Jonathan Kaplan

What a difference a week makes…

The Rugby Championship:

We saw 2 very good test matches, particularly the All Blacks vs Springboks game, played in the Cake Tin.

It was played at tempo for the duration of the match and was superbly refereed by Jerome Garces. Chalk and cheese between what we saw last week.

He seemed to be able to make his decisions with ease, without pressure, and for the most part they were well timed, and accurate. He added huge value to a compelling test match which was deservedly won by the All Blacks.

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Make no mistake, the Springboks pushed them hard but in the end could not capitalize on 5 minutes in their opponents 22m area at the end of the game.

They could not penetrate a determined rearguard action and lacked composure when a sustained pressured drive may have yielded better outcomes.

Having said that, the Boks surprised many with their strong defensive effort at the breakdown, particularly Flo, Coetzee and Habana who had a huge game in this facet; and their weak effort at line out where the All Blacks pilfered many balls.

Moment of the test had to be Read’s audacious pass to McCaw for his try which confirms my belief that he is the best in his position and is destined for greatness if he stays healthy.

The scrum was good and were unlucky not to win some gains with decisions not always going in their favour… At least 1 whip wheel picked up but not blown.

The Argentine scrum may well be the best in the business on the face of what I have seen so far. But, I’m afraid they have not always got the rub of the green and certainly were not well treated in the later game against the Wallabies.

The Wallaby all round game is a pleasure to watch, when they are on song, but their achilles heel was exposed again, and they were incredibly fortunate to get away with the bulk of the penalties in their test.

They looked to be out of sight, but Argentina are no rollovers and with a bit of luck could well have been victors instead of gallant losers again.

The Argentinians need more reward for their selections at scrum and not some effort at parity.

The Currie Cup:

The Currie Cup produced one shock at least where the Griffons trumped the strong Leopards outfit 37-31… No just joking… The real surprise was Griquas beating the Pumas 31-27 on the back of 8 penalties.

That’s right… 8! The Sharks and Free State shared the spoils, and EP Kings were outclassed by the Blue Bulls team, hitting their straps.

I thought the referee Quinton Immelmann had a poor start to the game with some poor penalties and a needless yellow card, but settled down nicely to referee a good product and rewarded dominance throughout. He needs more opportunities at this level.

The game of the weekend at this level was the Golden Lions vs DHL WP fixture. The Golden Lions looked very good against determined opponents and were deserving winners.

They CAN play and their interplay and tempo rugby is a credit to their coaching staff.

They have a front row of note and some real game breakers in the backs. WP are still top but there are no free lunches in the Currie Cup and they could slip again.

These 2 teams do look streaks ahead of anything that I have seen, and should go all the way.