This is a bit old, seeing it was announced on the 15th, but I would like GBS,s and other Blue Bull supporters comments on this. The rest can debate or attack our view with pleasure, just remember Bulls supporters have memories like elephants. What you say might be held against you in a “stadium of reality” like Loftus.
Coach Frans Ludeke has included the following players in his Vodacom Super 14 squad for 2010:
Fullback: Zane Kirchner
Wings: Akona Ndungane, Gerhard van den Heever, John Mametsa
Centres: Wynand Olivier, Jaco Pretorius, Stephan Dippenaar, Stefan Watermeyer
Flyhalves: Morne Steyn, Jacques-Louis Potgieter
Scrumhalves: Fourie du Preez, Heini Adams, Francois Hougaard
Loose forwards: Pierre Spies, Dewald Potgieter, Deon Stegmann, Derick Kuün, Pedrie Wannenburg, Dries van Schalkwyk
Locks: Bakkies Botha, Victor Matfield, Danie Rossouw, Fudge Mabeta, Flip van der Merwe, Wilhelm Steenkamp
Props: Gurthrö Steenkamp, Werner Kruger, Jaco Engels, Bees Roux, Dean Greyling
Hookers: Gary Botha, Bandise Maku.
Players that are currently struggling with injuries: Chiliboy Ralepelle (foot), Frik Kirsten (neck) and Francois Brummer (groin). Bakkies Botha has had a knee operation, but he will in all probability be able to play in March.
Players that will join the squad at a later stage: Jaco van der Westhuyzen.
15 Heelagter
Net Zane , maar ek sien sy plan met Jaco vd Westhuizen, ook interesant dat daar op vleuel net drie gekies is, bietjie min opsies oop , so glo my daar kan dalk nog n aankoop plaasvind daar.
Loose forwards: Pierre Spies, Dewald Potgieter, Deon Stegmann, Derick Kuün, Pedrie Wannenburg, Dries van Schalkwyk
n Lekker klomp manne wat nie juis die res van SA inspireer nie maar ons skitterent gedien het vanjaar.
Die res sweer mos hoog en laag oor Kanko, Alberts, Louw, Deysell…… maar ons het nog in elke game meer as ons man gestaan. Net Heinrich Brussow wat my bek voor water. Maar as Steggies weer sy vorm bereik soos in die eerste helfte van die seisoen hou hy lekker kers vas met Die Bruss.
Mmmmmm, like always, the core of the Bulls squad is BLIKSEMS GOOD, and we have able backup in most positions…. but I sense that we are slightly thin on OUTSIDE CENTRE and WING still…. and maybe on both PROPS (with Gurthro scrumming very poorly, technique wise and relatively “Unknown entities” in Bees Roux on Tight Head).
Time for the 2 Stephan’s (Stephan Dippenaar & Stefan Watermeyer) to stand up and be counted…
I hope Bees Roux makes a marked difference, Werner Kruger folded like a house of cards in each gam this past season.
Our loosies look awaesome, nothing wrong there.
As a starting backline I would play it the following way:
9 Fourie du Preez
10 Morne Steyn
11 Gerhard van den Heever
12 Jacques-Louis Potgieter (he has the strong running game for an inside centre)
13 Wynand Olivier (I’ve always thought Wynand would be slightly better suited at outside centre)
14 Akona Ndungane
15 Zane Kirchner
That is a bloody strong backline…..
Go Bullsssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!
i also think we are going to miss Habs a lot, we must get a good strong wing to use if the fast Vd Heever cant make it with sheer speed. Still liked the decisive running of Bom Samaai.
Bom Samaai is mos nou by die Lions, nie waar nie?
Nee ek glo nie, hy is nog los hot…, o ek ,moet pasop mag mens nog daai seding gebruik.
Hehehe
Not a bad group at all. Problems are in the front row where except for Gary Botha the front row is very mediocre, and the back three which is also very mediocre.
Having said that it is still a Bulls team which should do well.
VRYSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!
Loosehead hello
Do you think with a lot of hard work and gym that they could improve
Not only is this very old news, even the comments sound old.
I don’t understand the whole obsession with Jacques-Louis Potgieter at inside-centre, he’s not a good enough defender for an inside-centre. He was making around 78.5% of his tackles in the Super 14 this year, and that was at fly-half, move to inside-centre and that can fall a good up to 5% depending on the player, knowing that J-L Potgieter is not exactly a keen defender I’d say he’d make close to 74% of his tackles which is simply not good enough. Wynand Olivier in the 2009 Super 14 made 89.4% of his tackles which is absolutely world class. We’d better have Francois Brummer on the bench if as a substitute fullback, or inside-centre if we want to play Jacques-Louis Potgieter at fly-half, he’ll lose us games with his erratic goal-kicking, and we’d need someone who can be reliable like Brummer (who has his off days but is generally very reliable). Stephan Dippenaar can cover wing as well.
vanS i hear you, but JLP can become much better in both his kicking percentage and tackle counts. The Bulls coaching staff , McFarlane, Flokkie and Slapchips will make this guy another Springbok. He has all the necessary talent. I think he was one off our best buys.
dWeeper
with 10 days left in this wonderful 2009 allow us Bulls to enjoy this most successful squad in Bulls history. Just hope you guys dont mess up the Ferrari in mint condition we gave you. Habanna leaves us in prime condition, lets see how you guys manage such class.
Words of thanks that only the Bulls can utter.
You other lot might be thanked but this is so special for us the Bulls supporters. May i say this to the BB Company, IT WAS A PLEASURE SUPPORTING THE BULLS
The Vodacom Bulls and the Vodacom Blue Bulls would like to use this opportunity to sincerely thank all their supporters for their loyal and dedicated support throughout the season.
It is a huge honour to have so many devoted fans from all over the world and it has to be said that the support at Loftus Versfeld during the historic 2009 season has been absolutely superb.
You as supporter are indeed Player 23 and it surely does have a huge impact on the team’s performance, without which the team wouldn’t have won the Vodacom Super 14 tournament as well as the Absa Currie Cup.
There is no way that the Bulls can perform like the way they did without you and for this we will forever be grateful to you.
Thanks a lot for your support, you are part of the team and we would like to wish you all a marvellous festive season.
The Bulls, who completed their training camp on Friday, are currently taking a much deserved holiday and we will be back on Monday the 4th of January 2010.
The changes to the 2010 Super 14 draw are as follows:
Week 13
Friday 7 May, Vodacom Bulls v Crusaders, Pretoria (previously Saturday 8 May)
Saturday 8 May, Auto & General Lions v Blues, Johannesburg (previously Friday 7 May)
Week 14
Friday 14 May, Crusaders v Brumbies, Christchurch (previously Saturday 15 May)
Saturday 15 May, Blues v Chiefs, Auckland (previously Friday 14 May)
Super, That will be a tough game for Saders. At Loftus. Only advantage for Saders is they now wont play in the heat of the day. Probably Friday will be a night game, still at altitude though. Then they off to play Brumbies the next week. Some tough travel for them. 😀
Same with the Blues play Lions at Ellis Park then have to travel to NZ to face the Chiefs. Will be interesting to see how Saders and Blues do after playing in altitude one week then having to travel and play the very next week again.
I’m usually a very positive fella…. but I have this uneasy feeling that 2010 is going to be a lean year for rugby in SA, both from a Franchise perspective and from a National perspective.
There is just too much disruption in all our Local Teams, let’s look at them:
1. Lions have full new coaching structures and top structure and have lost numerous key players, they’re not contenders for higher than mid-table.
2. Bulls have lost Habana and are a bit thin in the front row and every Tom Dick and Harry will be gunning for the 2009 Super 14 Champs.
3. Cheetahs have lost Jacques-Louis Potgieter and a few others and are perrenial underperformers in the Super 14 anyway.
4. Sharks have problems of their own… some really off form Players (Adi Jacobs, Ruan Pienaar, Kanko ect) and I still get the impression that their game plan makes them the “Winner of the Smallies but a Loser to the Biggies” – Counter attack rugby is not going to win tropies, they better learn to build their own attacking phases.
5. As far as the Stormers are concerned, they will flatter to deceive…. they boast 3 excellent signings in Habana, Jaque Fourie and Fabian Juries… but they still do not have a good fly half (the overhyped Peter Grant and the guy who can ONLY KICK, Wielie Waalie) and they have average scrummies… oh and King Lukie is gone… so mid-table it is for them too.
As far as our National Structures are concerned this End of Year Tour was a serious let-down and eye opener for me….. if Snorrie, Gary Glitter and Muir all heed the lessons of LATE 2009 and work to correct it then I could be wrong and we could have a good year, but I have this distinct uneasy feeling that some of the Tight Head experiments will continue, some of the other front row farkups we saw will be repeated, some of the daft selections in Midfield will be repeated.
For National success we MUST:
1. IMPROVE IN THE SCRUMS.
2. Work on MORE CONTINIOUS BALL POSSESSION & RETENTION.
3. Learn to be MORE POTENT ON ATTACK and the nail the last passes or “Finish” as they call it.
4. Have BETTER DICIPLINE overall.
5. Manage players WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY BETTER than in 2009.
The SEVENS BOKKE looked terribly one-dimentional in the first 2 Tournaments of the new season…. they’re not going to have a happy year ahead.
we quietly went through the longest day yesterday , from now on the days will get shorter and shorter until we reach the longest night on 21st of June( this must be the reverse in England?). Hell it was hot yesterday, i really suffered out there.
Groot the Bulls had a brilliant start in the early s14 league stages last year, unbeaten up to the 6th round. If we can pull of something like that this year we just might move into the Crusaders dominant mode. Imagine we do it , not a impossible dream.
Goeie squad.
Hou by die blou!
Hoop Matfield en FDP rus lekker uit…
GBS – Stem saam met jou oor Peter Grant (Peter Can’t soos hy by ons huis bekend staan). Die Stormers moet vir Lionel Cronje ‘n go gee, hy’s jonk maar hy is nog die beste losskakel wat ons by ‘n U/20 RWC gehad het. Hulle moet vir Conrad Hoffman op skrumskakel hou…
By Duncan Johnstone , Stuff NZ
The Bulls may have lost superstar wing Bryan Habana but they have gained some serious brainpower for the defence of their Super 14 title.
Habana has headed south to the under-achieving Stormers who have done some major recruiting in the offseason and are tipped to be one of next year’s powerhouses.
But it’s hard to see the Bulls giving up their title without a fight, particularly after they have brought their former coach Heyneke Meyer back into the fold.
Meyer has been appointed as the Bulls’ “rugby coaching executive”, wide-ranging role but one that ahs already been focuses on the Super 14 squad.
He has been helping with their training at the coastal base of George in the leadup to Christmas.
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