With just one SA Team winning the past weekend and that team, The Sharks, enjoying their rest week this week, it seems that South Africa is in for another difficult weekend.
Here are the games to beplayed this weekend:
| 9 | Chiefs | v | Vodacom Bulls | Hamilton | 09:35 |
| 10 | Highlanders | v | Western Force | Queenstown | 04:30 |
| 10 | Blues | v | Vodacom Stormers | Auckland | 07:30 |
| 10 | Crusaders | v | Waratahs | Christchurch | 09:35 |
| 10 | Brumbies | v | Vodacom Cheetahs | Canberra | 11:40 |
| 10 | Auto & General Lions | v | Reds | Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg | 19:10 |
As can be seen, there is only 1 home game for SA Teams, that of the dismal Lions, the other 3 games are all on tour.
Let’s look at the maches in reverse order…
Firstly, the Lions are bound to lose against the Reds, after all the Reds are possibly the most improved side in this year’s tournament.
Secondly, the Brumbies are bound to beat the Cheetahs in Canberra, I cannot foresee a different result.
Thirdly, with the Blues having looked so good in Aucland against the Bulls it is difficult to imagine that the Stormers would come out on top… they have a chance though.
Lastly, the Chiefs and Bulls meat one another in Hamilton. Both teams are a bit injury-ravaged and the Chiefs would dearly like to set the record straight considering that they lost the Super 14 final of 2009 so badly against the Bulls. This is probably the best chance for a South African win for the weekend…. but there are no easy games and the Chiefs are at home!
Come on, give us your opinion in this regard!
Bulls win this weekend.
Depending on what team is selected for the Stormers, will make a prediction later.
As for the other two…
Ja well.
Lions might be surprise package of the weekend.
Guys, I have watched the Bulls game three times now. Well, not the whole game, but mostly. Let me put it this way. Missed the last 30 on Saturday due to practice, missed the first 30 of heruitsending due to guests. Watched the full game tonight. So this comes at a good time for me…
The Stormers has a MUCH better chance than most people think to win this week.
The Bulls did not lose because the Blues were THAT much better.
Facts are that the Bulls were windgat enough not to have a scrummie on the bench, but let the back up start. And speaking of Hougaard, neither him nor van der Heever had a good week at all. In fact, what did they do? Then Kichner was more penalty prone than anything else. So the back three was a bit “of-colour”
Pretorius was just as useless as he has been since he left the Lions, and his replacement was not much better. Olivier was good. I would say possible one of the best in the team, but inside him Steyn was showing more of his EOTY form than his B&I Lions form. Du Preez was again brilliant, but the semi-brain fart he had that lead to a waterfall from his nose did not help.
Most of the Bulls’ replacements came in the forwards. And this was, sadly, also were they were dominated. Spies and Steenkamp played themselves into any Bok team this weekend, but for the rest… penalties, yellow cards, strange discussion by a seasoned captain, and general silence by the forwards (both the starters and the subs) did not help any cause.
For me it came down to the fact that the forwards were mostly silenced and the backs mostly inexperienced.
Also, if you look at the results of the Bulls from the last 4-5 weeks you will notice that they have been on the down quite heavily. A defeat was on the cards.
Like Morne says above, I will wait for the Stormers team before I will condemn or back them.
If the team includes Pieterse at FB, Aplon on right wing and Duvenhage at 9, their chances will increase ten-fold. And nothing against Whitehead, but it might be a good idea to put Grant on 12 and De Waal at 10, for one reason and that is experience. I might even drop F.Louw to the bench in favour of P.Louw, merely since the latter is less prone to give away penalties. And Brett IS wearing his kicking boots.
sorry, that should be “…strange decisions by a seasoned captain…”
Stormers – Lose
Bulls – win
Cheetahs – lose (Brumbies better not prove me wrong)
Lions – lose (too close to call) but going on last weekend I think it is bankable.
There is a saying: Never bet against the home team. It just might be that the Lions may surprise us all.
Greenpoint-Gunner
You just believe yourself mate, as long as the Stormers don’t. Fact is, that Blues team was a darn sight better than what you are crediting them with. In fact, I doubt whether they themselves know how good they were on the day.
True to their nature they blow hot and cold and with some luck the Stormers catch them on a cold day, but I wouldn’t bet my house on it!
If earlier reports are to be believed, Little Joe Pietersen will not be available to act as saviour, but I do agree Plo in for Flo might be a good idea to keep the penalties down. Flo has been displaying the same penchant for penalties against him as Stegmann. I would also talk seriously to Schalla and Andries Bekker and ask them nicely not to aggravatethe team’s precarious position by attracting yellows. As you say, Brett is dead-eye-dick at the moment.
Chiefs will see this as a revenge game after their trashing in the 2009 Final. But the Bulls know what they can do to them. Not sure if we can do it over there.
Chiefs het te veel beserings maar kan die bulls besig hou die bulle moet hulle verdediging verbeter hulle lek driee soos ‘n sif
smallies ek is nie vreeslik impressed deur die Bulle nie. Die rondhollery van vroeer die seisoen is nie my game nie. Ek hou van n solid gekonstruktueerde game plan. So ja dit lyk nogal of slim sy baas vang. Hoe ons vinnig ons opsies regpick gaan die seisoen maak of breek.
@ superbul stem saam met jou die bulle was nog altyd slow poison maak eers die dukgatte sag en hol dan hulle moet net by hulle sterk punte hou en tackle tackle tackle
10 – Hello Smallies, Yip think the Bulls must just play to their strengths. They have the beating of this Chiefs team. Chiefs too have some injuries to key players. Bulls though must work on their defence.
Bulls will win this one and if they do 2 wins overseas with their log points will keep them in the top four.
If the Bulls lose the rest down under, it will not be overs for them, i just hope if the unthinkable happens and we lose all our games, we must get at least 2 bonus points.
But then the Bulls are with their backs to the wall. And that is also a dangerous thing, both ways.
But a win against the Chiefs will be brilliant.
Blues vs Bulls
120 RUCKS/MAULS 53
3 LINE BREAKS 0
19 OFFLOADS 4
3 SCRUM WINS 2
13 LINE OUTS WON 12
148 RUNS 55
21 KICKS 26
84 TACKLES MADE 192
20 TURNOVERS 17
11 PENALTIES CONCEDED 14
0 FREE KICKS CONCEDED 1
50% POSSESSION 50%
@ 6: Bluebeard.
No, the Blues were good. But then, what do you expect from a team/franchise that has won 15 out of the last 21 NPC’s? Tey are beyond and above a doubt the richest and largest Union in NZ. And with players like Rudi Wulf and Rene Ranger among the backs you have some dangerous runners. The thing is though, that the Bulls had the upper hand for the first 20-odd minutes of the game. And even going into the last 20, the Blues still looked like they could be overrun.
Not only that, but they gave away only 3 less penalties than the Bulls.
And to show again just how rattled and ‘beaten’ the Bulls were, Victor(ious) Matfield chose a tap and run above a penalty and a line out jump, instead of a penalty, both times with VERY kick-able field positions. I don’t know if the biggest rugby brain on earth had an off-day or if he was just a bit desperate… all I can hope for is that the same doesn’t happen with the Stormers.
Rugby is a funny old game… it could happen that the Stormers easily puts the Blues away… but recent form suggests that the Blues are now in form whereas the Stormers have possibly come off their worst Super 14 game in a decade against the Force.
I will be rooting for the Stormers (as I hope the Stormers will do for the Bulls against the Chiefs) but my SuperBru pick will have to go against them…. the only thing counting in the Stormers favour being that the Blues sometimes blows hot one week and icy cold the next week.
Can’t see the bulls losing against the chiefs. Chiefs just don’t have the man power upfront to stop the bulls, me think.
Can’t see the Stormers winning the blues although blues tend to be hot and cold so miricales could happen. Cheetahs and lions in for big hidding.
My hope is for 1 SA won on the weekend. Two will be great but I fear that all the SA teams might loose.
morning everyone
wont be able to chat a lot today,
another hectic day in front of me
yeeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaa!!
busy as a bee
busy
busy
busy
15 – gbs, Blues have been inconsistent the past few years. Though against the Brumbies and Bulls they played some fantastic rugby. Should have beaten the Brumbies too. Very unlucky there the Blues.
Stormers will have a good look what went wrong for the Bulls and work on that. Stormers could beat the Blues. Well I am hoping. Need to think hard about this weeks bru picks.
Bulls will beat the Chiefs. Chiefs have some injuries too. Actually Sharks should have beaten the Chiefs in our first game had it not been for the ref. Also that game against the Lions when Lions came back at them. Really don’t see Bulls losing to the Chiefs. Chiefs not playing as well as last year. Reds beat the Chiefs too. This is the game the Bulls must target to win. Against the Reds it might be a bit harder.
17 – Hello Ash…hehe. You always busy mate.
Bulls MUST get another 5 or 6 Log points whilst on tour, so a win is essential this weekend.. and I hope they don’t have one foot on the plane home against the Reds.
19@ Puma – You’ll be happy to hear that our friend, Wooden Spoon has registered here on R-T.
puma @ 19
well i just got a bit of a breather …. cant do much further cause i’m out of stock … sooooooooo tomorrow then i’ll be busy as a bee, busy busy busy, hehehe
21 – gbs, Yes that is great, always enjoy Spooner a lot. Hope he blogs a bit with us here.
22 – Ash, Just relax then mate. That what I would do….hehehe.
Another day with rain here. Well looks like the rain will start any minute.
puma @ 24
thats exactly what i’m doing now
must say it does feel strange as i’ve prepared myself to be quite busy
and now i’m not!!
but hey, now i have the time to chat a bit!!
btw
congrats on your team’s performance bru!!
see? i told you!! you’re not out of it yet!!
25 – Ash, Good just relax..hehe.
Thanks for the congrats mate, that was tooooooo close for me, heart stopping stuff in the end. Sharks wont make the semi Ash, just far too steep a climb from here.
Stormers though can. They right up there and so are Bulls. I have Blues for a win this week but that
took me ages to think about and think maybe I made a mistake there. Somehow think Stormers by 3 or 5 this weekend. Really want to see two saffa teams in the semi. Just looking at the Tahs, Blues, next games. Really think both those sides will make a semi especially Blues.
So for me it looks like this for now.
Not in any order. Bulls, Saders, Blues, Tahs, Stormers and Reds. Think the top for will come from those teams. It could all change but that how it looks so far.
for = four
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