Sunwolves targeting first victory on Sinagpore soil
Singapore’s adopted home team HITO-Communications Sunwolves are set to take on South Africa’s Bulls at the National Stadium tomorrow in the only Super Rugby match to take place in Singapore this year.
The last match between the Sunwolves and the Bulls in Singapore took place in 2016, where the Bulls won by a small margin, with a score of 27-30.
The Sunwolves arrived in Singapore off the back of the Super Rugby break for the June Tests, to play their third final match and the last home game of the season. The team can look forward to the staunch support of their fans after a season of progress which saw them win two Super Rugby games in a row for the first time.
Set to take on the Bulls for the second time at the National Stadium, the SUNWOLVES are determined to seize their first Singapore victory.
Sunwolves Acting Head Coach Tony Brown, who has taken over Jamie Joseph’s coaching duties for the remainder of the Super Rugby 2018 season, shared his thoughts on tomorrow’s match against the Bulls. “What Jamie and the recent coaching team has done with the Sunwolves has made it easy to take over, so it’s just business as usual for us. We are getting better every week and we have a pretty competitive side. Tomorrow and the next two games
are obviously going to be our goal, and I know we’ve got the team and got the game to compete at this level.”
The Sunwolves and the Bulls teams had their individual Captains Run’s at the National Stadium pitch earlier today to prepare for the upcoming match, and shared their excitement and determination in their respective pre-match press conferences.
Sunwolves Captain Willem Britz, said, “For us as a team, we’ve been working so hard during the year to create our brand of rugby and the way we play, so we want to continue that and get better every game. We set goals for ourselves for each individual game that we want to achieve, and once we achieve those targets then the wins will come by themselves.”
Having recently faced a 28-38 defeat against the BRUMBIES on their home turf in South Africa, the Bulls are equally eager to prove their prowess on the pitch once more.
“We have improved, and of course we would have liked more results, but what the team has demonstrated this season – the fight and the style of playing – we would like to maintain that right through to the end of the season. We obviously can’t control the outcome but we certainly would like to get some rewards for our performances,” shared Bulls Head Coach John Mitchell.
Bulls Captain Handré Pollard added, “To ensure victory we’re just going to focus on our process, and try and execute as best as we can. I think that’s the thing in this weather – the team that executes the best is going to be the team that wins at the end of the day.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Except for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
33 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
33 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
33 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
33 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
33 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to comments