Coach57,555 posts
03 Sept 2013, 13:51
#1
03 Sept 2013, 13:51#1
The following report was published:-
Springbok stars Bryan Habana, Juandre Kruger, Morne Steyn and Jano Vermaak all made their club debuts in France this weekend.
The quartet, along with fellow Springbok Gurthrö Steenkamp, were allowed to return to their Top 14 clubs in between the Rugby Championship Test with Argentina and their next Test with Australia on September 7.
Of the five, only Kruger (Racing Métro), Vermaak and Steenkamp (both Toulouse) featured in their club's starting line-up while Habana and Steyn played cameos off the bench.
Habana's return to Toulon made midweek headlines after club president Mourad Boudjellal insisted that the record-setting wing jet back in time for Saturday's trip to Grenoble, stating that "if he doesn't play for his national side, he must play for his club," adding that if SARU wanted to block the return "they would have to pay his salary" for the week.
Despite the furore, the former Stormers flyer only made his appearance off the woodwork in the 70th minute of the European champions' 28-26 defeat at the Stade des Alpes. In a drama-filled game, former Wallaby Matt Giteau scored Toulon's only try, five minutes after the final hooter only to see ex-England fly-half Wilkinson miss the conversion, leaving Toulon to digest their first defeat of the season.
Habana's former Bulls team-mates Danie Rossouw and Bakkies Botha were in the Toulon starting line-up along with eight-Test cap former Bok scrum-half Michael Claassens. Ex-Griquas prop Albertus Buckle featured in the Grenoble front-row, but endured a tough evening against ex-All Black tighthead Carl Hayman.
The biggest match of the weekend was in Clermont however, where the recent European finalists hosted nineteen-time French champions Toulouse. Vermaak had a good game in the number nine jersey for the visitors playing inside French international Lionel Beauxis. Steenkamp, however, had a tough afternoon in a Toulouse front-row that was dominated at scrum time.
Clermont led 13-10 at break and the teams were separated by a single point going into the final fifteen minutes but late tries from flank Julien Bonnaire and centre Wesley Fofana ensured that les Jaunards maintained their three-year unbeaten record on home soil - a run of 61 consecutive matches. South Africans Daniel Kotze, Gerhard Vosloo and Gavin Hume featured in the Clermont matchday 23.
Steyn made his debut for league-leaders Stade Français on the hour-mark, kicking a late conversion as the Parisians romped to a 38-3 win over Biarritz at the newly refurbished Jean Bouin Stadium. Former Sharks centre Meyer Bosman - playing his third Top 14 game - was also on the Stade bench along with lock Gerhard Mostert while Bok prop Heinke van der Merwe started at loosehead.
Elsewhere in the French capital, Kruger played all 80 minutes in the Racing Métro second-row, alongside fellow South African Francois van der Merwe, but the big-spenders struggled to overcome newcomers Oyonnax, despite having a star-studded line-up including three British and Irish Lions and ex-Bok prop Brian Mujati at tighthead.
After shocking Clermont last week, Oyonnax were hunting another big scalp and were looking good as they held a 9-6 lead at half-time thanks to three penalties from former Cheetahs fly-half Conrad Barnard. The hosts had to wait until the 62nd minute to move ahead for the first time as Jonathan Sexton landed his fourth penalty of the evening before a 77th-minute try from replacement hooker Virgile Lacombe - who recently left the Kings - sealed victory for the Parisians. Three yellow cards ultimately proved the undoing of Oyonnax, who look set to ruffle a few feathers this season.
In Montpellier, Wynand Olivier had another strong game, helping his side to 33-24 win over newly-promoted Brive while Antonie Claassen and Pedrie Wannenburg joined forces in the back row for defending champions Castres, who lost by a single point to Bordeaux-Bègles after Rory Kockott was stopped just inches short of scoring what would have been the winning try in the dying moments.
Habana only played for ten minutes - so nothing much to say. Lets summarize the above and see what really went on:-
* Steenkamp was bloody hopeless as per normal
* I watched the Stade Francias team and they won with ease. Steyn had anything but a cameo performance - he at least made 3 aimless kicks lerading to counter-attacks in the time he played and I think the article is flawed - he had anything but a cameo performance.
