Blues belt lame Lions
10 Apr 2009
The Blues handed the Lions an embarrassing 36-12 defeat in Auckland.
Loffie Eloff’s excuses shall be interesting. We’ll bring you these as soon as possible, but Loffie will give us the same old cliched crap.
Fatigue and jetlag? Sounds like a good one but won’t fly this week, the Lions were down 14-0 at half-time. And yes, they were lucky to get nought, with the missed tackles count at 18 and handling errors from the Blues at 12 – the rain an hour before kick-off can be thanked for that.
The Lions had literally no ball in the first half-time, but when they did it was seriously embarrassing as they didn’t know what to do with it. This is a team with no direction and somebody needs to take account for that.
The defence, as the stats will tell (35 missed tackles in all), was terrible. From No’s 10-13 the Lions kept on rushing up and the gaps were capitalised on from a Blues’ side that is nothing special.
The usually solid Lions tight five were hampered by tighthead Gert Muller’s inclusion as the scrum faltered. Lawrence Sephaka ‘wasn’t fit enough to start’, according to Eloff, but he did play the final half hour. That, like much at the union, doesn’t make sense.
Scrumhalf Jano Vermaak also made an impact when he came on, but why he was on the bench is another mystery.
The only way the Lions were going to cause an upset was via another inspirational Jaque Fourie performance, but when he injured his eye after defending for the opening hour their hopes were all but gone.
The Lions looked more interested in the second half, but that is more of an indictment as to why they weren’t up to it in the first is a mystery.
An out of form Joe Rokocoko created the gap for the third try to Rudi Wulf two minutes into the second half. That the pass to Rokocoko was blatantly forward isn’t really a consideration as referee James Leckie’s numerous mistakes couldn’t even have an impact as the contest wasn’t close.
The fifth try for the Blues came from a charge down off Andre Pretorius, who yet again had a shocker and calls for him to be in the Springbok squad are misguided.
The sooner the competition closes for Loffie and the Lions the better.
By Grant Ball
194 Comments
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10 Apr 2009, 11:17 am
A coach, to be a good one, needs to be an Enforcer type… a strong minded fella…. an excellent man-manager… someone the Team will be willing to die for…
Not one of these Buddy-buddy types…. like Rassie, Naka, Loffie…
10 Apr 2009, 11:17 am
#146 poppa69: Ah yes, Susie the slapper from the East Rand.
Don’t think we’ll ever know the real story there, I’ve tried to get info from the inside but some things just never get talked about.
10 Apr 2009, 11:18 am
#151 grootblousmile: Rassie aso has other issues… and the players can’t respect someone like that. I don’t.
10 Apr 2009, 11:18 am
Blues are dropping like flies. Lions are doing damage in a totally different way here.
10 Apr 2009, 11:19 am
Yayyyyyyyyyy finally
10 Apr 2009, 11:19 am
Try Jano Vermaak….
Final score should be Blues 36 / 12…. if Yo-yo kicks over
10 Apr 2009, 11:20 am
Rose has been solid since coming on. The boy has merit. Just a pity about his Frans Steyn streak haha.
10 Apr 2009, 11:20 am
#148 goyougoodthing: I wonder why that is ? you guys can churn out quality players, surely their must be coaches of equal calibre ?
what is Mr White setting up ?? coaching clinics and such ?
as for using Eddie, a smart man uses the best resources available, so no probs there at all…
10 Apr 2009, 11:20 am
Final score 36 / 12
Congrats Blues…. it was a game of total domination and control
10 Apr 2009, 11:21 am
Blues by 24.
10 Apr 2009, 11:21 am
#152 goyougoodthing: she was a slapper ? lol from what I heard she had the worst table manners
10 Apr 2009, 11:22 am
#158 poppa69:
Congats cuz!!!
I am buying again…
10 Apr 2009, 11:22 am
Great game any ways. Super 14 rules. There have been some crackers this year. Some really poor but I still think its far more exciting rugby than you see in the Heineken cup or Magners league.
10 Apr 2009, 11:23 am
Susie slapper? haha Nice name. Sounds like a wet fish. How about Susie Scuffer.
10 Apr 2009, 11:24 am
#158 poppa69: It’s the system or lack of one we have here. The player issues have been sorted with things like the Sharks Academy and others subsequently being set up. The Sharks Academy has seen 36 Boks since inception 8 years ago. That’s amazing.
In terms of coaches, nothing of that sort has been set up. Jake is setting up some sort of Academy/clinics where school coaches can go, learn, develop and be earmarked for promotion through the ranks. Damn fine idea, remember jake himself was a school teacher.
It’s been traditionally the place where SA has had strength, in certain schools who churn them out. The Sharks feeder school, Grey College in Bloem for example (that bites a lot of folks here ha ha).
10 Apr 2009, 11:25 am
Sorry to my Lions friends , maybe when Loffie had his uitkak sesion you guys misunderstood, he did not say you must only play the last 20 minutes he said you better F@kk@n plat the last 20 minutes only.
Well you had a 80 minute period from last week until the last 20 minutes where you conceded 50 unanswered points, glad you started playing in the last 20 min today
10 Apr 2009, 11:26 am
What a crock of **** the Lions dished up….
K9 en Ed kou seker nou polse af !
10 Apr 2009, 11:27 am
*** that was pathetic! To think I even gave the little pussies a chance!! Bring back the S12, lose the Lions and Cheetahs………….
10 Apr 2009, 11:28 am
#162 Pietman: make it a double bro lol
10 Apr 2009, 11:28 am
Lions are not good enough clearly. Change the coach, throw the baby out with the bathwater. Combine the Lions and the Stormers. Replace all SA teams with the Falke and EP the Mighty Elephants. Make Cheeky President.
Buy PDV new teeth (oh he has those already).
10 Apr 2009, 11:28 am
#166 superBul:e said you better F@kk@n play the last 20 minutes also.
10 Apr 2009, 11:30 am
#165 goyougoodthing: well I hope Jake can get it up and running… something similar to Mike Cron (ABs scrum guru).. hes travelled the entire country passing on his knowledge… therefore the youngsters learn earlier and learn good habits become automatic…
10 Apr 2009, 11:34 am
#172 poppa69: Yeah me too. I hope it does the job as I said and does not become a pony show for the hangers on in SA. We have a lot of them, not sure what they think they are doing.
For example the ‘Legends (who calls themselves a Legend?)… set up a rugby Academy in Durban North… and tried to steal the players from the 38 Bok producing Sharks Academy. They have even approached the Sharks feeder schools in England… now what benefit is there in that other than self promotion and money. If they really cared about rugby, they would have set it up in the Eastern Cape…
There are plans for one there sure, but it smells of fish, and they are all fishermen.
10 Apr 2009, 11:36 am
#173 goyougoodthing: sorry 36
10 Apr 2009, 11:38 am
#173 goyougoodthing: yep, seems SA rugby has a habit of destroying itself from within… whereas in NZ its all geared towards the ABs, that is the marquee product and it is all driven towards that… not it seems in SA (which is a real pity).
10 Apr 2009, 11:38 am
hopeless
10 Apr 2009, 11:38 am
Hierdie S14 is maar net nie SA se speelmaat nie. Ja, elke jaar het ons so een span (partykeer 2 spanne) wat ten minste onder die eerste 7 eindig, maar oor die algemeen is dit maar net pakslae kry links en regs.
Ons het almal gehoop hierdie is die jaar wat ons ten minste 4 spanne in die boonste 7 sou hê, maar op hierdie stadium lyk dit net asof die Sharks ons naam hoog hou.
Die Bulls is nog daar, maar soos hul nou speel, en nog sonder ‘n fetcher ook, hoop ek maar net met my hart, nie my verstand nie.
Miskien moet ons 3 spanne in die S14 stoot:
Sharks
Bulls
Stormers
Goeie spelers van Cheetahs kan Stormers toe, en die goeie spelers van Lions kan Bulls toe.
10 Apr 2009, 11:38 am
At least that last try by Jano kept the Bulls in fourth place for now.
10 Apr 2009, 12:16 pm
#5 jondood:
Either harden up man or get a sense of humour.
10 Apr 2009, 14:40 pm
177. alf
‘Goeie spelers van Cheetahs kan Stormers toe, en die goeie spelers van Lions kan Bulls toe.’
Moenie gulsig raak nie Alf,want dit is juis die probleem met die Cheetahs en Lions, die goeie spelers loop al voor die tyd.
Al wat die uitslag bewys , is dat die Lions en Cheetahs en
tot ‘n mate die Stormers nie diepte het nie.Torring jy
aan hul A-span en sluit ‘n klomp B-span spelers in die
die beginspan in dan het jy probleme.
Dit is nie om dowe neute dat die Bulls en Sharks hul spense
so volmaak nie. Die Administrateurs van die bonde weet
sonder diepte kom jy nie die mas in die Super 14 op nie.
Onthou die Sharks kan as alles goed gaan amper ‘n Springbok
span in die veld stoot,maar tog hardloop hul nie weg met die
kompetisie nie.Dus gaan die Lions,Cheetahs en tot ‘n mate
die Stormers maar altyd in die Super 14 sukkel.
Om 13 mini-toetse te speel moet ‘n span goed wees en teminste
‘n bank he wat ‘n impak gaan maak as jy hulle op die veld stuur.
Jy kan ook nie 13 weke na mekaar dieselfde span op die veld
stoot nie,die ouens is gaar na week ses en begin beserings
almeer opduik.Die Blues het duur vir hul oorwinning betaal.
Om na amper 16 jaar met net twee Superrugbybekers te kan
spog wys dat Suid Afrika se rugby se waarde te hoog
geskat word.Selfs in die Tri-nations het Suid Afrika
die kompetisie net tweekeer gewen,wat gegewe die aantal
geregistreerde rugbyspelers mi maar nie ‘n goeie vertoning
is nie.
10 Apr 2009, 14:42 pm
No matter how poor the Lions were, they don’t deserve a piece as poorly written as this one. Sies man, Grant. I hope your English teacher doesn’t read this forum.
10 Apr 2009, 14:48 pm
Lions MOM….Earl Rose.
I think this Guy could be a Springbok by the end of the year.
Something is just not right with the Lions.
They have the players.
The backs in particular looked very good, when they moved the ball wide.
The scoreline could have been a lot worse than 36-12. Try 52-5. Blues handling errors in the first half cost them plenty.
As for the Blues. Well ……..they are not going to win this thing either.
10 Apr 2009, 14:51 pm
#181 katman:
Hello Katmandu,
Long time, no see.
10 Apr 2009, 16:25 pm
Congrats to the Bulls
10 Apr 2009, 16:25 pm
hehe woops …. congrats to the Blues
10 Apr 2009, 16:56 pm
Well Grant I can help you on the bit about Vermaak. Loffie, earlier in the week, said Vermaak was tired.
I’m think you may be being a bit harsh on Elof, I agree the results haven’t been good and he has to take accuont for that, but look at the player base and budget he has to work with??
10 Apr 2009, 17:11 pm
There is just one way to sort out the **** with the Lions…Eloff go back to your players that supported you 2 years ago and stop your BUDDY BUDDY nonsense in your team selection. There are more than enough players back in SA that CAN play and WILL make a difference. Loffie stop victimising some players in SA and select them on their abbility and not because you carry some or other grudge against them!!
10 Apr 2009, 21:00 pm
“The Lions had literally no ball in the first half-time, but when they did it was seriously embarrassing as they didn’t know what to do with it.”
This is garbage. Change “literally” to “virtually” and it makes sense.
If you LITERALLY had no ball in the first half (not “first half-time” as there’s only one half-time in any match, when no play takes place) then you didn’t have ANY ball EVER.
So, you can’t then add “but when they did (have the ball) it was seriously embarrassing…”
This is embarrassingly poor professional journalism.
11 Apr 2009, 00:13 am
#154 Slumtown: Yes its called a bunch of soft pricks!!! They are being pampered by Lam and Howarth.
11 Apr 2009, 04:39 am
#188 TheTackler:
Agree but watch Fox news for half an hour and see how many inconsistencies and untruths you get …..and they actually call that news.
11 Apr 2009, 05:32 am
Well, rather than pitch your journalistic standard on FoxNews, wouldn’t you be better off pitching it at BBC standards?
Or, at least, pitching it at a standard above a point where you aren’t savagely taken to task by your own unpaid amateur readers?
11 Apr 2009, 06:01 am
#191 TheTackler:
“where you aren’t savagely taken to task by your own unpaid amateur readers?”
??
11 Apr 2009, 07:43 am
#187 Battleaxe: Well Battleaxe, Loffie’s BUDDIES let him down big time this time. If there is a BUDDY BUDDY selection issue the it exploded in his face. The poor performance against the Blues must be attributed to the players (who tackled like they had better things to do).
What is it with the Lions (and other SA teams) that when they lose their regular captain they lose the plot? The Lions looked like completely lost and rudderless from the start without Baywatch. The fact that other leaders like Ernst and Todd were on the field meant nothing. The same has happened before when the Stormers lost Jean DeV and the Bulls played without Matfield. Without the regular captain the players capitulate before kick-off.
11 Apr 2009, 10:38 am
#192 chch: Cite the whole sentence and you’ll find it is all 100% correct and grammatically-perfect.
Let me help you.
“Or, at least, pitching it at a standard above a point where you aren’t savagely taken to task by your own unpaid amateur readers?”
See?
Perfect. Nothing at all wrong with it.
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