Bulls must make a physical statement
15 Mar 2011
RYAN VREDE writes the Bulls have to address their failings at the collisions as a matter of urgency.
There are a few lessons the Bulls can take from Tuks’ impressive performance in beating Maties in the Varsity Cup last night, not least of all the students’ utter determination to go forward in every contact situation. It is of course a trait instilled in the defending champions by the man who was calling the shots for Tuks on Monday evening, Heyneke Meyer.
Under Meyer the Bulls were defined by their brutality at the collisions, and while it would be grossly unfair to suggest they have been diabolical in this facet of play after Meyer’s departure in 2007 (he has subsequently returned as the director of rugby), they’ve certainly not possessed the same potency.
With the ball in play for longer than it was prior to the introduction of the law interpretations that favour the attacking team, good defence – with tackle point dominance and a strong breakdown contest the key features – has been the cornerstone on which victories have been built.
The Bulls, in their first two matches, struggled to impose themselves in this regard, and were fortunate to register victories. In their third the Highlanders exposed their shortcomings at the collisions and were allowed to employ a high-tempo, expansive approach that reaped rewards.
The Bulls were forced to make an astonishing 203 tackles, missing 19. Their inability to dominate the contact situations and as a result pose little threat at ruck time was the root cause for the relentless defensive pressure they were under. By falling off hits or being bossed in the tackle (the Lions made 12 linebreaks, 16 offloads and got over the advantage line 78% of the time) the Bulls were never able to dictate the attacking tempo of their opponents and often found themselves fronting with a depleted defensive line. It is a credit to their character that they took four points from Ellis Park.
They missed just seven of 115 tackles against the Cheetahs, but allowed 11 linebreaks and lost 80% of the tackle fights. Their defensive nadir came against the Landers, missing 22 of 172 tackles, conceding 16 linebreaks, 26 offloads and allowing the Kiwis to carry the ball over the gain line 84% of the time. Kade Poki’s second-half tries featured schoolboy-like defence not befitting a team laden with Springboks.
This is not an indictment on defence coach John McFarland, who I believe is among the finest in his job on the planet. The system isn’t flawed – it has won them three Super Rugby titles – but those within the system have been. This needs to be remedied.
The Stormers have hardly kicked out of second gear to date, but they’ve exhibited their capacity to shred teams to ribbons in the 2010 competition if allowed to establish an attacking platform. They have in their ranks forwards who, if they spring from their lethargy, can be constant threats at the gain line, and a back division that are equipped to capitalise. The Stormers will need no extra motivation than the promise of downing the old enemy on their home patch. They’ll pose a formidable physical threat.
The Bulls will want to make a statement in contact on Saturday. It will aim to dispel the burgeoning notion that they are beatable when bullied.
107 Comments
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15 Mar 2011, 14:11 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-97:
you have been stalking me?
15 Mar 2011, 14:17 pm
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-101:
No.
Slowly now.
You said it on some thread and I read it.
Clear?
15 Mar 2011, 14:20 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-102:
How disappointing.
I’ve always wanted a stalker.
15 Mar 2011, 14:26 pm
@The X-factor is staying at home.(gunther)-103:
Hardly likely
You are a cross between a three-necked bald fat man and a camouflage-wearing bakkie-driving Bull-sticker adorned Peter Siddle lookalike.
15 Mar 2011, 14:35 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-104:
you mean like Jack Nicholson?
15 Mar 2011, 14:48 pm
heres a good story for PDV:
The Shepherd and the Manager:
A shepherd is shepherding his herd in a desolate field when a brand new BMW 645 cabriolet arrives in a cloud of dust
The driver a well dressed man in a Versace suit , Gucci shoes, Ray Ban sunglasses and a Yves St Laurent tie stops and leans out his window and says:
“ If I tell you precisely how many sheep you have will let me have one”
The shepherd looks at the Yup and says “ Ok, why not”
The Yup takes out his Dell laptop and connects via Bluetooth with his mobile. He then connects via GPS with the internet, surfs to a NASA website and selects a navigation website to determine his exact position.
He then sends the data to another NASA satellite that can scan the whole area and sends him a ultra sharp photo of the area.
The Yup then opens Adobe Photoshop and sends the photo to a Lab in Hamburg which within seconds sends an e-mail to his Palm Pilot with a confirmation that the photo has been received and filed.
Via a ODBC connection he connects with a MS-SQL database and loads the data into an extensive Excel spreadsheet with hundreds of formulae via the e-mail function of his Blackberry
After several minutes the program generates an answer of 150 pages in colour and the Yup prints this out on his mini HP LaserJet.
He looks at the Shepherd and says to him “ you have exactly 1586 sheep”
“that’s right “ says the shepherd , “ you may choose a sheep”
The Yup gets out, chooses one and puts it in the trunk of his car.
The shepherd then says to him “ Hey, If I can guess your job can I have my animal back”, to which the Yup replies “ Ok , why not”
The shepherd answers “ you are a manager”
“Unbelievable” replies the Yup “How did you know that?”
“That’s not so difficult “, answers the Shepherd.
“ You appear when no-one has asked for you, you ask a question of no interest to anyone
and you want to be paid for an answer that I already know,…besides you have no farken idea of what work I do , so give me back my dog”
16 Mar 2011, 07:43 am
@Taahirah(Taahirah)-79: lol ja the Gordons think they are royalty in Somerset. lol Not sure who those people are, must consult with my mother on that. So when did you leave Somerset?
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