The joy of a packed Newlands

rugby365 columnist Robbie Fleck this week tells us why he feels the Crusaders will remain unbeaten throughout the Super 14 league stages and also who the best equipped South African team is to challenge them. Then we also say goodbye to the Varsity Cup.

It will be good to see the Stormers back at home, at Newlands, where they play their next five game. The way they’ve progressed through the tournament, the signs are positive that they can  get to the play-offs.

We talk about confidence and that comes from winning. The Stormers are coming off an excellent overseas trip and Rassie Erasmus has always said he felt they would come right on tour. I played in a golf day with some of the guys this week and they all looked pretty relaxed and confident and quite keen for the rest of the campaign.

We know that you have to win your home games and this weekend is a crucial one for the Stormers in terms of what happens in the rest of their campaign.

They are looking good and they’ve got a great chance of beating the Cheetahs. The Stormers have struggled against them in the last couple of seasons, but Rassie Erasmus really has the belief of the players now in terms of what they are trying to achieve.

The Stormers are going to be difficult to beat at home and I’m looking forward to a packed Newlands at the weekend.

The pack has been playing really well, their defence is one of the best defences in the Super 14 and it just all seems to be coming right.

Also, Tony Brown has made a huge difference. Using him off the bench has really worked well. It frees up Peter Grant to go to inside centre and play his natural game. He is offering what the Kiwis have always had – the ability to play two flyhalves in the same team. It is fantastic to see how this combination is working, with Jean de Villiers then moving to outside centre and it is extremely exciting from a Stormers point of view.

Then there are the Bulls, who are also back at home. There are encouraging signs. I have been quite critical of Frans Ludeke and the Bulls, but the signs are there that they are improving and adapting to the new laws.

Their last two games were very encouraging. The fact that they are utilising their strength in terms of Bryan Habana is very encouraging. We’ve spoken before about how the senior players have to step up and embrace the new laws. Players like Fourie du Preez and Bryan Habana have really done that. They showed signs of moving on from the old style of Bulls rugby and into positively embracing the ELVs.

Frans Ludeke is on the right track. Whether it is too little too late in terms of his coaching career I don’t know. Obviously it is too late in terms of where they stand on the log, but they can do one or two South African teams a favour. They will be very difficult to beat at home.

The Sharks, the side I regard as the best South African outfit, haven’t really hit their straps yet. They haven’t played the kind and quality of rugby that they are capable of … the quality of rugby they displayed throughout their campaign last year. They have shown just glimpses of it, but they haven’t really been at the top of their game.

It is very encouraging that they are still unbeaten, despite not being at their best and it is going to come. It is clear to see that they are missing senior players and leaders from last year – guys like John Smit, Butch James and Percy Montgomery. These guys had a massive influence on the whole make-up of the side.

I’m not saying the players who have replaced them are worse players. Bismarck du Plessis is an outstanding player and will be playing for the Springboks for years to come. But they just haven’t really gelled yet. Obviously it will come, it might take a few more games, but let’s hope when it gets to semifinal time they are in top gear and can go ahead and win the tournament – which I felt they deserved to win last year.

They will march through this overseas campaign, they might suffer a loss on tour, but they are also going to be very difficult to beat and hopefully we’ll see them with a home semifinal.

If I look at the overseas teams I have to say that the Crusaders are still the team to beat.

They are such a quality outfit. The Crusaders setup is world class. I don’t think there’s ever been such a successful team in world rugby. I know Leicester Tigers in the United Kingdom has a serious track record, as do to the likes of Stade de France and Toulouse, but this Crusaders side is on another level.

I think they will go through the round robin stages unbeaten. They are still beating sides without Dan Carter and without Stephen Brett. They just seem to find replacements all the time. They are a quality outfit and you have to take your hat off to Robbie Deans, he must be the best coach in the world in terms of his record.

It is going to be very interesting to see what happens to Australian rugby when Deans takes over.

The Crusaders will be there in the finals and hopefully it will be a Sharks versus Crusaders Final.

Before I move on to my weekly predictions, I just have to say congratulations to Stellenbosch on winning the inaugural FNB Varsity Cup.

Our team, UCT, showed its lack of experience in the Final and in the end it cost us. It was our first Final and Maties have been in finals before. At least we have two more opportunities to play them this season – in the local club league and one of those will be at Newlands.

The Varsity Cup has been a great tournament and I want to say well done to the sponsors – FNB, Steinhoff and Canterbury. We are looking forward to next season.

Predictions for Super 14, Round Nine:

Friday, April 11:

Highlanders v Sharks:

The Sharks will be pretty disappointed with the 13-all draw against the Hurricanes last week. I’m sure John Plumtree and Dick Muir would have got stuck into the boys during the week. They are facing a mediocre Highlanders side, with just one win under their belt and that against the Lions. The Sharks to win.

Saturday, April 12:

Crusaders v Lions:

Let’s be honest, for me that is going to be one of the biggest scores of the tournament. There are encouraging signs from the Lions – they are able to score tries, but defensively they are so fragile. It is a major concern that our South African teams leak so many tries. If you look at the Boks in the World Cup, our defence was outstanding. What is happening there at the Lions? Eugene Eloff can’t just concentrate on attack only. Your team has to be a well-balanced side and they are not well balanced at the moment. The Crusaders to win, by plenty.

Blues v Brumbies:

The Blues haven’t fired this season. They had a great tour to South Africa and now they are abysmal at home. This Brumbies side also haven’t played decent rugby this year. They are also missing senior experienced players. The Blues to win at home.

Western Force v Waratahs:

This could be the game of the weekend. The Waratahs picked their game up against the Blues last weekend and it was exciting to see, because I still feel that they are a quality side. They also haven’t hit their straps this season, but they are starting to play better now. The Force are a quality side, although they were fortunate to get away with it against the Bulls. They were also hammered by the Stormers the week before, but I think they will have recovered from those two games. They’ve got a quality coach in John Mitchell. The Force to win.

Stormers v Cheetahs:

This could be the other big game of the weekend. What a magnificent performance by the Cheetahs last week, I never would have thought that they would give the Reds such a hiding. They really did play well. However, I think Rassie Erasmus has got Naka Drotské’s match. Rassie is an astute coach and he knows the Cheetahs’ game back to front. I think the Stormers will be too strong for them up front. I never thought I’d say that the Stormers tight five would dominate a Cheetahs pack, but they have played well this season. The Stormers to win.

Bulls v Hurricanes:

The Hurricanes will also be disappointed about the draw last weekend and they will come out firing. The Bulls have come back from overseas, what was really a disappointing tour, but their last two games showed us they are capable of doing something. They are going to be extremely difficult to beat at home. However, I just have a feeling that there is more desire in the Hurricanes to do well and it is important for them to do well in order to get a home semifinal. The Hurricanes to win.

Chat to you all again next week!
Fleckie