Landers topple fortress Loftus
5 Mar 2011
RYAN VREDE watched the Highlanders snap the Bulls’ 18-match hot streak at Loftus, winning 35-28 off the back of an excellent all-round attacking performance and desperate defence.
The Hurricanes were the last side to win in Pretoria, way back in April 2008. Tonight the Landers replicated that result, schooling the defending champions across the park and sustaining their effort through 80 minutes, something touring teams rarely manage.
The Bulls will bemoan an ordinary refereeing performance from Stuart Dickinson, particularly at the breakdown, but they would be better advised to look at their flat performance as the reason for this defeat. Senior Springboks routinely fell off tackles like they were schoolboys, and they were rudderless on attack.
From the outset it was obvious that the Landers were determined to scrap, spoil, sprint and bash their way to victory. They were smart and accurate, if not always legal, in how they stifled the Bulls at the collisions and breakdown, resulting in the hosts never getting the momentum they rely on to deplete the defensive line.
But the outstanding feature of their performance was how they bullied the Bulls at the tackle point on attack, and this allowed them to play a high-tempo, expansive game that ultimately got them an unexpected result. It’s a tactic employed often against the Bulls, and one based on the belief that their tight forwards will tire, and as a result be defensively vulnerable. Few teams have succeeded, but the Landers explored depths of their resolve to record a win they’ll speak about for years to come.
They led 11-6 at the break thanks to an early Adam Thomson try and two Robbie Robinson penalties. Morne Steyn kept the Bulls in touch by kicking two of his own.
The Landers had benefited from ordinary tackling by the Bulls, as well as an uncharacteristically poor chase when they kicked downfield. This combined with their impotency at ruck time and the sin binning of Deon Stegmann for a ruck infringement just before half-time compounded their woes.
It got worse just after the restart when the Landers exploited their numbers advantage to score through Josh Bekhuis. Tony Brown, on for Robinson, converted, and five minutes later banked another two points, topping up Kade Poki’s try which featured diabolical defence.
At 25-9 (Steyn kicked a penalty) the Bulls needed to exhibit infinitely more tactical intelligence, appreciation for possession, defensive steel and their renowned character to drag themselves back into the contest.
They stirred briefly, Flip van der Merwe crashing over from a set piece. Steyn added the extras and the mood lifted in expectation of an epic final quarter. Brown made it a 12-point game, Fourie du Preez’s sniping break for the corner kept the dream alive, but Poki landed the killer blow with 10 minutes remaining, rounding off a move he was allowed to start 50m back thanks to yet more incompetent defence.
A late converted try from Bjorn Basson set up chance of a draw, but the Bulls weren’t able to add to their collection of great escapes. The honours belonged to the New Zealanders, and rightly so.
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841 Comments
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6 Mar 2011, 20:52 pm
@PissAnt(PissAnt)-774:
Pretty much the Pundits’ assessment,
Joubert bends results according to his SARU’s orders, he shafted the Cheetahs twice against the Sharks and the Bulls, especially at the scrums and the rucks where the Cheetahs were the stronger team, that perfectly landed in line with the perception that SARU want the Cheetahs to fall behind the Lions on the 2011 log, also to promote Chiliboi, The Beast and Steenkamp.
6 Mar 2011, 20:55 pm
@ET.(ET.)-795: Adaptation of the Righteous brothers song:
We got that choking feeling…
Whooa that choking feeling…
And its gone, gone, go-on away…
You called it by saying be careful about this match
6 Mar 2011, 20:57 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-794: ja, maybe. But i think he is a bit of an unsung player and underrated by the Stormers. Would have BJ there but not S15
6 Mar 2011, 20:59 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-803: not sure mate , i am yet to see that oke have a great game
talk about unsung hero’s . no ludick in ur team??
6 Mar 2011, 21:05 pm
@sharks_lover(sharks_lover)-804: Ja Ludik and Taute are about par. Trying not to be biased
Sheesh, but the loosie trio I’m keen to see operating never mind for the Boks but for the Sharks would be Daniel or Kanko at 8, Alberts and Deysel. Obviously Options in that combo with Daniel as openside too.
eg 8 7 6
Kanko, Alberts, Deysel
Daniel, Alberts, Deysel
Alberts, Deysel, Daniel
Fkaduk! Whooa!
6 Mar 2011, 21:12 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-800:
6 Mar 2011, 21:14 pm
Bok team on song, would f’ck HG’s sharks infested one to kingdom come and beyond
Taute, F.Steyn
Aplon
Fourie, JdJ
JdV
Habana
Grant
Mcleod, Duvenhage
Vermeulen
Alberts, Elstadt
Daniel / Koster / Minnie – toss up for now, we check as S15 unfolds
Matfield, Bekker
Flip
Kruger
Bismark, Smit – (only because he covers 1 – 3)
Beast, Gurthro
6 Mar 2011, 21:17 pm
J.dup or Kruger, maybe settle for J.dup seeing as he combines with his brother at Sharks.
6 Mar 2011, 21:19 pm
J. Strauss or Elstadt also very close call as Alberts / Smith replacement
6 Mar 2011, 21:19 pm
@goyougoodthing2(goyougoodthing2)-722: hell Goody you are behaving like a plonker this evening. If you have an argument by all means put it on the table. Reducing the debate to banal insults is not cool i’d think.
6 Mar 2011, 21:20 pm
@skopiskoobidoo(ilanjo)-807: Your team is almost ok except, I would have Mvovo and Warren Whitely instead of your picks.
6 Mar 2011, 21:23 pm
Those two, Whitely and Mvovo make my touring party but probably not my top 22, but very close indeed. Perhaps next WC once they settle in.
6 Mar 2011, 21:26 pm
lanjo, you farking smoking banana leaves….
If you think JDV is the bees knees at 12 then you truly are as stoopid as your nickname.
Fark I would even pick Lambie above him at the moment. JDV has turned into a slow one-trick crash ball pony or donkey more appropriately.
As for Grant at 10, now you really farking drinking skokiaan at the same time.
Lambie, M Steyn, Jantjes JLP all ahead of him in that order. Fark, I would even put Butch and F Steyn at 10 for the Boks before that Grant.
6 Mar 2011, 21:28 pm
Got to go.
The farking rugby jesters and idiots around. They all seem to support the Brokeback Stormers.
6 Mar 2011, 21:34 pm
Play your Lambie, Bosman, Murray combo against my Grant, JdV, JdJ or Fourie combo and we see who’s smoking banana leaves and slukking skokiaan at end of proceedings, almost guaranteed it wont be moi.
Tell you what, I give you Kanko and FdP at 8 and 9 and I play Mcleod or Duvenhage and Vermeulen
You can have Spies and Burger off bench I’ll settle for Elstadt and Strauss
Cool bananas when can we kick off?
6 Mar 2011, 21:35 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-814: jester yes. Idiot no. Best you get yourself a life and start supporting a decent team in future. OKAY.
6 Mar 2011, 21:39 pm
i see cap’n fanny flared his tailfeather during a brief touchdown before dissapearing off into the sunset…
6 Mar 2011, 21:40 pm
lot of rugby still to be played before this tourney is done. Some folk getting carried away with their assessments already.
6 Mar 2011, 21:47 pm
1. BEast Gurthro
2. Bismarck Smit
3. Jannie, BJ or CJ
4. Bakkies Flip
5. Matfield Bekker
6. Brussow
7. Juan Alberts
8. Schalk Spies
9. FdP Pienaar
10. Morne Butch
11. Habana Basson
12. JdJ JdV
13. Fourie
14. JP Hougaard
15. Frans
tried tested, Boks going to win it again, just like 2007 and then all the bitching in the world wont count for nought just like last time, two lucky packets in a row.
6 Mar 2011, 22:10 pm
the main problem standing in the way of more Bokke glory is SBW and Carter on his inside.
Phenomenal players.
SBW is like Lomu cos when we commit to him, the space that opens up for his outside backs will cos big problems, no idea how to curtail him cos the ABs will be hoping the oppo commit players to try close him down, but thankfully the Special One will be hatching a devilishly cunning plan.
But I still reckon the Bokke pack has it, and with that I will go watch that John Wayne remake.
toodle loo.
6 Mar 2011, 22:17 pm
In terms of talent I rate the Bulls, Stormers and Sharks fairly equal. (Lions are close, but not there yet)
What the Sharks have and the others don’t is first and most important – a team ethic, and secondly a positive mental attitude.
I will ridicule the Bulls and Stormers on this site because its fantastic entertainment value (and Skoppies mad rants are great to print out and read when you’re on the bog.) But won’t ever claim that they don’t have the talent handy to give anyone a good old fashioned RFS on the day they wake up and decide to play as a team.
If the Bulls still had that Heyneke Meyer mental edge they’d still be gods. If the Stormers had him or a Plumtree recently their cupboard would need silver polish instead of mothballs and Mr Min.
Its a team game, but only the Sharks (and the ‘almost there’ Lions) are playing that way. If the ego’s at the Bulls and Stormers catch on then we’ll have SA teams mopping up left right and centre and will be able to go to the RWC with far more confidence.
6 Mar 2011, 22:22 pm
Too many people overlooking Andries Strauss as a Bok 12.
If SBW was charging at him, I’d sit back, light a cigarette and chuckle to myself as SBW hitting the deck registered a 3.3 on the richter scale.
6 Mar 2011, 22:22 pm
@SimonSays(SimonSays)-821: where did heyneke go?
6 Mar 2011, 22:27 pm
@SimonSays(SimonSays)-822: dude dries strauss was sh*t when he played in that baabas game…he had a decent currie cup for but he is still a donkey.
6 Mar 2011, 22:27 pm
SBW will simply dazzle and razzle past Andries, who won’t even smell him for his dust… unfortunately thats the hard edged truth of it. only way to cut SBW down is play JdJ or JdV who at least can stay with him for pace. And Fourie outside will pick up the pieces, Frans or Aplon at back to cut the deficit down if they get past first line of defenses. Strauss will get smoked just like if were creased lightening
6 Mar 2011, 22:31 pm
from 11 through 15 have to have pace, no two ways about it, pace and offload handling gonna win the war.
Habana, JdV, JdJ, Fourie, JPP, Aplon, F. Steyn
That’ll do the trick but it won’t be coming easy like it did in 2007, that is absolutely for sure.
6 Mar 2011, 22:41 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-823:
Dunno where HM went, but its not him or even Plum that I’m trying to get at. Its the team ethic and positive mental edge that their teams have/had that are the difference between lifting a trophy and going back to the drawing board.
If the backline Skoppies posted above had that then I’d be psyched to see them play in the RWC. But on recent form I’d rather have my Nan and her bridge club.
6 Mar 2011, 23:54 pm
///// World Cup Final Team to play the All Blacks \\\\\
1. Guthro
2. John Smit out of respect (Bizzy comes on after 10 minutes)
3. Jannie
4. Bakkies
5. Matfield (Captain)
6. Joshua Strauss
7. Alberts
8. Ashley Johnson
9. Ricky J.
10. Eltie
11. Habana
12. Earl Rose (Vice Captain)
13. Fourie
14. Mvovo
15. Lambie
7 Mar 2011, 00:09 am
The 2011 final will look nothing like the 07 snorefest, which lets face it was a horrible display for Rugby.
I think trying to match up player for player vs the ab’s in the backline is futile, in reality not a single one of our backs would make even the sub bench for them with the one obvious exception. Up front it’s a different story ,and support play, mental toughness and cohesiveness while relying on an AB mental collapse (good odds on this) will win it for us.
7 Mar 2011, 00:48 am
@Dex(Dex)-829: we won’t make it to the final and the way the groups work we will meet the ABs in the semis if we get that far. ABs will go all the way this time. Far too much talent and depth.
7 Mar 2011, 01:17 am
Ah true, forgot that.
But still they have had far superior talent and depth in every other WC so far and that hasn’t helped them, although the rules this time around do benefit skill and talent more so than previous years.
I wouldn’t mind so much anyway losing to them, they are definately a superior team and the best in the world by anyones measure, it is only the natural order of things for them to win every now and again. What is an abomination is England winning, the thought of them gloating and carrying on really is a horrible one.
7 Mar 2011, 04:59 am
@skopiskoobidoo(ilanjo)-807:
“Bok team on song, would f’ck HG’s sharks infested one to kingdom come and beyond”
Hey toothless old Chihuahua… you can take Smit, Bismark, Mcleod, Beast, Daniels, Alberts and even Frans Steyn out of your team otherwise it looks decidedly ‘Shark infested’… now back to your box…
Sit Ubu sit… tjank… good old dog!
7 Mar 2011, 08:35 am
Hardluck for the Bulls especially since the ball was knocked out of Fouries hand 5m from the try line (knock on called). I thought Wynand had a shocking game.
7 Mar 2011, 08:38 am
My apologies, this is going to be a rant!
Firstly, Dickienson was, true to form, RUBBISH, both ways. How does he manage to stay on the international pannel.
Secondly, Well done Highlanders, you played great rugby and exposed all the Bulls mistakes. I don’t mind loosing to a better team.
Thirdly, What the hell is going on with the bulls mid-field defence? It is as if there is no 12 & 13. Time to blood Stephan Watermeyer and Dippinaar as a combimation! They can not cause a bigger embaresment than Olivier and Pretorius.
Fourthly, What the hell is happening with the Bulls handling and decision-making? Coach better schedule a couple of contact sessions at night under lights. It was shocking! I’ve seen U9 teams with better game strategies and handling.
Fithly, “Goldielocks” Olivier must now do the honourable thing and leave (prefferably to France or England with all our has-and-never-beens). It was cristal clear on Satureday why he is not in the Bok-mix. He reminds me of Japie “Crashball” Mulder! Shocking handling and decision-making.
Lastly, Highlanders will have to do something about Jimmy C. At some point he is going to wake up in hospital. This list of agresors are growing, Bakkies, Nonu and Stegman. He is goining to get bliksemed soon.
Well, I have that off my chest. Enjoy your week!!!
7 Mar 2011, 08:46 am
Well done the Highlanders but i wouldnt underestimate the Bulls …. This might be the wake up call they need to get back on their campaign , happens to the best of teams ……. Saders v Bulls final , looks likely
7 Mar 2011, 08:46 am
Must say I am a worried man. If the Boks were to play next week then I will pick:
15. Ludik
14. Aplon
13. Fourie
12. F Steyn
11. Mvovo
10. Lambie
9. FdP
8. Alberts
7. J Strauss
6. Daniels
5. Matfield
4. Bakkies
3. JdP
2. BdP
1. Guthro
The problem with this team is that there are too many new comers to win the World Cup. So I hope our Bulls, Stormers and Bok stars regain some form.
Regarding Spies and Olivier. I have always come up for them, because they played bloody well for the Bulls, but their performance against the Highlanders were shocking. Tackling was terrible.
Regarding the loose trio. Daniels are much more physical than I gave him credit for. Strauss is playing like Burger played 7 years ago and Alberts is a masjien. You’ve got enough speed, physicality and breakdown skills in that trio. The only problem will be at lineouts where Juan Smith is the best in the world.
7 Mar 2011, 09:21 am
@Horings(Horings)-836: I’ve also backed Spies and Olivier but they were poor, its not a trend yet so we’ll wait and see.
7 Mar 2011, 09:47 am
@TASSIES(TASSIES)-810: He wasn’t paying attention and I was commenting on the media in general.
No big deal.
7 Mar 2011, 10:09 am
@SimonSays(SimonSays)-821: What the Sharks have at this stage is good balance.
Forwards very good, Backs very good, link players(8,9,10) very good.
Stormers: Forwards very suspect, backs very good(expect Janttjies), link players very good (if Duvenhage plays. January rubbish)
Bulls: Forwards very good (maybe getting old), backline rubbish, link players rubbish (expect for FdP)
If I was a betting man, my money would be on the Sharks as SA’s best chance. They also play intelligent rugby, that says a lot about the coaching staff and captaincy. I thought Terblanche was wonderful on Saturday.
7 Mar 2011, 10:19 am
The Bulls have nought but themselves to blame for this defeat, they had two lucky escapes in the first 2 rounds and it seems the boys from Pretoria have still not realised that pre-season is long past and that Super rugby is underway. Wether Dickinson blew well or not is irrellevant, I will always maintain that as a pro player (that said even weekend warriors at club level) should know that blaming the ref, is a poor excuse if ever there was one.
The first half showed a Highlanders side that is well drilled, efficient in execution and playing a high tempo game that the Bulls simply couldn’t cope with. The Bulls simply failed to prevent the Highlanders getting good front foot ball and the expansive approach exposed the Bulls big fellas. The intensity and pace of Adam Thompson and Alando Soakai was simply too much for young Stegman to cope with alone. Dewald Potgieter and Pierre Spies failed to assist the openside in any way and together with a plodding Danie Roussouw, cost the Bulls dearly at the breakdown. Spies in particular failed to impress and some poor defences lapses combined with being closed down at every corner with ball in hand, left the Bok 8 looking rather ordinary.
Shaun Treeby gave Wynand Olivier an outright lesson on making yards and recycling quick ball. Much of Oliviers problems is having to crash ball from deep, Morne Steyn at times looks more fullback and flyhalf and only when attacking the line late in the game looked a bit more like a Bok flyhalf. The Bulls attacked flat on the gainline late in the game and looked a better outfit.
There is much work to be done in Pretoria, but a derby against a struggling and injury hampered Stormers shouldn’t hold too much fear for the Champs.
Well done Highlanders on a great performance and one hopes this wake up call will lift the Bulls from their slumber.
7 Mar 2011, 10:36 am
THE WAY SPIES IS PLAYING AT THE MOMENT HE WOULD BE LUCKY TO MAKE A CLUBS SIDE FIRST TEAM
AS FOR DU PREEZ I AS A REF WOULD HAVE SORTED HIM OUT LONG AGO.
DISPUTING A REFS DECISION IS MISCONDUCT AND HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN 10 MINUTES TO COOL OFF AND IF THIS HAD NO EFFECT SHOW HIM A RED CARD.
HE THINKS HE IS A PRIMA DONNE AS DO MANY OTHERS IN THIS BULLS SIDE.
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