Currie Cup predictions

The Currie Cup finally comes to a conclusion today as the Bulls host the Cheetahs in a match where nobody is giving the team from the Free State any real chance.

I'm a big believer that nobody wants to play the Cheetahs in a semi-final or final simply because they play like they have nothing to lose. A side like that is terrible to play against as they tend to yank you out of your comfort zone.

While I suspect the Bulls will win I think there is little harm in putting a few bucks down on the Cheetahs for a shock factor.

One area where I think punters could have a lot of fun is around the first try-scorer. I've backed Bryan Habana (9/1) Jacques Louis Potgieter (33/1) and my good old fashioned try scoring banker Fourie Du Preez (18/1).

C'mon the Cheetahs!

Cracking stuff

Luke Watson might not want to slate Sireli Naqelevuki but that high-tackle cost us... I don't think he touched the ball or made any other real contribution to the game except to make that tackle.

Apart from that I think both semi-finals went way beyond their expectations and fans were treated to a phenomenal weekend of rugby.

How good was that tackle by Schalk Burger on Fourie Du Preez?! It was a monster and I think even the great Du Preez will remember it for the rest of his rugby career. Brilliant stuff!

So now the final comes down to the Bulls vs. the Cheetahs - lets hope we get the same treat next weekend.

Currie Cup - weekend predictions

The Currie Cup is getting tight and this weekend will decide the Semi's with a couple of big games on the cards.

Griquas vs. Sharks
The Sharks have pulled in all their big guns for this fixture and its hard to look beyond them to win here but seeing as I am supporting Province to finish top and I think Griquas are going to prove to be hostile hosts I have put a few bucks down on Griquas to surprise.

I REPEAT - this is me betting with my heart not my head - but damn I hope Griquas give the "Fish Paste" boys absolute carrots this afternoon. They'll be my hero's ...

... at least until the MIGHTY MIGHTY Province boys run on to the field

Boland vs Cheetahs
The Cheetahs have it all to do today and will be out to play running rugby. Boland have been nowhere in this competition and I don't expect that to change this weekend.

Cheetahs to win and first points to come courtesy of a Cheetahs try

Lions vs Western Province
2009 has been a long season for the Lions and an even longer one for their supporters. Injuries have proven a headache and they've come out on the wrong end of some close fought fixtures. Last weeks game against the Sharks being a perfect case in point.

They've got nothing really to play for against the log-leaders Western Province and I don't expect them to put up much resistance this afternoon - last weekend was their guts and determination fixture while this week they're simply going through the motions.

Predictions - Province to win, first points from a Province penalty.

Good effort from the Lions

I thought the Lions played well last night against the Sharks. Bearing in mind that the Sharks had all their international players to pick from and the Lions are falling apart at the seams in terms of injuries, they were in the game up until the last minute when Ruan Pienaar sunk that penalty.

Have to say my team (Western Province) are looking very tough to beat and with their Aussie import, it looks like they haeve some real depth to call on!

It would be very nice to pick up the Currie Cup this year!

Currie Cup picks - Three rounds to go

The Currie Cup is in an intriguing place right now and a lot of the teams have plenty to play for in the last three rounds.

Western Province vs Griquas
First up is the critical WP vs. Griquas fixture which will have a huge bearing on how the semi-finals shape up.

Province are looking for a win in front of their home crowd to secure a Newlands semi-final, while Griquas need three points today to pretty much lock up a playoff place and bump out the Cheetahs.

I can't see Province losing at home and looking at the odds on first points scored, nothing really jumps out at me. R2.50 on first points scored via a Griquas penalty looks the most attractive considering Naas Oliviers kicking boot.

Lions vs. Boland
A bit of a nothing game with the Lions playing for pride and Boland just going through the motions.

The Lions are unlikely to lose today but just to be facetious to the Lions supporters I put R5 down on Boland to win at 33/1 but don't really expect anything to come out of it.

Bulls vs. Cheetahs
This is going to be a hugely physical and entertaining clash if both teams come to the party today.

What the Cheetahs lack on defence, they more than make up for in their attacking abilities and I've actually tipped them as an upset for today. I've also added put quite a bit down on the first points coming via a Cheetahs try.

Not totally convinced that the Cheetahs will have the ultimate fire-power to overcome the Bulls in Pretoria but they've certainly got the ability to make a game of it and they're always good value for an upset.

Currie Cup predictions

Another round of the Currie Cup is here and there are some very interesting fixtures up this weekend. Last night Western Province went top of the log with an average victory over the Leopards and that has put the pressure on the other five sides competing for three more places in the semis.

Griquas vs. Lions
Geez what a fixture this could turn out to be!

The Lions are showing signs that they may be discovering some form and confidence but taking on the Griquas in Kimberly could be like walking in to a street-fight in Hillbrow on New Years Eve.

Points here for Griquas and they could be in for the play-offs, if the Lions drop points here then they are probably out of the running for the top 4.

First points are probably going to come from the boot and I am backing the Griquas to score first.

Prediction: Win for the Griquas.

Boland vs. Bulls
A tough fixture but I suspect the Bulls will come away as winners here.

A small bet on the Bulls scoring first courtesy of a try.

Sharks vs. Cheetahs
If this fixture was being played in Bloem I would have money down on the Cheetahs to upset here. The Free State side hasn't played the worst rugby this season, even if it has been a little inconsistent.

The Sharks welcome back Boks Ryan Kankowski, Jannie du Plessis and Odwa Ndungane on the bench so they'll have depth and their fanatical supporters behind them but don't expect one-way traffic.

Prediction: First points scored to come via a try and the Sharks to come away as winners.C

New Zealand vs. Australia

The final game of the Vodacom Tri-Nations kicks off in about half an hour and in reality it is a bit of a non-event considering the Springboks wrapped up the tournament last week.

However for the Australian and All Black coaches there is plenty on the line. Both have been under some serious fire for the way their sides have performed.

While I expect the All Blacks to come out on top I'd expect both sides to run the ball - they've got very little to lose and I've got an each way bet on the first points being scored via a try.

In terms of my try-scorers I don't think you can look beyond Matt Giteau (18/1) and Dan Carter (16/1). Giteau has been in good try-scoring form and Carter looks like he is coming back to his best - with a running game on the cards - I'd expect these two to be prominent.

Currie Cup predictions

The Currie Cup is getting really interesting and there are some big fixtures on the cards today.

Cheetahs vs Western Province
I am torn here. I am an out and out Province fan but I have a concern that this Cheetahs side could be a real handful in their own backyard.

I haven't put any money down on a winner but I have gone each way on the sides scoring tries as the first points on the board.

Bulls vs Sharks
Another tough fixture to call with both sides being evenly matched. Travelling to Loftus though is a tough ask and I reckon the Bulls will prevail here.

Gone with the Bulls to score first via a try.

Tri-Nations predictions

The Tri-Nations decider kicks off in a few hours time and it looks likely to be a titanic clash. The All Blacks are favourites to win after the Aussies found a couple of chinks in the Bok armoury last week.

Judging from the media war that has accompanied the two teams this week one can imagine there is no love lost between these teams.

A couple of bets here:

Gone with the Boks to win

First points scored - gone each way on tries and also put a few bucks down on a drop goal. Traditionally the Boks have reverted to the old fashioned drop kick when they want to put a side on the back foot and I wouldn't be surprised to see them try it here.

First try scorer again was split four ways on Fourie Du Preez, Pierre Spies, Joe Rockockoko and Richie Mccaw.

C'mon the Boks!

Pleasing to see

I'll be honest I am not a Lions rugby fan by the stretch of anyones imagination, but it is an absolute pleasure to see them starting to string together some competitive performances again in the Currie Cup.

South African rugby needs a strong Lions side - they dominate in the money stakes and they have the ability to produce world-class players. To see them lurching from season to season with weak and inconsistent performances is not good and its great to see some of the new faces coming through.

While it is great that Griquas have gotten off to such a flyer and are comfortable at the top of the Currie Cup log it means that both the Lions and the Cheetahs are facing the prospect of missing the knock-out rounds of the competition which will hurt them financially and damage their ability to retain good players.

I see Earl Rose had another shocker in his comeback game for the Lions - really think it is time for him to go and take up another sport methinks....

Transformation again

I was reading on the Keo.co.za website that Peter DeVilliers - the Springbok rugby coach - has been labelled a traitor by a group called the Transformation and Anti-Racism Rugby Committee (TARC).

They feel that by only selecting Habana, Pietersen and The Beast in his run-on lineup, Div has turned his back on the whole transformation thing.

Veiled threats and press statements from TARC are pointless - at this point they need to come out and say that they would rather we include weaker players rather than be a winning professional unit.

Apart from Chilliboy there are no real international calibre players of colour that spring to mind in the tight forward stakes. We are absolutely spoilt for choice in the loose forward space although I actually think that the Griquas captain and number 8 could be the type of player to watch in the near future.

At scrumhalf we have Ricky Januarie - who can't get game time and Heini Adams - but neither of them is in the same ball park as Fourie Du Preez at the moment.

Flyhalf? Nope there ain't too many players who stand out here whether they are black, white, pink or purple.

Centres... hhmmm Adrian Jacobs who is in the match day squad and gets a fair amount of game time.

Wings - In terms of specialist wingers the choices are Habana, Pietersen, Ndungane, Nokwe - they are all players of colour and there on merit.

Fullback - Personally I think Zane Kirchner has a lot to offer South Africa in the fullback role but with Frans Steyn having to be included somewhere and Ruan Pienaar also having to make up the backline numbers at the moment its a juggling act that there is no immediate solution to.

It is all good and well for TARC to talk about lack of transformation but with due respect where would they like these players to play? And why are they blaming the national coach for not buying into transformation.

Have a look at the Currie Cup sides. Almost all of the provinces meet or beat unofficial quotas and the players are there on merit. It is unfortunate that these are the best players in the world at the moment and there are only 15 players allowed on the field at any given stage... but unfortunately that is the rules of rugby and maybe TARC need to take it up with the IRB if they don't like it?

Currie Cup predictions

The Currie Cup is starting to look very interesting and there are a couple of big games up for this weekend.

Cheetahs vs Lions
The Cheetahs play host to a Lions side that is just starting to find its feet. The Lions will have been boosted by their performance last weekend and I've put money down that they will overcome the Cheetahs - even if they are playing in Bloem.

I suspect it could be quite a tightly fought game but if the Lions strike early then they could have the Cheetahs on the back foot. Also backed the Lions to score the first points via a try.

Western Province vs Bulls
The big game of the weekend sees Western Province hosting the Bulls in a critical game for both sides. I think home ground advantage is going to hold the key to this fixture and I'm expecting Province to sneak home - but it is going to be tight.

With Peter Grant having moved to second choice kicker for Province, both teams have relatively light-weight first choice goalkickers so I expect both sides to be looking to run the ball and seek out bonus points which could become increasingly important as the group stage starts to wrap up.

I have gone each way on a try being the first points scored by either side - WP (3/1) and Bulls (5/1)

Tri-Nations betting

Australia and South Africa clash today with the Springboks needing just two points to wrap up the Tri-Nations.

Again I don't see how anybody can look beyond the Springboks today - even if they do have a couple of walking wounded.

I'm expecting both sides to play a running game. The Boks want the points and the Aussies have nothing to lose so I'm banking on the first points to come from a try. I've gone each way on the sides at 3/1 for the Boks and 5/1 for the Aussies.

First try-scorer is a tricky one and I have tried to cover my bases taking Spies (22/1) and Du Preez (20/1) again this week and then Matt Giteau (16/1) and James O'Connor (14/1).

Odds supplied courtesy of World Sports Betting.

Currie Cup predictions

Another weekend of the Currie Cup is here and there are some very interesting fixtures for this weekend

Sharks vs. Western Province
First up Western Province travel to Durban to take on the Sharks. I'm a Province fan so I always put money down on them to win but I think there is a good chance of them beating the Sharks today.

The Sharks have had problems finding an effective 9/10 combination and could have their hands full.

My predictions:

Province Win
First points - WP try

Lions vs Bulls
It has been a pretty forgettable season for the Lions so far but I have a sneaky suspicion they are going to shck the Bulls this afternoon.

The return of "Baywatch" and Alberts and the final sacking of Earl Rose may be just the "clean-slate" that the Lions need to get themselves back on track.

My predictions
Lions to win
First points - Lions try
First try scorer - Jano Vermaak

Griquas vs Cheetahs
The Griquas have looked fearsome at home and the bookies may not agree with me but I don't see how they can lose to the Cheetahs this afternoon.

I've got the Griquas to win and the first points to come via the boot for Griquas.

Happy punting!

Boks vs Australia predictions

Well the Boks take on an Australian side which is definately down in the dumps after four successive losses and rocked by a couple of injuries.

On current form I don't see how you can bet against the Springboks.

Our predictions for todays match

- Boks to win
- First points scored - Australia Try
- First try scorers - Bryan Habana / Matt Giteau with Fourie Du Preez a handy 25/1 outsider

Go the Boks!

Rugby Predictions

Some BIG rugby games on this weekend and I can see plenty of jibes being dished out depending on who comes out on top.

Australia / New Zealand
The Australians take on the All Blacks this weekend in what is sure to be an entertaining match up. Both sides were comprehensively outplayed by the Springnoks in their Tri-Nations encounters when they travelled to South Africa with Australia definately faring the worst.

Despite that we're actually backing the Australians to bounce back here and give the All Blacks a surprise or two. We've put down a few bucks on the first points being courtesy of an Australian try and first try-scorer to be Matt Giteau.

Let's see how that plays out

Griquas vs Sharks
Domestically the first game of the afternoon is the Sharks taking on the high-flying Griquas side.

We got 3/1 odds on Griquas beating the Sharks and we thought we would take it on the back of the current Griquas form. The loss to the Bulls was narrow last week and I think it might have given them some confidence to carry them through today.

Western Province vs Lions
I honestly don't think you can look beyond Province here today. The Lions form has been atrocious and minus Willem Alberts and Baywatch Grobelaar AND playing in the Province back yard, I don't see how they can expect to win.

Win for Province and first points courtesy of a Province try.

Rugby predictions - Saturday 15 August 2009

From The Betting Hub blog

Saturday provides an interesting day of rugby in the Currie Cup and we've made a couple of bold predictions for today that could pay off handsomely.

Boland vs. WP
This is the one game on the day where we are not going with the home-side. Upfront I will declare my bias for Western Province as I am an unashamed supporter.

Predicting a WP win with the first points coming from a WP try

Lions vs. Sharks
Probably going to irritate the Sharks supporters - but without their first-choice scrumhalf (who is a points machine with his goalkicking) and battling to find a flyhalf to give them forward momentum - I reckon that the Lions can beat this Sharks team.

Things haven't gone the way of the Lions for a couple of the earlier fixtures but there seems to be some self-belief returning to the side.

I have gone with the Lions to win and first points courtesy of a Lions try.

Griquas vs. Bulls
The high-flying Griquas side play host to the Bulls in a fixture that the men from Pretoria will probably not be relishing.

I don't think anybody likes to go and play at Kimberley at the best of times but games against a physical Griquas side which is winning is a stretch.

We have picked Griquas to upset and score early with a try as the first points.

Let's see how these play out.

Giteau gets off?!

That's impossible - how can Matt Giteau not be cited for that "tackle" or assault on Fourie Du Preez.

It was probably one of the worst non-tackles I have seen this year and coming from a player of Giteaus class and ability, it is simply shocking.

Not citing a player for an incident like that sends the wrong message out to players and fans alike and without trying to come across as "sour grapes" - one has only to think of Bakkies Botha and Schalk Botha serving "sentences" for dirty play and then wondering where the consistency is.

Bakkies got four weeks for charging into a ruck and Schalk got eight weeks for "intentional contact with the face" (I think that was the end decision, not eye gouging).... what Giteau do in that instance?

Simple does it

I have to say that was probably one of the most accomplished performances from a Springbok side that I have seen in a long time.

Yeah we have been on a high and the wins against the All Blacks were good but the composure that we showed throughout the match was brilliant.

The Morne Steyn success story continues and if you look at the last five matches - if we hadn't had a kicker to put the points on the board, our record would look rather shoddy.

Somebody said a fair thing to me the other day: "Super 14 rugby is won by try-scoring sides, Test match rugby is won by sides whose kicker takes the points that are on offer"

Was just reading the match summary on the Keo.co.za website and one word that stood out - Simplicity - that I think is what the Boks did well. They played a tactically simple - not naive - game of rugby and they won it comfortably.

Good side.

Fired up looking New Zealand haka

... Little worrying for the Boks.

We do seem to have started well though.

Made it...

Phew well eventually the Springboks got home but it certainly wasn't as comfortable as it could have / should have been.

Guess I didn't have anything to be worried about after all....

Pienaar had an indifferent game and the fact that he scored a try shouldn't count too much in his favour - it was a straightforward run-in for him.

If the All Blacks had been down an extra 8 points at the half-time whistle then the second half could have been far more straightforward and allowed our team to run.

Thought our backline looked the most effective it has in a longtime. Defence was solid and on attack the All Blacks always looked like they were going to be making a lot of tackles. Apart from where Conrad Smith slipped through I thought we looked top drawer and Frans Steyn impressed me for the first time in a long while - good composure and decision making.

Hope the Devilliers injury isn't too serious.

Amongst the forwards the two guys who impressed me were Bismarck Du Plessis and Bakkies Botha. Both of them put in some good solid graft. I am not a Bismarck fan but he worked hard today and things happened every time he touched the ball - was good to see.

A nice start to our Tri-Nations campaign.

Boks. vs All Blacks

I don't mean to be negative about this match up against the All Blacks but I just have a niggling bad feeling about this fixture....

... Hope the Boks prove me wrong.

Well done Bulls

I have to tip my hat to the Blue Bulls side yesterday - they played with serious "gees" to get them through a tough home game against Western Province.

As an out and out Province supporter, I thought the result was encouraging. I think some players let us down and I Duvenhage made a bad mistake not taking the 3 points on offer when we had that penalty in front of the posts but all in all an encouraging performance.

For me the biggest disappointment on the day was AGAIN Sireli Naqelevuki - I think he either has to shape up or ship out - his novelty factor has worn off for me. He had one bull run down the touchline where he flattened somebody but that was about it.

For the rest of the time, he was dropping passes, dawdling around and missing tackles / opportunities to work.

In comparison the Bulls had a 20 year old in his first year of big-league rugby (Gerhard Vd. Heever) and a scrumhalf who was playing as a makeshift wing..... How many balls did these guys drop? How many times did they secure ball from the up and unders? How many tries did they score? How often were these two involved in defensive tackling?

Go back and look at that game? Go and see Van den Heever tackle the prop with Mangweni to disallow the try. Go and see why Van den Heever is there scoring the tries. Go and see how Hougaard patrolled the sidelines and got stuck in.

It is all good and well having a big winger who is supposedly a try scoring machine but on the strength of yesterdays performance I would be disappointed if he kept his place in the Province starting line-up. There must be hungry young wings in the Cape that we could be looking to include?!

C'mon Rassie....

Tri-nations thoughts and predictions

The Tri-Nations kicks off shortly and I must say that as far as I can see, the money must be on Australia to take the trophy this year.

Australia are the outsiders according to the guys over at World Sports Betting, but this year is probably going to one of the closest contested tournaments ever.

New Zealand are on form but have not really had a run against some decent Southern Hemisphere opponents and the Australians are playing really well at the moment.

There seems to be some real poise in the Australians and they seem to have a great ability to control the play. Think they are going to be a real handful for anybody.

The Springboks of course are as unpredictable as they come. On form they can challenge and beat the best in the world and the lineup has a great deal of battle hardened experience... their ability to control the game though appears to be in serious doubt.

Even though I am an ardent Springbok supporter I'm afraid my money is down on Australia..

Promising young players

I am not a Bulls fan but for me the most under-rated (under talked about?) young player in South African rugby is Gerhard Van den Heever (pictured).

For a 19 year old he has got Super 14 experience - and rightly so. He is big, he's damn fast, he scores tries and (for me) most importantly he just has a cool head on his shoulders.

He doesn't seem to get wrapped up in off the ball incidents or do weird and wonderful things when he is under pressure. He puts his head down and he does what a winger is supposed to do - goes for the line.

I like him - think he has some serious potential.

On the Western Province side, one of the most talked about players is Morgan Newman. He also seems to have stepped up in the last few weeks and seems to be a pretty solid choice in midfield - but that Juan de Jongh kid who came on late in the second half in the game against the Sharks looks like he could be a real handful.

(he reminds me a bit of a Brent Russel type)

Apart from the Ebersohn brothers - any other youngsters catch the eye this weekend? Didn't think that the new Sharks flyhalf did the business I'm afraid - hopefully he improves a bit. Burton Francis over at The Bulls also blew very cold on the weekend.

Disappointment

Disappointment - that is the only word I can use to describe the Springbok loss at Ellis Park (Or Coca-Cola Park as it is now less than fondly know. This is our damn fortress where we hardly ever lose - 8 years is a long time in international sport.

I personally felt it was disrespectful to both our fans as well as the British & Irish Lions players and supporters for us to make wholesale changes to the squad.

The Lions have toured for the last 5 weeks playing up to two games a week against some bruising opposition and you have not once heard them complain - we decide to basically write off the last test match by replacing 10 players?!

(And then we stick Pierre Spies on the wing? Bizarre)

If this is how we are planning to go into the Tri-Nations then I worry for our side. While the Lions side has some good individual attackers the Australian and All Black back 3's who have played together a lot will make mincemeat of a defence if it is not prepared.... I hope Div has a plan here.

The discipline shown by the Boks in this series has also been poor and the only reason it hasn't seen the side meltdown is because as a team we carry a lot of experience and skills which made sure we were on the winning side.... What's going to happen when we are on the backfoot in the Tri-Nations?!

2nd test - Boks vs. the B&I Lions

The 2nd test match between the British & Irish Lions and the Springboks was an intriguing face-off.

The loss of Burger in the first 30 seconds of the match gave the Lions something to get back "go forward" and they never really looked like giving it up until some late second half substitutions changed things around.

Some observations on the game:

Uncontested scrums:
From the 45th minute of the test match there were uncontested scrums and yet we still stuck to three genuine front-rankers while the Lions enjoyed far more mobility

Jaque Fourie:
Fourie was again expected to come off the bench and make an impact. While I appreciate what Adi Jacobs brings to the side, I don't understand why Peter Devilliers is so hesitant to pair Jean Devilliers with Fourie considering the size and strength of the B&I centres?!

Spies better off the bench:
If you're looking for a way to incorporate the foraging ability of Brussouw as well as Burger and Juan Smith then why not move Burger to 8 and let Spies come off the bench as the impact player for the last 20 minutes or so? Sure he could inflict a lot of pain if used in this manner?

Headache at flyhalf?:
Ruan Pienaar had a competent performance at flyhalf last week but this time around he just didn't click. The side looked far more structured when Steyn came on. (I'm not a Steyn fan but he did the job today).

Dunno

Southern Kings

I thought that the Southern Kings side that they put out to take on the British & Irish Lions wasn't a bad one and thought it bodes well for the potential for this franchise.

Obviously a lot of the players in this setup still are committed to other franchises but there is some talent out there that hasn't yet been utilised.

I thought Gary Owen (the ref) interfered with what was otherwise a good game. That penalty try he awarded was completely unnecessary and the second yellow-card against the Kings was odd considering the number of high tackles that the B&I Lions got away with.

On the penalty try, my understanding is that you can only award a penalty try when a definate try was stopped by a professional foul - the ball spewed out the side of the scrum and the opposition scrumhalf picked it up and I'm pretty sure Owen was unsighted - by all means give the penalty if they had collapsed the scrum but not because the Lions couldn't control the ball....

Sigh

Busy weekend

It's a bit of a crazy sporting weekend and of course there is rugby on the go as well.

Got a coupla outside bets open this weekend which will be interesting to see how they play out. The match ups are also quite close so they're not completely out the money options either:

• Cheetahs to beat the British & Irish Lions
• Argentina to beat the England in Manchester
• Barbarians to sneak past Australia
• USA to shock the Welsh

Could be an interesting day of rugby!

Cheetahs vs B&I Lions...

I backed the Royal XV - basically a Griquas side - to beat the B&I Lions last week and for a while it looked like I was in the money on that bet... But eventually they gave it up in the last few minutes.

Today the British & Irish Lions get a crack at the Cheetahs side and I'm taking an outside bet on the Cheetahs to surprise here... provided they haven't had orders to lose that is ;-)

I don't think you can take the B&I Lions thumping the Golden Lions as a fair reflection of ability. The Golden Lions were missing key players in Ludik and Rose and their management are in absolute disarray - you would have done better to send them out against a school team...

Anyway go Cheetahs!

Hhhhhmmmmm

I'm hearing this second hand so maybe I've got it wrong but did Peter Devilliers really tell the international press that this British & Irish Lions side wasn't as good as the 1974 touring side?! (or more specifically didn't show the same "character".)

Div are you nuts?!

Anyone ever tell you never to grab a tiger (or in this instance a Lion) by its tail?

You might believe that they are kak and you might know that you have the best players in the world at your disposal and available to take on some ordinary opposition - but remember that was exactly the attitude our media and players had to the last B&I Lions side that toured here and we know how that turned out.

Anyway the Boks have now put all the pressure on themselves - hope they know what they are doing...

Mils Muliaina

I have to tip my hat to Mils Muliaina - the captain of the Chiefs side which got thumped in Pretoria last night.

Everyone who was watching the final and listening to the speeches was very impressed by the way he spoke and to be able to cap it off with a "baie dankie" (thank you) to the Loftus crowd and the TV viewers was the mark of a world class sportsman and statesman.

The Bulls may have thumped the Chiefs on the field but Muliaina won more than a few supporters over yesterday.

Well done to the Chiefs and the Bulls for a hugely entertaining final.

Super 14 final tickets

Tickets for the Vodacom Super 14 final clash that is going to be contested next weekend at Loftus Versfeld between the Vodacom Bulls and the Chiefs will be available as from Monday, 25 May.

Tickets for the public:

The public can obtain tickets from Loftus’ Ticket Office from 8:00 on Monday morning. The Ticket Office is open on weekdays from 8:00 – 16:00.

Tickets will also be on sale at Computicket outlets from 9:00 on Monday morning as well as on Computicket’s website - www.computicket.co.za

Prices:
Main Pavilion: R300
East Pavilion: R250
North Pavilion: R150
Scholars – South behind the poles: R100

Credit card bookings:
Credit card bookings can be done for the east upper pavilion only, subject to availability of tickets. For credit card bookings phone 012 420 0700.

Season Ticket Holders:

Please note that your season ticket is NOT valid for the final.

However, season ticket holders have the first option to buy their seats and this can be done at Loftus’ Tickets Office on Tuesday and Wednesday from 8:00 – 16:00. You will be able to purchase your seat (s) by doing a credit card booking – 012 420 0700

Prices:
Main Pavilion Season Ticket: R260
East Pavilion Season Ticket: R220
Scholars – South behind the poles: R100

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Top rugby

Geez how good was the Bulls vs. Crusaders semi-final?! It was probably one of the best Super 14 games I've watched in the whole time I've been following Super rugby.

One can't help but wonder how influential that sin-binning just before the half-tim break was in terms of getting the Bulls back in the game.

From a technical perspective I loved the way that both teams adjusted to the others playing style. The Crusaders mashed the Bulls up front in the early scrum exchanges and that bomber up-and-under that led to a Crusaders try was a perfect show of exploiting weaknesses / structures in the Bulls setup.

Even better than that though was the way the Bulls realised that their gameplan wasn't working and changed tactics. When they realised the Crusaders weren't committing men to the rucks they started to find ways to suck guys in and the Ndungane try proved the system worked.

On the strength of that performance Morne Steyn and Fourie Du Preez have to be the first choice scrumhalf and flyhalf combination for the Lions. Steyn has answered his critics with some solid performances and shown he's not just a kicker but he's prepared to make the tackles and attack the gain line when it is necessary.

I think Du Preez had a lot to do with changing the style of the game that the Bulls played and that highlights his value to the team. He kept his cool and didn't put any undue on the new centre combination which I thought showed a lot of intelligence. Good job

Pierre Spies was also good - he looked for work and every time he got the ball there was a feeling something was going to happen.

There is something different about the Bulls this year. They're not just a smash and bash type of team - they can adjust and THAT is a sign of class.

Well done Bulls - you cost me a few bucks on my Crusaders bet but it was worthwhile watching an SA team playing so well.

Selection grumble

I have a grumble .... Was just reading on Sport24 that Brad Barritt has flown in to fill in for the Sharks at centre. This follows injuries to Frans Steyn, Waylon Murray and Adi Jacobs have robbed them of their experienced players in midfield.

Remember that Barritt was lured overseas earlier this year with promises of a big money contract at Saracens.

Now suddenly injuries are hitting the Sharks' setup and instead of going through their existing structures they are going to pull a player from another club to fill in.

The Stormers did a similar thing earlier this year when they called up their old hooker Tiaan Liebenberg from France to come fill in.

Now I don't argue that either Liebenberg or Barritt add value - hell anybody to save the Stormers from Schalk Brits - but it does make a mockery of selection policies and talent development within your own setup.

Yes they will probably know many of the calls and moves, but surely they've made their bed and picked which side they want to play for?

• Is the player motivated to play for you considering he is been treated as little more than a hired-gun for a few weeks?
• What message does it send to other players in your setup? Something like you can train as hard as you like, put in all the extra hours etc... but at the end of the day if we need somebody we're going to pull from outside ranks

Any thoughts on the subject?

Sports - changing world order

I believe quite strongly that a combination of the IPL and the economic (financial) crisis will fundamentally change sport across the globe. I'm probably going to say a few things that are going to be considered a little controversial but it's something I've been intrigued by for quite a while now.

Broadly speaking up until a few years ago the financial power of world sport remained in two major power centres - the US and Europe (Specifically the UK).

Even now the big money in rugby, soccer, motorsport and golf still emanates from these parts... but I don't expect that to last.

Some predictions:

• I expect in five years time that Bangladeshi cricket will have overtaken English cricket in the test and One Day International rankings
• Argentina rugby will be stronger than the European nations within seven years
• In less than a decade I don't believe that the English premiership will be regarded as the leading football league in the world
• Clubs like Manchester United, Barcelona and Chelsea will be competing with clubs from places like South America, the US and Asia in a global league in the not too distant future as opposed to the UEFA tournaments.
• Bit of a wild one but I believe that South Africa will have one competitive football team in this tournament in ten years
• I believe that the premier rugby competition - which will usurp the Super 14 - will be played out of either South Africa or Japan inside the next seven years and will work along the same lines as the IPL cricket system with either a bid or draft offering to pick sides.
• Motorsport will be dominated by Chinese and Indian manufacturers and representatives and the Middle East and mainstream Asia will host most of the glamour races
• Support for international brands such as the Springboks, All Blacks, Proteas, Wallabies etc will decline over the next ten years with cross-border franchises attracting greater support.

Obviously there are a lot of people who don't want to hear about the changing global world order but at the end of the day it is a numbers game - China, India, the rest of Asia and Brazil to some extent are growing rapidly at all levels...

1. Look at what China achieved at the last world Olympics
2. Look at the support the IPL has attracted - it's HUGE money and prestige that far outweighs what the international cricket boards can afford to pay their players.
3. F1 used to be the domain of the European manufacturers... suddenly the likes of Toyota are coming in and the Middle East is pouring money into development of tracks and teams - things are going to look very different in a few years time...

Does it sound like lunatic fringe stuff or do you think there is some merit to it all? Would love your input?

Grrrr .... it was good while it lasted....

Hhhhmmmm and so the Stormers are back on the losing side of the scoreboard and on top of that they've picked up injuries to Schalk Burger, Conrad Jantjes and JD Moller to go with the host of other walking wounded.

The season has been a disaster in general and injuries have robbed the side of experienced and promising young players.

We've now got three games left and personally if I was Rassie Erasmus I would rather give the younger players a bit more of a run just to see who steps up to the plate and who doesn't.

In my last post I touched on the age of players like AJ Venter, Willem De Waal etc. Where are the new players coming through for the 2010 season? By persisting with the older players you don't create a healthy feeder channel for the following year and then you have this inevitable dip in form when the new guys come into the system 'en masse...

Tiger Bax didn't exactly cover himself in glory when he came on for Jantjes yesterday against the Chiefs but you can't judge the guy on a single performance.

Give guys like Morgan Newman (pictured), Des Fontain and Bax a chance to play the rest of the season with little pressure on them and if they step up to the plate then you have a base
from which to build on next year.

Phew!

The Stormers finally got a win on the road! I was starting to worry that my team was going to be an absolute wood-spoonists - at least now we know that the Lions and Cheetahs should finish beneath us again!

It looked like somebody finally lit a fire under Sireli Naqelevuki as well - he was piling into rucks, charging through half-gaps and looking for work from the moment he got that try - HOW BLOODY REFRESHING!

What is going to be interesting to watch is how Rassie Erasmus / Stormers management / Western Province management are going to approach the 2010 season.

The side isn't getting younger and despite their stars, they are battling to string together consistent performances.

2010 is going to be an interesting year for the team:

• Percy Montogemery, Willem De Waal, Wylie Human, Bolla Conradie and even Gcobani Bobo to some extent aren't getting any younger (Bobo's had a great season in my opinion)
• Injuries to Nick Koster and Tonderai Chavanga haven't helped but Rassie decided to play the likes of Human in favour of blooding new youngsters
• The scrums this year have been a mess - we're so keen to be mobile that we're not winning the basics like scrums to unleash a decent set of backs
  
• Peter Grant is rumoured to be moving to the Western Force.

On top of that I'm not a huge Schalk Brits fan and the backup hooker we used this year (Tiaan Liebenberg) was drafted in from France... doesn't look like much in the continuity department.

As a Stormers supporter, I think it would be good to see us making a bid for the likes of Louis Ludik, Jaques Fourie and Heinke VD Merwe from the Lions and maybe Potgieter the Cheetahs flyhalf....

British and Irish Lions squad announced

The British & Irish Lions have named an enlarged squad to take on South Africa in their upcoming tour....

Still don't think they have enough firepower or cohesiveness to take on the Southern Hemishphere sides but they might surprise.

Backs: Lee Byrne, Rob Kearney, Shane Williams, Leigh Halfpenney, Ugo Monye, Luke Fitzgerald, Tommy Bowe, Tom Shanklin, Jamie Roberts, Brian O’Driscoll, Keith Earls, Riki Flutey, Ronan O’Gara, Stephen Jones, Mike Phillips, Harry Ellis, Tomas O’Leary

Forwards: Jamie Heaslip, Andy Powell, David Wallace, Stephen Ferris, Alan Quinlan, Joe Worsley, Martyn Williams, Alun-Wyn Jones, Paul O’Connell (c), Donncha O’Callaghan, Simon Shaw, Nathan Hines, Gethin Jenkins, Adam Jones, Andrew Sheridan, Phil Vickery, Euan Murray, Jerry Flannery, Lee Mears, Matthew Rees.

Foreign players...

... it's interesting - at the start of the 2009 Super 14 season and post the Rugby World Cup, a lot of noise was made about the outflow of quality players into the big money European leagues. If all was to be believed, South Africa was facing a MASSIVE talent drain....

A few rounds left in the Super 14 and we've got two of the top four teams on the table.

In contrast South Africa has effectively had two "foreigners" in our ranks - Sireli Naqelevuki and Todd Clever.

As a Stormers fan, I've been very unhappy with the performance of Naqelevuki and I have no idea what he has done to enjoy regular starts for us - yes injuries have been a problem but he just looks like he has no interest.

Todd Clever (Cleaver?) has been a really valuable addition to the Lions lineup - plenty of enthusiasm and some nice skill as well - an example of foreign talent boosting a local franchise.

Next year, I believe that Peter Grant has been considered for the Force so that will be another guy going out... wonder whether there will be any big name foreign signings for the local franchises.

Canterbury re-takes the field

The SA sporting fraternity is breathing a collective sigh of relief after the announcement that the Canterbury brand will continue to be available in South Africa. The Canterbury distribution rights, previously held by Canterbury International SA, have now being granted to prominent local sporting equipment business, Super-Brands (Pty) Ltd.

Now managed by Dunslaz Distributors (Pty) Ltd, one of Super-Brands’ subsidiary companies, the renowned Canterbury label will remain on local shores and retain its agreement with SA Rugby as the official clothing and equipment sponsor of the Springboks.

“We are pleased to report that the globe’s most successful rugby brand will once again be marketed and distributed locally,” comments Super-Brands CEO, Cuan Chelin. “The venture is incredibly exciting for us and we hope that, with the support of our retailers, partners and consumers, we are able to grow and sustain the celebrated Canterbury brand.”

The Group, which also distributes prominent sporting brands, Dunlop, Slazenger and Karrimor, will now start to address issues that arose from the liquidation of Canterbury SA thereby developing a platform for further growth on this dynamic global brand.

“These next few weeks will be spent visiting some of our largest customers and affirming our commitment to the label’s success,” comments Chelin. “We foresee great potential for this brand within the local market and believe that we can engineer a smooth transition which will see Canterbury retain its position as one of the South Africa’s most revered sporting brands.”

About Super-Brands:
Super-Brands (Pty) Ltd, is the holding company for My Appliances (Pty) Ltd and Dunslaz Distributors (Pty) Ltd, which distributes a range of sporting equipment and consumer and home appliances. The company, highly regarded for providing value-driven products with a premium appeal, holds an impressive portfolio of consumer brands, including the likes of Dunlop, Slazenger, Karrimor, Sonic, Swiss Diamond and Pedrini.

Go.....

Jean Devilliers! What an individual try!

Maybe that will be the try that gets the Stormers into this match.... Great stuff.

C'mon boys!

Brave or stupid

I am not sure which one I am but I've decided to put a couple of bucks on the Cheetahs to beat the Sharks in their Super 14 game tomorrow.

Dunno if I am brave or stupid but I reckon a return back to Bloemfontein may just be the psychological boost the Cheetahs have been seeking.

Funny

Geez the Aussie commentators are pulling some beauts out today!

Watching the Stormers vs Waratahs game and I think it was Phil Kearns said something along the lines of: "The ref has just penalised the Stormers player for fondling a Waratahs head...."

They're also giving Sireli Naqelevuki a helluva lot of grief about his weight and his unwillingness to run... They've got a point - he's looking seriously sluggish at the moment...

Unbelievable

Can't believe the Lions have managed to blow a 29-10 lead to go down 36-29 to the Chiefs!

The Lions actually looked really good in the first half and they took the fight to the Chiefs in almost every aspect of the game. They just can't keep it going for 80 minutes and they took a real bruising in this game.

Chiefs must be in the running for a Super 14 final now considering who they were missing for this game.

Its hard to work out whether its a management / coaching issue or a player issue... The problem is that they buy into guys like Pretorius (who had a much better game this time around) and Mentz but are battling to bring fresh eyes and fresh legs into the setup.

Also gotta wonder whether Loffie Eloff can keep his job for another season and whether Heynecke Meyer is the man to turn this Lions side back into a potent force.

Super 14 so far...

Intriguing Super 14 so far...

... The sublime play such as that delivered by the Chiefs vs. Bulls last week and then the ridiculous as the Crusaders and Stormers tried to spend the match handing their opponents the opportunity to win the game.

As a reminder here is the table:


The Sharks have looked brilliant as have the Chiefs in the last few weeks.

Conversely the Lions and Cheetahs have looked out of their depth and while the Cheetahs have a chance to go and hide out in Bloem, the Lions are now having to go on tour.... Wouldn't want ot be them I'm afraid.

The Stormers missed a golden opportunity to pick up away points on the weekend with a very average performance but at least they looked "competitive" even if the game itself was awful.

SA players of the tournament for me so far?
--- hhhhmmm Rory Kockott and Fourie Du Preez - the two scrumhalves have been exceptional value for money

Best newcomer:
---- Gerhard van den Heever - the Bulls winger - looks like a real talent

Still some time to play and the S14 looks very close this year so things could change each week. It's going to be intriguing to watch...

Hhhhmmm

The Lions finally got a Super 14 win on the table when they beat the Brumbies at home last night.... It has taken me 24 hours to recover from the shock before blogging on the subject.

I guess it is always good when an SA side beats an Australian side but geez they made it hard work for themselves.

There are a couple of guys I feel genuinely sorry for in SA rugby - Cobus "Baywatch" Grobbelaar, Louis Ludik, Heinke VD Merwe and Jaques Fourie.

Baywatch and Ludik are guys who simply try their hearts out game after game and they deserve to be on the winning side from time to time.

When it comes to Fourie - you almost wish he could be playing for a class side - between him, Adi Jacobs and Jean Devilliers, he is probably one of the best "pure" centres in South African rugby and yet he keeps turning out for the Lions every year.

Sorry to say but I think Andre Pretorius is finished.... His performance yesterday was weak and his kicking out of hand was directionless. The side has been banking on a Pretorius recovery for the last two seasons and finally he is fit and starting again and he's not delivering....

Dunno we'll watch the next few weeks and see how this Lions side plays out... So long as they don't interfere with the Stormers rebound to make the Semis.... ;-)

Happy Irish...

So the Irish have done it - the Grand Slam, the Six Nations and the Triple Crown.... Going to be some very happy and probably some very drunk Irish fans out there tonight!!!

Well done guys.

Schoolboy rugby festivals here again

The Easter weekend brings a number of top rugby festivals to the SA schools scene.

Three of the top festivals in Johannesburg include those hosted by KES, St Johns and St Stithians:

KES:
St Johns:
I have to say, I think St Johns have the pick of the bunch this year.

• Affies Hoër Seunskool
• FNB Invitation XV
• Glenwood High School
• Golden Lions
• Helpmekaar Kollege
• Jeppe Boys’ High School
• Maritzburg College
• Monument Hoërskool
• Paarl Boys’ High School
• Paul Roos Gimnasium
• Outeniqua Hoërskool
• St John’s College

St Stithians:

• FNB Invitation
• Bishops
• St Davids
• St Andrews
• St Stithians
• St Charles
• Boland Landbou
• Parktown Boys
• St Alban’s
• Wynberg

Sports Trader - Super 14 predictions

Another weekend of the Super 14 is here and the results look a little easier to pick this time around.

We are only picking one upset and that is the Western Force to beat the Crusaders who have plenty of injury woes. As a Stormers fan I'm hoping (praying?!) that the side clocks up a big one against the Lions who have looked out of sorts - KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID boys.

Friday fixtures:
Blues vs. Cheetahs - Blues win
Brumbies vs. Waratahs - Brumbies win

Saturday fixtures:
Crusaders vs. Western Force - Western Force win
Highlanders vs. Chiefs - Highlanders win
Reds vs. Sharks - Sharks win
Stormers vs. Lions - Stormers win

From the Sports Trader blog

Super 14 Dream Team update

I'm currently 2663 out of 12317 managers in the Super 14 Dream Team competition.

Ditched my dependance on The Stormers players and started making some selections with my head rather than my heart.

Pierre Spies and Gear of the Hurricanes have been inspired selections for the first few weeks.

My team for this week:
- Mark Gerrard
- Joe Rokocoko
- Paul Williams
- Stirling Mortlock
- Jean Devilliers
- Matt Giteau
- Rory Kockott
- George Smith
- Richie Mccaw
- Luke Watson (yeah yeah I know)
- Bakkie Botha
- Johan Muller
- Kevin Mealamu
- Bismarck Duplessis
- Al Baxter...

Tag Rugby Development Trust

We are a unique charity that introduces primary school children in developing Countries to Tag Rugby through volunteer tours that build a positive legacy through local involvement and UK support.

The website provides details on past and future tours, gives information on how individuals or companies can get involved with our charity.

We hope you enjoy clicking through the pages of the site & would appreciate any feedback you have that may help us improve the experience.

Martin Hansford
TRDT Chairman
http://www.trdt.co.uk/

SA launches rugby academy

With the growth of professionalism in rugby there is a real demand for quality rugby education. Rugby has also expanded rapidly over the last few years and is now a truly global sport.

The Investec International Rugby Academy South Africa (IRASA) courses are specifically designed to assist in progressing or achieving a career in playing or coaching rugby, and more importantly, to achieve excellence in this area. The Investec Academy provides inspiration and a high performance avenue for promising players and coaches. Courses on offer range from our flagship High Performance Courses, Advanced Courses for 16-18 year olds and Development Courses for club players. For players there is a high degree of focus on position specific analysis and tuition, mental toughness, rugby intelligence and skill development, with an impressive line-up of former and current international coaches and players delivering their quality expertise.

For coaches it is a rare opportunity to work intensively with the world's best coaches in a practical environment. The high performance, development and advanced courses work in tandem with the players' courses where the coaches' course participants work through the International Rugby Academy blueprint with the various specialists employed on that particular course on how to identify talent, design a game plan and drill the team to best utilise that talent, analyse performance and implement remedial coaching.

http://southafrica.internationalrugbyacademy.com/

Defence...

Another action packed weekend of Super 14 rugby has come and gone with a bit of predictability from a South African sides perspective.

The Stormers have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory
The Bulls stomped all over a really poor Lions side
The Sharks managed to hold off the Chiefs

I know quite a lot has been made of the South African affinity for the "Rush Defence"... but I'm not totally convinced it works particularly well under the new ELV's where there is more kicking. I think the Cheetahs, the Lions and the Stormers have both been undone with their rush defence strategy whereas sides like The Crusaders and the Waratahs have appear to have adopted the strategy of stepping back that extra pace, reading the play and then shifting their defence as it is needed.

Whereas a side like the Crusaders appear to be dictating the pace of the game, these sides are trying to force broken play and then hoping for the best when the pace gets to their liking - in other words they never actually dominate the play - they're relying on the other side playing to their game....

Is this something endemic to the South African sides? Am I just imagining it?

Bloody Stormers!

I Am A STORMER - no questions asked... But geez they know how to throw games away sometimes!

Last night the guys snuck in 27-24 against the Reds in the Super 14 and I got the impression that if the game had gone on for another 5 minutes they would have lost it - this after having been up 27-10 and the Reds looking down and out.

Last week against the Sharks they also had a handy lead and lost it - apparently because Jean Devilliers was stretchered off the field. This time there was no key player lost so what was the excuse?!

My opinion - They just played like it was a game of wild schoolboy rugby and the Reds mopped it up and Quade Cooper thought Christmas had come early.

Missing out on that bonus point was B A D.

I appreciate that the Stormers like a running game of rugby, but you A) have to have the ball, B) you have to have the territory to play such a game. If you have neither it's pretty tough to consistently stay in the game... and it is not like the Reds did anything special to secure territory and possession - they just waited for the ball to be given to them.

• That hospital pass from Ricky Januarie to Andries Bekker in the first minute which the lock then tried to clear (which lead to the first Reds try) was the way the Stormers continued to play throughout the game.
• Schalk Brits (pictured) thinks he's some kind of backline player... Schalk - like Rassie has shown with Nick Koster - if he thinks you are a backline player, he will reinvent you... how about playing as a hooker please? I'm not a Brits fan - I rate hookers who can find their jumpers and do the basics right not on how many goose stepping, upside down flip passes they can deliver
• A perfect example was a chip and chase from Januarie after a lineout in the first half. The two chasers on to the ball - Brits and Naqelevuki. The Fijian ends up behind Brits - who is one of the shortest guys on the field - and the ball gets lost forward and the Reds make up about 10 - 15m when the
  
• When Januarie went off and Conradie came on, I don't think we got a single ball out of the scrums... Conradie needs to get up to game speed
• Brian Mujati is not a scrumhalf! Nor is Sireli Naqelevuki. Nor is Bekker, nor is Fondse - it is the guy that wears the number 9 jersey dammit...

But a win is a win and we're in the middle of the table after the first two games. The bonus point would have been useful though.

On the positives:

• Sireli Naqelevuki is back in the side and he brings something different to the backline
• Love or hate him - Luke Watson brought some value in with his performance
• Jean Devilliers is fit
• Peter Grant looks useful at flyhalf
• We have our first win of the season

Lots of work to do going forward though....

Cheetahs blowing it...

I'm not a Cheetahs fan so it's probably ok if I throw it out there.

Last week against the Lions they had 2 yellow cards - Brussow and Bosman. This week they got another yellow card for a professional foul in their game against the Western Force. The Cheetahs lost the game 16-10 and the try that nailed them... the one they conceded when they were down to 14.

Same as with the Lions games - the tries they conceded were when they were down to 14 men...

The Cheetahs season could look very different with 2 wins under their belts instead of two narrow losses

Super 14 predictions

A helluva interesting week coming up in the Super 14 this week now that each of the sides has had a chance to flex their msucles.

Here are the Sports Trader predictions for Week 2.

Friday fixtures:

Hurricanes vs. Highlanders - Highlanders win
Waratahs vs. Chiefs - Waratahs win
W. Force vs. Cheetahs - Cheetahs win
Stormers vs. Reds - Stormers win

This weekend is vital for all of these sides to get points on the board and that is largely because the 2009 expected "Big Guns" are slogging it out on Saturday.

The Highlanders ran the Brumbies close last week and on that form we're backing them to deliver this week.

Waratahs are at home to the Chiefs and we expect them to come out on top here.

The W. Force host the Cheetahs who have an atrocious track record away from home. Having said that, the Cheetahs put in a half decent performance against the Lions last week and I think that if they can reproduce that form, they may just pip the Force (one of their easier away fixtures) this week.

The Stormers should have no trouble seeing off the Reds with the Newlands faithful behind them.

Saturday fixtures:
Brumbies vs. Crusaders - Crusaders win
Bulls vs. Blues - Blues win
Sharks vs. Lions - Sharks win

Saturday serves up a gem of a rugby day.

The Brumbies host the Crusaders in what is without question the match of the day. It's a tough one to call and we're leaning ever so slightly toward the Crusaders here, but the margin is tiny.

The Bulls host the Blues and based on their performance against the Reds in week 1 we're thinking the Blues might just turn some stomachs at Loftus.

Finally that brings us to the Sharks and the Lions... one of the greatest derby's on the SA calendar. The Lions have problems but they showed moments of quality against the Cheetahs last week. The Stormers proved they could run the Sharks close. We're backing Sharks quality and CONSISTENCY to shine through here.

Lions tactics...

I spent a lot of time watching the Lions last night and trying to work out how much quality is in this lineup and where they went wrong.

Let's be honest they did A LOT of things right in this game and if they continue to do these things right they'll be hard to beat at home... So HOW THE HELL DID THE CHEETAHS RUN THEM THIS CLOSE?!

What they did right:

• Heinke VD Merwe was a monster in the scrum - he sent a clear message to anyone wanting to take the Lions on upfront - Don't f#ck with our scrum
• Willem Alberts off the back of the scrum was brilliant even if he did keep quite a low profile
• Cobus "Baywatch" Grobelaar was everywhere and he competed for every inch of ground on offer and some that wasn't...
  
• Jano Vermaak at scrumhalf was a pain in the ass for the Cheetahs all night. Nippy, he opened up ground, made quick service available and delivered the goods
• Numbers 11 - 15 in the backline looked formidable at times. Defensively they need to tighten up on one or two things but that backline can hold its own against most of the big guns.
• Todd Clever - nice impact option and you can see the value he is going to add in the last twenty minutes of a game...
  

So where the hell was the problem??
- Hooker and the locks in the lineout.... The Cheetahs hassled them all night in this area of the game. If you can't find your lineout jumpers then you're in trouble...

- Number 10 - Strip out the two drop goals and some serious questions would be asked of the decision making and marshalling of the troops by Earl Rose and Andre Pretorius.

Early on Rose, was keeping it nice and simple letting his backline go and do what they did best. Then he got it into his head to get too involved in the action with side steps and piling into the rucks and twice he was caught in the scrumhalf position and no first receiver in place...

When Pretorius came on, he seemed to have decided to shut things down with some odd kicks onto the Cheetahs backs who couldn't wait to come running back at them.

(PS as an afterthought, watch that first Cheetahs try again and watch Rose. He backed away from both Smith and Brussow... Not saying I wouldn't have, coz I sure as hell would have but the big flankers will have noted the lack of willingness to slow them up.)

These are the two areas the Lions will need to address rapidly to remain competitive in the tournament...

What a start....

At moments the rugby was sublime at others it bordered on the ridiculous but we were left in no doubt that the Super 14 was here!

You couldn't have had a better two sides to kick off the competition than for the Brumbies to be pitted against the Highlanders at home. These guys came out to play action rugby and the fans were sent on an emotional rollercoaster as the Highlanders went up 19-0 after 22 minutes only for the Brumbies (inspired by Stirling Mortlock pictured left) to come crashing back into the game.

The Brumbies eventually held on for a 33-31 victory which was incredible to watch!

After that the Blues held on for a 25-19 victory over the Western Force. Tight stuff indeed!

Then we turned to the debacle at Coca Cola Park as the Lions contrived to do everything possible to give the result to the Cheetahs.

Eventually drop goals from Andre Pretorius and Earl Rose pushed the Lions 6 points clear but the way the Lions simply stopped playing mid-way through the second half was absolutely bizarre.

What in the world would inspire you to start kicking the ball on Daniller, Demas (pictured right) and Juries - who were looking full of running - when you still had a quarter of the game to play?! Pretorius with all his experience surely knew better...

Demas I thought was brilliant!

Juan Smith was absolutely outstanding and at the end of the day, the two yellow cards on Heinrich Brussow and Meyer Bosman cost the Cheetahs 3 tries... I thought both yellows were justified.

The Lions are going to need to improve a lot to be competitive in this competition but it was great to see Ashwin Willemse playing really well.

I'm going to blog on the Lions tactics in the next post and some strengths and weaknesses I thought were obvious...

Super 14 predictions from Sports Trader

The wait is over for Super 14 fans!

Rugby pundits will be able to get a better idea of what their sides are offering as they flex their muscles.

Sports Trader makes its picks:

Friday 13 February
Highlanders vs. Brumbies - Highlanders win

How's this for a fixture to kick off the Super 14?! Highlanders at home in the "house of pain" against the highly rated Brumbies.

We're backing the Brumbies to do well in the tournament but the Highlanders at home pips the Brumbies firepower.

Western Force vs. Blue - Blues win

Lions vs. Cheetahs - Cheetahs win

Saturday 14 February
Crusaders vs. Chiefs - Crusaders win
Hurricanes vs. Waratahs - Hurricanes win
Stormers vs. Sharks - Stormers win

Disclaimer - I'm a Stormers fan. I reckon they're going to do a number on the Sharks.

Bulls vs. Reds - Bulls win

The wait is over!

Sports Trader - 6 Nations week 2 predictions

Week 2 of the 6 Nations is here and all the sides have had a chance to flex their muscles which should make selections a little easier this week.

Sports Trader makes its picks.

The Wales vs. England fixture is a tough one to call. The English were poor against Italy last week (irrespective of the eventual scoreline) while the Welsh seemed to be on form.

We're backing England however to take last week as a week up and take the Welsh in their own back yard.

Saturday 14 February 2009
France vs. Scotland - France win
Wales vs. England - England win

Sunday 15 February 2009
Italy vs. Ireland - Ireland win

Happy hunting...

Super 14 Dream Team - Round 1

The first round of the Super 14 his here this weekend and I've entered a team in the Super 14 Dream Team competition we blogged about in our previous post.

I've listed my team below for those who are interested or for other people playing in the competition to discuss and debate around squad selection!

Remember that:
- You can only select 3 players from any one team (hence I had to include Lions and Sharks players in my line-up... cold shiver)

- The way the competition works, you can pick players for general positions such as the front row (e.g. there is no defined position such as hooker but rather 3 front row positions up for grabs)... ditto for the Back 3

A reminder of the fixtures first though:

Friday:
Highlanders vs Brumbies (Dunedin)
W Force vs Blues (Perth)
Lions vs. Cheetahs (Johannesburg)

Saturday:
Crusaders vs. Chiefs (Christchurch)
Hurricanes vs. Waratahs (Wellington)
Stormers vs Sharks (Cape Town)
Bulls vs. Reds (Pretoria)

My team:
Outside back 1 - Clyde Rathbone
Outside back 2 - Leon MacDonald
Outside back 3 - Joe Rokocoko
Centre 1 - Jean De Villiers
Centre2 - Stirling Mortlock
Flyhalf - Peter Grant
Scrumhalf - Piri Weepu
Loose forward 1 - Cobus Grobbelaar
Loose forward 2 - Schalk Burger
Loose forward 3 - George Smith
Lock 1 - Victor Matfield
Lock 2 - Bakkies Botha
Front Row 1 - Bismarck du Plessis
Front Row 2 - Keven Mealamu
Front Row 3 - Tendai Mtawarira

My kicker is Peter Grant
My captain is Stirling Mortlock

Anyone else wanna share their Dream Team for this round?

Planning to travel to support your side?
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Planning to visit SA?
Book a holiday in South Africa Click Here

Car?
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Calling all rugby fans

The world's most exciting rugby tournament is back. Friday the 13th February sees the 2009 Super 14 season kick off and Super 14 Dream Teams brought to you by RugbyZone gets you closer to the action.

Enter your dream team now at www.superdreamteams.com/super14

Some of the biggest names in world rugby are available for you to pick in your team. Here's how it works:

• Pick a team of 15 players from the 14 participating teams
• Select your Captain and Kicker to score extra points
• Manage your dream team weekly with your available transfers
• Challenge friends and family to play against you in your own league whilst competing against the top managers in the global league

The Super 14 Dream Teams is FREE to play with exciting prizes up for grabs.

Good luck!

Super Dream Teams

www.superdreamteams.com/super14

Sevens Table

Six nations predictions

The Six Nations kicks off this weekend and Sports Trader takes a look at the betting and makes some predictions.

Outright winner - odds offered by World Sports Betting:
Wales - 22/10
England - 3/1
France - 3/1
Ireland - 7/2
Scotland - 14/1
Italy - 80/1

We're backing France to win this year... They've had a pretty low key build up but we think they could be a surprise package here.

Italy are obviously still outta their depth but wouldn't be surprised if they give a few nudges to their more glamorous counterparts. I'm expecting them to be a bit more competitive than they were last year and remember they pushed England and Ireland quite close last year.

For the weekends fixtures here are our predictions:

Saturday:
England vs Italy - England win
Ireland vs. France - France win

Sunday:
Scotland vs. Wales - Wales win

The Bulls - Super 14 Squad reviewed

The Bulls possess a useful side but the question mark remains around Morne Steyns ability to run the flyhalf channel against the biggest and best in world rugby.

Heini Adams, Bakkies Botha, Jacques Burger, Marius Delport, Fourie du Preez, Jaco Engels, Burton Francis, Rayno Gerber, Bryan Habana, Francois Hougaard, Wayne Julies, Zane Kirchner, Werner Kruger, Derick Kuün, Bandise Maku, Tiger Mangweni, Victor Matfield, Akona Ndungane, JP Nel, Wynand Olivier, Dewald Potgieter, Jaco Pretorius, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Danie Rossouw, Pierre Spies, Gürthro Steenkamp, Wilhelm Steenkamp, Deon Stegmann, Morné Steyn, Pedrie Wannenburg.

Apart from two dominant locks (Matfield and Botha) there seems to be a lack of "bite" and aggression amongst the forwards. The traditional fearsome Bulls pack seems to be missing something this year???

All eyes are going to be on Brian Habana and Chilliboy Ralepelle who have plenty to prove in 2009

The Sharks - Super 14 squad reviewed

Everyone is talking up the prospects of the Sharks this year and you can't deny the quality in their side.

Pick a player - they can all pretty much dominate....

Skipper Badenhorst, Nikolai Blignaut, Jacques Botes, Deon Carstens, Keegan Daniel, Jean Deysel, Bismarck Du Plessis, Jannie Du Plessis, Alistair Hargreaves, Ryan Kankowski, Beast Mtawarira, Johann Muller, Skholiwe Ndlovu, John Smit, Steven Sykes, Albert van den Berg, Monty Dumond, Adrian Jacobs, Chris Jordaan, Rory Kockott, Waylon Murray, Odwa Ndungane, Ruan Pienaar, JP Pietersen, Francois Steyn, Riaan Swanepoel, Stefan Terblanche, Lionel Cronje, Justin Downey, Luzuko Vulindlu.

HOWEVER - and here is my personal opinion - Pienaar and Steyn rotating the flyhalf duties could be their downfall. Freddy Michalak was a bit up and down last year but he provided a genuine flyhalf channel. Pienaar is a reinvented flyhalf and Steyn doesn't seem to have the tactical awareness to dominate here...

Who knows maybe they'll surprise though.

Quality side.

The Lions - Super 14 Squad reviewed

I'm anything but a Lions supporter but one thing that does seem to be developing amongst this squad is a sense of self-belief and "gelling" as a team...

Cobus Grobbelaar, Doppies la Grange, Jano Vermaak, Louis Ludik, Heinke van der Merwe, Jaque Fourie, Franco van der Merwe, Earl Rose, Anton van Zyl, Willie Wepener, Jannie Boshoff, Willem Alberts, JC Janse van Rensburg , Gert Muller, Henno Mentz, Ashwin Willemse, Michael Killian, Jannes Labuschagne, Chris Jonck, Hansie van Dyk, Shandre Frolick, Todd Clever, Siegelaar Allister, Lawrence Sephaka, Dusty Noble, Thiliphaut Marole, Ligtoring Landman, Okkie Kruger, Divan Kotze, Barry Goodes.

To compound their probles, the Lions also happened to have the longest list of walking wounded with:
Ross Geldenhuys, Ernest Joubert, Jannes Labuschagne, Derick Minnie, Gerhard Mostert, Andre Pretorius, Ethienne Reynecke, Jody Rose, Dewald Senekal, Justin St Jerry, Louis Strydom, Johan van Deventer, Walter Venter, Justin Wheeler

... all out of action.

Apart from Cobus "Baywatch" Grobbelaar and Jaque Fourie, the three players I would be watching quite closely are Barry Goodes (this guy could be good this year), Ashwin Willemse (purely out of curiousity to see whether he's lost the skills that got him into the Bok side) and Todd Clever the American...

The Cheetahs - Super 14 squad reviewed

There is a lot of young talent in the Cheetah's side at the moment, but one can't help wondering if they're bringing a knife to a gun fight...

Cheetahs
Hennie Daniller, Danwel Demas, Corné Uys, Jacques-Louis Potgieter, Fabian Juries, Meyer Bosman, Tewis de Bruyn, Frans Viljoen, Juan Smith, Heinrich Brüssow, David de Villiers, Nico Breedt, Kobus Calldo, Adriaan Strauss, Wian du Preez, Richardt Strauss, Wayne van Heerden, Hendro Scholtz, Sarel Pretorius, Bjorn Basson, Kabamba Floors, Trompie Nontshinga, Piet van Zyl, Riaan Viljoen, Jean Botha, Flip van der Merwe, Bees Roux, Jonge Nokwe, Bevan Fortuin, Hanno Coetzee.

All eyes will be on Meyer Bosman to deliver a commanding performance as the backline general this year and Jonge Nokwe to deliver on the form that saw him make the Bok lineup in 2008.

Kabamba Floors has plenty to prove while Juan Smith is going to have a long season ahead of him trying to keep the Cheetahs competitive...

Stormers reviewed

6 days until the Super 14 kicks off and South African sides have finally announced their teams.

Rugby Strategist has taken a look at the sides and tried to identify some key players who will shape the Super 14 campaigns for SA:

STORMERS:
Andries Bekker, Wikus Blaauw, Gcobani Bobo, Schalk Brits, Schalk Burger, Tonderai Chavhanga, Bolla Conradie, Jean de Villiers, Dylan des Fountain, Dewaldt Duvenhage, Schalk Ferreira, Adriaan Fondse, Deon Fourie, Peter Grant, Conrad Jantjes, Ricky Januarie, Francois Louw, JD Moller, Brian Mujati, Pieter Myburgh, Sireli Naqelevuki, Morgan Newman, Luke Watson, Percy
Montgomery, Nick Koster, JC Kritzinger, Hilton Lobberts, Joe Pietersen, AJ Venter, Duanne Vermeulen.

Experienced flyhalf Willem De Waal was not considered due to injury as was Brock Harris the prop.

Big performances are obviously expected of Schalk Burger and Jean de Villiers but the real testing points for the Stormers will be Peter Grant and flyhalf and in the front row where they have been given grief in some of the warm up games.

I'm a Stormers supporter so I'll obviously be biased in their favour but its a decent looking side with the ability to beat almost anybody on their day.

The makeup of the backline is going to be interesting to watch with Nick Koster being reinvented as a wing and Sireli Naqelevuki having to deliver the goods as the human battering ram.

NFL / Franchise System in SA sports?

From the Sports Mongrel blog...

I haven't blogged in a while but with the NFL SuperBowl this evening, I thought I'd touch on something that could become quite topical to South African sport - the franchise system...

The SuperBowl final this year pits the Steelers against the Arizona Cardinals - two sides who didn't make the grade last year.

Sides like the New York Giants, The Green Bay Packers and The Patriots who dominated last year are nowhere to be seen this year...

The draft system ensures that players don't end up stuck in contracts where they are not playing. It also ensures constant rotation of the top players ensuring development of players in various geographical regions.

Currently our cricket and rugby teams have looked at franchise systems with mixed success, but what we haven't seen is moves from controlling bodies like Cricket SA and SARFU to help manage players more actively... Maybe its time for us to look at a draft system...?

I see they're doing it in the IPL cricket league and it makes it helluva exciting.

One obvious complaint is that sides will argue that they have invested a lot of time and money in player development and a draft system will negate that. I guess its always possible but in the bigger scheme I think it could make SA more competitive.

Instead of one side having an excess of batters, bowlers, strikers or flyhalves, players go into a pool and are split up evenly where they're needed.

I immediately think of sides like the Cheetahs in rugby who are constantly finding themselves outbid (financially) for quality players. A draft system would ensure that they would have fair access to quality players... and we wouldn't be losing players to Australia or New Zealand or even the UK.

Times are a changing in South Africa and the old provincial loyalties are being replaced by commercial franchises in different sports disciplines. As a result better player management is going to be essential...

Brumbies

The Brumbies (one of our picks for the Super 14 this year) are being given some coverage on the Green and Gold rugby blog:

http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/bumbies_2009_super14_preview

There is also a written update on how they performed against the Hurricanes where they won 28-14 in a trial game. Check out the details here...

http://www.super14.com/news/viewarticle.asp?id=17959

Canterbury SA placed into liquidation

A combination of the financial crisis and some serious financial irregularities have nailed Canterbury in South Africa with the business about to be placed into liquidation.

Canterbury SA is represented by Fifth Element Marketing (Pty) Ltd - a clothing design and wholesale business which owns fashion and sportswear supplier Canterbury International SA (Pty) Ltd and surf wear and fashion brand, O'Neill SA.

Canterbury supplies a number of the Super 14 Jerseys as well as the Springbok jerseys.

Initial reports are that the Super 14 teams and the Bok jerseys will be supplied for 2009, but hell it is disappointing to read about something like this... Not the way for SA to kick off its rugby season...

We'll keep you up to date with other developments here but in the mean time please check out the business story here.

Doping in sport seminar

Andreea Răducan, a world renowned Romanian gymnast made headlines in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games when she was stripped of her gold medal shortly after the Olympics concluded. It was later revealed that she tested positive for pseudo-ephedrine.

Austell Laboratories will be hosting a series of seminars to discuss the topic of inadverdant doping in sport in South Africa. Find out more information here.

Nick Koster and the positional debate

I see an interesting debate has emerged on Keo.co.za around the management of WP and Stormers loose forward Nick Koster and I thought it might be interesting to get a bit of feedback from other rugby coaches...

The topic is moving a player out of their favoured position to

A) Make space to accommodate their skills
B) Remoulding of a player

For those who don't know, Koster is a highly rated young loose forward. He made a big impact in the limited time he hit the turf for WP in 2008 and a lot is being expected of him in the Super 14 and Currie Cup this year.

The debate now comes up in that Stormers coach Rassie Erasmus has decided to run Koster on the wing during training and people are questioning whether he should be left to mature as a loosie or play a dual role of loose forward and wing.

Kabamba Floors and Ruan Pienaar are two other South African players who have been shuffled around their respective sides with mixed success in the last few years.

Floors played the odd game at wing while being a traditional loose forward while Pienaar was such a good natural ball player that he was shifted around the Sharks (and Springbok) backlines as a wing, scrumhalf, flyhalf and fullback.

The question is - is the player being handicapped by being played out of a position or is he simply a new breed of player being able to move seamlessly between the forward group and the backline?

Fast-tracking the development of young rugby players in the four "esses" - size, strength, speed and skill

Author: Bruce Ross, CEO, MyoQuip Pty Ltd (November 2008)

A two-year program of accelerating the physical and skill development of young players at Sydney University has returned big dividends.

Within days of losing the 2006 First Colts Grand Final due to being out-muscled at the breakdown, University coach Nick Ryan met with his team and together they made a pact to never again be pushed off the ball. The players allowed themselves a mere three weeks break before getting back into training for the 2007 season at a level of intensity not seen before in Sydney club rugby. The off-season training regimen consisted of 4 weights sessions and 3 field sessions per week, switching to 3 weights and 2 to 3 field sessions during the playing season plus regular individual video analysis and field sessions with the coach.

The central ingredient of the training has been the strength and conditioning components devised by Martin Harland and administered by him and his assistant, Tim Leahy. "I guess we have two training tenets" Harland explains, "that is to always train hard and to train hard in the right areas. Thus developing the culture of no short cuts and to attend to the things in a prioritized plan from what we lack the most or what will help us the most on the park." Harland's programs for rugby players place a high degree of emphasis on basic strength development, increased bodyweight and speed. At the same time, given the year-round training commitment, great care is taken to guard against player burnout.

"We are consistently monitoring signs of overtraining," says Leahy. "Our in-season training structure does differ from our pre-season regime. The two key factors that help us guard against overtraining and player burnout is to firstly ensure our players are educated and understand the importance of post-game recovery strategies.

"Secondly a close working relationship with coaching staff to ensure on field and gym volumes are of an optimal load. All variables as well as player’s subjective observation of energy, fatigue levels and contra indicators to injury are taken into account when prescribing volumes."

With a strong strength and fitness foundation laid, Nick Ryan and his team coaches are free to focus on technical proficiency and team cohesion. "The aim of our training sessions," says Ryan "is to up-skill and empower the players, so that when they take the field not only can they read the game and make the right decisions, but then execute and finish off the activity with the help of team mates who are on a similar skill level and wave length." The payoff in terms of enhanced performance from the integration of strength and rugby coaching has been dramatic.

In the 2007 season University First Colts lost just one game out of 25 in winning both Minor and Major Premierships. Seconds and Under-19 Colts also won both Minor and Major awards. The dramatic improvement in the physical development of players can be seen from the Table below. As compared with the 2006 First Colts team, the 2007 forward pack's average bodyweight increased 5kg to 104.3kg; the backs 5.8kg to 86.2kg; and the team as a whole 5.3kg to 95.8kg.


The second year of intensive training produced even more impressive results. In the 2008 season all three Colts grades won both Minor and Major Premierships, with First Colts remaining undefeated throughout their 24-game season. Despite the age limit for Colts having dropped from Under-21 to Under-20, players' bodyweights again increased by 0.2kg for the forwards; 2.8kg for the backs; and 1.5kg overall.

"physical domination ... has enabled us to build a very strong defensive wall and to implement a highly structured game plan which we can maintain for the full 80 minutes."

To put the 2008 figures in perspective the Table also shows the bodyweights of the best professional rugby players in Australia, the current Wallabies squad. They outweigh this club-level Under-20 team by just 6kg per man in the forwards and 4.4kg in the backs. And this team of university students is currently on an unbroken 34-game winning streak! It is almost time for the administrators of Australian rugby to recognise and to take seriously the great experiment that is going on in their own backyard.

Colts coach Nick Ryan has the extraordinary record of taking his team to the Grand Final in each of the 7 years he has coached; with his only loss the 4 point defeat in 2006. He says, " A very important outcome from the intensive training regime of the past 2 years has been our ability to achieve physical domination in matches. This has enabled us to build a very strong defensive wall and to implement a highly structured game plan which we can maintain for the full 80 minutes." As with the weight training, Ryan ensures that the field sessions are short and frequently varied, with the emphasis on having his team peak on Grand Final day in September. He certainly achieved this in 2008 with the winning scoreline 39-5.

In the regular season in 2008 Ryan's team averaged a 40-point winning margin and conceded only 8 points per game. Seconds and Thirds Colts also conceded just 8 and 5 points respectively per game.

A distinctive feature of the Sydney University rugby program has been its reliance on the MyoQuip range of strength building equipment. For the past four years the University gymnasium has been the primary development site for these machines. Not surprisingly MyoQuip's ScrumTruk and Hipnee Thrust* have been extensively used for lower body strength development. Martin Harland says, "These two lower limb extensor machines have been integral to training a wide cross-section of athletes in different sports at the University. In rugby they enable us to reduce the deleterious effects of heavy lower leg extensor exercises and on-field running loads. Traditional heavy squats & deadlifts are great for strength and size but are only moderately compatible with higher running loads for field or court sports. and incompatible with a sizeable subset of your player population for various reasons. To be able to de-load players spines while building hip & knee extensor strength through range of motion means more athletes able to train intensely in the gym and front up for intense speed & fitness work in the same week.” "

The combination of an intensive, well-structured and coordinated training regimen and the use of strength apparatus with high specificity for rugby can be seen to have produced accelerated physical development which has enabled players to perform at a consistently high standard.

*In recent months the University gymnasium has replaced its ScrumTruk and HipneeThrust machines with the more advanced and compact MyoTruk and MyoThrusta models.

For up-to-the-minute information about Myoquip and discussion of strength-related issues visit MyoQuip Blog - strength equipment, rugby football