Bullish about the SA teams
rugby365.com‘s Jan de Koning takes a look at what can be expected from the Super 14 and uses the first two weeks of the competition as a pointer. He admits that he has had to make some adjustments to his pre-season predictions.
At the start of the season I was positive that two South African teams could feature in this year’s Super 14 play-offs. Whenever the question was asked of me: ‘Which teams?’, my answer was constant – the Sharks and Stormers.
And after two rounds I still do believe South Africa could – like 2007 – have two teams in the semifinals … and even the Final.
However, I have changed my mind about the teams that will make it.
Yes, it is early days yet, but I have seen enough to make me realise I as wrong about the Bulls.
Boy, oh boy, are they a class outfit this year.
Not many teams manhandle the Blues like the Bulls did at the weekend. Four tries inside the first half-an-hour and the game was over. Yes, of course it was an injury depleted and very young Blues outfit. But show me a weak side from Auckland.
If you want to know how brutal this Bulls team was (is this year), just look at the last few minutes of the game at Loftus Versfeld at the weekend.
In the last five minutes they had not only reduced the Blues to 13 men – so physical were they throughout the game – but they showed the killer instinct we last saw when they put 92 points past the Reds in 2007.
I know the Bulls still have to travel, but with a full-house of 10 points and with their confidence on the rise you will find it hard to argue against their credentials.
The Sharks remain the other South African side I expect to see in the play-offs. As we saw at the weekend, they are a thoroughly professional side and are showing plenty of the characteristics that has secured the Crusaders seven titles.
No matter how much pressure you put them under – remember, they were 0-10 at half-time against the Stormers in Week One and were 8-10 down against the Lions this past weekend – they remained clam and went about their business of dismantling the opposition. They may not have collected any bonus points yet, but you also can’t argue with two wins from two starts.
The biggest disappointments so far for me are the Stormers two performances. I had pencilled them in as possible play-off candidates, but my eraser has worked overtime and I now list them as also-rans. For the second successive week they failed to maintain the early momentum they had built up. They have a lot to do if they want to be real contenders and not just pretenders.
The Lions, after their early promise against the Cheetahs, were bitterly disappointing this week. They not only lost their cool when under pressure – which saw another player being yellow carded – but they lost their structure and failed to build on their early momentum against a very good Sharks team. Coach Eugene Eloff will also be very concerned about the shocking skills on display by his hookers and line-out jumpers – who, between them, have now lost almost 30 of their own line-outs in just two games.
The Cheetahs, as expected, don’t have the qualities to be more than competitive in some games. They have one or two world class players, another few who are okay, and the rest don’t really belong in the Super 14 arena.
They will challenge the Reds for last place this year.
As for the Australasian teams.
The Waratahs and Brumbies look the best bets. They are both quality teams who know how to protect the ball and build pressure. The Crusaders, despite their loss at the weekend, are still on my list of possible play-off candidates.
The rest, I suspect, will make up the numbers for the rest of the season. Some may show promise and even win a few games, but none of them will be consistent enough for a top four finish.
Do you agree/disagree with Jan? Let him know what you think of his views.
