Tag Archives: super 15

Meyer’s Breakdown Blues

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One can’t help but comment on Meyer’s speech about the breakdown “blues” of this country. Meyer is of the opinion that if we can sort out the breakdown of South African teams we can win matches. Truer words have never been spoken but then one would have to look at why we are having breakdown issues.

Meyer likes to say we have breakdown problems but then why does he not pick the players who can resolve that issue in his squad. Why is their no Brussow? Hell I’d even go as far as picking someone like Deon Fourie at 6 because on the ground he is devastating.

To me the problem doesn’t really lie in the fact that we are “behind” other teams in the pecking order come breakdown time but in the players we pick to win the breakdown game! Meyer is also a culprit in this regard.

When Meyer took over as Bok coach he believed that to win matches you need to boss the collisions. Fair enough, but without any ball to play with the only way you’ll win a match is tackling a team into submission.

I believe that this philosophy of big players has filtered down into our Super Rugby thinking. Of all the teams out their only the Cheetahs play a true fetcher in Brussow. The Stormers are playing a “big” loose trio but none of them really play to the ball. The only person who can is Duane Vermuelen but he is an 8th man and “fetching” is not part of his criteria. The Sharks have Keegan Daniel and Jacques Botes. Botes doesn’t make the starting team often and Daniel is fair on the ground but no where near the likes of Francois Louw or Brussow. The Kings have Watson but he is injured and way past his best and the Bulls have Stegmann who has never ever ever been anywhere near class… never mind international class on the ground.

Our team selections these last few years has been based on a Meyer philosophy of size wins games. Now Meyer is singing the breakdown blues. It makes no sense. I feel we have the talent and I believe to sort out our new Meyer issue we should pick the appropriate players for the role. Being great at the breakdown is a talent and not something that can be coached. The top three for this country, in my opinion, at the moment are Francois Louw, Heinrich Brussow and Deon Fourie. Of course when Bismarck comes back we have an extra “fetcher” and Adriaan Strauss and Coenie Oosthuizen are also not bad on the ground come ruck time.

So I do not agree with Meyer in saying that we are not good at the breakdown. If anything team choices make us bad at the breakdown. We look bad because we don’t pick a specialist. Looking at Meyer’s training squad selection it looks no better and I foresee a loss at the breakdown if Louw gets injured.

This would have been my Bok squad also without international players, based on current form in the Super XV:

Loosehead: Tendai Mtwarira (I know he is out of sorts but won’t play without him), Steven Kitshoff

Hooker: Adriaan Strauss, Kyle Cooper, Chiliboy Ralepelle

Tighthead: Coenie Oosthuizen, Wiehan Herbst, Frans Malherbe

4 Lock: Flip van der Merwe, Steven Sykes

5 Lock: Franco van der Merwe, Pieter-Steph du Toit

6 Flank: Heinrich Brussow, Deon Fourie

7 Flank: Lappies Labuschagne, Rynardt Elstadt, Siya Kolisi

8th Man: Duane Vermuelen, Phillip van der Walt, Jacques Engelbrecht

Scrumhalf: Cobus Reinach, Shaun Venter, Francois Hougaard

Flyhalf: Morné Steyn (as much as it pains me), Pat Lambie, Dimitri Catrakilis

Left Wing: Bryan Habana, Raymond Rhule

Inside Centre: Jean de Villiers, Robert Ebersohn

Outside Centre: Juan de Jongh, Lionel Mapoe (for lack of a better option)

Right Wing: Willie le Roux, JP Pietersen

Fullback: Frans Steyn, Joe Pietersen (for lack of a better option)

Note: I did not select current major injuries

So all in all I feel we are not behind when it comes to breakdown play… we just aren’t picking the right people for the job.

Sharks were tired and Morné Steyn is a fake

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Well as we know the Sharks got thumped on Saturday. I think there were very few people in this country that over-reacted to the loss… unless you are a staunch Sharks supporter. The fact that the chiefs won is more down to the fact that they were the fresher team than the better team. In fact, if the Sharks were given an extra week I have no doubts that the title would have been theirs.

The first few minutes the Sharks were in the game, but then one could see the engine start to sputter as the tank was getting empty. The outcome was almost inevitable, but there were a few (including myself) who thought they might pull off another Newlands.

Later in the day the Springbok squad was announced. Once again it wasn’t all that unexpected, but it did make me angry unlike the Sharks loss. The Sharks had an excuse, they were mentally and physically at their limit. Heyneke has no excuse for sticking with a Bok fake in the form of Morné Steyn. He is the biggest eye-sore in the squad, the word that makes me cringe, almost like a kick in the gonads. He was only ever adequate as a player, but now his adequacy has left him (kicking). Heyneke states he will coach him back to his “brilliant best”. The thing is he was never brilliant or the best, just adequate. What does that say about the younger generation coming through, the guys with truck loads more talent than Morné? Sorry you’re not a Bull so bugger off? Sounds like it. Meyer managed to turn the fortunes of two players in theEnglandtour, namely Habana and Olivier, in the space of a few games. Morné by contrast has only got worse. So no, I don’t think Meyer will succeed in sorting Morné out. He is more interested in his pink boots.

The other lucky Boks in my opinion are Jacques Potgieter, Jean de Villiers (I know we need a captain but his rugby has been bad the last while), Pierre Spies, Jano Vermaak, Flip van der Merwe and Zane Kirchner. I know Jacques is a hustle and bustle type player. He has no regard for his body and gives his all. But if you want to play him you will have to drop someone like Marcell Coetzee because you need a hard running flank that can get over the advantage line while damaging the defender, ala Willem Alberts, because we all know (and the Bulls supporters too) that Spies will never and can never do that. Jano Vermaak is lucky. He hasn’t played rugby all season but still gets picked above someone like McLeod, our best scrumhalf of the Super 15. That just proves that form means squat and being a Bull means everything. Books can be written about the useful impact players like Pierre Spies, Zane Kirchner and Flip van der Merwe make on a rugby field. It will be a one sentence book and if you combine the three it will be a three sentence book.

Jean de Villiers… one of my current heroes. This season he has been indifferent. If you would like to point fingers at a backline that fails to get away then I feel it should be aimed at this man. He was once a magician in the midfield and with Jaque Fourie at his side they were one of the best combinations ever. Jean will have to pull up his socks and improve on his game. His vision seems to have diminished, his once great distribution game is fast becoming myth. At least he still has more to offer than Morné.

The only true vision Heyneke has produced in the naming of this squad was getting Pat Cilliers in at the expense of Werner Kruger and finally picking Kolisi, who actually earned his position and wasn’t gifted it for wearing a baby blue or pink jumper this season. But the issue of picking Pat raises another. If Werner Kruger was dropped because of poor form (and being useless), then why wasn’t Morné offered the same deal? Why did Werner have to fall on the sword instead of getting coached better?

Springbok squad

Forwards: Willem Alberts, Andries Bekker, Pat Cilliers, Marcell Coetzee, Keegan Daniel, Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Eben Etzebeth, Dean Greyling, Siya Kolisi, Juandre Kruger, Tendai Mtawarira, Jacques Potgieter, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Pierre Spies, Adriaan Strauss, Flip van der Merwe.

Backs: Jean de Villiers (c), JJ Engelbrecht, Bryan Habana, Francois Hougaard, Elton Jantjies, Zane Kirchner, Patrick Lambie, Lwazi Mvovo, Ruan Pienaar, JP Pietersen, Frans Steyn, Morné Steyn, Jano Vermaak.

Stormers loss, Sharks gain

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What a game of rugby played by the Sharks and Stormers this weekend. It had ups and downs, moments of brilliance and moments of stupidity. Yes my favourite team lost but it wasn’t unexpected, and kudos to the Sharks for winning against all odds. As a nation we will be supporting them come finals time and hope they can produce the same game against the Chiefs.

Once again the platform for the Sharks was laid by the forwards. Their senior players in particular raised their hands and made telling contributions. The form loosies inSouth Africaat the moment are definitely the Sharks trio of Daniel, Coetzee and Kankowski. In my opinion Daniel is the top loosie forSouth Africaat the moment. He doesn’t just lead the team well but also leads from the front. In contrast Jean’s leadership is exemplary but his game play is not.

Experience, in my opinion, was the deciding factor in the game. The frontrow was where the platform was laid for the rest of the team, and you’d expect nothing less from a Springbok frontrow. The Stormers weakness was tighthead. If the Stormers want to become better they need to find an international class tighthead. Brok Harris just doesn’t cut it anymore.

The Stormers senior players didn’t rise to the occasion either. Jean was having a normal game, Juan de Jongh missed tackles, Grant was industrious with ball in hand but his kicking was shocking, as was Joe Pietersen’s and Duvenage’s. Duvenage is a consistent scrumhalf but will have to find an attacking edge to his game. He doesn’t break and thus doesn’t keep the opposition guessing.

The Stormers’ game plan also doesn’t giving them the luxury of trailing. They were too defensive minded. If they build up a lead it is easier for them to keep it than it is to chase one down. The defensive system works, of that there is no doubt, but they didn’t adapt when it mattered. They did show what they were capable of in the build up to Aplon’s try though. They showed patience, good decision making and good hands, but after that they went back to a frenetic form of play instead of just building systematically like they did with that try.

The Sharks deserved to win this game. They were better in all aspects and hungrier than the Stormers on the day. Sharks rugby looks strong. The only positive Stormers have of this season is that they have shown an amazing depth. Now that depth needs experience… and a tighthead.

If You Could Pick the Bok Team

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What would you do if you were given a chance to pick a match-day 22 member Springbok team and it had to be today? Who would you pick? Who, in your opinion, would be the current form players?

Well if I was given that opportunity then this is who I would pick, starting from loosehead prop:

  1. Tendai Mtwarira – affectionately known as the Beast, and with good reason. Has shown again why he is considered one of the best tight forwards in the country, if not the world. His display of strength keeping his jumper up also swung things in his favour.
  2. Bismarck du Plessis – There is no doubting that he is the premier hooker in the world at the moment. He is brilliant in the tight and the loose and steals ball like a fetcher. If anyone doubts he is the worlds best, they can take it up with Mr du Plessis.
  3. Jannie du Plessis – during the second half of the Super 15 competition Jannie has really shown his quality. He is scrumming well and playing well in the loose. Along with his brother and Beast they are probably one of the strangest front rows in the competition.
  4. Eben Etsebeth – he has proven himself to be the premier number 4 in the country at the moment and he is still very young. He has the ability to improve even more and that should be ominous for any team he faces. Not quite a Bakkies yet but he is sure to get there.
  5. Andries Bekker – he is starting to find his form again and hopefully his injuries are behind him. A stalwart of the Stormers team… and he is taller than everyone else.
  6. Marcell Coetzee - this kid has major talent. He is the energizer bunny, the new Schalk in his younger days. He has the highest tackle count in the Super 15 competition, and it’s because he never stands still and is always in the thick of things.
  7. Willem Alberts – He proved his worth against England and he continued doing that throughout the Super 15. Yes Plum has moved him to lock (which is not a bad call) but he still batters people into submission. The advantage line must hate the sight of Alberts at full tilt.
  8. Ryan Kankowski – man oh man has Kanko found some form. Not only did he show Pierre Spies up, the week after he goes and outplays Higginbotham. Granted his pack gives him go forward ball but the one thing that has come up is that Kanko can also play when the game is tight.
  9. Charl McLeod – Hougaard’s continued poor form sees him drop drastically in my pecking order. McLeod has delivered time and again and out of all the scrumhalves has looked the most dangerous. He reads a game well and can kick from the base of a scrum, ruck or maul, unlike Hougie.
  10. Peter Grant – the reason I pick him above… well, anyone else, is that he has been Mr. Consistency. He kicks above 90% in the competition, attacks the gain line and can defend. His only problem is distance kicks, but if you put someone like Frans Steyn next to him it won’t matter.
  11. Bryan Habana – he found his form against England and has been carrying it through after that. He is someone I would always have in my team because his defence is top notch to… and of course there is his pace.
  12. Frans Steyn – there is no doubt in my mind that Frans is our premier inside centre. He is big and fast, has great vision and can boot the ball miles. His defence is strong to.
  13. Jean de Villiers – the reason I pick Jean is because we need a captain. His game isn’t at its best but neither is it bad. He should rediscover his form soon though and then expect great things.
  14. JP Pietersen – well what can be said about the man other than at the moment, he is o fire! No one comes close to his class at the moment. His defence is impeccable, as shown against the Reds and has scored 4 tries in the last 5 games. Enough said.
  15. Pat Lambie – this is a close call Pat is injured at the moment, yes but other than that he is our best option, even though someone like Joe Pietersen and Louis Ludik are playing well. He is hardly caught out of position, can kick well, hardly ever misses a one on one tackle and can attack. Plus he is so calm, after Peter Grant I think he is the calmest guy on the field.
  1. Adriaan Strauss – he is definitely the second best hooker in the country.
  2. WP Nel – he has proven himself every year and every year he is overlooked. No wonder he is leaving
  3. Juandré Kruger – he has filled the void of Matfield quite nicely at the Bulls.
  4. Siya Kolisi – very unlucky not to have been included against the English. Strong tackler.
  5. Francois Hougaard – he offers more options. If he plays behind a dominating pack then he should perform well. He can also cover wing.
  6. Elton Jantjies – felt the blind faith shown in Morné Steyn was unwarranted. Should have gotten game time against the English. Think he would have done better than Steyn anyway.
  7. Juan de Jongh – because he gives the option of covering more bases. Would have loved to pick Basson because of his aerial play, but his injury is long term, or Mvovo because he can finish.

People I consider unlucky, but good enough:

  • JC Jansen van Rensburg
  • Lourens Adriaanse
  • Chiliboy Ralepelle
  • Tiaan Liebenberg
  • Steven Sykes
  • Anton Bressler
  • Franco van der Merwe
  • Keegan Daniel
  • Josh Strauss
  • Ashley Johnson
  • CJ Stander
  • Rynhardt Elstadt
  • Piet van Zyl
  • Dewaldt Duvenage
  • JJ Engelbrecht
  • Robert Ebersohn
  • Tim Whitehead
  • Louis Ludik
  • Joe Pietersen
  • Gio Aplon
  • Lwazi Mvovo

Super 15 Semi-final Match Ups

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Well tomorrow is the first semi-final game of the Super 15. It has been one hell of a season. It has been gruelling and closely fought. One of the closest competitions I can remember.

Chiefs vs. Crusaders – Hamilton (Fri 09:35am)

Chiefs: 15 Robbie Robinson, 14 Tim Nanai-Williams, 13 Andrew Horrell, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Asaeli Tikoirotuma, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 8 Kane Thompson, 7 Tanerau Latimer, 6 Liam Messam, 5 Brodie Retallick, 4 Craig Clarke (c), 3 Ben Tameifuna, 2 Mahonri Schwalger, 1 Sona Taumalolo.

Replacements: 16 Hika Elliot, 17 Ben Afeaki, 18 Michael Fitzgerald, 19 Sam Cane, 20 Brendon Leonard, 21 Jackson Willison, 22 Lelia Masaga.

The Chiefs face the Crusaders tomorrow morning. In my opinion the Crusaders should win this battle. I know the Chiefs have Sonny and Cruden playing some excellent rugby, but the fact is that the Crusaders know how to win semis. That coupled with the fact that they don’t have to travel 22000km’s and that they have some momentum going in, should tip the scales in their favour. It will be a close battle… or should be at least, but the Crusaders should take it by 5 or more.

Stormers vs. Sharks – Newlands (Sat 17:00pm)

Stormers: 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers (c), 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.

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

This is another of those tight games you wouldn’t want to put money on. The Sharks have come off an excellent win against the Reds. Their forwards dominated and their backs played like they have learnt their trade inNew Zealand. The return of all their first choice forwards has really helped the Sharks in the latter part of the tournament. Lambie and Jordaan won’t make the game. Lambie’s loss won’t be felt that badly since Ludik has found some excellent form. However, Jordaan’s loss might be the Stormers gain. Bosman is not a player that instils any confidence in his play, and with the memory still fresh of how Jean schooled him last year it might have a negative impact on his play. Plus I think overall he is just a mediocre player at best. The Stormers have had to endure another season of heavy losses but somehow still managed to top the table, the mark of any quality side. The break might not have been such a good thing since the Sharks head into the match with momentum, on the other hand they just had to travel 22000km’s. I expect the Stormers to just squeak through by 3 point or more.

Team of the week

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I was reading a Rugby365 article about their team of the week. I must say that after reading that it seems like the authors/editors have special lenses on that make some guys seem super human, like Hougaard who had a shocker but makes their bubbling under side. I am going to create my team of the week and compare it to Rugby365’s.

15 – Fullback:

Rugby365 – Israel Dagg, bubbling under – Louis Ludik

Me – Israel Dagg, bubbling under – Louis Ludik

I have no problems with this call. He had a superb game but was helped a lot by the Bulls’ wayward kicking. Ludik had another solid game. He is finally finding his feet at the Sharks. Pity it’s at the expense of Riaan Viljoen though

14 – Right Wing:

Rugby365 – JP Pietersen, bubbling under – Adam Whitelock

Me – JP Pietersen, bubbling under – Adam Whitelock

JP had another monster of a game. He has hit form at exactly the right time. Adam Whitelock gets chosen only because the others had quieter games than him.

13 – Outside Centre

Rugby365 – Paul Jordaan, bubbling under – Robbie Fruean

Me – Robbie Fruean, bubbling under – Paul Jordaan

Paul did have a good game but so did Fruean… and he played longer than Paul.

12 – Inside Centre

Rugby365 – Ryan Crotty, bubbling under – Tim Whitehead

Me – Tim Whitehead, bubbling under – Ryan Crotty

Whitehead had one of his best games in my book. He never missed a tackle and showed great hands and vision throughout the game. Ryan Crotty didn’t do too much against a weak Bulls team but was solid never the less.

11 – Left Wing

Rugby365 – Digby Ioane, bubbling under – Zac Guildford

Me – Zac Guildford, bubbling under – Lwazi Mvovo

Zac Guildford had a very good game against the Bulls and Mvovo had a much better game in my opinion than Ioane. Ioane was quite throughout the game really and kept well in check by the Sharks.

10 – Flyhalf

Rugby365 – Dan Carter, bubbling under – Frederic Michalak

Me – Dan Carter, bubbling under – Frederic Michalak

No complaints here. These two were by far the best on the day

9 – Scrumhalf

Rugby365 – Andy Ellis, bubbling under – Francois Hougaard

Me – Charl McLeod, bubbling under – Andy Ellis

I think the Rugby365 guys were smoking a bit of Durban Poison at this stage. McLeod was by far the best 9 of the day and Hougaard by far the worst.

8 – Eighth Man

Rugby365 – Richie McCaw, bubbling under – Scott Higginbotham

Me – Ryan Kankowski, bubbling under – Richie McCaw

How they saw Higginbotham having a better game than Kanko only they will know plus I know its Sir Richie, but please, Kanko had another stellar game and outplayed these two on the day

7 – Open-side Flank

Rugby365 – Marcell Coetzee, bubbling under – Matt Todd

Me – Marcell Coetzee, bubbling under – Liam Gill

It’s a no brainer on Coetzee but I picked Gill ahead of Todd because Gill looked like the more industrious of the two on the day. Todd in comparison was quiet.

6 – Blind-side Flank

Rugby365 – Keegan Daniel, bubbling under – Jacques Potgieter

Me – Keegan Daniel, bubbling under – George Whitelock

Daniel had one of his best games this season and Whitelock did more than crash ball on the day, because that’s the only thing Potgieter did all day.

5 – Lock

Rugby365 – Sam Whitelock, bubbling under – Anton Bressler

Me – Sam Whitelock, bubbling under – Anton Bressler

This, in my mind, was almost too close to call. They both had stunning games.

4 – Lock

Rugby365 – Luke Romano, bubbling under – Willem Alberts

Me – Willem Alberts, bubbling under – Luke Romano

This was another close call but the reason I go with Alberts is because he gave the Sharks that extra edge up front.

3 – Tighthead Prop

Rugby365 – Owen Franks, bubbling under – Jannie du Plessis

Me – Jannie du Plessis, bubbling under – Owen Franks

It was a difficult call between the front rows of both the Sharks and Crusaders. I pip Jannie here because I felt his contribution in the loose was outstanding as well.

2 – Hooker

Rugby365 – Bismarck du Plessis, bubbling under – Corey Flynn

Me – Bismarck du Plessis, bubbling under – Corey Flynn

This was a no brainer.Bismarckis by far the best hooker in the world at the moment.

1 – Loosehead Prop

Rugby365 – Tendai Mtwarira, bubbling under – Wyatt Crockett

Me – Tendai Mtwarira, bubbling under – Wyatt Crockett

Beast’s game in the loose tipped things in his favour. Crockett made mine-meat out of Kruger.

Thoughts on this past weekend’s fixtures

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What a weekend for South African sport in general. Ernie Els wins the Open, South African cricket were quite literally subjugatingEngland, and the Sharks had reds for breakfast… and then some. The only let down was the luck-lustre performance of the Bulls.

The Sharks dominance over the Reds was emphatic. It was also helped by the injury and the bizarre move of Genia to flyhalf. The forwards lay a platform for the likes of McLeod (in my opinion the best SA scrumhalf currently) and Michalak to dictate matters. To single out players in that game would be an injustice to the team as a whole. But I’m doing it anyway.

Top of my list of outstanding players for the Sharks was JP Pietersen. He was immense throughout the game. He made a number of telling tackles, especially coming off his wing to catch the Reds man and ball and halt their attacking momentum. He was great on attack as well, even scoring a try. In the forwards everyone put up their hands. Daniel lead from the front and provided deft touches, the locks were industrious, Kankowski keeps playing his best rugby and Marcel Coetzee runs on cold fusion. But this platform was laid by the stellar work of Beast,Bismarckand Jannie. They were absolute powerhouses. To me an unsung hero for the Sharks all season has been Tim Whitehead. He doesn’t seem to miss a tackle, can spot a gap and has excellent distribution skills. Best buy the Sharks have made in some time.

In the Bulls game the entire team were their own worst enemies. The front row was shocking. How they are Boks is beyond me. Chiliboy can play, but in Dean Greyling and Werner Kruger they have mediocre (at best) props. Dean is wonderful in the loose but poor on scrumming form, the building block of any rugby team. Werner Kruger should never have been and should never ever again be included in any form of Springbok rugby. Some fault for the poor scrum performance should go to the locks. Juandre is excellent at lineouts and all round play but seems a bit light in the engine room. But that is what he is, more of a Matfield than a Bakkies and that is what the Bulls are missing at the moment and in Flip they don’t have that. I would have stuck with Steenkamp. The loose trio don’t seem to gel and once again when things get tough, Spies goes AWOL. Jacques Potgieter showed some spirit and fight but it seemed to be man alone. Behind a losing pack Hougaard’s inefficiencies are exposed. There is no doubting his talent but maybe he should stick to wing. Morné had another shocker… even kicking the ground when he tried some aimless kick. You can’t really blame the rest of the backline for a mediocre performance because their games are usually tied into the form of their inside men.

The problem I have with the Bulls rugby at the moment is this, when there kicking game fails, they have nothing to fall back on. It used to work so well for them but that was because they had a forward pack who dominated in every facet of the game.

Unlike the Bulls, the Sharks showed that they can adapt. When the Reds were camped on the Sharks line they changed style and voila, they got away form their line. And that is what will make the Shark a dangerous team against the Stormers.

There is an air of confidence in the black and white team. If I were a betting man I’d probably put my money on them to win the Newlands exchange… if they didn’t just have to a 22000 km round trip for the playoffs.

Super 15 Weekend Match Ups

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As we know it is almost time for the antepenultimate weekend of Super 15 rugby. It has been a fantastic season. One of the closest I have seen in a very long time. Let’s have a look at the games being played this weekend and then I’ll give my reasons as to who I think the winners will be.

Crusaders vs. Bulls – Christchurch (Sat 09:35am)

Crusaders: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Adam Whitelock, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 ZacGuildford, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Richie McCaw (c), 7 Matt Todd, 6 George Whitelock, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Luke Romano, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Wyatt Crockett.

Subs: 16 Quentin MacDonald, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Tom Donnelly, 19 Luke Whitelock, 20 Willi Heinz, 21 Tom Taylor, 22 Sean Maitland.

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

Subs: 16 Willie Wepener, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Deon Stegmann, 19 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Louis Fouché, 22 Francois Venter.

Yes this is a semi semi-final. Both teams will be highly motivated and raring to go. The Crusaders have a plethora of players that are all brilliant players and who seem to have hit their straps at the right time. Their timing in that respect always seems to be spot on! The Bulls have 14 Boks in there team but unlike the Crusaders their rugby has been mediocre at best. Their forwards were demolished by the Lions last week and that in itself should be worrying to the men from Pretoria. For so long their game has been about forward dominance, but the current crop don’t seem to be able to deliver. The front row of the Bulls, containing 3 Springboks, got schooled by the Lions front row, containing no Springboks. Can you just imagine what a front row consisting of the Franks brothers and Crockett will do to the men in blue? I shudder at the thought. In the back row it will be Spies up against McCaw. Spies had a good series against the English, up until the last game where he faded once again when things got tight, so in my opinion this is a no brainer, McCaw will dominate as he always does. Add to that his poaching abilities and the Bulls should have a tough time on the ground. Hougaard is class but behind a pack that hasn’t dominated, his short comings have been exposed. He is still a dangerous player and overall should pip Ellis. The battle between Steyn and Carter should also be one way traffic. Steyn has had a shocker of a season. He was never any good at playing a running game but now that his kicking has gone haywire he doesn’t offer much, if anything. Carter is the complete package, he can kick, run and pass plus his decision making is top notch. All in all Ellis and Carter should dominate thanks to a superior pack of forwards. The Bulls will lose this game. Yes they have travelled and that is never easy but it will all boil down to the Crusaders being superior in every way and hitting form when it matters. The Bulls will pour heart and soul into this game but I feel the Crusaders will take it by 10 or more.

Reds vs. Sharks – Brisbane (Sat 11:40am)

Reds: 15 Luke Morahan, 14 Dom Shipperley, 13 Anthony Faingaa, 12 Mike Harris, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Ben Lucas, 9 Will Genia (c), 8 Scott Higginbotham, 7 Liam Gill, 6 Jake Schatz, 5 Adam Wallace-Harrison, 4 Rob Simmons, 3 James Slipper, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Greg Holmes.

Subs: 16 James Hanson, 17 Ben Daley, 18 Radike Samo, 19 Beau Robinson,           20 Jarrad Butler, 21 Nick Frisby, 22 Ben Tapuai.

Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Tim Whitehead, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Charl McLeod, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Marcell Coetzee, 6 Keegan Daniel (c), 5 Anton Bresler, 4 Willem Alberts, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.

Subs: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Steven Sykes, 19 Jacques Botes, 20 Cobus Reinhach, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 Odwa Ndungane.

This game will be a tougher one to call than the Crusaders and the Bulls. The Sharks have his some fantastic form and so have the Reds. Up front the Sharks should easily out-muscle the Reds. The interesting move is Alberts at 4 but I am sure he will be just as bone jarringly effective as he has been most of this season. The back row tussle should be more of a level footing. Gill has been excellent on the ground and Higginbotham’s general play has been great. Daniel and Marcell have had stellar seasons for the Sharks. But what should edge it the way of the Sharks is how Kankowski has played in his last few games. Against the Bulls he was fantastic, outplaying Spies by miles! He had just as good a performance against the Cheetahs last week. McLeod against Genia should be interesting but, in my opinion, Genia is the best in the world at the moment. The unknown for the Reds is Ben Lucas. Saturday will tell if it is a good call but Michalak should easily have the edge on him. He has had a great season at the Sharks this year. I feel the loss of Frans Steyn in the middle will have an impact but it gives the exciting Paul Jordaan a chance to show case his talent, of which it looks he has plenty. The back three should be an interesting tussle with Ludik having recently found some good form. I call this game in favour of the Sharks and I put that down to their forwards being a shade better than the Reds. The Sharks should win by 5 or more.

Youngsters of tomorrow

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When looking at the young player signings of some of the franchises one thing is sure… the Bulls have money to burn!! But that’s not what I want to talk about.

What is noticeable is how there seems to be a lot of hype surrounding the next generation of rugby stars. The unions are spotting them from a very young age and then grooming them. Now the main reason for this seems not so much to be about the attention afforded by unions on these players but about the media coverage it is receiving. I feel the unions have always been doing this and haven’t changed in approach.

Media coverage of these young players has exponentially increased. Not so long ago you only really heard about a new, young and exciting player when he was at the union, already doing his thing. Now you hear about them much earlier. There seems to be a bigger emphasis by media to cover the traditional rugby weeks, thus giving the average Joe more exposure to the players and thus the heighted attention.

All of this I feel stems from primarily two places. The first, and for me the most obvious, is the Varsity Cup. It has been a breath of fresh air in our rugby mad republic. The media attention it gets it deserves. People are more exposed to the younger generation of rugby players than ever before and a few players have the Varsity Cup to thank for their rise in prominence. Let’s take Katrikillas as an example. Never really an age group star, he managed to find his way to UCT and help them win the Varsity Cup that year. He got noticed and with WP losing flyhalves like a kid loses marbles, they snapped him up and he proved that he can play at Currie Cup level. If it wasn’t for the Varsity Cup I don’t think we would ever have heard of him.

The second and somewhat smaller contributing factor is the gruelling rugby season. Unions are forced to look for a plethora of players (of quality) to be able to cover all positions for the inevitable injuries. Due to unions spreading there nets wider the media obviously affords these players coverage.

Now there is a third factor but it is somewhat less than the other two and that is the amount of media available to unions to use to promote themselves. Twitter, Facebook, internet… it is all there for these unions to use. Some do so with aplomb and other need more work. The Bulls and Sharks sites are usually full of stories, news and bios of new players. The Stormers website, in comparison, looks like a barebones copy. It only gives you names but no news on players, or even background info. Yes they have launched the Stormers Magazine (eZine) online and it is doing well but it doesn’t give you more than who they are focusing on.

Now whether the amount of attention schoolboys receive is a good or bad thing depends on perspective. To the schoolboy in question it must be like heaven but the amount of pressure can also be a negative factor. One such person suffering under that mantle right now, in my opinion, is Johan Sadie. He left Newlands with such high prospects but has failed to live up to it. Everyone knows it, and he knows everyone knows it. How he responds remains to be seen… will it be negative or positive.

In general, for the rugby mad public of this country, I feel it’s a positive for our rugby. We can only become a stronger rugby nation through it!