2010 Super 14 final explained

2010 Super 14 Final
Event:2010 Super 14 season
Team1:Bulls
Team1association:
Team1score:25
Team2:Stormers
Team2association:
Team2score:17
Date:29 May 2010
Stadium:Orlando Stadium
City:Soweto
Referee:Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Previous:2009
Next:2011

The Final of the 2010 Super 14 season, a provincial rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere, took place on 29 May 2010 at Orlando Stadium in Soweto, South Africa. The Bulls, based in Pretoria, hosted the Stormers, from Cape Town, in the second all-South African final. The defending champion Bulls won 25–17 to claim their second consecutive title and third in four years.[1] This was the last Super 14 final, as the Melbourne Rebels joined the Super Rugby competition in the 2011 season to create a new Super Rugby competition.

The Bulls' normal home, Loftus Versfeld, was unavailable because it was used as a venue for the 2010 FIFA World Cup being held in South Africa beginning 11 June. Under FIFA rules, all World Cup venues must be handed over to the local organisers no later than 15 days before the opening match of the competition. Orlando Stadium was the largest, suitable, stadium in the Bulls' home province of Gauteng that was not being used for the World Cup.

The game was surrounded in controversy after Schalk Burger claimed that the referee Craig Joubert was inconsistent at the breakdowns, "coaching the Bulls, but penalising the Stormers". This sparked an outcry over the handling of the game by Joubert, and internet blogs were buzzing due to the alleged incompetency of Joubert. André Watson, the head of South Africa's Rugby Referees, released a statement in which he defended Joubert's performance.[2]

Road to the Final

See main article: 2010 Super 14 season.

Match

Second half

The Stormers scored a try in the 77th minute of the game. This try was thought to have been awarded to Ricky Januarie. The television replays showed that in fact the ball was placed short of the try line, but Craig Joubert awarded the try without referring it to the television match official. SARU clarified the try in a press statement a few days later claiming that Januarie's attempt was short, but that the ball was picked up by replacement Pieter Louw who then scored the try.[3]

Match details

BULLS:
FB 15Zane Kirchner
RW 14Gerhard van den Heever
CT 13Jaco Pretorius
SF 12Wynand Olivier
LW 11Francois Hougaard
FF 10Morné Steyn
HB 9 Fourie du Preez
N8 8 Pierre Spies
OF 7 Dewald Potgieter
BF 6 Deon Stegmann
RL 5 Victor Matfield (Cpt)
LL 4 Danie Rossouw
TP 3 Werner Kruger
HK 2 Gary Botha
LP 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp
Substitutes:
HK 16Bandise Maku
LP 17Bees Roux
N8 18Flip van der Merwe
LF 19Derick Kuun
HB 20Jacques-Louis Potgieter
FF 21Jaco van der Westhuyzen
RW 22Pedrie Wannenburg
Coach:
Frans Ludeke
STORMERS:
FB 15Joe Pietersen
RW 14Gio Aplon
CT 13Jaque Fourie
CT 12Juan de Jongh
LW 11Bryan Habana
FH 10Peter Grant
SH 9 Dewaldt Duvenhage
N8 8 Duane Vermeulen
OF 7 Francois Louw
BF 6 Schalk Burger (Cpt)
RL 5 Andries Bekker
LL 4 Adriaan Fondse
TP 3 Brok Harris
HK 2 Tiaan Liebenberg
LP 1 Wicus Blaauw
Substitutions:
HK 16Deon Fourie
LP 17JC Kritzinger
RL 18Anton van Zyl
LF 19Pieter Louw
SH 20Ricky Januarie
FH 21Willem de Waal
CT 22Tim Whitehead
Coach:
Allister Coetzee
Touch judges:
Cobus Wessels
Christie du Preez
Television match official:
Shaun Veldsman

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Steyn boots Bulls to Super 14 title . 2010-05-30. Sydney Morning Herald. 2010-05-31.
  2. Web site: Burger's whine 'groundless'.
  3. Web site: SARU clarify Stormers 'try'.