Tahs bring in Timani for Reds showdown

Updated July 11, 2012 17:35:28

Lock Sitaleki Timani will come into the New South Wales side to replace injured number eight Wycliff Palu ahead of the final-round Super Rugby clash with Queensland on Saturday.

Palu was injured in the Waratahs' loss to the Brumbies in Sydney on Saturday night.

Timani will slot into the second row alongside Kane Douglas, with Dean Mumm moving to blindside flanker to cover Dave Dennis, who will take over at number eight.

"Dave has been one of our form players this year and we are very confident in his all round skill set," Waratahs coach Michael Foley said.

"Having him play at number eight is not new to us and it allows us to pick Sita in the second row alongside Kane."

Prop Paddy Ryan will earn his second start of the season after a strong game against the Australian conference-leading Brumbies.

"Paddy's performance against the Brumbies was most pleasing for someone coming back from an extended injury and having played only two club games," Foley said.

"He is a young player who was progressing particularly well before injury and it's excellent to see him pick up where he left off."

Sekope Kepu remains unavailable due to a calf injury, meaning Jeremy Tilse retains his place on the bench.

The clash will be a milestone for winger Drew Mitchell, who will become the 25th Australian player to earn his 100th Super Rugby cap - as long as Brumbies hooker Stephen Moore takes the field earlier on Saturday for his own century.

The Reds' finals hopes are riding on a bonus-point win and a slew of other results, while the Waratahs are looking to close out their 2012 campaign on a high note.

"It's not about us trying to spoil their year or anything like that," Mitchell said.

"I had four years there (with Queensland) and I guess the irony is it's my 100th this weekend and I get to play where it started."

It will be an especially sweet moment for the 28-year-old given the injury-interrupted nature of his season.

"It's taken me 16 or 17 months to get the last four but it was always something I wanted to achieve," he said.

"Their intent will be to go out there and score four tries and it could one of two ways,'' he said of the Reds' gameplan.

"They could at their lethal best, which is a pretty dangerous prospect. They are obviously capable of scoring tries but I think there is a risk there. If they are going out there intent on scoring tries, it might loosen up a little bit.

"The thing for us is we've just got to understand we don't have to change our game entirely - we're doing a lot of good things.

"We've got enough motivation at the moment to go out there and be up for this game, whether it's the Reds or not."

Waratahs: Adam Ashley-Cooper, Lachie Turner, Rob Horne, Berrick Barnes, Drew Mitchell, Bernard Foley, Grayson Hart, Dave Dennis, Chris Alcock, Dean Mumm, Kane Douglas, Sitaleki Timani, Paddy Ryan, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Benn Robinson.

Replacements: John Ulugia, Jeremy Tilse, Lopeti Timani, Jono Jenkins, Brendan McKibbin, Tom Carter, Tom Kingston.

Tags: super-rugby, rugby-union, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, australia

First posted July 11, 2012 15:32:32

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Robinson relishing Reds showdown

Updated February 24, 2012 18:50:40

Waratahs vice-captain Benn Robinson believes facing Queensland is a level above any other Super Rugby assignment, but he is just relieved his pre-match nerves are limited to the big occasion.

After a horror year with injury in 2011, which saw him miss Australia's World Cup campaign, Robinson declared he is 100 per cent fit heading into Saturday night's season opener at Sydney's Olympic stadium.

The prop emerged unscathed from his return match, a trial against Tonga last week, and says his knee will not be on his mind when he packs down against fierce rivals the Reds.

The 27-year-old is determined to make up for lost time and he sees squaring-off against the defending premiers as the perfect place to start.

"These are the games you cherish playing, these are the games you're going to remember for the rest of your life," Robinson said.

"It makes it extra special, you know the blokes you pack down with at national level ... and it might give you an advantage or it might give you a slight disadvantage."

Robinson will back debut skipper Daniel Halangahu in the leadership department on Saturday night and says he had taken it upon himself as vice-captain to be a pillar of strength against Queensland's physical and star-studded pack.

Against Tonga, Robinson got through his work nicely and says agony over his ACL tear is well and truly behind him.

"They (staff) definitely put you through your paces to make sure there's no hesitation there," he said.

"They take you past what you think you should be doing ... that first tackle or run is always going to (produce) a few nerves, but that's not with the knee just the big game ahead."

Robinson's opposing number one, Ben Daley, spilled blood in one of the derby matches last year and is again ready to go to war against New South Wales.

One of the lasting images of the 2011 season was Daley having his nose flattened across his face in the Reds' gutsy win at Lang Park in round 10.

But while that was triumphant pain, he also remembers the hiding his team copped from the Waratahs in round two of last year, emphasising how dangerous New South Wales can be when it dominates in the middle.

"You don't want to go off in these games. No matter what injury you have you want to stay out there," Daley said.

On paper, the Waratahs look undermanned compared to the starting XV they would have been hoping to use.

They are missing backline stars Berrick Barnes, Lachie Turner and Drew Mitchell and are without forwards Dan Vickerman and Rocky Elsom, but Robinson said the confidence of the team would not be curbed.

"The players who have come in have been around the squad for a long time now and sometimes it's a good thing," said Robinson, who does not expect the Reds to change their title-winning style too much despite Mike Harris replacing the injured Quade Cooper at number 10.

"The Queenslanders might not have seen them before and it might be a new challenge for them."

AAP

Tags: rugby-union, sport, super-rugby, sydney-2000

First posted February 24, 2012 18:50:40

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Crusaders set up Reds showdown

Updated July 3, 2011 07:10:00

Fly half Dan Carter has scored 19 points to help the Crusaders beat the Stormers 29-10 in their Super Rugby semi-final at Newlands.

Carter's two conversions and five penalties helped the Crusaders book a place in the final to set up a mouthwatering clash with the Queensland Reds in Brisbane next Saturday.

The Crusaders, chasing their eighth Super Rugby title, were full value for the win after scoring two tries against one for last year's beaten finalists.

Queensland earlier beat Auckland Blues 30-13 at Lang Park thanks to a hat-trick of tries from winger Rod Davies.

The Crusaders scored the first two tries through wing Sean Maitland and outside centre Robbie Fruean, while Springbok wing Bryan Habana crossed for the hosts late in the first half.

Carter proved to be the difference between the teams and the 29-year-old missed just two attempts at goal as the Crusaders made light of the 11,000 km they had to travel at the beginning of the week to contest the semi-final.

The Crusaders achievement in reaching the final was all the more remarkable because they did not play a single home match during the season after February's earthquake in Canterbury rendered their stadium unplayable.

"We made the decision to stand up for the people at home and now we have given ourselves a chance by making the final," Crusaders skipper Richie McCaw said.

"I'm really proud of the guys who haven't used travel as an excuse the whole season," he added.

The Crusaders had been the last team to win a play-off outside their home country when they triumphed in the 2000 final against the Brumbies in Canberra.

Error-ridden performance

The hosts opened the scoring in front of a crowd of just over 48,000 after seven minutes with a penalty by fly half Peter Grant but the Crusaders took advantage of an error-ridden Stormers' performance to roar into a 23-3 lead after 35 minutes.

Carter levelled the scores with his first penalty before Maitland intercepted a loose pass from Stormers eighth man Nick Koster and galloped 50 metres to score the opening try.

Carter then nailed two long-range penalties and the Crusaders asserted their dominance when inside centre Sonny Bill Williams slipped through a half-gap before off-loading to centre partner Fruean who dotted down alongside the posts for a converted try.

The Stormers, despite winning the territorial battle, were struggling to assert themselves in the face of some superbly aggressive defence from the visiting forwards which constantly stopped their attacks behind the advantage line.

"The whole tight five set the tone in defence and they didn't give the Stormers front foot ball," said McCaw.

However, Habana finally gave the home fans something to cheer about when he dived over from close-range after taking a quick tap-penalty five metres from the visitors' tryline.

Grant succeeded with the conversion as the Stormers, who have never won a Super Rugby title, went to the break trailing 23-10.

The home side were far more competitive in the second half as they battled to break down the Crusaders defence.

Their best chance came in the 54th minute when only a desperate tackle from wing Zac Guilford prevented centre Jaque Fourie from scoring in the corner.

"We were outclassed by a better team in all facets of the game," Stormers stand-in captain Jean de Villiers said.

"You have to take your opportunities in games like this and we didn't capitalise on some early chances. The intercept try turned the game in their favour and they just got stronger and stronger."

Carter got the only points of the second half - two penalties - as the Stormers, desperate to chase down their opponents, turned down kickable penalties to kick for territory.

-Reuters

Primary Location; South Africa

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-14, new-zealand, south-africa

First posted July 3, 2011 06:42:00

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Tahs' Kepu to miss Bulls showdown

Posted May 29, 2011 19:00:00

The injury-hit New South Wales Waratahs have lost in-form prop Sekope Kepu and possibly centre Ryan Cross for next weekend's crunch Super Rugby clash with the Bulls in Pretoria.

Kepu lasted just 12 minutes and Cross 22 as both fell victim to knee injuries in the Waratahs' 26-21 loss to the Sharks in Durban on Sunday morning (AEST).

The Tahs led 21-13 with 25 minutes to go when full-back Kurtley Beale kicked a penalty awarded after Sharks flanker Jean Deysel was sin-binned for a choke hold on centre Tom Carter.

But the Sharks capitalised on the visitors' turnovers and poor discipline to score 13 unanswered points.

The result left the Waratahs wobbling on the finals tightrope with three rounds remaining.

The Sharks (47 points) displaced the Waratahs (46) from fifth with the Bulls (45) and Highlanders (44) still very much in contention.

Kepu suffered a medial ligament injury while Cross fell awkwardly after being hit by a high tackle off the ball.

"I think we are probably looking at three to four weeks for Sekope at his stage," New South Wales coach Chris Hickey said.

"Ryan Cross's problem isn't quite as severe as Sekope's but I think he would certainly be in doubt for the Bulls game."

New South Wales went into the match without a smattering of stars including its most dangerous back Drew Mitchell, star back rowers Wycliff Palu and Phil Waugh and five-eighth Berrick Barnes.

Barnes, who has suffered three head knocks this season, trained on Saturday and could be available to face the Bulls next Saturday morning (AEST).

Veteran Al Baxter will almost certainly replace Kepu.

Hickey was keeping his options open about the replacement for Cross, though he could switch Lachie Turner to outside centre and start Atieli Pakalani on the the wing.

Pakalani missed a glorious chance to push New South Wales ahead with eight minutes to go when he won the chase to a Beale stab kick, but knocked on over the line.

Five-eighth Daniel Halangahu, who moved into the team on Friday for Barnes, shaped as the hero.

He set up a 95-metre breakout try to Turner in the first half and scored himself in the second after beating three defenders from a scrum move.

The Sharks dominated possession in the second half and powered home in the final quarter.

Springboks winger JP Pietersen sprinted over 60 metres for a match-changing try after pouncing on a loose pass from Beale.

Promising five-eighth Patrick Lambie, who scored 21 points, including a first-half try, kicked two late penalties to secure victory.

"I think that we tried to play too much football in our own half and their defence was able to stop us there and we didn't build a lot of pressure on them," Hickey said.

- AAP

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-14, australia, nsw, sydney-2000, south-africa

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