lot of potentially future household names in the Blues ranks. Halai, and Saili and Luakua are all worth keeping an eye on this season.

Israel Folau made his debut for the Tahs, and showed he has a lot to work on in defense, with some half-hearted attempted tackling. Quade Cooper's defense looks a lot better than what it was (nothing), maybe the boxing is helping him.

And the Kings. What a game. Sergeal Peterson looks a star in the making. But the Kings play was very entertaining, and won over lots of fans. And proved me wrong. Go Kings.

As far as fantasy goes, with the highest score of 505 points and an average of 302, plenty of points were on show. 9 Players on the dream team had over 40 points with the entire back three of Piatau (Blues), Ben Smith and Nanai-Williams getting over 50 points each.

In the fantasy leagues, Cillian Hogan maintained his leads, but Garbhan Hogan scored the highest in round 2 to cut the gap. Connacht Man slips down to third following Garbhan's haul, with Simon Farrell and Peter Corley showing impressively. Garbhan only had one dream team member on his side this week, but had several high scorers. It's interesting to note that had Frank Halai or Johann Sadie found his way into Garbhan's XV it could have been even higher.

On to next week, and with the Brumbies, the Kings and the Highlanders on a bye, transfers will be important. The competition begins now

Super Rugby Teams: Round 3

BYES: BRUMBIES, HIGHLANDERS, KINGS

Friday 1st March

Auckland Blues vs Canterbury Crusaders 6:30 am

Blues: 15. Charles Piutau, 14. Frank Halai, 13. Rene Ranger, 12. Francis Saili, 11. George Moala, 10. Chris Noakes, 9 Piri Weepu, 8. Peter Saili, 7. Luke Braid, 6. Steven Luatua, 5. Ali Williams, 4. Sulum Retallick, 3. Charlie Faumuina, 2. James Parsons, 1. Tom McCartney
Replacements: 16. Quentin MacDonald, 17. Angus Ta'avao, 18. Liaki Moli, 19. Brendon O'Connor, 20. Bryn Hall, 21. Baden Kerr, 22. Jackson Willison

Crusaders: 15. Tom Taylor, 14. Adam Whitelock, 13. Robbie Fruean, 12. Ryan Crotty, 11. Israel Dagg, 10. Dan Carter, 9. Andy Ellis; 8. Kieran Read (c), 7. Matt Todd, 6. George Whitelock, 5. Sam Whitelock, 4. Luke Romano, 3. Owen Franks, 2. Corey Flynn, 1. Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements: 16. Ben Funnell, 17. Joe Moody, 18. Dominic Bird, 19. Luke Whitelock, 20.Willi Heinz, 21. Tyler Bleyendaal, 22. Tom Marshall

NSW Waratahs vs Melbourne Rebels 8:20 am

Waratahs: 15. Israel Folau, 14. Toim Kingston, 13. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12. Tom Carter, 11. Drew Mitchell, 10. Bernard Foley, 9. Brendan McKibbin, 8. Wycliff Palu, 7. Michael Hooper, 6. Dave Dennis, 5. Kane Douglas, 4. Mitchell Chapman, 3. Sekope Kepu, 2. Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1. Benn Robinson; Replacements: 16. John Ulugia, 17. Jeremy Tilse, 18. Paddy Ryan, 19. Sitaleki Timani, 20. Lopeti Timani, 21. Matt Lucas, 22. Ben Volavola

Rebels: 15 James O'Connor (c), 14 Lachlan Mitchell, 13 Mitch Inman, 12 Rory Sidey, 11 Richard Kingi, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Scott Higginbotham, 7 Scott Fuglistaller, 6 Luke Jones, 5 Cadeyrn Neville, 4 Hugh Pyle, 3 Laurie Weeks, 2 Ged Robinson, 1 Nic Henderson.
Replacements: 16 Shota Horie, 17 Paul Alo-Emile, 18 Jordy Reid, 19 Jarrod Saffy, 20 Nic Stirzaker, 21 Angus Roberts, 22 Tom English.

Queensland Reds vs Wellington Hurricanes 10:20 am

Reds: 15 Aidan Toua, 14 Dom Shipperley, 13 Chris Feauai-Sautia, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Ben Lucas, 8 Jake Schatz, 7 Liam Gill, 6 Eddie Quirk, 5 Ed O'Donoghue, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 James Slipper (c), 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Greg Holmes.
Replacements: 16 James Hanson, 17 Albert Anae, 18 Adam Wallace-Harrison, 19 Radike Samo, 20 Nick Frisby, 21 Mike Harris, 22 Luke Morahan.

Hurricanes: 15 Andre Taylor, 14 Alapati Leiua, 13 Conrad Smith (c), 12 Tim Bateman, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Brad Shields, 7 Karl Lowe, 6 Victor Vito, 5 Jason Eaton, 4 Jeremy Thrush, 3 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Ben Franks.
Replacements: 16 Motu Matu'u, 17 Reggie Goodes, 18 James Broadhurst, 19 Faifili Levave, 20 Chris Smylie, 21 James Marshall, 22 Reynold Lee-Lo.

Saturday 2nd March

Waikato Chiefs vs Free State Cheetahs 6: 35 am

Chiefs: 15. Gareth Anscombe, 14. Lelia Masaga, 13. Tim Nanai-Williams, 12. Bundee Aki, 11. Asaeli Tikoirotuma, 10. Aaron Cruden, 9. Augustine Pulu, 8. Fritz Lee, 7. Sam Cane, 6. Liam Messam (c), 5. Brodie Retallick, 4. MichaelFitzgerald, 3. Ben Afeaki, 2. Hika Elliot, 1. Pauliasi Manu.
Replacements: 16. Rhys Marshall, 17. Ben Tameifuna, 18. Craig Clarke, 19. Tanerau Latimer, 20. Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 21. Charlie Ngatai, 22. Patrick Osborne

Cheetahs: 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Willie le Roux, 13 Johann Sadie, 12 Robert Ebersohn, 11 Raymond Rhule, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Lappies Labuschagne, 6 Frans Viljoen, 5 Francois Uys, 4 Lood de Jager, 3 Lourens Adriaanse, 2 Adriaan Strauss (capt), 1 Trevor Nyakane.Replacements: 16 Ryno Barnes, 17 Coenie Oosthuizen, 18 Landman Ligtoring, 19 Boom Prinsloo, 20 Piet van Zyl, 21 Riaan Smit, 22 Ryno Benjamin.

Blue Bulls vs Western Force 3: 05 pm

Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14. Sampie Mastriet, 13. Lionel Mapoe, 12. Wynand Olivier, 11. Bjorn Basson, 10. Morne Steyn, 9. Francois Hougaard, 8. Pierre Spies (c), 7. Arno Botha, 6. Jacques Potgieter, 5. Juande Kruger, 4. Flip van der Merwe, 3. Werner Kruger, 2. Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1. Morne Mellett.
Replacements: 16. Willie Wepener, 17. Frik Kirsten, 18. Grant Hattingh, 19. Jean Cook, 20. Jano Vermaak, 21. Louis Fouche, 22. Jan Serfontein

Force: 15. Will Tupou, 14. Nick Cummins, 13. Winston Stanley, 12. Kyle Goodwin, 11. Alfie Mafi, 10. Sam Christie, 9. Alby Mathewson, 8. Ben McCalman, 7. Matt Hodgson (c), 6. Angus Cottrell, 5. Hugh McMeniman, 4. Sam Wykes, 3. Tetera Faulkner, 2. Nathan Charles, 1. Pek Cowan.
Replacements: 16. Heath Tessman, 17. Kieran Longbottom, 18. Toby Lynn, 19. Richard Brown, 20. Chris Alcock, 21. Mick Snowden, 22. Junior Rasolea

Natal Sharks vs DHL Stormers 5:10 pm

Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Francois Steyn (c), 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Patrick Lambie, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Anton Bresler, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Craig Burden, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.Replacements: 16 Kyle Cooper, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 19 Jacques Botes, 20 Charl McLeod, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 Odwa Ndungane.

Stormers: 15. Joe Pietersen, 14. Gio Aplon, 13. Jean de Villiers (captain), 12. Damian de Allende, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Elton Jantjies, 9. Nic Groom, 8. Duane Vermeulen (vice-captain), 7. Rynhardt Elstadt, 6. Siya Kolisi, 5. Andries Bekker, 4. De Kock Steenkamp, 3. Frans Malherbe, 2. Deon Fourie, 1. Steven Kitshoff Replacements: 16. Martin Bezuidenhout, 17. Pat Cilliers, 18. Don Armand, 19. Nizaam Carr, 20. Louis Schreuder, 21. Peter Grant, 22. Gerhard van den Heever