Currie Cup spicing up

Posted on 21 September 2012 by aVanz

This year’s Currie Cup was initially played down by many fans, saying it’s a watered down competition now and that Super Rugby took away the importance and prestige of one of the world’s oldest rugby competitions…. well, this year’s competition is proving the opposite.

A truly strength vs. strength competition has shown how healthy SA Rugby is at the moment, with the depth and youngsters coming through playing some awesome rugby. Just ask the Bulls how tough this competition still is… seeing that if the Cheetahs manage to beat them this weekend, they will be in a tough spot and most likely will have to fight to keep their place in a promotion / relegation match, most probably against the EP Kings.

From a Western Province fans’ point of view the above situation brings a smile. Can you imagine the Bulls playing in the first division? What a good laugh

Western Province have definitely impressed me with the way we are playing recently. Our defence is still rock solid when we truly need it, but our attacking has got me excited and hopefully we can continue with this style of play and take it into Super Rugby next year. This attacking style, offloading in the tackle, competing at the rucks to get quick ball, our running lines and dummy runners have definitely made WP look like the exciting rugby union it once was known for.

Even though we lost a couple of matches, I’m more confident in the team, that should we go to the Semi’s and Final this year, that we can win it.

I would have liked to see that Demetri Catrakilis remain with WP and the Stormers for next year’s campaign, as he and Nick Groom have been crucial to getting our backline going. Our centre pairing are not simply just taking the ball up, but they are running for the spaces and offloading in the tackle which helps alot in getting go forward momentum and it’s great to watch.

Allister keep with it, you guys are finally on the right track here…

Looking ahead to the match ups of the weekend, here are my Superbru picks for Round 7:
Cheetahs by 10, Lions by 4, Western Province by 9

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Posted on 30 July 2012 by aVanz

The past weekend’s semi-finals produced some spectacular rugby. Congratulations to the Sharks and the Chiefs who have booked their spots in this year’s Super Rugby final.

As a Stormers’ fan, I always backed my team for the win, but I was very concerned about facing the Sharks in the week building up to the semi’s. Once again the Sharks came and rained on the Stormers’ parade. I’m dissappointed, yet losing in the semi’s is probably better than losing in the final again, because the Chiefs, I think, would have smashed us and exploited this defensive gameplan “we” choose to employ.

We had our chances to seal the victory at the end, even if we once again didn’t deserve to win the game, it looked as if we could sneak it, but some decisions led to the Stormers ONCE AGAIN kicking away possession of the ball after only a few phases of attack and not knowing what else to do. Let’s face it, the Stormers looked good with ball in hand, why not play like that from the beginning? This has been my question for so long throughout this season, why Allister and company still insisted on the defensive mindset and playing ugly rugby to “win”. Well, newsflash Allister !!! Read the papers, the Stormers played unattractive rugby and that leads to unattractive results, crashing out of the competition.

You could see in the post-match interviews, when asked about the Stormers’ inability to score tries and will they change the way they play going forward, then Allister almost started crying, because his plan didn’t work out. Should have listened to everybody that have been trying to give them advice… STORMERS play some rugby for once, get a backline coach…

Yes, defence is big part of the game, and very crucial if you need it in tight games, but every single match we played throughout 2012, we made it a close game because of this defensive mindset. The Sharks have figured us out, they were tired, yet still they came and conquered, because they came to Newlands to play some rugby, good rugby, attractive & attacking rugby. Good going Sharks, well done !!

If there is a team the Stormers can look at for some attacking flair, it’s the Sharks. Like Allister said… lessons learnt…… well, hopefully!! We will see if Western Province will start to look at a different style come the Currie Cup, which sees this year’s campaign kick-off against this very Sharks’ team…

With the Sharks being boosted by the likes of Patrick Lambie and Paul Jordaan for the trip overseas, to face the Chiefs, I think if travelling doesn’t play such a big part, the Sharks will have the guns to finish off the Chiefs. For SA Rugby, I hope the Sharks can do it, and I hope they can claim the trophy and bring it home…

The bigger picture….

Will Heynecke be choosing the right players for the Rugby Championship, or will he stick with the Bulls that have been very poor this season? If he uses the right players and combinations, we will have a very strong team, and will definitely be in with a shout. But time will tell, who he will pick in his squad…

A very strong possible starting XV for the Springboks:

15. Gio Aplon 14. JP Petersen 13. Jean De Villiers (c) 12. Francois Steyn 11. Bryan Habana 10. Patrick Lambie 9. Francois Hougaardt 8. Willem Alberts 7. Marcel Coetzee 6. Heinrich Brussow 5. Andries Bekker 4. Eben Etzebeth 3. Jannie Du Plessis 2. Bismarck Du Plessis 1. Tendai Mtawarira

( 8 Sharks, 5 Stormers, 1 Cheetah & 1 Bull)

Make the call

Posted on 25 July 2012 by aVanz

The Semi-finals of this year’s Super Rugby tournament is drawing closer and the players and coaching staff are hoping they check all the boxes in preparation for the knock-out games – A whole season of hard work now comes down to… win or go home.

First up, Chiefs vs. Crusaders at Waikato Stadium on Friday. This will be cracker, with both teams playing real good rugby.

However, it seems as if the Chiefs maybe took the foot off the accelerator the past couple of rounds having lost their last two match-ups, against the Crusaders and Hurricanes. The Crusaders have shown in previous seasons that they hit top gear at just the right time of the competition, and this year is no different. Daniel Carter is playing awesome rugby again after the injury, maybe even a little better. I will have to say that Dan Carter will outplay Aaron Cruden and play a big part in the Crusaders winning the first semi-final of the weekend.

Secondly, we have the all South African semi-final with the two big coastal rivals packing down against each other on Saturday afternoon. It will be a hard fought battle and maybe the winning team might only be able to snatch victory by a moment of brilliance.

I don’t think that either team will run away it. The Sharks have to travel, which my see them looking a bit fatigued come the last 10 to 15 mins. With Eben Etzebeth back in the steam room will help our scrumming, as we desperately need to stop the momentum of those Sharks forwards who are in excellent form. If we manage to stop them upfront and put them under pressure we are definitely going to see Newlands host their first ever Super Rugby Final.

The Stormers’ team to face the Sharks:

Stormers:
15. Joe Pietersen, 14. Gio Aplon, 13. Juan de Jongh, 12. Jean de Villiers (captain), 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Peter Grant, 9. Dewaldt Duvenage, 8. Deon Fourie, 7. Rynhardt Elstadt, 6. Siya Kolisi, 5. Andries Bekker, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 3. Brok Harris, 2. Tiaan Liebenberg, 1. Steven Kitshoff

Substitutes: 16. Frans Malherbe, 17. Deon Carstens, 18. De Kock Steenkamp, 19. Don Armand, 20. Louis Schreuder, 21. Burton Francis, 22. Gerhard van den Heever

With Deon Fourie being able to cover the hooker position from no. 8 allows the Stormers to have two props on the bench, this might prove vital late in the second half to be able to bring on two fresh props instead of just one. I have my concerns regarding a possible upset by the Sharks but I will always back my team for the win.

My prediction for the Super Rugby Final…

Therefore, my weekend’s winning picks: Crusaders by 9 , Stormers by 4

And it’s down to only four…

Posted on 23 July 2012 by aVanz

The qualifying round of Super Rugby is now history and we were entertained with some good rugby by the Sharks and the Crusaders, who both earned their spots in the semi-finals to be played this weekend…

The qualifying round’s results have set up yet another round of derby matches for New Zealand and South African fans with the Chiefs to battle it out against the Crusaders and the Stormers to host the Sharks.

The Bulls were pathetic to say the least and did not deserve to win nor stood a chance against this very determined and focussed Crusaders’ team.

Morne Steyn was probably the main contributor to the Bull’s woeful performance, his tactical kicking was aimless and just gifted the Crusaders the ball, when put under pressure the Bulls gave away penalties and were punished by Dan Carter. It looked as if the Bulls were just trying to get through the game to get on the plane and fly back home, very disappointing if you are a Bulls fan, but just shows that the golden era of the Bulls is now over and they have to work hard to get up again. Moment of the match was when Robbie Freuen side-stepped Showpony Spies but then decided to cut back again to run through him, knocking Spies back on his ass.

In the other game, the Sharks dominated right from the kick-off, it was a brilliant game to watch. The Sharks came out guns blazing and the Reds simply had no answer.

Even without the services of Frans Steyn and Patrick Lambie, the Sharks were unstoppable.

The loosies were unbelievably good and with Willem Alberts packing down at lock, just gave them more fire power and the off-loading in the tackles were exceptional.

Fine, the Reds were without their Super Cooper, but even if he had played in this match it wouldn’t have made much difference. The Sharks didn’t go to Brisbane to negotiate, but to just simply take the semi-final berth for themselves. This win also possibly showing up how flawed the conference system is, as the Reds didn’t really deserve a play-off place, and the Sharks proved it to be true.

Personally, as a Stormers’ supporter, I am a little worried about facing the Sharks in the semi-final, it will be yet another bruising encounter, but the Sharks have the attacking edge and the Stormers never really had to play catch-up rugby, so if the Sharks start well and we’re on the back foot it might turn out to be a long day at the office, as the Sharks also showed that their defence is now better organised for the play-off phases. The Stormers need to be in charge from the start… but I’m somewhat concerned…

If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best, right?

One more to go…

Posted on 9 July 2012 by aVanz

With Super Round 17 concluded, the Stormers record yet another win, ugly and low on entertainment value, yet once again proven to be effective in a very cold, wet and rain-drenched Bloemfontein.

With the weather prediction and heavy rain in the build-up to kick off it was never really considered easy to score a try and the four try bonus point had to, once again, take a back seat…

But still, securing the second consecutive Conference Cup.

It was a battle of the flyhalves and the kicking game was deployed by both teams, it was always going to be a match where you only try play some rugby in the right parts the field and capitalising on the mistakes of your opponent.

The only thing that bothers me, is the lack of intensity and unforced errors made by Stormers on the attack. Yes, it was terrible conditions, yes, it was always going to be tough, but the 10 minutes after half-time when the rain briefly stopped, we tried to make the best of that situation, but we could not breach the Cheetahs’ defence, we were camping in their the 22m area and after 10 minutes settled for the 3 pointer. It’s not like we were up against the best defence… we’re simply lacking that confidence of crossing the whitewash and I hope that this doesn’t come back to bite us.

It must also be said that Heinrich Brussow is a machine, the way he stole the ball on the ground, his general play as well as defence was outstanding. He seems pissed off being left out the Springbok squad for the England Test Series and definitely showing what he can bring to the table come the Rugby Championship. I clearly remember that big hit he put in on Rynhardt Elstadt.

Contributing factors that we couldn’t score tries, besides the weather conditions, were the fact that for the second week in a row, against the lower ranked teams, got a scrumming lesson and we were out-muscled in the breakdowns and contact situations. These were areas of the game that we dominated in previous rounds and crucial to our game-plan, so are the Stormers now starting to battle keeping up their intensity?

I think we need to start considering alternatives in our half-back pairing, or is it simply the game-plan that makes them look so ordinary? But in my opinion, we are in desperate need of a worldclass scrum half. Peter Grant had a better game and always solid off the kicking tee, but the man of the match award I would’ve given to Heinrich Brussow. After losing Handre Pollard to the Blue Bulls and Peter Grant jetting off to Japan again at the completion of the tournament where does that leave WP? Demetri Catrakilis was playing such good rugby in the Vodacom Cup, why wasn’t he even given the opportunity at Super Rugby level this year?

The Stormers now have a big couple of weeks ahead come the play-offs and have to deal with losing another loose-forward in Jebb Sinclair, who won’t be eligible to play in any of the matches. Tough ask winning the competition from here, but we have shown what we can do, I just hope we don’t need to start playing catch-up rugby.

A big thanks to the Crusaders for doing us a favour against the Chiefs and thanks to the Sharks for smashing the Bulls in an awesome display of attacking rugby. These results making it 7 from 7 for my Superbru

Super Play-offs looming

Posted on 4 July 2012 by aVanz

With the Super Rugby playoffs now only two rounds away, its really starting to get congested at the top of the table, with teams fighting it out to claim one of the top six places on the log for a play-off berth.

As the log currently stands:
# TEAM Pts
1 Chiefs 62 NZC Leader
2 Stormers 58 SAC Leader
3 Brumbies 54 AC Leader
4 Bulls 54 Wildcard
5 Crusaders 52 Wildcard
6 Hurricanes 49 Wildcard
7 Reds 49
8 Sharks 49
9 Highlanders 45
10 Cheetahs 37
11 Waratahs 34
12 Rebels 29
13 Force 27
14 Blues 23
15 Lions 20

Lets start with Chiefs, four points ahead of the Stormers, but still two very tough remaining fixtures, first up this weekend against the Crusaders in Hamilton and then having to travel to face the Hurricanes in Wellington. Two losses for the Chiefs will help the Stormers out tremendously in efforts to win our maiden Super Rugby title, by securing a home semi-final and final, should we reach top place. The Stormers remaining fixtures is relatively easier with the Cheetahs away in Bloemfontein and then at home against the Rebels. But the Cheetahs could also possibly cause an upset, mainly because of their poor first half against the Bulls last weekend, then a better second half, so they will want to set things right.

Third is the Brumbies, Jake White has done well with this young team, and they still play the Waratahs in Sydney and then back home to face the Blues. The Waratahs and Blues are experiencing dissappointing seasons, could possibly cause upsets against the Brumbies, but with the conference system the Brumbies look set for a play-off spot.

The Bulls, second in the SA Conference, occupy fourth place on the log, they will be facing a very determined Sharks team, they could still sneak into the top six should they beat the Bulls in Durban, then have to play the Cheetahs at home as well. With Frans Steyn also back in the starting line-up for the Sharks, they should be playing some good rugby. I will back the Sharks to take the win against the Bulls this weekend, probably by about 3 points.

The Crusaders’ remaining fixture after the Chiefs, will be against the Force at home, which shouldn’t trouble them too much. Another crunch match-up will be the Reds vs. Highlanders, as the Hurricanes, Reds, Sharks and Highlanders will be slugging it out for the final play-off spot.

So I would think the top six places will go to the Stormers, Chiefs, Brumbies, Bulls, Sharks, Crusaders or possibly Hurricanes

The competition is now starting to get very interesting and this weekend’s matches look to be crucial for all the teams.

My weekend’s winning picks: Crusaders by 4, Reds by 6, Sharks by 3, Blues by 10, Brumbies by 7, Stormers by 11, Lions by 5

Good win, still on track

Posted on 2 July 2012 by aVanz

We have become accustomed to the winning ways of the Stormers in the past two seasons, albeit not always as attractive and the running-style rugby, we as fans want to see, but effective, winning rugby.

The past weekend saw the Stormers record yet another win, this time the second leg of the derby against the Lions at Newlands. In my opinion, it was the first time the Stormers’ players and coaching staff can stake claim that they played a near 80minutes of rugby. Usually either we played well in the first halve and then the second half defend our lead. But this time, we were forced to keep going. The Lions played very well, they were well-motivated for the clash with a point to prove. Unlucky for them, as for much of their season, could not pull it through especially not against the best defence in Super Rugby. The Lions gave us a hard time at scrum time as well as in the collisions and breakdown areas.

With the half time siren sounding, the score 13-3 in favor of the hosts and Gio Aplon the sole try scorer, receiving the pass from Peter Grant and Gio simply had to fall over the tryline with about 3 other players on his outside who could also easily have scored. The Stormers had some work to do in the second half. But the task was made harder by the Lions’ skipper, Josh Strauss, scoring the first try for his side. From there is was a hard contested battle to gain metres. But the Stormers held firm on defence, as well as building their phases when ball in hand. The possession stats show that the Stormers enjoyed 60% of the ball, which is good for us going forward, and that possession gave us the chance to score some more points. Canadian import, Jebb Sinclair and Gerhard van den Heever, crossing the Lions’ tryline in the last 10mins of the game and sealing the victory. The last try of the game came from a brave, fighting Lions team and Franco van der Merwe having the last say, but all in vain, as the victory was in the bag.

Overall I’m pleased with this win, showcasing some of the depth we have, with some really big names set for return before the play-offs, things should be very positive in the Stormers camp. Very close to the four try bonus point but that wasn’t to be. We need to keep our winning momentum now moving into the play-off stages. But things are definitely looking good, bring on the Cheetahs…

Super Break Over !!

Posted on 27 June 2012 by aVanz

This will be my first post on the new WordPress format… I must say, there are loads of features and settings I first had to change, I’m still struggling a bit to get the custom background and headers uploaded, not sure if anyone else has this problem with uploading media files…

With the June internationals now behind us and going into the last stretch of the Super Rugby tournament, it sure does look good for the Stormers, currently sitting in 2nd position on the combined log and 1st in the SA Conference. Should the Stormers be able to come back strong after the June break and record a win against the Lions, will just strengthen our position and probably make the SA Conference a done deal, making it 2 consecutive SA Conference Trophies.

The Stormers should be well rested and eager to get back on the field, so too, the Lions will be looking to build on the performance against the Sharks. We all know the Lions’ ability, if they decide to play a good game then they can upset any opposition team, but with all the politics and bad player / coach relationships at Lions currently, I think they will be beaten even before running onto the field, but the other side of the coin, they might come out firing and well motivated. But a win against the Lions will make the job easier, seeing the Stormers still have to play away against the Cheetahs.

The only area where the Stormers might struggle is in the loose trio, with Schalk Burger & Nick Koster out longer than initially anticipated. They should be okay if Siya Kolisi & Jebb Sinclair are joined by a guy like Pieter Louw, the question is what do we do in the playoff stages, because then Jebb & Pieter won’t be eligible to play. Reports say that Andries Bekker have made a good recovery and knowing how Allister Coetzee has been playing Bekker every game, he will probably be selected again in the starting XV, hopefully its not pushing him back in action too soon. Only time will tell if Bekker is a hundred percent or still carrying the injury.

My weekend’s winning picks: Chiefs by 10, Reds by 8, Crusaders by 12, Brumbies by 9, Stormers by 10, Bulls by 4

Unbelievably Awesome !!

Posted on 4 June 2012 by aVanz

What a weekend and what a performance by the Stormers team. Beating the Bulls at Loftus is never easy, not even to mention with all the setbacks the team suffered in the buildup to the much anticipated kick-off. I am so proud to be a Stormers supporter today, I can only imagine how some people up north are having a blue monday…

I for one, did not even imagine that we could pull this game off. But as the game went on, and seeing how tight our defence was, I could not help to start feeling optimistic for a win. Even with the possession stats 37% – 63% in favor of the hosts, the Stormers held on and stayed in the running. But when that try came at the end as Siya Kolisi broke through the Bulls’ defence and I saw Bryan Habana moving to the inside for the pass I simply knew this was it, and I was running around cheering even before Habana crossed the line. Yes, we as supporters give our players and coaching staff flack for not producing tries, but when a try like this is scored and even more, is match-winning try, then all is forgotten and I am really very proud of the boys showing this character and fighting back to win and handing the Bulls their 3rd consecutive loss in as many games. Loftus is turning into a nice home away from home for us. I also think its safe to say that Bryan Habana is back to his best.

Following the game, I found the Springbok squad announcement to be a bit shocking to say the least, only 3 Stormers included in the squad to play the English? What’s that about? So things so far looking very blue at the Bok camp, yet they lost against a much weaker Stormers’ side… Surely this sqaud can not go into the 4Nations and hopefully its only for the England series. On the one hand I can understand Heynecke’s approach by using players and staff that know his systems, and with the short preparation time and get it, but what happens going forward?

Recap of the squad announced for England Test Series:

Backs
Zane Kirchner, JP Pietersen, JJ Engelbrecht, Jean de Villiers, Wynand Olivier, Francois Steyn, Bryan Habana, Lwazi Mvovo, Bjorn Basson, Morne Steyn, Patrick Lambie, Elton Jantjies, Francois Hougaard, Jano Vermaak, Ruan Pienaar

Forwards
Tendai Mtawarira, Coenie Oosthuizen, Bismarck du Plessis, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Adriaan Strauss, Jannie du Plessis, Werner Kruger, Eben Etzebeth, Flip van der Merwe, Franco van der Merwe, Juandre Kruger, Marcell Coetzee, Willem Alberts, Pierre Spies, Ryan Kankowski, Keegan Daniel, Jacques Potgieter

A possible match day 22 for the 1st Test from the above squad is probably going to look something like this:

15. Patrick Lambie, 14. JP Pietersen, 13. Jean de Villiers (c), 12. Frans Steyn, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Morne Steyn, 9. Francois Hougaardt, 8. Pierre Spies (Loser), 7. Willem Alberts, 6. Marcel Coetzee, 5. Juandre Kruger, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 3. Jannie Du Plessis, 2. Bismarck Du Plessis, 1. Tendai Mtawarira.

Bench: 16. Chiliboy Ralapelle, 17. Coenie Oosthuizen, 18. Flip v/d Merwe, 19. Keegan Daniel, 20. Ruan Pienaar, 21. JJ Engelbrecht, 22. Lwazi Mvovo.

I mean Gio Aplon, Juan de Jongh, Siya Kolisi, Joe Pietersen not even a mention in the Bok plans. Heynecke might be in for a real hard time, should he not be successfull against the English. England is also a young team building towards 2015, so what a great opportunity it was for Heynecke to also start with a clear slate…

Atleast, after the June break the Stormers will probably benefit the most and we will be full strength and well-rested come playoffs. I just want to say it again… Bulls, you have been beaten twice in 160mins of Stormers’ rugby.

But now Super Rugby takes a back seat and the time has come to show what we can do at International level, Come on Bokke !! Let’s show our support for the Green & Gold and lets show these English how to play some good rugby !!

Oh and congrats to the Lions for a very good win over the Sharks, still some hope for your team Baylion, they played with pride

Superbru picks are final

Posted on 30 May 2012 by aVanz

I just saw the teams for the big North vs. South derby game. Here are the teams:

Bulls:

15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies (captain), 7 CJ Stander, 6 Dewald Potgieter, 5 Juandre Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Dean Greyling

Substitutes: 16 Willie Wepener, 17 Rayno Gerber, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 Arno Botha, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Louis Fouche, 22 Francois Venter

Stormers:

15. Gio Aplon, 14. Gerhard van den Heever, 13. Juan de Jongh, 12. Jean de Villiers (captain), 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Peter Grant, 9. Dewaldt Duvenage, 8. Jebb Sinclair, 7. Rynhardt Elstadt, 6. Siya Kolisi, 5. De Kock Steenkamp, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 3. Frans Malherbe, 2. Tiaan Liebenberg, 1. Deon Carstens

Substitutes: 16. Deon Fourie, 17 Brok Harris, 18. Quinn Roux, 19. Don Armand, 20. Nick Fenton-Wells, 21. Louis Schreuder, 22. Burton Francis

I’m really starting to get concerned and rather quite nervous for this game. The Stormers now have to take on the Bulls in the fortress without the services of big name players like Joe Pietersen, Andries Bekker & Steven Kitshoff. And what a blow Andries Bekker is for the Springboks.

Our forwards will probably find it very difficult against the Bull’s pack after loosing two of our starting tight five players and Joe will definitely be missed in the back three. Gerhard v/d Heever has not yet impressed but such a good player, hopefully he can step it up. With the Bull’s strong setpiece plays and their dominating forward play, will put us under immense pressure, I hope we have what it takes to still pull it through. I’m glad to see Quinn Roux coming in on the bench, another promising youngster and a big bloke…

So if Superbru picks weren’t final, I would be tempted to rather go for the Bulls this time.