The danger of derbies
1 Mar 2011
RYAN VREDE believes the brutal physicality of the South African Super Rugby derbies have the potential to seriously undermine the Springboks’ World Cup campaign.
With the expanded Super Rugby tournament in its infancy, that appears to be a premature assertion. But you would have to present a convincing argument to alter my position, shaped by watching the controlled violence played out in Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, Cape Town and Durban in the past fortnight.
South African derbies have featured more ruck cleans and counter rucks than in the Australian equivalent. Furthermore, South African derbies totalled 26 more tackles than their Australian counterparts and 241 more than the all-Kiwi contests (that figure is significantly higher because of the cancelled Crusaders-Hurricanes match).
However, those statistics fail to reflect the brutality of the collisions in South African derbies. I don’t have access to technology that could accurately measure force at point of contact, so my view relies on the experience of watching derbies live and from South African players in interviews consistently confirming that the physicality of matches against Australasian teams pales in comparison to those against their countrymen.
The Saffa player has always been driven by the primal urge to pummel his brother into submission. The Australasian teams don’t share that mentality, preferring to strike with the rapier rather than establish their dominance by wielding the bludgeon.
What’s more, South African players, particularly forwards, are bigger, stronger and faster than they have been at any point in the country’s history and so possess a greater capacity to inflict serious injury.
It is no surprise that with the forward-orientated approach that characterises most South African derbies a string of talented forwards have already been injured, with varying degrees of seriousness.
Bulls’ hooker Gary Botha injured his collarbone in the opener against the Lions and will be out for another fortnight. Schalk Burger of the Stormers is expected to miss between two to three matches with a knee injury sustained against the Lions. Bulls lock Bakkies Botha is doubtful for their match against the Highlanders as he is being treated for serious bruising to his foot.
However, the most significant injury is that of Cheetahs and Springbok blindside flank Juan Smith, who tore his Achilles tendon on Friday against the Bulls and faces a lay-off of between six and nine months, almost surely ruling him out of the World Cup. Smith, with the intense physicality of South African derbies, won’t be the last marquee Springbok to suffer this fate.
There are still 16 derbies to play in the next four months. Ominously the physicality will only increase the fitter the players get and the closer we get to the play-offs.
When the South African Rugby Union agreed to an expanded tournament they told us it was what locals wanted. Thousands of empty seats at those derbies thus far tell a different story. It speaks of the administrators’ greed and their lack of concern for the well-being of their prime assets.
In signing on for an expanded tournament they showed no appreciation for superior physicality of South African derbies when compared to those contested between Australasian teams. It was a shortsighted decision that has the potential to seriously undermine the Springboks’ World Cup defence.
COMPARISONS BETWEEN THE COLLISIONS IN DERBIES
SA derbies tackle stats – 1054 tackles made @ an average of 132 per game
Lions v Bulls – 70/203
Cheetahs v Bulls – 169/142
Sharks v Cheetahs – 56/110
Stormers v Lions – 152/152
Aussie derbies tackle stats – 1028 tackles made @ an average of 128 per game
Rebels v Tahs – 138/119
Rebels v Brumbies – 214/73
Tahs v Reds – 156/120
Reds v Force – 112/96
NZ derbies tackle stats – 816 tackles made @ an average of 136 per game
Landers v Chiefs – 147/184
Blues v Crusaders – 82/118
Canes v Highlanders – 121/164
SA derbies ruck cleans (own ball and counter rucking)
Lions v Bulls – 261 and 43/ 129 and 104
Cheetahs v Bulls – 251 and 103/ 271 and 69
Sharks v Cheetahs – 184 and 23/ 93 and 78
Stormers v Lions – 218 and 76/ 259 and 64
Aussie derbies ruck cleans (own ball and counter rucking)
Rebels v Tahs – 194 and 53/ 178 and 55
Rebels v Brumbies – 107 and 97/ 315 and 45
Tahs v Reds – 166 and 72/ 263 and 70
Reds v Force – 157 and 60/ 158 and 55
Kiwi derbies ruck cleans (own ball and counter rucking)
Landers v Chiefs – 313 and 108/ 201 and 116
Blues v Crusaders – 193 and 57/ 156 and 65
Canes v Highlanders – 236 and 77/ 217 and 108
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360 Comments
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1 Mar 2011, 13:50 pm
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-193: and what dont we learn ?? pray tell
1 Mar 2011, 13:53 pm
@Ratel Brussow(Morne Steyn is under-rated)-199: Naa didn’t make the grade mate! Flash is the word!
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-200:
You know me better mate! I never BS! I call a spade a shovel mate!
Spooner was my nic once! I know how to stir!
1 Mar 2011, 13:53 pm
so, from this thread, we can indeed conclude that south african derbies are the most brutal.
1 Mar 2011, 13:54 pm
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-202: :lol; i know full well what ur upto
1 Mar 2011, 13:54 pm
Capo is Grant10.
1 Mar 2011, 13:55 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-200: Good old Natalian that fella.
1 Mar 2011, 13:55 pm
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-202: hulle se ook , “as kak praat gras was? dan was jy nou deur die donkie se hol”
1 Mar 2011, 13:55 pm
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-197: Back in the dark days of Apartheid, when Maaties received a huge amount of state funds, you were the boys. Well done.
You’ve won nothing in the last 10 years. Championship my arse!
1 Mar 2011, 13:56 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-201:
Getting into an argument with Capo! It is a lose lose situation mate.
@Pinky Kekana kills Beemer buys Merc(gunther)-203:
Yeah just look at the battle going on now! I’m telling the Shark boys how good they are and they just won’t accept my honesty!
1 Mar 2011, 13:56 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-206: hehehee thats me bro
1 Mar 2011, 13:57 pm
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-209: I know boet , but sometimes you gotta say whats needed
after that you gotta brush ya teefs for even reposding to the *******
1 Mar 2011, 13:59 pm
@Ratel Brussow(Morne Steyn is under-rated)-208: Don’t pull the race card on me mate! Short memory hmmm. If you didn’t know WE WON THE PLASCON WALL AND ALL TWO YEARS IN A ROW MATE! But then your side didn’t take part in that competition now did they! :lolz;
1 Mar 2011, 14:00 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-211:
…and what do we all achieve? Sweet nothing! I’ve learnt to ignore! It’s made me a better spooner!
1 Mar 2011, 14:00 pm
In the 80s the Currie Cup belonged in the Cape and the country to the Afrikaaner.
In the 90s a new South Africa was born and the Sharks dominated.
In the 00s the Bulls came back.
Th 10s are going to belong to the Sharks.
1 Mar 2011, 14:04 pm
@Ratel Brussow(Morne Steyn is under-rated)-214:
Oh! You a psychic? Sharks are the new super power of rugby. Pretty much the Manchester United’s of rugby I guess! Well then congratulations on owning the 10′s mate. Let me be the first to congratulate you and your team! Kudus to the Guppies! Hoorah hoorah hoorah. That is three cheers by the way!
1 Mar 2011, 14:07 pm
@John Galt(John Galt)-205: hahaha
1 Mar 2011, 14:08 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-211:
I’m in Cape Town today. Thinking of rushing off to Clifton later on! it is 37 degrees in the shade! What colour speedo does Grant10 wear?
1 Mar 2011, 14:08 pm
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-215:
the sharks may oncee again threaten without bringing home the bacon.
i hope not because damn it feels good to win a trophy.
remember?
1 Mar 2011, 14:09 pm
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-215: which team do you support? now dont be scared, we will just bite a little…
1 Mar 2011, 14:10 pm
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-217: blue.
and its a thong i hear.
ugh.
he is always talking about brazilians so he probably has one.
eish wena, i am grossing myself out.
1 Mar 2011, 14:10 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-218: Yeah that Plascon Wall and All did the world of good for us mate! Twice in a row! Hope we can make it a treble next year!
1 Mar 2011, 14:10 pm
I can’t take this anymore.
1 Mar 2011, 14:10 pm
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-217:
bill i wouldnt know , ask capo 
1 Mar 2011, 14:11 pm
@SHARKattack(mabu)-219:
My dad said: “Never swim with Sharks” I’m surrounded by them!
1 Mar 2011, 14:11 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-220:
1 Mar 2011, 14:12 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-222:
Shellby! How you doing? Long time
1 Mar 2011, 14:12 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-220:
1 Mar 2011, 14:13 pm
dangerous derbies
imagine how far we could go with this.
dangeous ******* dangerous derby in durbanville?
(the football side before fred khumalo turns uppity with me)
1 Mar 2011, 14:13 pm
Twee boere vang n ou wat steel…hulle gee hom n dice en se vir hom as jy tussen 1 en 5 gooi dan moer ons jou. Hy vra “en as ek 6 gooi?” boere, “dan gooi jy weer!!”
1 Mar 2011, 14:14 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-228:
Yeah Dangerous d a r k i e s were quite a team! hehehe – it even censored the word – LOL
1 Mar 2011, 14:14 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-222: me neither!
psst….what are we not taking?
sounds like something zuma said to schabir actually.
1 Mar 2011, 14:14 pm
@John Galt(John Galt)-205:
they are certainly birds of a peculiar feather.
1 Mar 2011, 14:15 pm
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-224: im sure he ment loan sharks!
1 Mar 2011, 14:16 pm
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-230: ja, the world has gone mad.
i was reading the comments to freds column and it seems most black people feel the word d arkies has no negative connotations.
but i wonder how they feel about honkies using it?
1 Mar 2011, 14:16 pm
@wp_boytjie(wp_boytjie)-229:
1 Mar 2011, 14:16 pm
I don’t have access to technology that could accurately measure the ridiculousness of this article.
1 Mar 2011, 14:17 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-231:
I see Scabby grabbed a birdie on the front nine on saturday
1 Mar 2011, 14:17 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-231:
The heat mate! The heat!
1 Mar 2011, 14:17 pm
@Pinky Kekana kills Beemer buys Merc(gunther)-232: but capo was a copper so he probably had to duck the stones that grant threw when grant was on the front lines taking names.
i wonder if grant managed to escape the teargas capo was laying down?
what a grand world we live in
1 Mar 2011, 14:17 pm
Where’s transformation?
I am looking for that term that they used when the wine farmers of old used to pay their workers with wine…
1 Mar 2011, 14:18 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-234:
Whities d arkies, who cares.
1 Mar 2011, 14:19 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-222: The heat? Nelly had a hit song dispensing advice a couple of years back on how to beat the heat.
Give it a try.
1 Mar 2011, 14:19 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-240: dop system
1 Mar 2011, 14:19 pm
@Pinky Kekana kills Beemer buys Merc(gunther)-194: Okay. It was you. You messed up the thread. People were nicely chatting no filthy insults and then you came along and messed it up.
1 Mar 2011, 14:20 pm
@Pinky Kekana kills Beemer buys Merc(gunther)-237:
actually i heard it was an eagle.
luckily he had his force field up and the eagle just bumped her head.
what these birds will do to feed their kids eh?
@Bill Reyts(Gumboots)-238: ah, that was zumas answer to shaiks next question.
1 Mar 2011, 14:20 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-240:
the dop system?
1 Mar 2011, 14:20 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-240: Why do you want to know?
1 Mar 2011, 14:20 pm
@Taahirah(Taahirah)-243:
Thanks, some debate in the office I am in at the moment…
1 Mar 2011, 14:21 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-240: hiyas Morne , i missed ur answer to my teasing you on the fact you chose the blues to win?/
1 Mar 2011, 14:21 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-240:
dop system?
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