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My fearless predictions for the 2007 Super 14 season once again proved wrong!
The Waratahs failed to go anywhere near their success of recent times and my hopes for Eddie Jones to enjoy some success with the Reds went awry. The latter could easily blame injuries to his most senior players for the results given that the charges he had to rely upon were largely picked from the Under 19’s in key positions. And given NSW’s loss of Dan Vickerman and Phil Waugh, due to injury, Wendell Sailor, due to the unmentionable, and Chris Whitaker, overseas, it was little wonder that they struggled at times. But the manner in which they slipped badly in the competition to fight out the wooden spoon raises larger concerns for the Wallabies collectively.
As we with long rugby memories know it is essential for the provincial side (or at least one of them) to be doing really well in order for the Wallaby stocks to also be full of promise. But in this Rugby World Cup Year that does not seem to be the case when one looks at the competition table for the Super 14 in 2007.
The victory by the Bulls over the Sharks did at least break the monotony of the Crusaders winning again and perhaps it signalled the re-emergence of South African Rugby twelve years after their RWC victory at home when Mandela famously played for them in the stands. Although it would be a foolish person to suggest that the All Blacks will have to wait “four more years” to capture the Webb Ellis Trophy twenty years after the first and only time they have held it aloft.
List of Super 12/14 champions after the Bulls beat the Sharks 20-19 in the 2007 final:
1996 - Auckland Blues (New Zealand)
1997 - Auckland Blues (New Zealand)
1998 - Canterbury Crusaders (New Zealand)
1999 - Canterbury Crusaders (New Zealand) 2000 - Canterbury Crusaders (New Zealand)
2001 - ACT Brumbies (Australia)
2002 - Canterbury Crusaders (New Zealand)
2003 - Auckland Blues (New Zealand)
2004 - ACT Brumbies (Australia)
2005 - Canterbury Crusaders (New Zealand)
2006 - Canterbury Crusaders (New Zealand)
2007 - Bulls (South Africa)
AUSTRALIA
BRUMBIES
| 2006 position:
|
6th |
| Highest finish:
|
Champions (2001, 2004) |
| Country: |
Australia |
| Coach: |
Laurie Fisher |
| Home ground: |
Canberra Stadium (capacity:
27,000) |
| Team colours: |
White jersey with dark saddle and three gold stripes across the chest. Dark blue shorts and socks. Alternate strip - Navy jersey with thick gold and white stripes across the chest and a gold saddle. White shorts and navy socks with a gold fold.
|
| Website: |
http://www.brumbies.com.au |
FORCE
| 2006 position: |
14th |
| Best finish: |
14th |
| Country: |
Australia |
| Coach: |
John Mitchell |
| Home ground: |
Subiaco Oval, Perth (capacity
43,000) |
| Team colours: |
Blue shirt with black detailing, black shorts with blue stripe and black socks with blue hoop. Alternate strip - yellow jersey with black detailing, black shorts and black socks with yellow hoop.
|
| Website: |
http://www.rugbywa.com.au/wa |
REDS
| 2006 position:
|
12th |
| Highest finish:
|
Semi-finalists (1996, 1999,
2001) |
| Country: |
Australia |
| Coach: |
Eddie Jones |
| Home ground: |
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane |
| Team colours: |
Maroon shirt with gold collar, maroon shorts and socks with gold & white trim. |
| Website: |
http://www.qru.com.au |
WARATAHS
| 2006 position:
|
Semi-finalists |
| Highest finish:
|
Runners-up (2005) |
| Country: |
Australia |
| Coach: |
Ewen McKenzie |
| Home ground: |
Aussie Stadium, Sydney (capacity:
42,500) |
| Team colours: |
Sky blue jersey with navy bands on sleeves and navy collar, navy shorts and sky blue socks with navy hoop. Alternate strip - White jesery with sky blue bands on sleeves, navy collar, navy shorts and sky blue socks with navy hoop.
|
| Website: |
http://www.nswrugby.com.au |
NEW ZEALAND
BLUES
| 2006 position:
|
8th |
| Highest finish:
|
Champions (1996, 1997, 2003)
|
| Country: |
New Zealand |
| Coach: |
David Nucifora |
| Home ground: |
1. Eden Park, Auckland (capacity: 50,000). 2. North Harbour Stadium (capacity: 25,000). 3. Northland Rugby Stadium (capacity: 38,000) |
| Team colours: |
Royal blue with navy sleeves and white piping, blue shorts and socks. Alternate strip - White jersey with navy panels, white shorts and blue socks. |
| Website: |
http://www.theblues.co.nz |
CHIEFS
| 2006 position:
|
7th |
| Highest finish:
|
Semi-finalists (2004) |
| Country: |
New Zealand |
| Coach: |
Ian Foster |
| Home ground: |
1. Waikato Stadium, Hamilton (capacity: 27,000). 2. Rotorua International Stadium (capacity: 30,000) |
| Team colours: |
Black base with yellow and red panel down the sides. Three strips of yellow on the shoulder through to the sleeve. Alternate strip - White body with yellow sleeves, black side panels and red strips over shoulders and sleeves. |
| Website: |
http://www.chiefs.co.nz |
CRUSADERS
| 2006 position:
|
Champions |
| Highest finish: |
Champions (1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006) |
| Country: |
New Zealand |
| Coach: |
Robbie Deans |
| Home ground: |
Jade Stadium, Christchurch
(capacity: 35,000) |
| Team colours: |
Red base with black panel down the sides. Three strips of red on the shoulder through to the sleeve. Black shorts bisected by three thin red strips. Alternate strip - White base with black panel down the sides. Three strips of red on the shoulder through to the sleeve. White shorts with three red strips and trim. Red socks with three thin black strips. |
| Website: |
http://www.crfu.co.nz |
HIGHLANDERS
| 2006 position:
|
9th |
| Highest finish:
|
Runners-up (1999) |
| Country: |
New Zealand |
| Coach: |
Greg Cooper |
| Home ground: |
Carisbrook Stadium, Dunedin
(capacity: 40,000) |
| Team colours: |
Blue with gold and maroon collar and stripes, blue shorts with broad maroon stripe. Blue and gold socks. Alternate strip - White with blue, gold and maroon trimmings, white shorts with blue stripe. Blue and gold socks. |
| Website: |
http://www.highlandersrugby.com |
HURRICANES
| 2006 position:
|
Runners-up |
| Highest
finish: |
Runners-up (2006) |
| Country: |
New Zealand |
| Coach: |
Colin Cooper |
| Home ground: |
Westpac Stadium, Wellington
(capacity: 34,500) |
| Team colours: |
Yellow with black piping, black shorts and socks. Alternate strip - White with yellow and black panels, white shorts and yellow socks. |
| Website: |
http://www.hurricanes.co.nz |
SOUTH AFRICA
BULLS
| 2006 position:
|
Semi-finalists |
| Highest finish:
|
Semi-finalists (1996, 2005, 2006) |
| Country: |
South Africa |
| Coach: |
Heyneke Meyer |
| Home ground: |
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria (capacity:
50,000) |
| Team colours: |
Sky blue jersey with navy trim, navy shorts, sky blue with navy trim socks. Alternate strip - White jersey with navy trim. |
| Website: |
http://www.thebulls.co.za |
CHEETAHS
| 2006 position: |
10th |
| Highest finish: |
10th |
| Country: |
South Africa |
| Coach: |
Rassie Erasmus |
| Home ground: |
Vodacom Park Stadium, Bloemfontein |
| Team colours: |
White jersey with orange trim. Alternative strip: orange jersey with white trim. |
| Website: |
http://www.vodacomcheetahs.co.za |
LIONS
| 2006 position: |
(as Cats) 13th
|
| Highest finish: |
(as Cats) Semi-finalists (2000, 2001) |
| Country: |
South Africa |
| Coach: |
Eugene Eloff |
| Home ground: |
Ellis Park, Johannesburg (capacity: 60,000). |
| Team colours: |
Red and white |
| Website: |
http://www.lionsrugby.co.za |
SHARKS
| 2006 position:
|
5th |
| Highest finish: |
Runners-up (2001) |
| Country: |
South Africa |
| Coach: |
Dick Muir |
| Home ground: |
ABSA Stadium, Durban (capacity:
52,000) |
| Team colours: |
Black with white and grey trim jersey, black shorts and black with white trim socks. Alternate strip - White jersey with grey and black trim. |
| Website: |
http://www.sharksrugby.co.za |
STORMERS
| 2006 position:
|
1th |
| Highest finish: |
Semi-finalists (1999, 2004) |
| Country: |
South Africa |
| Coach: |
Kobus van der Merwe |
| Home ground: |
Newlands, Cape Town (capacity:
50,000) |
| Team colours: |
Black jersey, shorts and socks.
Alternate strip - White jersey,
black shorts and socks. |
| Website: |
http://www.thestormers.com |
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