2010 Tri-Nations Dream Team

Here's this year's dream team based on the players' average scores:

FR Keven Mealamu (NZL) - 354
FR John Smit (SAF) - 325

LK Nathan Sharpe (AUS) - 261
LK Victor Matfield (SAF) - 258

LF Richard McCaw (NZL) - 428
LF Kieran Read (NZL) - 352

HV Daniel Carter (NZL) - 369
HV Morne Steyn (SAF) - 283

CT Ma'a Nonu (NZL) - 367
CT Conrad Smith (NZL) - 284

OB James O'Connor (AUS) - 358
OB Mils Muliaina (NZL) - 350

Dream Team: Round Nine

FR Benn Robinson (AUS) - 270
FR Stephen Moore (AUS) - 265

LK Nathan Sharpe (AUS) - 280
LK Tom Donnelly (NZL) - 190

LF Richard McCaw (NZL) - 595
LF Kieran Read (NZL) - 470

HV Piri Weepu (NZL) - 310
HV Will Genia (AUS) - 300

CT Conrad Smith (NZL) - 350
CT Ma'a Nonu (NZL) - 280

OB Adam Ashley-Cooper (AUS) - 370
OB Lachlan Turner (AUS) - 330

3 try bonus - 100

Total Points - 4,110

Round Nine: Team Announcements

Australia: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 James O’Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Matt Giteau, 11 Lachie Turner, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom (c), 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Mark Chisholm, 3 Salesi Ma’afu, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Benn Robinson.

Subs: 16 Huia Edmonds, 17 James Slipper, 18 Dean Mumm, 19 Richard Brown, 20 Luke Burgess, 21 Berrick Barnes, 22 Anthony Faingaa.

New Zealand: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Israel Dagg, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Victor Vito, 5 Tom Donnelly, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.

Subs: 16 Corey Flynn, 17 John Afoa, 18 Anthony Boric, 19 Jerome Kaino, 20 Jimmy Cowan, 21 Colin Slade, 22 Rene Ranger.

Week Eight: Kynan's Team

NO POOFTAHS - Facebook S14


*new trades in italics

FR John Smit (SAF) - $1,270,000
FR Stephen Moore (AUS) - $1,125,000

LK Victor Matfield (SAF) - $1,202,500
LK Nathan Sharpe (AUS) - $1,242,500

LF Rocky Elsom (AUS) - $1,117,500
LF Schalk Burger (SAF) - $1,127,500

HV Morne Steyn (SAF) - $1,242,500
HV Will Genia (AUS) - $1,097,500

CT Jacque Fourie (SAF) - $1,210,000
CT Matt Giteau (AUS) - $1,330,000

OB Francois Steyn (SAF) - $995,000
OB James O'Connor (AUS) - $1,225,000

Team Value: $14,185,000
Cash in Bank: $146,350

My irrational fear of trades has kept me from craziness... not sure why as we're pretty much done after this game. This Tri-Nations has been a bit of a bust and soooo expensive... but still time to come back... please, please, please.

Week Eight: Andrew's Team

THE ORCADIANS - Facebook S14

*New buys in italics

FR John Smit (SAF) - $1,270,000
FR Gurthro Steenkamp (SAF) - $815,000

LK Nathan Sharpe (AUS) - $1,242,500
LK Victor Matfield (SAF) - $1,202,500

LF Juan Smith (SAF) - $1,200,000
LF Pierre Spies (SAF) - $1,197,500

HV Morne Steyn (NZL) - $1,242,500
HV Will Genia (AUS) - $1,097,500

CT Jaque Fourie (SAF) - $1,210,000
CT Matt Giteau (AUS) - $1,330,000

OB Drew Mitchell (AUS) - $1,135,000
OB James O'Connor (AUS) - $1,225,000

Team Value: $14,167,500
Cash in Bank: $2,230,850

My team did okay last week. I closed the gap to 200ish behind Pikey in the league but that's a lot of points to make up in the two final weeks. My world ranking fell to 55, my second lowest world rank since the tournament started, and again, only two weeks to make up the lost ground.

Looking at the teams this week it seems the most open in terms of picks so far. At most positions there are a number of options whereas in previous weeks there tended to be only a few obvious choices. It's a week of hard decisions!

In the front row I gambled and threw in Steenkamp. It defies all normal testrugby logic to pick a prop over a hooker, but the big Bok has performed (and earned) excellently all tournament, which is more than can be said for either of the Wallaby hookers. It might have been a different story if Polatu-Nau had been fit.

I sold Pocock for Juan Smith in the loosies. The latter's been outstanding since he returned and I'm glad that Pierre Spies finally seems to be pulling his weight a little more. That said, this position feels pretty wide open - Elsom, Burger, Smith, Pocock or Spies could all top the table this week.

I repented for my sin of selecting Cooper ahead of Genia last week and reinstated the Wallaby scrum-half.

Just to mix it up, I swapped Fourie for De Villiers on a gut feeling that he'll score a try this week. Giteau's injury niggle worries me a little but, if the reports are true, he should be okay.

I stuck with my Wallaby wing pairing in the OBs but this is another open position - Mitchell, O'Connor, Hougaard or Beale could all dominate and Steyn's always an unknown quantity, crap points last week which means he might play a blinder this weekend.

Good luck everyone!

Best Players After Round Seven

TOP 5 FRONT ROWERS
Keven Mealamu (NZL) - 404
John Smit (SAF) - 308
Gurthro Steenkamp (SAF) - 264
Tony Woodcock (NZL) - 212
Saia Faingaa (AUS) - 168

There's no change among the front row, with Mealamu the best performer by a country mile. Steenkamp continues to impress, earning outstanding points for a prop.

TOP 5 LOCKS
Nathan Sharpe (AUS) - 273
Dean Mumm (AUS) - 228
Victor Matfield (SAF) - 220
Brad Thorn (NZL) - 199
Tom Donnelly (NZL) - 197

The Wallaby lock pairing dominate the top the five, with Sharpe pulling away at the top, but only thirty points separating second and fifth.

TOP 5 LOOSIES
Richard McCaw (NZL) - 395
Juan Smith (SAF) - 365
Kieran Read (NZL) - 328
Pierre Spies (SAF) - 296
David Pocock (AUS) - 274

McCaw is still King of the Hill, but Juan Smith is a powerful new entry in second. Pierre Spies is also make a late run, appearing in the top five for the first time in the competition. Old warriors Burger and Elsom drop out altogether.

TOP 5 HALVES
Daniel Carter (NZL) - 369
Will Genia (AUS) - 293
Morne Steyn (SAF) - 244
Piri Weepu (NZL) - 202
Quade Cooper (AUS) - 188

Daniel Carter's 2010 Tri-Nations is over but he's almost certainly done enough to claim the title of best performing half of the tournament. Elsewhere, it's the scrum-halves, Genia and Weepu, who continue to punch above their weight. And if Francois Hougaard was listed as a half rather than a back, then he'd be ranked in third place here, ahead of teammate Morne Steyn.

TOP 5 CENTRES
Ma'a Nonu (NZL) - 384
Matt Giteau (AUS) - 290
Conrad Smith (NZL) - 271
Jacque Fourie (SAF) - 249
Rene Ranger (NZL) - 235

Nonu has a healthy lead over Giteau at the top, while the chasing pack remain the same.

TOP 5 OUTSIDE BACKS
Mils Muliaina (NZL) - 385
James O'Connor (AUS) - 350
Drew Mitchell (AUS) - 323
Joe Rocokoco (NZL) - 258
Francois Hougaard (SAF) - 257

There's little change among the backs, as Muliaina continues to dominate. Ironically the first Springbok to appear in the top five outside backs in the entire tournament is playing at scrum-half...

Round Eight: Team Announcements

South Africa: 15 François Steyn, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 François Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 John Smit (c), 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.

Subs: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Ryan Kankowski, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Juan de Jongh, 22 Gio Aplon.

Australia: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 James O'Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Matt Giteau, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom (c), 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Mark Chisholm, 3 Salesi Ma'afu, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Benn Robinson.

Subs: 16 Saia Fainga'a, 17 James Slipper, 18 Dean Mumm, 19 Richard Brown, 20 Luke Burgess, 21 Berrick Barnes, 22 Anthony Fainga'a.

Dream Team: Round Seven

FR Gurthro Steenkamp (AUS) - 370
FR John Smit (SAF) - 240

LK Nathan Sharpe (AUS) - 330
LK Victor Matfield (SAF) - 310

LF Juan Smith (SAF) - 380
LF Pierre Spies (SAF) - 295

HV Will Genia (AUS) - 430
HV Morne Steyn (SAF) - 355

CT Jaque Fourie (SAF) - 290
CT Jean De Villiers (SAF) - 255

OB Francois Hougaard (SAF) - 430
OB James O'Connor (AUS) - 420

5 try bonus - 200

Total Points - 4,305

Week Seven: Kynan's Team

NO POOFTAHS - Facebook S14


*new trades in italics

FR John Smit (SAF) - $1,277,500
FR Saia Faingaa (AUS) - $657,500

LK Victor Matfield (SAF) - $1,195,000
LK Nathan Sharpe (AUS) - $1,200,000

LF Rocky Elsom (AUS) - $1,247,500
LF Schalk Burger (SAF) - $1,200,000

HV Morne Steyn (SAF) - $1,245,000
HV Quade Cooper (AUS) - $1,270,000

CT Juan De Jongh (SAF) - $725,000
CT Matt Giteau (AUS) - $1,317,500

OB Francois Steyn (SAF) - $1,015,000
OB James O'Connor (AUS) - $1,200,000

Team Value: $13,380,000
Cash in Bank: $1,011,350

And... all out of transfers. Not sure how it happened - I didn't feel like I was crazy - but there you have it - in the lurch once more. I'm assuming it's because I ran out of transfers last round and had to make a few extra transfers at the beginning to catch up.

Anyway, stuck with Juan De Jongh. At least he is on the bench - maybe I can hope for an early injury to Habana.

Otherwise, I'm pretty happy. My money situation is improving, which means I'll be able to afford a proper team for the rest of the tournament, instead of props and reserve locks.

Week Seven: Andrew's Team

THE ORCADIANS - Facebook S14

*New buys in italics

FR John Smit (SAF) - $1,277,500
FR Saia Faingaa (AUS) - $657,500

LK Nathan Sharpe (AUS) - $1,200,000
LK Victor Matfield (SAF) - $1,195,000

LF David Pocock (AUS) - $1,032,500
LF Pierre Spies (SAF) - $1,195,000

HV Morne Steyn (NZL) - $1,245,000
HV Quade Cooper (AUS) - $1,270,000

CT Jean De Villiers (SAF) - $1,230,000
CT Matt Giteau (AUS) - $1,317,500

OB Drew Mitchell (AUS) - $1,110,000
OB James O'Connor (AUS) - $1,200,000

Team Value: $13,930,000
Cash in Bank: $2,363,350

My team last week was solid but unimpressive, rising a few spots in the world rankings to 37th but still 300 behind Pikey in the league, who is now 11th in the world. I badly need a surprise package in my team over one of these last few weeks to make a difference.

This week sees a lot of replacements for my culled All Blacks. In the front row, Faingaa seemed like the best choice, though I'll be annoyed if Moore comes on early - Deans' constant chopping at changing at hooker is very infuriating for us fantasy managers!

Nathan Sharpe's blinder in round 5 sees him slot into the locks over Dean Mumm, though I suspect there'll be little difference between their points in the end.

I brought David Pocock into the loosies, hoping that the Springboks lack of a fetcher will allow him to make merry at the breakdown. Against my better judgement, I'm sticking with Pierre Spies. It really seems like the testrugby scorers are watching a different game to me, since last week he got almost exactly the same as Smith, Burger and McCaw despite being completely invisible. There's clearly some bias going on (does someone have a man-crush on him?) and I'm counting on it continuing for another week.

In the halves, it really was a toss up between Genia and Cooper. Genia's been either sublime or ridiculous with his scoring thus far, while Cooper's single game was solid if unremarkable. Genia seemed like more of a gamble so I chose the flyhalf instead.

The open centre berth was between Giteau and the returning Fourie. Giteau's form has been better so he gets the nod. Plus, I feel certain that the Wallabies will be smelling Springbok blood and give a good scrap so going for an all-Bok centre pairing seemed foolish.

In the backs I just couldn't bring myself to pick any Boks... Habana's reasonable score last week is anomalous with his usual form, Pietersen's a downright liability (points wise) and Steyn will either score a gazillion or less than 50, there's just no telling. With safety first as my motto, I plumped for the Wallaby wings - O'Connor and Mitchell will score at least 250-300 apiece or I'll eat my hat...

Good luck everyone!

Round Seven: Team Announcements

South Africa: 15 Francois Steyn, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Janie du Plessis, 2 John Smit (c), 1 Gurtho Steenkamp.

Subs: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Danie Rossouw, 19 Ryan Kankowski, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Butch James, 22 Juan de Jongh.

Australia: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 James O'Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Matt Giteau, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Richard Brown, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom (c), 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Salesi Ma'afu, 2 Saia Faainga, 1 Benn Robinson.

Subs: 16 Stephen Moore, 17 James Slipper, 18 Ben McCalman, 19 Scott Higginbotham, 20 Luke Burgess, 21 Berrick Barnes, 22 Anthony Faainga.

Dream Team: Round Six

FR Keven Mealamu (NZL) - 330
FR Tony Woodcock (NZL) - 255

LK Brad Thorn (NZL) - 190
LK Tom Donnelly (NZL) - 160

LF Juan Smith (SAF) - 350
LF Schalk Burger (SAF) - 350

HV Daniel Carter (NZL) - 315
HV Morne Steyn (SAF) - 210

CT Conrad Smith (NZL) - 270
CT Jean De Villiers (SAF) - 270

OB Cory Jane (NZL) - 340
OB Bryan Habana (SAF) - 280

3 try bonus - 100

Total Points - 3,420

All Blacks fitter than Boks

What a magnificent test match! In a season where we've seen some one-sided stinkers, and free-flowing yawners, this was everything test rugby should be about; it was brutal, exciting and ultimately heart-breaking.

The Boks were fantastic. The first half saw them dominate the Kiwis at the collision, drive them back on defense, and the elements of doubt crept back into the All Black game. Pressure forced dropped catches, missed passes, knock-on's. The brilliant form of the All Blacks may have a lot to do with the lack of pressure they've been under, more than a sudden improvement in their play. For sixty minutes they were beatable - barely, but the cracks were showing. (They are undoubtedly the best team in the world currently and playing beautiful rugby.)

And then a series of events conspired to see the Boks grab defeat from the jaws of victory; 22-14 up with twenty to play should be an automatic victory at altitude. Some of the most telling were:
1) The substitution of Juan Smith. He was epic in defense and at the breakdown, and not too shabby with ball in hand. The coaches claim it was injury enforced... if not, they made a serious blunder, because clearly Spies was the loosie to sub. When Smith left the field, the Boks defensive resolve began to crumble.
2) Morne Steyn's missed touch-finders. Those two kicks - the penalty and the grubber to the corner - shifted the momentum of the match entirely. Instead of pressuring the All Black five metres out on two occasions, probably sucking up 5 to 10 minutes of playing time, the Boks found themselves facing a powerful All Black scrum deep inside their own territory, contributing directly to New Zealand's scoring opportunities.
3) Bok fatigue. This Bok team is clearly not fit enough. When it came time to put bodies on the line in those last 5 minutes, they just weren't up for it anymore. The cover defense was slow on McCaw's try, and non-existent on Dagg's. More tellingly, with one minute to play and a drop goal in range, they turned over ball because there were NO forwards to the ball when De Villiers went to ground. The All Blacks strolled over the top to secure the ball, and ultimately victory. This player run team clearly doesn't have the self-discipline to ensure they are properly match fit. Under Jake White, this team would have closed out the game because they were superbly conditioned. PdV is clearly too interested in being the players mate to crack the whip and get those fatboys running. Smit missed that final tackle because he was exhausted.
4) Poor use of the bench. When the Boks were flagging, and out of steam, they sat with 3 unused players on the bench. Why play a 4/3 bench when your game plan is forward oriented? SA has some spectacular forwards, but instead Chiliboy, Olivier and James watched from the side-line while Smit almost collapsed with fatigue and Matfield lay about trying to catch his breathe while the Kiwis ran rampant. Play a 5/2 bench! PdV never uses all his backline subs anyway.

All is not lost for the Bokke. They proved that their game-plan, when executed with skill, is still the way to beat the All Blacks. They don't have to start afresh, they just need to get fitter, and select and sub a little smarter. The return of Bismarck and Brussow will also have a massive effect on their breakdown dominance.

Should be a cracker of a World Cup semi!

Week Six: Andrew's Team

THE ORCADIANS - Facebook S14

*New buys in italics

FR John Smit (SAF) - $1,250,000
FR Keven Mealamu (NZL) - $1,297,500

LK Tom Donnelly (NZL) - $805,000
LK Victor Matfield (SAF) - $1,172,500

LF Richie McCaw (NZL) - $1,247,500
LF Pierre Spies (SAF) - $1,147,500

HV Morne Steyn (NZL) - $1,207,500
HV Daniel Carter (NZL) - $1,405,000

CT Jean De Villiers (SAF) - $1,190,000
CT Ma'a Nonu (NZL) - $1,322,500

OB Joe Rokocoko (NZL) - $1,127,500
OB Mils Muliaina (NZL) - $1,327,500

Team Value: $14,500,000
Cash in Bank: $988,350

I did okay last round, rising 10 places to 40th in the world rankings and closing the gap ever so slightly on league leader The Pikey Soldiers (a very impressive 16th in the world - congrats, Pikey).

Most of my substitutes this week are the obvious candidates - Smit for Faingaa and Matfield for Mumm are no brainers - but the loosies provided more of a conundrum. After a lot of soul searching I chose Spies. Even though he's been practically anonymous in the games thus far he has been scoring reasonably well. I feel sure that Read will outscore him (yet again) but I really don't want to run out of transfers in the final round so felt I needed to think ahead and pick a Bok. I hope I don't regret it.

In the halves, Steyn again seemed like the only viable candidate - with Hougaard listed as an Outside Back, it was a choice between the Bok flyhalf and Jimmy Cowan, and even as poorly as Steyn has been performing he's still the better bet.

In the centres, if transfers were no issue I'd probably have picked Conrad Smith but again I felt I needed a Bok and so plumped for Jean De Villers, since I assume that Fourie will be back next week in place of Juan de Jong. JDV's been earning horribly in the competition so far but then again he's been on the wing and as we all know nobody sees less ball than a Springbok winger.

I couldn't bring myself to pick a Springbok OB. I suppose it's possible that Aplon might shine points-wise but I wouldn't bet on it, and Pietersen and Habana aren't likely to set the scoreboard aflame either. Since I'll likely be picking two Wallabies next week anyway, I chose Rokocoko as he's been scoring a bit more consistently than teammate Cory Jane.

Good luck everyone!

Week Six: Kynan's Team

NO POOFTAHS - Facebook S14


*new trades in italics

FR John Smit (SAF) - $1,250,000
FR Kevin Mealamu (NZL) - $1,297,500

LK Victor Matfield (SAF) - $1,172,500
LK Tom Donnelly (AUS) - $805,000

LF Richie McCaw (NZL) - $1,247,500
LF Schalk Burger (SAF) - $1,097,500

HV Morne Steyn (SAF) - $1,207,500
HV Dan Carter (NZL) - $1,405,000

CT Juan De Jongh (SAF) - $737,500
CT Ma'a Nonu (NZL) - $1,322,500

OB Joe Rocokoco (NZL) - $1,127,500
OB Gio Aplon (SAF) - $642,500

Team Value: $13,638,850
Cash in Bank: $326,350

It's like having a fresh start - new transfers, a whole new team, and a whole new optimism about life. I even believe that the Springboks can win... but not really. In my mind I have a fantasy where De Jongh and Aplon are cutting the All Blacks to pieces with their scything runs... but then I remember they'll never get the ball.

But I've picked on hope. So, here's hoping the Boks keep the ball in hand a little more and actually make an effort this time.

Best Players After Round Five

TOP 5 FRONT ROWERS
Keven Mealamu (NZL) - 423 (no change)
John Smit (SAF) - 367 (no change)
Gurthro Steenkamp (SAF) - 262 (no change)
Tony Woodcock (NZL) - 201 (no change)
Saia Faingaa (AUS) - 165 (no change)

There's no change among the front row, with Mealamu inching even farther ahead of Smit and currently sitting second behind Muliaina as the best earning player in all positions.

TOP 5 LOCKS
Nathan Sharpe (AUS) - 253 (up)
Dean Mumm (AUS) - 240 (down)
Victor Matfield (SAF) - 215 (no change)
Danie Roussouw (SAF) - 212 (up)
Tom Donnelly (NZL) - 206 (down)

A massive score from Nathan Sharpe last game sees him leapfrog from fifth to first, which shows just how tightly grouped are the top five locks.

TOP 5 LOOSIES
Richard McCaw (NZL) - 408 (no change)
Kieran Read (NZL) - 356 (no change)
David Pocock (AUS) - 315 (no change)
Rocky Elsom (AUS) - 292 (no change)
Schalk Burger (SAF) - 285 (new entry)

The top four loosies remain in their relative positions from last week, and are joined by Schalk Burger, whose average score sees him sneak into fifth place at the expense of Kaino.

TOP 5 HALVES
Daniel Carter (NZL) - 383 (no change)
Will Genia (AUS) - 247 (no change)
Enrico Januarie (SAF) - 243 (no change)
Morne Steyn (SAF) - 218 (up)
Quade Cooper (AUS) - 215 (new entry)

Daniel Carter cements his position as king of the halves with little other movement apart from Weepu dropping out the top five, allowing Steyn to rise a spot and Cooper to make his first appearance, despite only having played one game, over a month ago.

TOP 5 CENTRES
Ma'a Nonu (NZL) - 378 (up)
Matt Giteau (AUS) - 313 (down)
Conrad Smith (NZL) - 271 (no change)
Rene Ranger (NZL) - 235 (no change)
Jacque Fourie (SAF) - 235 (no change)

Nonu and Giteau swap places at the top of the centres and the chasing pack remain the same.

TOP 5 OUTSIDE BACKS
Mils Muliaina (NZL) - 431 (no change)
James O'Connor (AUS) - 327 (no change)
Drew Mitchell (AUS) - 303 (no change)
Joe Rocokoco (NZL) - 298 (no change)
Adam Ashley-Cooper (AUS) - 250 (no change)

There's no change of any kind among the best scoring backs, which pretty much sums up this week's stats.

Round Six: Team Announcements

South Africa: 15 Gio Aplon, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 John Smit, 1 Gurthro Steenkamp.

Subs: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Danie Rossouw, 19 Francois Louw, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Butch James, 22 Wynand Olivier.

New Zealand: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Joe Rokocoko, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Tom Donnelly, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Ben Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.

Subs: 16 Corey Flynn, 17 John Afoa, 18 Sam Whitelock, 19 Victor Vito, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Aaron Cruden, 22 Israel Dagg.

Dream Team: Round Five

FR Keven Mealamu (NZL) - 450
FR Benn Robinson (AUS) - 240

LK Nathan Sharpe (AUS) - 350
LK Brad Thorn (NZL) - 265

LF Kieran Read (NZL) - 370
LF Richard McCaw (NZL) - 365

HV Daniel Carter (NZL) - 450
HV Piri Weepu (NZL) - 125

CT Ma'a Nonu (NZL) - 480
CT Conrad Smith (NZL) - 320

OB Kurtley Beale (AUS) - 400
OB James O'Connor (AUS) - 340

3 try bonus - 100

Total Points - 4,255

Week Five: Kynan's Team

NO POOFTAHS - Facebook S14


*new trades in italics

FR Saia Faingaa (AUS) - $665,000
FR Kevin Mealamu (NZL) - $1,282,500

LK Nathan Sharpe (AUS) - $1,185,000
LK Dean Mumm (AUS) - $1,160,000

LF Richie McCaw (NZL) - $1,220,000
LF David Pockock (AUS) - $1,047,500

HV Will Genia (AUS) - $1,130,000
HV Dan Carter (NZL) - $1,392,500

CT Matt Giteau (AUS) - $1,342,500
CT Anthony Faingaa (AUS) - $690,000

OB Joe Rocokoco (NZL) - $1,110,000
OB James O'Conner (AUS) - $1,182,500

Team Value: $13,407,500
Cash in Bank: $113,850

I've fallen down the leaderboard, but I'm back on my feet, got a full team together once more, and ready to start climbing.

Only made a few changes - brought in McCaw because he really has been a beast... he saves himself for international rugby - he's always crap in the Super 14, so I resist buying him - always to my own detriment. I also finally got to trade the suspended Cooper (I curse the citing officer for that one - he ruined a great Tri-Nations series, both on the field and in fantasy terms).

And then Faingaa -- well, the man picks himself. At $690,000 you can't go wrong.

Week Five: Andrew's Team

THE ORCADIANS - Facebook S14

*New buys in italics

FR Saia Faingaa (AUS) - $665,000
FR Keven Mealamu (NZL) - $1,282,500

LK Tom Donnelly (NZL) - $800,000
LK Dean Mumm (AUS) - $1,160,000

LF Richie McCaw (NZL) - $1,220,000
LF David Pocock (AUS) - $1,047,500

HV Piri Weepu (NZL) - $1,050,000
HV Daniel Carter (NZL) - $1,392,500

CT Matt Giteau (AUS) - $1,335,000
CT Ma'a Nonu (NZL) - $1,242,500

OB James O'Connor (AUS) - $1,220,000
OB Mils Muliaina (NZL) - $1,250,000

Team Value: $13,755,000
Cash in Bank: $1,500,850

Last week turned out to not be quite the disaster I was expecting. Faingaa proved to be a blessing in disguise when came on early and ended up outscoring Moore, and Genia had a very quiet game, so my burden of still carrying Quade Cooper was offset a bit. In the league, Pikey's pulled further ahead of me but, bizarrely, I rose in the world rankings, up to 50th.

I made three transfers this week, bringing in all Kiwis. With an eye on next week's game, I subbed Sharpe for Donnelly, even though there's really very little scoring difference between the top locks.

In the loosies, I knew I had to get McCaw back (one week later is better than never) and the big question was whether to sacrifice Elsom or Pocock. In the end I settled on Elsom purely because I think less players will have Pocock and therefore it's a chance to make up some ground if he has another good game.

Likewise in the halves I picked Weepu over Genia. Everyone and their dog must have the Wallaby scrum-half but I think his All Black counterpart might just edge him on points. I'm expecting New Zealand to enjoy another dominant game, putting Weepu on the front foot and his scores thus far have been mightily impressive - 415 in the only game he started and 120 and 190 in second half cameos.

I deliberated long and hard about subbing O'Connor for an All Black wing. I'll probably be picking one next week anyway, since the Springbok backs are scoring so poorly, but I have a suspicion that if New Zealand wrap up the tournament this week as expected then Henry might use the Springbok game to experiment and I don't feel that either Jane or Rokocoko are necessarily certain starters. So, given the mess I just got in when I ran out of trades, I decided to be conservative and stick with what I've got and even when the Wallabies do poorly O'Connor often shines, I just wish he'd reverted to fullback instead of staying on the wing. Oh, well.

Good luck, everyone!

Round Five: Team Announcements

New Zealand: 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Jo Rokocoko, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Tom Donnelly, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.

Subs: 16 Corey Flynn, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Sam Whitelock, 19 Victor Vito, 20 Alby Mathewson, 21 Aaron Cruden, 22 Benson Stanley.

Australia: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 James O’Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Anthony Faingaa, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Will Genia, 8 Richard Brown, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom (c), 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Salesi Ma’afu, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Benn Robinson.

Subs: 16 Stephen Moore, 17 James Slipper, 18 Rob Simmons, 19 Matt Hodgson, 20 Luke Burgess, 21 Berrick Barnes, 22 Cameron Shepherd.

Best Players After Round Four

After the fourth round of this year's Tri-Nations, the Springboks have played three (all away), the All Blacks have played three (2 home, 1 away) and the Wallabies have played twice (both home). Bearing that in mind, let's look at the standings for the best performers, based on the player's average score (with the relative positions for last round in parentheses).

TOP 5 FRONT ROWERS
Keven Mealamu (NZL) - 413 (no change)
John Smit (SAF) - 367 (no change)
Gurthro Steenkamp (SAF) - 262 (no change)
Tony Woodcock (NZL) - 208 (no change)
Saia Faingaa (AUS) - 145 (new entry)

There's little change among the front row, though a big score this week from Mealamu allows him to lengthen his lead over Smit. Conversely, a rather ordinary score from Woodcock sees his average tumble, though it is still enough to remain in fourth place. The Wallabies constant chopping and changing at hooker has prevented either Faingaa or Moore from making a meaningful impact - Faingaa retakes fifth place from his teammate but is still a long way behind the leaders.

TOP 5 LOCKS
Dean Mumm (AUS) - 250 (no change)
Tom Donnelly (NZL) - 218 (down)
Victor Matfield (SAF) - 215 (no change)
Danie Roussouw (SAF) - 212 (no change)
Nathan Sharpe (AUS) - 205 (down)

Dean Mumm remains the best scoring lock. A good score from Donnelly and a poor one from Sharpe sees the two men switch positions, though there really is comparatively little to separate this top five.

TOP 5 LOOSIES
Richard McCaw (NZL) - 422 (up)
Kieran Read (NZL) - 352 (no change)
David Pocock (AUS) - 348 (new entry)
Rocky Elsom (AUS) - 335 (down)
Jerome Kaino (NZL) - 300 (down)

McCaw's monstrous score at the weekend sees him rocket to the top of the pile. David Pocock's a strong new entry in third, at the expense of Schalk Burger who drops out of the top five altogether.


TOP 5 HALVES
Daniel Carter (NZL) - 360 (up)
Will Genia (AUS) - 335 (down)
Enrico Januarie (SAF) - 243 (up)
Piri Weepu (NZL) - 242 (down)
Morne Steyn (SAF) - 218 (no change)

Daniel Carter ensures that some sanity returns to the top 5 halves as a fly-half takes the lead for the first time in the tournament. It's worth remembering that two of Weepu's three games have seen him come off the bench, so that should be taken into account with his score - which is still sees him comfortably ahead of the most expensive under-performer of the competition - Morne Steyn - who is currently ranked a lowly 30th among players in all positions.

TOP 5 CENTRES

Matt Giteau (AUS) - 373 (up)
Ma'a Nonu (NZL) - 343 (down)
Conrad Smith (NZL) - 255 (no change)
Rene Ranger (NZL) - 235 (no change)
Jacque Fourie (SAF) - 235 (no change)

Giteau's place kicking duties have given him the edge over Nonu at the top of the centres, and there's a lot of daylight between these two and the chasing pack.

TOP 5 OUTSIDE BACKS
Mils Muliaina (NZL) - 488 (no change)
James O'Connor (AUS) - 320 (no change)
Drew Mitchell (AUS) - 315 (down)
Joe Rocokoco (NZL) - 283 (down)
Adam Ashley-Cooper (AUS) - 265 (new entry)

Muliaina has well and truly cemeted his place as the best scoring back, as well as the best scoring player in any position. Israel Dagg's 380 in his brief cameo should place him in second but since he was an unused player on the bench last week, testrugby now determines his average score as only 190, which seems hardly fair. As such, Ashley-Cooper did enough to claim fifth spot.

Dream Team: Round Four

FR Keven Mealamu (NZL) - 500
FR Saia Faingaa (AUS) - 200

LK Dean Mumm (NZL) - 240
LK Tom Donnelly (AUS) - 240

LF Richard McCaw (NZL) - 670
LF David Pocock (AUS) - 490

HV Daniel Carter (NZL) - 565
HV Piri Weepu (NZL) - 190

LF Matt Giteau (AUS) - 360
LF Ma'a Nonu (NZL) - 235

OB Mils Muliaina (NZL) - 530
OB Adam Ashley-Cooper (AUS) - 370

5 try bonus - 200

Total Points - 4,790

Week Four: Kynan's Team

NO POOFTAHS - Facebook S14


*new trades in italics

FR Saia Faingaa (AUS) - $655,000
FR Kevin Mealamu (NZL) - $1,252,500

LK Nathan Sharpe (AUS) - $1,217,500
LK Dean Mumm (AUS) - $1,172,500

LF Kieran Read (NZL) - $1,012,500
LF David Pockock (AUS) - $1,040,000

HV Quade Cooper (AUS) - $1,165,000
HV Dan Carter (NZL) - $1,347,500

CT Matt Giteau (AUS) - $1,335,000
CT Rob Horne (AUS) - $940,000

OB Joe Rocokoco (NZL) - $1,085,000
OB James O'Conner (AUS) - $1,220,000

Team Value: $13,442,500
Cash in Bank: $26,350

So, for the first time ever, I ran out of trades. And so here I am, down the log, desperate to claw my way up, and saddled with Quade Cooper and Saia Faingaa. This week is going to be a disaster. My only hope is that others were as imprudent as I... my compatriot Andrew, for one.

So here's hoping!

Week Four: Andrew's Team

THE ORCADIANS - Facebook S14

*New buys in italics

FR Saia Faingaa (AUS) - $657,500
FR Keven Mealamu (NZL) - $1,247,500

LK Nathan Sharpe (AUS) - $1,220,000
LK Dean Mumm (AUS) - $1,172,500

LF Rocky Elsom (AUS) - $1,237,500
LF David Pocock (AUS) - $1,042,500

HV Quade Cooper (AUS) - $1,177,500
HV Daniel Carter (NZL) - $1,332,500

CT Matt Giteau (AUS) - $1,335,000
CT Ma'a Nonu (NZL) - $1,242,500

OB James O'Connor (AUS) - $1,220,000
OB Mils Muliaina (NZL) - $1,250,000

Team Value: $14,135,000
Cash in Bank: $845,850

Bloody disaster! Those are the words that best describe my situation this week. I only had enough trades to sell my Springboks leaving my team still carrying Cooper (suspended) and Faingaa (benched). After a promising beginning to the competition, this week is going to be very, very painful...

I made the obvious replacement by drafting in Mealamu for Steenkamp. I have my fingers firmly crossed for an injury to Stephen Moore and an early introduction for Faingaa... but I'm not hopeful.

In the locks, I have an all-Wallaby pairing after swapping Matfield for Mumm. It's hard to make a call after just one game, but both Sharpe and Mumm seem to have the scoring edge over their All Black counterparts.

Carter seemed like the natural replacement for Steyn but now I'm wondering if I shouldn't have gone for Genia as the scrum-halves are having an amazing tournament thus far and the Wallaby number nine is the competition's best scorer. Too late now. Again, I can only pray for an injury to Genia that might level the playing field for me (heartless, I know).

I made the obvious changes among the backs, bringing in the reliable Nonu and Muliaina. I gambled and bought all my ABs as soon as the last round locked so my only hope, and it's a very faint one, is that maybe some of my competitors weren't able to afford all the 'big guns' once their price began to rise.

Good luck everyone!

Francois, where are you?

I forgot that I am in love with this man...Come back Francois, all is forgiven. Even your ridiculous miss that cost the Sharks a Super 14 title.

A Thought For the Day... From Peter de Villiers

P Divvy & the boys sure know how to party:

“We went wild, wild, wild — some of the guys went wilder than that!”

That's pretty wild.

Best Players After Round Three

Despite the Wallabies only playing once to the All Blacks twice and the Springboks thrice, the Tri-Nations is such a ridiculously lopsided competition that now seems as good a time as any to start looking at the best performers. As usual we'll use the only stat that counts - a player's average score.

TOP 5 FRONT ROWERS
Keven Mealamu (NZL) - 370
John Smit (SAF) - 367
Gurthro Steenkamp (SAF) - 262
Tony Woodcock (NZL) - 255
Stephen Moore (AUS) - 190

Few surprises here, with little to separate the Bok and All Black hookers at the top, followed by those two teams' standout, and try-scoring, props. Moore scored well in his cameo last week, so I'd expect to see him higher up the ranks next time.

TOP 5 LOCKS
Dean Mumm (AUS) - 260
Nathan Sharpe (AUS) - 220
Victor Matfield (SAF) - 215
Danie Roussouw (SAF) - 212
Tom Donnelly (NZL) - 208

A barn-storming opening game, sees the Wallaby lock pair rocket to the top of the pile, whether they have the earning potential to stay there after they've played a couple more games remains to be seen.

TOP 5 LOOSIES
Kieran Read (NZL) - 388
Rocky Elsom (AUS) - 380
Jerome Kaino (NZL) - 315
Richard McCaw (NZL) - 298
Schalk Burger (SAF) - 285

The biggest surprise here is probably the absence from the top five of the much-vaunted Pierre Spies. "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going!" seems to be the Bok hardman's theme song too often these days, and he's been practically invisible in the games thus far. The All Blacks' loose forward trio are clearly the form unit of the tournament, but if Elsom keeps playing like he did last week, he could make it to the top.

TOP 5 HALVES
Will Genia (AUS) - 500
Piri Weepu (NZL) - 268
Daniel Carter (NZL) - 258
Enrico Januarie (SAF) - 243
Morne Steyn (SAF) - 218

More misery for celebrated Springboks, as Morne Steyn languishes at the bottom of the heap. This isn't as much of a surprise as he didn't fare very well last season either. What's most interesting is the dominance of the scrum-halves... very strange indeed, with even the much derided Januarie outscoring his fly-half.

TOP 5 CENTRES
Ma'a Nonu (NZL) - 398
Matt Giteau (AUS) - 385
Conrad Smith (NZL) - 300
Rene Ranger (NZL) - 235
Jacque Fourie (SAF) - 235

Nothing too surprising among the centres as Nonu and Giteau reign supreme as previous form would have dictated.

TOP 5 OUTSIDE BACKS
Mils Muliaina (NZL) - 468
James O'Connor (AUS) - 450
Israel Dagg (NZL) - 380
Drew Mitchell (AUS) - 330
Joe Rocokoco (NZL) - 270

South Africa's woes are perhaps best demonstrated by the absence of any backs among the top 5. Muliaina's back to his very best form and O'Connor is always a testrugby-points-machine. Most remarkable perhaps is Dagg's monster score from the meagre 15-20 minutes he played in the second test - that's quite the weapon to have on the bench.

A Thought For the Day... From Peter de Villiers

Here's the great man answering his critics:

"If I’m the weakest link then we are bloody strong. I'm a God-given talent, I'm the best I can ever be. So what you think doesn't bother me. I know what I am and I don't give a damn."

So there...

Round Four: Team Announcements

Australia - 15 Adam Ashley Cooper, 14 James O'Connor, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Will Genia, 8 Richard Brown, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom (c), 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Salesi Maafu, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Benn Robinson.

Subs: 16 Saia Faingaa, 17 James Slipper, 18 Rob Simmons, 19 Matt Hodgson, 20 Luke Burgess, 21 Anthony Faingaa, 22 Kurtley Beale.

New Zealand - 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Josevata Rokocoko, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Tom Donnelly, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.

Subs: 16 Corey Flynn, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Samuel Whitelock, 19 Victor Vito, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Aaron Cruden, 22 Israel Dagg.

Boks repeating history

It wasn't so long ago that the Boks went down 49-0 in Brisbane and people were calling for the head of Jake White... "Joke" White, the headlines read. And now we have a new clown... Peter De Villiers has maybe built less than White, but before we all write the Boks off completely, it is worth comparing histories.

Jake White took over from a Springbok team in ruins... Kamp Staldraad and all the homo-eroticism disguised as team building, a Quarter Final exit in the World Cup... Danie Craven was turning in his grave. In stepped White, and the Boks were immediately resurrected and won the Tri-Nations in 2004. 2005 was an equally good year, though people seem to forget it. The Tri-Nations was barely lost on the bounce of a ball. The Boks and All Blacks won 3 games a-piece, the Boks going down to a last minute try, denying them their first win on New Zealand soil in years. And then the infamous 2006... Tri-Nations humiliation, Schalk Burgers neck injury (inevitably related...), political interference, doom-and-gloom, calls for the head of the coach. And then World Cup victory in 2007. How did Joke White turn it around when they had supposedly sunk so low?

In his book, Jake White claims that the team moves in cycles, and he expected the terrible 3rd year given the amount of rugby being played, etc, etc (we all know the usual reasons.) He knew that if he just rode it out, he would win the World Cup, as that is what he had been building his team for all along. So he put his players on a reconditioning program, forgot about results in 2007, and became a national hero.

Can PdV do the same? Are the Boks just in a cycle of burnt out bodies from over-use? I think it's key to point out some similarities... and things that did change, and need to be adhered to once more. Yes, the key Boks have played WAY to much rugby. Matfield, Habana and Smit are in serious need of reconditioning. They look like corpses out there (bloated corpses in Smit's case - the man needs a diet and some gym.) Again, the Boks are missing a key flanker in Heinrich Brussow, and Juan Smith for that matter. Their return should make a huge difference. What White did effectively is blood youngsters in the pre-World Cup year. We saw the rise of Francois Steyn, Ruan Pienaar, Bismarck Du Plessis and JP Pieterson. Taking a leaf from the Book of Jake, De Villiers needs to give his youngsters a chance. It's time to put Januarie out to pasture and give Francois Hougaard a run at scrumhalf. Likewise Juan de Jongh needs some game time, and come end of year tour, he needs to introduce Mapoe, Mvovo and Lambie to the squad.

Perhaps, most significant, was White's willingness to admit his short-comings, and bring in some fresh eyes. The contribution of former Aussie coach Eddie Jones cannot be overstated. He brought life to a stagnant backline, and shook up the complacent Bokke. De Villiers needs to swallow his pride, and do likewise. I'm thinking Brendan Venter - he has transformed Saracens. Or perhaps Ian McGeechan. His work with the Lions backline was revolutionary - I have never seen such dangerous running, and bizarrely, no-one has tried to replicate it. Maybe Ewen McKenzie if they can get him to leave the Reds for a spell... Regardless, there needs to be fresh input, because the current pond is stinky.

So... don't discount a Bok victory next year. New Zealand is nice and over-confident again - ripe for the picking as home pressures mount. Perhaps it's all part of some bizarre PdV masterplan...

A Thought For the Day... From Peter de Villiers

With hopes of defending their Tri-Nations title in tatters, the battered Boks are returning home to lick their wounds, and the competition becomes a cross-Tasman affair for the next couple of weeks. Not wanting to neglect all things South African, we begin an occasional series of articles recounting some of Springbok coach Peter de Villier's legendary words of wisdom.

To kick things off, here's the great man on the virtues of that shrinking-violet, Schalk Burger Jr:

"If I lie in hospital and I hear they are putting someone's head back on that was ripped of by Schalk then I'd say: That's Schalk; he's aggressive but he's not malicious.”

Tell that to Luke Fitzgerald...

Springbok and Wallaby Stars Suspended

In the aftermath of the Springbok's comprehensive defeat by the Wallabies at the weekend, both sides have one of their key player's suspended for future matches. Bok centre Jacque Fourie received a four week ban after being cited for a dangerous tackle. With the Springboks on a bye, the suspension will only see him miss a single game, in round 6 against the All Blacks. Meanwhile, Wallaby fly-half Quade Cooper received a two-week ban for a similar offence, which will see him miss Australia's next two games against New Zealand.

Dream Team: Round Three

FR John Smit (SAF) - 390
FR Gurthro Steenkamp (SAF) - 360

LK Dean Mumm (AUS) - 260
LK Danie Roussouw (SAF) - 260

LF Rocky Elsom (AUS) - 380
LF Ryan Kankowski (SAF) - 355

HV Will Genia (AUS) - 500
HV Morne Steyn (SAF) - 220

CT Matt Giteau (AUS) - 385
CT Jacque Fourie (SAF) - 355

OB James O'Connor (AUS) - 450
OB Drew Mitchell (AUS) - 330

3 try bonus - 100

Total Points - 4,345

Week Three: Kynan's Team

NO POOFTAHS - Facebook S14


*new trades in italics

FR Saia Faingaa (AUS) - $667,500
FR Gurthro Steenkamp (SAF) - $817,500

LK Nathan Sharpe (AUS) - $1,207,500
LK Dean Mumm (AUS) - $1,155,000

LF Schalk Burger (SAF) - $1,127,500
LF David Pockock (AUS) - $1,032,500

HV Quade Cooper (AUS) - $1,300,000
HV Morne Steyn (SAF) - $1,235,000

CT Matt Giteau (AUS) - $1,310,000
CT Wynand Olivier (SAF) - $1,167,500

OB Zane Kirchner (SAF) - $1,180,000
OB James O'Conner (AUS) - $1,192,500

Team Value: $13,392,500
Cash in Bank: $173,850

Oh trades! I've never been so hard-up as this week in all the history of Test Rugby. I very nearly got into a horrible bind, and as is fielded an accidental player in Pockock rather than Elsom, just because I made a mistake and couldn't fix it, because I have no trades!

Just enough to get rid of my South Africans... so next week I'll have all of 3 Kiwis in my team, and better hope for no Aussie injuries or changes.

I thought the situation would improve financially too, but I'm still stuck with a prop in the front row! This Tri-Nations has been RIDICULOUSLY expenses. But it has added some spice to the game, so kudos to the Test Rugby staff for ratcheting up the difficulty - especially for those of us who didn't get $300,000 in "referrals" week one.

Week Three: Andrew's Team

THE ORCADIANS - Facebook S14

*New buys in italics

FR Saia Faingaa (AUS) - $667,500
FR Gurthro Steenkamp (SAF) - $817,500

LK Nathan Sharpe (AUS) - $1,207,500
LK Victor Matfield (SAF) - $1,182,500

LF Rocky Elsom (AUS) - $1,210,000
LF David Pocock (AUS) - $1,032,500

HV Quade Cooper (AUS) - $1,300,000
HV Morne Steyn (SAF) - $1,235,000

CT Matt Giteau (AUS) - $1,310,000
CT Wynand Olivier (SAF) - $1,167,500

OB James O'Connor (AUS) - $1,192,500
OB Gio Aplon (SAF) - $682,500

Team Value: $13,005,000
Cash in Bank: $1,213,350

I held onto top spot in the league last week, but slipped a little in the world rankings - from 16th to 19th. Wholesale changes were required this week with the culling of my All Blacks. Since they comprised nearly my whole team, my trades are getting worryingly low but, barring injury, I should make it through next week okay.

Without the trades to swap Steenkamp for Smit, I'm stuck with the prop for one more week, not that he's been a bad performer by any means, but he's never going to get the average score of a hooker. In the other slot, Faingaa was ridiculously cheap when the team was announced, and, despite a price rise, is still an absolute steal, though I have a nagging feeling that Robinson might out score him.

Nathan Sharpe's probably the most reliably scoring lock in the competition and I'll always purchase him when he plays.

Rocky Elsom is the essential Wallaby loosie. He was second only to Spies as the best average scorer for this position in last year's competition. In the other spot, I picked Pocock, hoping that the Boks tactical blunder of dropping Louw for Kankowski will allow the Wallaby scrapper to have an edge at the breakdown and win a few turnovers.

In the halves, I replaced Carter with Cooper, which seems like the obvious choice, though scrum-halves have been regularly (and unexpectedly) outscoring fly-halves in the tournament so far and I wouldn't be surprised to see Genia as the top scorer in the position this week. I'd have loved to drop Steyn for the Wallaby scrum-half, but my scarcity of trades made it impossible.

With two All Black centres to replace, I chose Giteau, who despite a dip in form of late, is the designated kicker for the Wallabies and has at least the potential to score big. Beside him, I picked Olivier with a little reluctance. Though clearly an inferior player on the field to Fourie, he seems to (inexplicably) have the edge in testrugby points.

For the backs, I went for O'Connor, who I feel certain, even when playing on the wing rather than fullback, will end as one of the best average scorers in this position. In the other slot, I plumped for Aplon, who has impressed in his cameo appearances so far and could score well, if he gets the ball... which, based on the Bok performances thus far, is a big if.

Remember, this weekend sees the last Springbok game for a couple of weeks, so sell your Boks and buy some certain starters from the All Blacks when the round locks.

Good luck everyone!

Round Three: Team Announcements

Australia - 15 Adam Ashley Cooper, 14 James O’Connor, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Matt Giteau, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Richard Brown, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom (c), 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Salesi Ma’afu, 2 Saia Fainga, 1 Benn Robinson.

Subs: 16 Stephen Moore, 17 James Slipper, 18 Rob Simmons, 19 Matt Hodgson, 20 Luke Burgess, 21 Berrick Barnes, 22 Kurtley Beale.

South Africa - 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Ryan Kankowski, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 BJ Botha, 2 John Smit (c), 1 Gurthro Steenkamp.

Subs: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Dewald Potgieter, 20 Francois Hougaard, 21 Butch James, 22 Juan de Jongh.

Dream Team: Round Two

FR John Smit (SAF) - 370
FR Keven Mealamu (NZL) - 360

LK Danie Roussouw (SAF) - 275
LK Victor Matfield (SAF) - 200

LF Kieran Read (NZL) - 405
LF Schalk Burger (SAF) - 405

HV Piri Weepu (NZL) - 415
HV Enrico Januarie (SAF) - 340

CT Ma'a Nonu (NZL) - 335
CT Rene Ranger (NZL) - 235

OB Mils Muliaina (NZL) - 400
OB Israel Dagg (NZL) - 380

5 try bonus - 200

Total Points - 4,320

Boks need to change

One thing has become very clear from the Boks two heavy defeats to the All Blacks - change is needed. The team does not currently have the personnel to effectively implement their "kick-and-chase" strategy. What has changed since last year? A couple key ingredients:

1) No Fourie Du Preez. Morne Steyn is NOT the boot in the Bok or Bulls line-up. That responsibility falls to Du Preez. He does an enormous amount of kicking and chasing, and fielding of kicks. His ability to read the play is supernatural... the Boks miss him more than anyone else on the field. We like to hype Burger, Matfield, Spies, etc. The only irreplaceable man in this team is Fourie.

2) No JP Pietersen. This may seem like a strange one, but JP is a master of chasing kicks, and leaping into the air to disrupt the fielding opponent. He has the speed, height and bulk to make opposing him in the air a very difficult and dangerous task. His defense is exceptional too. The All Blacks scored out wide against De Villiers and Aplon... you wouldn't see it happen against JP.

3) No Heinrich Brussow. People talk up the rule change and the rise of Francois Louw. Frankly, he's been horribly outplayed by McCaw, and the Boks have been unable to slow the Kiwi ball as a result. In order to successfully kick-and-chase, you have to be titanic in defense. Without Brussow, the Boks have been second-rate at the breakdown and the All Blacks have run riot.

Add those three ingredients back, and suddenly the team starts winning again. I also wonder if they're missing the mongrel of Juan Smith and Bismarck at the breakdown...

The solution? Change game plan until Du Preez is available again. The team is stocked with runners... so why are the Boks kicking the ball away? Aplon looks dangerous with every touch; Januarie kicks terribly... more importantly, Pienaar runs fantastically and gives much quicker service. De Jongh has looked elusive, Becker is a beast on the gainline. SA need to play to their current strengths.

So... start Aplon on the wing. De Villiers can move back to 12, with De Jongh backing him up on the bench. Pienaar needs to slot in at scrumhalf, and then the ball needs to be moved. The Boks need to implement the Bulls simple strategy of 12 run it up, Spies, Burger or Becker bash up the 2nd phase, and then spread it wide to Habana and Aplon. They're about the two quickest men around! Let them touch the ball. Once the Boks are going forward, the support play of their athletic forwards is fantastic. But they have to be going forwards...  without Du Preez, that means running it. They can revert to their old winning formula once he gets back - just in time for the World Cup.

Week Two: Andrew's Team

THE ORCADIANS - Facebook S14

*New buys in italics

FR Keven Mealamu (NZL) - $1,197,500
FR Gurthro Steenkamp (SAF) - $822,500

LK Tom Donnelly (NZL) - $835,000
LK Victor Matfield (SAF) - $1,175,000

LF Ritchie McCaw (NZL) - $1,107,500
LF Kieran Read (NZL) - $1,015,000

HV Dan Carter (NZL) - $1,350,000
HV Morne Steyn (SAF) - $1,242,500

CT Ma'a Nonu (NZL) - $1,222,500
CT Rene Ranger (NZL) - $840,000

OB Cory Jane (NZL) - $1,150,000
OB Mils Muliaina (NZL) - $1,257,500

Team Value: $13,215,000
Cash in Bank: $88,350

I had a great first week, with my All Black heavy side taking me to the top of the league and a world ranking of 16th. Financially I had a good week too, with my squad increasingly in value by over $1M.

I made a total of four changes this week. Immediately after last week's game, I sold Rokocoko and bought Muliaina, and just as well since the latter's price has risen over $100,000 since then and the former ended up injured. The All Blacks' fullback was in electric form and the highest points earner of the round by a healthy margin, so I just couldn't resist having him in my team for the next game.

With Rene Ranger's introduction to the squad, I swapped out Conrad Smith for his teammate. I thought Smith had a great game last week and there's no reason to expect any different tomorrow, but Ranger's cheap price made the transaction a financially necessary one.

With my extra cash I intended to buy a Springbok lock but I was still a little short, so I replaced Pierre Spies with Richie McCaw, who was a couple of hundred thousand cheaper but earned the same amount of points last week. In doing so I was able to afford Victor Matfield, who despite a seemingly anonymous game made decent points, and is almost certain to score more than a benched Sam Whitelock.

The Boks take on the Wallabies next week, so remember to sell your All Blacks as soon as the round locks and their prices start to drop. You might even think about buying a few players from the Aussie squad before their value rises. Although a lot of uncertainty surrounds the Australian starting XV, the likes of Sharpe, Moore, Elsom, Cooper and Genia seem pretty safe bets.

Good luck everyone!

Week Two: Kynan's Team

NO POOFTAHS - Facebook S14


*new trades in italics

FR Kevin Mealamu (NZL) - $1,197,500
FR Gurthro Steenkamp (SAF) - $822,500

LK Tom Donnelly (NZL) - $835,000
LK Sam Whitelock (NZL) - $530,000

LF Schalk Burger (SAF) - $1,075,000
LF Kieran Read (NZL) - $1,015,000

HV Dan Carter (NZL) - $1,350,000
HV Morne Steyn (SAF) - $1,242,500

CT Ma'a Nonu (NZL) - $1,222,500
CT Rene Ranger (NZL) - $840,000

OB Zane Kirchner (SAF) - $1,205,000
OB Cory Jane (NZL) - $1,150,000

Team Value: $12,485,000
Cash in Bank: $28,850

Okay... so I was soundly spanked last week. It seems to be my first round trend of late. So, once again, the epic catch up must start and fast. This tri-nations series doesn't give you the luxury of 15 weeks, a la Super 14 competition.

To help remedy that, I've made 4 changes... not the one's I necessarily wanted, but it was all I could afford. I would have loved to get Spies and Muliaina... but I went for Kirchner to conserve trades, and had to settle for Burger because of price.

Overall, I think it's a solid team -- not a championship team, but I'm working my way there... I'll be back on equal footing money-wise when the Aussies show up.

Ranger Danger!

All Black selectors threw a lifeline to cash-strapped testrugby players today with the inclusion of dangerman Rene Ranger in the starting line-up for Saturday's game. At a paltry $692,500, he's a good half a million cheaper than most of the other centres. Just think what you could do with all that extra cash - field two starting locks, have hookers from both teams... endless possibilities!

Round Two: Team Announcements

New Zealand: 15 Mills Muliaina, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Rene Ranger, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Tom Donnelly, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.

Subs: 16 Corey Flynn, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Sam Whitelock, 19 Liam Messam, 20 Jimmy Cowan, 21 Aaron Cruden, 22 Israel Dagg.

South Africa: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Jean de Villiers, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Wynand Oliver, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 CJ van der Linde, 2 John Smit (c), 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.

Subs: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 BJ Botha, 18 Andries Bekker, 19 Ryan Kankowski, 20 Ruan Pienaar, 21 Butch James.

New Additions: Guildford & Mathewson

Reflecting their addition to the All Black squad, Alby Mathewson and Zac Guildford were added to the game today. Both are great bargains, with Mathewson at $485,000 and Guildford at $740,000. If Cowan fails to recover, then you'd imagine Weepu would replace him with Mathewson on the bench, but Guildford is surely a good bet to start if Rokocoko remains unfit.

Dream Team: Round One

FR Keven Mealamu (NZL) - 380
FR John Smit (SAF) - 340

LK Tom Donnelly (NZL) - 255
LK Victor Matfield (SAF) - 205

LF Kieran Read (NZL) - 370
LF Jerome Kaino (NZL) - 360

HV Daniel Carter (NZL) - 265
HV Morne Steyn (SAF) - 150

CT Ma'a Nonu (NZL) - 460
CT Conrad Smith (NZL) - 450

OB Mils Muliaina (NZL) - 535
OB Zane Kirchner (SAF) - 360

3 try bonus - 100

Total Points - 4,230

Week One: Andrew's Team

THE ORCADIANS - Facebook S14

FR Keven Mealamu (NZL) - $1,140,000
FR Gurthro Steenkamp (SAF) - $750,500

LK Tom Donnelly (NZL) - $740,950
LK Sam Whitelock (NZL) - $510,500

LF Pierre Spies (SAF) - $1,170,000
LF Kieran Read (NZL) - $905,750

HV Dan Carter (NZL) - $1,275,000
HV Morne Steyn (SAF) - $1,190,000

CT Ma'a Nonu (NZL) - $1,190,000
CT Conrad Smith (NZL) - $1,140,500

OB Cory Jane (NZL) - $1,105,500
OB Joe Rokocoko (NZL) - $1,130,950

Team Value: $12,241,650
Cash in Bank: $58,350

With money tight, I had to make some sacrifices in this opening round. Unable to choose both hookers, I picked Mealamu over Smit as the Kiwi still has the edge, at least where Testrugby point scoring is concerned. Gurthro Steenkamp and Tony Woodcock seemed like the best choices among the props and in the end I chose the former (even if he does resemble a Turkish prison guard who enjoys raping the inmates) because he was marginally cheaper and I expect the Boks to have the upper hand come scrumtime.

Locks are notoriously the lowest scoring position in TR and so I made some compromises here. Tom Donnelly was by far the cheapest of the starting locks, and though he's certain to have a hard day at the office, I'd wager money that he'll still earn more than Bakkies. Bench-warming Sam Whitelock gets the other spot. He's likely to get a wee bit of game time and earn a handful of points but he's really just there as a makeweight.

My frugailty thus far allowed me to afford one of the tournament's "must have" players - Pierre Spies. Second only to Carter as the best average point scorer in 2009, and the most valuable loosie in this year's S14 by some margin, his price is sure to rise and if I didn't buy him now, I'd likely not be able to do so until after the bye in round 5. In the other slot, I picked Kieran Read, taking advantage of the fact that he's been criminally under-priced - nearly $250,000 cheaper than Thomson and Kaino, which doesn't seem right, does it?

There was little decision making to be done for my halves - Carter and Steyn - enough said.

Despite returning from injury, Nonu still seems the best bet as the biggest earner among the centres. It was a toss up between Conrad Smith and Jaque Fourie for the other berth - there's usually very little to separate them as far as point scoring goes. Fourie's probably the only Springbok back worth having - Kirchner and Olivier are too lightweight for this level and I'd be surprised if either of the wings see much of the ball - but I have a gut feeling that Smith might just shine in this game or the next.

In the backs, I chose Rokocoko and Jane. Rokocoko's indifferent form of late aside, he has the potential at least to score some serious points and Jane's another player who seems a relative steal, and I expect him to be battling O'Connor as the best scoring back of the competition.

Good luck, everyone! Let battle commence...

Week One: Kynan's Team

NO POOFTAHS - Facebook S14

FR Kevin Mealamu (NZL) - $1,140,000
FR Owen Franks (NZL) - $630,000

LK Tom Donnelly (NZL) - $740,950
LK Sam Whitelock (NZL) - $510,500

LF Francois Louw (SAF) - $820,000
LF Kieran Read (NZL) - $905,750

HV Dan Carter (NZL) - $1,275,000
HV Morne Steyn (SAF) - $1,190,000

CT Ma'a Nonu (NZL) - $1,190,000
CT Jaque Fourie (SAF) - $1,170,000

OB Joe Rokocoko (NZL) - $1,130,950
OB Cory Jane (NZL) - $1,105,500

Team Value: $11,808,650
Cash in Bank: $191,350

Wow! Pricey this year. I could hardly assemble a squad of starters... in fact, I couldn't. I also seem to have picked a lot of Kiwi's... though I do believe they are going to squeak by in the first test, so perhaps that is the correct move. Even in losing, they seem to score more than South Africans on a whole... probably the bias of the NZ based fantasy game.

I've been forced to select a prop up front, which is always a points disaster... but I have confidence that Franks will carry the ball enough to at least soften the damage.

At lock, I'm hoping Sam Whitelock gets a bit of a run - hopefully at the expense of Thorn... but that's wishful thinking barring injury. Whitelock should be a good earner though, as explained in a previous post.

Halfbacks and centers pick themselves, though it was a bit of a struggle for me to choose between Olivier and Fourie... I'm not sure the ball will make it out as far as Fourie very often. I might rethink that at the last minute.

At the back, Kirchner is horrendously over-priced, and Muliaina is in dubious form, so it had to be the All Black wings... they'll at least touch the ball. SA wings are good only for chasing down the ball and tackling.

Tri-Nations 2009: Report Card

As you mull over who to choose for the 2010 tournament opener it's perhaps worth looking at who the top performers were last year. As ever, we'll look at the only stat that really counts - a player's average score across the whole competition.

TOP 5 FRONT ROWERS

Bismarck du Plessis (SAF) - 325
Andrew Hore (NZL) - 256
Tendai Mtawarira (SAF) - 173
John Smit (SAF) - 168
Keven Mealamu (NZL) - 167

TOP 5 LOCKS

Nathan Sharpe (AUS) - 232
Isaac Ross (NZL) - 203
Victor Matfield (SAF) - 188
James Horwill (AUS) - 153
Mark Chisholm (AUS) - 142

TOP 5 LOOSIES

Pierre Spies (SAF) - 334
Rocky Elsom (AUS) - 316
Richie McCaw (NZL) - 311
George Smith (AUS) - 216
Juan Smith (SAF) - 193

TOP 5 HALVES

Daniel Carter (NZL) - 427
Matt Giteau (AUS) - 315
Morne Steyn (SAF) - 301
Fourie du Preez (SAF) - 295
Stephen Donald (NZL) - 171

TOP 5 CENTRES

Ma'a Nonu (NZL) - 284
Jean De Villiers (SAF) - 228
Berrick Barnes (AUS) - 226
Conrad Smith (NZL) - 180
Jaque Fourie (SAF) - 178

TOP 5 BACKS

Sitiveni Sivivatu (NZL) - 302
Lachlan Turner (AUS) - 238
Drew Mitchell (AUS) - 234
Adam Ashley-Cooper (AUS) - 217
Joe Rokocoko (NZL) - 214

Despite some of these players being notable absentees this year, there are a few interesting trends worth noting.

As usual, the locks are the least productive position - with only one lock (Sharpe) scraping into the overall top 20. The highest earning players are predominantly loosies, halves and front rowers, so that's where you should spend the money.

Although the Springboks were the dominant force last year, Morne Steyn was the lowest scoring of the three fly-halves (and only a whisker better than his scrum half du Preez), so he might not be the points machine that certain bloggers are predicting.

This year's priciest back (over $100,000 more than the next most expensive), Bryan Habana didn't even make the top five last year and I'd be amazed to see him buck the trend. His price seems to be based on past glories and misplaced fan loyalty - he was around the 20th best performing back in this year's S14. You'd be much better buying Cory Jane or James O'Connor, who are a fraction of the cost and will almost certainly outscore Habana.

SA vs NZ: Team Announcements

Springboks – 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Jean de Villiers, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 John Smit (c), 1 Gurthro Steenkamp.
Subs: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 BJ Botha, 18 Andries Bekker, 19 Danie Rossouw, 20 Ruan Pienaar, 21 Butch James, 22 Gio Aplon.


All Blacks – 15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Joe Rokocoko, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Jimmy Cowan, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Tom Donnelly, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Subs: 16 Corey Flynn, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Sam Whitelock, 19 Liam Messam, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Aaron Cruden, 22 Richard Kahui.

Tri-Nations Bargains and Bolters

Well, looking at the Tri-Nations prices this year, I doubt anyone can assemble a team of starters. That all depends on team selection by the coaches, of course, but my gut feeling is SA will play it safe, just as New Zealand did. Which means... there'll be some props, scrumhalves and reserve locks fielded in most fantasy line-ups.

That being said, there are a couple bargains to be had.

Springboks

FR  Beast Mtawarira (SAF)  $850,000
Not sure that he'll start right off the bat, given that he has just returned to the SA setup after a xenophobic attack by the SA Sports Minister... but, when you can't afford two hookers (and you won't be able too unless you compromise severely elsewhere) Beast is a good substitute. He carries the ball a lot, gets through an enormous amount of tackles... he really is an additional loosie and should score as such.

LF  Francois Louw (SAF)  $820,000
Maybe the find of the season - like Brussow before him, Louw came out of nowhere and has become the form fetcher in world rugby. His scores weren't huge in the Super 14, but he's a solid earner, and pops up for a couple tries here and there too. I think his scores will rise with his prominence... the scorers always show bias to more famous players.

CT  Juan De Jongh (SAF)  $600,000
Look for him to feature against Australia, and maybe in the home leg. His try in the Super 14 final, and a replica in his test debut against Wales confirmed his class. In space, he has devastating speed and can step a mile off both feet. If you're struggling to field a team, pray an injury on Jaque Fourie so de Jongh can get a run.

OB  Gio Aplon (SAF)  $595,000
If the grossly overpriced and over-rated Kirchner has a bad game on Saturday, buy Aplon immediately. Like Shane Williams, he is unstoppable on the first tackle, and makes impossible breaks several times per game. I don't know why he isn't starting (that's an assumption - we haven't seen the Bok team announcement yet...) because he is certainly the most dangerous outside back in Africa right now.

All Blacks

FR  Owen Franks (NZL)  $630,000
Again, if you can't get a hooker, get Owen. He is cheap but one of the most mobile and hard-working front-rowers around. He pops up in unlikely places with ball in hand, and may even steal a few tries on the wing. He's a good bet for the stingy.

LK  Sam Whitelock (NZL)  $510,500
I think he's the cheapest man in the competition, and while not a starter, I back him to score as many points off the bench as Thorn or Donnelly. Lock is a good place to settle for second best... not that Whitelock is - look for him to be a starter by competitions end. Donnelly is living on borrowed time against the size and athleticism of Whitelock.

OB  Israel Dagg (NZL)  $600,000
Why Henry left his most dangerous back on the bench, only he'll ever know. But Mils can't last forever. Dagg will get a run... probably next week after Muliaina embarrasses himself Saturday (the man hasn't played a competitive game in months.) Like Aplon, Dagg glides into space like a possessed moray eel, and like Aplon, he's dirt cheap.

Australia

LF  David Pocock (AUS)  $930,000
His enormous workrate makes him a consistent earner. While he's not as flash as Spies or Elsom, he's all over the park, turning over ball and hitting the ruck like the crazy Boer he is... yes its true - Australia could never breed a true hard man (I'm still dubious of the origins of Elsom...)

HV  Will Genia (AUS)  $955,000
At a sub-million dollar price, Genia is a steal. He was a top earner in the Super 14, and if he can reclaim some of that form at international level, he's a good buy instead of one of the flyhalves... unless that flyhalf happens to be Morne Steyn, then pay what you must.

Horne is cheap, but I don't rate him as a big earner... I haven't seen him do much damage at international level, and up against the solid defense of Fourie or Smith... no chance.

Australia also have a host of cheap front-rowers, but there's no telling who will play. I expect their regulars to be fit come the start of the Tri-Nations, in which case the bargains will dry up.

Good luck!

Join the Tri-Nations Fantasy Game

It's that time of year again... the Tri-Nations, toughest rugby competition in the world. And with that comes the toughest Fantasy League in the world.

Join us for an all new competition by clicking on the image below:



Click on Tri Nations.
Register with email address and follow the prompts.
You will then have to choose a division: Facebook S14
Invitation Code: 145416
Division Password: super 14

See you there!

Finals: Predictions

Andrew: 76/94 (81%)
Kynan: 67/94 (71%)

Andrew's Predictions

Bulls vs Stormers - What the hell, Stormers by 3

Kynan's Predictions

Bulls vs Stormers - Bulls by 7+

Finals: Andrew's Team

THE ORCADIANS - Facebook S14

*New buys in italics

FR Tiaan Liebenburg (STM) - $1,510,000
FR Gary Botha (BUL) - $1,507,500

LK Victor Matfield (BUL) - $1,352,500
LK Andries Bekker (STM) - $1,617,500

LF Duane Vermeulen (STM) - $1,300,000
LF Pierre Spies (BUL) - $1,417,500

HV Fourie du Preez (BUL) - $1,292,500
HV Morne Steyn (BUL) - $1,507,500

CT Jaque Fourie (STM) - $1,452,500
CT Wynand Olivier (BUL) - $1, 560,000

OB Zane Kirchner (BUL) - $1,212,500
OB Gerhard van den Heever (BUL) - $667,500

Team Value: $16,397,500
Cash in Bank: $1,985,150

It's been a nightmarish couple of weeks, and feel like I'm limping to the finish. My shortage of trades has hurt me a lot and forced me to field some less-than-ideal lineups of late. All my own fault and, of course, I'll just need to remember this next comp and be a bit more conservative with my transfers.

I had just enough trades and no more to make up a full team for the final. There's not a lot of room anymore for surprise picks. Matfield was the only sane choice for the open berth in the locks. Likewise, Spies in the loosies. In the halves I plumped for du Preez over Grant just because he seems a (very slightly) less obvious choice. In the backs I went for van den Heever and Kirchner as they seem like the best of the few choices available - Habana's point scoring is pretty mediocre even when he scores tries.

I can't imagine there's any possibility of closing the 700 pt gap on Skulliz - so well played, sir. I'll be happy if I can just rise a few places in the world ranking and finish in the top 50.

Good luck everyone!

Finals: Kynan's Team

NO POOFTAHS - Facebook S14

*New buys in italics

FR Tiaan Liebenburg (STM) - $1,510,000
FR Gary Botha (BUL) - $1,507,500

LK Victor Matfield (BUL) - $1,352,500
LK Andries Bekker (STM) - $1,617,500

LF Schalk Burger (STM) - $1,220,000
LF Pierre Spies (BUL) - $1,417,500

HV Peter Grant (STM) - $1,482,500
HV Morne Steyn (BUL) - $1,507,500


CT Jacque Fourie (STM) - $1,452,500
CT Juan De Jongh (STM) - $632,500

OB Joe Pietersen (STM) - $975,000
OB Gerhard van den Heever (BUL) - $667,500

Team Value: $15,342,500
Cash in Bank: $97,250

With limited money, the question was where to spend it. My gut feel went with a low scoring game where the backs don't see much action. So I've gone for really cheap Outside Backs in Pietersen and van den Heever, but of the cheap guys, they are the highest average scorers.

In the centers, the strategy has been De Jongh over Olivier, because the's cheap, Olivier is going to run straight into him all night long - ratcheting up his tackle count, and I'm hoping for another moment of magic where he scores. Fourie... well, if any back is going to score, it will probably be him. He'll shut down Habana and the other Bulls outside backs with deadly defense, and should make a few strong carries to boot.

Everyone else picks themselves...

Go Stormers! Or Bulls! Either one. I'm a fan.

SA Players abroad

As a follow-up to my article about the depth of Springbok rugby, here is a list of SA players overseas (probably not exhaustive, by any means)

FRANCE

Toulouse – Daan Human (Prop), Shaun Sowerby (Flank), Bertus Swanepoel (Wing)
Toulon – Ross Skeate (Flank/Lock), Joe van Niekerk (Flank/8th), Dewald Meyer Senekal (Lock), Conrad Bernard (Scrum Half)
Racing Metro – Francios van der Merwe (Lock), Ashley Clarke (Flank), Jacques Cronje (Flank), Francios Steyn (Back Line), Gregory Goosen (Full Back)
Perpignan – Gerrie Brtiz (Lock), Steve Meyer (Fly Half), Gavin Hume (Centre), Philip Burger (Full Back/Wing)
Stade Francais – Rayno Gerber (Prop), Noel Oelschig (Scrum Half)
Montpellier – Danie Thiart (Prop), Pietman van Niekerk (Prop), Eugene van Staden (Prop), Dirkus Hancke (Lock), Johan Wasserman (Flank), Grant Rees (Centre), Jacques Schutte (Wing)
Clermont – Willie Wepenar (Prop), Marius Joubert (Centre), Brent Russel (Wing)
Castres – Michael Coetzee (Prop), Darren Nell (Flank)
Brieve – Patrick Bernard (Prop), Retief Uys (Lock), Antoine Claasen (Flank), Gerard Vosloo (Flank), Ronnie Cooke (Centre), Scott Spedding (Full Back)
Bourgion – Coenie Basson (Lock), Wessel Jooste (Lock), Rudy Coetzee (Centre)
Biarritz – Edward Coetzee (Prop), Trevor Hall (Lock)
Bayonne – Rob Linde (Lock), Jacque Deen (Flank), Sam Gerber (Centre)

IRELAND, SCOTLAND, WALES

Cardiff Blues – Andreas Pretorius (Flank)
Glasgow Warriors – DTH van der Merwe (Wing)
Leinster – Richardt Strauss (Flank/Hooker), CJ van der Linde (Prop)
Munster – Jean de Villiers (Centre), Wian du Preez (Prop)
Ulster – BJ Botha (Prop), Robbie Diack (8th Man)

UK

Bath – Michael Claasen (Scrum Half), Butch James (Fly Half), Luke Watson (Flank/8th man), Peter Dixon (Hooker)
Gloucester – Jake Boer (Flank)
Leeds – Hendre Fourie (Flank), Marco Wentzel (Lock)
Leicester – Ben Pienaar (Flank)
London Irish – Danie Coetzee (Hooker), Faan Rautenbach (Prop)
Newcastle – Ngobani Bobo (Centre)
Northhampton – Regardt Dreyer (Prop), Jaundre Kruger (Lock/Flank), Brian Mujati (Prop)
Saracens – Brad Barrit (Centre), Mouritz Botha (Lock), Schalk Brits (Hooker), Neil de Kock (Scrum Half), Petrus du Plessis (Prop), Derick Hougaard (Fly Half), Ernst Joubert (Flank / 8th man), Justin Melck (Flank/8th man), Ethienne Reynecke (Hooker), Frik Venter (Prop / Hooker)

There’s some talent there, but let’s be honest – how many front-line players are we really losing overseas? I see a lot of 3rd stringers there with a couple Bok starters, most of whom are coming home. Sowerby argues for inclusion — but do we really lose anything in Spies, Kankowski or even Russouw? Luke Watson proved he couldn’t hack it internationally… I could go on and on.

However… what I do see is the potential strength of our Super 14 franchises torn to shreds. Bring half these guys back and you have 2 fantastic Super 14 teams to supplement the jokers currently plying their trade in Bloemfontein and Johannesburg. Same could be said for the Highlanders, Chiefs and Force. The Super 14 as a whole would raise its standard of play and be a far more fascinating contest.

Boks lack combinations

While it's great to see Bok coach De Villiers selecting some fantastic offshore talent, it's hard to hold out much hope for this cobbled together mob actually beating Wales (ordinary as they have been). The problem doesn't lie with the quality of player selected, or their experience - they have about as many test caps as the victorious 2007 WC 15 - but it is the lack of combinations that disturbs me.


In the front row, no problems - these guys have played together in numerous squads - even if not regularly in the last couple years. They'll find their groove. Bekker and Russouw - same deal. They've both been part of the Bok setup, even if their time together on-field has been limited.


But the trouble begins in the loosies. Big Joe has been out of the fold for a couple years and has probably never even met Potgieter or Louw, who have one cap and no caps respectively. How they are going to gel into an effective unit with only one weeks training is beyond me - I approve of all their selections, they're fantastic players who deserve a Bok callup - it's just using them all at once that seems crazy.


Januarie and Pienaar together just seems like a nightmare - Ruan is short on confidence at flyhalf and Ricky is fat, undisciplined (on-field and off) and must be totally demoralized at being dropped by the Stormers but still miraculously selected by the Boks. How can he not feel like a token brown man?


The centers are an interesting pick. James and De Villiers are old hands who have played many games together, but both one step closer to the scrum (likewise James and Pienaar). It's going to be interesting to see if they can find any sort of chemistry in this bizarre mash-up... with no training time, the answer has to be no.


Steyn and Ndungane were national and provincial partners and should add some reassurance to new cap Aplon (who is a fantastic selection, in my opinion, even if he is too small for international rugby).


Bringing Bosman, De Jongh and Basson on at any time will compound the issues even further - though one can't help but feel that a 2nd half with Ruan at 9, James at 10, De Villiers 12 and De Jongh 13 looks far more stable and convincing.


I'd like to try comment on Chiliboy's inclusion, but the fact of the matter is, I've NEVER seen the guy play (and I watch a LOT of rugby). He might be Spies and Bismarck combined, but how would we know? He's been in senior rugby for 4 years without EVER getting a game! I've seen him run on for about a minute every now and then, but how can a player be expected to find any form without regular game time? It's a travesty of mismanagement. Hanyani Shimange springs to mind - the poor guy warmed the Bok and Stormers bench for years before packing it in and moving to Boland, just so he could feel the grass under his feet. But, by then, his career was in ruins. No doubt Chiliboy is headed for the same fate... one start in eighteen Super 14 Games and eight tests. It's sad and an incredible disservice to a (reportedly) talented player.


Wales would have to be monumentally awful to lose at home to this crew... but then again, they are.


Springboks - 15 Frans Steyn, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Jean de Villiers, 12 Butch James, 11 Odwa Ndungane, 10 Ruan Pienaar, 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Joe van Niekerk, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 BJ Botha, 2 John Smit (c), 1 CJ van der Linde.
Subs: Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Jannie du Plessis, 18 Alistair Hargreaves, 19 Ryan Kankowski, 20 Meyer Bosman, 21 Juan de Jongh, 22 Bjorn Basson.