Victor Matfield
The Vodacom Bulls, fresh off a narrow loss to the DHL Stormers this past weekend, next face the ever-improving Emirates Lions, at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday in the last Super Rugby match of the weekend.
It appears as though regular captain Pierre Spies is under the weather and will therefor sit out of the clash, with Victor Matfield back from Springbok rest and injury recovery set to take over the captaince helm for the vital match.
Meanwhile head coach Frans Ludeke is still moaning and groaning about the difficult laws and interpreations of those laws by the Super Rugby Referees.
Matfield set to captain:
Springbok veteran Victor Matfield won’t only be back to help the Vodacom Bulls try and save their season this weekend, he’s likely to lead them into battle as well.
Matfield will return from a knee injury that kept him out of action for a month at a crucial stage of the season, and will need to apply both his leadership and experience immediately to a side that has been rocked by the narrow loss to the DHL Stormers last weekend.
So close are things in the South African conference at the moment that the Bulls need to beat the Emirates Lions this weekend if they are to have a hope of making the Vodacom Super Rugby playoffs.
If they don’t they may find themselves 3rd in the conference and struggling to make the Top 6 after what could be considered a fairly decent season thus far.
The margins of error seem to be getting smaller between the teams and the Bulls have an uphill struggle as they still need to tour overseas while the other sides have completed their away fixtures for the season.
But as the Bulls always say, they can only take it “week-for-week” and that means winning the contest that they have to face at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
And since Matfield and fellow Springbok Jan Serfontein last played for the side, they have lost tight contests against the Emirates Lions and DHL Stormers, both away from home while grabbing a win in Durban and at home against the Reds.
Every point the Bulls can pick up now will be crucial, hence the decision to rush the Springbok lock back into action.
“He’s a crucial part of our game and our decision-making and leadership, and what he brings to the game as well, so it’s good to have him back,” coach Frans Ludeke said on Matfield’s return.
Matfield will also lead the side as Pierre Spies is under the weather and is set to be rested this week. Deon Stegmann will also be on the sidelines this weekend, meaning a new loose trio will be chosen.
Ludeke is likely to keep Jacques du Plessis at No 7, with the hard-working duo of Arno Botha and Lappies Labuschagne being inserted at No 8 and No 6 respectively.
Trevor Nyakane will likely be at loosehead prop, with Dean Greyling paying for his indiscretions at the scrum this past weekend, while Serfontein will hopefully be back at inside centre.
The Springbok midfielder has been included in the team in the last 2 weeks, only to withdraw on both occasions, 1st with a hip flexor and then in Cape Town with a hamstring strain, but the Bulls are hopeful this week he will be fine.
“I’m confident he will make it this week. He has had a great 2 weeks, only to pull up on the final day and credit to him as well that he sacrificed the opportunity to play. He’s not a selfish player, he wants the best for the team and hopefully this weekend he will be fine,” Ludeke explained.
The Bulls coach says while Burger Odendaal has done a fine job standing in for Serfontein, the Springbok has always been 1st in the pecking order and it was an easy decision to choose him.
“I must say it’s an easy decision. We need all of them, it’s about good communication and backing Jan also – he has done a good job for us. And then it is about playing for the team – horses for courses – and who we are going to need going forward. This weekend it is vital for Jan to come in and do what he does. He has a huge workrate and is solid on defence, those are the things that we need him to do.”
The Bulls will announce their team on Thursday.
Scrums a grey area – Ludeke:
Scrums are increasingly becoming a grey area that must be sorted out, according to Vodacom Bulls coach Frans Ludeke.
Ludeke reacted after being asked about his side’s scrum issues, which again proved costly this past weekend in their Vodacom Super Rugby match against the DHL Stormers in Cape Town.
The Bulls lost a close game but gave away at least 9 points in the scrums, and even though they had rectified their issues by the 2nd half, they never received the reward from referee Jaco Peyper.
Ludeke was frustrated at this, but took responsibility for their failings in the 1st half, where prop Dean Greyling was repeatedly penalized for not keeping his bind.
Greyling is likely to pay the price this week and be dropped for the game against the Emirates Lions – a match the Bulls must win if they are to have any say in the playoffs of this year’s competition.
Ludeke said after watching the tape again, he could not fault Peyper’s decisions in the 1st half, but that the Bulls didn’t get the reward in the 2nd half for their scrum when the replacements were on.
Unfortunately it seemed that Peyper had already made up his mind in the 2nd half about who was infringing and allowed the Stormers to set incorrectly and scrum in, especially when Ollie Kebble came on.
Ludeke said the problem was that every scrum is a potential penalty, and players often don’t know which way a referee is going to rule when a scrum goes down.
“Obviously there are things that we need to take responsibility for, and we will definitely. Binding issues, keeping straight, keeping your weight up, those are issues we can sort out,” Ludeke said.
“It’s a battle, and that means it is a battle for referees as well. It is a little bit of a grey area to be honest, every scrum can go anywhere. It mustn’t be like that and it is a pity that the game is going in that direction.
“It is an area that we need to look at. We don’t want to lose a game because of a scrum, especially not a final or a semifinal, or a vital game like we had on the weekend. But first of all we need to sort out stuff out, and we need to be more accurate.”
There has been a lot of introspection from the Bulls since Saturday, and an acceptance that they were wrong in a large part of the contests. That they need to take responsibility for and realise that the problems they had weren’t ones that haven’t happened before.
Greyling has been pinned for not keeping his bind over the years and is a serial offender, and in terms of their selection for the game, the Bulls got it wrong.
It also means they need to keep a more consistent approach to Trevor Nyakane and keeping him on one side of the scrum, not moving him around between loosehead and tighthead week for week.
Nyakane is likely to start this weekend, and will be watched, especially as the Lions have a strong scrum and will be targeting the Bulls up front. But the Springbok has been more than impressive this year and is currently one of the standout players for the Bulls, so he should be able to hold his own.
Ludeke said he had respect for the refs, and wasn’t blaming Peyper, but called for more clarity about decisions.
“If you look at the game I thought it was a tough contest from both sides. We had 10 resets and he didn’t want to guess. That is fair enough. It’s definitely an area we want to sort out. We need to see what we can do to help them.”
The Bulls need to beat the Lions on Saturday, not only to give themselves a shot at the playoffs, but to keep in touch with the Stormers at the Top of the South African conference.
Jeeez, it sounds like a lot, a lot of positive stuff!
Victor Matfield back, Pierre Spies rested, Stegmann rested, Lappies at openside, Arno Botha at No 8, Dean Greyling not starting, Trevor on at Loosehead…
Flok, wat het oor Ludeke se lewer geloop??
Hell he even acknowledges that the Bulls 1st half scrums against the Stormers were not up to scratch!!
Only doubtful thing would be to remove Burger Odendaal from the match-day 23 and not keeping him at No 12, with Jan Serfontein at No 13 and replacing JJ Engelbrecht!!
I have to say, out of our forward pack, the one guy that had a massive last few weeks has been Grant Hattingh, I can’t with 100% honesty say that we really missed Big Vic, so Vic will really have to prove himself in the coming weeks in my eyes.
waarvoor matfield kaptein maak as jy met een van die bok onderkapteins jou hakker is
I hope Ollie Kebble can scrum straight in the coming weeks, he was almost scrumming against the hooker.
Safe to say, I have been bemoaning the scrums all year, and it will lead to chasing people away from rugby, so I am definitely not “whinging” at this game specifically.
It is a series of nails in the coffin of rugby xv and I think that in coming years (10-15) all the money will be in sevens rugby, just like T20 cricket destroyed “pure” cricket.
@ smallies:
Matfield is dan die hoof bok kaptein 😆
@ MacroBull:
matfield is n stand in
@ smallies:
define stand in?
Anyway it is a moot point, Strauss knew he will unlikely be captain until next year, if he stays another year, Vic, Spies, Flip are all ahead of him, maybe even Pollard.
Matfield seems to be the likely stand in captain for the boks with jdv out, so he would also be considered a debuty.
Grys area Frans?
Vir die laaste drie jaar?
Regtig?
Dit verduidelik hoekom jy Dean aanhou speel
En hoekom jy hardnekkig vir JJ, Visser en Callie bly kies
Fokken dom donner
grootblousmile wrote:
Frans might surprise you and drop both Odendaal and Kriel and play both Jan and Visser
After all, stupid is as stupid does
8 @ Victoriabok:
Kyk, die skrums IS ‘n moeilike area om te referee… daarmee stem ek saam… dit is ‘n grys area… sommer al die skakerings van grys ook daarby!
Maar juis nog meer as gevolg van dit, het jy stutte nodig wie tegnies so korrek as moontlik skrum… en Dean Greyling issie een van daai ouens nie, inteendeel is hy tegnies baie swak met betrekking tot hoe hy skrum.
Hy is presies die teenoorgestelde van ‘n tegnies-vaardige loskopstut.
Ek dink ok die bulle is ook een van die min spanne wat die grys area tot hul voordeel kan gebruik.
Wat NIE die grys area tot ons voordeel kan gebruik nie
11 @ MacroBull:
Wel, hulle het verbasend goed weggesteek as hulle daai vermoë sou besit… seisoene lank al!
grootblousmile wrote:
Terug by die Bulls scrum, hoe erg het Morne Mellet se rugby agertuit gegaan?
Hy scrum net so kak.
Die skuld moet heeltemal val op die afrigters Ludeke/Forwards afrigter/scrumafrigter.
Vir te lank en te veel is ons aan die slegte kant van die ref, dat ons afrigters bietjie na hulself moet kyk.
The Lions scrum is no longer as formidable as it was in 2014. I don’t know why – any ideas anyone? With an adjustment to the Bulls frontrow they might just hold their own.
That loosehead, Schalk van der Merwe, had a blinder of a game for the Lions Vodacom CUP side this past weekend. But I guess Ackers knows best.
I agree Grant Hattingh is a good (& very underrated) SR player – never a shirker.
But those Lions loosies, they’re a real menace.
Lions vs. Bulls is going to be good contest.
15 @ MacroBull:
Janee wragtig, ek stem saam.
Overall is daar nie baie verkeerd met die voorspelerspel nie… die lynstane is moer goed, die klemverskuiwings wat reeds plaasgevind het met betrekking tot die afbreekpunte en grondbal-situasies beweeg mooi in die regte rigting…
…. maar ou Wesseltjie Roux moet maar die trekpas kry, want as skrumafrigter is hy flokken useless!
16 @ Angostura:
The Lions Props have also been heavily penalised this season.
Using the grey are to your advantage can be a hit and miss 😉
They must learn to move beyond the grey & embrace the silver … like a SilverFox 🙂
16 @ Angostura:
I think a large part of the Lions scrum not being AS DOMINANT in 2015 compared to 2014, is precisely Schalk van der Merwe… he has hardly been involved in this year’s Super Rugby campaign, because he’d been out of form and therefore out of favour for selections.
Last year he held his own and bettered every loosehead he came up against, here, in New Zealand and of course in Australia too.
I wanted him in the Bok squad last year, because he was so damn solid, technically astute, did not get penallized much and basically reigned supreme!
Then maybe also the fact that Julian Redelinghuys has not been as on fire at tighthead this season, but Ruan Dreyer has been there and thereabouts all season.
@ grootblousmile:
Ou Dean was heeltemal verneder, daai arme ou het nie meer geweet waar om sy kop weg te steek nie.
Die probleem is Ludeke en kie gee die ref die skuld… dis ons werk nie syne nie, hy moet gaan planne beraam sodat ons nie weer so blootgestel word nie.
Dit voel of Ludeke hulle weer maar net hulle skouers optrek en vir hulself se, “dis maar net bad luck gewees”.
Who was that WP/Stormers prop (I think a Namibian national) who was killed at night on a road (I think changing a flat tyre or attending a vehicle breakdown or something like that)?
grootblousmile wrote:
Almal behalwe Frans weet al vir die laaste paar jaar Dean kan nie skrum nie
Hoekom bly hy hom kies?
22 @ Angostura:
Tommie Laubscher
23 @ Victoriabok:
Frans het witbroodjies… so eenvoudig en so maklik soos dit!
MacroBull wrote:
Marcel skrum net so swak, Wessel is kak
Yes, that incident/accident that I’m thinking of involved Tommie Laubscher, but I’m confusing Tommie with another WP prop who was Namibian – Tommie was not Namibian (to the best of my knowledge).
With age comes confusion, sorry.
dean scrum verby en op ipv reguit vorentoe.dit is n direkte uitvloeisel van die ou touch pause engage metode.toe was die scrums n kwessie van hit en run en op was goed want die revs het dit nie raak gesien nie,nou met die statiese scrum sien die rev dit raak en nou kan hy nue wegkruip nie
Angostura wrote:
The Bulls had a good prop from Namibia, Kees Lensing
26 @ Victoriabok:
Skrumwerk is ‘n kombinasie van tegniek, timing, toordery en die dark arts… en dan natuurlik nog ‘n gekombineerde 8-man job ook!
… en dan gooi mens ‘n hele klomp fisika by… en jy het ‘n oplossing!
Wat die fisika kant aanbetref, is dit klassieke fisika dat die rugge van die spelers soos gekombineerde vektorkragte almal op dieselfde tyd in dieselfde rigting toegepas moet word om eerstens die momentum in die regte rigting te stuur en dit dan verder voort te plant en op te bou.
Die balanspunte en ankerpunte van bene, voetposisies is net so belangrik.
En die toordinge en dark arts is ‘n ander flippen ding, beweeg van kop en nek en skof op die regte tyd in die regte rigtings, intimidasie, boelie, knyp, stamp en werk op die borsbeen van die teenstander… al daai vreeslike lekker dingetjies.
Ek het nie verder as Laerskool stut gespeel nie, maar selfs toe, as maergat wat nooooit soos ‘n stut gebou was nie, moes ek allerhande metodes toepas om ‘n swaarder opponent sy moer te laat sien.
Maar van senior stut speel kan ek maar net getuig van wat ek voor my waargeneem het as oopkant flank.
Vra maar vir Smallies en die ander ouens wat stut gespeel het, dis ‘n ander donker plek, daai voorry!
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