Horrorcanes (22) v Islanders (17)

Late summer in Wellington, atrocious conditions…do you expect anything else in the capital! Both teams were awful, and the Islanders very nearly stole this game. In the end I think their lack of intelligence cost them. Had they played for territory, the mistakes would have come from the Horrorcanes. Instead they were camped in their own half and when an inevitable mistake came, they were made to pay. Nothing from either team suggested they will threaten this year.

Worrytahs (11) v Chiefs (7)

Another awful game with terrible handling, lack of intelligence and nothing to suggest these teams can go all the way. The Chiefs lack class and direction in their 8-9-10 axis, and don’t have the loose forwards to play a forward orientated game either. The Worrytahs somehow have won 8 home games in a row…someone needs to take that record off them. Wait till the South Africans turn up in Sydney!

Farce (16) v Cheaters (10)

If ever the Cheaters were going to win away, this was it. They had their chances, and simply cannot put together an 80 minute performance. How can they be competitive in the Currie Cup and yet so awful in super rugby each year. They will not win a game on tour and will return to South Africa with 0 wins from their first 6 games. They can only pray they might win some, well 1 or 2, home games and help out their fellow South African teams.

Why oh why can’t we have the Spears playing at the expense of the Cheaters or Lions, they cannot do any worse! They’d get better support and it’d expose more coloured and black players which will help build the game in South Africa…come on you old fogeys on the board do something!

Stormers (27) v Reds (24)

The crowd at Newlands were down on the previous week, the locals still prefer to watch the home teams rather than the foreigners. The reds started off well with a charge down, but why was a lock, Bekker kicking? When we have Jantjies and Grant in the team why don’t we put one kicker on each side of the ruck to cover all options?
After that we regrouped beautifully and played great rugby for the next 20 mins or so. The territorial advantage allowed us to run the ball and we looked good when we gave it air.

After halftime we contiuned on that vein and scored 2 tries. We were completely dominating but simply couldn’t get the bonus point try. And then we started getting camped in our own territory. Especially once Conradie came on we started to do silly things at the base of the ruck and scrum time which just kept us in our own half. With better field position the Reds were able to run the ball and our defence was found wanting.

Why does Rassie not use Monty? I’d have taken Naqelevuki off and moved Jantjies to the wing. Or simply taken Jantjies off. I don’t think Jantjies is the best fullback in South Africa. Monty is still number 1, Terblanche 2nd and if Francois Steyn wants a permanent spot in the Boks, he be better off at fullback. But with all his experience, Monty is still the best and a matchwinner. His boot gets you out of trouble, pings the opposition in their own half, and his positional play gives him all the time in the world to dictate as he sees fit. Use him!

So I was very disappointed to see us conced a bonus point and not get one ourselves. But a win puts us in the right direction. I may have to take back my pre-season prediction of the Stormers going all the way. For me, the tight five and loose forwards are simply not dominating enough to allow us to play with enough territory and possession to be able to score points. It puts all the pressure on the Stormers and as Kitch Christie said “you can only defend for so long”…

Brumbies (18) v Crusaders (16)

This game was there for the taking. The problem is it took 79 mins for the Brumbies to decide they wanted it. The game was a good old fashioned arm wrestle with lots of kicking, planety of midfield defence and not much class. In the end it could have gone either way. Not sure i’d have Stephen Brett at fullback. he’s much better dictating play at flyhalf.

Bulls (59) v Blues (26)

Loftus…The Bulls…awesome…
The Bulle started off fantastically. Territory, possession, pressure. Too big, too strong. Nothing the Blues could do when the Bulls get it right. Some lapses in concentration allowed the Blues back in, but credit to the Bulls for keeping the intensity up right till the end. In the past we’ve tended to open up a decent lead, and try and defend it which has allowed the opposition back in and resulted in close games eg the 40 all draw with the Blues in 1997.
To score a bonus point after 23 minutes was simply superb. Who says the Bulls play 10 man rugby?

Whilst it was a great performance, I still have a few concerns. Dewald Potgieter is getting better and better, but he is still the weak link in the loose forward trio. Wynand Olivier gave away too many penalties and for my mind is still very average at best. How many times do I have to say i’d love to see Julies in number 12! And whilst I have wanted to see Jaco Pretorius in a decent team, he has not shown anything special. Maybe we’d be better off with Julies at 12, and Olivier at 13 where he doesn’t have to make the play so much.

On the plus side, Bakkies was magnificent. He is an awesome athlete, a true powerhouse and his tackle on a Blues player during the first half whilst moving sideways and stopping all their momentum was unbelievable. He hit all the rucks well and is playing out of his skin at the moment. Danie Rousouw did okay in the absence of Matfield, and Spies was a powerhouse too. I hope it silences the critics who think Kankowski is better! Derrick Kuun made some great steals and in the backs I thought Steyn controlled the game well, and Kirchner hit the line well. His try was an example of how simple it can be. Use Spies with his pace, get the scrumhalf into space and utilise the extra man of the fullback hitting the line at pace and into space. Simple. And perfectly executed.

A win next week over the Lions with a full bag of 5 points puts us in great position heading towards the middle of the competition…Go Bulle Go!

Sharks (25) v Lions (10)

The Shark tank was especially hot and humid, but that is no excuse for the poor handling and many mistakes made by both teams. Loffie Eloff said that poor discipline and 2-3 missed opportunities cost them, but they were clearly not the better team. It was pleasing to see Earl Rose kick well, and for someone going backwards I thought he did as well as could be expected. I’d prefer to see him at 12, and La Grange discarded, once Pretorius is back to full fitness.

The Sharks can be disappointed to again miss out on a bonus point. But poor handling at crucial times stopped them from scoring more and running away witht the game. Once again Kankowski disappears when the game gets tight and there is not much space. Heading away on tour if they can win at least 3, they’ll be in a great position for the second half of the competition…