Griquas edge Kings
13 Feb 2013
Griquas got the win but Southern Kings Director of Rugby Alan Solomons got questions answered in his team’s final Super Rugby pre-season outing.
Griquas scored late to win 30-27 and Solomons told Keo.co.za on the balance of performance the right team got the winning result.
‘Pre-season matches are about more than the result but every player and team wants a winning one,’ he said. ‘We did not get enough ball to enforce our way of play and all credit to the effort of Griquas. They dominated the lineout and denied us a platform. It is hard to play any game without ball from set piece and if the boys didn’t know that they certainly will now.’
The Kings historic Super Rugby debut is Solomons’ focus and he said bigger than the result in Port Elizabeth was that captain Luke Watson and lock Steven Sykes got through the match in what was their first appearance after lengthy injury lay-offs.
‘We gained from those objectives in that the players returning from injury got the necessary hit out, but in any sport the objective is to win. That we did not get and we did not deserve a winning result. There has never been any illusion about the challenge in Super Rugby proper but we will be in a position to field a match squad close to full strength. That wasn’t looking possible a few weeks ago.
‘It is a credit to our medical and conditioning staff and to the desire of the players.’
Solomons said he was thankful for the commitment of Griquas and how important the match would be in the mental preparation for the historic season opener in a week.
‘Griquas approached it like it was a Super Rugby match and it was the physical and mental preparation you can’t replicate at training. We’ve got lots to work with in the next week. But take nothing away from Griquas. They came here to win and they did so.’
The Kings play the Force in Port Elizabeth to start their Super Rugby history.
By Mark Keohane
807 Comments
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13 Feb 2013, 21:00 pm
RT @keocoza: Griquas edge Kings: Griquas got the win but Southern Kings Director of Rugby Alan Solomons got questions answ… http://t.c …
13 Feb 2013, 21:07 pm
Pain for the EP Dragons
13 Feb 2013, 21:07 pm
RT @keocoza: Griquas edge Kings: Griquas got the win but Southern Kings Director of Rugby Alan Solomons got questions answ… http://t.c …
13 Feb 2013, 21:21 pm
who did not see this coming
13 Feb 2013, 21:22 pm
This domination in the set phases by lowly teams is worrying for the Kings. I still claim these guys have all watched Super rugby, they all claim to understand the demands it places on a team but they have NO clue what is coming their way.
It is like someone believing despite what they are told that they can drive a Formula 1 car – just because they have diced in their suped up Toyota Conquest 1.6 from the traffic lights a few times.
HKGK…..hier kom groot kak !
13 Feb 2013, 21:24 pm
“They dominated the lineout and denied us a platform.”
David Bullbring is super kak – the guppies rejected him – Mitch dumped him along with the other guppy Snyman, saying they both be very kak and not super rugby quality at all. So there goes their lineout.
They will also be turbo reversing all season long – Ross Geldenhuys is another kak player let go by Mitch. funny how he was one of the players the Kings raved about citing his experience – whatever. No scrum for them either.
No set piece ball at all – let the games begin.
13 Feb 2013, 21:24 pm
@KingsRugby-1: Ha ha ha ha….I like the way the tweets keep coming while the Kings are ahead and then suddenly stop after the Griquas first try……was it a blood fest after that ? Were you okes already drowning your sorrows ? LOL !
13 Feb 2013, 21:26 pm
@RL-6: Can you imagine when this lot come up against a potent scrum & lineout ? I got a feeling they will call uncontested scrums for fear okes might not be able to retract their heads when they get pushed backwards through their own poephols.
13 Feb 2013, 21:29 pm
I prefer the News24 headline: “Griquas floor Kings.”
The News24 article is at pains to emphasize that it is the Griquas Vodacom Cup team that beat the Super Rugby Kings, not even the Griquas Currie Cup team.
Oh boy.
13 Feb 2013, 21:30 pm
@Dusky-8: eish eina! that is going to be ugly. I wonder if the coaching staff will be allowed to throw in the white towel – or do a Sonny Bill time trick and call the match off after only 40min – with them only 40 points behind on the scoreboard.
13 Feb 2013, 21:31 pm
“Griquas approached it like it was a Super Rugby match”
BTW Mr Solomons, this was a Vodacom Cup team, nowhere near Super Rugby level.
And just maybe you should have kept Burton Francis, he killed you guys tonight with a try, 3 conversions and 3 penalties.
13 Feb 2013, 21:34 pm
@RL-10: I feel bad for the players. It is human nature to take whatever opportunity that comes your way regardless of whether you are completely qualified or not.
But these guys are going to be praying to throw in the towel with 5 or 6 games left to go. Unfortunately for Cheeky, the rules on the field are applied by the IRB and he can’t just ignore them like he has done with SARU. So his team will have to play for 80 minutes against the Chiefs, Waratahs, Crusaders, Sharks, Stormers, Bulls…..that is eish !
They have no idea. Shame.
13 Feb 2013, 21:35 pm
@Baylion-11: These okes are such clowns. Is Solomons really going to stand up and claim that The Kings weren’t desperate to win this game ?
Is he intellectually inhibited enough to have not considered what would be said if the Kings lose this ?
What a load of absolute toss !
13 Feb 2013, 21:36 pm
Hehe. I love to see spindoctors in action.
I didn’t realise the game happened tonight, and therefore the first I heard of the result was when I read the News24 heading “Griquad floor Kings.”
Only to eagerly pop over here to see Keo write that “Griquas may have got the win but Solomans got the answers he was looking for..”, as if somehow this was a positive result for the Kings.
The only answers Solomans got are that the Kings are nowhere near good enough to play Super Rugby and are going to get absolutely hammered this season.
It’s going to be embarrassing.
13 Feb 2013, 21:40 pm
Great comment on Sport24 from a Cheetah supporter:
“Ek gaan nie die kings spot nie want naka sal n manier kry om ons te laat verloor teen hulle ”
13 Feb 2013, 21:42 pm
Problem is half time the other teams will send on all their replacements and maybe just maybe the ton will be avoided.
Mid season the rotation policy will do wonder for other teams.
13 Feb 2013, 21:43 pm
@Baylion-15:
I seriously don’t understand why people are so critical of Naka Drodske. To me this criticism is based on the unrealistic expectations of deluded Cheetah fans.
The fact is that the Cheetahs punch above their weight every year. If they had a budget approaching that of the Bulls or Sharks, they would be contenders for the play-offs in most seasons.
Naka is doing as well as is possible with the resources at hand.
Naka’s Cheetahs would still klap the Kings home and away, no sweat.
13 Feb 2013, 21:44 pm
@Tacitus-14: Can you imagine if ANY of the other franchises had lost against Griquas Vodacom Cup side ? Can you imagine the panic ? 1 and a half weeks to go before kick off !?
HA HA HA HA HA…..julle is in diep kak Kings. Withdraw, admit you made a mistake and go on your knees and ask the Lions nicely if they will fill in for you. That is my advice.
13 Feb 2013, 21:45 pm
@Tacitus-17: The Cheetahs will by far not be the Kings ‘easiest’ opponent. Not in a home derby. If the Kings are thinking this they are delusional.
Have they not been watching rugby in the Eastern Cape ?
13 Feb 2013, 21:46 pm
@Tuna-16:
More like most teams will send their B teams down to PE to give their top players an off-weekend when they face the Kings.
This will keep most scores below 50. In fact, once the 4 tries are scored even the B teams will probably have a few key players taken off to bring some C team guys on to see out the game. No need to risk injuries in a long Super Rugby season.
I wouldn’t be surprised if a few player weddings have been scheduled for the weekends of the Kings games, as this is the third and fourth off weekends that are available to the SA teams.
It’s going to be a total farce.
13 Feb 2013, 21:49 pm
@Dusky-18:
What was the earlier headline? “Watson leads Kings show of Force..”
Oh boy. If this is the show of Force A team, then the predicament has probably dawned on all and sundry in its full glory now, I would think.
13 Feb 2013, 21:53 pm
cue transie with enough smilies for a gang of clowns
13 Feb 2013, 21:57 pm
This sounds like something Bakkies would have written. An excellent piece of work.
Johannesburg – Former IBF world heavyweight champion Francois Botha says Sonny Bill Williams needs to get back in the ring with the South African if he wants to redeem himself.
“If he wants to regain his honour and win back the favour of the people, he will have to get back in the ring with me,” Botha said on Wednesday.
“There are already talks that the fight will be in December in South Africa and I am hoping for one in Durban.”
This follows their controversial heavyweight fight in Brisbane, Australia, last week when Williams won the bout on points.
A furore broke out after the contest with allegations of match-fixing and doping dominating the headlines.
Australian media reported on Sunday that Botha had tested positive for banned substances Phentermine and Benzodiazepine.
The White Buffalo said he had since undergone his own drug test at the Lancet Laboratories in South Africa, which came back negative.
“I landed in South Africa on the Sunday, and the next day I went for the tests, and it came back clean,” he said.
“I sent the results back to Australia and New Zealand for them to see for themselves.
“The only people who could have done those tests were the Australian Boxing Commission, and they didn’t even do it.”
Shortly after the doping reports surfaced, John Hogg, a member of the Australian National Boxing Federation, denied that he knew anything about them.
Botha planted another counter-blow, claiming he had been offered a $150 000 bribe by Williams’ agent, Khoder Nasser, in a Brisbane park before the bout.
The South African said he had never in his 23-year career – during which he crossed swords with respected heavyweights such as Evander Holyfield, Wladimir Klitchko, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis – been placed in such a position.
“It is the first time in my life that I have come across something like this.
“Back in 1999 (when he was knocked out by Tyson) I could have thrown a fight and made millions of dollars, but now they want me to do this against this upstart? It is not worth it.”
Botha said reducing the fight from 12 to 10 rounds was tantamount to match-fixing.
He said when they initially started negotiations for the bout, scheduled to take place in November last year, it was agreed it would be contested over 10 rounds.
The fight, however, had been rescheduled after Williams underwent surgery on his pectoral muscle in October 2012.
Botha said Williams’ management had applied for the bout to be upgraded to a World Boxing Association (WBA) International title fight.
“I met with the WBA’s Stan Christodoulou (the WBA representative in South Africa) and he said there could be no WBA title fight with only 10 rounds,” the boxer said.
“So the fight is not legal, and I don’t want the fight on my record anyway.”
He was adamant that he would have won the bout had it gone the distance.
“I was advancing in the last round. I was busy chopping the tree down, slowly but surely, and it was slowly falling. He would not have finished the fight.” – Sapa
13 Feb 2013, 21:58 pm
the kings are going to battle indeed.
i think they will battle to stay up after this season but the foundation will have been layed and if they can stick to building they may just win relegation again in 2015 and become a good team.
that side will be there on merit and hopefully the hatred towards them will dissapate but as with guys like transie taking continual pot shots at the sharks, saffa rugby supporters have long memories.
13 Feb 2013, 21:59 pm
@The Rangerman-22: I think he is thinking up a new nic.
13 Feb 2013, 22:01 pm
Cape Town – The Blue Bulls Company (BBC) on Wednesday announced that centre Jan Serfontein has extended his contract with the union and will remain a Bulls player in the foreseeable future.
Serfontein is one of the brightest young stars in South African Rugby and indeed in world rugby, having being voted IRB Junior World Championship player-of-the-year in 2012.
The 19-year-old midfielder has taken to senior rugby with ease and according to the BBC’s High Performance Manager Xander Janse van Rensburg, they are delighted to secure the extension.
“We have built a very good relationship with Jan since he was a schoolboy and I am happy to see him continuing his career in Pretoria. We obviously rate his ability as a player very high, but we are also delighted to secure someone who is a wonderful team player and human being.”
Serfontein, who hails from Port Elizabeth, said it was an easy decision.
“Home is where the heart is and I am very happy in Pretoria. The Bulls rugby family is indeed a special one and their work ethic commendable, something I want to be part of for the next couple of years.”
Sport24
13 Feb 2013, 22:01 pm
@The Rangerman-24: Do you think there is a plan for EP to be included in the Currie Cup ? Are they going to play their way in through the existing rules of promotion/relegation or are they going to get another ‘kriesmaas box’ ?
13 Feb 2013, 22:02 pm
Butana Khompela and ilk, what say you now?
13 Feb 2013, 22:06 pm
15-visser
14-mastriet
13-small-smith
12-serfontein
11-blommetjies
10-pollard
9-jantjies
8-cooke
7-liebenberg
6-adendorf
5-hatting
4-willemse
3-kirsten
2-mbonambi
1-mellet…. We bold well for the foreseeable future
13 Feb 2013, 22:10 pm
@xtremebull-29: bode well….LOL !
Visser is not a good fullback. The rest I only vaguely know but I hope they are brighter prospects than him or the Bulls are entering a 10 year rebuilding phase.
13 Feb 2013, 22:12 pm
@xtremebull… “bold”? Or bode? Meisiekind would be proud ie bold and beautiful
13 Feb 2013, 22:16 pm
@xtremebull-29:
Arno Botha, Marcel vd Merwe?
13 Feb 2013, 22:47 pm
Give the Griquas their own Super Rugby team- join the campaign!
If you want to expand let’s just call it Super 20
13 Feb 2013, 22:48 pm
well done Griquas…
13 Feb 2013, 22:51 pm
@umfolozi-33: No, lets go back to Super 12. Each country gets 4 allocations. In South Africa the top 4 Currie Cup teams play Super rugby in the next season.
To play in the Currie Cup and earn an opportunity to end in the top 4, you have to win the Vodacom Cup and play two promotion/relegation matches against the team ending last in the Currie Cup.
Very simple and we have 4 South African teams playing Super rugby each year based on sporting principles and not political interference.
13 Feb 2013, 22:51 pm
@Transformation-34: Get used to it
PS: You forgot your smiley face.
13 Feb 2013, 22:55 pm
@Dusky-35: Maara no….hulle wil die kriesmaas box he…..
13 Feb 2013, 23:11 pm
@Dusky-35:
Won’t work, we had to go to franchises as we were playing against combined teams in New Zealand, they were too powerful
I think 1996 was the last time we played as provinces
You can’t have teams in one year and out the next, it takes a few years to build an experienced squad at that level
13 Feb 2013, 23:15 pm
@Dusky-35:
> No, lets go back to Super 12.
The Aussies won’t they like their own domestic competition
We were on the road more and longer than the Aussie en NZ sides during the S12, with the S14 they were on the road longer and it was more fair
13 Feb 2013, 23:17 pm
Yes it takes a few years to build an experienced team at that level
EP been raped of all her players by these money grubbing sophisticated siphoning suctions called Sharks and Bulls so how long it going to take before they prepared to stay and play their rugby at home?
13 Feb 2013, 23:20 pm
@victoriabok-38:
Twak man.
The Sharks Currie Cup and Super Rugby teams are identical.
And show me one Falcons or Leopards player in the Bulls Super Rugby squad.
We are franchises in name only. The teams come straight from the Currie Cup home union.
13 Feb 2013, 23:23 pm
Etv news had Pierre Spies leading the bulls brekers in a rendition of ‘Stand by me’ as a type of associated pick me up morale boosting exercise
Never seen such a pathetic attempt at bewildered brand brokerage anywhere anytime
13 Feb 2013, 23:27 pm
@skopdiekan-42:
Can only be an improvement on the infamous Pink Jersey campaign.
13 Feb 2013, 23:35 pm
Well Pierre Spies can’t sing to save his life I reckon he’s better off wearing a pink jersey than trying to sing stand by me. Same goes for most his team mates they should give up singing as a bad idea at morale boosting and try at least sticking to what they reasonably good at which should be playing rugby. Pierre Spies excluded
13 Feb 2013, 23:38 pm
@Tacitus-41:
Now yes, but those days we had some borrowed players “to give us more depth”, didn’t work that well though
These days the CC starts while the Super rugby is still on so the CC and Super teams are two different teams for a large part of the season
13 Feb 2013, 23:40 pm
@skopdiekan-44:
Tarzan Potgieter was a surprise though, Dewald fancy himself a musician but Tarzan wasn’t too bad at all
13 Feb 2013, 23:43 pm
This is seriously cringeworthy. My god. Dewaldt looked like a forlorn teenager about to burst into tears.
And as for tears. I think there will many.
Let’s cringe again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYRRAvi3cpw&feature=player_embedded
13 Feb 2013, 23:47 pm
Who was the Bulls player waving a white flag in the background? They’ve given up already.
That made me laugh!
13 Feb 2013, 23:49 pm
@I am a stormer-48:
Dit was Oom Wynie se Jockey
Hy wou nie sing nie
13 Feb 2013, 23:50 pm
@skopdiekan-40: Yeah sure…. definitely the Bulls and Sharks fault. Nothing to do with the poor management that happened in that region. Get your head out of your *** man.
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