Vodacom Stormers take swipe at record

After beating the Blues 33-21 in Auckland last weekend, the Cape franchise will be aiming to secure their second Kiwi scalp Down Under – and follow in the footsteps of the Sharks who defeated the Hurricanes (29-26) and the Highlanders (30-16) earlier in the competition.

The Bulls recorded a 33-19 win over the Chiefs in Hamilton last Friday.

Not only will the Stormers look to equal the highest number of victories by SA franchises in New Zealand, they could also improve South Africa’s overall away record against Kiwi opposition.

Teams from SA have lost 125 of their 165 matches played in New Zealand since the inception of Super rugby in 1996.

On Saturday, the Cheetahs will try to break a few records when they take on the Crusaders in Christchurch. No South African team has ever defeated the team from Canterbury in Christchurch.

Since making their return to the Super 14 in 2006, the Free State outfit has not won a match in Australasia.

However, an upset win for the Cheetahs against the Crusaders, currently second on the Super 14 log, will take the tally of SA victories in New Zealand to six.

The Bulls, who are currently leading the Super 14 log with 33 points, will be aiming to end their four-week Australasian tour on a high when they take on the high-riding Reds at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday.

The Pretoria outfit have never won their last tour match in the history of the tournament. They have also suffered two defeats against the Reds during their last two visits to Brisbane in 2008 and 2006.

Round 10 concludes in Johannesburg on Saturday afternoon, when the Lions host the Sharks at Coca-Cola Park.

The hosts are still searching for their first win in this season’s competition while the Sharks will be aiming to keep their mathematical chances of making their playoffs alive by securing a bonus point victory against the side who has conceded the most points in the competition to date.