Smit: SA derbies will be ugly
2 Feb 2006
Bok captain John Smit is expecting blood and thunder when South Africa’s franchises meet during the Super 14 this year.
With the threat of relegation hanging over SA’s five franchises like a sword, local derbies will be more fiercely fought than ever before.
Gone are the days when SA sides would support each other against Australian and New Zealand opposition. The national brotherhood is gone, and it’s every franchise for itself.
The Super 14 kicks off with two local derbies next weekend.
First up is a rematch of the Currie Cup final, when the Cheetahs make their tournament debut against the Bulls in Bloem. The decider at Loftus last year was one of the most brutal matches in South African history. The Cheetahs took the fight to the champions (legally or illegally depending on who you support) and the Bully Boys will be hungry for revenge.
In Jo’burg, the Cats will bare their claws for the Stormers at Ellis Park. Frans Ludeke’s side are the early favourites to go down, while Kobus van der Merwe’s boys are feeling the pressure like never before. Neither side can afford to lose and neither side will give an inch.
The one South African team not facing local opposition in round one are the Sharks, who meet the Chiefs in Durban. They will, however, be without inspirational captain John Smit.
Smit will miss the first three weeks of the competition, including the Sharks’ crunch fixture against the Cheetahs in round two, after being banned for dangerous play when he rammed his elbow into the jaw of French captain Jerome Thion in Paris last year.
He was then ruled out for another round, after undergoing an operation to a stomach muscle. With a bit of luck, the Sharks could have their hooker back in training by 5 March and back on the field for the match against the Waratahs in Sydney.
Speaking on Boots & All, Smit acknowledged the challenge facing the Durbanites.
“With the threat of relegation this year, I can only image how ugly the local derbies will be,” he said. “We’ve got a very tough draw, and don’t have much negotiating power because we came last in 2005.”
Smit said the two extra games in the Super 14 would make it a far tougher assignment than the old Super 12.
“Thirteen games is a lot of rugby,” he said. “We’ll probably start feeling like the cricketers [who are walking wounded in Australia] towards the end of the competition.”
Still, Smit remained positive about the season ahead. “Our squad has a lot more depth than last year,” he said. “We have a young squad, who can play. I can only see good things for the Sharks this season.”
111 Comments
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3 Feb 2006, 16:51 pm
Cheers manne,ek dink dis Dros tyd vir my.Geniet die naweek.
3 Feb 2006, 16:54 pm
nee fok stan, dont go there, DavidS is correct, i dont have that sense of humour.
3 Feb 2006, 17:04 pm
cab,
Daar is geen ooreenkoms nie!
3 Feb 2006, 17:05 pm
Vertel ons Stan?
3 Feb 2006, 17:30 pm
Vleis,
cabbie gaan kwaad wees vir my…
3 Feb 2006, 17:36 pm
aaag okay Vleis, aagesien jy so aanhou.
Albei vrek in die driveway.
en wat is die ooreenkoms tussen Hani en Gerrie coetzee?
3 Feb 2006, 18:07 pm
stan, nice. So far we’ve had jokes about your church organist refusing to press the black keys, calling black people in Pretoria “******* *******”, and jokes about Chris Hani’s assasination, all cunningly disguised in Afrikaans.
I have a sense of humour, but this wink-wink-nudge-nudge racism is sickening. I try and convince people in the UK not all Afrikaners are racist morons, but it’s tough to convince them with people like you around.
3 Feb 2006, 18:09 pm
I think Straueli should get some credit for arranging the deal to bring in the 2 Samoan brothers to the Sharks set up. Pretty innovative. Something I never thought I’d ever say about Potato Head. Any idea how long they are here for, and as all deals go what do Leicester get in return – any of the Sharks players?
How good is the 115kg wing anyway? I hear he’s had some good games for Leicester.
3 Feb 2006, 18:50 pm
Wooden Spoon,
Tuilagi is a big runner. But I feel he is a bit of a thug that could cost the Sharks with penalties. Did you see the game between Samoa and England last year? Tuilagi had a punch up with his own Leicster team mate (lewis moody). Thats screwed up ****. Ok fair enough at the time he was playing for his own country, but he still makes me nervous. Hope he puts some hard work in though.
3 Feb 2006, 20:26 pm
kamerau,
Dis duidelik dat jy nuut is op die net en min van die manne se sin vir humor verstaan.Ek gee regtig nie om vir jou opinie nie, want jy lees dit soos jy wil en nie soos die ander manne nie. Ek probeer dit nie kamoefleer in Afrikaans nie, want daar is niks om weg te steek nie.
Tshwane beteken Plek van die aap. Dis hoekom ek gese het dat nie almal is ape in Pta nie.Ek het op geen staduim gese dat swartes ape is nie.
Hani is doodgeskiet. Verlede jaar is daar 21000 mense in SA vermoor.
Laastens, ek gee regtig nie om wat die Britte dink nie. Dis n nasie wat 30000 kinders en vrouens in konsentrasiekampe vermoor het. Die Duitsers moes hulle uitgewis het ipv om Rusland in te val.
As jy siek voel, gaan kots gou n klein Brit uit.
4 Feb 2006, 01:54 am
Righty, there has been a bit of bullshit said here,
Weather your english, afrikaans or foreign, some of its not meant to be expressed openely here. Im South African and proudly so, but for those of you who feel you need to express the things that might have been ingrained into you as old SA bods. GET OVER IT, OR GET OUT THE COUNTRY! Its not your’s, it belongs to the people of South Africa (White, Black, Indian, Coloured etc). If you have a problem with that your time is limited my friend. If you have half a brain you will understand that. Help this place become one, dont be silly. I have black friends and they would be more than happy to laugh at you right now, not punch you but laugh at you, silly idiots!
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