Week Thirteen: Andrew's Team

THE ORCADIANS - Facebook S14

*New buys in italics

FR Gary Botha (BUL) - $1,330,000
FR Andrew Hore (HUR) - $1,300,000

LK Andries Bekker (STM) - $1, 555,000

LK Dean Mumm (WAR) - $1,112,500

LF Pierre Spies (BUL) - $1,410,000

LF Rocky Elsom (BRM) - $1,167,500

HV Will Genia (RED) - $1,120,000

HV Aaron Cruden (HUR) - $712,500

CT Isaia Toe'ava (BLU) - $1,212,500

CT James O'Connor (FOR) - $1,180,000

OB Joe Rokocoko (BLU) - $1,315,000

OB Rene Ranger (BLU) - $1,072,500

Team Value: $14,487,500

Cash in Bank: $2,785,150

Despite the handicap of Bismarck du Plessis' late withdrawal last week, I managed to cling on to my world ranking of 10th. This week I decided to keep trades to a minimum again and made only two tactical switches in addition to the front row.

It was a toss-up for me between Hore, Liebenburg and Polatu-Nau to replace du Plessis. In the end I chose Hore, thinking the Hurricanes could have a couple of big weeks and make it into the semis.

In the centres, I sold Olivier, knowing I'll probably have to buy him back for the final week. Resisting the temptation to go with Nonu, I plumped for O'Connor instead. He's been in fantastic point-scoring form all season and I think a lot of players might not know he's back from injury.

For the backs, I decided to put all my eggs in one basket. That basket is the Blues. I sold Nanai-Williams with some reluctance, since the rookie's earned me great points in the last few weeks, but the prospect of Rene Ranger against the Lions was too good an opportunity to miss and I have faith that Rokocoko's dip in form last week was temporary. With the Blues hosting the leaky Chiefs next week, Rokocoko and Ranger should have a good fortnight.

Good luck everyone!

Week Thirteen: Predictions

Andrew: 63/78 (81%)
Kynan: 54/78 (69%)

Andrew's Predictions

Hurricanes vs Reds - Hurricanes by 5
Bulls vs Crusaders - Bulls by 10
Chiefs vs Waratahs - Waratahs by 3
Brumbies vs Highlanders - Brumbies by 15
Lions vs Blues - Blues by 12
Cheetahs vs Force - Force by 5
Sharks vs Stormers - Stormers by 10

Kynan's Predictions

Hurricanes vs Reds - Hurricanes by less than 7
Bulls vs Crusaders - Bulls by 7+
Chiefs vs Waratahs - Waratahs by less than 7
Brumbies vs Highlanders - Brumbies by 7+
Lions vs Blues - Blues by 13+
Cheetahs vs Force - Force by 7+
Sharks vs Stormers - Stormers by 1

Week Thirteen: Kynan's Team

NO POOFTAHS - Facebook S14

*New buys in italics

FR Tom McCartney (BLU) - $782,500
FR Tatafu Polatu-Nau (WAR) - $1,195,000

LK Michael Paterson (HUR) - $920,000
LK Andries Bekker (STM) - $1,555,000

LF Pierre Spies (BUL) - $1,410,000
LF Juan Smith (CHE) - $1,117,500

HV Aaron Cruden (HUR) - $712,500
HV Morne Steyn (BUL) - $1,385,000

CT Wynand Olivier (BUL) - $1,455,000
CT Ma'a Nonu (HUR) - $1,192,500

OB Digby Ioane (RED) - $1,155,000
OB Joe Rokocoko (BLU) - $1,315,000

Team Value: $14,195,000
Cash in Bank: $42,250

Just a few changes in the forwards is all to report this week. Changed out my front row completely after the Bismarck fiasco last week (curse you Sharks for keeping it secret!). McCartney is playing the Lions, so is sure to rack up some points, and the Waratahs are desperate against a depleted Chiefs side... so here's hoping they decide to score some tries.

Juan Smith comes in, well, because he's just that good. The last 2 weeks he has been a top performer, and here's hoping that continues. I was tempted to change out Ioane for Ranger, but I'm thinking he'll get plenty of line breaks against the Hurricanes... or not. Maybe I should get Ranger... what to do? what to do?

Week Thirteen: Team Announcements

HURRICANES vs REDS, WELLINGTON, FRIDAY 09:35

Hurricanes – 15 Cory Jane, 14 Tamati Ellison, 13 Jason Kawau, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Rodney So’oialo, 7 Karl Lowe, 6 Michael Paterson, 5 Bryn Evans, 4 Jeremy Thrush, 3 Neemia Tialata, 2 Andrew Hore (c), 1 Jacob Ellison.

Subs: 16 Dane Coles, 17 John Schwalger, 18 Nick Crosswell, 19 Scott Waldrom, 20 Tyson Keats, 21 Willie Ripia, 22 David Smith.

Reds – 15 Peter Hynes, 14 Rod Davies, 13 Will Chambers, 12 Anthony Faingaa, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia (c), 8 Leroy Houston, 7 Andrew Shaw, 6 Scott Higginbotham, 5 Van Humphries, 4 Radike Samo, 3 Greg Holmes, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Ben Daley.

Subs: 16 Sean Hardman, 17 James Slipper, 18 Ezra Taylor, 19 Jake Schatz, 20 Lei Tomiki, 21 Ben Lucas, 22 Brando Va’aulu.

BULLS vs CRUSADERS, PRETORIA, FRIDAY 19:10

Bulls – 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Victor Matfield (c), 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Gary Botha, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.

Subs: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Bees Roux, 18 Bakkies Botha, 19 Derick Kuün, 20 Jaco van der Westhuyzen, 21 Stephan Dippenaar, 22 Pedrie Wannenburg.

Crusaders – 15 Colin Slade, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Dan Bowden, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Kahn Fotuali’i, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 George Whitelock, 5 Chris Jack, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Ti’i Paulo, 1 Wyatt Crockett.

Subs: 16 Dan Perrin, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Sam Whitelock, 19 Thomas Waldrom, 20 Andy Ellis, 21 Ryan Crotty, 22 Jared Payne.

CHIEFS vs WARATAHS, HAMILTON, SATURDAY 09:35

Chiefs – 15 Tim Nanai-Williams, 14 Dwayne Sweeney, 13 Richard Kahui, 12 Jackson Willison, 11 Jason Hona, 10 Callum Bruce, 9 Junior Poluleuligaga, 8 Colin Bourke, 7 Tanerau Latimer, 6 Liam Messam (c), 5 Kevin O’Neill, 4 Craig Clarke, 3 Nathan White, 2 Hika Elliot, 1 Sona Taumalolo.

Subs: 16 Aled de Malmanche, 17 Ben Afeaki, 18 Culum Retallick, 19 Luke Braid 20 Brendon Leonard, 21 Phil Burleigh, 22 Save Tokula.

Waratahs – 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Tom Carter, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Berrick Barnes, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Ben Mowen, 7 Phil Waugh (c), 6 Patrick McCutcheon, 5 Kane Douglas, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Al Baxter, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Benn Robinson.

Subs: 16 Damien Fitzpatrick, 17 Dan Palmer/ Jeremy Tilse, 18 Chris Thomson, 19 Dave Dennis, 20 Josh Holmes, 21 Daniel Halangahu, 22 Sosene Anesi.

BRUMBIES vs HIGHLANDERS, CANBERRA, SATURDAY 11:40

Brumbies – 15 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 Pat McCabe, 13 Tyrone Smith, 12 Matt Giteau, 11 Andrew Smith, 10 Matt Toomua, 9 Josh Valentine, 8 Stephen Hoiles (c), 7 George Smith, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 Mark Chisholm, 4 Mitchell Chapman, 3 Salesi Ma’afu, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Ben Alexander.

Subs: 16 Huia Edmonds, 17 Jerry Yanuyanutawa, 18 Ben Hand, 19 Colby Faingaa, 20 Patrick Phibbs, 21 Brackin Karauria-Henry, 22 Ed Stubbs/Stirling Mortlock.

Highlanders – 15 Israel Dagg, 14 James Paterson, 13 Ben Smith, 12 Jason Shoemark, 11 Fetu’u Vainikolo, 10 Matt Berquist, 9 Jimmy Cowan (c), 8 Steven Setephano, 7 Alando Soakai, 6 Adam Thomson, 5 Hayden Triggs, 4 Josh Bekhuis, 3 Bronson Murray, 2 Jason Rutledge, 1 Chris King.

Subs: 16 Peter Mirrielees, 17 Keith Cameron, 18 Joe Tuineau, 19 John Hardie, 20 Scott Cowan, 21 Robbie Robinson, 22 Jayden Hayward.

LIONS vs BLUES, JOHANNESBURG, SATURDAY 15:00

Lions – 15 Carlos Spencer, 14 Michael Killian, 13 Deon van Rensburg, 12 Walter Venter, 11 Tonderai Chavhanga, 10 Herkie Kruger, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Derick Minnie, 7 Wikus van Heerden, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar (c), 5 George Earl, 4 Franco van der Merwe, 3 Gert Muller 2 Charles Emslie, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.

Subs: 16 Hannes Franklin, 17 Heinke van der Merwe, 18 Nico Luus, 19 Justin Wheeler, 20 Jacques Coetzee, 21 Jaco Taute, 22 Bernardo Botha.

Blues – 15 Isaia Toeava, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Rene Ranger, 12 Benson Stanley, 11 Paul Williams, 10 Daniel Kirkpatrick, 9 Alby Mathewson, 8 Peter Saili, 7 Serge Lilo, 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Anthony Boric, 4 Kurtis Haiu, 3 John Afoa, 2 Tom McCartney, 1 Tony Woodcock.

Subs: 16 Tevita Mailau, 17 Charlie Faumuina, 18 Filo Paulo, 19 Vilami Ma’afu, 20 Chris Smylie, 21 Stephen Brett / George Pisi, 22 Anthony Tuitavake.

CHEETAHS vs FORCE, BLOEMFONTEIN, SATURDAY 17:05

Cheetahs – 15 Hennie Daniller, 14 Bjorn Basson, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Meyer Bosman, 11 Corné Uys, 10 Naas Olivier, 9 Sarel Pretorius, 8 Philip van der Walt, 7 Juan Smith (captain), 6 Hendro Scholtz, 5 Barend Pieterse, 4 Izak van der Westhuizen, 3 WP Nel, 2 Skipper Badenhorst, 1 Wian du Preez.

Subs: 16 Ryno Barnes, 17 Coenie Oosthuizen, 18 Waltie Vermeulen, 19 Davon Raubenheimer, 20 Marnus Hugo, 21 Danwel Demas, 22 Riaan Viljoen.

Force – 15 James O’Connor, 14 Nick Cummins, 13 Mitch Inman, 12 Ryan Cross, 11 Cameron Shepherd, 10 David Hill, 9 Justin Turner, 8 Richard Brown, 7 David Pocock, 6 Matt Hodgson, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Tom Hockings, 3 Tim Fairbrother, 2 Nathan Charles, 1 Nick Henderson.

Subs: 16 Ben Whittaker, 17 Matt Dunning, 18 Sam Wykes, 19 Ben McCalman, 20 Chris O’Young, 21 Sam Harris, 22 Mark Bartholomeusz.

SHARKS vs STORMERS, DURBAN, SATURDAY 19:10

Sharks – 15 Patrick Lambie, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Stefan Terblanche, 12 Riaan Swanepoel, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Ruan Pienaar, 9 Rory Kockott, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Jean Deysel, , 5 Alistair Hargreaves, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 John Smit (c), 1 Beast Mtawarira.

Subs: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Pat Cilliers, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 Keegan Daniel, 20 Jacques Botes 21 Andy Goode, 22 Andries Strauss.

Stormers – 15 Gio Aplon, 14 Sireli Naqelevuki, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Juan de Jongh, 11 Tim Whitehead, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Schalk Burger (c), 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Adriaan Fondse, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 JD Moller.

Subs: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Eusebio Guinazu, 18 Anton van Zyl, 19 Pieter Louw, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Willem de Waal, 22 Joe Pietersen.

Winning Bulls = Dominant Boks?

Kiwi pundits like to point out that Super 14 success doesn't translate into international success... but that's only true for Kiwi teams. For South Africa, there seems to be a direct correlation. Look at the history:

2006 - Bulls scrape into 4th place, the only SA qualifier, and the Springboks have a disastrous year, including a record 49-0 loss to Australia.

2007 - Bulls and Sharks dominate the league and compete for the Final. Springboks win the World Cup.

2008 - Sharks are the sole SA semi-finalists, the Bulls come in 10th. SA has another terrible Tri-Nations, including a loss to Australia on home soil - the first since 2000.

2009 - The Bulls destroy all before them, as do the Boks, beating the All Blacks in all 3 fixtures of the year.

So, with 2010 again looking like the year of two SA finalists (Bulls and Stormers), what chance do the All Blacks have? South African teams have destroyed their New Zealand counterparts... ignoring the Lions, of course. The Stormers have won all 5 games, the Bulls are poised to go 4-1, the Sharks are 3-2, even the lowly Cheetahs are 2-2! Victories on New Zealand soil are coming thick and fast for the Saffas, and that can only translate into success for the Boks.

So, another Tri-Nations trophy in the Bok closet seems a historical inevitability. The only question is, are the Boks peaking to soon? The World Cup is next year and can Smit, Matfield and co. really sustain the momentum? The Stormers pack, featuring just one regular Springbok starter, are maybe proof that it doesn't really matter. SA has the depth of talent to dominate for years to come - just ask the Kiwi's who they fear worse now, Matfield or Bekker.

Dream Team: Round Twelve

FR Ben Alexander (BRM) - 540
FR Jason Rutledge (HGH) - 385

LK Mark Chisholm (BRM) - 460
LK Victor Matfield (BUL) - 250

LF Adam Thomson (HGH) - 685
LF Juan Smith (CHE) - 500

HV David Hill (FOR) - 525
HV Aaron Cruden (HUR) - 490

CT Ma'a Nonu (HUR) - 760
CT Jackson Willison (CHF) - 630

OB Bjorn Basson (CHE) - 430
OB Tim Nanai-Williams (CHF) - 390

5 try bonus 200

Total Points 5,745