Round 3 of Super Rugby of 2013 certainly delivered it’s share of surprises, frustration, disapointment, elation and joy.
Here’s having a disection of a number of the games:
Blues / Crusaders
Making my Superbru picks, I thought the Crusaders might be a bit rusty after having had a BYE in the previous round.
It panned out to be the case but let’s not take anything away from the Blues. It fascinates me how everything Graham Henry touches turns to gold – relatively speaking. Henry was of course the last coach able to gel this disjointed bunch into a cohesive unit, years ago. The Blues were a class above everyone else when they won the Super12 competition in 1996 and 1997 with Henry as coach.
It is hard to pinpoint what exactly the Blues are doing differently this year – in comparison to the last few years. It is mostly the same players with a few inexperienced but freakishly talented new ones. The Henry success recipe, if I were to make a call, is threefold. Firstly, and probably most importantly he has an innate ability to gel players into a unit. There is clearly a lot more commitment amongst the Blues and Ali Williams said after both the first two matches the players are playing for each other. John Kirwan is the coach but I believe it is the contributions and presence of Graham Henry which fostered this heightened sense of group unity and application. The approach – to create unity – Henry seems to favour is to make influential personalities leaders in the group. Henry’s philosophy is that players will handle the challenge if it is their challenge. The power of player leadership and the importance of player leadership is the main message of Henry’s autobiography, ‘The final word’. Ali Williams and Rene Ranger were made leaders in the Blues this year and they both were not only outstanding in terms of doing their position specific tasks but were instrumental in stopping the Crusaders getting momentum with beyond normal contributions. These two players are traditionally very much individualistic personalities, poor followers and consequently potentially destructive influences due to the fact that they are also so freakishly talented. If they commit, the team plays well, if they don’t fully commit then the whole team lacks special commitment. Henry’s approach is to make players like those two leaders in the group.
The second part of Henry’s success is to have playmakers with cool heads in the pivotal positions of No 9 and No 10 and on the wings players who are strong and fast with x-factor. In short, players in the pivot positions who can create space for x- factor players out wide who need half a yard to make something out of nothing.
The third component is hard work and his attention to detail in setting up structures and cohesiveness at the set pieces and breakdowns. He plans well and prepares well.
These Blues will get increasingly tougher to beat as the season progresses because Henry’s leaders will be getting better at their jobs, his playmakers are gaining in confidence and the commitment to structures at the set piece and breakdowns are bound to be enhanced by winning early matches. (Let me repeat I know John Kirwan is the head coach but believe much of this early success is a result of Graham Henry’s contributions to get the players to commit and gel as a unit).
This match, for me, demostrated the importance of the coach in the modern game.
Waratahs / Rebels
The Waratahs, in short, lacked energy. There is no zip in that team, while the Rebels is all flap-flap with no real penetration. The Rebels had 70 % of the ball when I stopped watching but was unable to do anything with that against a lacklustre Waratahs outfit. The fact that the Waratahs scrambled a win is no compliment to either side.
Reds / Hurricanes
This was a scrappy affair. The Reds were very good slowing the ball down at the breakdowns and to dominate the possession stats (keeping their hands on the ball). This kept the Hurricanes playmakers out of the match. The Hurricanes on the other hand just wanted to Razzle-dazzle without doing the hard yards up front. Like last year they are slow to develop forward cohesiveness / structures and are starting the season playing well below their ability. One has to wonder about coach Mark Hammett’s attention to detail when it comes to developing and refining unity at the tackle area. Last year it took them almost the whole season to get that in place but once they did they toppled the log leaders, but at a stage when they were too far behind to work themselves into the play-off’s.
The Sharks / DHL Stormers
“It was a ripper of a match”, said Bobby Skinstad after the match. “SA rugby is glowingly healthy”, was Andy Capistagnio’s remark after the match. Well they are either marketing bunnies for their broadcasting corporation or I must have watched a different match.
Yes, it was tight, the defence was outstanding and the field wet and greasy, but these are the conditions they will encounter in New Zealand were the kiwi sides play far more entertaining rugby.
So, before I get told that comparing South African rugby with New Zealand rugby does not make sense, let me explain why I disagree with the above mentioned ‘Marketing Agents’.
Rugby is a game of building pressure. Part of building pressure is to dominate set piece and the breakdowns and playing the game in the opponents half. So as a consequence I have no problem with tactical kicking and the occasional box kick but you can’t build pressure if you keep on kicking the ball away and if you can’t string phases together because you can’t hang onto the ball. Never in all my years as a Western Province and Stormers supporter have I seen Cape rugby so poor at setting up phase ball and so inept in the backline. Add to that the poor scrummaging and you have to ask what are the coaching staff thinking and doing? The Stormers scrum showed no improvement from last week and the backline play was as sterile and clumsy as last week. The ball never moved beyond Jean de Villiers and counter attacks lacked structure, support and runners coming on at angles.
The Stormers have made absolutely no progress from last year, in fact they have regressed. They are totally predictable, having made no adjustments to their stoid game plan. They’ve now played two matches and have lost both. How many more do they need to lose with a defensive game plan, obsessive kicking and forwards pods – as their only attacking strategy – before Allister Coetzee tries something completely different. They were the worst attacking side in the competition in 2012 and still are in exactly the same mould. Elton Jantjies kicked more than 70 % of the possession away and they seemed pathologically unable to build pressure. How do you build pressure if you can’t string phases together and if you keep on needlessly kicking possession away or if you never move the ball beyond your inside centre or those pods sitting in channel 2?
The Bulls have rejected the forward pods because the opposition had worked out how to defend against them, hence the reason why these Stormers kept on losing the ball when the forward pods hit contact. If this is the best the Stormers can do, then Cape rugby is in serious trouble.
The Sharks got dragged into the Stormers kicking and defensive oriented game and played a game lacking their normal imagination, flair and fluency. The reason why The Sharks won, was because Patrick Lambie’s tactical kicking was marginally better, their scrum was more dominant and their structures and commitment at the tackle ball better. They were able to string phases together and build pressure occasionally, specifically in the second half when they needed points.
My expectation is not that South African sides should razzle=dazzle like the New Zealand sides. More variation on attack, specially in the backline, better ball control at the tackle ball, some starter moves off set piece and the back triangle functioning as combinations with structure, support and angled runners on the counter – would be a darn good start.
Vodacom Bulls / Western Force
Credit to the Bulls as they entered the game clearly determined not to get pulled into an arm wrestle with the Force. They tried something different which culminated in a few very good tries. They moved the ball well down the backline, there was speed onto the ball and good variation when they took the ball wide. Their lineout and scrum was solid and they mixed backline attacks with some forward drives and midfield punches. They looked clinical – in the part that I saw – and they will get better as the season progresses. I didn’t see the whole game but the bit that I did see showed a team willing to move beyond the arm wrestle. One thing they can probably improve is more use of soft and quick hands in the backline like the Basson try which was disallowed due to a prior forward pass. They were spreading the ball but still tried to run through and over the defenders. If they mix that with putting people into space – with quick passes – they will be harder to defend against and more unpredictable. The loose trio combination is also a bit too similar and not really linking with the backs. It was not a sterling performance but an improvement on the previous week and I liked the fact that they seem willing to evolve and are trying to play more heads-up rugby.
South Africa 98/9 (11.5/20 ov)
South Africa require another 98 runs with 1 wicket and 49 balls remaining
*Umar Gul (rfm) 2.2 0 6 5
the main destroyer Umar Gul
Pakistan 195/7 (20/20 ov)
South Africa 100 (12.2/20 ov)
Pakistan won by 95 runs
Hello superBul looks like Pakistan got a massive win there, how on earth did that happen, was it all good bowling or SA batsmen playing rash shots because they had such a big target to chase?
and we thought the rugby was bad
Fall of wickets
1-20 (Davids, 1.6 ov),
2-50 (du Plessis, 4.2 ov),
3-50 (Morris, 4.3 ov),
4-51 (Ontong, 4.6 ov),
5-53 (de Villiers, 5.4 ov),
6-53 (Behardien, 6.1 ov),
7-67 (Miller, 9.6 ov),
8-98 (Kleinveldt, 11.4 ov),
9-98 (Peterson, 11.5 ov),
10-100 (Abbott, 12.2 ov)
Hafeez played out of his skin, and blitzed us.
Then again if we go to the ICC cup in 11 games time i am sure we will have Kallis, Smith, Steyn and a few other of our more experienced guys there
Hope they have form then.
@ Bullscot:
#35 is my answer to you
Presentation:
Faf du Plessis: “Nothing went to plan. Mainly because of two things – Hafeez played a brilliant innings and our bowling didn’t work to a plan. But our bowling did well in the last five overs to keep Pakistan to what we thought was a manageable total. But a five-for and an 80-odd completely changes the game. Pakistan are a dangerous team.”
Man of the Match is Mohammad Hafeez: “The credit goes to the coaches, they really worked hard with me. I knew I was only one knock away. The mindset was clear and it was to play positive cricket. Everything I did, it worked for me today. The team was eager to perform as we didn’t have a good time in Tests. Umar showed the way with brilliant bowling as he is the senior bowler. We were very happy with the crowd support. We showed character, we wanted to do well and it is a special occasion for everyone in the team. The win will help us going into the ODIs”
@ Bullscot:
Is the Saracens game shown on your side NOW?
he Stormers’ main stumbling block in these initial stages of their itinerary: an uncertain, too often retreating scrum.
“We conceded four penalties from that department tonight … we were beaten there by a quality (unit) with Springbok front-row men.”
The situation may not be helped by Coetzee’s revelation that one of his two 21-year-old props, tighthead Frans Malherbe, who came off in the 52nd minute, may have picked up an injury.
“We’ll properly know where we stand with any injuries from this game after 12 or 24 hours, and there was a lot of cramping out there. No major concerns yet, but I think Frans got a hard knock to the head or neck area, and I hope he will be alright.”
The fact does remain that the two rookies have made commendable strides, and may well be “monsters” two or three years up the road; they lacked nothing in desire against the Sharks’ gnarly Boks Jannie du Plessis and Beast Mtawarira, and the flame-haired Steven Kitshoff, particularly, was terrific for ball-carrying, cleaning out and tackling at times.
But it is also brutally true that the Stormers have now played second fiddle at that set-piece against both their main SA conference rivals, and will seriously be hoping that their best-known scrummaging hooker, Tiaan Liebenberg, is ready for at least some game-time against the Chiefs – he ought to offer some measure of stability to the front row.
36 @ superBul:
Ok thanks superBul, Centurion is renowned for being a good ground for one day batting, just wondered then why SA batsmen folded so badly and from your quote of Faf it looks like he is putting more emphasis on the batting from Pakistan and the bowling from SA, or did he go on to say that SA batsmen played poorly on their way to trying to get the target. As you say there is more experience to call on, those fireworks from Kleinveldt surely should see him batting higher up the order next time…
38 @ superBul:
It probably is superBul but I don’t have the subscription to the TV channel that it will most likely be on, are you watching it?
#27 & #39 is extracts from a interview with AC
SuperBul it looks like Saracens game only has 15min left in it, won’t put the score up in case you are watching a delayed broadcast of it
@ Bullscot:
ag i dont worry, i will still enjoy it
I see it is a countdown clock, it is live here too , 11 min left
45 @ superBul:
ok then just didn’t want to spoil the viewing if I put the score up and you had not got to that part of the game left, wonder if Saracens will be able to get the bonus point try? latest score Saracens 28-14 London Welsh, so far 3 tries for Saracens.
@ superBul:
Even if Sarries don’t get the bonus point try they will still leap frog Harlequins and go to the top of the log and be at least 3 points ahead of Harlequins who lost this weekend to Exeter
@ Bullscot:
Bulls will be in big trouble if Chilly gets suspended
48 @ superBul:
Yeah I seen that bit you put up superBul what was your gut feel on seeing it live, was it as bad as it is being made out to be?
Sarcens got their bonus point try by, with David Strettle scoring it, Saracens 35-14 London Welsh, only a few minutes left
I think this is the first NH game this year that i watched this year, must say it looks like a lose type of game Saracens play, am i right
@ Bullscot:
i missed it or they did not show it, not sure
51 @ superBul:
Saracens seem to have adopted a looser style of play as the season has gone on, they were mostly known as a solid strong team who built a lot of their play around a good kicking flyhalf ie. Owen Farrell and good defence and not one that always played freely which was interesting as I used to think of Charlie Hodgson as a running flyhlaf but he has also been very good with the boot
51 @ superBul:
Before today Saracens had only managed 4 bonus points in 16 games and I’m not sure if all those are for scoring 4 tries or more or if there are any losing bonus points in there as well
Saracens game would also have been played in dry weather on their artificial pitch – what did you make of the pitch superBul? The dry conditions certainly make a big difference when the teams are playing over here and I think there have been many games this season that have seen a lot of tries scored – not bad for supposedly dour northern hemisphere rugby
@ Bullscot:
I only watched the last 20 minutes , but yes the game looked fast. Dont you get a lot of “grass burns” on artificial pitches?
All that said, there was still a contented smile on the face of winning coach John Plumtree afterwards, who conceded it had been a “pressure” game in the truest sense, and certainly no enterprising spectacle.
“Before this game I spoke to the boys about just ‘inches’ … the big thing on a night like this one. We just had to be patient.
“We went away from our attacking theme a little in the first half, and in the second half got a wee bit more momentum and also some width, but the Stormers hit you so hard … if you go away from the plan, they can hit you; have you on the back foot.
“We battled for meterage, so the kicking game became really important for both teams and I thought we kicked quite well … JP (Pietersen), Lwazi (Mvovo), Pat (Lambie) kicked well so that was pleasing to see.
56 @ superBul:
I don’t think so superBul its specially developed stuff sounds quite ‘high tech’, was wondering if it was noticeable to you watching it for the first time that it was in fact artificial and not real grass, I guess the big give away is that bits don’t go flying during the play especially in the scrums, the first premiership game that Saracens played on that pitch there were no reset scrums, anyway must get away now catch you next time
Bullscot wrote:
did not realize its artificial, but this is a interesting subject
maybe i must investigate it for my garden developments
McLook where is the game between the Chiefs and Cheetahs?
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