Old and new a sign of good times
4 Feb 2013
MARK KEOHANE, in his Business Day column, writes that veteran Juan Smith’s performance was a reminder of a good Bok past and Jan Serfontein’s qualities are about a good future. Both are an asset to our rugby.
There is no such thing as a pre-season friendly in South African rugby. What was a supposed first hit out for the Stormers could easily have been a Super Rugby match played at the most critical juncture of the season. It was full on.
It was unrelenting and both teams were playing to win. Both teams kicked for goal at vital times and neither bought into the 10-try feasts usually associated with warm-up matches. Tries were at a minimum and both sides tackled.
The quality of the math was remarkable given it was the first week of February. The Cheetahs won with an injury-time penalty but the biggest winner was surely the sight of Juan Smith back on a rugby field and as imposing as ever.
Smith is one of the great loose forwards of the last decade. He is also one of the least spoken and written about, but every South African supporter would have kept an eye on his comeback in Bloemfontein.
Schalk Burger’s return is a week or two away and if Smith and Burger can make it to July with knees, hands, feet and head intact the Bok pack will again be the envy of the rugby world.
Smith was darn good given he has been out for 18 months with an Achilles injury that threatened closure on his career. What a wonderful view to see him rampant and playing as fearlessly as is his norm.
In Smith South Africa has a legend but watch centre Jan Serfontein of the Bulls. He will play for the Boks before the year is over. He was the world U20 player in the Baby Boks tournament-winning effort in Cape Town last year and he has been nurtured into senior rugby without haste and with plenty conviction.
Some players simply make the transition from juniors to seniors and Serfontein is one of those. He is a also a beast, physically the most imposing centre in South Africa and one of the biggest in the game. He’s just 20 years old but it’s his skill and natural feel for the game that is even more impressive than his physical presence.
Not since Danie Gerber weaved destruction has a player looked as capable of doing as he pleases from broken player. If Bok coach Heyneke Meyer battled with some positions in 2012 it won’t be the case this season.
There is so much new talent in the South African game and there is also massive changes to what paraded as Super Rugby in New Zealand and Australia.
It is heartening to see how the Lions have embraced their year out of Super Rugby. Johann Ackermann is bringing through another generation of player and the Lions have been committed in everything they have done on the field this year.
The year regrouping could be the best thing that has ever happened.. The core of the Super Rugby team is on loan to other South African franchises and there’s a very promising group being played in the season’s first month of matches.
Rugby in South Africa is strong and globally it is healthy.
The sevens in New Zealand was the best tournament I’ve watched and Kenya were 10 seconds away from a miracle win. The Africans had beaten the Boks, beaten hosts New Zealand and were leading England 19-12 with 10 seconds to go. They turned over the ball, England scored and in the sudden death scored again to win the tournament.
But what a display from the Keyans who have benefited from the structure and intelligence of English coach Mike Friday. Kenya now play the game like they understand it and not just on natural feel. They understand defence, thrive on it and they were the most physical of teams at the tournament. A coach does make a difference.
The Boks have opted for more agility and players blessed with a step but not with size. There is no substitute for physicality in rugby. When the Bok Sevens have had more bulk than balanced runners they have been effective.
Paul Treu is currently trading on goodwill as coach as the Sevens has been in free fall for some time now. It can’t be a fait accompli that he is the best there is. Result don’t make a convincing argument.
Finally the Six Nations delivered on the promise with Wales diabolical against Ireland and England ruthless against Scotland.
The global game needs seven to 10 teams to be a factor in between World Cups and England and France most definitely are the equal of South Africa and Australia with New Zealand still out in front, but not by a lot.
The rugby season will run until December but the break over the last two months has been too long. Just like Juan Smith’s performance on Saturday it is full on from hereon in and be confident that South Africa’s Super Rugby challenge can deliver a winner this year.
1,605 Comments
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4 Feb 2013, 22:50 pm
@skopdiekan-599: Wow, I am impressed.
I wouldn’t have said. You sound way too much like a moffie to have played rugby.
4 Feb 2013, 22:51 pm
Charlton Heston reckons the average rugby player would get pummeled into oblivion and would get out muscled and out run on a NFL field
4 Feb 2013, 22:51 pm
@victoriabok-600: Some of those guys really dont look like professional sportsmen. Vetgatte !
4 Feb 2013, 22:54 pm
@skopdiekan-599:
Which position?
Scrumhalf?
Reserve scrummy?
4 Feb 2013, 22:54 pm
@skopdiekan-602: Charlton Heston is about the same age as you I reckon. He should rather keep quiet before his guns get taken away.
NFL players put in some hard hits and there aren’t as many rules about tackling as there are in rugby but they also have a helmet on, and their entire body is covered in padding so it is difficult to make a comparison.
One thing is for sure, they wouldn’t last the tempo of a rugby match. In rugby you dont play for a minute and rest for 3.
4 Feb 2013, 22:55 pm
@victoriabok-604: Water tart & jock strap washer.
4 Feb 2013, 22:57 pm
What these cowering runaway chickenshit creeps know about anything two bit whitey cowards is all they are
4 Feb 2013, 22:57 pm
@skopdiekan-607: Ja ou brak.
4 Feb 2013, 23:00 pm
I played fly half if you really wanna know
Charlton Heston reckons that NFL players are far more physical and athletic compared to rugby players. Ask Naas he should remember.
4 Feb 2013, 23:02 pm
@skopdiekan-602:
If they remove all their sissy padding and the helmets, they do all the hard hits with the helmet in any case, it would be a different ball game
Also running around more than half a second would kill those lard as.ses
4 Feb 2013, 23:05 pm
@victoriabok-610: I must say, I played in a ‘old boys’ 7s ‘tournament’ a while back. Sjoe….I realized very quickly how fit you need to be to play rugby and how unfit I had become………
4 Feb 2013, 23:07 pm
@skopdiekan-607:
All this whiney expat geezer knows anything about is fleeing Israel before the IDF conscripted his scared cowardly a.ss and made him fight the A-rabs and Palestinians
4 Feb 2013, 23:07 pm
@victoriabok-610: Yes please ! Ryan Kankowski is on his way back to Durban !!!! Excellent !
4 Feb 2013, 23:09 pm
@Dusky-611:
The game is a lot faster and they guys are in training programmes from primary school
Seven a side has always been hard though
4 Feb 2013, 23:13 pm
Gives the Sharks a lot of options, and I have always claimed that options are very important if you are to win the Super trophy.
4 Feb 2013, 23:14 pm
@victoriabok-612: I left there at age 3 and served in your boeremag patrolling the Caprivi cut line for fun wtf would you know about when you ran for the safety net of a new colonial hide out
4 Feb 2013, 23:15 pm
@Dusky-615:
Depth and experience
Lot’s of experienced players on the bench for the tournament
4 Feb 2013, 23:16 pm
You need to be fitter and faster in 7s than in 15 man game much more down time in the 15 man code
4 Feb 2013, 23:17 pm
@skopdiekan-616:
> I left there at age 3 and served in your boeremag
No excuse, you could have helped defend the land of your birth
They have units for foreign soldiers so I’m sure they would have accomodated a born Sabra?
FYI, I did my two years too
4 Feb 2013, 23:24 pm
Kankowski should be going back to EP just like Daniel Ndungane Sithole Jordaan Whitehead Mvovo etc. And Steyn Du Plessis Bosman Viljoen etc should be back in FS.. then real arse licking mercenary humping harlots would be sucking hind titty which is where their real rugby status lies
4 Feb 2013, 23:35 pm
nowadays army conscription is voluntary because here’s no Swart gevaar swarming across the SWA borders and all the ex PF captains and corporals and lieutenants are hiding out in foreign legion colonial regiments
4 Feb 2013, 23:35 pm
Lots of Stormerpussy “woe is me that I have an inferiority complex because the Sharks are better” whining going on in this thread
Luuurve it.
4 Feb 2013, 23:36 pm
Long live the Empire!
4 Feb 2013, 23:45 pm
Who says Sharkishits are better Sharks aren’t even a legitimate team just a bunch of blood money mercenaries chucked together under a fake fictitious banner of outright bullshit. Sharkishits won’t amount to much this year you have my word on it watch them collapsing in a heap of over inflated self induced infatuation one more year just like all the others in recent memory
4 Feb 2013, 23:49 pm
@Liewe Luiperd-623:
God save the Queen
4 Feb 2013, 23:51 pm
@skopdiekan-624:
> collapsing in a heap of over inflated self induced infatuation one more year just like all the others in recent memory
Like the Stormers in the 2012 HOME semi final?
4 Feb 2013, 23:54 pm
@victoriabok-626: something like that . Least wasn’t as bad as getting fckd to hell by Chiefs by 6 tries to zero
4 Feb 2013, 23:57 pm
Chowing the Stormers in the semi was beyoooootiful! Best game of the season. The huiling on here from down south made it even better! Imagine losing a HOME semi!
5 Feb 2013, 00:28 am
The SAFFA sides will have a leg up again this year from their two woeful sides.
Kings – 10 points in the bag
Cheetahs – 8-10 points in the bag.
no other side gets such a santa bag.
Before you saffas go on about the aussie conference the Force did beat a couple of aussie teams. Cant be said of the cheetahs and Lions last year where the worst qualifying saffa team collected 14 points from the cheetahs and lions.
5 Feb 2013, 01:28 am
What the fook are you talking about Wally. The Cheetahs finished 10th last year. The Waratahs (11th), Rebels (13th) and Force (14th) finished below them. Dysmal, walking 5 pointers. The Aussie conference is by far the weakest of the lot.
5 Feb 2013, 01:30 am
3 teams in your conference, more than half, finished below the Cheetahs. Seems like you shouldn’t be throwing stones……………………
5 Feb 2013, 03:53 am
Owned!
5 Feb 2013, 05:31 am
@Chico the Chihuahua-628:Imagine losing a home final. In your case, remember losing a home final.
5 Feb 2013, 05:53 am
The waratah, force and rebels don’t get gifted points in the Aussie conference like the sharks, bulls and stormers and don’t get me started on home town refs awarding victories to saffa sides.
5 Feb 2013, 05:58 am
@Liewe Luiperd-631:
your bottom two sides give your conference a leg up.
lets look at the bulls take away that disasterous ‘victory’ that was given to them by the ref against the brumbies the bulls would not have finished top six then take maybe two points if the cheetahs or lions were competitive…well we know the story.
Home town refs need to be done with as it seems the saffas refs are always keen to lend a hand to their homies.
5 Feb 2013, 05:59 am
By the way the cheetahs were flash in the pan last year and not the norm. remeber between them, Lions and Bulls they have the most wooden spoons from Super10, 11, 14 15.
5 Feb 2013, 06:09 am
@wallabie.-634:
Hehehe Walla, stop digging! So now you comparing the bottom three Australian teams (all below the Cheetahs last year) with the top three SA teams? Using your logic the top two Oz teams get free points from the bottom three Oz teams whilst the top three SA teams only get points from the bottom two SA teams. How does this support your original point?
5 Feb 2013, 06:18 am
@wallabie.-636:
So when last and how often had the Cheetahs ‘won’ the wooden spoon Walla?
5 Feb 2013, 06:22 am
@wallabie.-635:
Oh you mean like how the ref gave the Brumbies the game when they played the Cheetahs? Got it!
5 Feb 2013, 06:46 am
good times, good times…
5 Feb 2013, 06:50 am
@wallabie.-629: put the crack pipe down walla
the cheetahs were ROBBED vs the brumbies in Canberra where the Brumbies were handed multiple scrum penalties when they were the team engaging early the whole game and you want to go on about referees.. lol
5 Feb 2013, 07:07 am
@Slartibartfast-637:
you know me thats what I do.
just bored today as i stayed home to get online to get presale British and Irish lions tickets.
5 Feb 2013, 07:08 am
@Slartibartfast-638:
them lions and cheetahs were the same pu.ssy cat!!!
5 Feb 2013, 07:09 am
@Transformation-641:
you rant about one game!!
try a few the aus and NZ sides have to bear with!!!
5 Feb 2013, 07:10 am
Chennai Super Kings bought Chris Morris (what a windfall, well done to him!) for R5.79m:
You think it was a case of mistaken identity, a fat finger glitch, or were the bidders simply high on horse?
Anyway, I hope he gets to play regularly, & that he returns an accomplished T20 player.
5 Feb 2013, 07:24 am
@wallabie.-635: goose, gander & all that jazz
how many games were you wailing about here?
635. wallabie. said:
5 Feb 2013, 05:58 am
lets look at the bulls take away that
disasterous ‘victory’ that was given to them
by the ref against the brumbies the bulls
would not have finished top six.
step up wally.
5 Feb 2013, 07:28 am
@skopdiekan-602: Put Etsebeth, Vermeulen, Bakkies, Schalk, J Smith or Busmarck in some NFL pads and see who gets pummeled! I would like to see which RB would pummel Ysterbeth.
Rugby players are built for attack and defence in various situations. US Football players are trained and built for one thing and one thing only (depending on their position).
For instance, a CB is not really built to tackle the RB, that is the job of the LB’s and the DLine. Also the QB is not trained to tackle or run really, his whole game is passing and dodging tackles.
Again an example, the Centre in NFL is similair to the Hooker in rugby, they both are at the centre of the line/ scrum, both push the ball back to restart the game and both must then shove/ block after. But the difference is that the hooker must also throw in at lineout and also attack and defend.
Rugby players have a much better chance at playing NFL than the reverse.
Most defenders can’t even catch a ball, imagine them trying to do a complicated backline move after the 7th ruck?
Basically what I am saying is this, Charlton Heston doesn’t know ****.
5 Feb 2013, 07:37 am
@goodstuff-647: he knows guns……….and chariots.
5 Feb 2013, 07:45 am
@Angostura-645:
Apparently two franchises got into a bidding war.
The joys of auctions.
5 Feb 2013, 07:46 am
Charlatan Heston has never been the same since Borat interviewed him.
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