There is a lot of talk about the match between the Bulls and Lions this coming Saturday. Speculations have done the round that this might be an upset in the brewing, especially after the close game between the Lions and Sharks last weekend, also keeping in mind that the Bulls are’nt coming off their best run of form.The travel factor also comes into the equation for the Bulls this weekend.

I did not get to watch the match-up last weekend, so no comparisons regarding that game from my side…

However what I can do is a one on one comparison between the players of opposing positions for this coming Saturday.                         

                                                                                                    15.

Zane Kirchner – Has been relatively safe and showed some signs of brilliance, however he has’nt repeated this week in and week out, earning him a 6.5/10 for the tournament so far.

Carlos Spencer – Has been a big improvement in comparison to playing him at flyhalf where he seemed to confuse his fellow backline players more than anything else. Only played one game in this position and might improve. From the highlights package he did’nt do too much wrong but also did’nt set the world alight from the back either. Not his preferred position, scoring him a 5,5/10.

                                                                                                     14.

Gerhard van den Heever – This youngster came onto the scene with a lot of expectation around him this year ,especially after the departure of Habana, whom himself sung Van den Hever’s praises before leaving the land of the Blue. Questions have been raised about his defence and surely this is an area for him to work on, but he has been one of the better finishers in the tournament when the oppertunity presented itself. Had a real brain fart against the Blues but all in all had a good tournament so far, earning him an 7,5/10 so far.

Michael Killian – Played fullback prior to being moved to wing, not a lot of game time there ,but seems to be one of the few Lions players that actually wants to play this game of rugby, earning him a  6,5/10.

                                                                                                     13.

Jaco Pretorius – Back from injury but he has’nt exactly set the world alight when he played earlier in the season. Decent on defence and he does’nt offer a lot more to the team in my opinion. One of the positions in the Bulls team where talent seem to be rather scarce. Jaco gets a 6/10

Marius Delport – One has to judge him on previous games and might even make the average Jaco Pretorius look good on Saturday, not having  had any real game time of recent. 5,5/10.

                                                                                                     12.

Wynand Olivier – Arguably the form inside centre of the tournament . Been quiet of late but can’t be discarded for his excellent form in earlier games, earning him a good 8,5/10.

Walter Venter – Now this boy has been described by our supporter friends down South as the next best thing… Showed some signs of class but has had his share of bad luck with injuries and he has also been struck down by swine flu late last year when he was supposed to showcase his brilliance. Seem to have fallen out of favour with coaches when teams got announced and will be replacing injured Doppies le Grance. Conservative 6/10.                                                                       

                                                                                                     11.

Francois Hougaard – Had a decent start to the tournament and scored some good tries. This kid has good all around rugga skills but is played out of his preferred position of scrumhalf and his defence has let him down big time in a couple of matches. He manages a 5,5/10, it being so low mainly because of defensive issues.

Wandile Mjekevu – Really  impressed in his first game with great pace and superb stepping, but has not done much since then to replicate that form. Defense has been an issue for him too, 5,5/10.

                                                                                                     10.

Morne Steyn – An absolute beaut at the start of the tournament, getting his line away brilliantly. Decision making in terms on when to kick and then kicking  brilliantly, tactically. Not to mention his goalkicking which was superb. Had a couple of nightmare games in all of those departments of late and his goal kicking also went astray on the overseas tour. One senses that he only needs to get back some confidence to be back to his best again, 8/10.

Herkie Kruger – Been around since forever but has never been world class. In this current Lions team he might be above average when firing only close to his potential. 7/10 might be a compliment, but hey…

                                                                                                     9.

Heinie Adams – First time to start a game this year in the S14 but has done a decent job in the past that also saw him earn his Bok colours . Normally cleans up nice and fast and gets the backline away quite quickly. 7,5/10, more or less on past performances.

Jano Vermaak – This is arguably the most talented player in the rather dull Lions setup. Coming of a long injury lay-off but already causing a spark in the team, especially after his season last year before his injury, 8,5/10.

                                                                                                     8.

Pierre Spies – Also quiet in the last games but he has been outstanding in the games prior to his slump. Truely a gifted athlete and will be back firing on all sylinders soon without a doubt, 8,5/10.

Derick Minnie – In the place of  Todd Clever whom the Lions will dearly miss, having been one of the players that stood out for them in their rather dissapointing campaign so far. Having seen very little of Minnie so far, he scores a 6/10.

                                                                                                     7.

Dewald Potgieter – We all know Dewald is a highly rated and talented player, even destined to become Bok captain one day, by some. But according to his high standards he had a relatively quiet season so far, 7/10.

Wikus van Heerden – Only recently joined the Lions and played brilliantly for the Bulls in earlier seasons before heading overseas. He has’nt shown any of that form since his return, 6/10.

                                                                                                      6.

Derick Kuun – Played superbly at junior levels in this position, but since returning from hooker after a couple of seasons at hooker, he has’nt found the same form again. One feels that a lot of law changes and interpretations will take him a while to get used to again, 5,5/10.

Cobus Grobbelaar – Reminds one of Jannie Breedt back in the days when it looked as if he might burst out in tears any moment in the post match interview after each Currie Cup final loss. Not a bad player, but probably not the best choice of captain. One has to feel for him though, because I don’t think a lot of players will put up their hand to take his job .Fighting alone at times, 6,5/10.

                                                                                                      5.

Victor Matfield – Been good so far, but one must admit that he has played better rugby in his life. Probably missing his old stalwart lock partner Bakkies Botha, seeing that they form a formidable lock pairing and have done so on more than 50 occasions for both the Bulls and Boks. His leadership and confidence brings a lot to the Bulls team, 8/10.

Franco van der Merwe – Average without any real fireworks so far, 6/10.

                                                                                                      4.

Danie Rossouw – Has done a good stand-in job in the absense of Bakkies. Hard worker in the rucks, mauls and breaking the advantage lines. Had some big telling tackles as well, 7/10.

Nico Luus – Also going through the motions for most of the season without any real moments to speak about when he played, 6/10.

                                                                                                      3.

Werner Kruger – Made a huge improvement since last year and did’nt really stand back for anyone this season so far. Good overall, 7,5/10.

Gert Muller – Not much to say here,  5,5/10.

                                                                                                      2.

Gary Botha –  A revelation to the Bulls again this year. Playing good rugby overall. Some credit him for the turn-aroud of the Bulls scrumming prowess since last year, 7,5/10.

Hans van Dyk – Also nothing really out of the ordinary to mention about Hans. Battling it out in an over-all struggling team each week, 6/10.

                                                                                                      1.

Gurthro Steenkamp – The stand-out player for the Bulls in all facets of loosehead prop play and beyond, this season. Plays like a man possessed in the drives, loose and all over the show.  A real pleasure to watch this year, 9/10.

JC Janse van Rensburg – Trying his best, I suppose. It must be diffcult to perform in a team that stand on zero wins from nine games, I suppose, 6,5/10.

                                                                                        Coaching Staff

Bulls – Seem to enjoy the trust of the players and are handling them fair and well. A happy camp all in all. Sure, players like Francois Hougaard is played out of position but you get the idea that this was discussed with him pre-season and explained to the last detail, 8,5/10.

Lions – You get the exact opposite impression from the Lions camp. An average of 6 – 8 changes per game was not unheard of until now on a weekly basis. Players like Heinke van der Merwe gets dropped, which causes a frown in a lot of circles. Where the Lions are AGAIN in a building phase, one wonders why older players like Carlos and Wikus, to name but two are being brought over. Over-all just no confidence installed, 3,5/10.  They get a real low marks as I believe they are actually to blame for the type of play a lot of their players are dishing up.

So, lets look at the overall points tally….

Bulls         118/160

Lions       96,6/160

Well, this leaves me to make a prediction of the Bulls taking the victory with a bonus point and a margin of 20 plus…

Still a local derby and the Bulls have travelled, so time will tell…