Coach under siege: Frans Ludeke
Vodacom Blue Bulls coach Frans Ludeke named fit-again flank Jacques du Plessis in his starting line-up to face DHL Western Province at DHL Newlands on Saturday.
This round two match in the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division will see two new faces in the Blue Bulls starting pack that lost their season opener against the Xerox Golden Lions in Johannesburg last weekend.
Du Plessis comes in at flank after recovering from a broken jaw sustained in a pre-season match, with Jono Ross moving to no 8 and replacing Jacques Engelbrecht, who moves to the bench with Wiaan Liebenberg dropping out of the match 22.
Blue Bulls Media Release
In the frontrow, Marcel van der Merwe will start at loosehead in place of injured Dean Greyling, who is suffering from a calf strain.
Van der Merwe’s place on the bench will be taken by Hencus van Wyk.
Ludeke admitted that his team will face an uphill battle at Newlands, but is adamant they will be seeking victory in Cape Town.
“We identified the first two away matches of the campaign as huge obstacles in our way and last week was indeed that. We’ve buried last week’s performance and now focus on what we can deliver against a very competent Western Province side. We know only too well that this is a massive opportunity for us to show our character and drive for success.”
Vodacom Blue Bulls captain Deon Stegmann was pleased to see Du Plessis back in the fray. “He is a great lineout option for us and has shown himself to be a devastating ball-carrier, so he could not have returned to the side at a more appropriate time. We will have to show who we are in this match and it is good to have Jacques’ size and speed to help us in this regard.”
Blue Bulls: 15 Jurgen Visser, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Sampie Mastriet, 10 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Jono Ross, 7 Jacques du Plessis, 6 Deon Stegmann(Captain), 5 Grant Hattingh, 4 Paul Willemse, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Callie Visagie, 1 Marcel van der Merwe
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Hencus Van Wyk, 18 Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, 19 Jacques Engelbrecht, 20 Rudy Paige, 21 Tony Jantjies, 22 Jesse Kriel.
Oom Koos
Aug 13, 2014 at 09:54 AM
Nou se ek niks meer nie. JJ nog steeds op senter. Niks WSS. Ons gaan hom ook verloor. Tony Jantjies op die bank. Ross nog n die span en Liebenberg ook uit. Dit is ‘n grap.
My rug is krom maar ek soek 50 tuine wat ek Saterdag middag kan doen.
Ek dink ek moet by FL en Van Graan se tuine begin. Daar sal F-L oor wees as ek daarmee klaar is ne. Sommer dorings plant in die gras se plek wat ek uitgehaal het
Nou so kwaad ek kan my agterent met ‘n geelslang afvee
Ek wonder hoe ons deur die verdediging van WP gaan kom? Is daar enigiets nuuts wat hulle kan probeer?
Skoppies oor die vlak verdedigers?
Al word ons n slag of wat geblaas vir te vinnig opkom, try dit.
Kan iemand vir die ref vertel hoekom die WP verdediging so briljant is?
Baie vrae, maar daai verdediging is fishy.
Maar moet vir geen oomblik dink ek hoop ons wen nie. Nee hel ons kan dit nie nou bekostig nie.
Die vuur om van FL en Barend ontslae te raak is reeds aangesteek, moet nou nie bleddie opslip nie WP. Gee hul NOU die doodskoot.
50 plus punte is easy teen die patetiese verdediging van die Bulle.
Val net vinnig aan met tik skoppies, die Bulle staan baie stadig op van die grond en baie draal daar rond soos afkop hoeners.
Moer hulle en verlos ons van ons lyding.
PLEASE
@ superBul:
So jy meen die Flatse se dwergies weet van tekkel, ne? Dis nou bo & behalwe jakkalsdraaie-gooi doellyn-toe 😀
Klein maar getrein?
@ Angostura:
Seems like your CC coaches know more about the game than that big mouth who messed up your SR 😀
Porcelain poodle will be on the bench.
Shame, all those Guppie supporters who ran away from here were probably convinced their idol would play against the Pumas, only they weren’t thinking it would be the Pumas from Nelspruit
Angostura wrote:
Hi.. long time no see. Welcome here.
“Jakkalsdraaie gooi doellyn toe”…… it’s a lovely expression, i did not know you can “gooi Die Taal so lekker” 🙂
Good luck to your Kings for the weekend… they will be up against it I guess but one never knows.
@ nortierd:
Porcelain Poodle?
You referring to Lambie? No bru, Lambie is tough. At least he was injured playing rugby – not having a shower like your Ystertoonbreker. And the ‘Porcelain Poodle’ was suffering from the same ailment as Adonis Spies, but Spies was injured before Lambie & will only be back in 2015! … yet the porcelain lamb made his comeback in July 2014? Lambie is a real mccoy rugga player …
PS: Lambie is down in the Bok pecking order, & I believe correctly so. There is no point him hanging around the Bok squad listening to pep talks; he needs to PLAY to regain match fitness, form & confidence. HM & the Sharks CC coaches did the right thing, imo
@ Angostura:
ystertoonbreker
@ robzim:
Hiya Robzim
The Kings up against it – the CC could’ve been divided in a top 4 & bottom 4 before it even commenced. The Kings received a draw from hell – the only team scheduled to play 7 games vs. the top 4, & 3 games vs. the bottom 4. Also, most of their clashes against the top 4 are front-end loaded with the result that by round 6 they should be completely demoralised & broken … thus I cannot see the Kings avoiding the wooden spoon (which was going to be tough anyway) this year. Maybe better luck (with the draw) next year.
But the good news is the Sharks have only 3 games vs. the top 4, but 7 games vs. the bottom 4.
Peculiar draw this year – maybe Jurie confused the Sharks with the Maties? 😀
Ludeke het sy span nie sleg genoeg gekies nie, baie teleurgesteld met hom. D
Nog ‘n groot terugslag is Dean wat nie speel nie, maar ten minste is Werner en Visagie nog daar om die nodig 5 strafskoppe te gee vir die Griek om oor te skop.
Slotte, sou ek vir Willemse gedrop het, want hy is geneig om goed te speel en die pap dik aan te maak …. iets wat glad nie meer eintlik nodig is vir Ludeke se wedstrydplan nie. Hy en Hattingh is daarom nie ‘n effektiewe combo nie, want Hattingh moet nou al die las op hom dra om .ak aan te jaag en balle mis te vang.
Goeie nuus is natuurlik dat Bongi en Willemse weggaan later die jaar, en dat spelers soos Visagie, Hattingh en Ross behou word.
Gelukkig het Ludeke vir Ross behou vir Saterdag, anders sou daar ‘n goeie kans gewees het dat die Bulle met ‘n meer effektiewe lostrio speel soos byvoorbeeld Steggies, JDP en Wiaan, of Steggies, JDP en Smit.
Agterlangs het Ludeke goed gekies om twee verlore in ‘n ry te verseker. Met Visser daar om sy wêreldrekord van knocks voort te sit wanneer dit regtig saak maak, balle direk uit te skop, tackles te mis kan dit net sleg gaan.
Ndgane se gebrek aan spoed behoort vir WP vleuels genoeg ruimte te gee vir so 3 driee, terwyl Piet van Zyl die kluts heeltemal kwyt is.
Voeg daarby dat WSS en Wiaan Liebenberg en Roelf Smit glad nie in die 22tal is nie, en
… die kans vir ‘n goeie verloor is uitstekend.
Baie sterkte aan Ludeke se span, die span wat jy gekies het en jou wedstrydplan gaan seker maak jy kry waarvoor jy deesdae elke keer mik – ‘n lekker groot tradisionele pakslae, hierdie keer daar in die Kaap.
8 @ Angostura:
Doesn’t matter if the Kings have a less than favorable draw, they are ensured of their spot next year, even if they lose every game.
Nice gig if you can get it. Cheeky organize mos mooi.
Pumas and Griquas don’t get the same entitlement, so even if they do better than the Kings, they will probably have to play relegation matches.
Vergeet om by te noem die briljante skuif deur Ludeke om JJE op buitesenter te hou. Ludeke het natuurlik ‘n baie slimmer rugby brein as ouens soos Naas, Mallet, Mitchell, Brendan en selfs HM wat meen JJE moet nie meer senter speel nie.
11 @ nortierd:
Would have been fairer to have combined the Premier and 1st div, then split it into two logs and played across and within (or something) for 3 years and THEN split it 6/8.
This is how Natal got back into the top flight, and would have been fair on teams like Griquas, Kings, Pumas and even the Leopards.
It would also have given Boland, Border and SWD some time to build, and would IMO have strengthened provincial Rugby across the country.
BUT, we all know that SA Rugby is rarely (if ever) admistered along fair and equitable lines.
@ nortierd:
I’m not sure how this unfavorable draw works?
Surely all the teams play each other twice?
@ nortierd:
The special disposition you refer to was bestowed upon, not only the Kings, but upon ALL the big, traditional Test Centre Unions in the broader interests of SA rugby. Of those 6 large Test Centre Unions, it is realistically not only the Kings that would’ve been at risk of having to play end of season promotion/relegation matches, but possibly also one or two of the others.
Besides THAT decision was taken by SARU’s highest decision making authority, not by Cheeky Watson …
I can still remember Natal rugby receiving boardroom promotion in the early 80s to the then equivalent of today’s Currie Cup Premier Division, and the dividend? 1990 Currie Cup Champions & SA’s #1 team for much of the 90s! … & today the Sharks franchise/province remains one of the top 3 in the country … if not the top, that is.
There is a lot going for enlightened boardroom decisions … even in rugby.
@ gunther:
Nope, not a round robin – only 10 rounds of matches, not 14 …
@ Angostura:
Fact remains that, if you are honest, the Pumas have in the last couple of years managed much more with much less than the Kings.
The playing field definitely isn’t level is only 2 of the 8 teams have the threat of relegation hanging over them.
Even if the Bulls lose every game and get the wooden spoon, they are safe, yet if the Griquas or Pumas in this scenario ends 7th, they must play relegation.
And, yes, it was a boardroom decision, but are you honestly inferring that the King’s constant whining and bitching via Cheeky had nothing to do with them getting a leg up, even though they aren’t even as good as the Griquas or Pumas?
15 @ Angostura:
The Sharks have managed to get to the top after getting their handout, but it hasn’t done anything for the region and junior structures. They still suck at Craven Week and haven’t even got a team in the Varsity Cup.
They just raid the other unions and buy the team they want, so their success isn’t a surprise, similar to Toulousse being the champions of Europe
18 @ nortierd:
Toulon
@ Bullscot:
😀
Sorry, you are right, but actually any of the French teams fit the bill, lol, all mercenaries, except the champion part, similar to the Sharks, money can’t buy you a SR trophy
@ nortierd:
The elevation of the Sharks to the Top tiers of SA Rugby has been good for rugby. We must look at expanding rugby’s popularity, especially in the Top 6 metropolitan areas where one finds most schools, most clubs, most facilities, most money, most people (thus most current & potential future players & supporters). Otherwise rugby would’ve remained a minor regional sport as it was in the late 1800s when it was almost exclusively played to any worthwhile standard only in the WP, EP & Griqualand West.
Prior to Natal’s boardroom promotion the banana boys unsuccessfully tried to beat the N-FS Purple People Eaters on a few occasions. Yet Natal was promoted. Are you seriously suggesting it would’ve been in SA Rugby’s interests if it was, say, rather Northern Free State that was promoted? … that Currie Cup & ultimately Super Rugby had to be played in Welkom rather than Durban? Have you asked professional rugby players whether they would rather play rugby in Welkom than in Durban? How many fans would like to travel from afar for a Welkom showdown? How would our Zanzar partners feel about traveling halfway around the world for a game in Welkom (or Kimberley or Mbombela)? What business case can be made for top level rugby in smaller regions such as Mbombela, Kimberley, Welkom, etc? There is a ceiling to the BUSINESS POTENTIAL of rugby unions such as the Pumas, the Griquas, the Leopards, etc., albeit they have very good teams. Their interests are best served as franchise partners of bigger brothers such as the Lions & the Cheetahs.
I see you & others use the loaded term ‘handout’: In a sense we all received rugby handouts including the Western Province/Stormers. It was our then British colonial masters that introduced rugby to the WP & EP, and to our schools, & provided the facilities & inspiration to play, watch and support the game, & later a competition & trophy to aspire to (the Currie Cup). And with the discovery of diamonds & gold, it was the British at the forefront of the exploitation of those resources, & the exporting & introduction of rugby to the burgeoning mining towns of Kimberley & Johannesburg.
Those of us that enjoy rugby today should then perhaps also acknowledge the rugby ‘handouts’ of the British Empire.
As regards the recipients of SARU boardroom ‘handouts’, EP (& Border), being one of rugby’s founder regions, has a stronger rugby tradition & culture than KZN. EP/Border/Transkei aIso happens to be the only Region in SA where rugby has a substantial following among Black African (mostly Xhosa) people in our country. If one supports rugby expansion & transformation then it HAS to occur predominantly via the Kings (SWD/EP/Border). I don’t follow schools rugby to any great extent, but for cultural & historical reasons it does not surprise me if, for instance, EP schools rugby is stronger than KZN schools rugby. That does not mean that the boardroom decision in the 80s was wrong, but it means that there is just more work to be done at grassroots level in KZN.
However, Sharks rugby is a success story & the whole of SA rugby benefits from it financially (as it does from other financially viable franchises/unions). But although SARU granted KZN the opportunity to play at the highest level, it was KZN itself that grasped that opportunity and made a success of it. The question arises whether, despite their undoubted on-field prowess, SA Rugby benefits financially from the Pumas, Griquas, Leopards, etc., or are they a financial burden upon the major metropolitan rugby franchises/unions? There is a ceiling to what the Pumas, Griquas & Leopards can achieve given their resources & potential, and their is a limit to their business potential. That does not apply to the Sharks, the Bulls, the Lions, the Stormers/WP, the Kings & to a lesser extent the Cheetahs.
KZN does have a team, Impi, in the Varsity Competition trained by John Mitchell. KZN also has a rugby academy and several players that previously attended the academy are now playing for other franchises/unions.
Yes, I agree with you – it is an old complaint of mine that KZN poaches too much talent & does not develop & retain enough local talent. But so do the Bulls poach from others, & to a lesser extent even WP/Stormers. The main victims of poaching are the Cheetahs and Kings.
Most franchises would not have met their quotas had it not been for rugby talent born, bred, nurtured, developed, invested in & then lost to the poaching of the other major rugby unions, including WP/Stormers.
**
BTW, I am averse to that hackneyed rugby word, ‘structures’ 😀 …. but that’s just me
@ Angostura:
Too bad that to some people the Sharks got elevated to above the top tier teams in South Africa 😀
Excellent post, you forgot to add that The Franchise system and Stormers was created to protect the top tier after they were relegated the previous year in 1998 to protect rugby in the metropolitan areas.
Also I agree there is more to gain from the EP than the Pumas financially, and that will benefit everyone.(financially)
@ nortierd:
I am honest, nortie:
Based on on-field performance, the Griquas and Pumas deserve to be in the Currie Cup Premier Division, but not so the Kings
Based on on-field performance, the Kings don’t deserve to be re-admitted to Super Rugby
But this is not about Cheeky, it is not about what is fair at competition level, & it is not about the Currie Cup or Super Rugby
It is about the Big Picture – about SA’s rugby future, about the development, expansion & growth of the local game, about redressing wrongs of the past, about bringing to fruition our vast potential – and for these reasons The Kings are vitally important to SA Rugby as a whole.
It was the right thing to do
imo
ciao
(kids coming to visit presently)
@ Angostura:
All here knows what EP rugby meant to SA Rugby over the years.
Some here just cant forgive.
And Nothing will change their minds.
21 @ Angostura:
Very good post.
@ MacroBok:
Gaan skuit op die ys.
Voor julle 3 gewen het was julle ook maar onder op die log met geen wenne, daar was net nie meer relegasie daai tyd nie
@ superBul:
S’true my bru!
@ nortierd:
ek sien in 1998 was Griekwas bo op die log gewees in die CC, as hul die top 4 spanne gevat het het net die bulle, wp, sharks en griekwas in die super 12 gespeel… terwyl die cheetahs en lions met hul vinger gesit die… die franchises het ons almal se gat gered.
@ MacroBok:
Is so, maar bo op die log beteken nie bekers nie, vra maar vir ons en die Guppies.
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