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by Baylion

Kleftiko – a Greek stole a lamb’s thunder

October 28, 2012 in Uncategorized

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kleftiko - stolen meatKleftiko is a traditional Greek dish of baked lamb, believed to originate when bandits stole lambs and baked the meat in clay. Yesterday The Greek and his band of WP bandits slow-baked The Lamb and his Sharks to steal the Currie Cup. But that’s not all they stole, they also allowed Alasdair Fraser to “steal” top honours in our fantasy league pool from Kitchener and myself, both having gone for a Sharks win.

Congratulations Alisdair, not only on your win but also on WP’s.

And thanks everyone for playing!

Final Currie Cup fantasy league log

 

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Friday Snippets – 19 Oct 2012

October 19, 2012 in Uncategorized

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Did you hear that thieves broke into the Western Province trophy room last night?
Police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of a glass cabinet and a carpet.

All eyes are on the knock out games this weekend when the FS Cheetahs face the EP Kings, the Sharks host the Blue Bulls and the Golden Lions play WP, so let’s start there.

FS Cheetahs vs EP Kings:

Most people expect the Cheetahs to comfortably dispatch the Kings tonight but they should beware, the Kings beat the Free State in the Vodacom Cup and while a full strength and on form Cheetahs team should have no problems beating the Kings that is not the case for a team decimated by injuries and in poor form. Don’t be surprised if the Kings take the first play off match.

A Cheetahs supporter will be in Bloem for the weekend and have nothing better to do so he thought he’d go and support his team against the Kings and phones the stadium. “Is there still some space?” he asks.
“Yes”, came the reply, “what position do you play?”

Sharks vs Blue Bulls:

The Sharks are playing most of their Boks off the bench and this may just cost them against a full strength Blue Bulls side. Playing catch up rugby is the last thing they want and Plumtree’s gamble may backfire.

Albert Einstein arrives at a party and introduces himself to the first person he sees and asks, “What is your IQ?” to which the man answers “241.”

“That’s wonderful!,” says Albert. “We will talk about the Grand Unification Theory and the mysteries of the Universe. We will have much to discuss!”

Next Albert introduces himself to a woman and asks, “What is your IQ?” To which the lady answers, “144.”

“That is great!,” responds Albert. “We can discuss politics and current affairs. We will have much to discuss!”

Albert goes to another person and asks, “What is your IQ?” to which the man answers, “51.”

Albert responds, “So, what do you reckon happened to the Blue Bulls?”

Golden Lions vs WP:

I have already done my match preview in the previous post but the latest news is that Hollenbach is fit to start at #12 while CJ van der Linde will be on the bench with Pat Cilliers missing out this time. The Lions have two very good front rows and unfortunately not all of them can be in the match 22. Alwyn Hollenbach will play in his 100th first class game.

Some Province supporters die and go to hell. The devil notices that they’re quite happy, and asks them why. They explain “After the lousy weather in Cape Town, we actually enjoy the warmth.”

The devil thinks “I’ll fix them” and turns up the heat. He finds the them with their shirts off enjoying a snoek on the braai and having papsak “Whenever the weather gets this good in Cape Town, we can’t waste it, so this is what we do”

The devil decides to wipe the smile off their faces by turning the heat down to freezing. He returns to the province fans to find them celebrating.

“What now?” he asks.

One explains “Well, when hell freezes over, we’re sure to win the Currie Cup”

Divided loyalties?:

On Friday Andries Strauss will try and help the Cheetahs keep his new team, the Kings, in the lower division of the Currie Cup while three of the Lions (Elton Jantjies, Jaco Taute and Michael Rhodes) will try to stop their new team for 2013 progress any further in the Currie Cup.

Baywatch retires:

By now this is old news already but hats off for a warrior who remained loyal through trying times. Cobus Grobbelaar played nearly 250 matches for the Lions from u/16 level up, and stuck with the union after the 2009 player revolt and mass defections, captained the Lions through their disasterous 2010 winless Super Rugby campaign and survived John Mitchell’s purge at the start of his tenure. Having won the Currie Cup with the Lions last year he will, hopefully, get another opportunity next weekend.

Ex-Lion Josh Strauss:

Josh Strauss scored his first try over the weekend for his new team, Glasgow Warriors, against the Northampton Saints and was awarded MOTM in his first Heineken Cup game. Unfortunately this was not enough to help his team win the match as they threw away a 15-0 lead to lose 24-15.

What do you do for a drowning WP rugby player?
Nothing. You could drag him to the top, but he’ll choke anyway

John Mitchell:

With his arbitration hearing still dragging on it seems Mitch is ready to take on the coaching job at the Sale Sharks. According reports he is spending some time at the club and attended their match against Cardiff Blues, he might travel to France with the squad for their match against Montpellier.

u/21 semi finals:

The u/21 semi finals this weekend feature the Sharks vs WP in Durban and the Blue Bulls vs the Cheetahs in Pretoria. The Lions just missed out to make it a clean sweep for the  four unions competing in the seniors and u/19 semi finals.

u/19 semi finals:

The u/19 semi finals feature the same teams as the seniors albeit with roles and home venues reversed . WP plays the Lions in Stellenbosch while the Blue Bulls plays the Sharks in Pretoria.

2012 National Amateur:

The Golden Lions (Northern Amateur champions) plays WP (Southern Amateur champions) at Coca Cola Park in the curtain raiser to the Currie Cup semi finals. Both teams have already played and won against Griquas (Central Amateur champions) and the match will decide the 2012 National Amateur champion.

Why did Naka Drotske go to a ball dressed as a pumpkin?
Because he hoped when the clock struck midnight he would turn into a coach

Varsity Cup Preparations:

Both UJ and Wits have recruited well in the off seaon in preparation for next year’s Varsity Cup, Wits’s first year in the top competition.

UJ recruited four of the Lions’ 2012 u/20 Boks in flyhalf Marais Schmidt, scrumhalf Vian van der Watt, eigthman Fabian Booysen and hooker Mark Pretorius. They have also signed national club champions College Rovers’ fullback, Kobus de Kock, who played Sharks age group rugby and played in Vodacom Cup for the Sharks in 2011.

Varsity Cup rookies Wits is also working hard at strengthening their team for the higher level competition, having been promoted from the Varsity Shield.

2011 Lions u/21 and UJ winger, Jacques Erasmus, 2010 Lions Craven Week and 2011 WP u/19 flyhalf Kazlo Holtzhauzen, 2011Lions u/21number eight Carel Greeff and current Lions u/21 prop Jacques Kotzé have all joined Wits together with 2012 Scotland u/20 scrumhalf Matt Torrance.

Having two universities in the Varsity Cup definitely benefit the Lions and help them retain some of their best young players.

An Durban schoolteacher explains to her class that she is a Sharks fan. She asks her students to raise their hands if they, too, are Sharks fans. Everyone in the class raises their hand expect one little girl.

The teacher looks at the girl with surprise and says, “Janie, why didn’t you raise your hand?” “Because I’m not a Sharks fan,” she replied. The teacher, still shocked, asked, “Well, if you are not a Sharks fan, then who are you a fan of?” “I am a Lions fan, and proud of it,” Janie replied. The teacher could not believe her ears. “Janie, why are you a Lions fan?” “Because my mum is a Lions fan, and my dad is a Lions fan, so I’m a Lions fan too!”

“Well,” said the teacher in an obviously annoyed tone, “That is no reason for you to be a Lions fan. You don’t have to be just like your parents all of the time. What if your mum were a moron and your dad were a moron, what would you be then?”

“Then,” Janie smiled, “I’d be a Sharks fan.”

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Currie Cup Semi Final – Golden Lions vs WP

October 18, 2012 in Uncategorized

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Baywatch Grobbelaar Benefit Match

The business end of the Currie Cup starts this weekend with the Golden Lions and WP featuring in the last semi final. In a replay of last year’s semi final the Super Rugby log leaders take on the Super Rugby wooden spooners with the hope of progressing to only their second Currie Cup final in 11 years.

The match will also serve as Cobus “Baywatch” Grobbelaar’s Benefit Match ahead of his retirement after playing nearly 250 matches for the Lions in its various guises from age group level through to Super Rugby.

For Western Province there is a lot riding on this game having last won the trophy in 2001 despite being one of the best and most consistent teams in South Africa in recent years. They pulled in all their available Boks last week but has had three ruled out with injuries since then.

The Lions have a lot riding on this game as well and it could be a very emotional crowd attending the game. Not only is it Baywatch’s farewell at Ellis Park (unless the Bulls and the Lions win this weekend) but it is also an opportunity to flip a finger at SARU if they could beat the Super Rugby log leaders at full strength.

Making 11 changes to the side that played the Bulls the Lions field one the strongest sides they have been able to field this year although a bit short on experience, especially the backline where only Hollenbach/Des Fountain and Bondesio are over 22. It is still uncertain whether Hollenbach will play and I hope he does. Hollenbach plays well off Jantjies and is good at straightening the backline to provide space for the outside backs.

Up front, however, the Lions field one of the strongest scrumming units in the country and they would feel confident that they can get enough ball from the set pieces to bring their talented young backs into the game. But the loosies will have to contend with the WP loosies, especially Deon Fourie and Duane Vermeulen, to ensure that possession is protected at the breakdowns.

In recent weeks the Lions have tended to be cavalier in their protection of the ball and had to play with minimal possession. If that’s the case again on Saturday it could very well cost them the match. They need to realise that they are into the knock out stages and that this is not the time to play festival rugby.

In the match ups:

Back three:

This is probably where the Lions are most vulnerable. Coetzee, Combrinck and Volminck are all only 22 and in their first year of senior rugby, let alone their first Currie Cup semi final. The Lions youngsters will have to be on form under the high ball because in Habana, van den Heever and Aplon WP has three excellent kick chasers and high ball players who will feed off any mistakes. On the other hand, the Lions back three can carve holes in most defences with ball in hand. An interesting contest awaits. Honours WP.

Midfield:

You couldn’t ask for more different styles of midfielders. WP’s Brache and de Jongh are two twinkle toes who love to create havoc amongst midfield defenders while the Lions midfield of Hollenbach/Des Fountain and Taute are more straight ball runners depending on strength and speed to get through gaps and provide a different test for opposition defenders. Added flavour to this contest is that de Jongh will probably be out to prove a point having sat on the bench behind Taute in the last two tests. This could work in the Lions favour though, as his known reluctence to pass the ball could get even worse, starving Habana, van de Heever and Aplon of any meaningfull possession. Honours even.

Halfbacks:

This is where the game could be won or lost. WP’s relatively inexperienced halfback pair of Groom and Catrakilis have a tough task ahead of them, especially if the Lions pack can spoil the quality of possession they get, facing a much more experienced pair in Bondesio and Jantjies. However, Groom and Catrakilis know each other very well having played together for Ikeys as well. I enjoy Groom’s game and have always felt the Stormers missed a trick in not using Catrakilis during Super Rugby. Add the goal kicking of Jantjies and Catrakilis, both very good when they are on form, and you have a real contest. Honours Lions.

Loosies:

The battle for loose ball possession is going to be epic and the contest between Deon Fourie and Baywatch will be interesting to watch. Fourie has settled into his roll at fetcher flank and Baywatch’s work rate is of the highest order. For the Lions Jaco Kriel has become a force, replacing the punch they lost with Josh Strauss, while Whiteley has taken to the responsibility of starting #8 but they face Duane Verleulen who had a very good run with the Boks and is in top form. We are not going to see the brute strength bash up play we see in some other games. You can watch this match just to enjoy the variety of skills these two loosie packs will put on display. Honours even.

Second row:

An old war horse, a journeyman and two exciting youngsters. Franco van der Merwe has long been underrated as a lineout specialist and should rule the lineouts, especially against a journeyman like de Kock Steenkamp, but with Michael Rhodes and Eben Etzebeth on the field we’re going to see some crunching runs and cleanouts and maybe some tempers flared. A yellow card for one or both is not out of the question. Honours Lions.

Front row:

The best front row in the competition against the youngest. Talented as they are the WP youngsters will know they have been in a contest. The Lions have perfected the eight man scrum and I expect the WP scrum to struggle in the contest. Honours Lions.

Overall:

The Lions should rule the scrums and lineouts, ruck and mauls will be about even and the Lions halfbacks should be too much for the WP youngsters. However, if Catrakilis can get his backline away and if his out of hand kicking is accurate the Lions backs could be in for a torrid time.

The Lions should take the match. Apart from two or three players the Lions just have too much power up front and since the WP’s real danger men are out wide I think the Lions will be able to limit their possession. But one shouldn’t underestimate WP’s quality defence and, of course, a Lions implosion like last week and all bets are off.

Lions by 9.

Golden Lions:

15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Jaco Taute, 12 Alwyn Hollenbach/Dylan des Fountain, 11 Anthony Volmink, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Michael Bondesio, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Jaco Kriel, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Michael Rhodes, 3 Jacobie Adriaanse, 2 Callie Visagie, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg (captain).

Replacements: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 CJ van der Linde/Pat Cilliers, 18 Hendrik Roodt, 19 Derick Minnie, 20 Ross Cronje, 21 Butch James, 22 Deon Helberg.

Western Province:

15. Gio Aplon, 14. Gerhard van den Heever, 13. Juan de Jongh, 12. Marcel Brache, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Demetri Catrakilis, 9. Nic Groom, 8. Duane Vermeulen, 7. Don Armand, 6. Deon Fourie (captain), 5. De Kock Steenkamp, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 3. Frans Malherbe, 2. Scarra Ntubeni, 1. Steven Kitshoff

Substitutes: 16. Deon Carstens, 17. Brok Harris, 18. Wilhelm van der Sluys, 19. Jebb Sinclair, 20. Louis Schreuder, 21. Damian de Allende, 22. Joe Pietersen

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Who do you want to ref your game?

October 17, 2012 in Uncategorized

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People often feel that certain refs are against their teams but often without the “facts”. I looked at the Currie Cup refs since 2005 and some interesting stats came out.

Note: All matches were included.

Craig Joubert

The Bulls definitely want Craig Joubert as a ref but for the rest he is is quite even handed. Interestingly he has only reffed the Sharks once since 2005.

Bulls: W 12 | L 6
Cheetahs: W 6 | L 5
Lions: W 7 | L 6
Sharks: W 1 | L 0
WP: W 5 | L 3

Jaco Peyper

Definitely the Lions favourite ref.

Bulls: W 2 | L 3
Cheetahs: W 0 | L 0
Lions: W 6 | L 1
Sharks: W 5 | L 4
WP: W 2 | L 2

Jason Jaftha

Not one for the Bulls but the Lions and Sharks do well when he blows

Bulls: W 0 | L 3
Cheetahs: W 4 | L 4
Lions: W 5 | L 2
Sharks: W 6 | L 2
WP: W 0 | L 0

Jonathan Kaplan

A definite Sharks bias with Kaplan although the Bulls cannot complain either

Bulls: W 8 | L 3 | D 1
Cheetahs: W 3 | L 5 | D 1
Lions: W 4 | L 5
Sharks: W 17 | L 3
WP: W 6 | L 8 | D 1

Marius Jonker

Bulls and Sharks all the way with the Cheetahs doing well too

Bulls: W 10 | L 2 | D 1
Cheetahs: W 11 | L 8 | D 2
Lions: W 6 | L 7 | D 1
Sharks: W 15 | L 2
WP: W 7 | L 8

Mark Lawrence

Fairly even handed but the Lions and Sharks tend to suffer under him.

Bulls: W 11 | L 7
Cheetahs: W 8 | L 4 | D 2
Lions: W 5 | L 11 | D 1
Sharks: W 2 | L 7
WP: W 8 | L 4

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Semi final refs – the stats

October 17, 2012 in Uncategorized

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Interesting stats I picked up in a Sharksworld comment. (I haven’t checked these stats). We love to think that certain refs hate our teams but perception isn’t always the truth.

Lions vs WP (Marius Jonker):

Since 2003, Jonker has reffed the Lions in 15 Currie Cup games, which they won 7. Of these 15 games, seven were at home (won four) and eight were away (won three).

Jonker reffing province is similar, 15 Currie cup games, province won seven. Five were home games (won four) and 10 were away(won three)

Interestingly, Jonker has reffed five Lions/province Currie Cup games, and the Lions have won four of those, the only province win coming in week 6, 2011.

In the last 10 years of Currie Cup, Lions have played province 21 times, Lions winning 11 of those, and province winning nine. There was one draw, back in 2003, at Ellis Park.

Of those 21 games, 11 were in Joburg, Lions won nine. province have only won once in Joburg in the last 10 years, week three of 2005, by 38-23. Lions have beaten province twice in cape town in the last ten years, this year, 22-9, and in 2004 by 35-26.

The one time we (the Lions) lost to province with Jonker as a ref was in cape town last year, by 26-28.

Sharks vs Bulls (Mark Lawrence):

Mark Lawrence in charge of a sharks/bulls game reveals the following:

Lawrence has reffed the sharks 25 times in Currie cup in the last ten years, of which they won 17! 11 were at home(won 9) and 14 away(won 8). He has reffed the bulls 23 times in the same period, of which they won 15. Eight were at home(won 7) and 15 away(won 8).

Lawrence handling a sharks/bulls encounter, sharks won five, and bulls one, the only bulls win coming at durban in 2006. 2007,2008,2009 and this year in durban were won by the sharks, as was 2011 in pretoria.

In ten years of currie cup action, sharks have met bulls 21 times, winning 13, with eight going the way of the bulls. Of these 21 games, 11 were played in durban, with the sharks prevailing nine times. The two blots on the record books are the 2006 Lawrence game(32-50), as well as in 2004(23-27).

http://www.sharksworld.co.za/2012/10/16/semi-final-refs-announced/

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And then there were four

October 16, 2012 in Uncategorized

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The Currie Cup competition is into its final stages. Only four teams remain to fight it out for the top spot and only one team with no further interest in the competition. The Sharks, Golden Lions, WP and the Blue Bulls made it through to the semi finals while the Cheetahs has to face the Kings in promotion/relegation matches. The Griquas can put their feet up and watch the remaining matches from the sidelines.

Sharks vs Blue Bulls:

In one semi final the Sharks play host to the Blue Bulls in Durban. The Sharks had the luxury of resting some of their key players in their last match, assured of a home semi final while the Blue Bulls had to pull out all stops to avoid the relegation zone and were helped by a Lions team that imploded in the last quarter.

On the face of it it should be a relatively comfortable win for the Sharks but the record books show that the Blue Bulls can never be taken lightly in the knock out stages of the Currie Cup. Of the 17 semi finals the Sharks contested they only managed to win eight while the Blue Bulls have won 13 of the 16 they contested. That said, however, the Blue Bulls last beat the Sharks in Durnban in 2006.

So while the Sharks will call on the players they rested to strengthen their side the match will probably be a close one and, depending on the weather, could be decided by the boot.

There are some mouth watering matchups to look forward to. Up front

  • in the front row it will be Bok props vs discarded Bok bench props
  • a good second row faces the Bok second choice second row
  • in the back row we’ll probably see an all Bok backrow take on some serious young talent

And in the backline we have

  • the two form scrumhalves of the competition doing battle
  • behind them it is Bok #10 vs ignored Bok #10/15
  • some of the best young midfield players facing up
  • four Bok wings doing battle
  • the form fullback facing the incumbent Bok fullback

This match have the ingredients to be a great match but we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out.

Personally I’m going with a Sharks win but won’t be surprised if the Blue Bulls get their mojo back.

Golden Lions vs WP:

Last weekend the Lions, resting some key players, imploded in the last quarter against the Blue Bulls while WP, fielding their strongest available side, wiped the floor with the Cheetahs.

The Golden Lions face the most successful team in Currie Cup history, Western Province, in the other semi final but it is a WP side who last held a Currie Cup 11 years ago and have since been tagged as chokers and who will be desperate to change their recent record. Talking of history WP has won 13 out of the 18 semi finals they played while the Golden Lions have been less successful winning only eight out of 15 but the only time the two teams met in a semi final was last year and the Golden Lions won that encounter.

It remains to be seen if a full strength Lions side will be good enough to beat a full strength WP side but the matchups make for a good match.

Up front

  • one of the best frontrows in the country face up to some good youngsters
  • two war horses, young and old, do battle in the second row against a young Bok war horse
  • a couple of fetchers have to contend with a retreaded hooker/wing and the Bok number eight

And at the back

  • the Lions only scrumhalf match up to two in form youngsters
  • a Bok (young or old) face off against a young pretender
  • \a good journeyman and a rookie Bok to face two experienced Boks playing in their preferred positions
  • talented young wings do battle with a forgotten Bok and an unfulfilled talent
  • one of the finds of the year face a sometimes x-factor journeyman at fullback

On the day either side can take this match and both sides have something to prove, the Lions want to rub it in and WP wants some silverware. This makes the match a difficult one to predict and when it is a 50/50 decision I go with the Lions to win.

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A comedy of errors

October 14, 2012 in Uncategorized

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It would have been funny if it wasn’t so frustrating. In the last 30 minutes or so, between the Lions playing festival rugby and a blind match TMO, they conspired to throw the game and gift the Bulls a win through a comedy of errors that one doesn’t expect on a rugby field full of professionals.

Going into the match I expected a Bulls victory with the Lions fielding a second string side but as the match progressed I started to look forward to an unexpected win. However, hopes were dashed when first the TMO ruled a blatant forward pass to be forward drift and later when the Lions managed to screw up a quick lineout throw on their own tryline and then threw away possession with a thoughtless and ill-executed slap pass.

Gifting the Bulls three tries, one from a forward pass everyone except the TMO saw and two from errors one might expect to see in a primary school match, the Lions managed ensure a much needed victory for the Bulls. All credit to the Bulls for taking their chances and converting them into points, and to Morne Steyn who kept the Bulls in the hunt through a good kicking display when the game threatened to run away from them.

While the result is meaningless in the context of the Lions log position the manner in which they eventually lost must set the alarm bells ringing. If they should play the semis with the same disregard for their possession they will lose next week.

Hopefully coach Johan Ackermann had just given them the day off from serious rugby, told them to blow out the cobwebs and will get them back on track this week. Maybe he was following last year’s script where the Lions were blown out of the water by the Sharks in the last league match too, before going on to beat WP and the Sharks.

On the positive side, even though they were intent on playing festival rugby the Lions more than held their own against a much more focused Bulls side and the Lions should feel comfortable about the semi-final on Saturday against WP, provided they regain their focus.

That said, I am still pissed off though.

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Currie Cup Crunch Time

October 12, 2012 in Uncategorized

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There are no dead rubbers this weekend and even though the Sharks and the Lions are assured of home semi finals their game results will have an impact on all the other teams. Only two points separate the other four teams and losses would not only end their semi final hopes but also put them in a possible promotion/relegation play-off against the EP Kings.

While no-one really expects any of these teams to really lose against the Kings in a two match play-off series, although anything is possible, it is the ignomy of finishing last that will grate, especially for the full strength Super Rugby teams, the Blue Bulls and Western Province.

Sharks vs Griquas:

With the Lions accepting a Sharks win and selecting a weakened side for their game there is even less pressure on the Sharks where any result might just be good enough. The Sharks used there returning Boks sparingly but even so, a win by Griquas is only a remote possibility.

Sharks by 12

Western Province vs Cheetahs:

This is  a real crunch match with the winner probably in the semis and the loser probably in the bottom end play-offs so, at the risk of losing team cohesion, both sides pulled in all their Boks, more so WP as they have quite a few. The risk for WP is that the returning Boks may try to revert to the Stormers game while the rest of the team has been on another wavelength altogether. The Cheetahs will give it a good college try but will fall short in the end as their defences lets them down – again, but it will be a close match.

WP by 7

Lions vs Blue Bulls:

Even though the Lions are sitting comfortably in second spot this match will determine the fate of some of the other teams. It’s really simple: if the Bulls win, they will probably move into the semis with one of the other match losers dropping into the bottom spot to face the Kings, if the Bulls lose they will finish last. The danger for the Bulls is that they cannot afford to just rock up thinking the game is won against a young Lions side (only four of the starting 15 is over 25) as these youngsters would like nothing better than prove they are good enough. However, if all goes according to expectations the Bulls should win comfortably.

Bulls by 15

And all this sets up the semi finals:

Sharks vs Bulls – Durban
Lions vs WP – Johannesburg

First Division:

EP Kings vs Pumas:

Down in PE the EP Kings face the Pumas in the First Division finals. Neither of these sides could get the better of the other during the league stages playing to a draw twice so one can expect a tight match. The Pumas had a very inconsistent campaign while the Kings were unbeaten through the league phases but have lost their captain to injury making this a tough call.

However, home ground advantage and all, the Kings should pull it off to finally win a trophy but that’s really irrelevant as they will be playing for promotion to the Premier Division anyway.

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A Bullfight of some importance

October 11, 2012 in Uncategorized

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This weekend’s most crucial match is probably the one between Western Province and the Cheetahs as the fortunes of the winner and the loser differ so widely, the loser may very well play in a promotion/relegation match and the winner will play in a semi-final match.

In the Sharks Griquas game the Sharks have very little to lose except maybe a potential home final while Griquas is also playing to stay out of the potential relegation zone.

Come Saturday night the Golden Lions will know exactly what they are playing for although it will always be a must win game for the Blue Bulls, no matter what happened elsewhere, as a loss will mean they face the Kings in a promotion/relegation contest.

If the Sharks beat the Griguas the Lions will stay in second place irrespective of the result. A loss or a draw by the Sharks means the Lions could still end top of the log if they beat the Bulls.

After a disappointing loss against the Griquas last weekend and with their players returning from the Bok squad coach Johan Ackermann has already hinted that he may rest some players for this match but will only announce his team later today. But if the Sharks lose on Friday the Lions may be faced with the need for a late reshuffle but they really just want to get through this match without any serious injuries while giving the returning players some game time to gel again with the rest of the team.

Off the field this week has been a positive week for the Lions, one of few this year. It was announced that a number of players extended their contracts, that some new blood has signed with the union and plans also seem to be progressing with plans for alternative matches next year, so the players should feel buoyed and upbeat as a home semi-final is already in the bag.

This is a difficult game to predict as it has all the feel of a practice match, for the Lions anyway, and one get the idea they just want a good run and have the players enjoy themselves. With little or no pressure on the players anything can happen, they can go out and beat the crap out of the Blue Bulls or they can unravel and get the crap beaten out of them. If last year’s last league match against the Sharks in Durban is anything to go by the latter seems to be the more probable scenario.

Therefore I’m going with the Blue Bulls by 10 20.

Golden Lions:
15 Ruan Combrinck, 14 Deon Helberg, 13 Deon van Rensburg, 12 Alwyn Hollenbach,11 Anthony Volminck, 10 Butch James (c), 9 Ross Cronjé, 8 Willie Britz, 7 Derick Minnie, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Michael Rhodes, 3 Pat Cilliers, 2 Callie Visagie, 1 CJ van der Linde.

Reserves: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 Jacobie Adriaanse, 18 Paul Willemse, 19 Warren Whiteley, 20 Whestley Moolman, 21 Elton Jantjies, 22 Lionel Mapoe.

Blue Bulls:
15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Francois Venter, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Arno Botha, 7 Jacques Potgieter, 6 Dewald Potgieter (captain), 5 Flip van der Merwe, 4 Juandré Kruger, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Willie Wepener, 1 Morné Mellett.

Replacements: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 CJ Stander, 20 Francois Hougaard, 21 Louis Fouché, 22 Dean Greyling.

Last five years:

Overall:
Lions: 4
Bulls: 5

@ Coca Cola Park:
Lions: 1
Bulls: 3

2012
Vodacom Blue Bulls 23 – 32 MTN Golden Lions Loftus Versveld
2011
MTN Golden Lions 18 – 21 Vodacom Blue Bulls Coca-Cola Park
Vodacom Blue Bulls 27 – 36 MTN Golden Lions Loftus Versfeld
2010
Vodacom Blue Bulls 24 – 21 Xerox Lions Loftus Versfeld
Xerox Lions 18 – 32 Vodacom Blue Bulls Coca-Cola Park Stadium
2009
Xerox Lions 20 – 13 Vodacom Blue Bulls Coca-Cola Park Stadium
Vodacom Blue Bulls 19 – 13 Xerox Lions Loftus Versfeld
2008
Vodacom Blue Bulls 27 – 30 Xerox Lions Loftus Versfeld
Xerox Lions 7 – 21 Vodacom Blue Bulls Ellis Park
Avatar of Baylion

by Baylion

Not a good weekend

October 7, 2012 in Uncategorized

6 Comments »

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This weekend was a mini disaster. My Superbru picks were mostly wrong picking only one from five and only the Sharks doing what they were supposed to do – win.

Starting with the Boks vs the All Blacks I think we learned a few things:

  • Johan Goosen is not ready physically for the rigors of senior rugby. It took just 150 minutes of test rugby for him to leave the field injured. (Refer to my post When will Johan Goosen break?) His coaches will have to figure out how to use him and how to toughen him up otherwise he will be lost to SA rugby within a few years.
  • Coenie Oosthuizen is not a tighthead and shouldn’t be on the Bok bench as a prop replacement. Also, he is a penalty machine, worth more to the opposition than to the Boks.
  • 56m kicks are out of range for Elton Jantjies. He might slot them occasionally in practice but shouldn’t try them in a match.

Watching the match I got the impression that the Boks were nervous and rushed, especially in the second half. Ball carriers struggled to cross the advantage line and were often isolated resulting in turnovers.

Another thing that struck me was how often Ruan Pienaar missed out the flyhalf through the match, passing directly to Jean de Villiers. This was probably a tactic, maybe to “protect” the young flyhalves, but it resulted in too few backline players involved in backline movements making it easier for the All Blacks to defend.

On to the Currie Cup.

Griquas vs Lions:

The Lions didn’t seem too interested in playing in the heat on the hardpacked Kimberley field. Their scrums and lineouts were atrocious and Derick Minnie had a nightmare first day back from injury.

Without taking anything away from the Griquas, who were motivated and committed to stay out of the relegation zone, the Lions lackadaisical performance played into their hands leading to a number of soft tries from turnover ball where the Lions poor decision making and lack of commitment showed.

The Lions midfield was without spark and it was left to Butch James and the back three to try and manufacture something.

The result is that the Lions might just have given away a potential home final and will end second on the log unless Griquas can beat the Sharks in Durban next week and the Lions beat the Bulls at the Coke Tin.

Bulls vs WP:

What can one say? WP forgot to bring their rugby game to Loftus and was totally outplayed up front. Unfortunately for the Bulls Griquas’ win over the Lions means that they remain bottom of the log and have a must win game against the Lions next week.

Cheetahs vs Sharks:

I couldn’t watch this match as there was no live streaming available but this is the only game I got right on Superbru and the Sharks, leading the log by two points, have a good chance of finishing top of the log, they only have to beat Griquas in Durban this weekend to ensure that, eve a draw might be enough.

With the bottom four teams within two points of each other only the Sharks and the Lions are assured of semi-final spots, the rest could still make either play-off – semi-final or promotion/relegation – so next week’s games will be crucial to these teams’ fortunes. As the weekend progresses the teams will know exactly what they have to do in their matches.

The log:

Team Played Won Drawn Lost For Against PD Bonus Points
Sharks 9 6 0 3 250 230 20 6 30
Golden Lions 9 6 0 3 256 229 27 4 28
Western Province 9 4 0 5 236 211 25 4 20
Griquas 9 4 0 5 247 271 -24 4 20
FS Cheetahs 9 3 0 6 253 269 -16 6 18
Blue Bulls 9 4 0 5 230 262 -32 2 18

 

Next weekend:

Fri, 12 October
Sharks vs Griquas 19h10 Durban: Griquas must win, Sharks probably only need a draw

Sat, 13 October
Western Province vs FS Cheetahs 17h05 Cape Town: Winner into the semis, loser might be on the other end
Golden Lions vs Blue Bulls 19h10 Johannesburg: Lions fortunes depend on whether Sharks win, lose or draw, Bulls must win else they play the Kings.