A few weeks later i know :)
The last game between the Blacks and Ausies was as close a comparison to
life in general as any! On the one had we have Australia who did all but
win the game. They deserved more than they got. Same as in the first
test against the Boks. The Ausies did all they had to do but the old
adage of survival of the fittest held so true in this game. The Blacks
ground out a win against the odds. They showed old signs of panic when
they were a little behind but the old heads stuck to their game. The
main difference was when Jerome "the super hero" Kaino came on to the
field. With a name like that he was born to be a character in Mortal
Kombat...Kaino wins, flawless victory. But his introduction showed what
a truly balanced loose trio the Blacks have in Richie Kieran and Jerome.
Another visible difference was when Slade came on for Cruden. I like
young Cruden and i dont think he had a bad game, other than 2 or 3
random kick offs his game was pretty decent. he tackled anything that
came at him wasnt scared to take on the line, what more do you want from
a guy? But Colin Slade just seems to have that confidence, he came on
and was shouting the odds, true sign of a confident man.
Ausies are a team to watch. They did what they wanted. They played how
they should have played. They kept the ball and Bam Bam stole ball that
wasnt theirs! Quade danced a little but i think he held off a little.
Gitts showed his class again and the ever solid and reliable Ashley
Cooper did his thing. Aus have a young and slightly built side, but they
play with technique, skill, belief, confidence and precision. That shows
that our (Boks) preoccupation with size is ill informed. Rocky Elsom
what a sour p**s?!! my word! Have you seen a more personality-less
international captain in any sport?
A quick summary of the tri-nations...it was a pretty interesting
competition this year. To be honest there were only 2 out of the 3 teams
that showed any signs of wanting to play. with respect the Boks were
pap. I blame coaching for the selections. For sticking with the same
tired players when clearly they lacked heart. I have been saying this
for a loooooong time, Bryan, is overrated. He is fast, he works hard but
if you dont give him the interception he is largely ineffective,
actually he is a liability, because he inisists on coming off his wing
to go for the intercept, which gives the attacking team endless over lap
opportunities. John Smit, another one, no where near the best hooker in
the country, and judging by the results of the last tri nations, maybe
not the best captain we have at the Boks disposal. Schalk Burger another
guy who as much as he puts his body on the line, he is as ineffective as
a misguided missile. The sad thing is there is talent aplenty in this
country. I know i live in my own world, but i would find a space for
Luke Watson in that team and make him the captain, well maybe after this
era, because a lot of these senior players dont like him much and that
will result in an epic fail of the defence of the Boks' world champ
title. I'd play Chilliboy at 2 or if not Burden or Liebenberg. I know
many of you like Bismarck but to me he is ANOTHER Bakkies Botha, a
yellow card waiting to happen. During the end of year tour, id like to
see the likes of Flouw, Deysel, Strauss (lions), Duane, get a shot in
the forwards. In the backs Pretorius, Lambie, Jantjes, Mvovo, Viljoen
(griquas) and the griquas wing get a shot on tour. You guys wanted Frans
Steyn you got him and with him you got a bucket full of toilet! The Boks
lost a few games, and they looked clueless on the field, but i think it
was more an attitude thing than anything else, this was shown in the
last half of their last test. They need to just man up and focus on the
game. you cant have guys like Victor, De Villiers, Fourie in your team
and be toilet.
Aus are the best placed out of the 3 teams in my mind. They were never
outpayed by any team, well maybe in the first test against the Blacks.
But it was their first game fresh team and they showed improvements in
every game. They have exciting backs competent forwards and the
willingness to win. They will go far. I wont write a lot about them
because we all know they are a team on the up.
The Blacks, what a difference a year makes? that being said though i am
not one of those AB supporters who believes this team is wonderfully
majestic, nah man, they are fallible. They were competent. they were
solid. They did their job, but they were under the pump a few times.
They showed maturity as a unit. and have unearthed some skillful players
such as Izzy Dagg. Some of the old heads are stepping up and playing
their best rugby in a long while. And to think that there are the likes
of Hore, Williams, Sivivatu, Kahui. Players like McAlastair that can be
called on. Then there is this phenom called Sonny Bill Williams. He is a
specimen of a man, but i am not buying the hype though not yet at least,
watched him play a few games for Cantebury and he has great offloads and
he is a presence, but he has much to learn in terms of rugby. I would
rather the Blacks not have won this year, but good for them that they
did because winning becomes a habit. The beauty about the way they are
winning is they are having to scrap for their points its not the 50-20s
of other pre world cup years.
It was a decent tournament, dissapointing from the Boks performance and
point of view but alas, they will come back, need to work on their
defence and decide on their systems and execute accordingly. Its not all
doom and gloom. Oz will just have to keep on keeping on and their day
too will come. The Blacks well just keep building and most importantly
building depth in 10, 6, 7. The end of year tours will be most
interesting and i look forward to it, but till then go the Lions in the
Currie Cup, loving how Province have been playing too.
Till the end of the year then boys and girls
Y
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Tri nations 2010 - final week
And so it ends the best and most competitive international competition. An interesting turn of events and lots to talk about but most of that will be done next week. This week we talk about the 2 Bok v Oz games and the Oz v AB game this weekend.
2 weekends ago must have been heartbreak for the young wallaby side. They did everything but win. But i guess the same heartbreak that was felt by the Boks a week before and the ABs in France a few years ago. I didnt want to comment on that last game because i dont believe the boks deserved to win that game, but then again those who win deserve the win because they won and good on them and their turnaround. This weekend, i saw the same thing happening and i really felt sorry for the Wallabies, because in as much as i was backing the Boks both last week and this week, i didnt think they played well enough to win and they really didnt show the desire and passion worthy of wearing their national team colours.
Lets start with the Boks, many out there are so quick to point out that the senior guys run the team...when the boys are winning, but when they lose its the coaches fault. now i am of a different mentality. last week proved my point perfectly. the first half, the players looked like blind american football players who were playing rugby for the first time ever in their lives. Yes the Australian attack manipulated them into the positions that the players found themselves in but that was largely because the players didnt trust the player on the inside of him and also cos they just gave the ball back to the Aussies so they could run circles and even octagons around them Then Victor came up with a moment of individual brilliance. You go into the shed for 10 minutes, 10 minutes and then the team that takes the field, with no personnel changes comes out looking like world beaters. Now if the coaching was taht bad, then what difference would 10 minutes make? Then shoot, forget training during the week and weeks prior, just give me 10 minutes before a game. it shows that the team does have structures and a plan, but the execution thereof on the field is poor. Now who can i blame for that??? the players ofcourse. I dont think they are all of a sudden bad players, no not at all. I just think they are stale. They have this entitlement thing going on in their heads and thus complacency is brewing.
Then there is that guy Jake White coming into the mix again, i know a lot of you think he is the Messiah at SA rugby, but if he truly was i think he would have made more of an impact at the Lions. Many people forget that in 2006 before the world cup year, he lost 4 out of 6 tri nations test. he only won the last 2 at home. I went to a website that has stats on coaches etc. its called pick and go. anyway so i did a little comparison between the 2 of them. Jake before 2006 tri nations had played 28 games and won 19....68% after the tri nations had played 33, won 22...64%, PdV on the other hand had played 29 and won 21....72% and after the tri nations had played 22 and won 35...63% not to mention a Lions tour in there and 2 wins in New Zealand, something your holy Jake was never able to achieve. He can argue that he had a young side and was building a team, i say voooooormmmittt. And i think it was at this time or maybe slightly later that he brought in Eddie Jones which made a huge difference. I still believe that any coach and no disrespect to Naka Droskie, but if you gave him the players jake had at his disposal, Eddie Jones and the draw in the 2007 world cup, Naka would have brought home the Webb Ellis too.
The only blame i put squarely on the shoulders of the coaching staff is the fact that they insist on playing players who are out of form. I would never have brought back Frans Steyn at all, he doesnt look interested at all, put a player like Gio on and his enthusiasm is immediately seen. Bryan is another player who we all know needs a break from the game, you could even see it in the S14, he is trying too hard and too much pressure on himself and it shows. There are players like Jongi, Mvovo, that guy from Griquas and vD heever, Killian, shoo plenty
and its just wing really as long as u can catch, tackle and run fast you are ok. Morne Steyn looked a whole lot better since SA's answer to FdPs absence Hougaard took the stage, the boy is a little hot head, but i like him. he is the future. I'd like to see a guy like Pat Lambie and Elton Jantjies get given a chance to see what they can do. Plum and Mitch arent idiots. They want to win and when they see players with talent and heart, no matter how big or old, they will blood them which is the way it should be. The end of year tour is a good place for them to get a taste of big time rugga. At no 8 Spies is tired man so too Schalk. A lot of you might differ, but i say bring on Duaane, even though he is predictable i think he adds a lot in terms of physicality and fresh ideas. Many of you might think i am on tik,but i would give Luke the no 8 jersey and the captains armband, you dont just go to Bath, and in less than a year you are made captain with the blessing of all the senior players. no one does that!! Bring on Deysel for Schalla even though he is just returning from injury or some other big brute, because Schalk in as much as he works hard, his efforts are unguided, its like just body and arms everywhere. Juan goes nowhere. See what a difference a break makes. he is the future. Victor to take it easy and Andries to replace him. John is done. He adds nothing other than leadership but he is a liability on the field. I am not sure if anyone else noticed it but in the first test against the wallabies at home where they used the spider cam, in most of the scrums he popped up, no good i tell u. defence is a little tired too, ball in hand tired....game over. Guthro, goes NOWHERE, what a tireless and committed worker? Maximum respect. i am yet to see fire works from the centre combination though but you cant deny that they are class, a bit of good go forward ball and whala they are back
The coach must just not speak to the media. He must just focus on his job which is coaching. The end of the year tour will be massive, because i think its a grand slam, something SA hasnt achieved in a looong time. he has lost games to NZ and Oz, its not like its to italy and urugua or wales or scotland you know. Its like someone telling me Federer has lost to Nadal or Djokovic, it happens!!! I mean tell me is Alistar Coetzee a bad coach now because his team has lost 3 on the trott? Come now, give the man a break. remember this...72% before the tri nations, NZ in NZ twice, a lions tour...what more?
Oz, shoot i absolutely love this team. i dont like Rocky though, just seems like a sour p0@s. But the youngsters. Man this team or France will be in the finals of the 2011 world cup and in as much as it pains me to say it one of them will more than likely win the Webb Ellis. This win will go a long way in building their morale, because they nearly let it slip again last week, but the good thing for them is they didnt. Average age is 22 odd years and the backline is fast and skillfull throw in the experience of Gits and Adam Ash and shoot u have a team as talented as Mr Ripley. Their forwards are no push overs either. And in Robbie we all know they have a master as their head coach. Nathan Sharpe is very underrated but what he adds to that forward pack is something else. I am no fan of Brown at no 8, he is a great player, but i dont think he's ready just yet for test rugga. Higginbotham on the other hand, i think he will be their guy at 8 even though the lock come no 8 mcelman did an admirable job on the weekend but it wasnt anything memorable. the front row seems a whole lot more competent. The locks are good at what they do and they can put pressure on opposition ball and then there is Bam Bam, shoot that dude is the tomorrow. He is so strong on his feet, body position is perfect and he knows the law, injury permitting very soon he will be the new cheat of world rugby ;)
This weekend will be a great test of NZ's resolve without DC, i hope that Richie also plays a limited role, because we need to look for depth in those 2 positions. I dont for once think that the Blacks are that good, cos they arent, what i do think is that the other teams were slightly off the pace a little this year. The Blacks are slowly building a team there have been a good few people added to the mix but subtely and it bodes well. players like Keven back, the franks brothers, donelly, vito, dagg, stanely, crudes, Slade, thats half a side right there and plenty more where they came from if you watch the ITM cup. Saw Sonny Bill in action last week. He is a beast of a man with some good touches, but im not too conviced yet man, i feel for him though because he was so hyped up, kinda like being the last person to watch Pulp Fiction after it came out, and you build up such a huge expectation and even though it was a great movie, you were like duhhhh!!
Anyway, pick for this weekend, think Oz might get up and stun the Blacks, the only thing against them is the fact that they have just had a long flight back and have had 2 hard test matches against the boks. its pretty hard to call, but you know me always for the black fern, just hope Graham gives some of the youngsters a good crack
Happy viewing and arent we happy for the Lions, lets see if we can keep on roaring!!
Y
2 weekends ago must have been heartbreak for the young wallaby side. They did everything but win. But i guess the same heartbreak that was felt by the Boks a week before and the ABs in France a few years ago. I didnt want to comment on that last game because i dont believe the boks deserved to win that game, but then again those who win deserve the win because they won and good on them and their turnaround. This weekend, i saw the same thing happening and i really felt sorry for the Wallabies, because in as much as i was backing the Boks both last week and this week, i didnt think they played well enough to win and they really didnt show the desire and passion worthy of wearing their national team colours.
Lets start with the Boks, many out there are so quick to point out that the senior guys run the team...when the boys are winning, but when they lose its the coaches fault. now i am of a different mentality. last week proved my point perfectly. the first half, the players looked like blind american football players who were playing rugby for the first time ever in their lives. Yes the Australian attack manipulated them into the positions that the players found themselves in but that was largely because the players didnt trust the player on the inside of him and also cos they just gave the ball back to the Aussies so they could run circles and even octagons around them Then Victor came up with a moment of individual brilliance. You go into the shed for 10 minutes, 10 minutes and then the team that takes the field, with no personnel changes comes out looking like world beaters. Now if the coaching was taht bad, then what difference would 10 minutes make? Then shoot, forget training during the week and weeks prior, just give me 10 minutes before a game. it shows that the team does have structures and a plan, but the execution thereof on the field is poor. Now who can i blame for that??? the players ofcourse. I dont think they are all of a sudden bad players, no not at all. I just think they are stale. They have this entitlement thing going on in their heads and thus complacency is brewing.
Then there is that guy Jake White coming into the mix again, i know a lot of you think he is the Messiah at SA rugby, but if he truly was i think he would have made more of an impact at the Lions. Many people forget that in 2006 before the world cup year, he lost 4 out of 6 tri nations test. he only won the last 2 at home. I went to a website that has stats on coaches etc. its called pick and go. anyway so i did a little comparison between the 2 of them. Jake before 2006 tri nations had played 28 games and won 19....68% after the tri nations had played 33, won 22...64%, PdV on the other hand had played 29 and won 21....72% and after the tri nations had played 22 and won 35...63% not to mention a Lions tour in there and 2 wins in New Zealand, something your holy Jake was never able to achieve. He can argue that he had a young side and was building a team, i say voooooormmmittt. And i think it was at this time or maybe slightly later that he brought in Eddie Jones which made a huge difference. I still believe that any coach and no disrespect to Naka Droskie, but if you gave him the players jake had at his disposal, Eddie Jones and the draw in the 2007 world cup, Naka would have brought home the Webb Ellis too.
The only blame i put squarely on the shoulders of the coaching staff is the fact that they insist on playing players who are out of form. I would never have brought back Frans Steyn at all, he doesnt look interested at all, put a player like Gio on and his enthusiasm is immediately seen. Bryan is another player who we all know needs a break from the game, you could even see it in the S14, he is trying too hard and too much pressure on himself and it shows. There are players like Jongi, Mvovo, that guy from Griquas and vD heever, Killian, shoo plenty
and its just wing really as long as u can catch, tackle and run fast you are ok. Morne Steyn looked a whole lot better since SA's answer to FdPs absence Hougaard took the stage, the boy is a little hot head, but i like him. he is the future. I'd like to see a guy like Pat Lambie and Elton Jantjies get given a chance to see what they can do. Plum and Mitch arent idiots. They want to win and when they see players with talent and heart, no matter how big or old, they will blood them which is the way it should be. The end of year tour is a good place for them to get a taste of big time rugga. At no 8 Spies is tired man so too Schalk. A lot of you might differ, but i say bring on Duaane, even though he is predictable i think he adds a lot in terms of physicality and fresh ideas. Many of you might think i am on tik,but i would give Luke the no 8 jersey and the captains armband, you dont just go to Bath, and in less than a year you are made captain with the blessing of all the senior players. no one does that!! Bring on Deysel for Schalla even though he is just returning from injury or some other big brute, because Schalk in as much as he works hard, his efforts are unguided, its like just body and arms everywhere. Juan goes nowhere. See what a difference a break makes. he is the future. Victor to take it easy and Andries to replace him. John is done. He adds nothing other than leadership but he is a liability on the field. I am not sure if anyone else noticed it but in the first test against the wallabies at home where they used the spider cam, in most of the scrums he popped up, no good i tell u. defence is a little tired too, ball in hand tired....game over. Guthro, goes NOWHERE, what a tireless and committed worker? Maximum respect. i am yet to see fire works from the centre combination though but you cant deny that they are class, a bit of good go forward ball and whala they are back
The coach must just not speak to the media. He must just focus on his job which is coaching. The end of the year tour will be massive, because i think its a grand slam, something SA hasnt achieved in a looong time. he has lost games to NZ and Oz, its not like its to italy and urugua or wales or scotland you know. Its like someone telling me Federer has lost to Nadal or Djokovic, it happens!!! I mean tell me is Alistar Coetzee a bad coach now because his team has lost 3 on the trott? Come now, give the man a break. remember this...72% before the tri nations, NZ in NZ twice, a lions tour...what more?
Oz, shoot i absolutely love this team. i dont like Rocky though, just seems like a sour p0@s. But the youngsters. Man this team or France will be in the finals of the 2011 world cup and in as much as it pains me to say it one of them will more than likely win the Webb Ellis. This win will go a long way in building their morale, because they nearly let it slip again last week, but the good thing for them is they didnt. Average age is 22 odd years and the backline is fast and skillfull throw in the experience of Gits and Adam Ash and shoot u have a team as talented as Mr Ripley. Their forwards are no push overs either. And in Robbie we all know they have a master as their head coach. Nathan Sharpe is very underrated but what he adds to that forward pack is something else. I am no fan of Brown at no 8, he is a great player, but i dont think he's ready just yet for test rugga. Higginbotham on the other hand, i think he will be their guy at 8 even though the lock come no 8 mcelman did an admirable job on the weekend but it wasnt anything memorable. the front row seems a whole lot more competent. The locks are good at what they do and they can put pressure on opposition ball and then there is Bam Bam, shoot that dude is the tomorrow. He is so strong on his feet, body position is perfect and he knows the law, injury permitting very soon he will be the new cheat of world rugby ;)
This weekend will be a great test of NZ's resolve without DC, i hope that Richie also plays a limited role, because we need to look for depth in those 2 positions. I dont for once think that the Blacks are that good, cos they arent, what i do think is that the other teams were slightly off the pace a little this year. The Blacks are slowly building a team there have been a good few people added to the mix but subtely and it bodes well. players like Keven back, the franks brothers, donelly, vito, dagg, stanely, crudes, Slade, thats half a side right there and plenty more where they came from if you watch the ITM cup. Saw Sonny Bill in action last week. He is a beast of a man with some good touches, but im not too conviced yet man, i feel for him though because he was so hyped up, kinda like being the last person to watch Pulp Fiction after it came out, and you build up such a huge expectation and even though it was a great movie, you were like duhhhh!!
Anyway, pick for this weekend, think Oz might get up and stun the Blacks, the only thing against them is the fact that they have just had a long flight back and have had 2 hard test matches against the boks. its pretty hard to call, but you know me always for the black fern, just hope Graham gives some of the youngsters a good crack
Happy viewing and arent we happy for the Lions, lets see if we can keep on roaring!!
Y
Friday, August 27, 2010
Tri nations 2010 - week 7
What an absolutely superb game last weekend was. Perhaps not necessarily for the rugby, but everything else. First game at the FNB stadium, capacity crowd of 94000 odd supporters. The Boks v ABs. On the highveld...In Soweto. Boks up agaisnt it. Blacks with much to prove. John Smits 100th test...it was all to play for. Saw some of the ABs during the week at an Investec event and they wanted this one bad, moreso because of the pressure cooker situation they would no doubt find themselves in. A lot of them had the white wash of last year in the back of the minds. They said they trained well the whole week and were feeling pretty strong.
I wasnt convinced though. I thought this would be the Boks game. You have to take your hat off to PdV for making the changes he made. Fork Schalla, Juan Smith was SA's man of the match by a country mile. Gio and Juan played pretty darn well too and pretty bummed particularly of Gio's exclusion from the team in total, cos man other than one random kick the dude was on point! tackling counterattacking, i was really pretty chuffed for him. The Boks played with the usual gusto and verve. They were at their physical best, but their play was way too one dimensional and pretty easy to counter. The Blacks tried to use the ball as best as they could when they could, which shows in the try scoring tally albeit that the 2 of the 3 tries were scored in the last 2 minutes. Speaking of scoring tries...how long have i said this...Bryan the intercept dude
sheesh how many times did he leave the Boks stranded? always coming off the wing looking for the intercept, such a liability.
Yes fair enough there was a forward pass in the lead up to Richies try, but its not like Mills ran 100m to score the try. There was plenty stopages in the meantime and allowed the Boks time to reallign their defences before Bryan came in and whoop there it is.
I wanted a draw, i really did, because John Smit didnt deserve a loss and the Boks played well enough to get more than 1 point out of this game, but my mind said to me a win would serve the ABs better in that this was the most unlikely test victory ever and if they got it it would help their process, hopefully not adversely. I also wanted it because it would have been a loooong trip back home from the FNB stadium
I Hougaard, i think the boks have an answer to no 9. He was just a confident guy who played with plenty heart and good execution, he wasnt afraid to mix it up and try a few things. He kept the defence guessing and was very strong on attack. I like him, but Morne, nee man, peoples hy moet waai.How often did Jean get the ball on saturday?
Even though it was supposed to be against the Blacks, the altitude factor didnt seem to bother them much at all, the guys seemed pretty well conditioned and werent blowing as hard as the Boks were in the last few minutes, but then again most of the second half the Boks were defending which takes a whole lot more out of you.
The beauty about last weekends game for me is that the ABs arent that good. watching them at the stadium i wanted to vomit. they werent clinical a lot of the times, they seemed to be kicking aimlessly a lot too, so there is a fair bit to work on as well as suitable backups for DC and Richie...
Ma'a seems to be coming into his own now it seems. Good for him, he even passed when he was running, oh there is hope yet..
This weekend my blood is Groen, I like Robbie and 1/2 of the Ausies, but its time now. I want PdV to get some confidence back, want errbadi to have a good weekend so maybe i can come right ;)
Lata
Y
I wasnt convinced though. I thought this would be the Boks game. You have to take your hat off to PdV for making the changes he made. Fork Schalla, Juan Smith was SA's man of the match by a country mile. Gio and Juan played pretty darn well too and pretty bummed particularly of Gio's exclusion from the team in total, cos man other than one random kick the dude was on point! tackling counterattacking, i was really pretty chuffed for him. The Boks played with the usual gusto and verve. They were at their physical best, but their play was way too one dimensional and pretty easy to counter. The Blacks tried to use the ball as best as they could when they could, which shows in the try scoring tally albeit that the 2 of the 3 tries were scored in the last 2 minutes. Speaking of scoring tries...how long have i said this...Bryan the intercept dude
sheesh how many times did he leave the Boks stranded? always coming off the wing looking for the intercept, such a liability.
Yes fair enough there was a forward pass in the lead up to Richies try, but its not like Mills ran 100m to score the try. There was plenty stopages in the meantime and allowed the Boks time to reallign their defences before Bryan came in and whoop there it is.
I wanted a draw, i really did, because John Smit didnt deserve a loss and the Boks played well enough to get more than 1 point out of this game, but my mind said to me a win would serve the ABs better in that this was the most unlikely test victory ever and if they got it it would help their process, hopefully not adversely. I also wanted it because it would have been a loooong trip back home from the FNB stadium
I Hougaard, i think the boks have an answer to no 9. He was just a confident guy who played with plenty heart and good execution, he wasnt afraid to mix it up and try a few things. He kept the defence guessing and was very strong on attack. I like him, but Morne, nee man, peoples hy moet waai.How often did Jean get the ball on saturday?
Even though it was supposed to be against the Blacks, the altitude factor didnt seem to bother them much at all, the guys seemed pretty well conditioned and werent blowing as hard as the Boks were in the last few minutes, but then again most of the second half the Boks were defending which takes a whole lot more out of you.
The beauty about last weekends game for me is that the ABs arent that good. watching them at the stadium i wanted to vomit. they werent clinical a lot of the times, they seemed to be kicking aimlessly a lot too, so there is a fair bit to work on as well as suitable backups for DC and Richie...
Ma'a seems to be coming into his own now it seems. Good for him, he even passed when he was running, oh there is hope yet..
This weekend my blood is Groen, I like Robbie and 1/2 of the Ausies, but its time now. I want PdV to get some confidence back, want errbadi to have a good weekend so maybe i can come right ;)
Lata
Y
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tri nations 2010-week 4
So last weekend didnt go anything like i wanted it to. Believe it or not I was all green and gold man. Before I carry on though, i think the powers that be are going a bit over the top with this Tip tackle thing. A spear tackle is one thing but none of those 3 tackles that people got sanctioned for deserved further punishment especially if they received a yellow card during play. I am honestly bummed that the ABs wont have the opportunity to face Quade Cooper this weekend and next. There was no malice involved in any of the 3 tackles...anyway moving along
Last weekends game was again one of those days. The Wallabies played with passion that carried them beyond their ability as a playing unit. That side is a side for the future and i think they are about 14 mths from their full potential and i see them right up there if not the last man standing in 2011, no jokes. But they werent as good as the Boks made them look last weekend. Mind you past the first game I dont think the ABs are as good as people are saying, not just yet. Last weekend once again the green and gold failed to pitch man. I dont think that any team or professional plaer ever dons their national or team jersey not caring about losing. Its never an option, well unless you are the French football team. So i dont think its a matter of the guys not caring, but once again its a mental thing. The heart just isnt there. I dont think its entirely a coaching thing either, ok maybe a little. The guys just seemed clueless when they had ball in hand, first option is always to hoof it, and thats symptomatic of SA rugby in general, bar the Stormers this year, who tried to play a balanced game. Once again man, Barney's just not cut out for it anymore, Victor is doing what he has to do, but i think he needs time on the bench along with Bryan and Pierre. People are ranting and raving abuot Schalla, but as hard working as he is the man is a misguided missile, which takes away from his effectiveness. But its not all doom and gloom. SA has the biggest talent pool to choose from. I just wish they would write off this tri nations and grow some balletjies. Blood some youngsters. You saw the urgency and excitement that players like Hougaard, De Jongh and Chilliboy brought when they were introduced. Im loving the fact that Elton Jantjes has been introduced at no 10 for the lions against the Bulls, big game but thats a coach showing some gonads cos the kid is all class!
Speaking about Chiliboy, if i had to be honest with myself i dont think the selectors believe him to be the Bok no 2 hooker at the moment, which is sad because why waste his time on the bench. Lets be honest if John had to be injured, because thats the only way he will be removed from the side it seems, they will most probably call in Gary Botha ahead of starting Chiliboy, unless ofcourse its against Italy or some other random team. So i say let him go and get regular game time. I think he should leave the Bulls too, because i see his career going the same way as my good man Hanyani's where he spends most of the time collecting splinters in his bum!! I like Ruan, but sheesh was he average?! I havent heard any vociferous calls for him not to ever ever ever be the Bok no 9 again...go figure...
BJs yellow card was rather harsh in my view but i guess he shouldnt have put himself in that position to start off with, because its not like he was pushed, he just plopped over by himself...
This weekends game should be interesting. Once again i see the scrums being a reset-a-thon, so the Ausies can get some parity. The major contest will be in the loose trio. The breakdowns are going to be trench warfare and with all the bad press that he has been getting of late, i see Richie getting a yellow card. In the backs, i am pretty darn bummed that the powers that be in their infinite wisdom have seen it fit to include Jimmy ahead of Piri, but i guess they want someone to nullify Genias little breaks around the base of the scrum, because we all know Jimmy is a good defender. The ABs backs v Quade would have been superb man, but those fools who cite have robbed us of that, but Gits, will definitely have a point to prove
Both backs have ball runners, Nonu will have a tough time against Barnes cos that skinny bra can tackle. Im looking forward to both backs using the ball. Also looking for the introduction of Izzy Dagg.
A massive point of interest will be the effectiveness of Pocock and McCaw at the breakdowns. Once again i see Richie coming in for some special attention from the Ausies. Jerome and Rocky will also be massive in the forward exchanges. On paper the loose trio of the ABs should get the better of the Ausies, but that only marginally and only because i see Read as a better player than Brown currently.
A few weeks ago we werent speaking about Oz as a force in this tri nations, look at them now. Its all about faith and belief in oneself and i guess progressive tactics, something i fear this current Bok team has been found wanting of this year thus far. but i am not concerned, they will put up a better showing.
imagine this Bok team:
15 Zane (shining star in the Boks backs so far)
14 Gio
13 Jean (Jacques is banned)
12 Juan
11 Basson/Hougaard
10 Steyn
9 Hougaard/Pienaar
8 Kanko/Watson(yes Luke he has more heart and ability than anyone i am seeing at the moment)
7 Potgieter/Flouw
6 Juan/Jean
5 Andries
4 Flip
3 BJ
2 Chiliboy/Liebenberg
1 Guthro
Outta here, happy viewing all, i'm sure this weekend will be less frustrating than the previous weeks, cos shaiza it was painful for me too last weekend
Lata
Last weekends game was again one of those days. The Wallabies played with passion that carried them beyond their ability as a playing unit. That side is a side for the future and i think they are about 14 mths from their full potential and i see them right up there if not the last man standing in 2011, no jokes. But they werent as good as the Boks made them look last weekend. Mind you past the first game I dont think the ABs are as good as people are saying, not just yet. Last weekend once again the green and gold failed to pitch man. I dont think that any team or professional plaer ever dons their national or team jersey not caring about losing. Its never an option, well unless you are the French football team. So i dont think its a matter of the guys not caring, but once again its a mental thing. The heart just isnt there. I dont think its entirely a coaching thing either, ok maybe a little. The guys just seemed clueless when they had ball in hand, first option is always to hoof it, and thats symptomatic of SA rugby in general, bar the Stormers this year, who tried to play a balanced game. Once again man, Barney's just not cut out for it anymore, Victor is doing what he has to do, but i think he needs time on the bench along with Bryan and Pierre. People are ranting and raving abuot Schalla, but as hard working as he is the man is a misguided missile, which takes away from his effectiveness. But its not all doom and gloom. SA has the biggest talent pool to choose from. I just wish they would write off this tri nations and grow some balletjies. Blood some youngsters. You saw the urgency and excitement that players like Hougaard, De Jongh and Chilliboy brought when they were introduced. Im loving the fact that Elton Jantjes has been introduced at no 10 for the lions against the Bulls, big game but thats a coach showing some gonads cos the kid is all class!
Speaking about Chiliboy, if i had to be honest with myself i dont think the selectors believe him to be the Bok no 2 hooker at the moment, which is sad because why waste his time on the bench. Lets be honest if John had to be injured, because thats the only way he will be removed from the side it seems, they will most probably call in Gary Botha ahead of starting Chiliboy, unless ofcourse its against Italy or some other random team. So i say let him go and get regular game time. I think he should leave the Bulls too, because i see his career going the same way as my good man Hanyani's where he spends most of the time collecting splinters in his bum!! I like Ruan, but sheesh was he average?! I havent heard any vociferous calls for him not to ever ever ever be the Bok no 9 again...go figure...
BJs yellow card was rather harsh in my view but i guess he shouldnt have put himself in that position to start off with, because its not like he was pushed, he just plopped over by himself...
This weekends game should be interesting. Once again i see the scrums being a reset-a-thon, so the Ausies can get some parity. The major contest will be in the loose trio. The breakdowns are going to be trench warfare and with all the bad press that he has been getting of late, i see Richie getting a yellow card. In the backs, i am pretty darn bummed that the powers that be in their infinite wisdom have seen it fit to include Jimmy ahead of Piri, but i guess they want someone to nullify Genias little breaks around the base of the scrum, because we all know Jimmy is a good defender. The ABs backs v Quade would have been superb man, but those fools who cite have robbed us of that, but Gits, will definitely have a point to prove
Both backs have ball runners, Nonu will have a tough time against Barnes cos that skinny bra can tackle. Im looking forward to both backs using the ball. Also looking for the introduction of Izzy Dagg.
A massive point of interest will be the effectiveness of Pocock and McCaw at the breakdowns. Once again i see Richie coming in for some special attention from the Ausies. Jerome and Rocky will also be massive in the forward exchanges. On paper the loose trio of the ABs should get the better of the Ausies, but that only marginally and only because i see Read as a better player than Brown currently.
A few weeks ago we werent speaking about Oz as a force in this tri nations, look at them now. Its all about faith and belief in oneself and i guess progressive tactics, something i fear this current Bok team has been found wanting of this year thus far. but i am not concerned, they will put up a better showing.
imagine this Bok team:
15 Zane (shining star in the Boks backs so far)
14 Gio
13 Jean (Jacques is banned)
12 Juan
11 Basson/Hougaard
10 Steyn
9 Hougaard/Pienaar
8 Kanko/Watson(yes Luke he has more heart and ability than anyone i am seeing at the moment)
7 Potgieter/Flouw
6 Juan/Jean
5 Andries
4 Flip
3 BJ
2 Chiliboy/Liebenberg
1 Guthro
Outta here, happy viewing all, i'm sure this weekend will be less frustrating than the previous weeks, cos shaiza it was painful for me too last weekend
Lata
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Hey gang,
Heard there is a new w(h)ine coming out this month in stellenbosch, they are going to call it Bobskin!! Man that has got to be the worst, worst worst bit of commentary ever! I think the problem is that he is way too close to that squad to be even remotely impartial or no-inflammatory. Anyway thank goodness for Kobus and Afrikaans, because when i was watching it live after the first 2 minutes i made the switch and what a relief...
Anyway post the test match and listening to Darren etc. as well as reading all teh post match reports on the different websites i decided let me watch this game again cos clearly i missed something, because i didnt think Alain Roland was so bad ey. But i guess that could be cos the team i was supporting won. So i watched the test again, not once, not twice, but thrice. The focus of my viewing was Danies yellow card, Rene Rangers shoulder charge, Jeans tackle and Richie and Zanes high tackle, Meisie kinds swinging forearm....
Guys, truth be told the ref missed a few things...on both sides, and he blew for some wrong things, but on the whole he blew a decent game. But lets go threw the talking points quickly. Penalty South Africa, Danie R in his infinite wisdom slaps Richie on his head, Richie, lashes out, he Danie kicks Richie. nothing in it, but dumb football. Had he not got a yellow card not too many would have complained, but alternatively had he gotten one which he had, i doubt too many would have complained too, i mean say it was Ma'a Nonu who had kicked John Smit, the Bok supporters would have been calling for blood. Which leads me to Rangers 'shoulder charge'. Please do me a favour and watch it again minute 35. Conrad had Zane around the legs ranger came in at pace had his left arm around Zane, right arm was coming up over he made contact with an already falling Zane and boom penalty, even Daren at half time said the other angle shows it was much worse thus implying it wasnt as bad as it looked. initially, like the different camera angles that dont show a try, but the other one does...
Jean tackled Rene, lifted him beyond the horizontal and didnt bring him back down safely...its a dangerous tackle, even Jean knew it cos when he finished he sat there and looked at the officials, but he got away with it so we move on. If he hadnt been cited not too many would have batted an eyelid, because he is not that kind of player...10 seasons of rugby and only one yellow card.
If we want to nit pick Zane had a high hit on someone i dont know who but it wasnt pinned, and Meisiekind gave DC a swinging forearm across the throat when they were chasing a kick, silly, nothing in it but it was let go....
Lets go to Richie, minute 42.22, he tackles Danie, gets up goes to the correct side competes for the ball, goes off his feet and lets go. penalty and a warning. Minute 60.31 (almost 20 minutes later) Boks on attack. AB defense hits the ruck with venom, a whole lot of them go off their feet. Ref calls Richie out cos he is the captain. His words are team warning, anyone else goes off their feet in this area again. It wasnt for Richie. 72.39 Richie penalised in the SA half, he tackles the player, keeps his feet, drives through and over the ball, picks up the ball and presents it to his side penalty against him.
It may seem like a defense of the ABs but please go and watch it again and let me know, maybe i dont know the laws that well enough. The problem wasnt the Blacks or the ref, because, Rangers call was from the assistant, Danies call was from the assistant. Jeans citing was from the citing commissioner.
Lets get to the game. The Boks were much better, and i think had Danie not been binned, they would have been there or there abouts at the close because in my mind the ABs werent as clinical this game. the Boks were much more competitve and looked like a rugby playing nation when they carried ball in hand, they actually looked very dangerous too. The fight though was lost in the rucks and mauls. The ABs had more numbers driving forward with intent as opposed to the Boks. Most times the ABs got pinned it was because the body position of the Boks and the attitude, was just wrong and the ABs were allowed to drive through and put more numbers there. general physics i guess, force and inertia on one side meeting no reisistance on the other well you generally blow straight over and if you are not balanced, well you will fall not so?!
For the Boks, I have said this many times, John Smit is just not up to it as a hooker. Compare the way Stephen Moore, Andrew hore, Mealamu, Liebenberg, Botha, Bismarck, Chilliboy....they all carry the ball up with purpose, John goes in waiting to get tackled. Victor is not prevalent anymore. Spies, as i said, if his pack doesnt dominate he is nowhere and i mean nowhere. Ricky i have defended endlessly and i dont think he had such a terrible game, but Ruan set the backline alight when he came on, made a few mistakes but on the whole he is just a delight to watch. Bryan needs the hunger back, he just looks stale. he needs some time on the sidelines to ponder life like Mills did, just so he realises that the jersey isnt his. Bring on Hougaard, Basson, Mvovo, you know! Other than that we loved Zane at 15, he did everything well, he was the bright light in the backs. Then there was Jacques who was fantastic as always. Schala and Flouw were bloody good too and hard working and all the things you require from international loosies. I think Guthro got shown up a little, he scrumed in a lot but wasnt caught. BJ was a much better choice than CJ.
All in all a much better showing by the Boks, but what killed them is their attitude at ruck time as well as that damn kick and chase game. Its gotta go. The interpretations of the laws have changed so now instead of having big forwards and wingers chasing the high kick, there are one maybe 2 backs at best...doesnt bode well for retrieving the ball.
The Blacks all had decent games. Piri, Ma'a, Keven and Mills, players that many doubted all had fantastic games. Supporters reckon Ricky is a prop playing no 9, what about Piri? only difference is everyone supports Piri. Every time he touched the ball there was appreciation from the crowd and he delivered. He in my mind is waaay better than Jimmy, and he doesnt have the red mist liability either. DC had a good game, but left his kicking boot at home as well as 13 points or so. i know many of you want to dub Richie a cheat, but do me and yourselves a favour. the Man is that good and shaiza does he work hard.
The tri nations i guess has started well fro the ABs, i would rather they be losing now but ey at least i havent been receiving any smses the last too weeks. the first match they were sublime but last week, they showed they can be beaten. They are still work in progress and hope they up their game against the Ausies and at soccer city, because thats a real yardstick for where they are at
For the Boks, i dont believe for a second its all doom and gloom. you dont go from being pace setters to nobodys in a year. They had 2 teams in the S14 final, even though one of them was assisted by the refs and assistants to win and get into the semis.....jookes just making a point :) They have the players and the coaching staff. Lets be honest, last year it was the coaching teams brainwave that gave them the Tri-Nations last year. i think they have to take some hard decisions. John Smit, on his bum on the bench, Victor on his bum, Spies on his bum or on the wing, imagine??Jean at 12 not 14, bryan on his bum. The guys just look tired. Bring in Duane at 8, give chilliboy a start at 2 start with andries. Jacues louis Potgieter/Ruan at 10, basson/Hougaard. now is the time to start experimenting. The old guys just dont seem to have the same passion, i am sure they want to play but its just not coming together.
Against Aus this weekend, good money should be on the Boks to win but there has to be a fat attitude shift. more aggression at the break down and not stupid aggression. Aus are smaller in the backs but in Genia and Cooper the in form halfback combo. Gits one of the best players in the world. Adam Ashley Cooper one of the most underrated backline players in the world. cameron Shepard and Junior OConnor, and Rob horne. Judge them on size they lose hands down, but ability and skill these boys are tooo exciting. their forwards even though on paper should be pap, they gave the Boks a good work out last year. The loosies are ok at best, not fearsome by any means but Rocky is one competitive guy and if he is allowed to run loose at the backs, he will be a handfull and their main source of go forward ball. Brown was a handicap last year and we'll see how he goes. George is gone but Pocock isnt a bad replacement and he has big guns.
Its an away game so the Boks are supposed to lose it, but the Wallabies are under the pump, so too the Boks. The Boks will be aggressive, may even boil over once again because its the nature of some of the players...History is against them in that they havent won in Brisvegas in a while. But they are hungry to put right the performances in New Zealand, but against them is also the fatigue of being away from home for 4 weeks. 2 losses and a little bit of doubt creeping in.
Div will change his game plan and i really hope he wins, as much as i like the Aussie style of play, i want him and his charges to issue a good beating based on goood running rugby to the Aussies, so some damn blinkered idiotic Bok supporters can back the f down and leave him be!! I want to support the Boks this weekend hope the overly aggressive idiots stay at home!!
Happy viewing
Y
Heard there is a new w(h)ine coming out this month in stellenbosch, they are going to call it Bobskin!! Man that has got to be the worst, worst worst bit of commentary ever! I think the problem is that he is way too close to that squad to be even remotely impartial or no-inflammatory. Anyway thank goodness for Kobus and Afrikaans, because when i was watching it live after the first 2 minutes i made the switch and what a relief...
Anyway post the test match and listening to Darren etc. as well as reading all teh post match reports on the different websites i decided let me watch this game again cos clearly i missed something, because i didnt think Alain Roland was so bad ey. But i guess that could be cos the team i was supporting won. So i watched the test again, not once, not twice, but thrice. The focus of my viewing was Danies yellow card, Rene Rangers shoulder charge, Jeans tackle and Richie and Zanes high tackle, Meisie kinds swinging forearm....
Guys, truth be told the ref missed a few things...on both sides, and he blew for some wrong things, but on the whole he blew a decent game. But lets go threw the talking points quickly. Penalty South Africa, Danie R in his infinite wisdom slaps Richie on his head, Richie, lashes out, he Danie kicks Richie. nothing in it, but dumb football. Had he not got a yellow card not too many would have complained, but alternatively had he gotten one which he had, i doubt too many would have complained too, i mean say it was Ma'a Nonu who had kicked John Smit, the Bok supporters would have been calling for blood. Which leads me to Rangers 'shoulder charge'. Please do me a favour and watch it again minute 35. Conrad had Zane around the legs ranger came in at pace had his left arm around Zane, right arm was coming up over he made contact with an already falling Zane and boom penalty, even Daren at half time said the other angle shows it was much worse thus implying it wasnt as bad as it looked. initially, like the different camera angles that dont show a try, but the other one does...
Jean tackled Rene, lifted him beyond the horizontal and didnt bring him back down safely...its a dangerous tackle, even Jean knew it cos when he finished he sat there and looked at the officials, but he got away with it so we move on. If he hadnt been cited not too many would have batted an eyelid, because he is not that kind of player...10 seasons of rugby and only one yellow card.
If we want to nit pick Zane had a high hit on someone i dont know who but it wasnt pinned, and Meisiekind gave DC a swinging forearm across the throat when they were chasing a kick, silly, nothing in it but it was let go....
Lets go to Richie, minute 42.22, he tackles Danie, gets up goes to the correct side competes for the ball, goes off his feet and lets go. penalty and a warning. Minute 60.31 (almost 20 minutes later) Boks on attack. AB defense hits the ruck with venom, a whole lot of them go off their feet. Ref calls Richie out cos he is the captain. His words are team warning, anyone else goes off their feet in this area again. It wasnt for Richie. 72.39 Richie penalised in the SA half, he tackles the player, keeps his feet, drives through and over the ball, picks up the ball and presents it to his side penalty against him.
It may seem like a defense of the ABs but please go and watch it again and let me know, maybe i dont know the laws that well enough. The problem wasnt the Blacks or the ref, because, Rangers call was from the assistant, Danies call was from the assistant. Jeans citing was from the citing commissioner.
Lets get to the game. The Boks were much better, and i think had Danie not been binned, they would have been there or there abouts at the close because in my mind the ABs werent as clinical this game. the Boks were much more competitve and looked like a rugby playing nation when they carried ball in hand, they actually looked very dangerous too. The fight though was lost in the rucks and mauls. The ABs had more numbers driving forward with intent as opposed to the Boks. Most times the ABs got pinned it was because the body position of the Boks and the attitude, was just wrong and the ABs were allowed to drive through and put more numbers there. general physics i guess, force and inertia on one side meeting no reisistance on the other well you generally blow straight over and if you are not balanced, well you will fall not so?!
For the Boks, I have said this many times, John Smit is just not up to it as a hooker. Compare the way Stephen Moore, Andrew hore, Mealamu, Liebenberg, Botha, Bismarck, Chilliboy....they all carry the ball up with purpose, John goes in waiting to get tackled. Victor is not prevalent anymore. Spies, as i said, if his pack doesnt dominate he is nowhere and i mean nowhere. Ricky i have defended endlessly and i dont think he had such a terrible game, but Ruan set the backline alight when he came on, made a few mistakes but on the whole he is just a delight to watch. Bryan needs the hunger back, he just looks stale. he needs some time on the sidelines to ponder life like Mills did, just so he realises that the jersey isnt his. Bring on Hougaard, Basson, Mvovo, you know! Other than that we loved Zane at 15, he did everything well, he was the bright light in the backs. Then there was Jacques who was fantastic as always. Schala and Flouw were bloody good too and hard working and all the things you require from international loosies. I think Guthro got shown up a little, he scrumed in a lot but wasnt caught. BJ was a much better choice than CJ.
All in all a much better showing by the Boks, but what killed them is their attitude at ruck time as well as that damn kick and chase game. Its gotta go. The interpretations of the laws have changed so now instead of having big forwards and wingers chasing the high kick, there are one maybe 2 backs at best...doesnt bode well for retrieving the ball.
The Blacks all had decent games. Piri, Ma'a, Keven and Mills, players that many doubted all had fantastic games. Supporters reckon Ricky is a prop playing no 9, what about Piri? only difference is everyone supports Piri. Every time he touched the ball there was appreciation from the crowd and he delivered. He in my mind is waaay better than Jimmy, and he doesnt have the red mist liability either. DC had a good game, but left his kicking boot at home as well as 13 points or so. i know many of you want to dub Richie a cheat, but do me and yourselves a favour. the Man is that good and shaiza does he work hard.
The tri nations i guess has started well fro the ABs, i would rather they be losing now but ey at least i havent been receiving any smses the last too weeks. the first match they were sublime but last week, they showed they can be beaten. They are still work in progress and hope they up their game against the Ausies and at soccer city, because thats a real yardstick for where they are at
For the Boks, i dont believe for a second its all doom and gloom. you dont go from being pace setters to nobodys in a year. They had 2 teams in the S14 final, even though one of them was assisted by the refs and assistants to win and get into the semis.....jookes just making a point :) They have the players and the coaching staff. Lets be honest, last year it was the coaching teams brainwave that gave them the Tri-Nations last year. i think they have to take some hard decisions. John Smit, on his bum on the bench, Victor on his bum, Spies on his bum or on the wing, imagine??Jean at 12 not 14, bryan on his bum. The guys just look tired. Bring in Duane at 8, give chilliboy a start at 2 start with andries. Jacues louis Potgieter/Ruan at 10, basson/Hougaard. now is the time to start experimenting. The old guys just dont seem to have the same passion, i am sure they want to play but its just not coming together.
Against Aus this weekend, good money should be on the Boks to win but there has to be a fat attitude shift. more aggression at the break down and not stupid aggression. Aus are smaller in the backs but in Genia and Cooper the in form halfback combo. Gits one of the best players in the world. Adam Ashley Cooper one of the most underrated backline players in the world. cameron Shepard and Junior OConnor, and Rob horne. Judge them on size they lose hands down, but ability and skill these boys are tooo exciting. their forwards even though on paper should be pap, they gave the Boks a good work out last year. The loosies are ok at best, not fearsome by any means but Rocky is one competitive guy and if he is allowed to run loose at the backs, he will be a handfull and their main source of go forward ball. Brown was a handicap last year and we'll see how he goes. George is gone but Pocock isnt a bad replacement and he has big guns.
Its an away game so the Boks are supposed to lose it, but the Wallabies are under the pump, so too the Boks. The Boks will be aggressive, may even boil over once again because its the nature of some of the players...History is against them in that they havent won in Brisvegas in a while. But they are hungry to put right the performances in New Zealand, but against them is also the fatigue of being away from home for 4 weeks. 2 losses and a little bit of doubt creeping in.
Div will change his game plan and i really hope he wins, as much as i like the Aussie style of play, i want him and his charges to issue a good beating based on goood running rugby to the Aussies, so some damn blinkered idiotic Bok supporters can back the f down and leave him be!! I want to support the Boks this weekend hope the overly aggressive idiots stay at home!!
Happy viewing
Y
Thursday, July 15, 2010
I think everything that could be said about Bakkies has been said, so i say no more other than good riddance and to be honest i dont think he has done anything positive in the last year or so to warrant a recall!!
The only difference between the 2 sides on the weekend in my mind was desire and hunger i think the Boks fell into the trap of believing the hype and just thought they would just pitch up and do the job, but they have learnt i am sure. I read Rugby365 and some of those idiots really anger me no end. The boks lose one game and its PdVs fault, but when they win its the teams fault, go figure...
I am not much a fan of Meisiekind, but i dont think he did anything wrong to warrant being dropped. i do like the combo of Jean and Jacques as i said last week. What i like about PdV is he has shown faith in the same team that didnt deliver last week, I think Jean will be better this weekend. The only thing against both him and Brian, is the fact that they both come in for the intercept and as a result they will get exposed by a team with half a brain. I have said this many times. John Smit is pretty toilet as a hooker. Cant question his captaincy or interviewing skills, but as a mobile hooker he is lacking. I say bring on Chiliboy and Tiaan Liebenberg, but it wont happen, shame Chiliboy, hes going to get the Hanyani treatment and its not fair. If John gets busted now, Gary Botha will step over him or someone.
Danie at lock is perfect, he has been doing the business for the Bulls and the Boks this year and why he didnt start i guess the powers that be have learnt...its life. He gives away the odd yellow card but its through enthusiasm more than ill intent.
The pack may be stronger now with big man CJ in for the deck of cards Du Plessis, cos man he was folded more than origamist folds a flower. CJ is a big guy and i am sure they are using him to negate the loss of push power that Bakkies provided, but i think his scrummaging ability is second to BJs, but time will tell.
Pierre was nowhere, why because he was not part of a dominant pack and that meant Ricky also struggled and Steyn was also pretty random.
For the Blacks i was really impressed with the effort from the players who have hardly played this year, Donnelly, Mills and Ma'a. I guess the latter had points to prove and prove it they did. i wasnt impressed with Jimmy at all. He did ok in the early stages but started to fall off in the second half. The selectors have given Piri the reigns ahead of him. Another change is Ranger on the wing. i like him but i fear that he may try and be too much of a hero at the wrong time and not pass but we'll see.
The game on saturday will be a much tighter affair. The Boks wont be so dozy and i doubt the Blacks can bring the same intensity and execution.
There really isnt much to be said about the game on the weekend, its part one of a 3 battle war, there is much work to be done so i wont be going off on a tangent if i was a supporter of either country, well not at this stage. it was a home game for the Blacks and good money should have been on them winning, but their form of late particularly against the Boks has been woeful at best. Some might argue that it was the boks that were better, others might argue that it was the Blacks that were toilet either way there are 2 more games to be played and after that we shall see...Shame pooor Australia, its like the world has forgotten that it is the TRI nations.
Happy viewing boys and girls
Y
The only difference between the 2 sides on the weekend in my mind was desire and hunger i think the Boks fell into the trap of believing the hype and just thought they would just pitch up and do the job, but they have learnt i am sure. I read Rugby365 and some of those idiots really anger me no end. The boks lose one game and its PdVs fault, but when they win its the teams fault, go figure...
I am not much a fan of Meisiekind, but i dont think he did anything wrong to warrant being dropped. i do like the combo of Jean and Jacques as i said last week. What i like about PdV is he has shown faith in the same team that didnt deliver last week, I think Jean will be better this weekend. The only thing against both him and Brian, is the fact that they both come in for the intercept and as a result they will get exposed by a team with half a brain. I have said this many times. John Smit is pretty toilet as a hooker. Cant question his captaincy or interviewing skills, but as a mobile hooker he is lacking. I say bring on Chiliboy and Tiaan Liebenberg, but it wont happen, shame Chiliboy, hes going to get the Hanyani treatment and its not fair. If John gets busted now, Gary Botha will step over him or someone.
Danie at lock is perfect, he has been doing the business for the Bulls and the Boks this year and why he didnt start i guess the powers that be have learnt...its life. He gives away the odd yellow card but its through enthusiasm more than ill intent.
The pack may be stronger now with big man CJ in for the deck of cards Du Plessis, cos man he was folded more than origamist folds a flower. CJ is a big guy and i am sure they are using him to negate the loss of push power that Bakkies provided, but i think his scrummaging ability is second to BJs, but time will tell.
Pierre was nowhere, why because he was not part of a dominant pack and that meant Ricky also struggled and Steyn was also pretty random.
For the Blacks i was really impressed with the effort from the players who have hardly played this year, Donnelly, Mills and Ma'a. I guess the latter had points to prove and prove it they did. i wasnt impressed with Jimmy at all. He did ok in the early stages but started to fall off in the second half. The selectors have given Piri the reigns ahead of him. Another change is Ranger on the wing. i like him but i fear that he may try and be too much of a hero at the wrong time and not pass but we'll see.
The game on saturday will be a much tighter affair. The Boks wont be so dozy and i doubt the Blacks can bring the same intensity and execution.
There really isnt much to be said about the game on the weekend, its part one of a 3 battle war, there is much work to be done so i wont be going off on a tangent if i was a supporter of either country, well not at this stage. it was a home game for the Blacks and good money should have been on them winning, but their form of late particularly against the Boks has been woeful at best. Some might argue that it was the boks that were better, others might argue that it was the Blacks that were toilet either way there are 2 more games to be played and after that we shall see...Shame pooor Australia, its like the world has forgotten that it is the TRI nations.
Happy viewing boys and girls
Y
Friday, July 9, 2010
Tri nations 2010-week 1
Finally time for a game where when you fall down its because you are properly hurt and when you are going to score a try and someone fouls you the try is still given, yesss boys and girls, its time for the toughest rugby competition in the world to start for 2010.
Shoo i am excited for tomorrow and also nervous all at once...in the past i used to be edgy about the Bok v AB tests, but in the back of my mind i knew there was a 75% chance that we (ABs) would win, not so much any more man, now its 50:50. And praises to PdV and his troops! I know many of you are still on the bandwagon of he's not a great coach he has a great team, but my dear friends we have all seen that great players dont necessarily win games. he has won 4 out of the last 6 games against the ABs, he has won in Dunedin and in Hamilton, 2 places the Boks have struggled to win in the past. Argentina and France, both had great players in their football teams, but they had a spiritual leader and a personality bankrupt Maradonna and Domanech (spelling) leading them, they fell apart...
I look at the Boks at the moment and i see a team that is beatable yes, but with great difficulty. They have confidence aplenty and a pack of forwards that is one of the best if not the best in the world at the moment...as a unit. In the past if you had to do a man for man comparision between the ABs and the Boks, it would be 80% ABs, but now, if i can get 4 ABs who are head and shoulders above their counterparts, it would be impressive (the 4 being Mills, DC, Richie...ok maybe 3).
I look at the Boks backline for starters, many people mock Ricky, but id much rather play against Fourie dP than Ricky, because Ricky is troublesome, he is a terrier, he just spoils your ball, Fourie is great at what he does, but he is structured, he isnt in your face. Jimmy Cowan isnt the best no 9 around and if you get in his face he loses his head and his game gets shot and then the rest of the backline is poked. Ricky does that Fourie doesnt, Fourie is a nice guy, Ricky not so much. Steyn is very underrated. He WAS just a kicking flyhalf, but he has shown in the S14 and the june tests that he can adapt his game, i guess its because everyone expects him to always kick so now he has space to try other things. And as well, when his pack is giving him go forward ball most people can look good. Thats the difference between him and DC i guess. In the matches where the Bulls forwards were shut down or bullied, i think the Highlanders and Blues games if i am not mistaken. Steyn was no where to be seen. Even his kicking game went awry.
The centre pairing of Meisiekind and Jacques, wouldnt have been my first choice, but its not a bad one at all. in that you have South Africas best inside centre of the S14 competition pairing with one of the best outside centres in the world, some will say he is the best and i guess thats your choice. I personally would have preferred Jean and Jacques because they were building something lovely but Jean on the wing isnt the worst thing that could have happened, he is a great defender and intercepter and cool calm and collected, because Zain will need all the help he can get. He hasnt been the player he was a year or so ago man, he hasnt really shone on the international stage, or S14 this year but we will see. Bryan Habanna has become a try-hard in my opinion. He always looks for intercepts and when he doesnt get it he just looks ordinary and sulks. I have always said the guy is fast and thats all. i havent seen him create tries other than intercept and run. I cant put him in the league of Drew Mitchell, Shane Williams, Sivivatu, Cory Jane, Gear, or even Joe. He is like Lachlan Turner, just fast!! He shoots the line so often and if a team can read his actions they just lob him, boom overlap, try.
The forwards, its good John is back at hooker, because the front row looks stronger. i think when he tried loosehead, he did a better job than at the other side. the locks well we know what they bring, hope Bakkies gives us some more yellow cards the idiot. Loose trio, yoh i shake my head!! as a unit the Boks loosies are way ahead of the ABs this year. Big and fast. Francois Louw deserves his day in the sun, cos the man worked hard for it.
The ABs are under the pump a little. They looked good in their first 2 games, yes against Ireland they played against only 14 players and 13 for 10 minutes, but Ireland were down to those numbers because of pressure the ABs put on them. In the 2nd test against Wales however, they didnt look so hot, but thats a good game though, because it was tight and they managed to grind out a win. i liked the look of the youngsters that were brought into the mix, also liked the look of some of the Maori players, like Luke, Hosea and Liam. the biggest concern for me at the moment in the ABs is what happens if DC comes a cropper? Who takes over? Do we not have a better no 9 than Cowan? Ma'a is big and fast and powerful but is he the best 12 around? Mills is mr dependable, but can you say Izzy Dagg? Our forwards are good, but if Brad Thorn gets injured which brut is there to take his place? Keven's throwing is suspect, give Aled a chance, oh wait his is also pretty toilet...ai ya yaaai.
Anyway, i am prepared for another record being broken this weekend, i hope not though, but i also realised after the support of the Black Stars, even though i like the ABs, a loss is bearable...its just the after gloating, thats what annoys me most.
We will speak about the Aussies another time....
I am looking forward to some rugga this weekend, hopefully not aerial ping pong because i will vomit
Happy viewing
Shoo i am excited for tomorrow and also nervous all at once...in the past i used to be edgy about the Bok v AB tests, but in the back of my mind i knew there was a 75% chance that we (ABs) would win, not so much any more man, now its 50:50. And praises to PdV and his troops! I know many of you are still on the bandwagon of he's not a great coach he has a great team, but my dear friends we have all seen that great players dont necessarily win games. he has won 4 out of the last 6 games against the ABs, he has won in Dunedin and in Hamilton, 2 places the Boks have struggled to win in the past. Argentina and France, both had great players in their football teams, but they had a spiritual leader and a personality bankrupt Maradonna and Domanech (spelling) leading them, they fell apart...
I look at the Boks at the moment and i see a team that is beatable yes, but with great difficulty. They have confidence aplenty and a pack of forwards that is one of the best if not the best in the world at the moment...as a unit. In the past if you had to do a man for man comparision between the ABs and the Boks, it would be 80% ABs, but now, if i can get 4 ABs who are head and shoulders above their counterparts, it would be impressive (the 4 being Mills, DC, Richie...ok maybe 3).
I look at the Boks backline for starters, many people mock Ricky, but id much rather play against Fourie dP than Ricky, because Ricky is troublesome, he is a terrier, he just spoils your ball, Fourie is great at what he does, but he is structured, he isnt in your face. Jimmy Cowan isnt the best no 9 around and if you get in his face he loses his head and his game gets shot and then the rest of the backline is poked. Ricky does that Fourie doesnt, Fourie is a nice guy, Ricky not so much. Steyn is very underrated. He WAS just a kicking flyhalf, but he has shown in the S14 and the june tests that he can adapt his game, i guess its because everyone expects him to always kick so now he has space to try other things. And as well, when his pack is giving him go forward ball most people can look good. Thats the difference between him and DC i guess. In the matches where the Bulls forwards were shut down or bullied, i think the Highlanders and Blues games if i am not mistaken. Steyn was no where to be seen. Even his kicking game went awry.
The centre pairing of Meisiekind and Jacques, wouldnt have been my first choice, but its not a bad one at all. in that you have South Africas best inside centre of the S14 competition pairing with one of the best outside centres in the world, some will say he is the best and i guess thats your choice. I personally would have preferred Jean and Jacques because they were building something lovely but Jean on the wing isnt the worst thing that could have happened, he is a great defender and intercepter and cool calm and collected, because Zain will need all the help he can get. He hasnt been the player he was a year or so ago man, he hasnt really shone on the international stage, or S14 this year but we will see. Bryan Habanna has become a try-hard in my opinion. He always looks for intercepts and when he doesnt get it he just looks ordinary and sulks. I have always said the guy is fast and thats all. i havent seen him create tries other than intercept and run. I cant put him in the league of Drew Mitchell, Shane Williams, Sivivatu, Cory Jane, Gear, or even Joe. He is like Lachlan Turner, just fast!! He shoots the line so often and if a team can read his actions they just lob him, boom overlap, try.
The forwards, its good John is back at hooker, because the front row looks stronger. i think when he tried loosehead, he did a better job than at the other side. the locks well we know what they bring, hope Bakkies gives us some more yellow cards the idiot. Loose trio, yoh i shake my head!! as a unit the Boks loosies are way ahead of the ABs this year. Big and fast. Francois Louw deserves his day in the sun, cos the man worked hard for it.
The ABs are under the pump a little. They looked good in their first 2 games, yes against Ireland they played against only 14 players and 13 for 10 minutes, but Ireland were down to those numbers because of pressure the ABs put on them. In the 2nd test against Wales however, they didnt look so hot, but thats a good game though, because it was tight and they managed to grind out a win. i liked the look of the youngsters that were brought into the mix, also liked the look of some of the Maori players, like Luke, Hosea and Liam. the biggest concern for me at the moment in the ABs is what happens if DC comes a cropper? Who takes over? Do we not have a better no 9 than Cowan? Ma'a is big and fast and powerful but is he the best 12 around? Mills is mr dependable, but can you say Izzy Dagg? Our forwards are good, but if Brad Thorn gets injured which brut is there to take his place? Keven's throwing is suspect, give Aled a chance, oh wait his is also pretty toilet...ai ya yaaai.
Anyway, i am prepared for another record being broken this weekend, i hope not though, but i also realised after the support of the Black Stars, even though i like the ABs, a loss is bearable...its just the after gloating, thats what annoys me most.
We will speak about the Aussies another time....
I am looking forward to some rugga this weekend, hopefully not aerial ping pong because i will vomit
Happy viewing
Friday, May 28, 2010
Fairytale in Soweto!
http://sumrugga.blogspot.com here are my comments, id love to read yours!!
It was definitely how it was scripted. I cant lie i may well have been the lone voice shout for the Crusaders at Orlando Stadium last Saturday. It was funny. Even though i was surrounded by hoards of crazed Bulls fans, i somehow felt safe and free to vocally support the team i wanted to. One guy even said to me you are a brave man, to which i answered thats cos its not Loftus :)
But man what an atmosphere, the whole suburb of Soweto was abuzz. people braaing in the homes of the locals. one guy even painted the wall of his place in Bulls colours and had painted on the wall Soweto welcomes the Bulls. The game in itself wasnt what id hoped for. The officiating was random at best, but the result was unquestionable. I dont think the Bulls dominated or dismantled the Saders in any way, but what they did do however was hold their nerve when it counted and clinically executed their chances when they arose. what dissapointed me about the Saders was that if i knew that the Bulls would send send a hail storm of up and unders onto them, why didnt they? and if they did why didnt they deal with them better? So many points resulted from failed attempts to field these up and unders.
The Bulls deserve to be where they are because they got the points they needed to get. They played a pretty predictable style of rugby and to be honest if you man up they become ruddarless. They have a strong pack and a good 8,9,10. They have scored tries this year which shows their willingness and ability to play rugby. But now its crunch time. They will be playing Bulls rugby. Kop and Stamp, use their big forward to drive it up 9 10 and 15 sending up and unders to the loose trio.
Anyway it is what it is
The stormers have played a superb brand of rugby this year. Alastair Coetzee and Robbie Fleck have got the team to fire like they should have in the last few years, but then again like the Reds and the Warratahs, it was just a matter of time. There was only one styling Juan de Jongh try in the whole game, but what they did was strangle the life out of the Tahs, something they tend to do well against opposition teams. The other thing about the Tahs is they played some stupif football, especially in kicking range.
Its going to be a tough game tomorrow. If the Stormers front 5 step up they will have this game. Guthro has been a force this whole season, his work rate and stregth yikes, everyone else has just done their job like a unit. For the Stormers, Liebenberg and Bekker have stepped up plenty and the rest have given a superb account for themselves.
In the loosies, i like Potgieter and Spies is a phenom! Stegman on the other hand is a liability. For th Stormers, Louw has been my pickk of the 3, even though Schalck has been Massive and Duane Herculean. As a unit i back them as opposed to the Bulls trio. But time will tell
At 9 the Bulls have the second best scrummy in the southern hemisphere, and last week he brought his game face. Duvenhage is no slouch, i dont think he will be out of his depth at all, in my minds eye, i cant recall a crap performance this year.
At 10 i think Steyn and Grant are evenly matched, i would even go as far as saying Grant may, to me be hugely underrated and may be better than Morne!
The rest of the backline if i had to call it man for man, id say the Stormers have a better unit than the Bulls. There is no bias in this, well i hope. some might argue that Wynand is better than Juan. And i would ask for evidence please. they both dont really pass, and Juan may be smaller than Wynand, but please show me a time when he (juan) has shirked his defensive duties this year.
Jacques Fourie, best no 13 around, well him and o'driscol. 11 Bryan over whoever, mind u Hougaard has been huge this year. 14 Gio v v/d heever, u know my pick 15 Joe v Afro puffs
Interesting game tomorrow, but it will be about who brings their game!!
Cheers
http://sumrugga.blogspot.com here are my comments, id love to read yours!!
It was definitely how it was scripted. I cant lie i may well have been the lone voice shout for the Crusaders at Orlando Stadium last Saturday. It was funny. Even though i was surrounded by hoards of crazed Bulls fans, i somehow felt safe and free to vocally support the team i wanted to. One guy even said to me you are a brave man, to which i answered thats cos its not Loftus :)
But man what an atmosphere, the whole suburb of Soweto was abuzz. people braaing in the homes of the locals. one guy even painted the wall of his place in Bulls colours and had painted on the wall Soweto welcomes the Bulls. The game in itself wasnt what id hoped for. The officiating was random at best, but the result was unquestionable. I dont think the Bulls dominated or dismantled the Saders in any way, but what they did do however was hold their nerve when it counted and clinically executed their chances when they arose. what dissapointed me about the Saders was that if i knew that the Bulls would send send a hail storm of up and unders onto them, why didnt they? and if they did why didnt they deal with them better? So many points resulted from failed attempts to field these up and unders.
The Bulls deserve to be where they are because they got the points they needed to get. They played a pretty predictable style of rugby and to be honest if you man up they become ruddarless. They have a strong pack and a good 8,9,10. They have scored tries this year which shows their willingness and ability to play rugby. But now its crunch time. They will be playing Bulls rugby. Kop and Stamp, use their big forward to drive it up 9 10 and 15 sending up and unders to the loose trio.
Anyway it is what it is
The stormers have played a superb brand of rugby this year. Alastair Coetzee and Robbie Fleck have got the team to fire like they should have in the last few years, but then again like the Reds and the Warratahs, it was just a matter of time. There was only one styling Juan de Jongh try in the whole game, but what they did was strangle the life out of the Tahs, something they tend to do well against opposition teams. The other thing about the Tahs is they played some stupif football, especially in kicking range.
Its going to be a tough game tomorrow. If the Stormers front 5 step up they will have this game. Guthro has been a force this whole season, his work rate and stregth yikes, everyone else has just done their job like a unit. For the Stormers, Liebenberg and Bekker have stepped up plenty and the rest have given a superb account for themselves.
In the loosies, i like Potgieter and Spies is a phenom! Stegman on the other hand is a liability. For th Stormers, Louw has been my pickk of the 3, even though Schalck has been Massive and Duane Herculean. As a unit i back them as opposed to the Bulls trio. But time will tell
At 9 the Bulls have the second best scrummy in the southern hemisphere, and last week he brought his game face. Duvenhage is no slouch, i dont think he will be out of his depth at all, in my minds eye, i cant recall a crap performance this year.
At 10 i think Steyn and Grant are evenly matched, i would even go as far as saying Grant may, to me be hugely underrated and may be better than Morne!
The rest of the backline if i had to call it man for man, id say the Stormers have a better unit than the Bulls. There is no bias in this, well i hope. some might argue that Wynand is better than Juan. And i would ask for evidence please. they both dont really pass, and Juan may be smaller than Wynand, but please show me a time when he (juan) has shirked his defensive duties this year.
Jacques Fourie, best no 13 around, well him and o'driscol. 11 Bryan over whoever, mind u Hougaard has been huge this year. 14 Gio v v/d heever, u know my pick 15 Joe v Afro puffs
Interesting game tomorrow, but it will be about who brings their game!!
Cheers
Friday, May 21, 2010
S14: and then there were 4
hey hey hey
so here we are again. 14 weeks later. Just a quick one any debate or commentary http://sumrugga.blogspot.com
Yup i know i know, commentary this year has been lacking and i take full responsibility for that, duhh well who else could ey. :) but i doubt anyone can argue that the best 4 teams in the competition are in the final 4 the order is a bit debatable as they say it is what it is, but i will get into that later.
I think the officiating particularly at the break down at the start of the competition was fantastic, the refs were harsh and policed that facet of the game well so people knew what the story was, which allowed for over 500 tries to be scored in this years tournament the most ever if i am not mistaken. Still on the officiating I am not one to harp on about refs, cos reffing is a tough job, but that being said, i really do think that they should revert to using impartial refs to ref games, to be honest even though its a different kind of game id even go as far as suggesting they get some northern hemisphere refs to ref some pretty crucial games.
On the whole it has been a great tournament, a very frustrating one if you are an All Black supporter like myself, but a well pleasing one if you are a rugby supporter....like myself. There have been games for all to see the purists who love the graft of the Bulls and the Tahs and the razzle dazzles ala, the Reds, Chiefs, Lions, Cheetahs, Blues, Canes and the total rugby of the Stormers, Crusaders and Brumbies to a degree.
Without a doubt the surprise package of the tournament...i ask again...What is Quade Cooper?? i guess a talented player playing with plenty confidence. His partnership with Will Genia, was by miles, and i mean miles, like the space between Usain Bolt and his rivals in the 100m sprint, ahead of any other combination in the competition. Another 9 and 10 combo that is worth a mention is Alby Mathewson and Stevie Brett. I dont think Fourie has fired much this year. Back to the Reds. Lets look at their team. Average age roughly 23. a few Wallabies here and there, but no experienced campaigners, but a total team effort. 1-22 all did their bit. Scott Higgenbotham, Genia, Cooper, Ioane, Weeks, the flying Rod Davies, Braid, Chambers...all no names really but shoo man did they lift their game even in the face of adversity. Very impressed with them, they even got the Warratahs to play a bit of running rugby.
Other than my obvious disappointment with my perennial underachievers the Blues, the imploding Chiefs and the confused Canes, i think the biggest shock performance came from the Sharks. A team as well decorated with Springboks, as the Rio Carnival is with beautiful latino babes, they for some reason lost their bite early on in the season and left it till late to get it together but unfortunately for them it was a little too late. In my mind though their issue was their midfield.It just wasnt right well until Stefan shifted there and along came a star of the future Patrick Lambie. The Sharks have what it takes and next year will in no doubt be better. As much as i personally like Ruan at 10 he clearly seems to favour no 9 and his play showed this.
Highlanders, Cheetahs, Lions, Force tried hard. Highlanders are always rebuilding ala Lions, all their top players just seem to move on all the time, but i believe that if they can keep this pedigree for a year or 2 they will be like the Reds, youngsters with skill. Strengthen up the loose trio a little even though Setephano came into his own near the end, i think they are lacking a quality no 7. Dagg, Vainikolo, Hobbs, Thomson, Rutledge (my pick for back up no 2 in the ABs) all top. Cheetahs...injuries gave them. shame. Cos even inspite of their injuries they were still competitive, take a guy like Barend Pieterse, retired, off coaching them next thing he comes onto the field and puts out great performances in lock and the side of the scrum. They will be better, just need to build depth. Force same story, injuries killed their season before it even started, but they still managed to put together some good performances. Lions, eish i say nothing, what can u say.
Brumbies, one of my picks for the top 4 sorry for me and for them. On paper they are top 4 material, but the are a different side without Stirling. That being said Benn Alexander, a prop scoring more tries than most backs. Gits was pap. Stephen Moore, adam Ash, pat Mccabe all gave a good account of themselves as did Stephen Hoiles, i think their Steve Walsh move was pretty random to say the least.
Canes, Chiefs, Blues...ehh ya, you know what I can say now for definate, is that the aura that New Zealand rugby once used to boast is now gone. Respect for the team from the pacific Island is gone. Those 4 teams mentioned there, boast great athletes, but man are they frustrating to watch. Simple thing like ok you have just scored a try, the opposition kicks off, you are low on confidence, thus making plenty stupid mistakes, KICK THE FORKIN BALL into their half, preferable out, no,boss we can run through them...lots of dumb football and goal kicking failures aplenty...But, but but...Tim Nanai- Williams, Hosea Gear, Conrad Smith,Cruden, Cory Jane, my man Joesevata, Bourke, Messam, Vito, Afoa, Ranger, Iceman, all showed signs of form so picking 30 odd AB training camp should be ok but im concerned about the silver fern, ow shucks, but i like it, no expectations ahead of 2011, lets see how that works out for us :)
That was the rest now to the best
Crusaders...you cannot not admire this team. This year lets be honest they were on the end of some very dodgy calls. The Force, last try blatant forward pass from the tackled player, ref doesnt give it. Against the Stormers, i am not sure if it would have made much of a difference, but Stu blew them off the park some dubious penalties and rulings against them, yet he still gets to ref this game against the Bulls this weekend, go figure. The most incredible of all, the game against the Bulls. Hougards first try, even a martian in space without a telescope could see that Fourie was never onside before he played that ball to Hougaard. How convenient that the controller of the hooter, decides to let the horn go almost a minute after full time, when Steyn is in the pocket to drop a goal. And that crack head touch judge and ref, call that last pass for his last try a knock back, mean no matter how u look at it even in real time it was at best a knock on by the crusaders onto Bandise Makus head and upperbody before Hougaard caught it, all this after a forward pass in the motion of passing, but alas in the face of all this here they are where they belong, cos as the saying you cant keep a good man down now can ya.
Crusaders as a team, keep on surprising me with how they just keep on keeping on. You look at the team and really there arent that many superstars. Backs, Ellis and DC have the most international experience but Ellis hardly and he has hardly played this year, Slade and Zac have like a test each, thats it. In the forwards there is a little more in Richie and Brad and Read to an extent but then thats it. Id love to say the Saders will do it in Orlando Stadium tomorrow, because they have shown much promise in the last few weeks with their team playing as a unit, but truth be told 3 long haul trips in 3 weeks and on the highveld will screw with anybody. The good thing about the team though is that their big guns are hitting their straps at the right time, Richie, DC, Read and the Frank brothers are on form but lets see what happens tomorrow.
Tahs, shoo the team lead by Phil Waugh that everyone loves to hate. But guys, lets not be foolish here ne. The Tahs are a quality outfit who know how to win. I cant lie for some reason i haaate watching them play, i just dont know if their strategy is to bore teams into submission or what it is. a few things i noticed about them and the guys on Reunion last night also highlighted it was the fact that they are quite a random scrumming team and every time there is any sort of pressure they fold, everytime. Thats the thing about them that i hate the most. They are such a cunning team they are. lets see what Mark Lawrence does this weekend, but other than that, i am quite impressed with their team. Good loosies and locks and Poloto-Nau is definately the Wallaby starting no 2 now that Moore is nursing a broken jaw. Burgess is random to say the least. He started off so well when he burst onto the scene, but other than his size he really offers not much at the moment. if you watch him his service at the base of the scrum is laboured, his passing wayward. Loving Barnes, Horne and Beale by far one of the most improved players in the Aussie set up, confident, decisive, and already with 50 super rugby caps at 21yrs old hectic. My guy though is Drew Mitchell, always liked him and his running style, but play just seems to follow you when you are on form isnt it, and man this man is on form!! Try machine, good awareness and not selfish at all. write them off at your own peril.
This team should do well its got Wallabies everywhere, backline all wallabies, i think. Phil Waugh is an angry competitive mofo, he gets his team going. i am looking for weaknesses in their side other than the scrums and to be honest i cant find any, you cant attack in Barnes channel cos as small as he is he can tackle.
Oh the Stormers, my team of the tournament, both them and the Reds. Difference is the Stormers can win when it counts and their defence just seems to squeeze the life out of teams. And they have the strike force to score tries. This stormers performance has been looong overdue. There has just been something missing and i think the purchase of Jaques and Bryan has filled that gap, but imagine if jean had stayed what a midfield ey? but iff schmiff
the turning point though, is crusty the clown, Schalk, has gone from being a bonehead to using his head. Well done to Alastair and Fleckie and the players for making him the captain and embracing him, cos his game has just grown. Andries Bekker, sheeet dawg, man, Victor who?? :) what a player, what an athlete, the thing is i think this Stormers team is super fit because they can go toe to toe anywhere anytime for 80minutes and thats a sign of a happy fit team. The loosies just seem to be working well as a unit and individually cos everyone seems to know what to do and when. Pity for Francois and Duane that all the incumbents seem to be playing just as well with my man jean Deaysel also having his game face on. SA is truly blessed in that dept. Ask me who the best hooker in the country is at the moment, come on ask me, come on? what you know it too, you thats right Tiaan Liebenberg!! i say no more cos if i have to then you dont know your game and you bore me :)
Gio Aplon, too too bad that this little maestro is just that...little. Sad thing is the man has given a superb account of himself against the self same players he will face in the tri-nations, he's been weighed, he has been measured, but he has been found far from wanting, but alas our mentality, will find him in the currie cup. Along with Joe Pietersen another player deserving of higher honours, cos lets face it without Conrad, no 15 is still very vacant. Juan de Jongh, my guy, but he has to offload a little more, but he'll get there. Another unsung hero, btu if you watch him closely, you will see what a quality player he really is and thats Mr Supermodel, Peter Grant.
No guys, this team is hot
Bulls, ok guys now im getting tired of typing. But we all know about the Bulls. I am a bit worried for them that their week off last week which they were well entitled to do, may slow them down a little at least for the first 20 min (well i am hoping...please) the Bulls are the Bulls, we know what to expect from them. Hard nosed players, but also the ability to score tries. Morne Steyn has developed as a quality fly half. He has added the passing and scoring dimension to his game. kicked only when needed, but that will all be shelved tomorrow cos Naas will be back. The backs are pretty decent. I like the look of the youngster van den heever, its like Habana was never there! Good on them
Their forwards, Danie gets a lot of flack but he has played pretty well this season, but my guy from the forwards is Guthro, sho wee, boss that bra works, and fork does he tackle. Bakkies, what a fool. thats all i say
so initially i predicted that the top 4 would be Bulls, Chiefs, Saders, Brumbies, almost got 3 out of 4 but almost doesnt count does it. Tahs and Stormers are no surprise package because they have always flattered to deceive in the past and it looks as if they have finally come of age.
Ideally id love to see the Stormers v Crusaders in Cape Town as the final i really would, but i must be honest, i really sincerely believe that even though the Saders have their game faces on, the trip back and forth may be a litte too much for them. I know i am erroneously being dismissive of the Tahs because they can win here, i think the Newlands factor and the Mark Lawrence factor, who i think along with Jonathan Kaplan have been off their game this year. The bounce of the ball is set to favour the home team...afterall refs are patriotic humans before they are refs.
So my call Stormers v Bulls at Orlando Stadium... who would ever ever ever have thought that this day would come that a stadium full of Afrikaners and hopefully me, would descend upon Soweto, not to shoot brothers but to watch rugby...aye ye South Africa Aye ye, and besides what better way to get the spirits of the fans and the togetherness of the nation started, than an all South African final at Orlando Stadium, the home of South African Soccer, about 2 weeks before the world cup, tell me have you ever seen a better script oh wait 1995 South Africa v New Zealand, Ellis Park, just after first democratic votes...and look at us now....
Come on u Crusaders, but i wont be too bleak if we dont make it, because the picture is beeeger, like the circle
Happy viewing and may the best unassisted teams prevail!!
Yaw
so here we are again. 14 weeks later. Just a quick one any debate or commentary http://sumrugga.blogspot.com
Yup i know i know, commentary this year has been lacking and i take full responsibility for that, duhh well who else could ey. :) but i doubt anyone can argue that the best 4 teams in the competition are in the final 4 the order is a bit debatable as they say it is what it is, but i will get into that later.
I think the officiating particularly at the break down at the start of the competition was fantastic, the refs were harsh and policed that facet of the game well so people knew what the story was, which allowed for over 500 tries to be scored in this years tournament the most ever if i am not mistaken. Still on the officiating I am not one to harp on about refs, cos reffing is a tough job, but that being said, i really do think that they should revert to using impartial refs to ref games, to be honest even though its a different kind of game id even go as far as suggesting they get some northern hemisphere refs to ref some pretty crucial games.
On the whole it has been a great tournament, a very frustrating one if you are an All Black supporter like myself, but a well pleasing one if you are a rugby supporter....like myself. There have been games for all to see the purists who love the graft of the Bulls and the Tahs and the razzle dazzles ala, the Reds, Chiefs, Lions, Cheetahs, Blues, Canes and the total rugby of the Stormers, Crusaders and Brumbies to a degree.
Without a doubt the surprise package of the tournament...i ask again...What is Quade Cooper?? i guess a talented player playing with plenty confidence. His partnership with Will Genia, was by miles, and i mean miles, like the space between Usain Bolt and his rivals in the 100m sprint, ahead of any other combination in the competition. Another 9 and 10 combo that is worth a mention is Alby Mathewson and Stevie Brett. I dont think Fourie has fired much this year. Back to the Reds. Lets look at their team. Average age roughly 23. a few Wallabies here and there, but no experienced campaigners, but a total team effort. 1-22 all did their bit. Scott Higgenbotham, Genia, Cooper, Ioane, Weeks, the flying Rod Davies, Braid, Chambers...all no names really but shoo man did they lift their game even in the face of adversity. Very impressed with them, they even got the Warratahs to play a bit of running rugby.
Other than my obvious disappointment with my perennial underachievers the Blues, the imploding Chiefs and the confused Canes, i think the biggest shock performance came from the Sharks. A team as well decorated with Springboks, as the Rio Carnival is with beautiful latino babes, they for some reason lost their bite early on in the season and left it till late to get it together but unfortunately for them it was a little too late. In my mind though their issue was their midfield.It just wasnt right well until Stefan shifted there and along came a star of the future Patrick Lambie. The Sharks have what it takes and next year will in no doubt be better. As much as i personally like Ruan at 10 he clearly seems to favour no 9 and his play showed this.
Highlanders, Cheetahs, Lions, Force tried hard. Highlanders are always rebuilding ala Lions, all their top players just seem to move on all the time, but i believe that if they can keep this pedigree for a year or 2 they will be like the Reds, youngsters with skill. Strengthen up the loose trio a little even though Setephano came into his own near the end, i think they are lacking a quality no 7. Dagg, Vainikolo, Hobbs, Thomson, Rutledge (my pick for back up no 2 in the ABs) all top. Cheetahs...injuries gave them. shame. Cos even inspite of their injuries they were still competitive, take a guy like Barend Pieterse, retired, off coaching them next thing he comes onto the field and puts out great performances in lock and the side of the scrum. They will be better, just need to build depth. Force same story, injuries killed their season before it even started, but they still managed to put together some good performances. Lions, eish i say nothing, what can u say.
Brumbies, one of my picks for the top 4 sorry for me and for them. On paper they are top 4 material, but the are a different side without Stirling. That being said Benn Alexander, a prop scoring more tries than most backs. Gits was pap. Stephen Moore, adam Ash, pat Mccabe all gave a good account of themselves as did Stephen Hoiles, i think their Steve Walsh move was pretty random to say the least.
Canes, Chiefs, Blues...ehh ya, you know what I can say now for definate, is that the aura that New Zealand rugby once used to boast is now gone. Respect for the team from the pacific Island is gone. Those 4 teams mentioned there, boast great athletes, but man are they frustrating to watch. Simple thing like ok you have just scored a try, the opposition kicks off, you are low on confidence, thus making plenty stupid mistakes, KICK THE FORKIN BALL into their half, preferable out, no,boss we can run through them...lots of dumb football and goal kicking failures aplenty...But, but but...Tim Nanai- Williams, Hosea Gear, Conrad Smith,Cruden, Cory Jane, my man Joesevata, Bourke, Messam, Vito, Afoa, Ranger, Iceman, all showed signs of form so picking 30 odd AB training camp should be ok but im concerned about the silver fern, ow shucks, but i like it, no expectations ahead of 2011, lets see how that works out for us :)
That was the rest now to the best
Crusaders...you cannot not admire this team. This year lets be honest they were on the end of some very dodgy calls. The Force, last try blatant forward pass from the tackled player, ref doesnt give it. Against the Stormers, i am not sure if it would have made much of a difference, but Stu blew them off the park some dubious penalties and rulings against them, yet he still gets to ref this game against the Bulls this weekend, go figure. The most incredible of all, the game against the Bulls. Hougards first try, even a martian in space without a telescope could see that Fourie was never onside before he played that ball to Hougaard. How convenient that the controller of the hooter, decides to let the horn go almost a minute after full time, when Steyn is in the pocket to drop a goal. And that crack head touch judge and ref, call that last pass for his last try a knock back, mean no matter how u look at it even in real time it was at best a knock on by the crusaders onto Bandise Makus head and upperbody before Hougaard caught it, all this after a forward pass in the motion of passing, but alas in the face of all this here they are where they belong, cos as the saying you cant keep a good man down now can ya.
Crusaders as a team, keep on surprising me with how they just keep on keeping on. You look at the team and really there arent that many superstars. Backs, Ellis and DC have the most international experience but Ellis hardly and he has hardly played this year, Slade and Zac have like a test each, thats it. In the forwards there is a little more in Richie and Brad and Read to an extent but then thats it. Id love to say the Saders will do it in Orlando Stadium tomorrow, because they have shown much promise in the last few weeks with their team playing as a unit, but truth be told 3 long haul trips in 3 weeks and on the highveld will screw with anybody. The good thing about the team though is that their big guns are hitting their straps at the right time, Richie, DC, Read and the Frank brothers are on form but lets see what happens tomorrow.
Tahs, shoo the team lead by Phil Waugh that everyone loves to hate. But guys, lets not be foolish here ne. The Tahs are a quality outfit who know how to win. I cant lie for some reason i haaate watching them play, i just dont know if their strategy is to bore teams into submission or what it is. a few things i noticed about them and the guys on Reunion last night also highlighted it was the fact that they are quite a random scrumming team and every time there is any sort of pressure they fold, everytime. Thats the thing about them that i hate the most. They are such a cunning team they are. lets see what Mark Lawrence does this weekend, but other than that, i am quite impressed with their team. Good loosies and locks and Poloto-Nau is definately the Wallaby starting no 2 now that Moore is nursing a broken jaw. Burgess is random to say the least. He started off so well when he burst onto the scene, but other than his size he really offers not much at the moment. if you watch him his service at the base of the scrum is laboured, his passing wayward. Loving Barnes, Horne and Beale by far one of the most improved players in the Aussie set up, confident, decisive, and already with 50 super rugby caps at 21yrs old hectic. My guy though is Drew Mitchell, always liked him and his running style, but play just seems to follow you when you are on form isnt it, and man this man is on form!! Try machine, good awareness and not selfish at all. write them off at your own peril.
This team should do well its got Wallabies everywhere, backline all wallabies, i think. Phil Waugh is an angry competitive mofo, he gets his team going. i am looking for weaknesses in their side other than the scrums and to be honest i cant find any, you cant attack in Barnes channel cos as small as he is he can tackle.
Oh the Stormers, my team of the tournament, both them and the Reds. Difference is the Stormers can win when it counts and their defence just seems to squeeze the life out of teams. And they have the strike force to score tries. This stormers performance has been looong overdue. There has just been something missing and i think the purchase of Jaques and Bryan has filled that gap, but imagine if jean had stayed what a midfield ey? but iff schmiff
the turning point though, is crusty the clown, Schalk, has gone from being a bonehead to using his head. Well done to Alastair and Fleckie and the players for making him the captain and embracing him, cos his game has just grown. Andries Bekker, sheeet dawg, man, Victor who?? :) what a player, what an athlete, the thing is i think this Stormers team is super fit because they can go toe to toe anywhere anytime for 80minutes and thats a sign of a happy fit team. The loosies just seem to be working well as a unit and individually cos everyone seems to know what to do and when. Pity for Francois and Duane that all the incumbents seem to be playing just as well with my man jean Deaysel also having his game face on. SA is truly blessed in that dept. Ask me who the best hooker in the country is at the moment, come on ask me, come on? what you know it too, you thats right Tiaan Liebenberg!! i say no more cos if i have to then you dont know your game and you bore me :)
Gio Aplon, too too bad that this little maestro is just that...little. Sad thing is the man has given a superb account of himself against the self same players he will face in the tri-nations, he's been weighed, he has been measured, but he has been found far from wanting, but alas our mentality, will find him in the currie cup. Along with Joe Pietersen another player deserving of higher honours, cos lets face it without Conrad, no 15 is still very vacant. Juan de Jongh, my guy, but he has to offload a little more, but he'll get there. Another unsung hero, btu if you watch him closely, you will see what a quality player he really is and thats Mr Supermodel, Peter Grant.
No guys, this team is hot
Bulls, ok guys now im getting tired of typing. But we all know about the Bulls. I am a bit worried for them that their week off last week which they were well entitled to do, may slow them down a little at least for the first 20 min (well i am hoping...please) the Bulls are the Bulls, we know what to expect from them. Hard nosed players, but also the ability to score tries. Morne Steyn has developed as a quality fly half. He has added the passing and scoring dimension to his game. kicked only when needed, but that will all be shelved tomorrow cos Naas will be back. The backs are pretty decent. I like the look of the youngster van den heever, its like Habana was never there! Good on them
Their forwards, Danie gets a lot of flack but he has played pretty well this season, but my guy from the forwards is Guthro, sho wee, boss that bra works, and fork does he tackle. Bakkies, what a fool. thats all i say
so initially i predicted that the top 4 would be Bulls, Chiefs, Saders, Brumbies, almost got 3 out of 4 but almost doesnt count does it. Tahs and Stormers are no surprise package because they have always flattered to deceive in the past and it looks as if they have finally come of age.
Ideally id love to see the Stormers v Crusaders in Cape Town as the final i really would, but i must be honest, i really sincerely believe that even though the Saders have their game faces on, the trip back and forth may be a litte too much for them. I know i am erroneously being dismissive of the Tahs because they can win here, i think the Newlands factor and the Mark Lawrence factor, who i think along with Jonathan Kaplan have been off their game this year. The bounce of the ball is set to favour the home team...afterall refs are patriotic humans before they are refs.
So my call Stormers v Bulls at Orlando Stadium... who would ever ever ever have thought that this day would come that a stadium full of Afrikaners and hopefully me, would descend upon Soweto, not to shoot brothers but to watch rugby...aye ye South Africa Aye ye, and besides what better way to get the spirits of the fans and the togetherness of the nation started, than an all South African final at Orlando Stadium, the home of South African Soccer, about 2 weeks before the world cup, tell me have you ever seen a better script oh wait 1995 South Africa v New Zealand, Ellis Park, just after first democratic votes...and look at us now....
Come on u Crusaders, but i wont be too bleak if we dont make it, because the picture is beeeger, like the circle
Happy viewing and may the best unassisted teams prevail!!
Yaw
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Super 14 week 1
Well what a weekend...an unemployed man's heaven. 7 s14 games not to mention a cracker of a six nations weekend oh wait and then there was the sevens....bliss i tell ya bliss!!
S14 as usual started off with much promise as my beloved Blues took to the field against another team i quite enjoy watching the Canes. The first half, man what a first half. Conditions were perfect, the teams were balanced. Good mix between Internationals and not. The blues started with a hiss and a roar. Stevie Brett and Albie Mathewson looked the part 9 and 10, Benson and Iceman at 12 and 13. Joe and Rene at wing and Rudi at full back. Potent backline if ever there was one. Forwards...All Black front row, wikkid locks and more than competent loose trio. First half Stevie could do no wrong, kick, catch pass, lines superb, he ran the show like a future All Black should. Second half....u hear that? yup that was the wheels falling off. The game was but a bore i tell ya, not just because my Blues were giving me the blues, but cos nothing was working man it was just kaaaaak!! anyway I think they have the pedigree they just need to get the mental aspect of their game. The Canes to their credit bounce back pretty well, but they are a quality side, if i look at their backline the only non all black is their flyhalf who was pretty good in the Air NZ cup. The game should have been more of a spectacle but it was indeed a penalty fest man, with both teams being pinned at the breakdown in particular.
The second game i missed alot of the second game cos i knew i would be spending a lot of time on my couch with my remote control so i needed to head off to the gym to exercise my right thumb. But the bits i did see, is that the Brumbies are going to be a force to be reckoned with once again. Even without Gits at 10 they looked menacing. They have a solid pack and their backs are too tight man. A fit Mortlock is a dangerous Mortlock. he earned me the most points in the fantasy league. Shame the Force. Their season is unfortunately off to a messy start through injury. Which is a bummer because i thought they would continue with last year's good showing, inspite of their loss off Gits.
Game 3, Cheetahs v Bulls, game of the weekend by miles. Man what a showing by these 2 teams. That game was (excuse the cliche) uncompromising in intensity and pace. Man its a wonder why the Cheetahs never make it over the finish line and are always on the wrong side on the win/lose toss up. Morne Steyn is definately trying to vary his game and good on the man. He distributed, kicked but not too often, was spot on with his conversions, tackled. Shoo has he been taking Chris Browns lyrics I can transform you to heart? Wynand Olivier, yes it was I who said he was ooh but random but even though its just one game he has shown that last year was no fluke, long may he continue i say. The Bulls pack is really second to none from what i saw. Both huge and mobile. I think this could well be Stegmann's year. I personally favoured the Cheetahs. I quite enjoy the brand of rugby they play in this country, they love to run the ball and have the forwards to make them more than competitive. The biggest question I have is why a guy like Jacques Louis Potgieter would leave the Cheetahs where he was in the starring role to go to the Bulls where he is a bench warmer, it boggles my mind. Dont get me wrong i do think that Naas Olivier is an able replacement if his first thing is anything to go by :). I am not sure why Daniller wasnt playing at fullback but my guy for the Cheetahs is Lionel Mapoe, big respect for him, think he will be one of the finds of SA rugby...injury permitting. The thing i like about the Cheetahs the most is the fact that they are largely a no name brand with plenty heart.
Lets skip the other 2 games shall we, Crusaders were the Crusaders, Highlanders much like the Cheetahs played with a lot of heart and their lock Beckhuis looks the part as does their backline. I am still not too convinced about Jimmy Cowan as the AB no 1, his fuse blows too quickly and over random things. The Reds were unlucky to lose, i guess inexperience as a unit. They looked much better than they have in previous years and it will be interesting to see how they get on. The Tahs as usual looked like the Tahs... there or thereabouts
Lions v Stormers, yo i drove like a man posessed to my house to jump onto the couch to watch this game...the return of Carlos the King and the re-invention of the Stormers. What a disappointment as a contest that game was?! Wow!! Carlos didnt get the game going much because the lions had no ball and then when they finally got the ball Carlos got a thump to the head and that was his game over. The Stormers were good but i am not all that convinced about their staying power just yet. They have the players no doubt. Loving Joe at the back, Juan at centre, forwards, new imports Jaques and Bryan...and word on the street si Jean is coming back, sorry for Juan but shees Jean and Jacques....shoooweee. The Lions in the second half looked like a S14 team they created plenty but jsut couldnt finish it off man. Earl Rose was a pearler at no 10 i thought he did everything right. Its sad to see this team continuously rebuilding because they do unearth many talents who then find their way to the Bulls, Sharks or Stormers (kinda like the Cheetahs) its a pity because they should be better than this.
Last game, a game i was looking so forward to, then along came the rain. The Sharks' game plan was just negativity and it could be seen from the get go. I dont think that anyone could complain about the 2 yellow cards dished out. Bismarck, what a fool, he just seems to be going back to his ill disciplined ways, such a bonehead plonker!! What i dont like about the S14 is the fact that a ref from the country could potentially ref a game of his country men. People will automatically say that he is biased even if he wasnt. Most of his calls were spot on in my view, I think he missed quite a lot to be honest because he was trying to be lenient. The Sharks were their own worst enemy they hardly tried to play. The Chiefs on the other hand in typical 'silly' new zealand run the ball no matter what style did just that, tried to play the game with ball in hand and create tries from the get go which was pleasing to see. The missiles onto the field now thats not cool man. but enough has been said about that. I think the Chiefs will be one of the NZ teams to watch
Its early days yet, but i am going to take a stab at the top 4 for this years competition
Bulls
Saders
Chiefs
Brumbies
This weekends games are pretty interesting hit outs and i will take a stab at what i think the results will be:
H'ders v Blues - Blues (heart choice)
Reds v C'ders - (Saders, but wont be easy)
Sharks v C'tahs (Cheetahs...history says :))
Lions v Chiefs - (Chiefs)
H'canes v Force - (Canes)
Bulls v Brumbies - (Bulls, but not easily and only because it is the Brumbies first game on tour)
Stormers v 'Tahs - Tough one this...Tahs, gamble of note
Before i go how hot are France looking and how tough was that Wales win against Scotland for Scotland...eish!!
Have a great weekend
Y
S14 as usual started off with much promise as my beloved Blues took to the field against another team i quite enjoy watching the Canes. The first half, man what a first half. Conditions were perfect, the teams were balanced. Good mix between Internationals and not. The blues started with a hiss and a roar. Stevie Brett and Albie Mathewson looked the part 9 and 10, Benson and Iceman at 12 and 13. Joe and Rene at wing and Rudi at full back. Potent backline if ever there was one. Forwards...All Black front row, wikkid locks and more than competent loose trio. First half Stevie could do no wrong, kick, catch pass, lines superb, he ran the show like a future All Black should. Second half....u hear that? yup that was the wheels falling off. The game was but a bore i tell ya, not just because my Blues were giving me the blues, but cos nothing was working man it was just kaaaaak!! anyway I think they have the pedigree they just need to get the mental aspect of their game. The Canes to their credit bounce back pretty well, but they are a quality side, if i look at their backline the only non all black is their flyhalf who was pretty good in the Air NZ cup. The game should have been more of a spectacle but it was indeed a penalty fest man, with both teams being pinned at the breakdown in particular.
The second game i missed alot of the second game cos i knew i would be spending a lot of time on my couch with my remote control so i needed to head off to the gym to exercise my right thumb. But the bits i did see, is that the Brumbies are going to be a force to be reckoned with once again. Even without Gits at 10 they looked menacing. They have a solid pack and their backs are too tight man. A fit Mortlock is a dangerous Mortlock. he earned me the most points in the fantasy league. Shame the Force. Their season is unfortunately off to a messy start through injury. Which is a bummer because i thought they would continue with last year's good showing, inspite of their loss off Gits.
Game 3, Cheetahs v Bulls, game of the weekend by miles. Man what a showing by these 2 teams. That game was (excuse the cliche) uncompromising in intensity and pace. Man its a wonder why the Cheetahs never make it over the finish line and are always on the wrong side on the win/lose toss up. Morne Steyn is definately trying to vary his game and good on the man. He distributed, kicked but not too often, was spot on with his conversions, tackled. Shoo has he been taking Chris Browns lyrics I can transform you to heart? Wynand Olivier, yes it was I who said he was ooh but random but even though its just one game he has shown that last year was no fluke, long may he continue i say. The Bulls pack is really second to none from what i saw. Both huge and mobile. I think this could well be Stegmann's year. I personally favoured the Cheetahs. I quite enjoy the brand of rugby they play in this country, they love to run the ball and have the forwards to make them more than competitive. The biggest question I have is why a guy like Jacques Louis Potgieter would leave the Cheetahs where he was in the starring role to go to the Bulls where he is a bench warmer, it boggles my mind. Dont get me wrong i do think that Naas Olivier is an able replacement if his first thing is anything to go by :). I am not sure why Daniller wasnt playing at fullback but my guy for the Cheetahs is Lionel Mapoe, big respect for him, think he will be one of the finds of SA rugby...injury permitting. The thing i like about the Cheetahs the most is the fact that they are largely a no name brand with plenty heart.
Lets skip the other 2 games shall we, Crusaders were the Crusaders, Highlanders much like the Cheetahs played with a lot of heart and their lock Beckhuis looks the part as does their backline. I am still not too convinced about Jimmy Cowan as the AB no 1, his fuse blows too quickly and over random things. The Reds were unlucky to lose, i guess inexperience as a unit. They looked much better than they have in previous years and it will be interesting to see how they get on. The Tahs as usual looked like the Tahs... there or thereabouts
Lions v Stormers, yo i drove like a man posessed to my house to jump onto the couch to watch this game...the return of Carlos the King and the re-invention of the Stormers. What a disappointment as a contest that game was?! Wow!! Carlos didnt get the game going much because the lions had no ball and then when they finally got the ball Carlos got a thump to the head and that was his game over. The Stormers were good but i am not all that convinced about their staying power just yet. They have the players no doubt. Loving Joe at the back, Juan at centre, forwards, new imports Jaques and Bryan...and word on the street si Jean is coming back, sorry for Juan but shees Jean and Jacques....shoooweee. The Lions in the second half looked like a S14 team they created plenty but jsut couldnt finish it off man. Earl Rose was a pearler at no 10 i thought he did everything right. Its sad to see this team continuously rebuilding because they do unearth many talents who then find their way to the Bulls, Sharks or Stormers (kinda like the Cheetahs) its a pity because they should be better than this.
Last game, a game i was looking so forward to, then along came the rain. The Sharks' game plan was just negativity and it could be seen from the get go. I dont think that anyone could complain about the 2 yellow cards dished out. Bismarck, what a fool, he just seems to be going back to his ill disciplined ways, such a bonehead plonker!! What i dont like about the S14 is the fact that a ref from the country could potentially ref a game of his country men. People will automatically say that he is biased even if he wasnt. Most of his calls were spot on in my view, I think he missed quite a lot to be honest because he was trying to be lenient. The Sharks were their own worst enemy they hardly tried to play. The Chiefs on the other hand in typical 'silly' new zealand run the ball no matter what style did just that, tried to play the game with ball in hand and create tries from the get go which was pleasing to see. The missiles onto the field now thats not cool man. but enough has been said about that. I think the Chiefs will be one of the NZ teams to watch
Its early days yet, but i am going to take a stab at the top 4 for this years competition
Bulls
Saders
Chiefs
Brumbies
This weekends games are pretty interesting hit outs and i will take a stab at what i think the results will be:
H'ders v Blues - Blues (heart choice)
Reds v C'ders - (Saders, but wont be easy)
Sharks v C'tahs (Cheetahs...history says :))
Lions v Chiefs - (Chiefs)
H'canes v Force - (Canes)
Bulls v Brumbies - (Bulls, but not easily and only because it is the Brumbies first game on tour)
Stormers v 'Tahs - Tough one this...Tahs, gamble of note
Before i go how hot are France looking and how tough was that Wales win against Scotland for Scotland...eish!!
Have a great weekend
Y
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