Bulls’ bucks please Ludeke
6 Mar 2012
Bulls coach Frans Ludeke says his expectations of a new-look Bulls side surpassed those of some pessimists but cautioned that they were very much a work in progress.
The Bulls lost a string of players to injuries and retirements last year, while a number opted to continue their careers abroad. In the sextet of Victor Matfield, Fourie du Preez, Bakkies Botha, Danie Rossouw, Gurthro Steenkamp and Gary Botha they lost 581 Super Rugby caps as well as an appreciable number of Test caps.
That shearing of experience was expected to undermine their cause, despite the franchise recruiting relatively well and elevating a clutch of talented youngsters from their junior structures. However, through an excellent start which has included convincing victories over the Sharks and Cheetahs, they have thus far defied widely-held expectations for a mediocre season.
Ludeke was cool in his appraisal of his charges, but said he is aware of the belief that the rebuilding would come at a cost and totally disagrees with it. ‘We will never say we expected to start as well as we have. We respect the game and our opponents too much for that. But I will say that we put a lot of hard work in in the pre-season and that work has showed in the opening two games. We didn’t know for sure how it would go but we had a lot of faith in this group,’ Ludeke told keo.co.za.
‘We lost a lot of experienced players and people forget that we have quite a few senior players remaining. A guy like Flip van der Merwe, for example, played a lot of rugby while Bakkies Botha was here. Francois Hougaard has played regularly for the last two years, albeit not at scrumhalf. There are others, like Juandré Kruger who has experience gained from playing in the Premiership. Chiliboy Ralepelle is a Test player even though this is his first season as the starting hooker. So we aren’t a completely new-look side. That has shown in the way the guys have gone about their business in the first two games. The other young players have responded brilliantly to their challenges at this stage.
‘That said we know how results in this tournament can swing. So we are happy with the start but know that there are many, many matches still to play. Consistency is key. Nobody will remember what happened at the start of the season if we don’t keep winning and playing well.’
The Bulls are expected to continue their winning streak this weekend when they host the Blues, who have played poorly and are winless. They have been hammered in their last three visits to Loftus and nothing suggests they will make the exponential improvements they need to record an unlikely result.
However, Ludeke said he still holds the Auckland side in high regard. ‘They could easily have been on the other end of the result against the Crusaders and there were moments in their match against the Chiefs last week that if they had finished better they would have been in with a shout,’ he said.
‘We know it takes one good performance to turn around a season and the Blues will be determined to make that match against us. What has happened before counts for nothing.’
The Blues have been tactically naive in their defeats, often running the ball from deep in their territory, then surrendering possession when carriers are isolated or through handling errors. Ludeke doesn’t expect them to temper their approach but noted their ability to be direct if they choose to.
‘They have some good broken-field runners and we’ll have to be accurate in our kicking to ensure that we don’t feed them. But they also have some big forwards and they’ve shown in the past that they can play through many phases with them if they want to. They are a very balanced side and it will require us to be on top of all areas of our game to beat them.’
123 Comments
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6 Mar 2012, 12:00 pm
Hugely impressed with their start and the young guns in the side… I’m also massively disappointed in the Sharks’ performance thus far – Their tight five is what isn’t stacking up at the moment! Well done Bulls – keep it going and here’s to the Sharks pulling their fingers out.
6 Mar 2012, 12:03 pm
The Blues are a side that can cause big problems for us.
The Bulls approach depends so much on attitude. If the attitude is one of complacency, or even one that just lacks a tad of urgency, then the entire game can fall apart.
The reason for this is that their game depends so much on physical domianance of the tackle point. If that disappears, the rest of their game also falls apart.
And that is a mental, more than a physical attribute.
It is very easy to be two tries down after 10 minutes if you go into a game against the Blues half asleep.
So I will be watching this game with interest, tinged with a little bit of apprehension.
6 Mar 2012, 12:06 pm
A strong case can be made that the departure of the 6 mentioned has actually strengthened this Bulls team.
Why? Because all of a sudden, the Bulls can apply more freedom and exuberance to their play, and employ gameplans or strategies that might not suit an older pack of forwards.
6 Mar 2012, 12:09 pm
@willievz(willievz)-3:
I partially agree. Mostly, I see the difference in hunger and energy that the youngsters have brought. It simply wasn’t there anymore with the old guys.
6 Mar 2012, 12:16 pm
This is a good opportunity for either side to make a statement – the Blues to get their season right back on track or the Bulls to get the confidence really rolling.
The Blues only made 65% of their tackles last weekend, surely they can’t be that bad again?
6 Mar 2012, 12:19 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-4:
In SA, we seem to have an almost irrational obsession with experience.
But in my mind, the most experienced team is not necessarily the best team. You need to find the right BALANCE between youth and experience.
The Bok team of 2011 a case in point.
6 Mar 2012, 12:22 pm
I think it’s less about “youth vs experience” and more “talent vs potential” – if you’ve got the talent, you’re always good enough, but sometimes potential needs to be tempered by experience.
6 Mar 2012, 12:27 pm
@Tartan(Tartan)-7: Sure, especially since young players could very well be experienced!
The point I was trying to make is that it’s a two way street.
The experienced guide the youth. The youth energise / spark the experienced.
A very important causal synergy.
6 Mar 2012, 12:36 pm
@willievz(willievz)-8:
Ja, I get you.
The Bulls have a pretty good blend at the moment, especially seeing as most of their older players are still around 25-26.
6 Mar 2012, 12:40 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-4: You summed it up with 2 words. Energy and hunger. That’s the glaring difference and it affects all aspects of their play. Whoever comes up against the Bulls will need to beat them in those 2 aspects.
6 Mar 2012, 12:41 pm
@willievz(willievz)-6: Add to that the irrational complication of playing philosophies. Why do something well simply? Over-complication!!!
6 Mar 2012, 12:45 pm
@willievz(willievz)-8: Surely you can be young and experienced, the same as you can be old and experienced, but the former could mean more. Experience comes down to recognising a specific construct or situation and applying the appropriate action. This implies going through all possible scenarios and possible outcomes and choosing the best one. Rugby is about. Learning, practicing, recognizing and executing.
6 Mar 2012, 12:50 pm
@pompies2(pompies2)-12:
The elephant in the room is that older experienced players often dominate discussions regarding gameplans.
The end result being that conservative tactics suiting their ageing bodies are employed.
6 Mar 2012, 12:52 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-2:
there was a degree of the sure but there was also a feeling that certain players were protecting their bodies for the world cup ahead.
not ideal in a tournament like the super 15.
6 Mar 2012, 12:55 pm
@willievz(willievz)-13: Narcisism. Rugby is strange that it’s a team game, where individual actions have immediate repercussions. If compared to cricket, while it’s a team sport, a batsmen or bowler has it all to do. Would it be fare to say experience in cricket hold more value than in rugby?
6 Mar 2012, 12:57 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-14: IS that then a case for man-mismanagement? Surely franchise have\should have an overarching responsibility towards national interests?
6 Mar 2012, 12:59 pm
I read a quote recently which read ” you might think you bigger than the game, but it you are slower than it, it will leave you behind”
6 Mar 2012, 13:08 pm
Of the sextet mentioned, the following guys would still have been able to keep pace with the young bucks;
1. Guthro Steenkamp – as mobile as any loosehead currently playing, strong carrier and effective cleaner at the tackle point.
2. Danie Rossouw – versatility could only be beneficial in a marathon like S15. A player who hardly suffers from conditioning and fitness issues, and may have overtaken Bakkies as a merit performer in the no.4 jersey since 2009 / 2010.
Just hope the media lay off the youngsters, only adds unnecessary expectations on the greenhorns.
6 Mar 2012, 13:12 pm
@pompies2(pompies2)-15:
It is a tough argument and an interesting conversation.
Cricketers in general play the game longer, and in general reach their peak in their early 30s. The exception are some fast bowlers, who peak in their late 20s.
Rugby players in general play the game shorter, and many players are pensioners by this age. The exception are some props, hookers and locks, who peak at 30.
So you have to look at the individual involved and his positional attributes / requirements.
However, if you held a gun to my head, I would say experience in cricket counts for more, yes.
6 Mar 2012, 13:13 pm
Let’s also not get ahead of ourselves. All it will take is one narrow loss in the dying seconds of a tight game for everyone and his mate to loudly lament the lack of experienced, cool heads to calmly lead the team through pressure situations.
6 Mar 2012, 13:14 pm
@pompies2(pompies2)-16:
perhaps perhaps not.
there was frustration at the bulls last year that certain players wouldn’t take contact at training etc.
it was perhaps not so much the amount of rugby being played but rather the fact that some players weren’t putting their bodies on the line.
but then again look at the stormers with Bekker.
the guy has been played into the ground for two seasons in a row Coetzee.
the bulls were guilty of the same thing with fourie du preez.
if saru want to dictate when a player can and can’t be played then they need to pay the players.
6 Mar 2012, 13:16 pm
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Derby matches always tend to have strange outcomes in Super rugby. The Cheetahs one year demolished the Sharks when the Sharks were at their peak. I think the real tests will come when the Bulls face strong strategic teams like the Saders and Reds. No disrespect to the Cheetahs or Sharks, but it might be a bit pre-mature to celebrate the Bulls after only to derby matches.
6 Mar 2012, 13:20 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-20:
What about the other extreme – a quarter-final of a WC where one of the most experienced Bok teams of all time dominated every single aspect of play, but lost.
I am all for experience but you need balance.
6 Mar 2012, 13:28 pm
Give that same over the hill Bok team to Heyneke and we would have been in the final facing NZ.
6 Mar 2012, 13:32 pm
@willievz(willievz)-23:
thats unfair willie.
its by no means a good counter example to use that specific game as we can well agree that irrespective of that bok teams short comings or failures in the game, it was to a large and quite possibly entire extent, a game decided by refereeing blunders, (whether intentional or otherwise) which influenced its outcome.
sure, i understand the point of your counter example you’re trying to make but then use a more appropriate example… that one certainly is not.
in a rugby game you cannot beat the referee, only the opposing team.
6 Mar 2012, 13:35 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-24:
i honestly doubt that.
even the 2007 bok team would have lost the game that day.
the referee decided it by not deciding it.
6 Mar 2012, 13:44 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-24: Ease up on the cheap-shots. There’s no way of proving that, and the lack of proof means you have faith. Faith in religious matters is good, but when making a wild statement, it’s suggests an emotive, baseless argument.
6 Mar 2012, 13:46 pm
@welcome to my life, hugh…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-26:
Spot on re Bryce…
6 Mar 2012, 13:50 pm
@welcome to my life, hugh…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-26: Agreed. We did not lose that game by our players being to old or by PDV being the coach or by playing the wrong gameplan. We lost purely because the ref screwed us. If he had blown Podick up early in the game we would have been getting much quicker ball than we got that day. But Pocock and co slowed down our ball thus Australia were able to set their defence. Thats why I also dont agree with people that say Australia had good defence in that game. They were given total leeway by the ref to slow the ball down.
6 Mar 2012, 13:54 pm
@pompies2(pompies2)-27:
Haha.
It doesn’t take faith to know that a side coached by Heyneke Meyer will be a better by some margin than a side basically coached by the players themselves.
The only question is the margin of the improvement. Since the Boks only lost by a couple of points to the Aussies, it stands to reason that they would have won through to at least the final, after which it would have been a lottery in any case.
6 Mar 2012, 13:54 pm
Experience can only take you so far, energy, hunger, desire and a determination to succeed will elevate you above any form of past and vast knowledge. Experience is key, but it is very over-emphasized these days. The players coming through at the Bulls at the moment will have different attributes to thier predecessors, and in my opinion, are better all-round athletes already : ( Hougaard,J Kruger,JJ Engelbrecht,CJ Stander). Experience also lends itself to a comfort-zone and thats why its a blessing the Bok and Bulls sides are going through a postive transition.
6 Mar 2012, 13:55 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-24:
ek het nou al met n paar manne hier by my in die SWD gepraat wat onder HM gepeel het, en nog nie een negatiewe uitlating gekry nie. wat die meeste van hulle uitlig is sy vermoee om die spelers te motiveer. o.ja en hy hou niks van manne wat lui is nie. ek dink ons gaan n goeie tyd met HM aan die stuur he
6 Mar 2012, 13:56 pm
@Pot Blou Gevaar(Pot Blou Gevaar)-28:
yip, the number of infringements he just stood there and did absolutely nothing about was definitely higher in total than the number of infringements craig joubert did nothing about in the fra/nz final.
6 Mar 2012, 13:57 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-30:
at is fout met Arno Botha wanner is hy weer reg, kan nie wag om hom weer te sien speel nie.
6 Mar 2012, 14:03 pm
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-29:
ons kan nie net die skuld voor Pdivvy le nie Sarfu moet ook blaam dra hulle het die geelentheid gehad om 4 jaar terug die regte man aantestel, en met beter besluitneming op die veld sou ons die game gewen het swak skeidsregter of nie.
6 Mar 2012, 14:09 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-30: ” it stands to reason” hehehe
forget about 2011, heyneke is the coach now and he has promised to take us to the top…that is our focus as Bok supporters, something i cannot refer to you as.
6 Mar 2012, 14:10 pm
@vasteses(vasteses)-34:
Rug spasma. Hy is reg oor twee weke.
Maar ek dink nie hy sal die beginspan haal nie. Sal n goeie impak speler maak. Maar CJ is vir my bo hom op die lys.
6 Mar 2012, 14:12 pm
What the Bulls have done right is keeping their fringe players. Many of these players could have started for another province or could have gone overseas while the Bulls’ stalwarts kept them out of a starting place. But they stayed and now they and the Bulls are reaping the benefits.
The Stormers really have a good team, but they kept on leaking players for the past few seasons and now they still are a relatively inexperienced side. Good for them to always find the youngsters to replace their losses with, but somewhere down the line you will need consistency and they must stop players leaving the union.
6 Mar 2012, 14:12 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-30: Pure conjecture. In the absence of faith, I’m looking for your proof, so bring it!!!
6 Mar 2012, 14:14 pm
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-29:
fark! he watched vickerman take brussow out of the game with a leading shoulder-charge and just did sweet farkall. or rather, if i remember correctly, he made some wierd facial tick shrug off gesture a moment after it happened.
and thats just one of the numerous, numerous farcical, debacle non refereeing actions in the game.
6 Mar 2012, 14:14 pm
@pompies2(pompies2)-39:
Nah. I’ll let you wallow on in your misplaced faith in Divvy, and his quota masters.
No skin off my back.
6 Mar 2012, 14:20 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-41: Geez, it doesn’t take much to destroy your gees, does it? So much for an adult discussion. You are the one who had a problem with PDV, not me. All I’m asking is for proof that the Boks would’ve beaten the Aussies in the quarters with HM as coach.
6 Mar 2012, 14:38 pm
its a moot point.
the game was decided by the referee.
am pretty sure heyneke will surpass pdv’s win/loss ration with ease. its unfortunate he wont have a crack at the british lions though, but he will win a good few four nations or at the least turn our win percentage against them around. this should push him past pdv stats wise and if saru can schedule as many no-contest bok matches for him as they did for pdv this would be even better.
6 Mar 2012, 14:51 pm
This what happens when you put up a Bulls thread.
Degenerates into nonsense and boredom, all before the end of the first page.
Even the Sharks thread has 100 (just).
Now you know why there are so many Stormers threads on here.
6 Mar 2012, 14:55 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-44:
Ouch!
6 Mar 2012, 14:59 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-44:
to paraphrase the esteemed naas botha: ‘you know arnold, a game of rugby is not won on a blog page’…
6 Mar 2012, 15:00 pm
to stretch the point:… some people talk…some people let their team do the talking…
6 Mar 2012, 15:02 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-44: Come on, that’s pretty harsh when you consider that only about 30% of them can read and write.
6 Mar 2012, 15:06 pm
In the jungle, the mighty jungle
The lion sleeps tonight
In the jungle, the mighty jungle
The lion sleeps tonight
………….
6 Mar 2012, 15:08 pm
50 (eventually)
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