Royal energy lends pre-season some punch
31 Jan 2011
JON CARDINELLI writes that the Southern Kings’ passion and intensity make for enjoyable viewing during this dreary pre-season period.
The build up to Super Rugby and the Currie Cup can be painful. The intensity and drive to win is hardly apparent, as results simply don’t matter. Coaches are more concerned with developing combinations and establishing synergy before the tournament proper. Mistakes are commonplace, the game has little flow, and spectators leave games underwhelmed.
Friday’s match at Newlands was a prime example. You can’t fault the Lions and Stormers for their approach at this point of the season, but nobody’s going to remember this Tri-Series for captivating rugby.
The game in Port Elizabeth, however, was a real contest. The team that harboured modest ambitions of staying competitive in these exhibition matches went above and beyond. They beat a Bulls’ second-string side comfortably, and beat them through no small measure of passion and intensity.
That the Bulls were missing a number of stars shouldn’t detract from the Kings’ effort. The Bulls brand is world famous, and its depth renowned, so to strike a blow against that is no mean feat.
While it doesn’t mean the Bulls will struggle in the coming competition, it does suggest the Kings are on the right track. They were impressive at the scrum and troubled the Bulls’ lineout. They outclassed the Bulls at the breakdown, and overall, there was a pace and intensity to the Kings that made a nothing game into a spectacle.
The performance wasn’t without fault though, as the hosts were guilty of their own mistakes. Their handling let them down on occasion, and they’ll need to sharpen up before their next two matches against the Cheetahs (4 February) and Lions (11 February). There’s everything to play for in these fixtures, as this is in effect their second-most important ‘tournament’ after the promotion-relegation scrap for premier Currie Cup status.
The Cheetahs and Lions will use these matches to develop their squads, but they will also be out to prove why they deserve Super Rugby status ahead of the Kings. The Eastern Cape franchise has been promised a place in the 2013 competition, and if Super Rugby fails to expand beyond a 15-team tournament, there could be a move towards a promotion-relegation system. Based on their poor performances in recent years, one of the Cheetahs or Lions would fall away.
There are people who believe the Kings could do no worse than the Cheetahs or Lions, and deserve an opportunity. While there’s still two years before this debate comes to a head, the matches over the next two weeks will be watched with great interest.
291 Comments
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31 Jan 2011, 18:18 pm
i am just really thrilled to have all these top players coming home prior to the wc…it can only assist pdv by allowing him a proper look at these overseas stars…apples with apples and all that.
Would have been great if luke could have played super 15…
31 Jan 2011, 18:22 pm
cheers all….
31 Jan 2011, 18:24 pm
@grant10(grant10)-249: Well pleased for Stormers that those players are staying put. WE also kept them off our Beast..hehe. Saying that they were after John, JPP and Kanko from what I read. So pleased those players are staying with Sharks. They can go scout the overseas players…lol. Or Arg players, seeing they will play in the 4 Nations next year. Think we will no doubt next year see some Arg players in the S15, not just here but in Oz probably.
31 Jan 2011, 18:25 pm
@grant10(grant10)-252: Cheers Grant, I am out too.
Cheers everyone.
31 Jan 2011, 18:31 pm
@E.T.(ET)-250:
You sure do make a lot of assumptions!
Yes, plasma is 90% water. That’s not the point, though.
What is, is that it is actually wrong to talk of a halflife for alcohol in human consumption (i.e. blood alcohol content), since there’s no EXPONENTIAL decay.
Alcohol is converted to acetaldehyde and then into acetic acid by alcohol dehydrogenase. Alcohol in the bloodstream usually saturates the alcohol dehydrogenase enzymes’s capacity, so that alcohol is removed from the blood at a CONSTANT (more or less) rate. This rate differs depending on gender (women eliminate alcohol 10% faster than men, according to studies) and race (Japanese people, for example, tend to have an impaired acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, causing their levels of toxic acetaldehyde to spike, leading to, amongst other thigs, to so-called “Asian flush” where the face becomes very florid). Ingesting certain medicines or drugs can also slow the rate of alcohol dehydrogenase.
Interestingly enough you can actually increase the rate of alcohol hydrogenase by an average of 80% by ingesting fructose – i.e. ingesting, say, honey or pure fruit juice!
31 Jan 2011, 18:34 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-255:
Before you jump on my post – there is of course two distinct processes involved:
Ethanol –> gets broken down by alcohol dehydrogenose –> acetaldehyde (which is 10 to 30 times more toxic than ethanol and theorised to be responsible for the hangover effect!) –> in turn gets broken down by acetaldehyde dehydrogenose –> acetic acid (which is non-toxic).
31 Jan 2011, 18:35 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-256:
Acetic acid, of course, is vinegar.
I.e. pissing vinegar!
31 Jan 2011, 18:38 pm
@grant10(grant10)-249: If Barney is at 2 then “Goodnite nurse” to the Lions…
In fact, if Bissy at 2 then “Goodnite nurse” too.
31 Jan 2011, 18:38 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-255:
Ingesting fructose with alcohol will probably worsen the hangover effect, however.
It will cause the ethanol to be converted into acetaldehyde quicker – but will do nothing to increase the rate at which the toxic acetaldehyde is converted into acetic acid, thus causing acetaldehyde levels to spike.
Thus fruit juice will actually worsen the hangover effect after alcohol consumption.
31 Jan 2011, 18:40 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-255:
That being said, if you’re worried about your blood alcohol level if driving after a night out, it would make sense to drink honey or fruit juice a few hours before.
You just need to be prepared that it will likely worsen your hangover the next day.
31 Jan 2011, 18:40 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-255:
No assumptions to the content of your terribly silly post about the metabolism of alcohol in water or in plasma(your writing) i that post’ Go and check yoyr post!
As for the metabolic process i.e. the biochemical pathway try to understand it and not commit it to memory from wikipedia.
I have done that biochem. in the relevant department of the science faculty at U.C.T. so you are wasting it on me. If he is still alive speak to Prof. Van der Westhuizen about the accuracy about my claim.
31 Jan 2011, 18:40 pm
In any event, I am off to the gym for a swim. Cheers all.
31 Jan 2011, 18:47 pm
@E.T.(ET)-261: Pennsylvania must be in raptures with the Steelers off to the Superbowl. Have you been to any of their games… or any of that notable College team where you are corrupting minds of the young Yank intelligensia… Or is gridiron off the menu?
31 Jan 2011, 18:48 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-263: forgot a t after s and before i.
31 Jan 2011, 18:48 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-262:
You compared the metabolism of alcohol(ethanol) in water to that of ethanoln plasma that day last week.
NONE of what you NOW write came into the equation at all that particular day.
This is now all different and new to the discussion.
So what does it say then about you?
31 Jan 2011, 18:49 pm
@E.T.(ET)-265:
ethanol in plasma(it should read)
31 Jan 2011, 18:56 pm
@Yetirat(Yetirat)-213: Very true, but…
That exercise proved the obvious point that a bashing 12 like Nonu is much more efficient entering the offense when defensive lines are less structured.
On mature / later phases.
Think John Smit…
31 Jan 2011, 19:00 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-263:
Steelers are always there or thereabouts and won it 2 or so years back. In fact, that year late in the play-offs Eagles disappointed late and lost the game that could have made it Steelers vs. Eagles that year.
ALL of Penna would then have been in raptures with a final like that.
31 Jan 2011, 19:06 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-263:
Really only watch when the Eagles are doing well very late in the play-offs.
This season with 2 games to go of regular season they were 10/4 and division champs and potentially conference champs but they lost both games to average teams and ended in the wild-card where they lost to G.B.Packers(watched that game 2 Sats. back).
Since the play-offs come mostly at night(and/or late afternoon) and the rugby for the new season has not yet kicked-off I have something then to fall back on.
31 Jan 2011, 19:11 pm
@E.T.(ET)-268: So, Eagles are your team… You must have watched Invincible (Mark Wahlberg)
Yup, this year is a big one: Steelers vs Packers
31 Jan 2011, 19:16 pm
@E.T.(ET)-269: You watch any College Games? (As in supporting the team of your Halls of Learning?) Most of the Colleges/Unis have impressive sports programmes – must be interesting seeing the level of professionalism there – just at that level… Some College stadiums are 100 000 +
31 Jan 2011, 20:50 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-270: vince papale…
31 Jan 2011, 20:56 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-272: Yup, true story.
31 Jan 2011, 22:12 pm
Pissed off, Torres just left and Liverpool go and blow the cash Andy Carroll
31 Jan 2011, 22:23 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-274: wasn’t the deal supposed to be £50 million + either Sturridge or Anelka? Plus Luis Alberto Suarez was over there for a medical. So in my book, if Pool lose ‘Nando & get Suarez McCheat, Sturridge & Andy Caroll they can’t complain much…
31 Jan 2011, 23:15 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-274: when you said ‘blow the cash’ i didn’t think you were talking about £35 million!!!!!! For Andy Caroll??? Wtf are the Geordies smoking, better yet are those Yanks @ Pool on drugs to go along with it?
What has Caroll done to be even more expensive than when Torres moved from Atletico Madrid? Hahaha i feel sorry for you Pool fans
31 Jan 2011, 23:20 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-270:
Sorry, been busy ’til now.
When I arrived in Philly there was not even a vague connection to rugby or cricket or anything S. African for that matter even with a host of computers around me.
Phillies were in the baseball ‘World’ Series and all over tv so that got my attention.
Eagles had the real first black quarter-back of note who was married to a S. African lady and their kicker was a failed young Craven week Tvler. full-back named Gary Anderson and he was damn good(easy though after rugby). And MJ was strutting his stuff still at the Chicago Bulls.
So that is where my first snowy winter and summer was spent; at the tv sports when not in the local student pub.
Yes, that’s the true story of street walk-on Vince Papale ,the bartender during the era of coaching great D’ck Vermeil who had a 2nd. stint late ’90s but unsuccessful then.
31 Jan 2011, 23:35 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-271:
The smart colleges like the Ivy League types and others either do not have football teams(too low the sport-type numbers) or play in there own Ivy League Conference(Brown, Dartmouth, U. Penn, Yale etc.) and never feature at all in the BCS championship or even on tv any time.
I was persuaded to watch the colleges by all and sundry at MCP other than the working class and started watching Penn State and N. Dame(Irish). Since the 2000s I have mostly watched Miami ‘Canes as the went on their winning rampage(34 games unbeaten until cheated out of a 2nd consecutive championship) but have fired 3 coaches since 2006.
With rugby my bread and butter every week-end now all those foreign sports lose out and with cricket 24 hrs. and almost non-stop around the globe they have absolutely no chance of getting me interested at all exceppt for the big tv spectacles like the Super Bowl half-time show where Bono will be live again.
1 Feb 2011, 00:01 am
@E.T.(ET)-277: who were the sixers players around the time you arrived, derrick coleman, jerry stackhouse etc?
have you ever watched allen iverson play live?
1 Feb 2011, 00:47 am
Ahh yes…this gem from News24!
Bloemfontein – The Cheetahs will travel to Bloemfontein this week with a brand new lock pairing for their warm-up game against the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth.
Not sure why the Cheetahs need to travel to Bloem in the first place, more so if the game is in PE
1 Feb 2011, 03:39 am
@Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)
Old Farty, it is just as bad as your blooper below that transpired on a quiet S.A. Saturday morning:
{{ 381. Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast) :
January 29th, 2011 at 10:57 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-373:
Only returning serve…do you approve of the serve?
@goyougoodthing2(goyougoodthing2)-380:
Rubbish, the proper protocols were followed, both in picking/distributing the stuff and subsequent to the tests. Race have zero to play in this, time for people to rid themselves of the farking chip they carry around, only buggers up their balance! }}
READ your very last sentence which starts with ” Race have…”
Really now? Really, really now?
It is not even your DEAD language or your STOLEN, SLAVE language which is so very regional. No, it is the most dominant language on the globe(even the Chinese study it now in droves) which you so need there in the Antipodes.
A singular noun requires the appropriate singular verb that is how basic it is. Not even considered in English 101, the course for ‘uitlanders soos jy’.
Do you doubt there is only one human race maybe?
Or are you perchance referring to ‘races’(as in races have but a race has – still the rule above holds true) such as were run Saturday in good old Cape Town, namely the J & B Metropolitan Hcp. and the Cape Derby or the Majorca Stakes both prior to the Met?
What a truly ‘pissy wally’ you are in that group known as the chicken-runners who run lock, stock and barrel with a scorched-earth mentality because they have lost that ‘baasskap’ so necessary for their control mode of existence(note I do not say living).
As for the “serve” if you do not know, you are nothing but a veritable Dodo.
1 Feb 2011, 04:53 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-279:
A lot of no name brands such as Dana Barros and then came in one season the trio of Stackhouse(good college player mainly), Weatherspoon and Coleman (he came and left and came again and left again) but still mainly average results.
Then the chosen one, an Allan Iverson, came and despite many 40 pt. games they still lost mainly.
Pacers coach Larry Brown came to teach these young ones how to win and in that time Snow, Ratliff, McKie, Maxwell sometimes Coleman played well with Iverson. In that time they also had for some time Kukoc, Mutombo,Geiger amongst others.
I was a few times at the old and then new arenas but mostly saw them on tv.
I never saw any of the retired numbered greats like Chamberlain, Moses Malone, Erving, Cheeks(only as a coach) or even ‘grootbek’ Charles Barkley(saw him play for other teams though).
Do you know what Pippen said to the ‘Mailman’, Malone as he was about to attempt the winning throw for the championship on that Sunday night( series was 3-2 in Jazz favour at the time of the throw)?
1 Feb 2011, 05:27 am
A stupid remains a stupid.
Dom ****!
1 Feb 2011, 06:40 am
@Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)-283:
Hey! Farty, you are so emphatically correct about the label you give yourself. Is di boonop “Domkrag” of -prag of wat ook al?
Your honesty is striking hence you do not challenge your quoted written words at all.
1 Feb 2011, 06:57 am
@E.T.(ET)-282: no, what did he say?
damn, eric snow!! journeyman of note!
1 Feb 2011, 07:04 am
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-255:
You clearly have a poor understanding of the term half-life and it matters not how much k a k you wikipedic as exhibited below it will remain absolutely poor:
” What is, is that it is actually wrong to talk of a halflife for alcohol in human consumption (i.e. blood alcohol content), since there’s no EXPONENTIAL decay.”
You do not ever understand what you have copied and pasted there as it does not even have reference to what was spoken about Tues. Jan. 25. Your problem is your inherent dishonesty which is well-grounded and understood and explained by too many.
Just to emphasiise that lack of truthfulness you readily and eagerly used (and never queried) the term half-life and today suddenly in the face of your revealled written nonsense of Jan 25 you grab at any straw to digress and try to confuse but only you become even more confused.
Now let me simply give you a workable biochemical and pharmacological explanation for you.
In general, any ingested molecule has a half-life, though in pharmacology it specifically has reference to drugs whether medically prescribed or recreational.
Whether YOU accept it or not ethanol is a drug albeit of the more acceptable recreational type. People get addicted(TOT system based on this) to it and have to be treated for it in a health facility.
1 Feb 2011, 07:12 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-285:
Come on you should know this.
Pippen to Malone/The Mailman as he readies himself for the free throw:
“The Mailman does not deliver on a Sunday” and Malone(the mailman does not deliver the throw)he misses the first and can not win the game as it goes into o/t and the Bulls win to make it 3/3 and go back to Chicago to win the 7th and final game and the series 4/3.
Never forget “The Mailman does not deliver on a Sunday”
1 Feb 2011, 07:28 am
@E.T.(ET)-287: ahhhh trust scottie to be a wise arse…that was the 96/97 series yeah? jordan nailed the buzzer beater after crossing over byron russell and pulling up for the fade away jumper in the last game!
1 Feb 2011, 07:36 am
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-255:
Where are the assumptions when a cold, hard look at your written words of Tues. Jan 25 is taken?
Here is that garbage:
{{{ 254. WP Till I Die(WP-Forever) :
January 25th, 2011 at 4:41 pm
@E.T.(ET)-246:
Depends in what. Ethanol’s half-life in water is about six days.
In plasma it’s highly variable, anything from six to eight hours and even longer.
Not what I’d call “short”. }}}
Ethanol 1/2 life in water about 6 days???
In plasma 6 to 8 hrs or more??? Hilarious stuff, when plasma is almost all water.
How can you extricate yourself from those silly words of yours? You even happily use the word half-life over and over and today it becomes your red-herring in desperation.
Honesty, just simple honesty needs to be adhered to. If you do not know then just say so. If you say something wrong just admit it is riddled with error.
Posts 255 plus 256, 257 and 259 are all errant nonsense embarked upon for you to come across smart but it is all from wikileaks or wikifreaks but you understand little if any of it and it also has NO relevance to what was discussed on Jan. 25.
1 Feb 2011, 07:40 am
Now I can wend my way home for a much needed rest.
Been a long busy day.
@Transformation(Transformation)-288:
Steve Kerr won that 6th game with a very late 3 pointer(a buzzer-beater) I recall. They all thought the ball would go to MJ or Scottie, at best, but not so.
1 Feb 2011, 08:25 am
@E.T.(ET)-290: i know kerr won that one with a three…i was talking about Game 7…
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