Bin the Jones euphoria
8 Apr 2008
Eddie Jones’s consultations with the Bulls will yield little value.
Jones, currently the director of rugby at Premiership club Saracens, consulted with the Bulls prior to the Super 14 season but his impact was non-existent when judging by the standard of their performances.
Last Friday keo.co.za reported that the Australian would join the Bulls again this week for a number of consultation sessions with the coaching staff and players. Desperate supporters will be hoping Jones will be their side’s saviour. That won’t be the case.
His role with the Springboks, where his impact was patent, can’t be compared to his work with the Bulls, and it would be unfair to expect the same results. Jones spent 10 weeks with the Springboks and will spend three days with the Bulls (he started consulting with the coaches on Monday), with only one of those (Wednesday) with the players in an on-field session.
The Bulls will argue that the technical knowledge Jones will impart will be invaluable to the coaching staff and players. Surely one on-field session and a couple of sessions with the coaches serve little purpose? What structural changes can he make when assisting head coach Frans Ludeke to assess the campaign to date? Even then, how good are structures without their architect to oversee their outworking to tweak errors and reinforce strengths within those structures?
That question is answered by the fact that the Bulls have a two from eight record in the 2008 Super 14 despite utilising the same structures that won them the title in 2007. The difference? The absence of former head coach Heyneke Meyer.
The ideal would have been for Jones to spend three or four weeks, minimum, with the franchise. That way he could have poured his energy into doing one-on-ones with the coaches and players, and he would have had the opportunity to oversee the implementation of his plans. However, Jones’s work with Saracens makes that impossible.
He is also thought to be here reluctantly, but was obliged to make the trip because of the pressure investment group SAIL (who own a 50% share in the Bulls and have shares in Saracens) were exerting – not the ideal circumstances considering that the Bulls are relying heavily on him to help determine exactly what’s going wrong.
Here’s the other issue – the Bulls will do well in their next four matches at Loftus because they have done so for the last three years and not because of Jones’s influence. In 2005 they won six from six after their tour, in 2006 two from three and in 2007 four from four. So before we start lauding Jones in the next couple of weeks for his dramatic impact, consider the facts.
By Ryan Vrede
340 Comments
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 6 [7] Show All
8 Apr 2008, 15:45 pm
Sonde,
Thats what i love about Keo. Its a playground for all sorts. Sheer entertainment especially from eccentrics like Tac and G13. Enjoy them all
8 Apr 2008, 15:46 pm
Talking of crackers, what ever happened to NikNak – he just disappeared off this site.
8 Apr 2008, 15:46 pm
#298 – Spot on..
#299 – Ranger, GOOI MIELIES…
#300 – And the poorer your spirit for not having experienced that…
8 Apr 2008, 15:49 pm
Ryan Baaaabbbbes!!!!
How many times I gotta call you!
8 Apr 2008, 15:49 pm
297 Kanko is the man I will go with now, Spies if he starts to shine more, put him on the bench, both of them are still young so will see alot more of them. The one concern with Spies is that I have watched him since his Affies days, the boy had flair, I remember him scoring from a scrum 5m from his on posts to win the game against Bishops. What I see know is the Bulls wants to use him as a battering ram, this I feel is totaly wrong, a guy like Spies should attack space, not run into the closest player of the opposing team. But only time will tell.
8 Apr 2008, 15:52 pm
Thank goodnes Nik-Nak-paddywhack-give-the-dog-a-bone is gone….
Yet every so often another moepel makes their appearance…. latest is that fool, ET.
Yeah, it’s lekker to blog and to experience different perspectives…. and to discuss the sport we love.
It’s also lekker just to fool around and talk kak, life is way to serious and I sometimes need some lighter content and kakpraat.
8 Apr 2008, 15:54 pm
I need to work on my kakpraat skills.
8 Apr 2008, 15:55 pm
303
No disputing the Loftus bit. The Bulls have a fanstastic marketing team. A ticket to Loftus seems like a fanstatic evening of full entertainment: The winning team (until recently), the gees, the musiek, the painted fans, the memoribilia – simply stated: a great product. Must admire what they achieved.
8 Apr 2008, 15:56 pm
Luke Watson on the bench for the Boks.
Spies wears ‘Luke Watson’ pajamas!
8 Apr 2008, 15:56 pm
Spies would make a damn good macro-centre…… I think.
Bulls have a horde of loosies but lack some really lethal backs in midfield….
Spies has speed, defence, explosiveness….
8 Apr 2008, 15:57 pm
307 Just sip a couple Jack Daniels and you will praat lekker kak!
8 Apr 2008, 15:57 pm
308
From what i can see on telly, its probably only the Sharks who offer a similiar product. And thats what professional sport is – entertainment.
8 Apr 2008, 15:58 pm
#308 – The ****** blue eye if you speak English or wear a Stormer/WP jersey…..
8 Apr 2008, 16:00 pm
Bulls have the product, for sure…. but you’re forgetting the most important part….. us, the wonderful supporters !
8 Apr 2008, 16:00 pm
310 That may work I always say the Bulls need a genuine no 13 with pace and skill otherwise their backline will never fire. Sorry and maybe Hougie is not the answer?
8 Apr 2008, 16:02 pm
313 Only if youn sit on the Eastern Stand, but hell thats your own fault!
8 Apr 2008, 16:04 pm
I’ve had more aggro directed at me at Ellispark (many times), Boet Erasmus and Newlands than at Absa Park Durban, Bloemfontein or Loftus…..
Loftus crowd is generally in good spirit and not aggressive…………
8 Apr 2008, 16:10 pm
#316 #317 – Ja, ok…Newlands is the worst…
8 Apr 2008, 16:11 pm
317 I support the Lions and was n 2 fights at Ellispark, because of kak stuff being said to my wife!
8 Apr 2008, 16:11 pm
Is the Newlands crowd aggro? Vulgar yes, aggro … mmmm, not to sure.
8 Apr 2008, 16:13 pm
Ellis is a shithole.
Bloem is also fast becoming a very unpleasant place to visit.
8 Apr 2008, 16:20 pm
#320 – Nah, we are the worst in terms of trash talking, common insults and the sort….not violent though…only once has there been trouble..Naas was looied with a Castle dumpy bottle if I recall…
8 Apr 2008, 16:23 pm
Mr Mier,
I’ve never experienced aggro at Blingfontein, was there for the CC final, in 2006 with Heff and friends…….. there was rivalry but everybody in and around the stadium was friendly.
I must say, when we were down at Newlands on 16 Feb this year the atmosphere between Bulls & Stormers rivals were all in good spirit as well….. and we sat on the Railway stand….
I’ve been to Ellispark a lot, due to the free “Losiekaartjies” I have access to, but refuse to go when I cannot park my car in the VIP parking within the stadium grounds…… even so, having gone to support the Lions against an overseas S 14 team, I’ve been subjected to “tjokkers” of the highest order… on various occasions.
8 Apr 2008, 16:26 pm
Ruck,
On your next visit to Loftus wear a T-shirt with the words: “Bolla’s Maaitjie” on the front and back. Everyone will be to scared to mess with you. We all know what Bolla did to Bakkies and Matfield. Hell, they were so scared of Bolla after that incident they even put up nudi pics of him (Bolla) on the walls of the Bulls changing room titled: “Pasop Vir Die Tokolosie”
GBS, have they taken down the Bolla pics from the Bulls changing room walls yet?
8 Apr 2008, 16:27 pm
324
The Bulletjies must really dislike Des Fountain for letting that cat out of the bag
8 Apr 2008, 16:28 pm
GBS,
It is only recently to which I can only contribute the teams recent success to really.
Was at a game where my team was not even playing and saw fellow fans being abused terribly, and not the normal banter, nasty stuff with kids and ladies around.
But you get your ***** everywhere I suppose.
8 Apr 2008, 16:29 pm
Ellis definately the worst though.
8 Apr 2008, 16:31 pm
Was it at Bloem or Newlands that the naked fella tackled FC Smit? First time i saw testicles being showed on SABC
8 Apr 2008, 16:31 pm
317 thats because your wear blue try going to loftus with a stormer or WP shirt and see what happens then
no f…cking way I will ever go there again agree with you about freestate never had kak there been at atleast 10 times Newlands is the best
8 Apr 2008, 16:31 pm
306, ET is baie waarskynlik Ethiger
8 Apr 2008, 16:31 pm
saffa_guy,
Just the thought of nudi-pics of Bolla is disgusting…… is that what Bolla does off-field…. have nudies taken…….. in that case he needs therapy fast……. well he does anyway….
Hehehe
8 Apr 2008, 16:33 pm
328 Bloem if I remember correctly that f…cker cost us making the final Beau Brummel still payed his bail and court costs he had white socks on good tackle though took guts FC wasnt small
8 Apr 2008, 16:34 pm
PA havent checked are you coming on Thursday??
8 Apr 2008, 16:36 pm
The whole Piet Van Zyl incident was also pretty darn cringe worthy and at the same time amusing. Gotta love how Piet maintains he did the correct thing. We are a truly thick skinned bunch
8 Apr 2008, 16:36 pm
shooter,
Don’t think you’re right about ET being Etterogie…. Etterogie was a semi-literate and really dof tjokker…. ET is at least literate, though clearly deluded and bitter.
8 Apr 2008, 16:37 pm
Will try and swing by Lam, might be in JHB however…
8 Apr 2008, 16:38 pm
cheers all PA you have my mail let me know about thursday
BYE
8 Apr 2008, 16:39 pm
Ja Mr Mier……. you’re wayyyyyyyy to serious…. you need to work on your kakpraat skills
8 Apr 2008, 16:51 pm
OK Dawn I’m here. You’re allowed out of the naughty corner provided you don’t leave your false teeth at my place again.
9 Apr 2008, 02:48 am
Again this Ryan Vrede guy is writing a negative report. It’s getting really boring, just look at his 4 articles currently on the site, negative negative SA Rugby does’nt need this kind of journalism.
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 6 [7] Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.