I am writing this article purely on emotion and frustration. After watching this weekend’s Super 15 matches, a few thoughts came to mind. At certain stages when looking at the Sharks, Cheetahs, Lions and Stormers this weekend, it looked like we are not as bad as people say we are, but then moments later we make the most elimentary mistakes you could imagine.
Let’s start off with the Lions. How deep is a hole? Well I guess it depends how deep you want to dig it. How many times have they run from inside their 22 only to cough up possession and then give away points? Are they aware of the fact that sometimes you need numbers at the breakdown? They say winning is a habit, well the Lions have proven that losing can be a way of life. Perhaps now is the time to start questioning the existence of the Lions as a Franchise.
Congratulations to the Cheetahs, they looked like they wanted this one badly, and they delivered. But then the question is, why not do this on a consistent basis? It seems that they have belief in themselves when playing against South African franchises, but somehow the overseas teams seem to damper their belief.
To the Stormers, and my first question to Schalk Burger is, never heard of going for posts? You have 15 minutes on the clock, gets an easy penalty to slot, and you keep on going for the corner flag. This is the Crusaders, and they are masters of manipulating the referee. They learnt from the best, Richie McCaw, and yet due to the fact that half the Stormers were flipping their lid at the referee, the referee was not interested in taking the appropriate actions. I remeber a few years back the Sharks were playing against the Reds, a game the Reds won 6-5, John Smit refused to go for posts and squandered numerous opportunities to put the game out of reach, deja Vu.
Why do the Stormers keep on flipping their lids at a referee that are clearly a sensitive guy, how many times have I heard during the match “You do not speak to me in that tone, or that kind of language”.
Even though the Stormers had great intensity, their error rate was horrific.
Coming to the Sharks, it seemed like they were trudging through mud in the first half. The number of penalties that Mark Lawrence was awarding to the Brumbies in the first ten minutes bordered on the insane.
Overall there are a few issues that runs across the board in these teams.
Stop talking to the referee, let the captain do this, and send him on a communication course that will help him how to speak in an articulate manner to this sensitive specie called referees.
Remember that the game is about scoring points, and when you give away a boat load of points in the first ten minutes, it is called a handicap, not the same as in golf, because that is about ability, giving away so many penalties is called stupidity.
Perhaps you need to do less iron pumping and a little more catching practice. This also applies to passing a ball, the Stormers backline looked like doing aerial ballet half the time as their outside backs needed to jump like Matfield in a lineout when a move was on. It is called aim for the bread basket, if you do not know where the bread basket is, then aim for the damn BELLY BUTTON.
Vision is the ability to first look at a situation with your God given eyesight, then using the grey matter between your ears, to assess and make decisions on what to do next. The common thought is to pass the ball to a person who is in a better position than you are, Yes I know SBW is the master of the offload, but then if you want to emulate him, make sure the receiver can actually go somewhere with the ball.
Variety is the spice of life and this also applies to rugby. Every now and then it is important to vary play. It really does become rather predictable when your loose forwards are bashing into the opposition the whole game and the wings are freezing on the sidelines.
Overall I am getting the distinct impression that we are a nation of rugby players that doesn’t have the ability to learn, now I don’t want to advocate that we start doing IQ tests for our rugby players, but surely hitting your head against the same wall does become rather tedious.
I want to leave you with this thought.
Van der Merwe was asked why he keeps hitting his head against the wall, and his response was this.
“ Because, it feels so nice when I stop.”
Give Biltongbek a “Bells”
I think you touched the right nerve. Let us test the IQ of players. If you are lower than a certain standard you play Vodacom cup, finish.
But in honesty our problem is the tackle bags…. just think about it.
I was watching the Stormers game with a friend from Switzerland and commented on why the Stormers backs had to leap into the air to catch the ball. Can Fleck not teach them to pass?
Geluk aan die Cheetahs en Sharks met hul wenne. Ctahs lyk gevaarlik, en as hulle hul verdediging reg kry, gaan dit nog beter gaan.
Sharks het eers die 2de helfte ingeskop, en daardie vyf punte gaan nog groot verskil maak aan die einde. Stormers begin nou leer dat dit moeiliker is om daarbo te wees en daar te bly, die wiele het bietjie afgekom teen die Saders, maar op die langtermyn kan dit dalk goeie medisyne wees. Die groot probleem bly: waar gaan die drieë vandaan kom ?
Stormers se grootste vyande is hul eie media (lees Nell en Rich) wat hierdie jaar al klaar skryf asof hul reeds die S15 gewen het, lank voor die vet tannie al opgestaan het.
Geluk aan Andries Bekker met die tantrum van die jaar. Laas so goeie een gesien toe oom Helgardt Muller in die CB jare gelede een gegooi het (dink dit was teen die WP of Sharks). Dit is een ding om ‘n tantrum teen die ‘vyand’ te gooi (Vic teen die refs), maar ‘n lelike ding as jy een gooi teen jou eie speelmaat wat saam met jou in die oorlog is.
Aan die Bulle, bly julle die ‘bye’ gewen, die 4 punte help. Hoop net julle gly nie weer nou dat jul weer in blou gaan speel nie.
IQ tests for players?
There goes the Bulls franchise 🙂
Die Saders, wat ‘n span. Hulle het nie eers ‘n tuisveld nie, moes een wedstryd prysgee, speel die hele wêreld vol. Is die hele seisoen nog nie een keer op volsterkte nie. Wen met hul C span op Nuweland waar dit nie meer maklik is om te wen nie. Wat kan ‘n mens meer sê ?
As hul span weer op volsterkte is, gaan dit ‘n bomenslike poging verg om hul te wen … gee nie om waar op die planeet nie.
Dinge lyk ook nie te goed vir SA rugby nie, ons topspanne het nou almal verloor teen Saders en Reds (behalwe Sharks wat gelukkig was om nie teen Reds te speel nie). Stormers is op hul tuisveld deur beide spanne geklop deur slimmer spel, wat wys die NZ/Aussie spelers dink beter rugby en kan makliker van plan verander en aanpas as ons spanne.
Ons het gehoop ons A-Bokspan kan die ding doen (Bulle/Sharks), maar hulle is tot op hede swak (Bulle) of gemiddeld (Sharks). Baie het gemeen dat die B-Bokspan (Stormers) nou eintlik op huidige vorm die A-Bokspan moes uitmaak, maar na die verlore teen die Reds en veral die Saders, lyk dinge nie goed vir beide die A en B span nie.
Maar, die seisoen is nog lank, daar lê nog 6 harde rondtes oor van S15 rugby, en die feit is een of twee van ons SA spanne wat nog ‘n kans staan, sal moet sneuwel om die ander span ‘n goeie kans te gee om ‘n tuissemi te probeer kry, want oorsee gaan dit baie moeilik wees om die finaal te haal.
Ja-nee kyk, die ou wat hierdie nuwe formaat vir S15 uitgedink het, het geweet hoe om moeilikheid te maak veral vir elke land se eie konferensie. Daar lê nog ‘n paar klipharde derbies oor tussen SA spanne, en met al die beserings reeds, gaan daardie lys dalk nog langer raak.
bdb, ja ek wil so half en half met jou saamstem: Bekker se tantrum was onvanpas en swak vi span morale ma ook sprekend vanne span wat tans meer anxiety as confidence met hul saamdra. En dit pla my meer assie tantrum self.
Jou attempt om Victor se volgehoue tantrum trend te verdedig is te verstane, maar ons weet albei dis okie sosit hoort nie so ko ons lossit ma da, ne?
Dan en for what its worth, moenie lattie Nell en Rich jou pla nie. Maak soos ek maak met JJ Harmse se artikels en genietit virrie ligte vermaak wat dit verskaf.
Hierie Stormer supporter soos menigte anner, weet dattie Stormers nog lankie die finished article issie.
So ek kraai nie, ma ek cry okie…. 😉
“Coming to the Sharks, it seemed like they were trudging through mud in the first half. The number of penalties that Mark Lawrence was awarding to the Brumbies in the first ten minutes bordered on the insane.”
Dit is wat refs doen, nie net Lawrence nie, sodat hy in die tweede helfte weer die ander span kan bevoordeel. Spanne sal moet besef, jy speel nie net teen 22 ander manne nie, maar sal die ref ook reg moet speel, dit is omtrent die moeilikste deel van rugby vandag, om uit te vind hoe ‘n ref die afbreekpunte en skrums gaan blaas.
Dit sal makliker wees om Osama mr.Bean Laden se lyk op te spoor, as om vooraf te weet hoe ‘n ref die wedstryd gaan blaas ! 😀
7: een bewys, gaan kyk weer die laaste drie van die Sharks, die bal is aan die Brumbies se kant, besig om uit te kom na ‘n losskrum, Keegan duik van die kant af in om die bal te bemeestes, duidelik onkant, maar die ref sien ‘niks’, die beweging eindig in ‘n bonuspunt drie vir die Sharks.
6: fender, nee jong, ek verdedig nie Vic (of FDP) se tantrums teen die refs nie, dit is nie goed nie, hulle veral moet weet jy moet die ref speel op die dag soos hy blaas, hoe moeilik dit ookal mag wees. Wat ek bedoel het dat dit ten minste beter is om teen die ref of ander span uit te vaar, as teen jou eie spanmaat, soos Bekker ongelukkig gedoen het.
Maar jy is reg, al die tantrums is ‘n bewys dat ons spanne meer onder druk speel en met te min ‘confidence’.
@ biltongbek!
To be fair the Cheetahs have been just as good/poor against SA opposition as they were against overseas teams. Look objectively at their season overall.
Lost badly against the Sharks – Durban 24 – 9 (heavily penalised at scrumtime)
Narrow loss against the Bulls – Bloem 25 – 23
Narrow loss against Stormers – Newlands 21 – 15
Narrow Loss against the Lions – Bloem 25 – 20
Surprise win against Waratahs – Sydney 23 – 3
Big loss against Reds – Brisbane 41 – 8
Narrow loss against the Blues – Auckland 29 – 22
Narrow loss against the Highlanders – Dunedin 24 -21
Crazy loss against the Hurricanes – Bloem 50 -47
Good win against the Brumbies – Bloem 47 – 36
Thrashed the lions – Jhb 53 – 19
Now if you look at the injury list against the Reds, and the Reds form, I don’t think your assessment, that the Cheetahs have performed well only against the SA sides is credible!
Cheetahs are slowly beginning to find their mojo at Super rugby level. Everybody is saying the Lions is a yound side. Go see the ages of the Cheetah players. This is a yong side, and if Toyota/Cheetahs retain the core, they will be potent
Go Cheetahs
@ Cheetah4eva:
Cheetah, I wasn’t really talking about the wins or losses, but the attitude of belief that the Cheetahs played with.
The reason why I believe this is if you look at their track record at the Currie Cup for the last number of years, it is in principal the same players, but yet at Currie Cup the Cheetahs excell and then not so much at Super rugby.
Bulls next sudden death playoff game
Bulls v Rebels, Pretoria
Referee: Chris Pollock (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Craig Joubert (South Africa), Stefan Breytenbach (South Africa)
Television match official: Gerrie Coetzee (South Africa)
Unbelievable how the Bulls played them-self into this mess. Every bloody game will now be nerve wrecking, one step out of line and they as gone, tickets. Maybe i must go in hibernation, will someone wake me up when we play like the Vodacom cup team in the final. :GRIN: wishful thinking ???
@ biltong!
Fair enough, but that is a very simplistic angle. We all know that to make any inroads in the super Rugby tournament, you need a fair amount of depth, and also continuity in players. The Cheetahs have always been at a disadvantage, purely because of the scale of economics. I agree, it takes belief, and attitude to win at Super 14 level, and I agree, that the Cheetahs had to build towards that. Then again, alot of the bigger SA franchises, also initially battle dto perform at the next level/ An example was the Bulls, who were the “punchbags” of the Super 12, yet when they 1st crossed that mental barrier, they became our most successful franchise.
Be patient with the Cheetahs, they will become a very good SA Super Rugby team
@ Cheetah4eva:
Ihope so meneer.
The Cheetahs do play an attractive brand of rugby, they have some very good players proving themselves such as Coenie Oosthuizen, Johnston, Strauss, Brussouw, Ebersohns starting to look good and Riaan Viljoen.
Question is how long will they remain Cheetahs, as The Sharks, Stormers and Bulls will be on the purchase soon.
Let’s not forget the Lions will be shopping for 15 players soon.
Super, ek issie laaste ou wat nou gan worrie oor korrekte grammar of spelling, ma ek moet jou gelukwens met jou nuwe Engelse woord “nerve-wrecking”. Volgens die woordeboek beteken nerve-wracking “intensely distressing or irritating to the nerves”.
Ma ek skiem jou nerve-wrecking (“destroying the nerves”?) is ‘n baie meer akkurate beskrywing. Of ‘n ou nou die Bulle support, of nie….. 😉
@ fender:
Hahahaha wat is die storie van n halwe begrip…..
😆
Man kyk ek dink ek is so kort kop voor daai kaptein van die Cheetahs met die “brits” daai taal is gelukkig nie my eerste nie, netnou moes ek ook heel tyd sing “God save our Queen” .
Hehe, nee dis reg so Super -‘n goeie grip het ‘n halwe broodnodig! 😉
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