Talking Sports like gals do shopping

Even though it comes down to the same thing, it is not!! & I want to say it again: BULLS DIDN’T WIN THAT GAME, WESTERN PROVINCE LOST IT…

If you think about it, just think about the last 5 min, WP was leading (even if it was just by a point) to win, but 2 lineout fumbles & 1 high-tackle later, we lost it.. I’m not gonna do the obvious and blame Sireli  “slow-mo” Naqelevuki or hail Steyn for a brilliant kick coz I already did that on Saturday. But after reading what some of my Bulls friends (yeah I got them) said on their facebook, I have to set the record straight here. Like Luke said in the 24.com article, nobody but them gave them a chance & those who did, merely did it coz of what their heart told them would happen.. I believed we would win & my supersport currie cup prediction will back me up on that.

The game started out exactly how I thought it would, Bulls looking like this was just another walk in the park & WP defending for all their worth yet making silly in-experienced errors & penalties.. I remember thinking at half time when the score was 12 – 6, about what John Smit told his players when they were trailing 16 – 8 to the Lions at half time in that game in Pretoria. For those who don’t know (n I cant remember the exact words) he said something along the lines of: the lions are  playing out of their skins, we are playing poorly, making silly mistakes yet they are still only leading with 8 points… if we step up, if we show we want this more, we will find a way to win..  Now I know WP isn’t the Boks (duh) & WP didn’t have the experience the Boks had in games like these, but I cant help to think that something along the lines of what John said was said in that WP locker room.. & boy did they show it..  at one point, they looked like super 14 champions & not like a team playing their 1^st semifinal in 4 years against arguably the best provincial side in the southern hemisphere..

You know the high tackle by slow mo wasn’t the 1^st time I thought aah man, that mistake is gona cost us the game …but it was a certain try that didn’t happen.. In about the 70^th minute or so (could even have been a bit later in the game) Joe Petersen tried to finish off a couple of phase plays by trying get through 2 bulls defenders 5 meters from their tryline but got nailed.We at least had the penalty to fall back on which he converted to take a one point lead but when they showed a the replay of the run & the tackle from a birds eye view, right in the corner you’ll see an unmarked “winger” named Tiaan Liebenberg that basically just had to catch the ball & dove over for the try.. Hell, he could even have galloped a couple of meters in towards the poles to make the conversion easier for Joe but he never got the pass.. And what could’ve been a 3 or even 5 point lead was only a 1 pointer..

If it comes down to one moment, one very silly, messed up (throw in a couple of swear words) moment, then we all can point to slow mo for costing us the game.. n you can then even turn it around to morne steyn coz he kicked it over. But morne didn’t beat slow-mo on Saturday, the bulls beat western province & that’s how the history books will see it. But Province, you guys have nothing to be ashamed of, you played one hell of a game and were 3 minutes away from beating the team everyone said couldn’t be beat.. I hope this game also showed you and everyone else in this rugby country that Province is back and eventhough it wasnt this year, die currie cup kom weer…

Im outy!!

I just read this article and I am livid!! The subject line says: “Duminy ‘next Ponting” and you guys can go read it if you want: http://www.sport24.co.za/Content/Cricket/ChampionsLeagueTwenty20/3161/ae549c1aba65438792a273d9c5748fb5/12-10-2009%2001-05/Duminy_next_Ponting

I don’t see myself as a player-hater especially in a team game. I might be a team-hater (Sorry ALL aussie teams in ANY sport form & ofcoz the Bulls) but aren’t we all. I might not be bulls fan but I can say that du preez is currently the best player on the planet. Period!! I might not be Aussie supporter but I can say that Ponting has been the best batsmen the last 5 – 8 years.. Now tell me please, when & where did JP Duminy come into the equation of overtaking from Ponting.. Talented? No Doubt!! Can he do it? Uuuhhmm… no comment.. The guy had an awesome Aussie tour and a wonderful start to his test career, but apart from that (& the pro20 competition earlier this year) has this guy really stepped up that much than say a Graeme Smith or AB de Villiers in the ODI arena? If anything, he showed that he’s a really good 20 over cricketer & he’s showing it again.. But where was he during the ICC competition? Ok, you can ask that about the whole SA team but I can’t see how one can call him “the next best thing” or “the answer for kallis” when he really hasn’t shown that much. AB de Villiers, now he can make a strong case for being dubbed the next Ponting or SA’s answer for Kallis coz he’s been doing it for the last 2 seasons. People forget that it was AB that led SA in run scoring in Aus & here in SA too.. & he’s the same age as JP. Where’s his comparisons? Or are they gonna dub him the next Tendulkar? Which brings me to another point.. Why do we do it? Don’t people understand that there will never be another Ponting or Tendulkar or Warne or or Lara.. Ever since Michael Jordan retired, potential & current NBA superstars have been dubbed the next MJ. The Kobe Bryants & Lebron James’; guys that are trying to make their own name & not try to live up to MJ’s (& its impossible really,coz the guy was too damn good).  I really hope JP will have an awesome career, even better than Ponting’s & I hope the same for AB or any other South African batsmen that will represent me on a global scale. But lets not make these guys bigger than they are..

Im outy

Aussie & All Black die hard fans probably still ask themselves (or convince themselves) would the Boks have beaten them if they met in the knock out stages of the World Cup. Us, the die hard Boks are convinced that we would’ve coz there was no way that we were going to lose in that tournament. I bring this up coz it looks like my beloved Province team is heading that same direction with Cheetahs, Sharks & Bulls fans probably thinking along that same lines. Everybody (that’s into Currie Cup) are going to glued to their seats come the Sharks – Griquas game because they’ll have a lot of teams’ fate in their hands as well as their own. You cant say the same about the WP game because they only have their own fate in their hands.

The Bulls will finish 3^rd even if the Leopards put all 22 men , Jan, Elton & the coach on the field. A bonus point win is merely a formality for these guys meaning they will face either the WP or Sharks in the semis. But here’s the thing: Why is everyone so scared of facing the Bulls? I mean, sure they’ve got their boks back but so did the Sharks and adding guys like Bekker, Burger & Januarie to your match 22 can only be beneficial to WP. Based on form, WP should finish log leaders come Saturday 19:00 but if they don’t & have to face the Bulls the next weekend, I think it will make the road to the finals even sweater should they make it. As big WP fan, I’m realistic enough to know a semi against the Cheetahs, Bulls or to a certain extend the Griquas won’t be easy but shiiieet I’d rather see my team in the semis than them not being there like the last couple of seasons.. And even if we fail to make finals, nothing should be taken away from this WP side who has grown in leaps and bounds this season. My concern is next season because I don’t think people realize what an important member of the team Luke Watson is. He’s like a mini-john smit for WP and will be sorely missed. So come next week Saturday and we are facing any of those 3 teams I just hope that we played the game that got us to that point and I so hope we get the Bulls. 2 reasons: Kicking them out of the Currie Cup would be soooo schweeeet!! & should they kick us out, we can atleast say we lost to the Super 14 champions. Hahahahhaha!! GO:

Prooooooooovince!!!

Im outy