Ruthless Saders give Stormers free lesson
16 Apr 2012
JON CARDINELLI writes the Stormers will need more than guts to end their 11-year trophy drought.
Consider the term ‘brave defeat’. Which word ultimately matters?
That the Stormers showed tremendous valour in Christchurch is not up for debate. They lost both of their starting locks in the first half, and still they managed to stand up to an All Blacks-studded Crusaders pack. They lost Rynhardt Elstadt to an absurd call from referee Chris Pollock in the final quarter, and still they managed to collect a losing bonus point.
But brave defeats are still defeats. There should be no consolation for title aspirants when they drop a game against other big contenders. The Stormers should not find solace in the fact that they went to Christchurch and pushed the seven-time champs close. The reality is it was a game the Stormers could have won had they been more bloody-minded.
It was the difference between the two sides. The Crusaders have a knack of winning games they shouldn’t, it’s become something of a trademark. They may not dominate a fixture from start to finish but they make the most of their opportunities, however few they are in number. This was once again highlighted in the most recent clash with the Stormers.
There are some Stormers fans who will aim their frustration at referee Chris Pollock. While I agree that Pollock had a howler last Saturday, I wouldn’t say he cost the Cape side the game. If anything Pollock was consistent, handing out dubious yellow cards to both teams and missing the sleight of hand at both sides of the breakdown.
But which team made the most of the referee’s mistakes? The Stormers benefited from a Pollock gaffe in the build-up to Bryan Habana’s try. A knock on by Joe Pietersen wasn’t spotted by Pollock or his assistants, and so the try stood at what was an important period of the contest.
The Stormers suffered a terrible blow when Andries Bekker and Eben Etzebeth left the field with injuries in the first half, but they had a fantastic opportunity to take the lead towards the end of the second quarter. Crusaders prop Wyatt Crockett was carded for an innocuous tackle and so the hosts went a man down for 10 minutes.
It’s not clear why the Stormers are unable to take advantage in these situations. The Hurricanes were down to 13 men in the first round match against the Stormers, but the Cape side still battled to breach the Hurricanes line. It was embarrassing to see flyhalf Gary van Aswegen kicking a drop goal after a 15-man Stormers attack failed to penetrate a 13-man Hurricanes defence.
Looking back, we can say that impotency proved a sign of things to come.
Last Saturday, the Stormers scored three points while Crockett was off the park, but also conceded three at the other end. The Stormers should have piled on the points at this stage, and were made to regret blowing such an opportunity later in the piece.
The Crusaders were ruthless by comparison. When Elstadt was sin-binned they scored nine points. From there, they continued to pressure the Stormers and with the visitors trailing by 10 points that pressure told, with the Stormers making some basic errors in their own 22. The Crusaders finished this game well but the match was won while Elstadt was in the bin.
There is no denying the Stormers were at a disadvantage having lost both locks, and that they did remarkably well to emerge with a losing bonus point. But looking at the game as a whole and how close they came to recording their first-ever win in Christchurch, they should be disappointed more than anything else.
That it is not a new thing to squander such opportunities should be cause for concern. They had the Sharks on the rack in round two when Ross Skeate was yellow-carded in the 60th minute. They should have closed out the game but only scored three points, and when Skeate returned the Sharks launched a fierce challenge that so nearly forced an upset.
When they hosted the Bulls, the Stormers had a golden opportunity to extend their lead when lock Flip van der Merwe was carded in the 42nd minute. But again they wilted under the pressure, they didn’t seem to enjoy the advantage. They didn’t score again until the 62nd minute. In fact it was the Bulls who scored 10 unanswered points while Van der Merwe was off the field.
The Stormers have shown a lot of guts this season, the manner in which they defend shows their incredible courage under fire. There is a big difference, however, between courage and ruthlessness.
Being brave isn’t enough to win championships. The Stormers need to start showing some killer instinct if they want to be genuine title contenders rather than also-rans.
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405 Comments
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16 Apr 2012, 13:39 pm
@Fern is not a stud,he is merely no19(Fern)-295:
and you have a good job, good work buddy you’re onto something
16 Apr 2012, 13:40 pm
Cheers all,have a good evening/early morning.
16 Apr 2012, 13:40 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-296:
apparently
16 Apr 2012, 13:40 pm
@Fern is not a stud,he is merely no19(Fern)-297: I refuse to get suck into your silly games.You are nothing but a self-conceited stirring troll on this blog.I wont be engaging further with you as of this moment.
16 Apr 2012, 13:42 pm
@stormerforlife1(stormerforlife1)-304:
you should ask him about his shagging days whilst on tour down under, massive rooter he tells us
16 Apr 2012, 13:48 pm
smelly hobbits come out play…
16 Apr 2012, 13:48 pm
bottling filth…
16 Apr 2012, 13:49 pm
@greentea(greentea)-305:
He shagged some old transvestite he picked up, under the Railway Overbridge at the Paekakariki.
Then wined and dined “her” at the Lawn Bowling Club.
16 Apr 2012, 13:51 pm
@houston, we have a problem…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-307:
Look out Bakkies,
if “we” catch you at the bottom of a ruck,…………………………………………you are toast.
16 Apr 2012, 13:52 pm
@houston, we have a problem…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-307:
have you had your valium today, keep it together
@cane(cane)-308:
thats sounds on the money
16 Apr 2012, 13:52 pm
@greentea(greentea)-305: I’m sure its not hard taking advantage of any fair Kiwi maidens should their actually be any… But say there were, all the menfolk in hobbit land prefer maidens of a woollen persuasion, so all them Kiwi actual ladies are probably gagging for it….
But there is a lesson for ferny there: The fact that all the Kiwi menfolk prefer a bit of merino says much about the state of them Kiwi island women…
16 Apr 2012, 13:55 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-311:
HG your sheep jokes are really funny but have you got any new material to share with us?
16 Apr 2012, 13:55 pm
Actually considering those apparitions I saw in the crowd in the Blues little caketin I have sympathy for Kiwi men… Fark me, I reckon I would also be into sheep if I had to be forced to inhabit that little pimple of an island blotting the pacific.
16 Apr 2012, 13:57 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-313: “Fark me, I reckon I would also be into sheep”
No man, you would be a sheep then. 8)
16 Apr 2012, 13:57 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-313:
How’s your homeland doing these days, has the great leader passed yet?
16 Apr 2012, 13:59 pm
And to be fair to Fernly, I actually reckon on his visits he was playing one massive game of Hunt the Grunt with farken beer goggles making him half blind and oblivious to the apparitions he might have been defiled by…
I actually reckon on his hunt the grunt tour he probably doubled the molestation stats of sheep island: By being molested himself from North to South by sexcrazed and starved Kiwi chicks…
16 Apr 2012, 14:00 pm
@greentea(greentea)-312: Baa-aa-aah, yeah?
16 Apr 2012, 14:02 pm
@greentea(greentea)-315: My homeland is the great R of SA.
My birthplace however was in a country that no longer exists.
My loyalty is to Africa.
No more
No less.
Yeah?
16 Apr 2012, 14:02 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-316:
What are the “chicks” like in your country?
16 Apr 2012, 14:03 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-318:
You are a Zim them, has Robert passed yet?
16 Apr 2012, 14:04 pm
@cane(cane)-308: Was that you Cane, in your lipstick and dainty high heels… Going Baaaah in the night with your whistful mating call to Fernly…
Alas, I am sure that you might have got the rejection you deserved.
Filthy Old Pervert.
16 Apr 2012, 14:06 pm
@greentea(greentea)-320: Nope. I am as South African as Transformation.
I care about as much for Bob as for dishonest Kiwi Rugby – which probably means all Kiwi Rugby…
16 Apr 2012, 14:06 pm
@greentea(greentea)-319: Not like your Mum, I am sure.
16 Apr 2012, 14:14 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-316:
I drank with 2 hands whilst there.
Gotta take the edge of proper.
16 Apr 2012, 14:21 pm
@Fern is not a stud,he is merely no19(Fern)-324: lol. I understand your predicament… A world record hunt the grunt attempt must have been hard on the liver.
And that liver must have squirming because Kiwiland is not known for the quality of booze…
But hey anything to put those beer goggles on… Obviously needed.
16 Apr 2012, 14:21 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-322:
you’re a Zim them who supports the Bokke, did you guys ever play rugby?
@Fern is not a stud,he is merely no19(Fern)-324:
didn’t you hang in Flaxmere with all your other low rent mates
16 Apr 2012, 14:24 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-325:
Die rooi liggie op my lewer het begin flikker.
16 Apr 2012, 14:24 pm
@cane(cane)-309:
16 Apr 2012, 14:25 pm
@greentea(greentea)-326:
I went to a couple of places China.
16 Apr 2012, 14:26 pm
@greentea(greentea)-310:
couldb’t have it more together…just seeing bottling filth for what it is….
16 Apr 2012, 14:29 pm
@houston, we have a problem…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-330:
you were all bent out of shape the other day its only rugby mate
16 Apr 2012, 14:30 pm
@greentea(greentea)-326: No, son. I am no “Zim” and never have been. Get with it.
16 Apr 2012, 14:33 pm
@Fern is not a stud,he is merely no19(Fern)-327: WTF…Kiwi women invading SA? Or just horrific flashbacks…
16 Apr 2012, 14:35 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-332: We should never be ashamed of our roots hg.Whether it’s Zimbabwe or Rhodesia ,should not matter.
16 Apr 2012, 14:37 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-333:
Flashbacks erger as n malaria nagmerrie.
Ag wel ek was jonk en dom,dis maar die lewe daai.
16 Apr 2012, 14:39 pm
@stormerforlife1(stormerforlife1)-334: No shame for my roots at all. Haven’t you ever heard that…
“Rhodesians never die…”
16 Apr 2012, 14:41 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-336: Not really,but that’s a good one.
16 Apr 2012, 14:42 pm
@greentea(greentea)-331:
no, bottling scum needs to bew called out for what it is….
certainly not rugby….
but then again, in hobbitville it clearly is…
16 Apr 2012, 14:45 pm
@Fern is not a stud,he is merely no19(Fern)-335: Yeah must have been a nightmare of note…
Definitely would also shagasheep… Met Kiwi women on different parts of the globe and they all seem to have the same problem…
Never looked in a mirror… or the mirror must be farken lying to them… Because whats real and in actuality is definitely not the same as in their heads…
Severe self-image malfunction
But hey if can be a charity gift that keeps on giving for a while, however short, then you must have made a lot of womenfolk happy in Kiwiland…
16 Apr 2012, 14:49 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-339:
Hulle almal was defnitief welsynsgevalle gewees.
Die kiwis se sense of self entitlement is baie groot.
Meeste is nie juis gepla oor hoe hulle lyk of aantrek nie.
Jy kry of daai 3de jaar kaalvoet kuns student look,of die
“agricultural” look.
Slegte tatoos is ook aan die orde van die dag.
Dalk het ek by die verkeerde plekke uit gehang maar ek het die orals gesien waar ek gegaan het.
16 Apr 2012, 14:50 pm
Keo bloggers fairly in agreement on the Matfield issue.89 percent saying no.
16 Apr 2012, 14:52 pm
@greentea(NZINCHINA)-319:
what are the chicks like in china china?
16 Apr 2012, 14:55 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-336:
isn’t Robert on his death bed?
16 Apr 2012, 15:00 pm
@greentea(greentea)-343: Let me explain nicely to you…
I’ll give you an appropriate analogy….
Think of Bob as Kiwi woman:
- farken not pretty
- generally farken short
- A bit like Gimli but without the beard (in the case of Kiwi women sometimes with a beard too however)
- farken violent
- got no farken idea what the outside world thinks of him/her, so, farken short sighted
See now?
16 Apr 2012, 15:03 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-344: So to actually answer…
No, Bob is not on his death bed… Like a Kiwi woman he will live forever and a day…
Meaning Zim is farked forever and day too as well as you poor sods have to fark sheep too to stay away from fugly and violent Kiwi feminensis
16 Apr 2012, 15:03 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-344:
So you’re a Zim who follows the Bokke, did Zim play rugby when you were there?
16 Apr 2012, 15:06 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-342: Cheap and willing at first, but almost certain to take you to the cleaners in the long run if you are stupid enough to think they are interested in you for any reason other then money. High chance of getting a fantastic BJ, which is nice.
16 Apr 2012, 15:06 pm
@greentea(greentea)-346: Rhodesians and Zimbos can definitely play the game… The best opensider in the world, Pocock demonstrates that this is so.
16 Apr 2012, 15:07 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-215:
Funnily enough it was in England where I got the nickname, and it just kinda stuck.
But back to rugby, Vermeulen has more power in his left nut than Spies wishes he could have in his entire body. And him being slow is a myth. These Saaaaarks fans forget Vermeulen chased down Mvovo and caught him in his socks.
16 Apr 2012, 15:08 pm
@HongKongSlong(HongKongSlong)-347:
so how many times did you get taken to the cleaners then?
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