Sanjay's Rugby World

8 weeks into the super 14 and we have the finalists. We know the aussies are poor and won’t make it. And now we know SA won’t make it either. The final will be contested between the Blues and Crsuaders, and could go either way.

SA rugby showed at the weekend that it is predicatable and brainless. All our teams have shown we do not learn from one week to another. The same mistakes get made, or if they are corrected one week they reappear again the next. Here are the main reasons SA rugby is poor

We cannot adapt to conditions in front of us as we only have one (outdated) game plan eg the Bok test v NZ in 1999 at Dunedin where all week we trained for a wet field only to havea dry field and got hammered 33-0. Compare with the Sharks who had forward dominance in the scrums and mauls and didn’t know what to do.

Our basic skills are too poor. Our handling is atrocious and why do we continually drop the ball. eg Does anyone else notice a bok like Danie Rousouw drops the ball on average 3 times a game and yet most people think he is great? Our wings like Habana and JP Pietersen also continually drop the ball, or run the wrong lines to receive the pass. How hard is it to catch a ball?

We are brainless. eg why do our teams constantly get penalized at the breakdown when we are attacking? Why do we always just shovel the ball accross field when we finally get it to the backs? Does no one know how to run straight? And why oh why do we always try and run down a 1m blind side and get shoveled into touch. The aussies and kiwis know when the sideline is next to you run infield to stop yourself being bundled out. It’s not rocket science.

But the biggest factor is the negative mindset. We dont have a go. When we are 10 points down with 10 minutes to go needing tries to win, we will still kick for touch and give the ball back to the opposition. We are always to negative. We continually talk up the opposition. If there is an 18 year old player for NZ or Aus they are gamebreakers and need to be watched, if we have someone young he must be nurtured for the future and shouldn’t play at that level till he is ready. We have fantastic players. Why don’t we just believe in them, tell them to run the ball and show them hopw to do it. It would allow us to score tries and finally win games consistently.

My prediction…NZ to win the world cup against France or SA in the final. If SA get there they can consider themselves very lucky. I only think they havea a chance because we have so many good players.

Has anyone else noticed how our cricketers have the same dilemma. A conservative Kallis cost us a game we could so easily have won. When you need to score at 7 an over, don’t block it! It sends the run rate up. At least try and score runs. Have a go! Captain smith had no plan B when our bowlers were getting hammered. Take them off! Simple really. Try someone else. Don’t just keep bowling the same guy again and again at 10 an over. Prediction: Aus to win the cricket world cup against Sri Lanka or Windies in the final. SA to struggle to make semis.

This weekend started off badly for the South African teams but came good with the Sharks and Cheaters. The Stomers victory over the Worrytahs has shown SA teams have found it relatively easy in Australia, but we have struggled in NZ, and are getting beaten comprehensively. At least opposing teams have struggled in SA.
Once again the same old errors haunt SA rugby. Silly mistakes, too many penalties and not enough straight hard running into space. Why are we the only ones to get penalised in attacking situations? Whilst the aussie and kiwi refs are not great we also need to play to their interpretations. Still the Sharks are the only unbeaten team and equal the crusaders as the only team to ever win their first 6 games in the competition.

Super 14 Log
Sharks 25
Blues 23
Farce 21
Bulls 18
Crusaders 17
Cheaters 17
Islanders 16
Lions 16
Brumbies 14
Horrorcanes 14
Stormers 14
Chiefs 12
Worrytahs 8
Reds 6

Farce thrash sad Reds

Has anyone worked out why Queensland are the reds when their tops are maroon? Maybe red tops would have stopped them getting hammered 38-3 by the farce in Perth, but then again they are both Aussie teams so who really cares?
Farce 38: Tries: Chris O Young Cameron Shepherd, Digby Ioane, Penalty try. Conversions: Shepherd (3). Penalties: Shepherd (4)
Reds 3: Penalty: Andrew Walker

Chiefs tame awful Lions

The Lions got a gold old ass whipping 34-7 by the chiefs in Hamilton. The Lions picked up where they left off and continued to gift turnover ball which lead to the Chiefs getting their first win of the season. Still the Lions won’t be disappointed with 2 wins from 4 on tour and if they can pick up some points back home can hope for a mid table finish which would be very credible for the season.
Chiefs 34: Tries by Stephen Donald (6 min), Marty Holah (21 min), Donald (48 min), Liam Messam (76 min) and Tane Tu’ipulotu (79 min). Stephen Donald kicked a penalty and a conversion and Dwayne Sweeney 2 conversions.
Lions 7: Try by André Pretorius (72 min). Pretorius kicked a conversion

Brainless Bulls embarrass their blue jersey

The Bulls were an embarrassment to their supporters in going down 32-10 to the Crusaders. In resting their captain Victor Matfield they showed they did not have the belief to win this one. Whilst they have gotten enough points from this tour it is exactly this mindset which killed them in this game and stops them from being title contenders.
Conservative tactics makes them predictable allowing opposition to feed off their mistakes. A team like the crusaders doesn’t need many opportunities. And when The Bulls have ball in hand they are not prepared to have a go, and as a result have no idea how to run the ball. If they are going to lose, they may as well run the ball and learn how to score some tries. And what is with coaches who decide to rest players putting them on the bench. Playing 20 minutes is not resting a player!
Crusaders 32: Tries: Johnny Leo`o, Rico Gear, Tim Bateman, Scott Hamilton. Conversions: Stephen Brett (3). Penalties: Brett (2)
Vodacom Bulls 10: Try: Wikus van Heerden. Conversion: Derick Hougaard. Penalty: Hougaard

Stormers once again confound logic

After losing last week and being written of the Stormers once again showed they defy the form book and win the games they are expected to lose. The problem is they simply can’t win the games they need to. Although the Worrytahs are a team on the decline and look like they will have a close battle with the Reds for the wooden spoon
Stormers 16: Try by Luke Watson (59 min). Peter Grant kicked a conversion and three penalties
Waratahs 10: Penalty try (74 min). Peter Hewat kicked a conversion and a penalty

Cheaters run Brumbies ragged

The Cheaters thrashed the Brumbies 38-20 In Bloemfontein on Saturday. They scored 5 tries to 3 and dominated the game. The Cheaters should be commended for a willingness to spread the ball and use the width of the field and run the ball. However too often they simply shoveled the ball across the width of the field not straightening the line. This limited their effectiveness against a team to awful to even tackle players behind the advantage line. Neither of these teams will be semi final contenders
Cheaters 38: Tries by Falie Oelschig (33 min), Gavin Passens (36 min), Richardt Strauss (51 min), Philip Burger (59 min), Juan Smit (71 min). Willem de Waal kicked five conversions and a dropped goal.
Brumbies 20: Tries by Adam Ashley-Cooper (63 min), Mark Chisholm (66 min), Patrick Phibbs (81 min). Julian Huxley kicked a penalty and a conversion

Feeding frenzy at the Shark tank

The Sharks were hungry for tries at ABSA stadium on Saturday night. They scored 4 in a solid victory over the Horrorcanes. A willingness to run the ball from all over the field paid dividends and got them their first 4 try bonus point. However silly errors, poor scrumming technique and general lapses in concentration kept the Horrorcanes in the game especially in the first half. Someone must teach JP Pietersen how to kick, because for all the great things he does, he is also a liability at times, usually with his boot. Francois Steyn is an immense talent and runs things from the back, proving that good enough is old enough. Sharks have it within them to finish in the top 2 now.
Sharks 27: Tries: JP Pietersen, Johan Ackermann, Jacques Botes, Warren Britz. Conversions: Butch James 2. Penalties: Butch James.
Horrorcanes 14: Try: Anthony Perenise. Penalties: Blair Stewart 3.

The 6th round of the super14 has started to separate he contenders from the pretenders. Effectively the challenges from the Cheaters, Stormers and Worrytahs are gone. The Blues and the Sharks look assured of semi final spots at this stage. This weekend was highlighted with refereeing inconsistencies. Especially at the breakdown and in the scrums. Some teams are adapting better than others but sometimes it is beyond their control. And when we have TMO decisions that go against what we the viewers and commentators think, I believe they should have to explain how they arrived at their decision. Effectively it can costs teams games, which in the end may determine semi final places.

Super 14 Log

Blues 23
Sharks 20
Bulls 18
Farce 16
Islanders 16
Lions 16
Brumbies 14
Horrorcanes 14
Crusaders 12
Cheaters 12
Stormers 10
Chiefs 7
Worrytahs 7
Reds 6

Reds thumped at the House of Pain

The Islanders thumped the Reds 33-17, and scored a bonus point in their Super 14 rugby match played at Carisbrook in Dunedin on Friday

Islanders 33: Tries by Aaron Bancroft (3 min), Lucky Mulipola (28 min), Glen Horton (56 min), Jason MacDonald (73 min). Nick Evans kicked two penalties and two conversions and Aaron Bancroft a dropped goal.
Reds 17: Tries by Berrick Barnes (32 min), John Roe (43 min). Barnes kicked two conversions and a penalty

Stormers season over after loss to Brumbies

The Stormers must be the most inconsistent team on the planet. They lose games we expect them to win and eventually win when we expect them to lose. In losing 26-13 their season has gone so they may as well through caution to the win and play the expansive game they talk about but never produce. A change of coach on their return home should take place as it would otherwise simply be delaying the inevitable.

Brumbies 26: Tries: Mark Chisholm, Sterling Mortlock and Adam Ashley-Cooper. Conversion: Sterling Mortlock. Penalties: Sterling Mortlock 3.
Stormers 13: Try Gio Aplon. Conversion: Peter Grant. Penalties: Peter Grant 2.

Shepherd squeaks the Farce home

Cameron Shepherd scored at the death and kicked a sideline conversion to finally end the home jinx for the farce, as they beat the Horrorcanes 18-17 in Perth on Friday night

Farce 18: Tries by Drew Mitchell (4 min) and Cameron Shepherd (79 min). Cameron Shepherd kicked a conversion and two penalties.
Horrorcanes 17: Tries by Tana Umaga (34 min) and Jimmy Gopperth (76 min). Blair Stewart kicked a conversion and a penalty and Jimmy Gopperth a conversion

Lions hammered in Auckland

The Blues blitzed the Lions in the first half, scoring the bonus point try in the 37th minute to knock the wind out of the Lions challenge. The Lions created many chances but simple errors and turnovers at the breakdown cost them dearly. It hows that passion can only take you so far, at some stage your luck will run out. The challenge for the Lions is to match their skill level with their passion. And why do coaches persist with Doppies La Grange? Do we really have no one better?

Blues 41: Tries David Holwell, Rudi Wulf, Doug Howlett (2), Ben Atiga, Daniel Braid. Conversions: Holwell (4). Penalty: Holwell
Lions 14: Tries: Louis Ludik, Ettienne Reynecke. Conversions: André Pretorius, Earl Rose.

Bulls break Sydney hoodoo

The Bulls made the most of their chances and finally used their brains in playing to a plan and overcoming the Worrytahs to win for the first time in Sydney. I only wonder why don’t they utilize the skills of Bryan Habana every game as he showed how dangerous he can be with a bit of space and, and utilizing his pace can leave the opposition for dead. He can be either given the ball in space or run onto kicks as they did against the Worrytahs. Either way he will create you tries. The only Worry other than the Tahs was the poor performance of the Bulls set pieces on their own possession.

Bulls 32: Tries by Bryan Habana (16 min), Fourie du Preez (40 min), Habana (43 min), Du Preez (57 min). Derick Hougaard kicked three conversions and two penalties
Waratahs 19: Try by Kurtley Beale (76 min). Peter Hewat kicked four penalties and a conversion.

Sharks remain unbeaten in Bloemfontein

It was a black day in Bloemfontein as the Sharks beat the Cheaters 30-14. In the end the willingness of the Sharks to mix it up ensured enough line breaks to capitalize on and score 3 tries, whilst the one dimensional play of the Cheaters became predictable and easy to defend after 20 minutes. The standard of refereeing I thought was below par and aided the Cheaters who went unpunished for taking out sharks players off the ball on at least 3 critical occasions. The Cheaters look destined to now finish in the lower half of the table. Has Rassie been found out?

Sharks 30 : Tries Jacques Botes, Waylon Murray, JP Pietersen. Conversions: Ruan Pienaar (3). Penalties: Pienaar (3).
Vodacom Cheetahs 14: Tries Juan Smith, Herkie Kruger. Conversions: Willem de Waal (2)

The 5th round of the Super 14 bought with it the second consecutive round no Aussie team won and have we finally seen the fact that South African teams have the belief they can win in Australasia? I say belief because the talent has always been there and this week showed we can win without necessarily playing fantastic rugby, we just need to be better than the opposition. Another first was no South African team lost on a weekend where we all played against foreign opposition (Although the cheaters didn’t hold their end of the bargain!)

Super 14 Log

Team Played Points
Blues 5 18
Sharks 4 16
Lions 5 16
Bulls 5 13
Horrorcanes 5 13
Farce 5 12
Crusaders 5 12
Cheaters 5 12
Islanders 5 11
Brumbies 5 10
Stormers 5 10
Worrytahs 4 7
Chiefs 5 7
Reds 5 6

Blues stay out in front

The Blues kept up their momentum in the Vodacom Super 14 log by comfortably beating the Islanders 28-9 at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday
Blues 28: Tries by Isaia Toeava (42 min & 64 min) and Troy Flavell (69 min). Luke McAlister kicked two conversions and three penalties.
Islanders: 9: Nick Evans kicked three penalties

Aussie battlers play to a draw

Two Aussie battlers, the Worrytahs and the Western Farce produced a lacklustre 16-all draw. A brain implosion by Sam Norton-Knight denied the Worrytahs a chance to win in it the last minute with a penalty kick. What was he thinking?
Worrytahs 16: Try by Morgan Turinui (20 min). Peter Hewat kicked a conversion and three penalties.
Farce 16: Tries by Drew Mitchell (24 min) and Matt Giteau (42 min). Cameron Shepherd kicked two penalties

Stormers blow away the Horrorcanes

The stormers had lady luck on their side as they won 30-17 by scoring 2 intercept tries to put away the Horrorcanes. It wasn’t vintage rugby but it showed that leading on the board and putting pressure on the opposition allows you to capitalise on their mistakes. However don’t let that fool you, the Stomers have much to improve on if they want to seriously get themselves back into super 14 contention, which means they will have to win at least twice more on the road.
Stormers 30: Tries: Jean de Villiers, Justin Melck, Corne Uys, Breyton Paulse. Conversions: Peter Grant 2. Penalties: Peter Grant 2.
Horrorcanes 17: Tries: David Smith, Corey Jayne. Conversions: Jimmy Gopperth 2. Penalty: Jimmy Gopperth

Bulls win in Canberra despite going to sleep

The Bulls beat the Brumbies in Canberra 19-7, becoming only the second South African team to do so. Forward dominance coupled with Hougaard’s boot lay a strong platform in the first half. However of concern will be the fact that they went to sleep again in the second half and decided they wanted to practice tackling for the second half. They were outstanding and only conceded 1 try but will have to improve against sides that are more clinical in attack.

Bulls 19: Try by Pedrie Wannenburg (32 min). Derick Hougaard kicked a conversion, a dropped goal and three penalties
Brumbies 7: Try by Gene Fairbanks (46 min). Julian Huxley kicked a conversion.

Lions show great character to win in Brisbane

The Lions showed great character and hunger to beat the Reds 26-20 in Brisbane on Saturday. The magic of Andre Pretorius closed the deal with field position after the first half threatened to get away from them as Queensland played attacking running rugby. However the boot of Pretorius in the second half allowed the Lions to exert pressure on the reds and the Lions capitalized on their mistakes to seal the deal in the 76nd minute.
Lions 26: Tries by Jaque Fourie (54 min) and Ernst Joubert (75 min). Earl Rose kicked four penalties and two conversions
Reds 20: Tries by Quade Cooper (20 min) and Will Genia (27 min). Clinton Schifcofske kicked two conversions and two penalties

Miracle try keeps Sharks unbeaten

Odwa Ndungane scored the try of his life two minutes after the hooter to secure a 27-26 victory for the Sharks over the Crusaders in Durban. Considering he blew a try by letting the ball slip out of his grasp diving over the tryline, this was a second chance to redeem himself. Ruan Pienaar then stepped up to win it with a sideline conversion. However the Sharks can consider themselves lucky as they were outplayed for most of the game against a Crusaders B team. The injuries to Percy and John Smit will be of concern and Butch James once again showed he is not really the answer at flyhalf on a consistent basis.

Sharks 27: Tries: Albert van den Berg, Bismarck du Plessis, Odwa Ndungane. Conversions: Percy Montgomery (2), Ruan Pienaar. Penalties: Montgomery (2).
Crusaders 26: Tries: Kieran Read, Mose Tuiali`i. Conversions: Stephen Brett (2). Penalties: Brett (3). Dropped goal: Brett