2012 S15 SA Conference

[Brisbok]

This post may have something of the scratched record about it but with Morne Steyn at 10 all they'll get is tackling and kick-chasing practise. Lambie and some of the other young gun 10's seem to know how to run and pass, it would be nice to see them promoted and given a chance in South African teams.

That comment might have carried more weight if it didn't come from a Waratahs fan....

 

[Blue]

This post may have something of the scratched record about it but with Morne Steyn at 10 all they'll get is tackling and kick-chasing practise. Lambie and some of the other young gun 10's seem to know how to run and pass, it would be nice to see them promoted and given a chance in South African teams.

A bit harsh on Morne but also an understandable perception.

He was required to play that game under Ludeke and PdV largely because of the influence of certain senior players.

Under Time Lane a few years back he was taking the ball to the line and the Bulls backline scored some very good tries. People seem to forget this because of the type of game the Boks have been playing.

Whilst I want to see one of the young guys play for the Boks this year, I look forward to what the new Bulls centers can do and I think Ludeke will allow Steyn to play a more attacking game. Well at least I hope so because it will be a terrible waste of talent outside him if that is not the case.

 

[PaarlBok]

This post may have something of the scratched record about it but with Morne Steyn at 10 all they'll get is tackling and kick-chasing practise. Lambie and some of the other young gun 10's seem to know how to run and pass, it would be nice to see them promoted and given a chance in South African teams.

ja thats my biggest worry for Sadie, who I knew since his u7 days. Already saw a talented Rossouw de Klerk go down the drain and this will probably happen to Johann at the Bulls. Not long ago Basson and Kirchner was something special, now they are very ordinary players.

 

[PaarlBok]

Sharks vs Boland
Sharks: 15 Riaan Viljoen, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 JP Pietersen, 12 Tim Whitehead, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Patrick Lambie, 9 Frederic Michalak, 8 Marcell Coetzee. 7 Pieter-Stephan du Toit, 6 Keegan Daniel (captain), 5 Anton Bresler, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Wiehahn Herbst, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Dale Chadwick.


Substitutes: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Julian Redelinghuys, 18 Ross Skeate, 19 Jandre Marais, 20 Jacques Botes, 21 Ryan Kankowski, 22 Lubabalo Teira Mtembu, 23 Charl McLeod, 24 Sibusiso Sithole, 25 Meyer Bosman, 26 Marius Joubert, 27 Paul Jordaan, 28 Louis Ludik

Boland:
Jonathan Francke, Senan van der Merwe, Jacquin Jansen, Siviwe Magaba, Brendon April, Ricardo Croy, Neil Papier, Junior Bester, Thor Halvorsen, Franzel September (k), Nolan Clark, Jerry Sefoko, Ross Geldenhuys, Chris Buckle, Charl du Plessis.
PLAASVERVANGERS: Martin Nel, BJ Julies, Jaco du Toit, PJ van Zyl, Juwell Samuels, Jeremy Plaatjies, Cola Wiliams.

 

[PaarlBok]

Although the Golden Lions and Lions are not the same entity, the outfit seems to be in financial difficulties; so maybe they would be the ones to go.

Looking from here, there may be some folk who look up where the Lions play and where the Bulls play and think: they're only about an hour apart; so why do they need two teams for the area?

But that would be ignorant of the old deadly rivalry between Transvaal and Northern Transvaal.

The Lions seem to save it
Lions site

It was announced a little earlier this afternoon that Redefine Properties Ltd. has put their considerable financial weight behind the Golden Lions Rugby Union and will become a joint co sponsors of the Lions. Wetalkruby’s forum member Darra was there to report back on the announcement.
The sponsorship is a 3 – year deal, effectively commencing from 1st January 2012 to 31 December 2014 and the new sponsor’s logo will feature on the 2012 Vodacom Cup; Currie Cup and Super Rugby jerseys and will be printed on the back beneath the number. With the excitement and expectations of the upcoming Super 15, I suspect that we will be seeing the back of many Lions jerseys as they scoot off towards the opposition try line……
The Redefine Group is a listed entity on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange and holds assets in excess of R30 bill. Included in the group are companies ApexHi Properties and Madison Property Fund Managers.
The sponsorship value has not been disclosed but it was confirmed by the Redefine spokesperson to be in the “Multi millions.”
GLRU president Kevin de Klerk said, ” On the back of our 2011 Currie Cup victory, we are extremely grateful and honoured to have a company with the stature of Redefine join our ranks as one of our treasured sponsors. “
“We at the Lions have been building our vision to become a winning culture, a powerhouse of rugby and centre of excellence. In the modern game, this cannot be done without the gracious support of our sponsors. “
GLRU President Kevin de Klerk also announced that the GLRU is completely out of financial turmoil and that there is no longer the threat of liquidation. De Klerk also confirmed that the Lions and the GLRU will remain at Coca Cola Park.
We would like to thank Darra for his stunning reporting work and for representing WTR on this occasion and to welcome the Redefine Group into the pride. We believe that their investment will be prosperous.

Oom Lee , Golden Lions = ou Transvaal = CC province
Lions = S15 franchise = Transvaal, Suid Oos Transvaal (Pumas) & Wes Transvaal (Leopards)

 

[Blue]

ja thats my biggest worry for Sadie, who I knew since his u7 days. Already saw a talented Rossouw de Klerk go down the drain and this will probably happen to Johann at the Bulls. Not long ago Basson and Kirchner was something special, now they are very ordinary players.

Rubbish. Do you think Kirchner and and Basson are complaining about Super titles? How many times in the last five Super Rugby years did the Stormers score more tries than the Bulls? Yes, go look it up.

Where does Sadie have a better chance? A Stormers side who peaked last year and will slide back? Poor scrum, poor breakdown. No threatening 10, poor backline coaching (lack of tries a clear evidence). Is is he better off at a Bulls team where he will start every match and is part of a rebuilding system? Yes. Kudos to him for seeing that.

The Stormers are kidding themselves. They have a weaker backline with the same coaching and they are going to get their arse at the breakdown unless some youngster materializes. At kleast the Bulls know who their ten will be one week out from the start of the season. The light sea breezes will probably decide in round 8.

Good to see people in Cape Town still think they are the cornerstone of SA rugby despite winning sweet fuck all for years. We all have to kid ourselves in some way.

 

[Brisbok]

Rubbish. Do you think Kirchner and and Basson are complaining about Super titles?

Have to pick you up on that point cos I don't think Basson has won any Super titles. Did he not sign for the Bulls in 2011?

Have to agree with everything else you have said though. Sadie had to leave the Stormers to further his career. Surely you can see that PB? At the time he signed with Bulls, he was the 3rd choice 13 behind Fourie and de Jongh. How was he to know that Fourie would be extending his contract in Japan?

At the time of signing, it was the best decision for him and SA Rugby. What good was it for SA Rugby to have 3 quality 13's at the Stormers, where two of them would not be getting sufficient game time, and not having any quality 13's at the Bulls or the Sharks for that matter? It was better for everyone that he moved on.

In hindsight, with Fourie extending his contract in Japan, maybe Sadie would have got a lot more game time at the Stormers. Hindsight is a great thing, but unfortunately not reality.

 

[PaarlBok]

Rubbish. Do you think Kirchner and and Basson are complaining about Super titles? How many times in the last five Super Rugby years did the Stormers score more tries than the Bulls? Yes, go look it up.

Where does Sadie have a better chance? A Stormers side who peaked last year and will slide back? Poor scrum, poor breakdown. No threatening 10, poor backline coaching (lack of tries a clear evidence). Is is he better off at a Bulls team where he will start every match and is part of a rebuilding system? Yes. Kudos to him for seeing that.

The Stormers are kidding themselves. They have a weaker backline with the same coaching and they are going to get their arse at the breakdown unless some youngster materializes. At kleast the Bulls know who their ten will be one week out from the start of the season. The light sea breezes will probably decide in round 8.

Good to see people in Cape Town still think they are the cornerstone of SA rugby despite winning sweet fuck all for years. We all have to kid ourselves in some way.

Ja we did not win anything in 2011, only the SA Conferense and at least made the CC semis. Where did you Bulls ended?

I'll say it again, Sadie will be a dead horse playing outside Meisiekind.

 

[Blue]

Paarl you should really stop taking everything so personal.

I am not attacking you personally, I am stating fact.

With all the money and so much talent in juniors the Stormers and WP have had a poor ten years when it comes to winning anything.

Yes they continuously make bad decisions.

Three years ago it was clear they had issues at prop. Not solved.
No world class 10 for many years. Still a problem.
No obvious replacement at 7.
There are obviously issues with the contracting process.
Backline coaching is a problem.

Yes the Bulls did not do well last year. Injuries, end of an era. I was quite content. It had to come to an end. All good teams must come down to earth. We did. No regrets. Most fans never expected the Bulls to make the playoffs, even though they almost did.

Nothing personal. Just fact. I would love to see the Stormers do well but I think they are in for an average year. The seem to be continuously "building" with no end in sight. As soon as thye get one thing right, there are new problems.

Oh and Johann Sadie will cut it up in 2012. You read it here first.

 

[PaarlBok]

Paarl you should really stop taking everything so personal.

I am not attacking you personally, I am stating fact.

With all the money and so much talent in juniors the Stormers and WP have had a poor ten years when it comes to winning anything.

Yes they continuously make bad decisions.

Three years ago it was clear they had issues at prop. Not solved.
No world class 10 for many years. Still a problem.
No obvious replacement at 7.
There are obviously issues with the contracting process.
Backline coaching is a problem.

Yes the Bulls did not do well last year. Injuries, end of an era. I was quite content. It had to come to an end. All good teams must come down to earth. We did. No regrets. Most fans never expected the Bulls to make the playoffs, even though they almost did.

Nothing personal. Just fact. I would love to see the Stormers do well but I think they are in for an average year. The seem to be continuously "building" with no end in sight. As soon as thye get one thing right, there are new problems.

Oh and Johann Sadie will cut it up in 2012. You read it here first.

Your facts is a bit Bulls orientated screwed like per usual. You forget that Meyer is gone now and you have to rely on Ludeke.

 

[Blue]

Your facts is a bit Bulls orientated screwed like per usual. You forget that Meyer is gone now and you have to rely on Ludeke.

No Paarl, I spoke about the Stormers and what I see wrong with them. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the Bulls.

What facts about the Stormers are wrong? Answer that.

 

[PaarlBok]

1. Three years ago it was clear they had issues at prop. Not solved.
2. No world class 10 for many years. Still a problem.
3. No obvious replacement at 7.
4. There are obviously issues with the contracting process.
5. Backline coaching is a problem.

1. We have young props like Ginga and Malherbe now making the S15 rugby step. The Stormers scrum did quite well last year in the S15 and CC level. We beat the Sharks home and away, the Bulls home and away and surely our scrums was on par against both our biggest rivals. If our scrum is still a problem, then you have bigger problems at the Bulls and Sharks.
2. We have to many 7s. Look like Kolisi will play here, Vermeulen can play here, Elstadt can play 7. More depth then most.
3. Rassie handled the contracting at the Stormers. I think he did a pretty good job till now. He was soft on Jac Fourie and should have send him packing when Sadie aspire for higher level. He also have build up our structure and we havent had so many youngsters coming through in ages.
4. I have no problem with Flekkie. Our defense was the best in the SH now for two years running. Attack can be better but we sure have enough backline depth.

 

[Brisbok]

2. We have to many 7s. Look like Kolisi will play here, Vermeulen can play here, Elstadt can play 7. More depth then most.

I think Blue was referring to Openside Flank here, 6 rather than 7. Blue - I think the Aussies are starting to rub off on you 'mate'!

Back to what PB said though....

Your facts is a bit Bulls orientated screwed like per usual. You forget that Meyer is gone now and you have to rely on Ludeke.

I think this will have as big an impact on the Bulls, if not bigger, than what Rassie leaving will have on the Stormers. Ludeke has yet to prove that he has what it takes to build a strong team. He inherited a team of Champions at the peak of their powers and 'guided' them to two more titles. He did absolutely nothing with the Cats in 2005 and 2006 and left them in no better shape than when he began. Time will tell i guess...

 

[PaarlBok]

I think Blue was referring to Openside Flank here, 6 rather than 7.

Well 6 players aint the problem here, more the coach Jake White influence on fetchers. That I have a problem. Schalkie can do a bit of 6 more a 7 type of forward (the SA way) Rohan Kitshoff is a good fetcher and young ones we still pocess the Matie Lehmann (who played with Sadie Interschools for Paarl Gym) and Ikey captain Fenton Wells. Nizaam Carr is an absolute gem of a flanker, not specialized 6 but he sure can do some hard graft and is pretty effective with ball in hand and a good line out jumper. I'd say he and Kolisi is two of the best young flankers in SA at this very moment.

 

[Blue]

Right then.

Seems like the Stormers have it all figured out. Nothing to worry about. All is rosy in the fairest Cape. Glad to hear that.

Yeah Brisbok I have been here for quite a bit so I am getting my 6's and 7's mixed up. Trust me it's not the only confusion I live with.

I have never been convinced with Ludeke and still think his appointment was a mistake. However, I think the system and assistant coached are strong factors that will make up for a part of the loss. I think Meyer leaves a very solid structure behind.

I reckon we'll finish around 8th or 9th and get close to making the 6 but fall short. One point ahead of the Stormers, who will finish in 10th.

 

[SuperGrover]

As PaarlBok has already pointed out, Micalak is to play at 9... below is a bit more about the selections for the Sharks line-up

Sharks pick Michalak at scrum-half
Sharks coach John Plumtree has sprung a surprise by including former French international Frederic Michalak at scrum-half for Friday's pre-season home friendly with Boland Cavaliers.

Michalak, who has played in the number nine jersey before, will form a half-back partnership with Springbok Patrick Lambie in a side which includes several new faces.

Plumtree has been forced to experiment with Michalak in the position after one of his regular scrum-halves, Conrad Hoffmann, was ruled out for most of the season with a torn bicep.

In other interesting selections, former Cheetahs stalwart Riaan Viljoen will start at full-back and ex-Western Province midfielder Tim Whitehead plays his first match at inside centre for the Durban-based franchise.

Whitehead will be joined in the midfield by Springbok wing JP Pietersen, who continues at 13, after making his debut in the position during an internal trial match last weekend.

Amongst the forwards Pieter-Stephan du Toit gets a chance to stake a claim at flank while Steven Sykes will play at lock after his return from Leinster.

http://planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3824_7498880,00.html

 

[SuperGrover]

Ten-try Sharks rout hapless Cavaliers
The Boland Cavaliers may be First Division champions, but were brought down to earth with an almighty bang on Friday.
The Sharks, beaten Currie Cup finalists last year, showed just how huge the chasm between domestic and Super Rugby is when they demolished the Cavaliers - beating then 62-0 in the first pre-season hit-out for the men from Durban.

The 10-try rout is also a warning to other franchises that the Sharks mean business - given that the Stormers were made to work for their 45–14 victory over the Cavaliers a couple of weeks ago.

Boland, in their fashionably pink outfits, gave the Sharks some stern opposition in the first half - with the home team managing just three tries to take a 21-0 half-time lead.

However, once The Sharks got into their stride, there was no stopping them and while the determination from Boland never wavered, it was clear that they were outclassed by a superior attacking side.

This match presented a decent opportunity for testing combinations and getting valuable game time in a competitive environment.

Certainly the pairing of Freddie Michalak and Pat Lambie worked a treat with the Frenchman providing crisp, accurate service at scrumhalf and taking the odd gap when it was offered.

It took the Sharks some time to get reward, but two tries within a few minutes took them into a 14-0 lead - a combination patient build-up work and energetic attack.

There was some great interplay between the backs resulting in the team's third try, scored by JP Pietersen, off an attack that started on the half-way line.

And to add to the visitors' woes, when they were 21-nil down, their centre, Siviwe Magaba, was sent from the field and directly to an early shower as referee Craig Joubert showed little sympathy for his spear tackle on Keegan Daniel that looked particularly dangerous and which resulted in a red card.

Bismarck du Plessis came close once more when, for the third time, he was held up over the tryline in the last act of the first half with The Sharks holding a deserved 21-0 lead.

The Sharks started the second half with a number of changes to personnel with Sbura Sithole managing to score with his first touch of the ball in the opening five minutes.

The action continued and the tries continued to come as Lwazi Mvovo and then Marcell Coetzee added further scores and the Sharks hit 40 points.

More important, they had not allowed Boland to come near their tryline, or certainly had contained the best efforts from the visitors.

The game opened up in the closing 20 minutes of the game as the Sharks hit the half-century and then some, and it was clear that they were really enjoying themselves.

http://www.rugby365.com/tournaments/super14/news/2844484.htm

 

[SuperGrover]

and this...

Sharks import gives Bulls plenty of bite
The Bulls' second stringers continued the franchise's good pre-season form when they edged the Cheetahs' back-up selection 33-29 in an entertaining encounter at Loftus Versfeld on Friday.

Nine tries were scored in a match that saw the visitors take a 17-12 lead at the half-time break. The A-teams of the Bulls and Cheetahs meet in Polokwane on Saturday.

Sharks import Daniel Adongo was the stand-out player in the Bulls B squad, as the utility forward scored a hat-trick - with solid performances from Jean Cook, Lionel Cronje, Cornell Hess, Sampie Mastriet and Ruan Snyman.

The Cheetahs, who gave their entire squad a run, also showed plenty of promise and with some real depth could be a handful in the Super Rugby competition this season.

The Cheetahs opened the scoring with a Sias Ebersohn penalty, but the Bulls showed their intent with a Jean Cook try - converted by Lionel Cronje.

It took the Cheetahs no time at all to regain the lead, as Justin Downey went over for his team's first try.

However, an amazing counter attack - started by a blistering run by Sampie Mastriet - saw Adongo scored the first of his three tries.

Just before half-time Marcel van der Merwe went over for the Cheetahs' second try, as the visitors took a 17-12 lead into the break.

Adongo scored his second try early in the second half and a great sideline conversion by Lionel Cronje saw the Bulls regain the lead.

However, the never-say-die Cheetahs went ahead again through a Barry Geel. try, with Riaan Smit's conversion making it 24-19.

Adongo then scored his hat-trick try, before a lovely blindside move saw speed machine Sampie Mastriet score for the Bulls. Cronje added the conversion and the host held a 33-24 lead.

Dusty Noble scored a late try for the Cheetahs to give them hope, but the conversion was wide and the Bulls held on for the win.

The scorers:
For the Bulls B:
Tries: Cook, Adongo 3, Mastriet
Cons: Cronje 4
For Cheetahs B:
Tries: Downey, Van der Merwe, Geel, Noble
Cons: Ebersohn 2, Smit
Pen: Ebersohn

http://www.rugby365.com/tournaments/super14/news/2844426.htm

 

[SuperGrover]

Looks like Grant may not be back in time for the start of the season...

Playing for Kobe Steel, Grant will miss the start of the Super Rugby season - which has left the door open for youngsters like Burton Francis and Gary van Aswegen to steal a march on the five-Test Springbok.

http://www.rugby365.com/tournaments/super14/news/2844105.htm

 

[Brisbok]

BULLS AWAY JERSEY

Wow...