Cape Town – The Stormers believe the Bulls are clear favourites for Saturday’s Super 14 final at Orlando Stadium in Soweto, but they don’t plan on settling for second. Stormers coach Allister Coetzee likened the challenge awaiting his side to that of an Olympic athlete.
”Some go to compete and are content to run in the finals. Others go to win the finals, to win gold and break records,” Coetzee said. ”This Stormers side have a lot of respect for the Bulls. They are the best team in the southern hemisphere. But you go not just to run the race. We’re going to win.”
Stormers captain Schalk Burger shared Coetzee’s respect for the Bulls, who booked their ticket to the final with a 39-24 win against the Crusaders, also at Orlando Stadium. But he was more subtle in refusing to discount his side’s chances.
Likening the Stormers to a road-racing cyclist in the peloton preparing to launch a winning move, the blindside flanker said: ”The Bulls have been the pacesetters and we have slipped behind them in the slipstream. I think they are arguably the most experienced side in this competition.”
There is no doubt the Bulls and Stormers are the best two teams in the competition this year. And the timing of their qualification for Saturday’s all-South African title decider has been welcomed here as the perfect finale to the Super 14 season before the FIFA World Cup gets under way.
Not that Waratahs captain Phil Waugh shared the joy of the locals. When asked who he thought would win, he said: ”Not that concerned, to be honest.”
There was a brief silence after Waugh replied, but it didn’t take long for banter about the top-billing Bulls-Stormers clash to resume.
This is the first time the Stormers have made a Super final, after they lost the 1999 and 2004 semi-finals, and they realise that the Bulls side they will face in Soweto will be different to the B team they beat in round 14, when coach Frans Ludeke opted to rest 14 of his top players.
”The Bulls have played in a lot of finals and know how to win them,” Burger said. ”They’ve been the pacesetters in both the Super 14 and Currie Cup for some time. They’ve dominated opposing teams, but we are getting there.
”We have a solid set-piece, a fantastic kicking game and there’s something special about our ball-in-hand approach in the back line.
”The decision-making on when to kick and when to run has also impressed. I’ll have to look at why our scrum was reset so many times against the Waratahs. Other than that, I’ve been pleased with the way the guys have handled the pressure.”
Coutesy of sport24
Reminds me of a certain mr.R.Deans, or was it Graham Henry…or wait, was it both of them ?
So now we know you can talk the talk… can you walk the walk ?
GO BULLS !!!!
wil nie voorspel nie ek dink dat een oomblik die game vir n span gaan draai,of dit nou spies dupreez steyn habanna mossie of bekker gaan wees sal ons ma moet wag voor,al wat ek weet is dat alby spanne dit beslis verdien om die kroon te dra.die bulle se ondervinding kan ook deurslag gewend wees
As stated on the Bulls thread, Stormers are the ONLY team I would not mind losing to this year.
Match of the year… even more exciting than any of the Tri-Nation tests!
its going to be a blue bull whitewash.
Wezwp wrote:
Why do you think the Bulls will whitewash the Stormers… 🙂
@ Wezwp:
We will teach you a rugby lesson this coming weekend, far greater than the one the Sharks taught you a couple of weeks ago !!! 😆
OK Mr. Blouste
Taking everything out of context again I see…
I read the Alistair Coetzee interview, his logic is simple:
If the STormers are going to SOWETO, they are not pitching up as also-rans, no team will do that, they will go to win. As will the Bulls.
He never said, the Bulls doesn’t have a chance, he merely said, if the Bulls want it, come get it!
@ Hokaai:
????
The genetically superiority of Spies.
The tactical leadership of FduP.
The kicking genius of Morné.
The icredible captaincy of Matfield.
The unbelieving pace of Hurdles.
The awesome defense of Olivier.
The mindboggling strenght of the Bull scrum.
????
I meant we going to totally take the bulls out. ……. and btw shadow will never wear a bok jumper before the wc.
@ Hokaai:
????
Hokaai’s horrific spelling.
????
Hehehe.
I would like nothing more than for the Stormers to beat the bulls.
@ Wezwp:
Aaahh! Brave words my striped friend… Brave word indeed!
Sainty…
Now where did I do that ? 😉
@hokaai as gertjie nie sy houdingkie by die huis los nie gaat hy lelik op sy m@er kry teen habanna onthou habs is nie lukie pukie nie hy spring sommer gou op sy pertjie en het al met die wereld se beste klaar gespeel
Ouens, if we’re realistic here, there is no way that the Stormers should beat the Bulls at home on the Highveld.
Let’s be honest, the Stormer players are way to small compared to the huge Bulls players. I mean take outjies like Duvenhage, Grant, De Jongh, Habs, Aplon, and Joe – that’s the whole backline ‘cept Mossie – they’re going to be overrun and simply won’t be able to cope with the high ball barrage that’s awaiting them.
If I was a Bulls supporter I’d be disappointed if my Bulls didn’t win by at least thirty points.
Of wat praat ek alles, Blouste?
Wezwp wrote:
I am sure you would. Watching how the Bulls have made the Stormers bend over and take it prison style, I would also like to see them win once over a full strength Bulls side, were I a Stormer supporter ofcourse.
fender @ 15
they’ll be disappointed if the difference IS only 30 points,
of hoe sê ek BLOUSTE?
@ fender:
Haha! Ja Fender, in all honesty, I would not bet to much on a Bulls victory. Ofcourse they are favourites, but those Stormers are very unlike there supporters! Watch out Bulls!
smallies72 wrote:
Big Hurdles supporter I am… but one should not put Habana and vd Heefer in the same sentence yet. All just banter from my side… But if vd Heefer become just CLOSE as good as Habana I would be overjoyed!
Ai Habana, Habana… what a champion you were! Honorary Bull forever for that 2007 S14 final, irrespective of what happen this Saturday!
@hokaai dat vd heever hope talent het is beslis ek dink net hy sal soveel beter raak as hy net n kwart van spies se nederighied kon he
comment gister in rapport
..
vraag: waarvoor bid bakkies as hy voor elke wedstryd kniel?
antwoord: weet nie, maar dis beslis nie vir geduld en selfbeheersing nie!! 😆
@ fender:
@ Ashley:
Net so manne !!!!
Bly julle sien die lig 😆
@ smallies72:
Die senior Bulls (lees Bakkies) gaan hom uitsorteer. Wag maar…
Hy is nes daai windgat Pilanesberg Olifantjies… al wat nodig is ‘n ou Ballie Bul, en hulle kak is geboek.
Dieselfde wag vir vd Heefertjie.
En dan gaan julle ‘n ding sien! Hy is nog net jonk. As hy 24 word gaan hy ‘n phenomeneen wees!
Bulls kort net ‘n buite senter. :weep:
Weet nie hoekom sommige so probleem het met Shadow nie. Julle klomp dikbek omdat hy vir Loekie so bietjie hard behandel het laasjaar ? Shadow was ‘n volksheld daarna ! 😉
Nee man, goeie seun daardie, voete plat op die aarde, gaan nog ‘n legende word soos die legende teen wie hy speel Saterdag.
30 punte klink omtrent reg maninne !!! 😆
shadow gaan in die tier 6 league in japan speel. hy is net soos ismaeel dollie. ons het teveel vinnige vleuels.
Look, I don’t profess to always understand Bulls’ logic. I mean, if the one and only tackle the great athlete pulls off in a season is a ‘spear’ tackle, how come you ous call him ‘Hurdles’. Surely his nic should be ‘Javelin’….
shadow is a woman beater.
Shadow is a good boy on camera bt behind the scenes in his pretoria bad he is a monster having regular drug nd sex parties with jooste and pedrie ,.
shadow frequented lolly jacksons club almost every weekend after a game
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