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
