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Super 14 : Boer Wrap Week 1 |
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Written by PaarlBok
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Sunday, 04 February 2007 |
At last we have rugby on and what a weekend it was. To predict in round 1 is
always a lottery in Super Rugby but at least I have the Saffa teams nearly spot
on. The Aussies teams underrated and I paid the price in the tipping. The Reds
performance was a big surprise to me.
I'll start with the negatives with the Saffer teams to get that of my
chest.
1.There is way to much kicking in our teams. All the teams kick way to
much pill meaningless away. It is a illness in our rugby and after last years CC
I thought the teams would have learnt from that.
2. The new scrum rule. This crouch, touch, pause, engaged is to much of a
touchy subject for a fatty and reminds me of a boxing match. Shakes hands before
you fight. Don’t make sense to me.
Anyway my rating for our teams performances in round one. 1. Cheetahs, 2 Lions,
3 Sharks 4 Bulls 5 Stormers.
Cheetahs: I predicted it and it happen in the last game. The Cheetah class
of 2007 have a big addition to the one of 2006. The ability of the backs. They
have added Jouba and Philip Burger, good players with great skills and
ability. Must admit it makes me a bit warm under the collar in his poofball act
when Schalkie gave him a go. Rassie once again show his genius for putting
CuppaChino Kambamba on at just the right time against a star studded Stomers
loosies. His team also played like usual, the perfect game plan and the Cheetahs
impressed with their calmness.
Lions: The reason I gave them second place is because they have won just
about everywhere except on the scoreboard. This young brigade without the
generals Pretoriuse showed some guts and eagerness and put the mighty Tahs at
times into disarray.
If the Lions can built on this performance it will be great for the our
rugby. Players to mention are plenty but those who caught my eye was firstly
Luddick. For a 20 something he even outplayed Lote, Doppies at 12, Vermaak in 9
for the little time he came on and then the two Grobs. Bulterrier “Varkhond” was
all over the park and that white hair mob tackled everyone and making a nuisance
of himself for the full time he was on the park. Baywatch did some turnovers,
putting tackles in and even showed some ball skills.
For the Tahs I thought their locks did well in lineouts and the young
flyhalf impressed me.
Sharks. The Sharks took the Bulls on at their strong points and won
because they succeed in it. There was to many basic handling errors and way to
much kicking (dryffens) in this game. If the Sharks spun the ball more wide they
would have win by even more. JP Pietersen, AJ Venter and Butchie with their
fatties earned their money.
Bulls. The Bulls haven’t finish their changes and must post JP Nel. JP was
looking for trouble the whole game and lucky he haven’t been pot by the Sharks
or red carded. The Sharks scrum looked impressive, maybe they are better in this
touchy moments at scrum time. The quicker Heyneke Meyer get Stephan Basson in
that backline the better for Bulls rugby.
Stormers. The Stormers are the same old same again. For those backs to get
so little pill and the ones they got they either ran into a white brickwall or
Naas kicked it away. Must be hard for the outside backs. Kobus van der Merwe and
wise Wagner must wake up. Russell must have been in 10 from the start and the
tight five was poor. I thought they would have win a bit of pill from lineouts
but that was also a disaster. Their star captain was like captain chaos and Juan
Smith outplayed all of them. However Scalkie and Joe played OK and it is enough
to see Schalkie on the field for me.
Round two will have be a more international flavour and then we can see if
the Saffer teams have improved in Super Rugby for 2007.
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