A number of songs immediately come to mind when one considers the position of the Vodacom Blue Bulls in their do or die match on the weekend in Bloemfontein against the Toyota Free State Cheetahs.
Here’s one of them…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKqzayNo4Dk[/youtube]
That of course was the famous old song by Talking heads, Road to Nowhere.
Ja-ja, I know I’m old, so what…
That is almost how desperate it is for the Vodacom Blue Bulls, they need to beat the Free State Cheetahs by scoring 4 tries, without conceeding 4 tries and they have to additionally beat them by 12 points to demolish the points differential equation between the two sides, in order to close the gap of 5 solid Log points on the Free State Cheetahs, and to jump ahead of them in the queue and most possibly into 4th place on the Currie Cup Log.
Breathe…..
The Free State Cheetahs have a positive points differential of PLUS 9, whilst the Blue Bulls are in the red on MINUS 13, thus the equasion of 12 points needed.
I hope you get it, hey! If the Bulls win by 12, they will then have a points differential of MINUS 1 and the Free State Cheetahs would have a points differential of MINUS 3.
An 11 point win could also do it, but hell that would scrape the barrell as both would be in the same points differential position and one would have to look at external factors like who beat whom in the competition, tries and all sorts of other factors… so for safety sakes, let’s leave the damn equasion at a stiff 12 points, OK!
This weekend is of course the final open Round of the Currie Cup Premier Division of 2013, and only four sides will advance to the semi-finals and thereafter.
Both DHL Western Province and The Sharks have already booked their home semi-final berths, at the top it is just the pecking order which still matters…. spit, spit, spit!
The Blue Bulls of course also have the services of their returning Springboks available, except for that of Flip van der Merwe who is sidelined with a knee injury for a week… after spending a suspension week on the sideline… wonder what he was up to in his week off?
In the midfield the Blue Bulls could now call on Jan Serfontein and JJ Engelbrecht whilst they already have Bjorn Basson back at left wing… and one longs to hear the names Jano Vermaak, Morné Steyn and Zane Kirchner, but sadly they have moved on to other pastures, not necessarily greener ones, mind you – over the oceans.
Does that remind me of another song… yes it does… but I refuse to share that with you, ha ha!
OK, back to business…
Had the Blue Bulls won last weekend against The Sharks, the road would certainly have been much clearer, easier… and not necessarily leading to nowhere. But, that is water under the bridge, what is done is done, they have to look to the future.
Strangely though, the midfield is one area where the Bulls have been good with Francois Venter and William Small-Smith both playing well of late, so how much impact will or could the return of the 2 Springbok midfielders actually make?
The Blue Bulls Currie Cup coach, Pine Pienaar, is under seige from Blue Bulls supporters and I have heard the words ‘rope’ and ‘Jacaranda tree’ in the same sentence more than once these few past weeks already.
In coach Pine Pienaar’s defence, he was handed an extremely young side after a series of contracting decisions ripped the heart of the squad out and saw 10 Springbok players leave at the end of Super Rugby 2013. In addition 4 Springboks were camped with the Springboks for The Rugby Championship, whilst a firther… come on fingers, work with me here… further 4 Springboks are on the long term injury list at the Blue Bulls (Pierre Spies, Arno Botha, Francois Hougaard and Deon Stegmann). It still means that the Blue Bulls were without 18 Springboks in this Currie Cup.
One can say in all fairness that the Blue Bulls were playing with a Blue Bulls Vodacom Cup side, mixed with a few spatters of Super Rugby fringe players, in this year’s Currie Cup!
It was always going to be an uphill battle and a re-building phase, but hell we expect so much more, don’t we!
The Blue Bulls had to make do by signing a couple of Super Rugby Southern Kings players (and we know where they ended in the competition), but the integration of Vleis Engelbrecht, David Bullbring and Bandise Maku was not fluid and seemless. At the end the Blue Bulls struggled to maintain the pace in the competition.
The question is whether the Blue Bulls can rise from the ashes on Saturday, redeem themselves and bask in the glory of a massive upset?
Do not write them off just yet… I remember the Bulls needing a 72 point win against the Reds a few years back in Super Rugby, and they managed to do it in handsome fashion at the time!
All we ask is that the Blue Bulls put everthing on the line, and go for broke… and try their hearts out…
I’ll be BAAAACK… with another episode in a while!
GBS
Come we’re chatting here… whooooohah!
Boom, bash, bang!
Talk to me fellas, I is lonely…. hehehe
@ grootblousmile:
Ek het nie baie hoop vir die bulle nie. Al gaan hulle deur na die uitspeel wedstryde het ek nie baie vertroue dat hulle daar sal wen nie. Hulle verleng net hulle pyn.
Jeez, ek was lanklaas so negatief oor my span.
2 @ leon:
Janee Leon, ek het al klompie kere gesê, ek berus my by die feit dat die Bulle in ‘n herbou-fase is en dat hulle nie die semi’s sal sien nie.
Daar’s darem so paar helder oomblikke tussen die donkerkolle…. en gelukkig kry ons darem heelwat spelers terug vir Super Rugby.
Maar selfs met klompie spelers terug, is die beste waarvoor ons kan hoop in Super Rugby 2014 maar ‘n middel-val-die-Log situasie.
Xander Janse van Rensburg en sy kontrakkies / gebrek aan kontrakkies is besig om die Bulls en Blue Bulls baaaaie seer te maak… en dit lyk of die Unie dit maar gelate aanvaar en toesmeer.
2 @ leon:
Ek het maar so bietjie komedie in my artikel ingebring, maar dis eintlik maar ‘n sad storie.
@ grootblousmile:
Die kontraktering is ‘n moeilike storie. Wie be hou jy en wie laat jy gaan? Die jong manne wil groot rugby speel en as hulle nie kan nie gaan hulle weg. Wie moet jy hou, die ou manne of die jong talent?
Vir my lyk die span nie goed afgerig nie. Hulle skills lyk nie reg nie. Fiksheid en krag ook nie. Hulle lyk ook nie gemotiveerd nie.
En ek het gedink die uittog is vir eers verby, nou hoor ek Cook gaan ook terug Staat toe, saam met Venter wat reeds lankal geteken het.
En, WS Smith het glo nog nie geteken nie. Daar is nou ‘n klassieke senter, moet hom behou.
@ Ben_die_Bul:
Ag tog. Het die Bulle geld probleme?
5 @ leon:
Mens moet van beide kategorieë hou en / of behou.
Heyneke Meyer se mantra, terwyl hy by die Bulle was, was dat mens nie ‘n Super Rugby trofee kan wen sonder 10 tot 12 Springbokke in jou geledere nie.
Wat Pine Pienaar en afrigting aanbetref, moet ek saamstem… hy is nie ‘n goeie coach op hierdie stadium nie, maar hoekom laat die Unie toe dat Frans Ludeke net effektiewelik 8 maande van die jaar funksioneer as afrigter… dit beteken hy is een derde van die jaar nie die afrigter nie en besig met ander goed. Hy is derhalwe die enigste Super Rugby afrigter in SA wat so lui-lekker deal het.
Ek’s ook nie heeltemal happy met die res van die afrigtingskorps nie, daar is duidelike gebreke wat nie aangespreek word nie.
Kondisionering en fiksheid, vedediging, skopafrigting en skrumwerk en tegniek word afgekeep wat my aanbetref.
Mens kan nie net moer hard kondisioneer in die voorseisoen voor Super Rugby nie, dit moet deurlopend opgeskerp word sodat die masjien soomloos oorskakel tussen Super Rugby en Currie Cup.
Daar is leemtes wat ons almal sien… en die grootste struikelblok en stok in die speek is langtermynbeplanning, kontraktering en soos die Engelse sê, “A clear succession plan”
Ek dink die situasie is maklik.
Die Bulle het nou meeste van hulle senior spelers verloor. Nou sit die Bulle met ‘n baie jong span. Selfs al kom almal terug van besering af en terug van die Bokke af is dit nogsteeds ‘n abie jong span.
In so geval moet mens kyk of jou afrigting span jong spelers kan bou en kan form na iets groter en beter. En ek dink nie die taak sit in Pine se CV nie. Pine is een van daai afrigters wat ‘n span kan vat wat al jare saam speel en nogsteeds laat goed lyk, EK noem dit die SNORRIE SINDROOM.
Ludeke het baie ervaring wat dit betref. Hy kry meer resultate uit spelers uit en weet hoe om jong spelers te druk en te form. Pine gaan ‘n doring in die Bulle se vlees bly tot hy loop. hoekom die Bulle twee afrigters het weet ek glad nie. En dit maak glad nie sin nie. Ek dink Ludeke moet voltyds daar wees en Pine moet die deur gewys word.
Die ding wat vir my sleg is, is die die feit dat ek as ‘n WP kwaad raak as die Bulle so sleg speel. Want die Bulle is die kern van mens se Bok groep. So hoe slegter die Bulle doen hoe swaarder trek ons Bok span. Die Bulle gaan baie vinnig moet reg kom. Veral met die feit dat die Bulle half gesien word as die gesig van SA rugby as dit kom by die Super Rugby. Maar dit lyk baie swak as die Bulle daar goed vaar en dan sukkel om plaaslikke Currie Cup games te wen.
Dewald Potgieter het in een van sy artikels genoem dat hy harder oefen in Japan as wat hy by die Bulle geoefen het. (indien mens tussen die lyne lees).
Mens kan in ons spel sien dat ons defnitief nie ooroefen is nie. Daar is baie talent op die veld maar ek weet nie of Pienaar en Matfield hulle in n span kan saamsnoer nie. Pienaar het n goeie rekord in die Vrystaat gehad maar by ons is sy rekord konstant swak met die groot uittog van spelers wat as versagtende omstandighede aangevoer kan word. Matfield was n uitstekende speler en kaptein maar dit is sy eerste jaar as afrigter.
Ek hoop die terugkeer van ons spelers lug bietjie die span want Saterdae rugby is nie meer lekker nie.
my oh My, en GBS het vroeer die jaar gedink ek neig Blou Bulle se kant toe ek hul support vir die S15 titel – opmerkings is gemaak oor “iemsnd begin die lig sien” + sal vir my ‘n BB trui koop as ek finasl convert is”
En nou, waar bly die Blou Bul nou – Hy bly stil, dis wa hy bly
spefoute gefix – bietjie gelag toe ek getik het
onthou rugga is geneig om elke supporter te kom byt aan die gat want geen span bly bo nie
*********
my oh My, en GBS het vroeer die jaar gedink ek neig Blou Bulle se kant toe ek hul support vir die S15 titel – opmerkings is gemaak oor “iemand begin die lig sien” + sal vir my ‘n BB trui koop as ek finaal convert is”
En nou, waar bly die Blou Bul nou – Hy bly stil, dis wa hy bly
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