We are reaching the end of the line for nine of the 15 teams in the 2011 Super Rugby season. So many if’s and but’s happened this year and with the last week having so many permutations one can call the new format a success. Some teams made a mess of their draw and other exploited it better. Let me sum up what I enjoyed this year and what I did not.
Flying out of the blocks after a great pre-season build-up was the Stormers. They had to start the season sitting out of action for the opening week but flew out of the blocks with 6 great wins, which gave them pole position in the SA Conference and only a miracle would prevent them from taking the newly founded Conference trophy.
What went wrong in their season? Not much, their defense was imaculate, conceding only 14 tries in 15 matches made them by far the best defensive team. Their nearest rival is the Waratahs who conceded only 20 tries so far. The 4 games they lost was against Reds, Crusaders, Chiefs and the Bulls. The Reds and Crusaders completely broke their great structures and the game against the Chiefs was in New Zealand and was expected to a certain extent, no surprize. The Bulls game was close to a war and the Bulls came with a massive physical onslaught, witch they won on the day. Significantly three of the four lost games was at Newlands, which begs the question whether Newlands is such an advantage for them. Will the expectations of the Cape mob be more a burden than a help?
How they fared against opposition:
SA Conference – P7 , W6
Australian Conference – P4 , W3
New Zealand Conference – P4 , W2
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The Sharks also had a good start by winning their first 4 games only to undo the great work by losing the next three games. From then on you had a team losing their 4th and 5th game of the season in games against their two top SA contenders the Stormers and the Bulls. Drawing the game last weekend against the Lions stopped them from coasting into the playoff berths. This weekend they face the Bulls in an unofficial quarter final.
What went wrong for the Sharks? Not much but player selections and suspensions kept them from gaining a steady rising momentum. The John Smit and Bismarck du Plessis selection policy was disruptive to the team. Where rotation of 2 great players would have been a luxury for other teams this one was less successful at the Sharks. Well that is how I see it. Another factor that stopped the Sharks from being dominant in 2011 was their midfield.
How they fared against opposition:
SA Conference – P7 , W3 , D1
Australian Conference – P4 , W4
New Zealand Conference – P4 , W2
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The defending champions, the Bulls, started off with 2 wins against the Lions and Cheetahs and looked like the team to beat. They lost their 3rd and 4th game and played poorly, looking rusted and many of their star players were off form. Weeks 6 and 7 gave them wins and everything started looking a little better, as if the champions had awakend, but the tour to Australasia brought them back to earth with a thud. Losing their 3rd game in a row on tour against the Force had the Pretoria supporters up in arms and the official Bulls blog alive. The team’s focus was not there, but being in a position where they could not afford another loss brought out the Champions fighting spirit.
They have now won their last 6 games and if they go ahead and make it 7/7 it could rightly be called the best Houdini act in years.
What went wrong? I feel the team tried to pace this maraton season and was under prepared t start with. Don’t ever expect the coach or captain to admit that. There was also a lot of side atractions by the Bulls players and for that they were critisized by supporters on many blogs and newspapers. This weekend they are the other team in that unofficial quarter final, against the Sharks. Only the winner will go on.
How they fared against opposition:
SA Conference – P7 , W6
Australian Conference – P4 , W2
New Zealand Conference – P4 , W2
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The Cheetahs is by far the most exciting team in South Africa to watch. One can only admire what the much maligned Naka Drotske made with this “no name brand” team. For many in SA the Cheetahs are their next favorite team, for me they are the most feared team. Having lost 10 of their games does not tell the real story. They lost by very small margins against their South African rivals. Bulls were lucky in their first encounter to win by 2 points, to name but one of those close losses. In their 7 games so far against other SA teams they scored 159 points(14 tries) against 169 points(16 tries), only a differential of -10.
What went wrong? I would rather ask the question what was achieved. Naka and his coaching team made this young “no name” team a real TEAM. The best win was the 33-20 win against the Crusaders, that showed a lot for SA. Two of the big three New Zealand players were beaten at their own game, on that day.
How they fared against opposition:
SA Conference – P7, W1
Australian Conference – P4, W3
New Zealand Conference – P4 , W1
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The Lions. What a no show. The show was BIG , the fanfare even bigger, the players that supposedly signed but never arrived dominated their early season form. On the field it was a disaster. They had the best draw in the competition, leaving South African soil only in round 13. It turned out to be their worst enemy, playing here in SA. When they arrived in Canberra they had a 2011 record of 11 played, won 1. They won 2 out of their 4 games in Australasia and showed that the young team had made a lot of progress in 2011. To show their own disgruntled supporters in SA their progress they came to Coca-Cola Park and walked of the field for the first time in 2011, not losing a home game… albeit not winning it either (the 30 / 30 draw last weekend against the Sharks).
What went wrong? I think the team played with great gusto and lost a few games they should have won, early on. Their problem was that most players were inexperienced and unknown. They did not have star players. If they could stay together, this team will win more of their close games in future. Where the Bulls and Stormers have many players with 60 or more Super rugby games under their belts the Lions will start next season with players who have 10 to 15 Super Rugby caps, all achieved in 2011.
How they fared against opposition:
SA Conference – P8 , W1, D1
Australian Conference – P4 , W1
New Zealand Conference – P4 , W1
All – P16 , W3, D1