It looks like its down to the battle of the ‘random’ no 10’s this weekend at Loftus. Firstly let me apologise for my lack of commentary this S14, i started off not watching too much of the games due to other commitments but in the last few weeks i caught more games than i missed.
But here is a summary from the games that i did see...
The super 14 had a bit of a slow start to the season the games were alright but lacked the intensity of a few years gone by and as a result my interest waned a wee bit
I watched the S14 semi between the Bulls and the Saders, not live cos i was at a wedding, but at like 2 am or so when i got home and managed to watch the whole thing from start to end and even listen to the interviews etc. then i tried watching bits of the Heineken cup, man what a bore, unless i am being a biased so and so
Anyway back to the reason i write, what a great competition dished out this year. It went down to the last game of the regular season to find out who would be in the top 4 and in what order, thats what a tournament should be all about...happy days for us spectators, unhappy times for those players who put everything into this S14 and were so close yet have to wait till 2010. I really expected NZ to be very average this year with all the top players leaving and to be honest the depth was tested plenty with all the injuries in some of the teams but none of the teams were push overs. And by that i mean none of the 14 teams. Which is good for the game in the southern hemisphere. Here is my round up of the tournament
Start with Oz
The team that impressed me most was the Force. They started at the same time as our Cheetahs and they have shown a whole lot more progress than the Cheetahs have. Yes they bought some key players, but what’s to stop the Cheetahs from doing the same, they should have amassed enough after selling all their players to the Sharks etc . On a whole they are not a side of superstars the Force, bar, say Gits, but that has to be a sign of good coaching too. I look at their forwards and the big name there is Nathan Sharpe everyone else maybe known but not a superstar. I was very impressed with the loosies, Pocock and Brown as well as the prop Whalley. In the backs, that youngster O’Connor was insane very impressive. So too was Drew Mitchell. Gits, well what can anyone say, even though Super Rugby put Stephen Donald in as their no 10, a selection I totally understand, my S14 no 10 was Gits the Ninja. The Force may well struggle next year without Gits and Mitchell.
The Reds had their moments but their depth was truly tested and they were found wanting unfortunately for them but i think they will be a better side for it next year. Some of their youngsters really played their part. My pick of their pops was Berrick Barnes, I realised what a quality player he was last year during the trinations where he tackled like a randy dude in a whore house...nothing got away from him, and his kicking game and distribution game was par excellence. Digby Ioane and Quade Cooper really came to their own with him directing traffic. The forwards were also pretty able.
The Brumbies, sheesh what a team. All i have to say is Stirling Mortlock and George Smith, man what war horses, game winners!! But thats not taking away anything form the Likes of Adam Ashley-Cooper. From that team, my player to watch is Christian Lealiifano, man what a talent, i guess he flourished having Tyrone Smith, Mortlock , Adam Ash and Mark Gerard “inside” him. He is such a skilfull and confident player, i hope he finds his way to the Force because with Gits returning to the Brumbies, he may start developing splinters in his backside, unless Gits plays 12. The forwards were very strong and my pick was Ben Alexander, i think he should be one of the Wallaby props this year. He scrummed well, showed so much skill in the loose and scored tries what more could u ask? 2 brumbies players i think are hugely underrated are Adam Ash, that bra, is fast, strong and reads the game so well and Mitchell Chapman, i liked him at the Reds, but in Brumbies colours he seems to be coming into his own even more!
The Warratahs zzzzz, not just because everyone else is saying it, but their games are the ones i missed the most, my best game of theirs was their last one against the Lions, such a good game, both teams going out there to play some good running footy. They are potentially such a good side but played such random rugga. Over them...moving on..
SA rugby...the teams i enjoyed watching the most were the Cheetahs and the Lions, but they really let themselves down when they travelled, but thats the difference between experience and youth. These 2 teams were by no means star studded. I believe they will do well in the Currie Cup. For the Lions i really enjoyed the hooker cant remember his name now, also thought Clever was a pretty clever addition to the team, that young no 6 they blooded when they played against the Crusaders has plenty promise. Louis Ludik deserved to be at least a part of the training camp for his effort this season and Jarno Vermaak got what was rightly his a call up to the training squad. Jacques Fourie, man what a player, i know a lot of people want him at 13, but man Adi Jacobs had a stellar season too and deserves to keep his no 13 jersey. I’d play Fourie at 15 seeing as there is a shortage there.
The Cheetahs are a team that i really enjoy watching. Very few super stars, but the way they put it together on their day. The front row was so on point, Brussow just carried on from last year, enjoyed Hendro but wasn’t too impressed with Juan, it was like he was carrying an injury, he played well but I think he could have given a better , account of himself. My player of that side before he got injured was Jacques Louis Potgieter, very underrated but a quality fly half. Jongi and Daniler were also on point, I wouldn’t ever think of giving Demas another contract tho
The Stormers, what a disappointment, such a star studded team but misfiring hard!! Clearly there wasn’t much happiness in that team. Many of you wont agree with what I am about to write but Luke Watson was by far their best player. Rassie definitely knows how to use him correctly.His pack went back more often than not but he always managed to make some yards. His work rate on the ground and his linking ability made him such an asset to that team. In my mind his best game was against the Bulls where he was up against it, from both player and crowd but he showed restraint and ability I would even go as far as saying he outshone Pierre Spies.. Another player who really impressed me was Peter Grant, he isn’t mr flashy by any means, but he is mr dependable and mr i do will not err and i will do all i need to do well. Either at 10 or 12, he gave a great account of himself in all facets of his play. Even though it may be unfair, i’d play him ahead of Morne Steyn. Duane Vermulen was another player worth mentioning. The man is a great player, and he showed it when he turned out for the men from the Cape. South Africa is blessed in that they have an abundance of quality loose forwards. Oh wait, then there was the Hooker who kept Schalk Brits on the bench, i cant remember his name now which sucks but, man did he throw his weight around. He tried hard every game he played, so much so that he got into a boxing match to try and get a numerical advantage against the Force i think it was, but it only earned him a yellow card...doh. And then there was Joe Pietersen, a player who may well deserve a shot in Bok colours in a year or so if he keeps up with his performance, but if the South African selectors remain true to their obsession with size, he may also fall through the cracks.
The sad thing about the Stormers though is that they could definitely say they had a lack of depth because injury did play a part in where they ended up...
The Sharks, oh what a shame!! What a shame indeed, another start studded team but a team that shot themselves in the backside. The was absolutely noooo reason for them to not end up in the top 4
They looked the team to beat for most of the tournament. Laced with Springboks and potential Springboks. Coached by an accomplished coaching team. They travelled overseas and won more games than they lost, but they did lose to the Reds, not that the Reds were a push over team but the Sharks went there expecting to just having to pitch up to win that game. I must add that someone was watching over them during the Chiefs game because they definitely got out of jail there. Then they returned to SA, with points in the bag and all they had to do was win their home games, but alas they came unstuck against a Cheetah team that was playing superb rugby and for some reason had a new lease on life. It was lovely to see Jongi sprinting down the touch line with Kankowski being dragged along. And that my dear friends was when the wheels came off. They came up against a struggling Crusaders side who also took the points if i am not mistaken and then came the Tahs who rubbed salt into the wounds of the Shark faithful. I think the Sharks game plan during the last game against the Bulls was wrong. They had 3 or so penalty awards plum in front of the posts and i would have taken the shots, build a buffer and the tries would have come. If the Bulls felt they were chasing the game, which they also needed to chase because they wanted to finish on top of the log, which would guarantee them at least a 75% chance of winning the tournament, because to be honest if they had to travel i don’t think they would have a chance of winning. But alas the brains trust of the Sharks turned down the points to chase tries which they got, but in the end they didn’t have enough points and 1 point short they sat there gaping mouths lamenting on a season that could have been....I still see Ruan as the Boks flyhalf, he is a Larkham sort of player. Kockott deserves a shot, i prefer him to Fourie, but who am i? Stefan Terblanche was pretty solid at the back. JP, never been much of a fan of his but what a season he had this year. Adi Jacobs once again showed that he deserved all the faith placed in him last year by PdV. I said it before and i’ll say it again, Francois Steyn is the most overrated player in South Africa!! People bitch and moan about Earl Rose being selected, but someone tell me bar the ability to drop goals from almost anywhere, what is the difference between the 2 of them, they can both be brilliant at times, but generally woeful, yet when Earl is selected the whole SA rugby community is like oh my whaaaaatttt, but select Steyn and its like whatever...anyway...Kankowski started off well but faded towards the end of the competition. Jean Deysel is a human wrecking ball and a player for the future. Johan Muller worked so hard and i feel for him, but i think he earned a Bok call up. John Smit had another alright season in my mind, i think moving him to prop is a good move because thats where he belongs. My player for the Sharks though was Beast. He is a centre stuck in a props body. Man what a season! His scrumming still needs a bit of work i think but he would make my Bok 22 anytime
And then there were the Bulls. Let me be the first to correct a statement i made which said that I would definitely have Wynand Olivier in my worst Boks ever team, i think i would have even made him captain because i thought he was that random. But humbly i ingest my words!! What a season he has had. The Bulls were my second worst team to watch (after the Tahs). They are still in my mind a skop skiet and donder team, but i guess its effective rugby. They struggled getting their heads around the ELVs last year but they found their way this year...get Morne Steyn to kick them into the opposition half and take advantage of whatever comes their way...I mock it cos it bores me, but man is it effective, you don’t win 10 games out of 13 and a semi final by not having a plan so well done to them i guess. Did i tell you all how much i despise drop goals . The Bulls players that impressed me most were Guthro, Derrick Kunn, Stegman and Spies in the forwards, in the backs fat head (as Victor Matfield called him) Steyn was pretty good at his role. Wynand Olivier and Kirchner were also very impressive for the Bulls. The Bulls though i think generally come unstuck against a team with a pack that can match them. As good as Spies is, he doesn’t feature much when his pack is under pressure not that his pack was under pressure much. I said it to a mate of mine teams like the Highlanders and the Tahs will give the Bulls a tough time. I do think they deserve their spot at the top of the log and I am happy for Frans Ludeke that he managed to turn his team’s standing in the S14 around after his first season in charge...a season where many branded him a dismal failure...who’s laughing now eh?
I am not going to spend too much time on New Zealand because this email is 3 days in writing on and off and its long!!! But much respect to that country. By far the smallest pool to choose from but stars aplenty were borne of this year’s S14. None of their 5 sides were pushovers you know. Even though some might argue that the Highlanders could have been, but they lacked depth in key positions and it showed when the likes of Cowan, Bowden and Mackintosh were injured. Its a team of no names as was the Crusaders of this year but man did they put up a good showing, which is pleasing to see. My big disappointment was my team the Blues, they have so much in terms of strike power but injuries and i think lack of heart did us in big time. But i still have faith in the men from Auckland, one day they will get it right again. They are the Stormers of NZ. Hurricanes, what a season they had, they deserved their spot in the top 4, they didn’t always fire on all cylinders this year but when they did they looked superb. From 1 to 22, the players really fronted up ey. Rodney played tirelessly every single game. The Crusaders, wow the Crusaders, lose about half their team and their coach and still end up at no 4, not bad going at all chale!! I think the only 2 seasoned campaigners were Brad Thorn and Richie, the others had their first/second season in the red and black but they were impressive. Another thing i like about that team is that they are skilful before large sizewise, look at players such as Colin Slade, Time Bateman, Kade Poki....tiny boys, but they can tackle and run and kick and read the game what more could you ask for. They were part of the most boring game this year (6-0 loss to the Highlanders), but they started to turn it on near the end and to be honest even though it was a tough mountain to climb i had some belief that they could get an upset this weekend, not entirely convinced but hope none-the-less.
Players that impressed me, start off from the bottom placed team the Highlanders, Adam Thomsom, how hard does he work? How correct is his technique at the breakdown, and how did he embarrass Earl Rose?? Cowan as always, MacDonald the Hooker, the 8th man and no 7 Naoupu and Soakai respectively, big fast and skilfull. Daniel Bowden’s absence was evident in the game against the Lions. He really was a cog in their backline. Isreal Dagg and Ben Smith also talents for the future. For the Blues, my dear Blues, it was a season that promised much but delivered not so much, but i must say that i was well impressed with the following players: Chris Lowrey, Michael Hobbs, Tuitavake, Rene Ranger and the Iceman Toeava. The other tireless workers like Mealamu and Woodcock definitely played their roles well but those players really did it for me! The Canes, i quite liked the look of Victor Vito, Thrush and Eaton, The front row particularly Hore and Tialata were solid once again, Rodney I have already mentioned, actually u know what that whole team was impressive, when they got it together. Matthewson and Weepu were both very good at the base of the scrum, but to be honest i liked Alby’s speed more. I was impressed with Ripia and i think he has a great future if he gets regular game time. The midfield was once again solid and Ma’a has now become the allround player. He passes. But i still do believe that he and Conrad should switch. Conrad has the makings of a good 12 and then he creates and then Ma’a knocks em over... Cory Jane, sheesh man what a cool customer? Definitely a shoe in as the back-up to Mills. And then there were the Chiefs, who are finally the team that many thought they could be. They have learnt patience and/in execution. They have a mad strike force out wide. Very able and competent forwards. I was very impressed with the whole pack. The locks compliment each other so well. Magougan, de Melmanche/Elliot, Taumololo and May were all such class acts. Then the loosies of Messam, Lauaki and Latimer/Lilo, very impressive....note the whole team is a team of not so well knowns. Lauaki and Messam perhaps but no superstars. Backline, Leonard, if only he could remain fit, what a talent. Donald very underated, but i also have that perception of him, but he is a great player, he just looks so arb, but man has he been on song both this year and the last, a quality dependable player, distributer, tackler, kicker...hmm what else do you need (maybe a better running style ;-)) and a good guy too... Callum Bruce, also underrated but what the chiefs got right was the 10/12 kicking combination that the Crusaders had right for so many seasons. I remember mentioning Richard Kahui maybe 2 years or so ago how good has he come, then Siti and Flash, give me better finishers or game breakers please, and then Mills, a guy that many of you said was Graham Henry’s love child last year when he was picked...say what again!!!
Last weekends semis, 2 superb games, thoroughly enjoyed them both, would have preferred the Bulls one to have had a different end score but alas u cant always have things your way and to be honest, i think the teams that deserve to be there are there...well cos they won. Oh and did i say how much i hate drop goals???!!! You can see the difference between experience and non experience, because you don’t squander a 13 point lead in 8 minutes even if its 14 on 15, you just don’t do it...but i don’t think the Crusaders were trashed by any means, they were beaten by a more clinical team on the day and Spies had his best game of the year there, its also a game where i saw the match winning abilities of MOrne Steyn, but left to me Ruan then Grant then Steyn...
This weekend, its going to be a hurdle and a half for the Chiefs, the Bulls musnt be too complacent though because they will get a fire cracker up their wherevers. I think the Chiefs are good enough. The forward battle will be a tough one. I am hoping the Chiefs loosies get stuck in instead of hanging around and not putting their weight behind the pack come scrum time, because that will but the Bulls under some pressure and Spies wont be as effective. The battle of the forwards is where the game will be won or lost really and the boot of the no 10s. I am hoping that the Chiefs have started noticing that Habana likes to shoot the line looking for an interception which generally leaves room behind him that can be exploited. This game will be tough and very technical with both teams trying to position themselves better than the other territorially at least in the first 30 or so minutes then it might open up. I would looooove to call a Chiefs win but the odds are stacked up against them. Even though Wynand might not play, his influence is not as great as that of a Sivivaty or a Leonard. If say Victor/Fourie wasn’t playing well that would be a different story altogether...
Looking forward to the game though....sheesh what a marathon, hope i made up for the last few months of not writing
Happy viewing
