Who’s hot and who’s not!

Adam Kyriacou
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Who's Hot and Who's Not

Who's Hot and Who's Not

It’s time for our Monday wrap of who has their name in lights and who is making the headlines for all the wrong reasons over the past week.

THEY’RE ON FIRE!

Springbok back three and pack: Rassie Erasmus must be delighted with the way in which his back three are operating. Sbu Nkosi will find it difficult to get back in to this side after both Aphiwe Dyantyi and Makazole Mapimpi grabbed braces. Both are modern-day wingers, powerful and fast with great upper body strength. Dyantyi, in particular, looks a real threat and one of the most fearsome and willing chasers in world rugby. Willie le Roux meanwhile has been one of the main reasons for the sides’ resurgence and was once again brilliant on Saturday, the highlight being a fine kick-pass for Dyantyi’s second. A mention also for the Bok pack, particularly Eben Etzebeth, who were excellent.

Beauden Barrett masterclass: Barrett responded to his critics and those calling for Crusaders fly-half Richie Mo’unga to replace him in the best possible way by producing a talismanic performance to steer the All Blacks to a 38-13 victory over the Wallabies in Sydney on Saturday. Barrett controlled the attack brilliantly and ensured the All Blacks played with great width throughout. It was a piece of individual class for his try and there is surely no one better in world rugby at controlling the bouncing ball, while the cross-field kick for wing Waisake Naholo’s try was nothing short of sublime. Elsewhere centre Jack Goodhue looked a Test veteran while lock Brodie Retallick was outstanding.

Wallabies’ show of respect for haka: In a book on the All Blacks titled The Jersey, written by Peter Bills, former prop Kees Meeuws said he feared the haka had “lost its mana” and had “become a showpiece”. This has caused many to weigh in on the debate recently, some saying the haka had become commercialised. But Wallaby Will Genia spoke out, saying his side have an “incredible amount of respect for the haka” and that it was an important expression of All Blacks’ culture. TJ Perenara praised Genia and a lot of mutual goodwill was felt between the All Black and Wallabies’ camps – which is a nice change considering the strained relationships between the trans-Tasman neighbours in the past.

Namibia: They qualified for Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan after beating Kenya 53-28 in Windhoek to win the Rugby Africa Gold Cup over the weekend. They join New Zealand, South Africa, Italy and the Repechage winner in Pool B for what will be their sixth-successive tournament.

Pumas and Blue Bulls: It’s still early days in the Currie Cup but these teams hit the ground running and delivered fine performances while claiming wins over Griquas and the Free State Cheetahs respectively. The Pumas’ dominated for large periods and ran out 42-19 winners with debutant fly-half Chris Smith stealing the show with a fine showing. The Bulls had a tougher game but were full value for their 34-12 win over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein. This was particularly reassuring for the men from Pretoria’s supporters as they fielded a young line-up.

COLD AS ICE!

Wallabies set-piece: Although New Zealand were deserved winners in the Rugby Championship opener against Australia in Sydney at the weekend, the Wallabies’ poor performance in the tight exchanges is something which their head coach Michael Cheika will be keen to forget in a hurry. Veteran hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau battled to find his jumpers in the line-outs and Tom Robertson, Sekope Kepu and debutant Jermaine Ainsley struggled in the scrums. With set-piece work such an important part of the game, the Wallabies will have to show considerable improvement in that department if they want to defeat the All Blacks in Auckland and don’t be surprised if Cheika wields the axe up front for that fixture.

Danny Cipriani saga: Just when his performances on the field had been doing the talking, unfortunately Cipriani landed himself on the front page instead of back of newspapers. He received a £2,000 fine due to an assault at a bar after pleading guilty at Jersey Magistrates’ Court to resisting arrest and common assault. The story did not end there as the 30-year-old’s new club, Gloucester, expressed their surprise and disappointment after being notified by the RFU that Cipriani has been charged with conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game contrary to RFU Rule 5.12. It is an unwanted episode for player, club and country and it will be interesting to see how it affects his Test chances.

Anthony Watson injury: Staying in England and Bath full-back Anthony Watson is facing an extended spell on the sidelines after re-tearing an Achilles tendon in pre-season. The 24-year-old initially sustained the injury during England’s Six Nations defeat to Ireland in March, where it was suggested he would be out of action for six months. However, Watson has suffered a significant blow with this a “start again injury”.

Durban attendance: 26,836 supporters turned out to watch the Springboks take on the Pumas in the pair’s opening Rugby Championship clash in Durban. Kings Park has a capacity of 52,000 so that’s just over half of the seats filled for an international match, which will concern the South African Rugby Union and SANZAAR. However, such a figure doesn’t come as a surprise as the lack of bums on seats during Super Rugby in 2018 was clear for all to see. South Africa’s other home games are in Port Elizabeth and Pretoria, where they will hope for better numbers.

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News Anthony Watson Beauden Barrett Danny Cipriani Springboks

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