Players Released

26/07/2010

Peter de Villiers has released Chiliboy Ralepelle, Dewald Potgieter, Flip van der Merwe, Francois Hougaard, Ruan Pienaar, Beast Mtawarira, Ryan Kankowski, Gio Aplon, Francois Louw, Juan de Jongh and CJ van der Linde to their respective provinces.

These players will probably be retained for the home leg of the Tri-Nations. The Springbok team will be announced on the 7 August 2010 and will assemble on the 15 August 2010.

Currie Cup Results - Week 3

25/07/2010

Sharks 27 - Pumas 17

Leopards 23 - Western Province 42

Griquas 26 - Lions 20

Blue Bulls 23 - Cheetahs 25

What a game by the Cheetahs, grabbing it in the 82nd minute due to a great conversion by Sias Ebersohn under immense pressure! the end. Looks like the Cheetahs are going to have a great tournament again!

WP storm ahead

25/07/2010

WP kept their undefeated record intact with a good win over the Leopards in Potchefstroom on Friday evening.

In the past, WP struggled against the "weaker" teams in the Currie Cup, struggling to get the bonus points and even sometimes losing. Just last year results like that cost WP the top spot on the log, but Friday they at last managed to get their first bonus point win of the season.

At first, it looked as if they weren't going to score the four tries, and they struggled at the start due to some great defense and courageous running by the Leopards. But after the first try, things went better, and WP secured the bonus point early in the second half.

Duane Vermeulen had a superb match, putting in some strong runs and bumping off players in the tackles. There were a lot of disappointed fans at the end of the Super 14 earlier this year when Duane wasn't chosen for the Springboks, but if he keeps on playing like he did on Saturday, he'll make the team pretty soon.

At the end, WP achieved what they wanted to, but towards the end of the match, the game became a scrappy affair and WP leaked two easy tries. Against a team like the Leopards this is still OK, but a team like the Sharks or the Bulls will definitely make you pay. Stay focused for the whole 80 minutes boys!

Strong defense...or Strong attack?

20/07/2010

Yes, defense won the game for WP on Saturday against the Lions, but let's be honest...it's the Lions.

Not to be disrespectful, but looking at the past couple of seasons, it just doesn't look as if the Lions have got the players to do the job. Their discipline were poor, and their attack not much better.

So that's where the question lies. Is it better to have a strong attack and a good defense, or a Strong defense and good attack?

During the Super 14 campaign earlier this year, everybody (me included) believed that the Bulls will not again lift the trophy, because of their poor defense and the number of tries they gave away in their matches. The thing is, the Bulls had a superb attacking game, and an average defensive game...and that won them the competition at the end.

During their final against the Stormers, they just kept on attacking. The Stormers defense held, until Francois Hougaard broke through the Stormers backline to score behind the poles. The Stormers weren't in a good position, because they had an average attack, and they were now behind on the scoreboard. If you want to come back from behind, you have got to be able to penetrate the opposition's defense, and score tries, and the Stormers just weren't as good as the Bulls on attack. Never in the whole of last season did the Stormers pull off a great comeback to win the a game.

There's an old rugby saying: "If you keep on attacking, somewhere down the line you are bound to find a gap." And that's what the Bulls did against the Stormers in the final.

So, if you fall behind in a match, which is bound to happen somewhere in the competition, you will have to have a great attacking game, and thus be able to score tries. Having only a great defense is not going to be enough to win the Currie Cup.

WP should be building a complete game plan.

Currie Cup Results - Week 2

18/07/2010

Cheetahs 33 - Griquas 26

Pumas 37 - Leopards 32

Western Province 32 - Lions 0

Sharks 34 - Blue Bulls 28

Great game between the Sharks and the Blue Bulls! That's how teams should play attacking rugby.

Again the Griquas proved that they are not a team to be messed with, by putting in a good performance against last year's finalists.

The Great Wall of WP

17/07/2010

Well, I think we are now certain of the fact that Province is building on the key element that helped them be so successful during the Super 14... defense...and man were they great!

OK let's be honest, the Lions team WP played were not so great, and later on in the second half one could see the frustration on the Lions' players faces as they gave away some of the most ridiculous penalties I have ever seen.

The closest the Lions came to scoring a try, was when they went over the scoreline, but the ref judged that the ball was held up. Pieter Louw walked pass the maul while waving his finger, and screaming: "Julle gaan nie score nie". (You are not going to score!)

At first WP got off to a slow start again, and I wondered if they were going to score any tries, (given the number of penalties they receive, who would bother scoring tries?) until Pieter Louw went over the line by shrugging off a weak tackle attempt. The second try came from Conrad Jantjes and the third from Pieter Myburgh.

At the end of the match WP had two great opportunities to score a bonus point try...but on both occasions they ran the ball over the sideline. I just hope this doesn't come back to haunt them later on in the competition. The need to capitalize when the opportunity presents itself. That was one of main differences between the Stormers and the Bulls in the Super 14. The Bulls capitalized when the opportunity arose, and thus they ended up on top of the log.

Another factor that impressed me, was the small number of penalties WP gave away when the Lions were on attack. Great Discipline!

All and all, it was a good match. Pieter Louw are starting to play better and better rugby, and I am starting to think what would have happened if Allister Coetzee played him ahead of Francois Louw in the Super 14. Not that Francois is a bad player...but it would have been interesting... Another player that just goes from strength to strength is Tim Whitehead. He broke through the Lions backline beautifully to set up Conrad Jantjes's try.

On the Lions' side...they still have a hell of a lot of work to do. If they don't beat one of the big 5 teams soon, and get some confidence within their ranks, I'm afraid it's going to be another disappointing season for them. They should also work on their discipline, and not throw in the towel when they fall behind. It doesn't look like they've got enough talent and skill to score tries. Sorry boys!

Danie Rossouw cleared

Danie Rossouw has passed a fitness test and have been cleared to play against the All Blacks on Saturday morning. Think I will be going to Dros to watch that one and grab myself a brekkie while a look on as the All Blacks lose!

Currie Cup - 2nd Week

So we have come to the second week of Currie Cup action! Here are my predictions...

Cheetahs vs Griquas
Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein
16 July 2010
19:10

This is going to be a good one. We have seen from last week that the Griquas are not a team to take lightly when they are playing at home, and it will be interesting to see just how well they can perform away from Kimberley. If they want to cause an upset, they will have to pin the Cheetahs back into their own half, and keep ball in hand, which is going to be tough against a good Cheetahs front row. Also, they will need to bring along some more of that "never say die" fighting attitude!

The Cheetahs on the other hand will want some revenge after their lost against WP last weekend at home. A must win for the Cheetahs if they want to stay on track for the semi-finals. We all know you cannot afford to lose your home games if you want to lift the trophy.

I think the Cheetahs will just be too strong for the Griquas.
Cheetahs by 10

Pumas vs Leopards
Puma Stadium, Witbank
16 July 2010

These two teams are fighting for the wooden spoon award, and this game will clearly show us who the weakest team in the Currie Cup is. I think that at the end of the day it will be the home ground advantage that will win it for the Pumas.
Pumas by 10

Western Province vs Lions
Newlands, Cape Town
17 July 2010
15:00

One of the main clashes of the season, and a difficult one to call. Both teams will be full of confidence after good wins. (although their performances were a bit rusty) The Lions have got a lot to prove after a dismal Super 14 campaign. Again they had some spring cleaning done at the GLRU, with John Mitchell as the new head coach...and I think this will make them dangerous. A "new start" on a blank page have done wonders for teams in the past. (2004 - Jake White, ring any bells?) They are a good side, with young talent and old experience, but it will be tough at a probably cold and wet Cape Town. This will prove just how good the new structures at GLRU are working.

Province, on the other hand, still had a lot off work to do this week. Their key to success will be patience. Build the platform up front, and attack the Lions backline. For this they will have to hang onto possession. At the end of the day I think WP will grind out a good win.
Western Province by 5

Sharks vs Blue Bulls
Absa Stadium, Durban
17 July 2010
17:05

What a game this is going to be! After a disappointing loss for the Sharks last weekend against Griquas, they know that they can't afford to lose this one at home. If there is one thing they should have learned from the Super 14, it's that you cannot afford to get off to a bad start in any competition. They will have to spark that confidence again, and soon.

In the last couple seasons the Sharks have been a team that's out of sorts, struggling to find their rhythm. They have got a superb junior system, but still they opt to buy overseas players for a short time, which denies them the opportunity to build local talent. They need young blood in their squad. Rumours are that Lambie will be playing at flyhalf...Why?! Let him settle into a position...don't make the same mistake as they did with Ruan Pienaar.

The Bulls, well they are the Bulls. Full of confidence after a successful Super 14 campaign. But this time around they don't have their Springboks to help them. Last year during the Currie Cup we saw a Blue Bulls side that struggled to make the semi's before their Boks came back from the Tri-Nations, and this year they will only be joining at the semi-finals. Still, I think the Bulls are the team that has got their structures and game plans in place.
Blue Bulls by 5

Enjoy!

WP team to face Lions

WP -15 Conrad Jantjes, 14 Fabian Juries, 13 Tim Whitehead, 12 Paul Bosch, 11 Frikkie Welsh, 10 Willem de Waal, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Rynhardt Elstadt, 6 Pieter Louw, 5 Anton van Zyl (c), 4 Adriaan Fondse, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Wicus Blaauw.
Subs: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 JD Moller, 18 JC Kritzinger, 19 Martin Muller, 20 Pieter Myburgh, 21 Conrad Hoffmann, 22 Lionel Cronje.

Allister Coetzee decided to field the same team (that beat the Cheetahs last weekend) against the Lions this weekend. Great call! Still too early in the competition to size up the teams, but I think it will be a cracker of a match! The Lions have got a lot to prove after a disastrous Super 14 campaign and a disappointing Currie Cup campaign last year!

Can't wait!

Forwards or Backline?

Mathew Proudfoot, Western Province's forwards coach, demands a stronger performance from the forwards.

Proudfoot believes that the reason why the Province back line weren't firing on Saturday was because of the forwards.

'‘While our defence was very good against the Cheetahs, we’re not happy with the amount of time spent in our own half. We were hoping to attack a bit more, and it’s the pack’s job to lay the platform. You can’t expect the centres to run you out of your own half, the pack has to take you forward.’'

In my opinion, the forwards were the only highlight in Saturday's game. Yes, they need to build a platform, but if you want to do that you first need to get your hands on the ball. Province denied themselves possession because of a lot of poor kicks in the first half of the match. The forwards may be laying the platform, but still the ball needs to be flung wide by Duvenage and De Waal, which did not happen at all. So where is the real problem? Forwards, or flyhalf?

If Province want to be successful against the Lions, they will have to keep ball in hand and frustrate the Lions on home ground. Don't kick when you are on the front foot.

Currie Cup - 1st week results

Currie Cup

First Week Results

Saturday July 10

Griquas 40 - Sharks 34

Friday July 10

Leopards 13 - Lions 43

Blue Bulls 38 - Pumas 15

A great win for the Griquas over the Sharks. It shows that last season for the Griquas weren't a fluke, but that they are truly a good team who should not be under estimated. Will be interesting to see how they perform away from Kimberley.

No surprises in the other results. Straight forward wins for the Lions and the Blue Bulls.

Rusty win

12/07/2010

Wester Province 25 - Cheetahs 11

Bloemfontein

Finally the start of the 2010 Currie Cup season. Things will be a bit different for Province this time around as they have lost a lot of their first choice players to the Springboks, and those players will only be available again for the semi-finals.

I knew that playing the Cheetahs at Bloemfontein in your first match were always going to be tough, but in the first 30 minutes of the match Province made it a lot tougher than it should have been. A lot of aimless kicks from Willem de Waal and Conrad Jantjes saw Province struggling to get their hands on the ball, and after the first quarter they almost made three times the amount of tackles than the Cheetahs. One of the aimless kicks also resulted in the first try for the Cheetahs scored by Tewis de Bruyn. It was a bit sad to see so many kicks, and not see the young backline in action. Their centres and wings rarely got the ball and a opportunity to run. Spread the ball wide, and play some old school Province running rugby.

A great kicking display by Willem de Waal, but still some question marks about his ability to get the backline on the front foot, which Peter Grant did brilliantly during the Super 14 season. Province needs a more attacking flyhalf, maybe Lionel Cronje. But then again they also need a good kicker, like Willem...a bit of a win lose situation in my opinion.

At the end of the day Province battled through to a good victory because of some amazing defense and a strong forwards display. Clearly Alistair Coetzee is building on their successful defensive structures used during the Super 14, which resulted in the Stormers having the best points difference by far.

It's great to see that Province can now brag with a front row who can compete with anybody in the business. Also a lot of youngsters coming through like Ryno Elstadt, which is great for the future of the team.

The first match of any rugby competition is going to be a scrappy affair, and a win is a win, but if Province want to make inroads into the competition they will need to keep possession, put the phases together, and spread the ball wide. Still a good performance after a long time off. Next weeks game will be a big one against the Lions who thrashed the Leopards in their first game.