Is this what Grootblousmile meant? Well this story wont go away. And heaven forbid us the Bulls lose this semi-final. Then we will hear it another 10 years or longer.
A Waratahs supporter contacted me last week claiming that the following message was on the NSWRU’s website: ”After 14 gruelling rounds in the toughest provincial rugby competition in the world the HSBC Waratahs have finished second, earning them the right to host the semi-finals and it’s time to show you are proud to be Tah’d with tickets to this blockbuster event.”
In the event, the marketing people jumped the gun a bit. The Stormers defeated the Bulls 38-10, which gave them a semi-final at Cape Town against the Waratahs. The other semi-final will be played at Orlando Stadium in Soweto between the Bulls (presumably at full strength) and the Crusaders, who were too strong and smart for the ACT Brumbies at fortress Christchurch, 40-22.
The Stormers’ victory was helped by the Bulls playing a second XV to rest the big boys for their semi-final. The chief executive of the NSWRU, Jim L’Estrange, complained bitterly about this. But there was an element in his complaint of the note on the parson’s sermon: ”Argument weak here, yell out the words!” It was the Waratahs, after all, who tanked their match against the Crusaders in 2002 and were defeated 96-19, a hiding that destroyed their season.
And this sort of unintended consequence is at least a remote possibility for the Bulls. Yes, they have given their frontline players a week off. They will be rested coming into the semi-final against the Crusaders, who will be making their second trip to South Africa in two weeks. But the Bulls have lost momentum going into the finals. That momentum, which is the engine that drives successful finals sides, lies with the Stormers, the Waratahs and the Crusaders.
The other loss for the Bulls involves the fact that they will not play out the semi-final at Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld Stadium. That stadium comes into play with football’s World Cup schedule. The Crusaders ran the Bulls to a close and controversial loss, 40-35, at Loftus Versfeld, so there is the possibility that the Bulls machine might not be as intimidating and as efficient away from their home ground. The referee for the match, too, is Australian Stuart Dickinson.
The Waratahs, on the other hand, will have to adjust to the South African referee, Mark Lawrence. This business of what the New Zealand newspapers are calling ”home-town” referees is a difficult area. In my opinion, there have been too many dodgy decisions under this system, which was brought in last year to justify SANZAR’s confidence in its fairness. It is difficult to discuss these decisions because of their implications as to the integrity of the referees, even when the issue is interpretations of the laws, not really integrity. In the Bulls-Crusaders match, for instance, the South African referee penalised the Crusaders’ scrum. But last weekend, in the Crusaders-Brumbies match, the New Zealand referee criticised the Brumbies’ scrum.
The Stormers beat the Waratahs 27-6 in round two. The Stormers were establishing themselves as a dominant side in the tournament. They have the best points differential, 194, of the finalists (Bulls 91, Waratahs 97, Crusaders 93). But the Waratahs, in their past two matches of the round robin, have lifted their game to impressive levels. This is the time for the true believers to start believing that this is the year.
This brings us back to the call to Waratahs supporters to buy tickets for a home semi-final. There is a way that this can almost come true. If the Crusaders defeat the Bulls and if the Waratahs beat the Stormers, the Super 14 final will be played in Sydney. We can all dream, can’t we?
Well Spiro, hopefully Dickenson will send the cheating(falling on the wrong side of every ruck) crusader loose forwards to the bin then?
I second that Onerb…. they never stay bound to the scrum and always over the offside line in the rucks and mauls…
We must vote for player of the year soon, S14. Back and Forward of the year too. I also plan to put up a poll for plonker of the year, 2 catagories. One in the game and 2 in the media.
Any more suggestions on polls?
We all know who is the plonker of the year…Earl Rose….lol
Wat van sy coach?
@Superbul.. try of the year, tackle of the year
En daai vloekende knaap Nonu?
nee hel dis nie n one horse race nie.
Conversion/drop/kick of the year
ja jy seker reg…
8
Can you recall a special one, now you are trying to make it to difficult.
drop of the year – morne vs crusaders… or if you not looking in the super 14 frans steyn in the french top 14 a few weeks ago has to be the winner
Media Plonker of the year will include bloggers. That would be fun or war. saintly man will for sure be nominated
11
OK i missed that game. It was quite a eventful game after all. I was in the KNP then.
i’m sure if we wait a while PDV will take that one
did you see frans steyn drop in the french top 14?
check the drop on this link
http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/Steyn-lands-monster-drop-goal-20100511
try of the super 14 mossie against the crusaders plonker of the year carlos the king comeback of the year barend pieterse unluckiest player frans viljoen primadonna of the year shadow beste kopie mossie tiaan en garry
tud vir super rugby…kom ons kyk wat die mense te se het…
oops tyd nie tud nie 🙂
smallies great nominations daai sal dit onthou
Kobus Wiese het dit geniet om die post op hul blog te lees, hy kan ook maar genominate word as n bleddie plonker 😆
deidre (mosselbaai) – Monday May 17 2010 – 15:24
Ek is ‘n bull ondersteuner tot die dood, maar ek moet net se, ek en ‘n hele paar ander ondersteuners was Saterdag erg omgekrap. Ons verstaan dat van die bulls moes rus, maar ons het al in Februarie ons kaartjies vir die game gekoop, al die pad van Mosselbaai af Kaap toe gery en was reg vir die game. Ons was reg om vir die sogenaamde b-span te ondersteun al is ons altyd die beste ondersteuners, jy weet, ons stuur nie n a,b of c ondersteuner span om vir die bulls te gaan skree nie.
Nee man bulls, weet julle hoe dit voel om op n vol nuweland te sit en die enigste keer wat jy kan opspring is vir die Mexican wave!!! Swak, swakker, bulls se b span. Daar sit ons toe, bull vlae, bull banners, bull horings en sommer als bull en die stormers om ons, wat julle nie kan hoor nie, vertel vir ons mooi wat hulle van ons span dink.
Volgende jaar sal ons maar eers uitvind watter span gaan speel, a,b of c en dan besluit of ons die moeite moet doen om kaartjies te koop en al die uitgawes moet aangaan om na die game te kyk. Die ouens wat dit op die tv gevolg het, kon darm die tv afskakel. SWAK!!!!!
Deidre Swanepoel
Mosselbaai blou bul
die ding gaan die s14 vir die bulle wen of backfire
stem saam…maar dit gaan oor die super tourney..nie net die stormers game nie…maar verstaan wat deidre se
@smallies….. ek hoop dit gaan dit wen…het verlede jaar gewerk met die currie cup….
@superbul…. stem 100% oor kobus wiese…hulle is darem mal daar oor om teen die bulle te wees…. maar dit behoort ons net te wys hoe goed ons great span is!!!!!!!
ou kobus is in sy hart n transvaler so gee hom ma n break dit kan nie maklik wees nie
@ smallies baie makliker vir hom om oor die stormers te praat? hy hou net nie van die bulle nie
waar kan n tranvaler die bulle laaik dis net so goed jy se n nat en n sap moet mekaar laaik
dis my tyd vir waai so chat wee more cheers almal
@ smalies seker waar ne….:-)
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