Weekend Rugby Wrap: 5 Takeaways

It was the end of the Currie Cup and Super Rugby Pacific as the finals of both competitions played out, it was also the beginning of the World Rugby Junior World Championship. Bet Central brings you 5 takeaways from this weekend’s rugby action.

Chiefs’ Discipline Proves Costly

The Chiefs had a terrific season and going into the weekend of the grand final, one would have expected them to end the Crusaders’ dominance in Super Rugby. But it was not to be, partly because the Crusaders were once again excellent during the business end of the competition, but the Chiefs’ discipline also let them down.  

The Chiefs would have been disappointed with the number of penalties they conceded along with being down to 14 on 3 occasions. With that discipline record, it was always going to be an uphill battle to win the competition. There is reason for optimism going into 2024 for the coaching staff with the core of this group retained, they just need to learn from their mistakes in 2023.

Scott Robertson Leaves Super Rugby A Legend

After securing a 7^th Super Rugby title through a 25-20 victory over the Chiefs, Crusaders coach Scott Robertson departed the franchise and competition as a legend. Razor as he is affectionately known is arguably the greatest Super Rugby coach of all time with his immaculate record.

He coached the Crusaders in 117 games and was victorious in 98 games for a sensational 84% win rate. It remains to be seen how he will fair in international rugby as he takes up the All Blacks head coach post in 2024, but what he has done in Super Rugby will take a long time to emulate.

Cheetahs Outlast Pumas in Catfight

The Cheetahs and Pumas exchanged punches in the 1^st half of the Currie Cup final and it look like an arm wrestle for a long period before the Cheetahs took it away as they won the world’s oldest rugby competition by 25 points to 17. 

The Pumas refused to let the Cheetahs run away with the game even when they threatened to do so, they replied at every end, but in the end, the experienced heads of the Cheetahs proved to be the difference as the home side edged home to crowned kings of the Currie Cup once more.

Lots Of Positives For The Pumas

Jimmy Stonehouse’s side failed to defend their title against the Cheetahs, but it wasn’t all doom and gloom as they gave a good account of themselves in the final and throughout the competition. The performances of some of their players were really good and there is a lot to be optimistic about in the future.

Some of their players like Ali Mgijima, Tinus de Beer, Devon Williams etc looked really good and Stonehouse has a solid base to build on with his current team. The biggest challenge is now the lack of competitive rugby for such teams. 

Georgia Gives Baby Boks A Tough Time

It was a full set of fixtures played in Cape Town on Saturday as the 1^st edition of Junior World Championships played out since 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic halted it for a few years and it was exciting the best young talent the tier 1 nations have to offer. 

For the host nation, South Africa, the 1^st game was against a tough and stubborn Georgia and the European side gave the Baby Boks a good run in the 2^nd half before the host eventually took it away to win their opening game 33-23. They will now play Italy on Thursday in Paarl.

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