Props to the Props for a second week in a row as our front row all scored tries again! It was a short week and we have an abbreviated team of Aussies from the 4 franchises that took part. The team has fewer stars than a cloudy sky thanks to the Wallaby training camp that is currently preparing for the invasion of the Lions. With so little brand names on the payroll our team costs just 79 million.
Our FRS Dream team of 12 put together a credible 249 points. This weeks captain is former South African and depressive ex-Wallaby Clyde Rathbonewho captured a brace of tries as the Brumbies ran riot over the Rebels. Our kicker this week, for the 1st time is Jason Woodwood who’s measly 17 points was still enough to secure him a place in the side.
Most times in dream team: 4 - Scott Higginbotham, Andries Bekker, Jake Schatz, Deon Stegmann and Bernard Foley (all Foley’s appearances have been on the bench).
The Force play host to the Tahs in a Sunday slugfest that would normally have us here at FRS up early to melt the hangover with some face melting rugby but after we researched the historical score lines between these 2 we realized that the hangover would best be melted away in bed. As the last of 2 matches played this weekend, this isn’t an exciting prospect and if anything it presents a good opportunity to score some fantasy brownie points with the wife / girlfriend as you “give up” watching rugby to do something special with your better half. We say bank those brownie points – they will come in handy later on this season!
Skip straight to (9:00) if you just want to witness heartbreak…
After settling for a 7 point win over a potentially tricky Hurricanes outfit, the Brumbies are at home once again to face off against local rabble rousers, the Rebels. The home union will be showcasing a few bench warmers given that a good chunk of their side have been called to international duty but that’s unlikely to give much comfort to a Rebels team that has been obliterated by injury to key players and any remaining talent that they had has also been called to defend the pride of Aussie rugby.
Props to the Props this week as all 4 fat men scored tries! Fatman number 1: Trevor Nyakane secured a valuable bonus point for the Cheetahs by crawling to the tryline like there were sweets on the other side. Fatman number 2 was Corey Flynn who marked his return to the Saders lineup in Champagne & Pie style! Our 3rd Fatman of the weekend is no stranger to the odd white line; Werner Kruger he scored his 9th career try. Last and certainly not least, Deon Fourie, who was all over the end zone during the Currie Cup finally found some Super Rugby tryline action!
Amazingly, 19 out of our 22 players scored tries, giving our FRS Dream team a credible 473 points. Making our Dream Team for a record 4th time are 2 players, the first is Jake Schatz and the 2nd is someone we despise almost as much as he loves poaching tries from the back of a rolling maul… Deon Stegmann. Neither are playing this week but both loosies are Fantasy Gold on track for the playoffs!
This weeks captain is Highlanders fullback Ben Smith who captured a brace of tries as the men from Otago shocked the Blues in Invercargil. Bulls prop Werner Kruger is a hard man to stop from 5 metres out and his try with the away win and tries and 4-try bonus sees him take over the vice captaincy role.
Our kicker this week, for the 1st time is Colin Slade who scored a Hat-trick of Hat-tricks! 3 Penalties, 3 Conversions and 3 Assists. The Highlander landed 41 points for any manager brave or stupid enough to select him.
Most times in dream team: 4 - Scott Higginbotham, Andries Bekker, Jake Schatz, Deon Stegmann and Bernard Foley (all Foley’s appearances have been on the bench).
Match of the weekend and a battle that could potentially set the cat among the pigeons when it comes to being the head honcho in the South African conference. The Cheetahs host the Bulls in Bloemfontein this weekend and although this may have seemed like a one sided affair in the past, it will be anything but that. Rest assured, if you were expecting the Stormers / Kings match to produce some skiet, skop & donner then this match will in all likelihood blow your mind.
The Tjieeeetaaahs getting their bonus point against the Kings, they were the only team to score 4 tries last week!
While most rugby fans are looking forward to this years British & Irish Lions tour down under. Fantasy managers will be pulling their hair out as to what to do with their teams.
Good old SA derby rugby – whether it contains the finesse and attraction of running rugby or is characterized by the highly unskilled but massively enjoyable in-your-face confrontational back yard rugby, we love it! And this match will be of particular interest given that the Kings are chasing points to avoid relegation (pipe dreams – we all have them) and that the Stormers are in dire need of securing some much needed pride after a dismal Super Rugby season. Either way, all we can hear is the sound of entertainment!
Try and get a meat pie away from this guy! (Photo: Planet Rugby)
The 2nd Friday match is looking to serve up a hot dish of mind altering rugby as the Brumbies welcome the visiting Canes to their back yard. The Brumbies are still scrapping like a teenage girl in a cat fight with their occasional lull costing them the top position in the overall pile, they reign the Aussie roost at the moment but nobody wants to play a final away from home. The Canes on the other hand are very nearly dead in the water – they have a mathematical chance of making the playoffs but then again, we all have a mathematical chance of being a rocket scientist.
Pulling faces may scare little children but it’s unlikely to have the same effect on the rugby field. (Photo: Planet Rugby)
The Reds return home from their tour of South Africa to face the in-form Rebels. The Melbourne franchise have never beaten their Queensland counterparts, but they’d also never beaten the Tahs till last weekend. With the Lions tour looming the Aussie Derbies have added weight behind them. Neutrals will be hoping James O’Connor is fit so we can enjoy his intriguing flyhalf battle with erratic prodigy Quade Cooper. The Aussie sides are doing each other no favours this year with plenty of upsets coming from the previously disadvantaged Force and Rebels.
James O’Connor is back and will do well to avoid dropping the F-bomb like he did last year against the Reds. Not the language on expects from a lady.
When these sides met earlier in the season the Highlanders were in the middle of what would become a record losing streak, helped along by the obliging men Auckland. On that day it was 29-18 to the Blues (we predicted Blues by 12); the Highlanders will hope to fare better at the Forsyth-Barr Stadium in Dunedin this weekend. Hope, my Otago friends, is all you have left!
The Highlanders are getting dumped on more times than Porta-loo at a Curry Festival, even the Force had a go!
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, count them! That’s how many consecutive wins the Crusaders have against the men from New South Wales. Both these sides lost their encounters last weekend but it was the Tahs who had their playoff hopes kicked in the teeth. The Saders are still very much on track for the playoffs although they really don’t seem to be taking Super Rugby seriously these days. That being said Canterbury is still a nigh impossible place to win, especially for a team that has lost 10 matches in a row against the home union.
Check out the Tahs getting their playoff hopes dashed in heartbreaking fashion!
We had another low scoring week in Super Rugby with only the Cheetahs managing to score 4 tries for the bonus point; our FRS Dream team just scraped up enough to get over the 400 mark.
The new Sarel, Cheetahs scrumhalf Piet van Zyl makes the team for the 2nd consecutive week thanks to another try to add to his brace last week. Fellow Cheetahs Johan Sadie 2 tries and an assist) and Willie le Roux (1 try and an assist) also scored heavily to Captain and Vice Captain the side.
Most times in dream team: 4 - Scott Higginbotham, Andries Bekker and Bernard Foley (all Foley’s appearances have been on the bench).
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The Round starts with a big Kiwi Derby on Friday and ends with a big SAFA derby on Saturday. When these teams met earlier in the season at Loftus the Bulls shut down the Sharks 18-13. The home side return from a tough tour abroad with a long list of casualties and disappointments. The home side desperately need a win to get their campaign back on track. The 25th of May is payback day!
The Sharks had a poor tour down under but ended it on a high!
We nearly skipped this preview but finally got our act together, which is more than these two. Okay, so on Saturday at 11:40 it’s safe to assume that 99.9% of us will be sorting out some aspect of our sorry lives and the other 0.01% will probably be drinking (or maybe we’ve got that stat the wrong way around). Anyway, what is absolutely certain is that 100% of us will not be watching a rugby match between these 2 teams – it’s a battle for bottom of the pile as 14th hosts 15th in arguably the least exciting match of all time. Well, maybe not all time but it is pretty close.
We found the only hot thing about Highlanders Rugby!
The Stormers are back in town and are looking all the worse for it – sporting almost as many injuries as the Sharks, the Cape outfit is in danger of being hauled in by a motivated Kings team. They will be constantly looking over their shoulder and they need this win like South Africa needs an accountable government! The Reds faltered against the Cheetahs last weekend and will be looking to make amends when facing the Cape franchise on Saturday and if ever they have been presented with an opportunity then this is it.
Deon Fourie- yet another Stormer who’s joined the injured list! (Source: Twitter)
And we are back to a good old South African derby!! The Kings host the Cheetahs this weekend in the friendly city and both sides will do whatever it takes to secure the W! The Kings may be languishing on the bottom of the SA duck pond but that’s exactly why they want the win – with only SA derbies left for the Eastern Cape franchise they are making noise about being spectators for the promotion / relegation match with the Lions at the end of the season. The Cheetahs on the other hand are still in the playoff hunt and will be looking to scalp the Kings in their hunt for Super Rugby glory!
Cheetahs notch up another win in their record-breaking season!
Looking forward to this! Two losers from last week, with high hopes, facing off against each other – the Brumbies will be desperate to bounce back after dropping the ball against a blunt Waratahs outfit and the Blues will be desperate to keep themselves in the hunt after being thoroughly face palmed by the Crusaders (and themselves). The Blues have got an arguably more potent backline but the Brumbies are not short of WMD’s themselves - all we’re hoping for is that neither of these sides die wondering!
Locker Room Friend! (Source: Twitter and The Inbetweeners)
This fixture was a battle of the losers in Round 3 but both teams have had a new lease of life lately. The Rebels come off their first win over South African opposition but have still mostly been losing, albeit in great style. The Tahs have won their last 3 games to bring themselves back into contention. Waratahs coach Michael Cheika wrote his side off earlier in the season but then again, he says a lot of things. More importantly, both teams are doing some fast walking lately and this match promises some good entertainment.
Tah Man! Is there a lamer mascot in rugby? (Source: Twitter)
Its a big one folks! The defending champions and this year’s bookie favourites take on the 7-time Champions in Hamilton. The last time these teams met was in the semi-finals last year when the Chiefs won a titanic 20-17 battle. Every time these sides clash it’s all-out derby warfare and this Friday night will be no different.
Highlights of the epic Chiefs vs Crusaders semi-final last season!
We had a low scoring week in Super Rugby with the just one team scoring 4 tries; the Bulls at home to hapless Highlanders helped our FRS Dream team rack up over 400 points.
The new Sarel, Cheetahs scrumhalf Piet van Zyl was the only player to score more than one try and his brace sees him captain the side. Bulls centre JJ Engelbrecht is our vice captain with with 28 points (1 try and an assist). Scott Higginbotham narrowly missed extending his record to 4 consecutive weeks in the dream team as his try was just not enough. HughPyle’s try continues his form as he overtook Brodie Retallick to take back his spot as the top scoring fantasy lock in Super Rugby.
The kicking duties go to Berrick Barnes, who scored 31 points including 2 conversions, a penalty, try and assist.
Most times in dream team: 4 - Scott Higginbotham, Andries Bekker and Bernard Foley (all Foley’s appearances have been on the bench).
Here’s the team: Points: 434 Value: 179m
*Apologies – P. van Zyl points tally as captain should be 60
The Reds arrive in the land of melktert and mielies looking to lay a points claim on the local farmers. The Orange army will be hurting from last week’s loss to the Canes and we expect a backlash. These are two of the strongest sides in the competition, both with strong ball carriers and fierce gang tacklers. Prepare for all-out war in the Free State in what is one of the key games this season, and a must-win for the home side.
Take a look at the Sharks getting ripped apart (we did not enjoy this!), the second touch-down must be a contender for try of the season
The Highlanders may have thought they were back to winning ways after putting one over a rather toothless Sharks outfit but last weekend they found out exactly how stubborn the Kings can be and this weekend they will likely find out how unwelcoming Loftus can be. The Bulls took last weekend off and with top of the table positions looming they will be sharpening their blades as they welcome host the Highlanders in the Highveld!
It’s the battle between the 2 most inbred populations in Aussie rugby – Tahs vs Brumbies! The men from NSW come fresh off giving the Kings the hiding of their lives, then dispatching the Stormers last week. The Brumbies had a welcome nap with their bye week and will be rearing to go. Saddle up boys, this is gonna be a bumpy ride!
The last time these sides met was in Round 3, earlier on in the season when the Blues thumped the Crusaders 34-15 to announce themselves as title contenders. The men from Canterbury haven’t always been present this season but you can bet your bottom dollar they’ll be up for this one. This is arguably the toughest Kiwi Derby around, hold on to your sofas!
A reminder of why the Crusaders will be in the kitchen preparing a cold meal for the visitors!
The final match on Friday is a battle of desperation! The Force have not won in 4 games while the Sharks are on a 5-match losing streak. Desperate to get their campaign on track, the bruised and battered walking wounded from Durban will be looking to hand a beat down to the side for Perth who were out of contention before their season began.
The Rebels host the Stormers for the second time in Melbourne looking to erase the memory of their 40-3 ass whipping during their inaugural season. The home side has been at trying to play rugby while the visitors are in the business of preventing it (sorry Cape Townians, but the stats don’t lie!). This doesn’t have the makings of a classic battle but we’re hoping for a surprise this Friday. Goodness knows, this season has delivered plenty of those already.
We’re getting rather tired, and so must you be, of watching highlights of Stormers snorefests so we found this clip on Youtube that’s more exciting
These teams both surprised in their last games. The Chiefs were surprisingly poor at home, only just sneaking a win over the Force while the Hurricanes were surprisingly good against the Cheetahs. If this was 2 weeks ago we’d be predicting a one-sided affair but with the latest happenings it’s difficult to predict a winner. What we can expect though is all-out derby warfare!
As usual the Cheetahs vs Hurricanes fixture delivered fun running rugby and plenty of fantasy points!
