Rugby Champs...end of round 1

Greetings from far off lands rugby lovers, thank goodness for a site called www.sportlemon.tv, because without it there would be no rugby viewing for me.

I will focus most of my synopsis this week on the Boks because they have been by far the biggest disappointment so far this year in all their test matches, but not because of the results, but because of their failure in my mind to realise their full potential...or is this their full potential?

Let me start off with Aus. My heart really goes out to Robbie Deans, I dont think anyone can really argue that he is a good coach, but perhaps it could be that Australian rugby is just in a really bad place at the moment. The players do have ability, look at the likes of Poloto-Nau, Sharpe, Timani, Pocock, Higginbotham, Genia, Cooper, Ashley-Cooper, Ioane, Mitchell, those are all quality players with plenty ticker. But the lack of dept and penetrating centres, thats whats killing them at the moment. Gone are the days of Mortlock, Horan, little, Herbert, Nathan Grey, even Flatley. I cant think of a centre in Australia that makes me think wow! and thats a problem. Also when their front line gets injured they are lost. Their rugby is just currently not up where it used to be. I think an extra team in the super rugby champs didnt help them much. I think it would be in their best interest to drop one team, have 4 maybe even 3 and just get people comfortable playing with each other, get them competitive, because right now in Super rugby they are hardly competitive. They too should stop kicking aimlessly.

The ABs were efficient against the Ausies, ruthless at the break downs, positive in their game plan, useless in converting their hard work into tries though, shakey line-outs, but that for me is just fantastic. they were below par and yet blew away Aus twice, gives me hope because plenty of room to improve. Pity SBW is leaving because he really did make an impact to the ABs game. 

Argentina, I missed the first game with Boks though, but the second game i caught when my internet didnt cut out. They properly outplayed the Boks in most facets of the game, which really surprised me because i had the Boks to win by 8 at least. For a team that doesnt get too much top flight rugby as a nation they really stepped up and outplayed their more fancied opponents. I like that for the good of the game. I hope that some south sea island teams get included too. i really was dissapointed they couldnt sneak one past the Boks, i would be equally impressed with them if they can put one over the ABs or Aus too, because that will only help their confidence, we dont want another situation like Italy who are almost without doubt always the 6 nation wooden spooners, i would like a competitive tournament.

The Boks, imagine if it was PdV coaching this team, the amount of vitriol that would have been spewing forth right about now after that performance. Don't tell me about inexperience, dont tell me about lack of depth. Who are these Argentinians the Boks played? hardly known to Southern hemisphere nations, bar a handful. They okay in France yes, but lets all agree that there is no tougher competition than Super rugby. They play test matches, but few and far between and when the do play they play against the lesser known teams. In 3/4 years Robbie Deans has played the All Blacks 17 times. Since 1910, they have played a total of 308 tests, with France being their most played opponent with 48 tests and then Uruguay with 31 tests, they have played Southern hemisphere teams roughly 15 times each during that whole period. Their highest capped player ever has 87 tests, so hardly an experienced side. The squad for this Rugby Championship, their highest capped player was Roncero with 50caps then Albecete with 47 and Fernandez lobe with 44, thats it. The difference, they had a game plan that involved more than just kicking useless up and unders, which has been SA's game since Nick Mallet. It makes me sooo mad! This team has the players to play a good game. Big forwards to lay the platform, and good backs to cut it up. What irks me no end, is the bully tactic they choose to employ and i have said it time and time again, esp in relation to Bulls Rugby, if you have forwards that can match you they seem clueless as to what to do next. Jannie du Plessis is just a yellow card waiting to happen and what he offers in the scrums i know not, Beast is a good player in the loose but his scrumming technique of in and up is somewhat questionable in my humble opinion. HM's woes start with his game plan then his team selection. I would sooner be giving Siya a chance, in the loose trio than Jazques Potgieter. In the front row pity my guy Coenie is injured, but i would get some proper scrumagers, Werner Kruger, Pat Ciliers WP Nel and Strauss/Craig Burden. Locks are fine those 2 WP locks should be able to do the business. No 8 leave Keegan there. He has x factor, he isnt 250kgs but he is better than any 250kg player in SA at the moment. No 9 put in Ruan, move Francois to wing. 10. Lambie/Goosen if he is up to it again, 12 JdV i still fail to see anything that Fransois Steyn consistently brings. 13 J de Jongh. 15 Gio. Change the game plan of standing deep because its so easy to read what you are going to do, defenders are given time to reset and dont have to commit early. Heynecke Meyer, isnt the answer. I know its early days yet, but his Blue Bull mentality is not the future of SA rugby. you cant tell me thats how we (the Boks) have always played and thats how we will always play!! Look at teams like the Cheetahs, Sharks, Lions they can play an expansive game, yes none of them have won the Super rugby title recently, but thats besides the point, Bok rugby can be balanced and with a little tweaking it will be successful, but not if the mindset of this is how its always been is adopted...

Anyway who am i and what do i know?

Week off now catch you all after round 2.

Have a good week

Y 

4 of the best

Down to 4 and not too many can deny that the 4 that deserve to be there are the 4 that are there. I had a read through my first email i wrote and bar the Sharks I think i gave wraps to all 4 teams that are being represented this weekend. I guess the Sharks results up until the final few weeks, vindicate my lack of faith in their set up. Their midfield was unsettled, their forwards were initially under strength, their flyhalf and fullbacks  were also rotated constantly. So if we look at it in that context, the Sharks did very well to get where they have. Their display against the Reds, was powerful and precise, defence was unrelenting and they managed to score tries whilst at it. 

Just a quick one on Australian rugby, they really have some hot players, but they dont have the depth to field 5 strong teams, the same can be said in some sense about the SA conference. In my mind the thing with Australian rugby is that there are only a handful of never say die players. The ones that come to mind are Horwill, Ashley-Cooper, Pockock, Polota_Nau and Sharpe. Its hardly like the old days, when there was Gregan, Mortlock(whenever he played against the ABs i was like no man!!WHY?!! because he was that guy), Larkham, Roff, Burke, Tune, die hards that did not understand the word lose. They have good players, but they are so thinly spread in all the 5 teams it will take a while before they are a force again. Liked what happened at the Brumbies though, but I, like most of you reading was wondering when the honeymoon would end, and it almost didnt...then it did. They will be a forcee in the Rugby Championships coming up in a few weeks, its only like 30 players they need. Good coaching setup. I was very dissapointed with the Tahs, they should have given a better account of themselves.

SA rugby, is in a pretty good place. I am not going to harp on about the National team set up. But SA was fortunate to win against England, i think we would all agree on that point. That kick and chase rugby and try and bully them tactic that was employed as usual can easily be countered. Ive said this before about Heynecke's Bulls, if you have a team that can match their forward, they are pretty much a non-entity! The Lions had a good Currie Cup but unfortunately continuous injuries plagued their season, unfortunately they dont have the depth that teams like the Stormers/Sharks have and so a few key injuries and boom there goes your season. The Cheetahs too were also an interesting side, a joy to watch, once again they will most probably struggle to hold on to some of their stars. Goosen is the answer to SA no 10. I have much respect for Morne Steyn, he plays to a pattern, but he is a good player, if you watch him, he makes his kicks and if he was allowed to take on the line he would do an ok job, he wouldnt strike fear in many opponents, but no one in SA at the moment bar Goosen will. Peter Grant, what more does this quiet, steady 80%+ kicker have to do to get a look in to that Bok 10 jersey, definitely one of the reasons why the Stormers topped the log. Speaking about the Stormers, many people want to tell me that the Stormers were plagued by injuries this year. Duane and Schalck were the most notable omission during the year. Yes Koster and Karr were also injured, but truth be told they were fringe players at best for the Stormers. Bekker was also injured for a few games, Joe Pietersen here and there, but if we look on the whole every team had its injuries but bar the 2 aforementioned elder statesmen and ofcourse the loss of  Jacques to Japan, they didnt have an insurmountable hurdle to overcome to get to the playoffs. All this being said, SA has players to burn. Loosies as usual its like a clone factory, bigger and 'badder' each year. Backs, talent in abundance, that Lions Scrummy, Bandesio, Cheetahs Van Zyl, if its a kicker you want who can get the line going look no further than Jantjes. Whitehead for the Sharks really impressed me as did JP Pietersen playing some of his best rugby, Habana, seems back to himself, not trying too hard but working bloody hard as usual. 

NZ rugby, my Blues, just couldnt buy a win could they, I wont blame injuries, I just think there was something amis there. Hurricanes made me smile, was really impressed with them, a proper bunch of no names (with respect)but they played as a unit. That seemed to be the thread with most of the NZ teams, they played as a unit, the Sharks and Stormers also have a similar mindset, Mitch tried to get the Lions to buy into this mindset, but clearly they werent feeling him too much. Highlanders were their industrious selves once again. In my mind the NZ conference was by far the toughest because there were no cheap points, even the Blues as toilet as they were, you couldnt easily write them off.

The last 4, Sharks and Crusaders have much momentum. Stormers scraped home against the Rebels. We will never know the answer, but I doubt they would have been able to score 4 try bonus point if they had needed it, judging by their performance against the Rebels. The Chiefs are now in finals footie. They couldnt have asked for better man mangers than Dave Rennie and Wayne Smith, if you doubt that look at what they have done to date and how they have played. But its the Crusaders they are playing against. Can i remember a playoff that the Crusaders werent involved in? These playoffs are tough to call. People expect the Saders to just pitch up and take home the points, but you dont finish at number 2 on the log just by making up the numbers. The Chiefs pack has been able to hold if not pip the Saders pack the whole year and their backs may have the edge on the Saders back too, but the Saders have experience, they have 2 of the best players in the world in DC and Richie in the mix. The Saders know how to play at this end of the season. Last week they were calculated in their dismissal of the Bulls, they hardly got into top gear during that game, but i guess they didnt have to. The week before they also gave some of their stars an early shower, so they are due a massive performance and they will need it later today.

The game in Newlands is pretty interesting. The only team that has been able to dismantle the Stormers has been the Crusaders. Their defence is as airtight as sealed presidential bunker. But they lack creativity, but who cares, 14wins in 16 games i guess speaks for itself (if winning is all you watch this beautiful game (when its played by people that make it worthy of the term beautiful)for. The Stormers have had an extra week off, heal wounds, watch the Sharks weekend escapades. The Sharks have had to travel afar, they have momentum and can score tries as well as defend.

My Call...Saders and Stormers final (i'd prefer a NZ v Sharks final ofcourse)

Perhaps this could be the year the Arsenal of rugby get some trophies in the cabinet ;)

Test season begins-when will we learn

Do we never learn i ask thee?!

Greetings to you my fellow rugby lovers! Man what a splendid weekend of rugby it was. The Crusaders firmly fired the first salvo, let the rest of the super rugby world know that they might not be leading the NZ conference but dont count us out. I feel for Robbie F and Andy Ellis for missing out on AB selection particularly Andy, cos that guy is the consistent senior scrummy the ABs need at this time, but i guess Piri did perform for the ABs come RWC time so it is right for Steve H to give him a shot and what he does with it well thats up to him because there is talent aplenty longing to fill that spot! The Blues played their best game since they played the Bulls this weekend but man the Chiefs are just delicious to watch along with the Canes, who won in Sydney for the first time in who knows how long. How good was Rene Ranger? Then the Lions took the Sharks out of water and just gored them...dead!! Then the Stormers weakened as, went to the Bull ring and tore into the Springboks... i mean Bulls.

I guess all the Southern Hemisphere teams are a bit of a disadvantage during this June Test window. ABs squad is pretty expected, with the exception of Ellis and inclusion of Piri, Australia seem to be struggling with injuries and their squad seems pretty weakened as we saw on tuesday. They might well struggle against Wales, their only saving grace is the fact that Warren Gatland is not able to attend to this tour due to broken ankles unfortunately. 

Ok now to the Boks...i really have tried to hold back from saying anything because we have had enough of this negativity and race speak etc. I have never really been a Heyneke fan. He knew how to make the Bulls operate. Before i proceed let me just give you all his accolades courtesy of Wikipedia...

• Vodacom Cup Champions with the Blue Bulls in 2001

• Absa Currie Cup Champions in 2002, 2003 and 2004 and joint champions in 2006

• Vodacom Super Rugby (Super 14) Champions in 2007

Ok so he has been selected as the National coach and I guess in SA there was no other, frankly left to me I would have given Pdivvy another shot, because this year would have been the year where he could impose himself on his players, because the old guard were all gone. So anyway that wasn't done and what do I know...So H M is now the boss, and as most coaches would do they will pull in players that they know and have worked with and understand them. Fine. But dude, this is no ordinary country! Sport is really the one thing we are really  good at other than tourism and lovely ladies. Its the one time that this country speak s with one voice, think 1995, 1996 (african cup), 2010, 2011 RWC, and hopefully but doubtfully 2013 Afcon. Now here you are, you know what Jake White went through, you choose your very first squad and you want me to believe that Marcel Coetzee and Jacques Potgieter are far and away better players than Siya Kolisi (let alone Brussouw), JJ Engelbrecht who i havent seen deliver anything of substance is a more promising player than Juan De Jongh who has been tried and tested, worse still WYNAND OLIVIER??!! that bra, jusus let me just calm down... then there is no room for Gio Aplon a guy who has that missing x factor, who hardly lets the Boks or the Stormers down on defence and attack. If we had to judge it on this year alone i would even go as far as saying Gio has been more prolific that wunderkind Lambie and Sideshow Zane.

Then you nominate your first match day 22 and regardless of whether you win or not, what message are you sending out to the large majority of your population? Then you ask why so many non-whites in SA support the All Blacks? I was working my way back from wanting every team the Boks played against to beat them to supporting them against most teams. But 18 years later and you are telling me we cant get at least 5 players of colour in the match day 22, not a helluva lot to ask for is it. I can name the 5 right now, ok Habana if we must (and this year he does deserve to be there becauase he is muuuch better than he has been in a while) JP, but i think Mapoe outplayed him on the weekend, Beast (even though i am not sure if he is a citizen or a work permit holder), Juan and Chilliboy. Now Chilliboy, you see what i was saying, just like Shimmy, professional bench warmer! This was a fat smack in his face. No 2 to Smit, then along came Bissie, granted he has been playing some good rugby, but he is a 5/6 penalty a game dude, currently sitting at no 9 on the most penalties conceded in the Super rugby 2012. Granted Strauss has been having a fabulous season i am a fan, but we have to have some sort of consistency, because the only reason a player like Spies is in that team is because he's been there before, because he is dog diarrhoea toilet. Then, then, then, you look at the Super rugby log yeah and who is on top the Stormers, but how many of their players were selected 3, but that i understand a little bit there because a lot of the players that would have been seleceted are injured, well 3 Bekker, Schalla and Duane perhaps, so thats 3+siya, juan, gio+3 selected=9 errbadi happy. Not because of anything other than the fact that they deserve to be there!

Yeah you cant please everyone with your team selections, but you can at least show that we are trying to move forward, but on the other hand you dont want to start of your tennure losing, especially to the Poms, but man oh man, you know where you live, you know politicians would love nothing better than to divert peoples attention from the fact that they really aren't doing what they are meant to be doing. You know that the majority of this country is non white and this thing is a sensitive one...ask the bra who did that painting.

Yes England are a large bunch of men but they are robots, yet they have space for this guy Wade, who is minute, but has gas to burn. I think 'we' will beat the English 3-0 or 2-1, but lets see come quad nation time, if this is the same team that is selected and the same mentality of mo er hulle, then mark my words 60-68% win rate, majority coming against the northern hemisphere and minow teams

But i guess give the bra a chance, but man he has started off sending the absolutely wrong signals about the way he intends playing and also his selection policy, missed a trick there boss, starting off with people questioning you is no way to start your job in one of the must unnerving coaching jobs in the world!!! 5 man, just 5 out of 22, it CANT be so difficult man!!!

Soo looking forward to my saturday though, happy viewing

Super rugby 2012 mid point

Well howdee there to you all, sorry for my absence, i promise its not because my dear Blues have been giving me...the Blues, i missed a good few games this year with weddings etc. over the weekends but i think that has all settled down now and my couch, remote, telly and me are going to continue our annual love affair :)

This Super rugby has thrown out a few names and games. I have to admit i thought the NZ teams would be suffering from a RWC hangover and they would be by far the worst conference but I am beyond impressed with the talent and competitiveness of all their teams bar the Blues. I haven't paid much attention to the Australian derby games, but from what I see, the Brumbies have been quite competitive which means I have to eat my hat and admit that Jake might actually infact be a a good coach. Its a team of very few names, yet look at them topping the Australian conference...for the time being ofcourse :)

I hate this conference system, its really bollocks, last week the top Australian team had a negative points difference fewer points than the team in position no 4 yet they were guaranteed a spot in the playoffs were the competition to end then, as it stands they will just sneak into 6th, what the powers that be are doing is incentivising mediocrity. I do believe that the Australians may not have enough teams to field 5 teams really but i guess i am preaching to the converted.

Back to rugby, my take on this competition is as follows, Chiefs, Canes, Cheetahs are playing the most attractive rugby out there they make the game entertaining to watch and they seem to be having fun. The Chiefs just look like a good side at the moment, playing to their potential. One cant deny the influence of coaching in this team, Dave Rennie and Wayne Smith are a great combination for the franchise. they have done some good work and got their forwards well balanced and their backs are just insane. What they have also done well is they have made sure they have depth. In the first week they lost their 2 front line props enter Taumololo the leading try scorer ...in the whoooole competition and his newphew Taimefuna who has scrummed just about everyone into the ground. They are committed to the cause as a team and know when to do what, they look like they will be in the top 6. Aaron Cruden is just on another level at the moment he is making the right decisions most of the time and he has confidence aplenty, i guess the youngster on his inside is also assisting him and SBW and Kahui on his outside. Like Robbie Robinson is a great no 15, then they bring this guy Andrew Horrell, from where, from the school of talented NZ backs thats where...

The game between the Canes and the Cheetahs has to be up there in terms of the most entertaining (regarding running rugby) that has been played thus far and it highlights why they are up there in my teams to watch play list. Both teams have no names, but they play for each other, have characters (well the Cheetahs more so) and they never ever call time until the whistle sounds. what more can you ask of a bunch of professionals? give those men a Bells!!

Then there is the middle tier, the tier where the teams play winning rugby, those teams are the Bulls, Stormers and the Saders. The saders showed last weekend that they are indeed a smart team and well coached their running lines and speed of play was a great indictment on the astuteness of that team and its coaching staff. they really studied the Stormers defence and worked on ways to legally ask questions and have the Stormers infringe. It was a good game of chess to watch. I watched the Bulls against the Saders the week before, and it was then where i realised that this Bulls team is a title contender too. They have some insane youngsters bred from the biltong fed factory of loosies, CJ Stander what is that kid? Chilliboy is finally showing you all what i saw in him many moons ago...haaa, regular game time can do much for a players game and confidence. Still not overly convinced about Spies though, he is playing much better than last year yes, but he should be a beast man... Bulls are hot, Stormers need to learn to attack more, they will be tested now after losing 2 of their front line locks and the midfield general, JdV. Lets see how they hold up...

The Highlanders float between the first grouping and this one. They have game, they have excitement, they can play winning rugby too

The next tier is the promise so much but deliver nothing but me switching off the telly before the game ends. In this team is the Lions and my Blues, my 2 top teams :)

Let me start with the Lions, i have always maintained that they are a good currie cup side, because the team stays together after the Super rugby campaign because none of the players get called up to the Boks. Which is also their downfall in the Super rugby comp. They lack big game players who can provide that x-factor or calming influence when its needed. Their biggest issue this year has been their hard luck with injuries. They just keep losing players at certain periods of the season so they can never gel as a unit, but i guess its the nature of this comp, people will get hurt.

The Blues, i dont think their season has been as bad as it seems, the loss to the Rebels is the only one i can bemoan them on. Last week against the SHarks, we was robbed i tell you, but as the saying goes, look at the scoreboard. But I am convinced they are almost there, but you know how it is, when it doesnt go well with you you try harder and fail even more spectacularly, decision making is key. They will get it right, the signs are there...or is that wishful thinking?

The refs and their assistants have been pretty toilet this year. I dont like to harp on about refs etc but this year they have been particularly useless and the breakdown rule has also been a hack, the part where the approaching player cant go past the ball and place his hands on the ground before  grabbing the ball, you tell me what influence that will have if you are an approaching player cleaning out the ruck?

Anyway...

Highlanders v Blues....If I had to go on performance, id call Highlanders, but i have a feeling, call it blind allegiance, but this could be the game that defines the Blues season...they have nothing to lose now

Reds v Stormers...another tough call, a full Stormers team id say Reds have no chance but now they do, they have Harris back at 10, Duane is no captain, but we will see how he goes, Reds cos they are at home

Canes v Crusaders...Saders

Tahs v Rebels...Tahs

Sharks v Chiefs....hmmm another tough call, Sharks just came home, won their last game, will be on a high, they might well pip the Chiefs in the sharks tank

Bulls v Brumbies....Bulls, but not an easy game for them

bye for now

Super rugby week 3

Ok let me be the first to admit that i was totally and absolutely wrong about the Bulls. Bloody hell were they impressive, yeah its typical Bulls rugby, bullying into submission but you cant fault their execution. I will also add that they can score tries too. Just from their display against the Cheetahs, 20 or so minutes which was with 14 players, they are SA's team that have a clue about what they are doing and depth aplenty. They lose a few stalwarts and speedsters and boom its like nothing ever happened. Its not like the Cheetahs were poor (well a few handling mistakes aside), they just didnt have any super higher grade questions for the Bulls. They were asking higher grade questions of the Bulls, but the bulls had all the answers, its like they bought the examiners :) no well done to them, pretty impressive, still dont like their rugby style, but they definintely know how to make it work for them. Chilliboy, is the truth. I've said it before and I'll say it again, he is the truth, he is a very smart and hard footballer, hopefully they dont make him second fiddle again, tired of seeing that! Stormers on the other hand were pretty dissapointing. For a team with so much promise and talent, their inability to put away teams astounds me as well as their error rate, yes its early season yet but i'm not particularly impressed. I like the look of that no 4 of theirs, Bakkies, step aside, there is a new sherrif in town. Stormers on paper are hot and should be more exciting when they click, i just hope its not next weekend against my Blues ;). People give Meyer Bosman stick but that guy is talented. The Sharks too have a good side, on paper, i look at it and i guess it is early season yet and guys are still finding their feet. They have 2 new props, freddie at 9 instead of 10, feeding lambie, so they still have to learn to read each other, the centre combination is also new but on the wings they have gas and im liking Mvovo's work rate and my man Riaan at 15, very under-rated that guy. Shame the poor lions, I was pretty torn this game because you all know i am all about NZ rugby and the Canes are rebuilding. I said their lungs would burn at the end of that game but it didnt seem to. There is much to be said for a team of no name brands, who are just committed to playing for each other and are a happy crew. I hung out with them after the game and it was lovely to observe, they are all just one big unit they eat together and just get along, well so it seemed or maybe because they had just won so they were just like a happy bunch. But i was bummed for the Lions though cos i like that franchise plenty, they are very similar to the Canes. Once again i missed the Australian derbies... It looks like there is a power shift going on in NZ rugby. That Chiefs display against my beloved Blues was something to behold. It was raining hard, yet the rugby they played, the precision with which they executed, their intensity at the breakdown...JUSUS, i couldnt be bleak...well i could be, because in as much as they were clinical and urgent the Blues looked lethargic and quite tragic to be honest. A team so well decorated with All Blacks and just generally skillful players looked so uninterested and half asleep. Begs the question is it a function of the coaching setup? have the guys become stale and complacent? or was it just an off day...If Keven's post game reaction is anything to go y then it was an off day and the Bulls will be a game to right their wrongs...a pretty darn tough game id say, why couldnt it have been the Rebels or something :( For the Chiefs, Kerr-Barlow, Nanai-Williams, Sam Cane, Robinson at 15, Sona Taumololo sheesh man, how that little island of 4 million manages to produce a seemingly never ending talent pool, fair enough a lot of them come from Fiji, Samoa and TOnga, but even that is still aaaaamazing! The Landers v Crusaders did you guys see the Landers go? Wow, their urgency at the breakdowns is absolutely impressive, scrambling on defence. Thomo is still doing his thing on the flank more than ably supported by Croswell and Manu in the backrow, Crosswell and Bekuis locking it up and then Hore stealing ball and more than ably supported by Rutledge off the bench. Not a team that will strike fear in anyones hearts. The backs have this 'new' kid called Aaron Smith, who has game, so to Sopoaga who was u21s last year, Tamati Ellison and Hosea, but even that as a unit one will think what...EVER!! but ask the Crusaders and the Chiefs if they are whatever?!It again demonstrates the value of a good man manager, because I believe thats what Jamie Joseph has brought to the team, he has made them realise their value and enhance their desire to work for each other. Something I believe Mark Hammet is trying to instill in the Hurricanes after a chat to some of the players. His philosophy in rugby and in live which is poignant in my mind is always be willing to give more than you receive" Another interesting weekend, yep i got it wrong last weekend...and the weekend before, but Im paying a little more attention to the games perfect start to the weekend... Crusaders v Chiefs, are the Chiefs truly a Force or were the Blues just that bad? SBW against his old team mates, All Black midfielders v wannabe's Cane v Todd, Blyendel v Cruden, Kerr-Barlow v Ellis oh my goodness is it friday yet? Its a tough call and i may well be wrong again but I will go with the Saders on this game. Saders have the patience and aptitude to play the Chiefs. The Chiefs will score tries or at least try but i fear the red machine will suffocate them like they do best. Saders are at their new home ground for the first time this season there will be a lot of will there! Force v Canes...i spent some time with the Canes last weekend, they are a very happy and focused looking camp. They will be buoyed by their win last weekend when no one gave them much of a chance. The only thing counting agains them is the trip back over. I am not speaking much about the Force because i frankly dont know enough. I watched a few minutes of their game. Canes this one Brumbies v Cheetahs...Cheetahs against all odds and logic! they were properly dismantled last weekend, tehy are better than that. They had to travel big disadvantage. their opponents had a week off. the odds are definitely against them so i am going to give them a vote of hope more than belief :) Highlanders v Tahs, Tom Carter on the bench, Barnes starting, Tahs are playing well but nothing exceptional. Highlanders are playing bloody well and i am not sure if its because i am comparing them to how they used to play, but the look exceptional and they are at home Reds v Rebels...Reds Sharks v Lions...and we are back to excitement stations. Both teams coming off a narrow loss, both coaches spitting mad. Lions pipped this self same team at the post for the Currie Cup finals, but let me qualify that by stating that the Sharks' Boks were suffering from a world cup hang over. Lions will have belief and Sharks will have anger, oh my hat im confused...id love to call the Lions, but the sharks at home...id have to go with them Bulls v Blues...Blues seem very relaxed they say their heads are in the right space. But my friends the Bulls are just looking too daunting. 300kg buffalos in every position charging at us well except at scrumhalf. then there is the arial bombs, then there is the fact that they can kick penalties from any where 60m and closer, jusus, I want my Blues to win and i have a sneaky that they will but if i look at the facts (unlike with the Cheetahs) the Bulls will be too strong in the Bull ring. But it will be an open game. And thats me folks thanks for your time

Super 15 week 1

Well howdee doodie, Not sure if there is anyone out there who is feeling invigorated thanks to the best sporting competitions re-apearance on our TV screens last Friday :) man was I getting tired of watching the oscars on grass (soccer) Anyway as excited as I was about the season that lies ahead I was unable to write my pre season write up, so I am going to encompass that with a review of the past weekends games and a preview of next weekends game. SA Teams to watch will once again be the Stormers, Bulls, Lions, Sharks, Cheetahs in that order. Well maybe nit because as I type this I am struggling to find some justification for what I write. The Stormers will once again be SA's strongest team. They may be a little rattled with some off-field antics, but their personnel is largely intact they have lost jacques and Flouw, and now Schalla, but we know what De Jongh offers and we know what Siya did when he came on and can do. Their pack properly bullied the Canes, not that it was a tough task, but still they went out and did it. Which means they get good ball to the backs and the backs have skill to burn. Watch out for my man Gio Aplon and Joe Pietersen JdJ will feed them plenty, they will be hot these Stormers. I missed their game against the Canes because I was on a plane, but the highlights showed me that A they were on the right side of the whistle and they were moving in the right direction The Bulls have lost some really key players, but inspite of that they definitely know how to bore a win out of their opposition and that will never change ;). They lost 2 towering figures in Vic and Bakkies, Guthro, as well as FdP and vd Heever, but other than Victor and Guthro I don’t think they lost much, Bakkies hardly played last year and neither FdP and I think they are both past their best anyway. Now they have some good locks, they breed front rowers and loosies up north and their backs that’s where I get excited…Hougaard at 9…DANGER, backed up by Jano, Venter (if Morne can pass to him with his foot) is a prospect in the making most definitely, he together with Sadie another body bursting with superflous (yes I used it correctly) rugby talent with the old firm in the back 3, man this team should crack enough teams open. They are a little think in the reserves, as compared to the Bulls of old, but the players they have in my mind are pretty able. I missed this game completely because I was at a wedding, and so glad too 0-0 at half time what is this soccer? sies The Lions, they got out of jail free last weekend I think, once again I only caught glimpses of it though and saw the highlights. This team is my SA team and has been since I moved up to the highveld in 2000. But my dear friends, I do not hold any delusions of grandeur for this team. The only reason they managed to win the CC in my mind is yes they are well coached and conditioned, but they had a benefit that only the Cheetahs shared and that is they had most of their S15 squad available to them during the CC campaign, so they could build on what they started and they will continue to build they have a mix of youth and…well mainly youth, but this youth seems to be heeding to the words of Mitch and focusing and working as a unit. In the SA conference they will be formidable and I think with last weeks win they will have momentum to pip the Canes again this weekend which will give them confidence. Their biggest test will come on their away trip to Australasia, I hope I am wrong but I don not see them faring too well. But that being said man they have some talent, Taute, my guy Jantjes, Bandisio, great pack not one that will strike fear in anyone, but one that is quietly confident in their ability to do their business and do it well. They were lucky against the Cheetahs, but the Cheetahs were also ill disciplined and in the words of many a Bulls supporter, points is points :) Sharks, I am not sure about this team ey. Pack is still decent, but the backs…wings are good, full back/flyhalf Lambie, need I say more, but Michalak at 9/10?? And then the centres. They are currently in my mind SA's least settled side, I havent watched them play much but from the articles I read, I think they still need to find themselves. Cheetahs, everyones second favourite team. Man this team ey, sheeet! Got too much skill, this team. Forwards once again are able, I like this Trevor prop, I think he might be a converted hooker, but he is pretty mobile if memory serves me correctly but that being said, bring me back my brawling Coenie please!! Backs Tewys, I undestand why he is there but Piet van Zyl is definitely another Sarel in the making, I'm telling you! Then there is the much talked about Johan Goosen, and rightly so, cos this kleintjie kan speel man! Andries Strauss is a good defender and an experience campaigner and it was right in a way to have both him and Tewys on either side of the young man, but the little I saw of him there is no flyhalf in SA that has anything on him. I prefer Snyman to Strauss at centre anyway, he has the 7's skills that will assist him in setting a backline alight and he has flyers on all sides of him. Its a really exciting backline. Its hard to tell other than the Stormers who have the goods in this conference, because I guess its early days yet and in a few weeks after a few games, the dust will settle and we will see who's who Australia I didn’t watch any of the derbies, because they generally tend to be a bore a minute. I expected the Force to beat the Brumbies, but how wrong was I. I also called the Tahs to beat the Reds and I was right all the way till the last minute, then I was wrong :) NZ The weakest team in this conference looks likely to be the Hurricanes, because they are rebuilding and lost a fair amount of their strike power. That being said, they will not be a walk in the park by no means. The 2 flyhalves this weekend that impressed me were Barrett(Canes) and Blyendel(Saders), yup the stocks are filling up, definitely no DC, but they can be their own guys. The team with the most exciting backs out of that conference is by far the Chiefs, bummed that Flash and Leonard are out for a while, because man that backline was like wooow!! The Blues backline is not too far behind, they just need to get their act together a little more. They should have put that game away on Friday, but alas they didn’t. Crusaders will always be the saders, and they will be up there in the conference, they will make the playoffs again im sure. Highlanders though, what a unit, they are the Lions or Cheetahs of the NZ conference. No major rock stars but they always put together a team effort. Mind you the Chiefs would have put them away had it not been for the injuries at quite a key period. This weekends games Fri: Chiefs v Blues, humdinger between the neighbours, you know me always a Blue, should be a cracker though Rebels v tahs….Tahs Lions v Canes….tight one, but the lungs for the Canes will go, they only got to Joburg on Wednesday, might well count against them, early in the season…Lions Sat: Landers v Saders…Another sizler…tough to call going to gamble on the Landers Reds v Force…Reds Cheetahs v Bulls…an exciting match from the Cheetahs point of view, at home, Cheetahs Stormers v Sharks…another great matchup…Stormers at home Sorry I faded mid blog, but it was just getting too long Happy viewing Y

Cheers to the friggin All Blacks, I'll drink to that!!

On sunday midday SA time, it was more relief than elation that i felt when the final whistle sounded to put an end to one of the best RWC tournaments I have viewed (1995, being the other). It was relief more than elation because the mighty All Blacks, who have earned the right to be called the Mighty All Blacks over the last decade or 2 because they boast arguable the best record of any international sporting team on earth, yet have failed to capture the World Cup since 1987. My relief was for the players, their management staff and their little nation of rugby mad people.

I thorougly enjoyed this tournament because of the excitement it produced to the very last minute of the very last game. It showed that with a bit of exposure even the most unlikely of teams can be competitive. The impact of professionalism can now be seen with the likes of Tonga, Samoa and Japan all showing some vast improvement this is a result of their big and lucrative domestic tournaments that attract people from all walks...players and coaches, whose knowledge gets passed onto players of lesser nations who in turn pass it on into their international setups. The 3rd and 4th play off was quite a tense affair and even though the final whistle only showed a points difference of 3, there was no doubt in anyones mind who the top team on the day was. Australia were all over them, Wales had plenty ball, but they couldnt kick their penalties nor could they find creative ways to breach the Aussie defence. I felt really bleak for QC, because he looked like he was in the mood but alas his night was cut short with a torn ACL! It was a tough old afternoon, but the deserved winners on the day prevailed. Same cant be said about the finals though. From the Haka i knew it was game on, that arrow formation followed by the bowl like engulfing of the ABs by the French had them properly rattled. Ma'a lost his nut so much so that he came up with his own version of the Haka, Piri was more animated than ever, the guys were rattled properly and credit to the French. We were lucky to get away with that game because there was a scrum about 10...15min before the end of the game where the ABs were going backwards and Hore popped up, he was penalised earlier for the same offence a few minutes earlier but by the grace of Craig and maybe the ball spilling out from the base of the scrum, we were let off the hook. In as much as the French had our number, I believe we gave it to them in many ways. Had Piri kicked his 8 points on offer, it would have been a different ball game because it would have been 13-0 or something which is very different from 5-3. The French belief grew as the game wore on and that kick pass from Piri to clear a bumbling ball, would have been genius if it had come off but it didnt and it cost the ABs 7pts and from then i was like same script different cast, but the discipline of the ABs and their composure in the dying minutes of the game carried them through. People were telling me the French would be obliterated, i was not convinced in the slightest, because they are a great side and the ability to bring their A-game at any time, it so happened was that the 23/10/2011 was that time! They didnt deserve to be there they said. The 2 games they lost were against the ABs which was always going to be and Tonga, a game they didnt have to win to qualify. They had to beat England....and they did. They had to beat Wales, and they did, it wasnt their fault that the Welsh were down to 14 players. In the finals they were the slightly better team, through tactics and psyche! And to them I say Alles Le Bleu!! The boys in Black deserved this win, not only because they won it, but because of the amount of work they put in and the learnings they took from past failures. They were smart enough to say to the world we can play durr rugby and win this yellow cup and thats all i wanted to see. Richie and GH and me as an AB supporter, can indeed now rest in peace because I was getting supper tired of hearing that choker tag and this that and the next, now there will have to be another label for them, I guess World Champs will have to do for now. The ABs deserved this because they prepared well. They had depth aplenty and players who knew the team dynamic and set up. Who would have thunk that without DC and down to their 4th choice No. 10 they would have been able to pull this off? It was a massive effort and one deserving of its reward. Congrats to the Kapa O Pango, now you can just go out there and play your game and not worry about this yellow cup for another 24 yrs :) mad respect to my French froggies too. Well done to all 20 teams that took part, now if my dear Lions will just win this Currie Cup to cap off a good year of rugby viewing for me :) Take care boys and girls