We wanted a good proper North vs South battle for years. Well we have it. Next Saturday we have The Stormers visiting the Bulls new “Home” in Orlando to challenge the Champions and try to become the second South African team to lift the Super 14 trophy.
My Rating of the Players. This might just be the exact two teams taking each other on in Soweto. Although Gerhard vd Heever will most probably replace Jaco vd Westhuizen at wing.
| Bulls | ?/10 | Stormers | ?/10 | |
| 1 | Gurthro Steenkamp | 7 | Wicus Blaauw | 6 |
| 2 | Gary Botha | 7 | Tiaan Liebenberg | 8 |
| 3 | Werner Kruger | 6 | Brok Harris | 6 |
| 4 | Danie Rossouw | 8 | Adriaan Fondse | 7 |
| 5 | Victor Matfield | 9 | Andries Bekker | 6 |
| 6 | Deon Stegmann | 7 | Schalk Burger | 9 |
| 7 | Dewald Potgieter | 8 | Francois Louw | 8 |
| 8 | Pierre Spies | 9 | Duane Vermeulen | 7 |
| 9 | Fourie du Preez | 9 | Dewaldt Duvenhage | 9 |
| 10 | Morne Steyn | 9 | Peter Grant | 9 |
| 11 | Francois Hougaard | 7 | Bryan Habana | 6 |
| 12 | Wynand Olivier | 8 | Juan de Jongh | 9 |
| 13 | Jaco Pretorius | 6 | Jaque Fourie | 8 |
| 14 | Jaco van der Westhuyzen | 6 | Gio Aplon | 7 |
| 15 | Zane Kirchner | 8 | Joe Pietersen | 7 |
| 16 | Bandise Maku | * | Deon Fourie | 7 |
| 17 | Bees Roux | * | Eusebio Guinazu | * |
| 18 | Flip van der Merwe | 7 | Anton van Zyl | 7 |
| 19 | Derick Kuun | * | Pieter Louw | * |
| 20 | Jacques-Louis Potgieter | * | Ricky Januarie | * |
| 21 | Stephan Dippenaar | * | Willem de Waal | * |
| 22 | Pedrie Wannenburg | 8 | Tim Whitehead | * |
* Players not long enough on the field for a rating.
Stand out performances by
Bulls
Fourie du Preez, Victor Matfield, Morne Steyn, Pierre Spies, Pedrie Wannenburg.
Stormers
Dewalt Duvenhage, Peter Grant, Juan de Jongh, Schalk Burger, Tiaan Liebenberg, Francois Louw and Jaque Fourie.
Possible improvements
Bulls
Gerhard vd Heever for Jaco vd Westhuizen. Jaco vd Westhuizen to the bench in place of Stephan Dippenaar. Deon Stegman, quick lesson in how to get the referee on your side.
Stormers
Front row. Get Andries Bekker more into the game. And get Bryan Habana to calm down, he gets too much involved in pushing off the ball, he must be number one candidate for a yellow card. Yes even beating Stegman.
Nou is dit stormers teen die REGTE BULLE!!!!!!! Die bulle het great rugby gespeel…. So i assume that we can lay the arguement to bed that it was a great idea to rest the players for that last match against the stormers a few weeks ago……. 🙂
The experience of the Bulls showed, they just kept doing their thing. The Crusaders came out fast but it lasted 5 minutes for the “rust” to fall off. My biggest fears was dispelled in 5 minutes. Thanks Bulle.
The Final will be hectic. I think the Bulls can step up even more.
The hard running of Danie , Spies and Dewald will test the brilliant defense of the Stormers. I am looking forward to that part of the game. Bulls must cross the tryline a few times, they MUST. I demand it. 😆
cant wait to be on orlando next week…. why was the stadium so empty? was it the traffic… if somebody was there please let me know….
Weekend Argus-
Storming to Soweto
They are not marching to Pretoria, but they are storming to Soweto, and on this evidence the Stormers can certainly go all the way by winning the final at Orlando Stadium next Saturday.
Bulls charge into the final
You can take the Bulls out of Loftus, but you can’t take Loftus out of the Bull
3 @ Durban Bulle:
I read in the News that it was a traffic problem. The opening of the new Soccer city was also yesterday. Pres Zuma was there too. So imagine the streets with 40 000 Bulls and 80 000 soccer spectators.
@ superBul:
Thanks superbul…sal moet vroeg ry sat om daar uit te kom will nie die 1ste helfde mis nie
i think everybody will be wise to go much earlier. Go eat some of Soweto,s best cuisine and listen to Steve. What a weekend. Hell this week will be long.
3@ Durban Bulle:
Definately traffic chaos in and around Soweto…
First serious jams were on the Highway near Nasrec, before the supporters even parked.
Second problem was the N1 from Pretoria to Johannesburg where roadworks prevented supporters and busses comming from SuperSport Park in Centurion from getting near Soweto on time….. see to it that next Saturday you leave early and use backroads to get to Soweto!
Third problem was the traffic in Soweto itself, there are heaps of roadworks IN Soweto… and the soccer at Soccer City did not help matters… once again, leave early!
Whatever you do, get tickets for the game, yesterday was epic… I was there!
Congrats to the Bulls on a brave semi performance where the old heads first held it together and then with the help of FdP’s great match craft, pulled it through. Given the build-up I was expecting to see more Nguni bulls in the Soweto kraal, but in the end the Afrikanerosse far outnumbered the Ngunis. Maybe the opening of Soccer City and the Nedbank final had greater pulling power than was expected. In terms of societal progress’ it was good that the Afrikanerosse got out a bit…. 😉
Sitting next to me yesterday, Richard, a NZ Newspaper man… I had to translate to him what the words “Gaffel Hulle” means on the Posters…. and it was great to tell him it meant the Bulls had to GORE THEM… which the Bulls duly did!
I’m busy watching the PVR recording now of the Bulls match… but I’m watching everything, the run up to the match… and just now the match as well.
Good on you Bulls supporters for experiencing Soweto the way you did yesterday… good on you Sowetans for showing us marvelous hospitality yesterday!
This coming Saturday will be no different…. I’m going to ask te Blue Bulls Company and Vodacom’s people to take us to a lekker Soweto Shebeen afterwards as well…
@superbul -Excellent and very fair player ratings and also the end notes. Blaaw seems not be up to scratch. I think stormers scrum has been better with kritzinger.
As for next week, the traffic will be much less as there won’t be a match at Soccer City. So no need to get there too soon, unless you want to of course!
11@ The_Young_Turk:
Wrong assumption about not having to get there sooner rather than later…. you should see the roadworks on the N1, the backups of traffic on the Nasrec Offramp…. and the mountains of roadworks inside Soweto.
Last night at 21:30 it was still rush hour traffic in Soweto and on the N1…. 2 and a half hours AFTER the game…
So, don’t listen to The Young Skurk… listen to me, people… leave early, get there early to soak up the sigts and sounds….
I would give anything for these bloody roadworks to come to an end..
I wonder if they are going to site schalk for the two high tackels, and the a shoulder block (yellow not give ????????? mmmmm wonder)
Joggie,wont happen,we are not soft like the folk from our kissing cousins 🙂
gbs
Waar is die fotos en video ?
Is the citing officer not Freek Burger, he did it to Bakkies. No one else.
Apologies to bigblueglimlag and all here. I assumed the delays experienced in getting to the stadium was due to the soccer final being held nearby, but i bow down in all humility to the superior knowledge of the boss of bosses. Seems that it’s the roadworks that’s the main cause of the delays, so GET THERE EARLY, folks!
Superbul – I believe 6 for jaco vd westhuizen is a bit harsh. He made numerous telling tackles on the wing, even on Mccaw, Gurthro was huge on defence he must surely have the inside lane for the boks, his work rate is unreal.
independent freek burger…:-)
@ Onerb:
6 is not bad, Onerb. I might have missed a thing or 2.
Superbul, I think a 7 is a fair reflection, the composure he held and the way he kept his line was very good, he also oustprinted one of the saders centres dispelling the myth that he is slow. I will keep him on the wing for Saturday where experience will be crucial.
@ Onerb:
Jaco played well, but we need “shadow” back, he played well for us this year !!!
Blouste dink jy dat Danie se drie wel n drie was?
Super, jammer om in te spring, ek dink nie dit was ‘n drie nie. Hy het die bal vorentoe verloor en toe die bal gedruk nadat hy geland het. Dit het dalk die saders van ‘n allemagtige pakslae gered. Danie moes laer ingegaan het en vir die lyn geduik het, darem het dit ons nie gekos nie.
Super/blouste/mede bloggers wat dink julle is die kans dat gurhtro begin vir die bokke? Hy is in die beste vorm van sy lewe en ek glo ouens bek*k hulle self as hy regmaak vir ‘n duikslag, laat my dink aan os durand.
26,I agree with you but I’m pretty sure they will start with Beast bud.. But I’d much rather have him that CJ,I think Cj is highly overrated.
@ superBul:
Van wat ek gesien het, dink ek tog hy het hom verloor, die vraag is het hy hom gedruk voor dit toe wel die grond getref het.
Kan jou dit se, ek dink as die Bulls daai drie gekry het was die pakslae groter gewees !!!
@ Onerb:
Op meriete is Guthro tans ligjare voor die ander loskoppe.
Of hulle hom gaan speel, ek twyfel, maar hy hoort daar !!!
Winston, Beast had a shocker of a season, in fact – since they wanted to revoke his visa he was never the same player. Maybe time to go do some soul searching, Gurthro is better at the moment, and just because his surname sounds white it shouldn’t exclude him from ousting Beast, I like beast but there is no way in hell that he is better than gurthro on current form. I love how he defends on the touchline, Richey is still shaking after that smother tackle.
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