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Pulsating climax to finish... |
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Written by Dion
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Tuesday, 20 May 2008 |
Wow. What a weekend of enthralling rugby,
culminating in three back to back matches in SA, of which two must have been
eagerly watched in both New Zealand and Australia.
What a pulsating climax to the round robin stages.
The weekend started with a local derby in New Zealand between the Blues
and Hurricanes and it was a result we in South Africa eagerly watched. For a few
hours on Friday morning, there were thousand of SAFFA’s who became instant Blues
fans.
The Stormers and Sharks had every reason to cheer
a Blues victory. And they got it although the Hurricanes bonus point defeat
meant that both the Stormers and Sharks had it all to do.
I did,nt watch the match but followed the feeds on the silverfern at work,
and I felt I missed out on a genuine cracker if the guys on the fern are to be
believed. The final score 19-17 and viva the Blues as well as Donsteppa for his
enthralling live commentary on the fern .
Hope lingered for our final two contenders in the Republic.
The cellar dwelling Highlanders shock win over the log topping Crusaders
is proof that any team on any given day can topple any side. But I have always
said the biggest threat to the Crusaders are their fellow New Zealand sides who
don’t fear the aura of the Crusaders the way non New Zealand sides do.
The only other side to beat the Crusaders this season was another Kiwi
team, the Chiefs, who themselves lost only last week to the bottom of the queue
Lions.
And this remains the Sharks best hope of winning the Super 14. Getting the
4th placed Hurricanes to do their dirty work for them by getting the Crusaders
out of their way and then themselves taking care of a more negotiable opponent
in the Waratahs next week in Sydney.
And then we are back in Durban for a Super 14 final.
Both Crusaders and Waratahs have taken their foot off the gas so to speak,
in the closing round of Super 14 rugby and a 3rd and 4th logged team winning
their respective matches is not unthinkable.
If the Hurricanes beat the Crusaders and the Sharks beat the Waratahs, I
predict the Sharks will be the new Super 14 champions.
If the Hurricanes beat the Crusaders and the Sharks lose in Sydney, I
predict it will be a close affair at the same venue a week later, with the
Hurricanes as our new champions.
If the Crusaders win on Saturday, it will once again be the Crusaders who
will be crowned champions irrespective of whether their opponents are the Sharks
or Waratahs.
Again, I followed the fascinating feeds on the silverfern of the drama
that unfolded in the upset win in New Zealand's southern derby, loving how the
underdog dramatically prevails.
Two enthralling matches in New Zealand that was described by some as
intense, gripping matches that were close to test level.
Saturday morning in SA and I managed to get home early enough to cheer the
Reds over the Waratahs in another local derby. A Waratahs win meant that a home
semi final in South Africa would be impossible.
It was another cracker of a game that tested the more favoured Waratahs
who eventually and deservedly came out on top. The final result meant that only
3rd and 4th places were up for grabs and to achieve either place, the Stormers
and Sharks had to win by a bonus point.
Just listening to the passion of the Ozzie commentators, their thrills and
delights and their screams and cheers to every thing good, bad and ugly, was
proof our game is alive and well and continues to entertain and enthral. You
could just hear these guys that the entertainment before them was absolutely
gripping. Morgan Tuirinivi had one of his most impressive games of the season I
thought and his last minute break and sweetly timed chip for Peter Hines to
latch onto and score, was class stuff.
Lote Tequiri, a player that I have never really enjoyed, seems vastly
reformed this season and more menacing on attack then in previous. Furthermore
he is proving rock solid in fielding the high balls and cross kicks. Not
something I felt was a strength of his game.
Then for an all out afternoon in South Africa, starting first at Ellis
Park where the Stormers had everything to play for.
The matchup between the Lions and Stormers was a huge disappointment in
the quality of rugby produced and the Stormers imploded on themselves, conscious
of the much needed bonus point.
Almost immediately the Stormers problems were escalated by their inability
to control their own lineouts. A few conceded throws, seemed to mount added
pressure on the whole team and the nerves were evident in stalwarts like Ricky
Januarie and Jantjies.
Nquvaka does not play well in do or die pressure situations.
Peter Grant once again proved that he is the leading flyhalf inside SA at
the moment.
This was a frustrating match, where I cheered the Stormers ahead of my
beloved Lions (national interest ahead of provincial) whom I adopted as my
alternative team in my ten years I lived in Johannesburg in the 80s and 90s.
As the game dragged on, the Stormers struggled to score tries. When it
became increasingly evident that the Stormers would not get the four tries and
maybe not even the win itself, I switched my allegiance back to the Lions. I had
already conceded, barring a Sharks blow out, that the Stormers would not make
the semi finals.
The Lions are a vastly improved team and looking more solid on attack in
recent times. If they can keep their same guys together for next season, their
lessons learnt at the cellar of the Super 14 might bode very well for a shot
next season at mid table.
Earl Rose has become a key figure in the Lions makeup when for many
seasons, he was nothing more then a very average player. In fact, Earl Rose’s
return to the Lions setup along with Jacque Fourie seemed to mark a turn around
in their play, and in their fortunes.
So too Cobus Grobbelaar, Louis Ludick and a couple of others as well.
Initially journeymen players but now promising much more.
But pity for them, they seriously lack a quality flyhalf
There can be no more annoying flyhalf in the history of Super 14 rugby
then Jaco van der Walt, who squanders promising and thrilling try scoring moves
by suddenly going for the drop goal….and missing. And this when they were
playing not for contention, but for pride and honour.
How many sweeping moves did Jaco bring to an end with an anti climatic
drop goal attempt. Jeez, I wish they would introduce a law that would penalise
the attacking team for attempting drop goals when the try is on and the backs
are screaming blue murder for the ball.
The arrival of Ross Skeate and other substitutions for the Stormers in the
third quarter brought immediate impact and suddenly the Stormers were on fire.
Incredibly the tenacious Lions began wilting badly as the Stormers opened up.
Two quick breathtaking tries suddenly lit up the game and the elusive bonus
point was suddenly theirs for the taking with only minutes of play on the clock.
Again, sheer frustration prevailed with minutes on the clock following
their second try. As my allegiance switched back to the Stormers with one more
try needed…what do the Stormers do…they arse fart precious minutes on a two
point conversion. I was screaming at the TV for them to forbade the conversion.
Every minute of play for them was like gold. Two minutes less they gave
themselves for a shot at a fourth try, a try which was not inconceivable given
how the Lions dramatically wilted in those final ten minutes in the face of a
vicious Cape onslaught.
The boys in Wellington must have been cheering Peter Grant to take his
sweet time on a meaningless conversion that would have no bearing on their win
or loss status… and Peter Grant dually obliged. Line it up…Tick tock…get into
position…tick tock…look up at the uprights…tick tock….make your run up…tick tock.
Captain should have been screaming “fark the conversion, lets get this
ball back into play as quickly as possible”.
The Stormers blow out was followed by a meaningless clash in Bloemfontein
between the ever improving Bulls and cellar dwellers, the Cheetahs.
It was a match that would have no bearing on the log, win or lose, the
Bulls could not climb above tenth nor could they fall below it.
It turned out to be a cracker of a game, a game of running rugby that was
deliriously entertaining. It was the Cheetahs who broke ahead with three
brilliant tries to the champions one. Their third scored by Jonge Nokwe was a
brilliant move at speed where the ball was given air and the players hitting
their lines at pace.
I have always believed that in rugby. Let the ball do the hard work.
But the Bulls came back from behind with a scintillating display of rugby
of their own to thrash the poor Cheetahs, in the end 60-20. It was lovely to see
Bryan Habana getting his hands on ball and showing those clean pairs of heals.
It was great to see Ndugane flying around the park, Pierre Spies carrying the
ball up. Infact it was hard to single out players who did not come to the party.
They all sparked.
Even our nemesis players like Wynand Olivier and JP Nel were running like
three quarters should, creating space and spreading the ball.
What took the talented Bulls so long to come to the party. Was it their
lack of ability to quickly adapt to the ELV,s. Four games on the trot they have
won since their disastrous loss to the Canes beating the Brumbies, Waratahs,
Highlanders and now Cheetahs, all in convincing fashion.
How different things may have been had the once bumbling Bulls started the
season in this same mood. With nothing to lose, a free running game full of
entertainment value was dished up for the pleasure of the crowd and those of us
at our TV sets.
And how I enjoyed each try and all the moves and hits in between..
After this match came the defining match of the Super 14 season and the
one that will ultimately decide who goes where in 3rd and 4th position.
The Sharks verses the gritty Chiefs and nothing less then five points
would serve the Sharks interests.
And what a game we got.
The Chiefs can be a tough side and victory let alone a bonus point, would
be by no means assured.
From the outset, the Sharks dominated the scrums and put huge pressure on
the visitors, that I felt would really count in the latter half of the match.
The Sharks put together one of their most finest displays of recent times, and
really cut loose in the second half.
As it was, it was the Sharks who scored the first two tries, the second by
Adi Jacobs against the run of play.
In the latter part of the half the Chiefs hit back with a score of their
own, nullified immediately from the restart that set Bismarck du Plessis into
the corner for a thriller of a score.
It was an emphatic score that left the Sharks needing one more try and the
entire second half in which to get it. Although this appeared very achievable
given the mood the Sharks were in, a two score cushion against the Chiefs is
never a comfortable margin. They are renowned for scoring quick tries in
succession, especially against South African teams.
Ask the Cheetahs and the Lions.
After the restart of the second half as the teams took the field and the
camera focused on Mils Muilana, I couldn't help thinking what an honest stalwart
of New Zealand rugby he is. I even ventured to think in this crucial counter,
how nice it would be to see him in for a good score.
My mind flashed back to a stunning long range try he scored against the
Boks for the All Blacks in Johannesburg in 2004 when he glided at speed toward
the left hand corner.
I had no sooner thought this when Mils cut right through the Sharks
defence to score another brilliant effort. I was thrilled for him personally.
But in the context of the match, this was all too familiar with the Chiefs. With
two penalty kicks either side of the half, the Chiefs were too close to comfort
at three points behind.
The second half burst into dramatic life with some equally dramatic
scores. How about a mark inside your 22 by a lock forward in Steven Sykes, the
nerve of it with only three points ahead, in a semi final contention match. A
quick tap and go that resulted in a breakout run, ending on the other side of
the field with Ryan Kanwoski haring in for the bonus point try that set the ABSA
stadium into explosion.
Curse the camera man who focussed on the crowd whilst Kankowski was in mid
run, denying us those live seconds of the try in the making.
Kankowski on the run is like a stealthy gazelle streaking away on the
break and it is an awesome thrill to watch. Clearly, his gritty forward play
combined with his great abilities with ball in hand leave him streaks ahead of
Pierre Spies as this countries leading no 8 contender.
It was a brilliant try by Kanwoski which began inside their 22 from a
quick tap. It was a brilliant performance on the day by a hungry for success
Shark team. Kankowski, Botes, the Beast all had massive games. Brad Barritts
hits in midfield were bone crushers, Rory Kockitt was elusively dangerous and AJ
Venter was colossal in the forward exchanges as was Bismark du Plessis.
Even Ruan Pienaar seemed to shake the poor form that has dogged him for
all of this season.
Speaking of AJ, I had believed that this season he had extended his career
one season too many. But what a go forward factor he was for the Sharks and the
Chiefs had their work cut out for them in keeping him still and steady. How glad
I am to be proved wrong. One of South Africa’s tough as steak forwards over the
last decade, it was great to see that he has still got it in those tentative
ageing bones of his.
Back to the match and it was actually a lot of bad luck and mishaps for
the Chiefs that gave extra confidence to the Sharks as they nosed back in front.
Knockons at crucial times, Caleb Bruce spilling the ball with an open try
line…that was a huge let off for the Sharks, Stephen Donald being tackled just
short of scoring after a blistering run. Collectively, they all conspired to
condemn the Chiefs to a tough loss.
The Chiefs are a far better team then the final scoreline might otherwise
suggest. Just ask the Crusaders.
All of these little mishaps could have changed the pattern of the game. A
try at any time would have put the danger back into the Chiefs and given them a
sniff. But the mishaps did happen and you could sense the confidence building in
the frenzied Sharks from each stitch of bad luck that became turnover possession
for the homeside to counter attack with..
But on a day when everything went wrong for them, from sheer bad luck and
the cruel bounce of the ball, the opposite applied to the Sharks with absolutely
everything to play for. Sometimes bordering on the arrogance. Sometimes outright
cocky, the Sharks even daring to take quick and deep throw ins from their own
goal line. Very adventurous stuff that could well have backfired.
Two further sublime tries by a Sharks team on fire and suddenly the
floodgates opened. The mood in Durbanites was ecstatic. Not just because of a
bonus point win and a secured semi final spot but also because of an emphatic
performance that has long been promised but yet to be delivered, up and till now
It was a cracker of a match, thrilling stuff and sublime running rugby
that brought the curtain down on another fabulous round robin weekend as well as
the Super 14 knockout stages itself.
Congrats to all the teams, win and lose, for an enthralling week in Super
14 rugby and included in that was yet another dramatic performance when the dead
and buried Force at 22-0, came back to score 29 unanswered points against the
Brumbies for what seemed an unlikely win.
A weekend of high drama and maybe, final proof during this era of trial
that the ELV’s are the way to go, and heart pumping rugby the end result of it.
Now for the semi’s. Roll on this coming weekend
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![546med[1].jpg](http://www.thesilverfern.com/images/abs_157/546med[1].jpg)
