An interesting weekend of super rugby, even though it probably caused premature cardiac arrest in a number of Northern households. Even though the Bulls did little to inspire any of their supporters on the night, it got me thinking, what went wrong? Where is this supposed Total Rugby, that the Bulls are allegedly the only disciples of?

For four weeks the Bulls had everyone, Aussie, New Zealander and South African alike in awe of their new brand of rugby. For sure it was very impressive, with one game in hand, the Bulls scored an amazing 199 points in four games, that’s averaging almost 50 a game, amazing! They scored 24 tries in this time and Pretoria was in rapture!

Everyone, even Hugh Bladen dubbed this type of game, Total Rugby, even though the Bulls in the same time let 15 tries slip, and 139 points. To put this into context, you have to look down to position 12, being the Highlanders, to find a team who let past more points. They had one of the highest missed tackle rates as well, surpassed only by the hapless Lions, and the not so forceful Force. But, as long as they keep putting 50 on the board, no-one in Pretoria would have any of it!

Then came the Canes, and, for lack of better words, shut them the hell up! They held their defensive lines, and even though their defense was far from brutal, it was mostly effective. Suddenly things weren’t going as usual, and immortals like Morne Steyn and Fourie du Preez once again showed signs of the 2009 year-end tour, Steyn missed a sitter of a kick, and he failed to put his line away, Du Preez was fumbling with the ball on a few occasions, and got caught in possession more than once.

After 40 minutes, the Bulls were outplayed in every single phase of the game, and looked very beatable, their Total Rugby approach in tatters, and a few of the Loftus crowd slinking off home already. Then came the 2nd halve, in which we saw the return of Bulls Rugby for the first time this season. 9 minutes into the 3rd quarter, I knew the Bulls would wrap up the game, and I didn’t even bother to watch the rest, because I could see whatever I wanted from the highlights of the past 5 years, stingy, hard, uncompromising Blue Bull Rugby!

Did Total Rugby fail? Is it but an illusion?

NO! It never failed, because no-one as of yet, has played Total Rugby. The idea behind Total Rugby isn’t to wait for the other team to set a score and then beating it! Total Rugby is exactly as the name suggests, a type of game that has the perfect balance of all the game’s facets. A good scrum and line-out base, attacking, free-scoring backs, an excellent tactician at 10 , a 15-man defensive system that refuses to back an inch, and a well-disciplined team that can adapt to any situation, without first getting a bloody nose.

Alistair Coetzee said, no attacking team has even won a major trophy, and evidence points to the fact that he is most definitely right. Most pundits would refer to the Bulls’ demolishing of the Chiefs in the 2009 Super 14 final, but in the 12 games preceding the final, we saw classic Bulls rugby, rugby, that we can without fear of contradiction, call winning rugby. Because let’s be honest, it’s not about entertainment, it’s about lifting the trophy!

Where does South African teams stand in terms of achieving total rugby?

The Sharks’ forwards are suspicious, constantly losing out in line-outs, rucks and mauls, you cannot currently judge them on their flyhalve, because they had more bad fortune in the pre-season than most, they also do not have an influential inside centre, and as a result, their outside backs never get into the game, they are still far from the finished product, but need to sort out whatever is going on behind closed doors at the Shark tank.

The Lions seem to have attack well in hand, even if their handling leaves much to be desired, they seem to be able to breach most defenses once or twice in a game, which, under normal circumstances should be enough, but their defense is non-existent, so a try scored, is two scored against them. Carlos Spencer is not really living up to the hype, and switching Walter Venter inside Doppies le Grange might not be the worst move ever. But recent evidence suggests, they are a few seasons away from being contenders.

The Cheetahs have a much more pragmatic approach, soften with the forwards, and hit hard with the backs. They have the goods, but they short the confidence. Naas Olivier is damp tissue paper when under pressure, and potentially their greatest weakness. Bosman at 10, with Ebersohn, a natural playmaker, at 12 and Uys at 13 might be a combination worth looking into.

The Stormers performed well in most aspects of the game, defensively they are tight as a drum, and on attack, they have the player capable of breaching anything put before them. Their scrums and line-outs are adequate and efficient, however, Grant at 10, is not a great tactician, and cannot dominate with the boot. His kicking however is not hapless, and he is a great distributor. With Willem de Waal, this weekend, sending the backline away, more often than not, and Grant maybe returning with a 12 on his back, the Stormers are rapidly developing into a team, and quite a useful one at that.

The Bulls’ scrums are solid and their line-outs beyond contestation. They have a flyhalve with a boot and a halve, and with the exception of Derick Kuhn, have been quite well disciplined thusfar. The Bulls can attack, and the Bulls can defend, if they can do both in the same match, is still to be seen. That they are a great team, is undeniable.

With SA’s biggest hopes setting off for Australasia this week, let’s hope, both can attain their Total Rugby status while there, and return in the positions they currently occupy on the log. Also, the time is here for the Cheetahs to impress away from home, let’s hope the Blikore do us proud.