Been there, won that
12 Oct 2010
The Bulls’ vast experience in play-off matches gives them a priceless advantage against the Sharks, writes RYAN VREDE.
The majority of those in the squad the Bulls will bring to Durban have been through the mincer and come out intact. It’s been a major contributing factor to their success in recent years, and will be again on Saturday.
The Sharks will no doubt take heart from having inflicted one of only two defeats (one draw) the Bulls have suffered in a Currie Cup final dating back nine matches to 2002. The side they’ll name for the semi-final will feature 11 of the players who helped secure that 14-9 victory at Kings Park in 2008.
However, the players missing from that match 22 are significant – Frans Steyn, Ruan Pienaar, Johann Muller, JP Pietersen, Frederic Michalak, Brad Barritt, Waylon Murray Jean Deysel, Deon Carstens, Albert van den Berg and John Smit. All internationals, and six World Cup winners with the Springboks in 2007.
The absence of Smit (who underwent surgery to repair damaged vertebrae) will be telling. Certainly the Springbok captain has endured his worst year form-wise, but his experience and calming aura would have been invaluable in a match of this magnitude.
The Bulls will also field a vastly different squad to the one that was ousted on that October afternoon, but a strong argument can be made that it is a better one, one that secured the Super 14 and Currie Cup title the following year.
In Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, Danie Rossouw, Morné Steyn, Jaco van der Westhuyzen and Wynand Olivier they have a massively experienced senior core, while the remainder of the starting line-up boast impressive CV’s. Their youngsters, Gerhard van den Heever, Dewald Potgieter and Francois Hougaard, have proven their aptitude against the finest players in the southern hemisphere in Super Rugby, and the latter duo haven’t looked out of their depth against the world’s best at Test level. The Sharks simply cannot match that experience.
Veteran Stefan Terblanche’s consistency has embarrassed players a decade younger, but beyond him there is much promise but no certainty of a performance befitting the occasion, something the likes of Steyn, Matfield, Botha, Rossouw and Olivier have consistently delivered.
To predict a walkover would be foolish, and the Sharks could push the Bulls close if they are still in touch with a quarter remaining given that they boast a more dynamic bench. But the Bulls have repelled better teams than this Sharks side, and will have the temperament to close out the match should it come to a late onslaught.
You can’t coach temperament. It’s gained through winning and losing close, high-pressure matches. And superior temperament, gained through experience, is why the Bulls will be contesting yet another final in a fortnight.
Follow SA Rugby mag on Twitter
326 Comments
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 6 [7] Show All
12 Oct 2010, 19:56 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-256:
The poor former President unwisely did not understand the level of selfishness and stuoidity the country would have to deal with.
Ask him now about forgiveness and see what answer you get.
To really forgive you got to absolutely know what you are foregiving and that is what TuTu’s charade clearly did not reveal.
12 Oct 2010, 20:01 pm
@ET(ET)-301:
should read “stupidity”
12 Oct 2010, 20:05 pm
@gunther(gunther)-263:
Jy sit jou pot heeltemal mis. Maak nou skoon waar jy lelik gemors het.
12 Oct 2010, 20:06 pm
@ET(ET)-228:
‘I will burn your backsides every time I can, purely in the name of honesty and truth’
But yet you ignore those that you cannot outwit. You are nothing more than a tired old fraud.
12 Oct 2010, 20:13 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-269:
That makes 2 of us who are S & T.
But just to set the record straight, how you would like many to believe you are in the middle.
You are just slightly to the left of the far right but far from even your middle. In other words ‘ jy is maar net n ‘Bossie verligte in plaas van n ‘Vaalie verkrampte ‘.
12 Oct 2010, 20:17 pm
Unqualified and unemployable in the south of the supposedly the worst of the continents, says it all.
What stunning delusion.
12 Oct 2010, 20:21 pm
@ET(ET)-306:
Where do you get these ideas elliott? im actually very well qualified and indeed employed.
And the fact you continue to resort to these ‘jibes’ proves you have nothing to even imagine you could better me.
Next we’ll have the colonialist dig. Is that it? Really all you have?
FRAUD!!!!!
12 Oct 2010, 20:24 pm
@ET(ET)-306:
zzzzzzzz
***
zzzzzzz
12 Oct 2010, 20:25 pm
Lots of slack-jawed fools on this thread…
12 Oct 2010, 20:27 pm
@charo – the wp giant(charo)-308:
lol, howdy giant
12 Oct 2010, 20:30 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-309:
It’s all going a bit 2 years ago. Somethings never change…
12 Oct 2010, 20:33 pm
@JockBok(JockBok)-310:
struggling to follow the thread without nodding off after reading elliott2′s mindnumbing posts.
wonder if he has a little bell to ring to keep his students awake?
12 Oct 2010, 20:34 pm
Oh well, of to watch France take on the giants of Luxembourg. Thanks for the discussion Elliott.
12 Oct 2010, 20:36 pm
@charo – the wp giant(charo)-312:
Lol. Catch you later mate, if you’re still awake
12 Oct 2010, 20:42 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-273:
Is this your admission to being exposed as a ‘skinderbekkie’ with the Pie.man as WPTotDieDood in Afrikaans all those moons ago?
I am Capetonian by birth and YOU? Namaqualander.
Cape Dutch too was born in The Cape of Good Hope(a name of a horse here which earned me a stack of dollars) so I should know that slave langiuage you would think?
After all the Khoi and the Malaysians as slave labour needed to communicate with each other about the slave master hence the bastardised version. Yours stole it and polished it to suit your purpose.
The Kramat there in your area will reveal some of that history.
12 Oct 2010, 20:43 pm
@JockBok(JockBok)-314:
poofball?
enjoy !
12 Oct 2010, 22:14 pm
Spies fit to play! And so is Stegmann!
Ah, who to leave out?
Everyone’s been moaning that the Boks should use Spies as an impact player off the bench, well given his lack of recent gametime I think you will all have your wish on Saturday.
Ah the joy of being a Bulls supporter!
13 Oct 2010, 04:47 am
@grant10(grant10)-258:
i hate weak kneed apologists…. Must be really, really tough hating yourself!
13 Oct 2010, 08:10 am
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-309: Welcome back! Licking wounds all week?
13 Oct 2010, 08:14 am
@Tegejo(Tegejo)-319:
Tegejo, ask yesterday and not sure you asnwered, where is Maitland, Oz?
13 Oct 2010, 08:15 am
@Tacitus(Tacitus)-317:
Wonderful news, especially regarding Stegmann.
13 Oct 2010, 09:36 am
@Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)-320: Its about 160kms north of Sydney, in the Hunter Valley of Queensland…
13 Oct 2010, 09:40 am
@Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)-320: Oz = Australia
13 Oct 2010, 09:45 am
@Tacitus(Tacitus)-317: leave out Spies!!
13 Oct 2010, 12:02 pm
@Tegejo(Tegejo)-322:
Hunter Valley of Queensland…???
You mean NSW, surely!
Are you sure you know where you live?
14 Oct 2010, 04:08 am
Been following this thread today and status quo remains: 30% of bloggers are incredibly rugby savvy (tacitus etc), always a joy the follow, and learn from, with remaining 70% making this not worthwhile. So off for another year.Behaviour by some on this blog (A BLOG) must be the saddest thing on this planet.
Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 6 [7] Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.