12 Responses to Currie Cup: Log & Results – End of Week 1

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  1

  grootblousmile on 11 August 2012 at 10:33 pm

  Brutal and arduous Competition, double rounds against all the major Unions…. 10 games per side, only 1 game per side gone.

  Anything can and will still happen.

  Must say I’m relieved with a Blue Bulls win, Griquas never an easy opponent.
  Was surprised by the other 2 results though, expected the Free State Cheetahs to win and more so expected the WP to win against a more depleted Sharks outfit.

  Looks like the Sharks depth is impressive and Craig Burden is ever getting better, showed some nice speed.

  The Golden Lions showed some grit and determination against a very ordinary Free State Cheetahs side.

  The Blue Bulls depth also impressive and I like what I heard from Pine Pienaar after the match about giving the Blue Bulls a bit more freedom to do what is on at the given time and to play the situation. Also impressed with the control the Blue Bulls had over the game as a whole.
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  2

  superBul on 12 August 2012 at 2:32 am

  Just had a look at the next fixtures and saw that we have 10 weeks of league play to eliminate 2 teams only.
  I cant see how the Griquas can make one of the semi finals so in fact i see the 10 weeks as a trip to eliminate one team.
  Does not make sense to me. Only the top 2 should have made it to a final. But anyway the rugby powers feel the more games the better so we will have to watch what is served to us.

  Bulls upset me in the first half off their game, it was poor or was it just rust? The 2nd half was much better , i wonder if we could see a young Pollard in a Naas Botha type of entrance to senior rugby? It seems that the Bulls have bought too many players, how to keep them all in the game and build their confidence will be the big trick. But well done to my team. May i say it, like the WP said in the Super competition, why bother about bonus points , just keep winning.

  Lions played well, i really enjoyed their play. Just wonder why they must first have some crises or be with their backs to the wall before they start playing.

  The WP team , all i can say is, they will have to reinvent rugby again if they want to get anywhere. With that i mean that they played such a negative/defensive game in the Super 15 that they must start from scratch to play with ball in hand/expansive. They say practice makes you perfect sadly i think the WP will only start that now, i have this eary feeling they are in for a rough season of CC rugby. I might off course be totally wrong and my team will be fighting for survival.

  Sharks will be dangerous the whole season and if i had money to play with i would put it on them to reach the final.
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  3

  Loosehead on 12 August 2012 at 8:27 am

  i am wondering if it isn’t time for the Cheetahs to replace Naka.
  They were terrible last night.
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  4

  cat66 on 12 August 2012 at 8:48 am

  Some strange results according to the stats.
  The Bulls were the only winning team that went with the stats, by far the most possession and territory, and they won, as the stats show they should have. However, there is still the fact that had Griaquas not given them 21 points in penalties, they could have lost. Having said that, this is the first round, and teams havent yet settled. The Bulls improved as the game went on, so maybe just first half, first round jitters. The other two games are puzzling.
  The Cheetahs had by far the most of both possession and territory yet lost badly, they looked dangerous with ball in hand, but simply couldnt finish, whereas the Lions, when they got a chance, which was not very often, made it count every time. Cheetahs need to take a hard look at their finishing and defense. Kudos to the Lions for a gutsy performance, a great scrum, and good discipline. However, lets see if they can keep it up, unlike Super 15 where they had a few great wins, but were otherwise very ordinary, maybe the new coaching/captain setup will make a difference.
  My biggest disappointment were WP. I dont think the individuals played badly, but their tactics were terrible, dont know if this was the coaches plan or on field decisions by the players. In the end they had a massive 80% territory and (I would guess) about 70% possession, yet managed to lose. Two of the Sharks tries came from Riaan Viljoen kicks inside his own 25, and of the course the other from the restart, which WP botched. When I say the tactics were terrible, with ball in hand they looked dangerous, but they kept kicking the ball back to Viljoen, who made them pay dearly. Any other teams coaches watching this game will now be thinking that the way to beat WP is to use the boot for bombs behind the defensive line.
  I never like criticizing refs, as they do a very unappreciated job, but I was wondering if Van Der Merwe set some kind of record for number of penalties in the first 15 minutes, and at the end his throat must have been sore from all the whistle blowing. WP need to have a rethink about their tactics, the Sharks took their opportunities well, but all three tries were against the run of play, so I will wait to see what happens next game before making any definitive statements, other than they may have found a major weapon in Riaan Viljoen at flyhalf.
  Man, Superbru Currie Cup is not going to be easy this year, I got 1 out of 3, my worst ever. Ah, well 🙂
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  5

  Just For Kicks on 12 August 2012 at 11:32 am

  i said it in my last post match report, but will say it again, After 3 years, the rest of the rugby world have come to terms with the Stormers/WP defence. It has taken a long while, but they have ‘cracked’ it. So much so, that most of the other top sides have started implementing the same defensive patterns into their play. The difference being, of course, that they haven’t relied on this style exclusively to the detriment of their attacking game. This is the biggest fault of our team. Last night was just a typical example of this. How many time were we on attack on the Sharks 22 only to lose possession? Again, not one single move to create an overlap or likewise.

  WP will beat the Griqua’s, but apart from that, they will struggle, and if they do not completely change their game plan, could find themselves being the second team (as Supers so succinctly put it) to be jettisoned from the competition after 10 weeks.

  There has been some speculation about Jaques Nienaber leaving WP and plying his trade up North, and what a tragedy it would be for WP to lose such a top defensive coach. But I somehow wonder if this wouldn’t be a good thing from the point of view that then WP would be forced to completely reassess their game. I also still think that, perhaps, AC should take a backseat during this comp, and plan for next year, and allow some fresh blood – Dobbo – to have a go.

  It can’t get worse!
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  6

  Bullscot on 12 August 2012 at 5:12 pm

  Kevin Pietersen has been dropped by England for 3rd test against SA! Johnny Bairstow has been recalled in his place, quite a bold decision by ECB. They should be saved from losing the test with weather disruptions likely but a draw is all SA need to win the series.. and perhaps claim top spot in the rankings?
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  7

  Just For Kicks on 12 August 2012 at 5:30 pm

  @ Bullscot:Best decision the ECB could have made. No one is bigger than the game, and good on them for doing so, because they are going to have to endure the wrath of every tom, dick and journo when/if England lose the final test.
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  8

  superBul on 12 August 2012 at 5:36 pm

  @ cat66:
  I have never commented on one of your posts but i must say this i am impressed by your analytical comment, a true rugby comment , not just a lot of babble, some brilliant points, the type we had here when we started this site. Reading your comments and those fearless ones of JFK made me stick around and now i am ready to add my bit again. The shackles are broken and although it is only Superbuls opinion , you will hear it again. Fearless.
  Not shy to give my opinion again, (just take note I feel Referees are highly paid oficials who made rugby refereeing their career and I expect them to be the best , honest and fair in their job. Just like i made it my choice to waste 33 years at Telkom and now enjoy my much busier life as a businessman , they chose to travel the world and blow people up for things they see or interpret)

  Coaching in SA is not up to par with the game.

  Look at the two teams that excite us lately. The Lions are the nearest team to the New Zealand type of play, they have serious management and personnel problems and still they produce the best tries. The New Zealand influance plus the Frog flair made the Sharks also one of the best attacking teams in SA. So what do i see, our coaching(SA style, Bulls….) are very unimaginative , stale and far behind.

  I fear the Championship , HM must use new innovative ideas , more opinions to follow…..
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  9

  grootblousmile on 12 August 2012 at 6:29 pm

  We received a Press Release from WP… with an injury report:

  – Deon Carstens (Prop): Broken nose, out for a minimum of 3 weeks
  – Burton Francis (Flyhalf): Knee, definately out for the week. He will see a specialist this week
  – Joe Pietersen (Fullback): Wrist, definately out for the week

  – Rynhardt Elstadt (Flank): Groin, will be re-assessed on Monday after missing the Sharks match
  – Steven Kitshoff (Prop): Knee, will definately be back this week after missing the Sharks match
  – Duane Vermeulen (No 8): Knee, will also be back this week, having not played since April

  WP face Griquas this weekend in Kimberley, Saturday 18 August at 14:30
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  10

  Pietman on 12 August 2012 at 6:40 pm

  Lions topping the log, whow!
  Great stuff Vaalpense!
  Must say, I love the Currie Cup, couldn’t care much about Super 15…..too many Ozzies and Kiwis there trying to outdo each other with their strange hair styles and tattoos…. :Disapproval

  Local is lekka!
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  11

  Pietman on 12 August 2012 at 6:45 pm

  @ Pietman:
  
  Jammer, dubbelpos, sukkel hier met sine wat wegraak, tikwerk moeilik, woorde spring oral rond…
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  12

  Lion4ever on 13 August 2012 at 11:20 am

  Good rugby weekend. Bulls vs Griquas – went according to plan, but scoreline bigger than expected. Griquas were competitive for 40 minutes. Will always be dangerous, especially in Kimberley. Cup contenders cannot take them lightly.
  Lions vs Cheetahs – Was a close one to call, pre match. But Lions did not look like a side with no backline coach, no fitness coach and no headcoach. Cheetahas looked like the Lions should have looked. The Lions will defend the CC with every fibre of their being. They should again host the final.
  WP vs Sharks- Shock of the weekend. On paper, and with the stats WP should have won, but their inability to score tries lost them this match. Sharks were outplayed, but used their limited possession well, and some individual brilliance undid the robotic structures WP put in place. What has happened to the traditional WP flair and open rugby that WP used to play? I conditions did not help, but Sharks showed them how they should have used the ball better.

  Lions 2011 Currie Cup Champions!!!