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?
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
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...
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
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
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
Monday, February 16, 2009
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.
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.
Friday, February 13, 2009
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:
- 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...
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...
- 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...
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
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...
Monday, February 9, 2009
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?
TravelStart.co.za Find out which airline is really the cheapest. Click Here
Planning to visit SA?
Book a holiday in South Africa Click Here
Car?
Imperial Europcar. Book your car online now! Click Here
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?
TravelStart.co.za Find out which airline is really the cheapest. Click Here
Planning to visit SA?
Book a holiday in South Africa Click Here
Car?
Imperial Europcar. Book your car online now! Click Here
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:
The Super 14 Dream Teams is FREE to play with exciting prizes up for grabs.
Good luck!
Super Dream Teams
www.superdreamteams.com/super14
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
Saturday, February 7, 2009
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
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
Friday, February 6, 2009
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
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.
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...
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...
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.
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.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
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...
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...
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