Super charged: Big game, Stormers aiming to stay unbeaten

David Skippers

Making its return, we bring you Super charged, in which we preview the main talking points ahead of the upcoming Super Rugby action.

Game to watch – Reds v Sharks

The Sharks will be aiming to end their Australasian tour on a high when they take on a rejuvenated Reds team in what promises to be an exciting encounter in Brisbane on Saturday.

These sides are both on a high after registering fine victories in their previous matches, with the Reds claiming a one-sided 64-5 home triumph over the Sunwolves last week while the Sharks notched a 36-24 win against the Rebels in Ballarat.

The Reds’ win came at just the right time as it was their first victory of the season, after suffering defeats against the Brumbies, Lions and Jaguares – all away from home – in their previous matches.

Although the 2011 champions are playing in their backyard, they face a stern test against the Sharks, who have been one of the leading sides during the early stages of the competition. The Durban-based side have won three out of four matches played so far this year, with their only blip being a defeat against the Hurricanes in Wellington in Round Three.

Despite their poor start to the season in terms of results, the Reds will fancy their chances as they have held the upper hand in this fixture over the years. In 20 previous matches between these sides, the Reds have been victorious on 11 occasions while the Sharks have won the other nine matches. The Reds will be quietly confident of another win, however, as they won the last two matches in this fixture and beat the Sharks 21-14 when these sides met in Durban last year.

Player to watch – Ben Lam (Hurricanes)

It was announced last week that Lam will leave the Hurricanes at the end of the current campaign to join Top 14 outfit Bordeaux-Begles and the 26-year-old will be determined to finish the season off on a high with outstanding performances for the 2016 champions in their remaining games.

After last weekend’s bye the Hurricanes return to action against the Sunwolves in Napier on Saturday and Lam will be licking his lips at the prospect of taking on the men from Tokyo, who suffered a 59-point defeat against the Reds in Brisbane last week. When on song, Lam is one of the best attacking players in the tournament and he showed how dangerous he can be on attack by scoring a brace of tries when the Hurricanes claimed a 38-22 win over the Sharks in their previous match, a fortnight ago.

Lam is powerful on attack with pace to burn and also holds the record for the most five-pointers in a single season (16) which he achieved during the 2018 campaign. He will be determined to get close to that achievement again this year and don’t be surprised if he crosses the whitewash on more than one occasion this weekend.

One-v-one battle to watch – Josh Ioane (Highlanders) v Billy Meakes (Rebels)

The weekend’s action gets underway in Dunedin where the Highlanders and Rebels go head-to-head and the match-up between Ioane and Meakes should be a tough battle between two classy players.

Ioane was the Highlanders’ first-choice fly-half last season and after several excellent performances, he was called up to the All Blacks squad and made his Test debut in a 2019 Rugby World Cup warm-up match against Tonga in Hamilton. With former Crusaders fly-half Mitchell Hunt moving to the Highlanders in 2020, head coach Aaron Mauger has shifted Ioane to inside centre and he has impressed in his new position up to now.

He is an excellent playmaker, who enjoys the running game, and Mauger said earlier this week he believes that the 24-year-old has the potential to wear the number 12 jersey at Test level as well. But, he faces a tough challenge against Meakes, who has been one of the Rebels’ best players in recent seasons and is unlucky not to play for the Wallabies as yet. An excellent defender, the 29-year-old will be expected to keep Ioane quiet but will also aim make an impact with a strong attacking display.

Subplot to watch – Stormers aiming to retain their unbeaten status

The tournament’s table-toppers have made a fantastic start to the season and are the only team yet to taste defeat after securing four successive wins from as many matches. Despite losing the services of their captain, Siya Kolisi, to injury, the men from the Cape have impressed with fellow Springbok Steven Kitshoff doing well as the side’s stand-in skipper.

On Saturday, the Stormers host the Blues in Cape Town and the Auckland-based team will have to be at their best as John Dobson’s charges have been a difficult side to break down when playing on their home turf this year. The men from the Cape have played three matches at Newlands in 2020 and have done remarkably well as they managed to keep the Hurricanes and Bulls scoreless in their opening games before the Jaguares breached their defence for the first time courtesy of a Rodrigo Bruni try in the 66th minute in last weekend’s match at the famous stadium.

Despite their brilliant defence, the Stormers attack is not the finished article yet and with outstanding players like Herschel Jantjies, Damian Willemse, Seabelo Senatla, Jamie Roberts and Dillyn Leyds in their ranks, they will be hoping for an improved showing in that department.

Best of the rest

With the Crusaders, Chiefs and Brumbies all having byes there are only two other matches scheduled to take place this weekend.

In Sydney, the Waratahs take on the Lions in what is an important game for both sides. The Waratahs are desperate for victory as they are one of only two sides – along with the Bulls – who are yet to win a match in the competition. The Lions, meanwhile, will also be determined to get a victory under their belt as they have only won one out of three fixtures and will be hoping to start their Australasian tour on a high by beating the Sydneysiders.

In other action, the Bulls hope to get their campaign on track take when they take on the Jaguares in Pretoria in the last match of the round on Saturday. The Bulls came agonisingly close to notching a win last weekend but suffered a narrow 23-21 home loss to the Blues while the Jaguares, who are 2019’s runners-up, also lost against the Stormers in Cape Town.

Blues