Halfway through the tournament, and the Bulls and the Stormers are still very much in it, albeit not in the way that they would have liked it to be.
The Bulls lost a game that they never should have. Poor discipline, poor tackling and a lackluster showing by some of the stars of the team proved to be their undoing. As well as the fact that no-one in the team, excepting Dewald Potgieter, really tried to follow up any kicks. Gerhard “Shadow” van den Heever, played like his nickname, proved to be utterly useless chasing anything, the boy cannot defend, and is clearly out of his depth.
The Stormers lost a game, because they were arrogant and childishly pathetic, slipping tackles, and looking as if they would rather have been lounging somewhere on a bloody beach. Some of the team’s warhorses in Andries Bekker, Schalk Burger and Tiaan Liebenberg, was simply nowhere to be seen, except at those times they were knocking on the ball of course. Sireli Naqelevuki, after a resurgent season, tackled nothing except himself, and was worse than pathetic, even the commentators jeered him.
OK, that was the previous week, both teams returned to winning ways again in round 8, and that is not easy to do on an overseas tour. It is the way that they returned though that made all the difference, they stuck to their strengths, and proved, that they can do, what they do, better than anyone else.
Without disrespecting anyone, I would like to state, that most of what is needed in the Springbok setup can be found within these two teams, with the rest of the South African franchises merely adding some seasoning, to an already mouthwatering proposition.
Outside backs
Joe Pietersen has definitely been the toast of the South African fullbacks this season, his boot is more than useful, he is 100% solid under the high ball, and he has plenty of pace to burn on the counter. Here we also find one of the garnishing touches, in Patrick Lambie, who, in the few games he played, showed us that he might be ready for the step up, maybe not 100%, but he is getting there. (Bubbling under Zane Kirchner)
Wings
One cannot deny the obvious lure of Bryan Habana, his work ethic has much improved since his move to the Cape, and he is turning into a great team player, in addition to his magnificent individual skills. Lionel Mapoe of the Cheetahs certainly put his hand up in a big way, with his magic feet, and line breaking abilities in a team that has never really fired. Gio Aplon’s versatility makes him an excellent player off the bench, being both fearless, and lightening quick, he has the ability to make defenses grab at thin air, and you can ask Pierre Spies…he can tackle as well. (Bubbling under Francois Hougaard)
Centres
Jacque Fourie is without peer in the No. 13 berth in South Africa, and maybe even the world, the Stormers setup fits him like a glove, and he is thriving in an environment of skilled backs all round. Wynand Olivier has been the No. 12 in form in the competition thus far, has had a few questionable games, but what you cannot question is his ability to break the line, and his no-nonsense defense. With Juan de Jongh capable of playing in both centre positions, you needn’t look far to find an adequate impact player, and the jury is quite settled on this one. (Bubbling under Meyer Bosman)
2nd 5/8 (Flyhalve)
Morne Steyn, quickly approaching 200 points in the 2010 Super 14 should regain his 2009 position, however, a clinical kicking, passing and defensive display from Peter Grant raised some eyebrows, and one has to ask if this isn’t maybe the time to give him a real opportunity in the Green and Gold, his previous 3 tests merely giving him 18 minutes of play. (Bubbling under Ruan Pienaar)
1st 5/8 (Scrumhalve)
Fourie du Preez is regarded as the number one scrumhalve and maybe rugby-player in the world, and this will probably continue to be the case for the boks, but in Dewald Duvenhage, the Stormers have crisp service and a very accurate boot, playing the game that purists wants a scrumhalve to play, distribution, distribution, distribution. (Bubbling under Jano Vermaak)
Number 8
Pierre Spies and Duane Vermeulen has stood out head and shoulders above all comers this season, Pierre with his line breaking speed, and Duane with his support play, defense and general play in the loose. I’d have both players in my matchday 22, and I wouldn’t have a care in the world. (Bubbling under Ryan Kankowski)
Flankers
The ‘Incredible’ Schalk is back, he is once again ferocious, averaging 14 tackles a game, winning balls on the ground, and generally making a nuisance of himself for all opposing teams. On his right, played one of the unsung hero’s of the tournament, Francois Louw, he isn’t missing tackles, he is winning turnovers, he is crossing the advantage line. His work ethic is incredible, and he is definitely walking the walk. No Bok team can be complete without Juan Smit, and although the fiery flank is having some personal issues at present, we know he will be back. (Bubbling under Cobus Grobbelaar, Dewald Potgieter)
Locks
Victor Matfield survives on reputation and the fact that you’d be an idiot to leave him out of your team if he was available. Andries Bekker is the form lock of the tournament, leading the stats in tight-forward tackle counts, line-out steals, and yards covered. He defends, drives, runs, jumps and side-steps his way around all comers, and is finally ready to ascend the throne. Flip van der Merwe was hugely impressive when he got a chance, and the Bulls are foolish to play Rossouw above him, this man is a certainty for the future, we will hear big things. (Bubbling under Stephen Sykes)
Props
Brok Harris has been the most consistent tighthead in South Africa this season without a doubt, his scrumming is solid, and he can boot a ball 65 meters, without breaking a sweat. Guthro Steenkamp is simply a juggernaut in the past few games, he seems unstoppable, running, tackling, jumping up and tackling again, he seems to be close to the form he was when the Bulls first kidnapped him from the States. (Bubbling under Tendai Mtawarira, John Smit and WP Nel)
Hookers
Gary Botha solidified a crumbling bulls pack with his retun, his skills are non-negotiable, and the woth he adds to the team is immense. However, in Tiaan Liebenberg he has a player possessing the same qualities, and maybe even some more, when we think about, Liebenberg’s ability to take the ball up into contact. (Bubbling under Bismarck du Plessis)
That is my team, and I’d play them against anyone, depth in 2010 should not be a problem, SA is blessed with potential.
This will take long , sheer mad statements, we might have to take you on one by one.:lol: maybe 15 responses later we wil be finnished.
Statements like Habana “his work ethic has much improved since his move to the Cape”, “and he is turning into a great team player”
You guys bought the complete package, he was all that and more at the Bulls.
Saturday i saw a bit off Cape arrogance creeping into his game, he is definitle becoming too windgat there. His passes to poor Gio Aplon made Aplon look like a mediocre club player, witch he is not. What the heck did he try with those poor passing, he blew 2 tries at least.
Maybe the first reply should have been.
“Remember when Peter de Villiers loaded the Springbok team with Stormer players”
There is a few of the current Springboks that moved to the Stormers who i wont hesitate to put in, Habana and Fourie. Then Andries Bekker grew into the lock position well, he is definitely now a decent Bok.
Dont discard the Shark players, there is a lot of the incumbent Springboks who will reunite with their fellow Springbok mates and rekindle the great combinations. Dont throw the experience out of the window is what i try to say.
I have to take what Saint says with a pinch of salt… why… he wears heavy Stormers glasses, and that is non-negotiable.
I mean, he chose 12 Stormers for his SA Form Team of the week…. yip… 12…. and hehehehe…. Makwilleaaptwakkie was his choice as Right Wing for the week… hehehehe
When I have time I will challange and / or agree on the positions from No 15 and down.
No 9
Ruan is a wee bit under FdP for me, this player upped his game a lot. I can for the first time join the Shark chorus to sing his praises. I really respect a player who works on his game. Dam Saint how could you put Dewalt in above him?
When i read your assessment of the Centres i nearly fell of my chair. YOU SUPPORTING Wynand Olivier, whoooow i am stunned to silence.
G.van den Heever is not nearly as bad as you make him out to be. Sure he had a terrible game against the Blues, but so did most of the Bulls team.
Sure he has areas he has to work hard at, but having said that he is one of the most promising youngsters at wing in our country.
His finishing is great and he has the making of a a great wing !!!
Ok manne ek is weg vir ‘n week. Praat seker weer so volgende week Dinsdag.
Mooi loop almal.
Blouste kom jy die kant toe?
Nee superBul
Natal toe, Junie tot einde Julie daar by jou.
Is daar dan ook n loophole in jou kontrak, met die dat jy Sharks toe gaan. 😆
He he he…
Nee gaan na die MMC2010
10@ Blouste – MMC2010??
Master Moegoes Competition 2010?
@ gbs mighty men conference 2010
12@ Smalpielletjies7.2mm – It’s ALIVE!!!!!!!!!
Flok, ek het begin dink jy het hand aan eie vlees geslaan oorlat jou span so kak speel!
O, die Mighty Men Conference….. dis daai prediker, Buchan, se goed, nie waar nie?
@ gbs nee ou die cheetahs is nou op daai broer in die tronk stadium maar ek glo dat ons nie regtig so k2k is as wat ons lyk nie as ons net meer diepte gehad het sou dit dalk beter gegaan het
mmc is wel die prediker se manne saamtrek ek gaan ook die jaar en sien nogal uit daarna
14@ Smalpielletjies7.2mm – Janee, die Cheetahs se sterre is almal beseer en daar is netnie genoeg diepte om dit te kan absorbeer by die Cheetahs nie.
Buchan is mos daai ou waarvan die fliek “Geloof soos ertappels” gemaak is… ek het die movie op TV gesien.
@gbs ja dis net hy ek was al by ‘n paar van sy saamtrekke en moet se dat hy nogal met die boere van die land connect en met boere bedoel ek eenvoudige hardwerkende gewone mense ne et se manne nie
kan ons nie maar vir flip en danie leen nie dan kan julle vir tewis en naas kry
jislaaik hier is so BAIE aan die gang hier dat ek nie weet waar om te kyk nie
How must the Bulls play the Reds?
This will be a great test whether we picked the right game plan for the day. Do we play fast running rugby against them. Or Not.
@ super om die reds te klop is maklik sny net die bal van cooper af hy is die hart en siel van daai span nail hom en jy het die span op die guilotinne
smallies almal praat van die tweemanskap. Genia en Cooper.
Nogal n witwarm skakkelpaar daai.
@ super jis man daai twee kook hulle is poisen
oki time to go cheers almal praat weer en gbs die een is vir jou
CHEEETAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHS!!!!!!!
Ek gaan nou stap vir stap verduidelik…
Knyp Saint se twee balle tussen sy knieë
Skop sy hol
Laat hy soos ‘n Leeu loop
Ja, laat hy soos ‘n Leeu loop
Plat pere en al!
On a serious note, here is my impressions of Saint’s choices:
Fullback:
Joe Pietersen has by far been the best Fullback this year. Lambie has a little to prove still, we’ve seen the boytjie in 3 games only and he certainly shows promise and one has to balance his selction for a Bokke squad with the fact that he’s eligible to play for Scotland as well… so blood him soon, but wait to praise him too much till the Super 14 rounds are finished first. Zane has been very steady and is probably in the selector’s books as the incumbant since Fransie Steyn went to Racing Metro.
Right Wing:
Pity Mapoe is injured, he was by far the best right wing early on. Gerhard van den Heever is a classy finisher and has made our Team of the week almost every week, his defence is getting better by the week and for Saint to write the talented youngster off is calous and naiive!
Left wing:
The only logical selection is Bryan Habana. However, saying he’s improved at the Stormers is a blatent lie and distortion of the truth….. in fact, dis loutere kak! Like SuperBul said, he went to the Stormers as the “Finished Article”, having received player of the year accolades and International fame.. when at the Bulls. Habana has simply not gelled with the Stormers like he did with Fourie du Preez at the Bulls… and there has been an inkling of dicipline or prima-donna issues now at the Stormers. Great player though, just do not distort the truth!
Outside centre:
Jaque Fourie wins this race hands down, the Bulls and Sharks and Cheetahs simply do not have good enough ouside centres, full stop. 2nd best is probably Walter (Karrevaan) Venter at the Lions. Saying that Jaque thrives in a suposedly superior or more creative backline is hogwash, if that was the case the Stormers would have had more tries than 20 on the books so far!
Inside Centre:
Just like Jaque, Wynand (Meisiekind) Olivier has been cearly the best inside centre from week 1 to week 9 of the Super 14. 2nd Best would have to be Doppies Le Grange who, like Walter Venter, are the only shining lights at the Lions. Forget Juan de Jongh for now till this No 13 develops more into a better distributing No 12… he’s got huge potential though and could fill a bench spot at the Bokke.
Flyhalf:
Morné Steyn, despite being slightly off form now for 2 games, has been the stand-out No 10 in 2010. Peter Grant on the other hand has had 2 or 3 semi-decent games of late and is still a liability in the sense that he cannot dictate territory and lacks the tactical nous of a true flyhalf, he’d be better off as an inside centre. I would feel more comfortable with a flyhalf with a mule-boot and who can slot longer range penalties and dictate the game more than Grant can ever offer. Pity that Jacques-Louis Potgieter has had prescious little game time to prove he might be 2nd in the pecking order. Oh, by the way Saint… Ruan Pienaar is a scrumhalf… remember that, please!
Scrumhalf:
Fourie du Preez is the undoubted No 1 in SA and since Ruan Pienaar has been allowed to settle at No 9 he easily makes my No 2 option…. with Francois Hougaard as utility backline player also in the reconing. Duvenage does not have Ruan’s value yet.
Eighth man:
Pierre Spies is a machine, he is the No 1 No 8, then it would have to be Duane Vermeulen.
Blindside Flank:
I think Juan Smith is rapidly being hauled in by Dewald Potgieter, Jean Deysel and Francois Louw…. we have 4 of the world’s best here! Saint, kindly make a distinction here between Blindsider and Opensider… the positions differ sooooooo much in their application and strenghts that it is a MUST!
Openside Flanker:
There are only 2 who stand out head and shoulders above the rest… Schalla and Brussow. With Brussow’s season ending injury, Jacques Botes and Deon Stegmann enters the fray as possible backup to Schalla.
No 5 Lock:
Once again Saint… please split the locks up, the No 5 and No 4 should have distinctly differing qualities and application. Victor Matfield still reigns as champion but Andries Bekker has finally come of age this year, the most improved No 5 in the space of 1 year!
No 4 – enforcer-lock:
With Bakkies Botha still not available it has to be Flip van der Merwe and Steven Sykes… but Bakkies will be back in a week’s time ladies and gentlemen… and I bet that he is hungry as hell for rugby!
Tighthead prop
With proper coaching Werner Kruger and Brok Harris have become much better Tightheads in the space of 6 months and are neck in neck in a race… but BJ Botha should and would be my first choice, just get the man back in SA!!
Hooker
One cannot leave SA’s best captain off the field… so John Smit is still my No 1 choice here, with 3 hookers blowing in his neck… Gary Botha (who has helped transform the Bulls front row), Tiaan Liebenberg and Adriaan Strauss….
It’s a pity that Deon Fourie at the Stormers has not had more game time, I rate that oke…
Bissy has dicipline problems and at present is a liability, not an asset!
Loosehead prop
Gurthro Steenkamp has had the best form of his life in 2010 and his bad scrumming technique seems to be a thing of the past… he’s way out in No 1 spot. Beast makes it as No 2 Loosehead. I have not been impressed with the Cheetahs scrum, neither with the Lions scrum. Wikus Blaauw is another strong contender, but he is injured now.
So, even though we agree on most positions, Sainty, the reasoning behind our respective selections and inclusions and motivation for choices is vastly different…. I have taken time to remove my tainted glasses and I do not share your Stormers bias, my friend!
Forget that the Stormers are supposedly this Backline-oriented and attack-minded team, this has not been the case in 2010… they have brought a typically traditional “Bulls-type” of rugby to the table in 2010… as attested by the now solid defence and conservative try-count!
Not many Sharks backline players make the grade this year seeing as the Sharks backline has been largely impotent on attack, that’s why a guy like JP Pietersen does not merit Bok-inclusion at the moment, he is probably the 1 backline player who has regressed the most in a single season!
Players unlucky not to be in the frame of contention probably include Meyer Bosman, Gio Aplon, Ryan Kankowski and Willem Alberts.
When i read the North vs South battle warming up i am just sad that we cant play a best out of 3 game between the 2 teams. Well maybe we will have 2 games this year, what a mouth watering prospect.
I received a mail earlier of a 4 day train trip down to Newlands for the Bulls vs Stormers game. …. who wants to sponsor me?
very little support for Danie Roussouw, but he is playing great rugby, i like the way the Bulls play him and Flip vd Merwe. Just wonder how they will keep them all happy, Danie , Bakkies and Flippie.
Maybe Danie on the bench …… eish time for Matfield to have a break.
Ok my light-blue lillies, let me retort…
As you probably did NOT see, I said, I wanted to concentrate mostly on Bulls and Stormers players, this is not a Springbok team per-se, it is basically a mash-up of the two leading SA Super 14 teams to indicate the quality these teams possess.
As for my supposed tinted glasses, Van den Heever’s qualities as a finisher is by far outweighed by his inability to make a tackle, or any kind of impact when chasing a ball. I am not saying he won’t still develop, but he is FAAAAR away from the finished product.
My selection of Naqelevuki is simple, he is the only No. 14 wing this whole weekend to make two successful tackles. The rest were bordering on ridiculous.
Habana is NOT playing the same rugby when he was with the Bulls, with the Bulls he was the main attacking weapon in the backline, with the Stormers, he has to compete with game-breakers like Jacque Fourie, Naqelevuki, Aplon and even Pietersen who have all been known to run attacking lines off set-pieces. He has to work much harder to compete, seeing as many players are going across the advantage line, at regular intervals, unlike the Bulls were doing.
As for making distinctions between the flankers and the locks, No. 6 is usually your ball hunter, at the stormers all 3 are competing, Francois Louw and Burger can play both sides with ease.
Andries Bekker has shaken his supposed light-weight tag, the man is taller, heavier and faster than Bakkies, why should he be typified as a Matfield-like player, this man can play anywhere he want, and he is by far the best lock in South Africa at the moment, New Zealand and Australia experts agree.
I expect to take flack being a Stormer supporter, but that is the name of the game, hopefully all my arguments will be settled, come the North/South derby.
Hahahaaaa Saintie
“with the Stormers, he has to compete with game-breakers”
“He has to work much harder to compete, seeing as many players are going across the advantage line”…. but not ending up behind the try line, may i add.
I just hope you guys keep mis reading Habanas potent lethal strike force. And i hope that you keep doing it till the end. Sometimes this bunch of “game breakers” must just leave Habana to do his thing. Dont box him in in set moves with the Game Breakers.
Now look at the top try scorers in this years S14 to see who has the game breakers.
Hahahaaa SuperBulletjie
Those top try scorers are very close to the top try conceding players as well. We are teaching Habs something about defense and discipline down South. Check the points difference.
Strange, when the Bully Boys aren’t scoring tries, I have to hear… “A win is a win, that is all that matters” but suddenly now that we aren’t scoring, we aren’t using our “potent lethal strike force”.
The Stormers are a team on the up, not firing on all cylinders yet, Habs will get plenty of opportunity once we start firing. But notice how he creates opportunities these days, how he keeps his defensive line, how he plays all-round rugby.
You are right, we aren’t scoring as much, but when you defend like we do, you don’t need to, 8 games, less than a 100 points conceded, the facts speak for themselves.
I have no doubt that Alistair Coetzee knows all about Habana, he coached him for 7 years at the Bokke, when the time is right, the crank will be turned.
Saint, I missed your insights in the week following the Stormers’ loss to the Force.
With the Stormers tough set of games ahead before the close of the regular season, what do you reckon – are we going to see more or less of you in the coming weeks? 😉
29 – Fender, Morning…..hehehe. Agree where was Saint when Stormers lost to Force? Needed his view there?
Somehow Stormers just seemed lethargic against the Force. On Saturday though against the Blues, they were focused from the start. Great game that was.
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