Please Sir(s) can we have some more
11 Mar 2013
MARK KEOHANE, in Business Day, writes of the glory of South Africa’s Super Rugby weekend.
Four South African wins and a defensive master class from the Kings, who kept last season’s Super Rugby finalists, the Sharks, tryless in Port Elizabeth.
Wonderful; just bloody wonderful.
I can’t recall when last I’ve so enjoyed a weekend of Super Rugby.
There have been occasions, over the last few years when South African teams have physically worked over New Zealand teams but the memory can’t quite find a collective working over done with such brutality and with such ball in hand buoyancy.
The Cheetahs set the standard in giving the Highlanders a lesson in how to play field position, how to counter attack and how to match physicality with intelligence.
It was the best win overseas I have seen from the Cheetahs. They did everything well against a team never allowed to settle or find rhythm.
South African regional teams and the Springboks, on a very good day, have always had the physical capacity to intimidate New Zealand’s finest, to put a rattle into their rhythm and to force them into playing extravagant but ineffective rugby, in which there is plenty of side to side ball movement but little direct impact.
These SA wins too often come just because of defensive desperation and invariably they can’t be repeated a week later.
What made the weekend different and delightful was that nothing was compromised in defence and something extra was found in attack.
South African teams played to their strengths, which are to embrace physicality and contact, and to kick for field position. But they also showed a capacity to think, to play the situation and to use the width of the field.
The Cheetahs, overawed against the Chiefs in Hamilton in their tour opener, physically manhandled the Highlanders players as if they were rag dolls. The Highlanders couldn’t match the physicality and with their forwards outmuscled and beaten up in the collisions there was never a platform for their backs.
It was a similar situation in Auckland on Sunday when the Blues backs spent most of the afternoon back pedaling as the Bulls marched the home team forwards back in contact and regularly embarrassed the Blues whenever mauling from lineouts.
Johan Goosen, for the Cheetahs, and Morne Steyn, for the Bulls, were the greatest beneficiaries of the physical dominance and both flyhalves showed their rugby intelligence in knowing when to kick and when to involve the outside backs.
South African teams have always been big and strong, but they showed they can also be clever and subtle at the same time.
The Bulls were marvelous among the backs and the only surprise was that they didn’t get the four-try bonus point.
Similarly the Stormers in Cape Town. The Chiefs, champions in 2012, are comfortably the best balanced among the New Zealand challenge, and they could have stolen victory in the final minute had referee interpretation not been as charitable to the Stormers.
Referee Jaco Pyper’s final act was questionable but there was nothing to question about the quality of a match in which 70 points were scored and the Stormers forwards finally gave flyhalf Elton Jantjies the front ball he needs to play conductor.
Jantjies and winger Gio Aplon prospered off the inspirational forward efforts of Duane Vermeulen, Siya Kolisi and Andries Bekker, and Joe Pietersen made every goal kicking opportunity count.
The Stormers played with greater discipline and balance and showed an attitude in attack that matched their intensity and discipline in defence.
The Chiefs unlocked the league’s best defence with grubber kicks but they never had enough quality first phase ball to build match-winning momentum.
South African players, when the desire matches the occasion, have the capacity to beat New Zealand’s best, but it happens too infrequently.
It is why the weekend must be enjoyed and celebrated. It is rare to shut out New Zealand three to nothing in Super Rugby match ups and even rarer is the out of ordinary manner in which it was done.
Our teams really have to back their skills and attack more.
The Kings, in shutting down the star-studded Sharks, displayed the defensive qualities of the very best in South African rugby.
The Sharks, especially with Pat Lambie kicking so well, were too good to lose but the moral victory belonged to the tournament newcomers.
The Kings have earned respect and even the haters can’t dispute the fighting qualities and character of a side so limited in class but unlimited in passion and pride.
Every outstanding quality in South African rugby was evident at the weekend. Our boys, in the four matches, defended, attacked, thought, snarled, smiled and celebrated.
It was a rugby weekend to remember, and it would only be polite and very appropriate to request a second helping this weekend.
359 Comments
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11 Mar 2013, 22:21 pm
“had referee interpretation not been as charitable to the Stormers” ??
WTF?
I thought that Peyper was being bloody chariitable in not sending off three or four Chiefs at the same time. With a man off the field, they bring down YET ANOTHER maul in the red zone (after being warned). I dont know why he did not send off another – he must have been embarrassed or something. FFS the Chiefs did nothing but cheat all game. And then they ***** about an arguable steal?
12 Mar 2013, 04:49 am
@RL-7:
The stormers player was on his feet and stole teh ball, the chiefs tried to steal it back, but had not released teh tackled player. Fair call.
Also, Peyper if anythng was leneinet on teh Chiefs, not sending off another when they had had a warning for pulling donwn mauls, and pulled down yet another with a player already off. The Chiefs ninsense at the breakdowns should be hammered – it is not a case of the players even believeing they were in the right and it being an error of judgement. Those players were trained to deliberately play illegally, in full knowledge of and in blatant infringement of the laws.
After the first Chief was sent off, they started rolling away, but towards the end of the game, under pressure, it came back. They clearly use the refs innattention to get whatever advantage they can. They dont even try and defend mauls, just bring them down asap to minimise damage. And they use players in ahead of the rucks to hold defenders jerseys and create holes for their players to go through, as well as prevent defenders even getting to the ruck, never mind challenging for possession.
Just blatant really. Just like the AB’s do – maybe Wayne Smith engineered it at the AB’s, or maybe he just learnt it there. The patterns are very similar though.
12 Mar 2013, 04:50 am
This should put into perspective what a big weekend this was for the SA sides.
It’s unbelievable how seldom this happens.
The Bulls and Cheetahs scored historic wins in New Zealand, while a nail-biting win by the Stormers resulted in a clean sweep of South African teams over their New Zealand counterparts in an exciting fourth round of Super Rugby.
It is arguably the most successful weekend for South African teams over Kiwi rivals in Investec Super Rugby history.
In Auckland, on a sunny Sunday afternoon the visiting Bulls shocked the previously undefeated Blues team with a great mix of attacking rugby, accurate tactical kicking and some very physical line-out drives to claim their first ever win at Eden Park (28-21). The Bulls, who remain unbeaten after three matches came inches from scoring a bonus point try, while a late try by Rene Ranger gave the hosts a losing bonus point.
Earlier during the weekend, on Saturday afternoon, the Stormers got their first win of the season when they beat the defending Super Rugby champions, the Chiefs, by 36-34 in Cape Town, despite “losing” the try-count by three to four.
It was the first time in almost four years that the Stormers conceded four tries at home. The last time this happened, was on 3 May 2009, incidentally also against the Chiefs, but on that occasion the Capetonians lost 14-28.
The Cheetahs started the sweep early Saturday morning South African time, when the team from Central South Africa beat the Highlanders 36-17 after leading 30-7 at the break at Rugby Park.
The 17-point win margin was the Cheetahs’ biggest ever over a New Zealand team at any venue. They have only won seven from 35 clashes against Kiwi sides (26 defeats and two draws) and the previous biggest victory was by 28-12 on 6 March 2010 against the Hurricanes in Bloemfontein.
The last time South African teams recorded three wins on a single weekend against New Zealand sides, was on 24/25 April 2009, but all three wins were at home – the Toyota Cheetahs beat the Crusaders in Bloemfontein (20-13), the Vodacom Bulls beat the Chiefs in Pretoria (33-27) and the DHL Stormers beat the Highlanders in Cape Town (18-11).
It also happened on 16/17 February 2007, when the Sharks beat the Highlanders in Durban (23-16), the MTN Lions beat the Crusaders in Johannesburg (9-3) and the DHL Stormers beat the Chiefs in Cape Town (21-16).
The first and only other time the South African teams won home and abroad was on 13/14 April 2001. On that weekend, the MTN Lions beat the Blues in Whangarei (26-23), the Sharks beat the Chiefs in Taupo (24-8) and the DHL Stormers were too strong for the Crusaders in Cape Town (49-28).
12 Mar 2013, 06:51 am
@SjamBok-352:
more or less spot on.
truth is there was probably more going on than you bring attention to.
Kiwis play a dirty dishonest game full stop.
12 Mar 2013, 08:08 am
dear China,
it has been three days since i’ve heard from you.
are you alright?
regards,
Bakkies
12 Mar 2013, 08:45 am
Fair dues, every NZ team that lost over the weekend, lost against expectation. Other than the die hard fans believed these results would come about, which has more or less been underlined by the a lot of the comments here.
As tough as it was to watch the NZ teams get clobbered, I have to admit they were by and large all entertaining matches to watch.
As Keo says, I look forward to more of the same.
12 Mar 2013, 11:13 am
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-355:
Bakkies.
Try putting some posters up on lamp posts.
Or an ad in the classifieds.
12 Mar 2013, 14:20 pm
@gunther-357:
i am worried though
its so out of character
12 Mar 2013, 17:48 pm
@SjamBok-351: Well said. The Chiefs were lucky not to get more heavily peanalised. NZ rugby play obstruction and offsides all the time, not to mention only being able to defend the rolling maul illegally. They love clearing in front of the ball carrier, it’s about time they get peanalised for it.
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