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J.J. Harmse
Pretoria – Experience, attitude and a good dose of aggression. These are attributes required of any tight five in rugby and while the Blue Bulls possess them all, the application thereof will determine whether they can see off the Cheetahs’ onslaught in Saturday’s Currie Cup final at Loftus Versfeld.
That is the take of former Springbok and Bulls hooker Gary Botha on the battle between the two forward packs.
Botha, who played in five consecutive finals for the Bulls, believes the difference between winning and losing lies in the number of players that “pitch up”.
“You want at least 10 players in your team to be at their best on the day. That will determine who wins the Currie Cup,” said Botha.
He cannot find fault with the Bulls’ tight five.
“Look at how good they fared in the Super14. There you play against international players every weekend and there weren’t any problems. I can’t see why it will be any different now,” he said.
Botha believes the Bulls showed against Western Province that their scrumming problems are something of the past.
“Province expected to dominate the scrums and it never happened. Finals are emotional occasions and the Bulls’ forwards will have fire in their bellies,” he said.
Botha believes the set phases do not only provide a platform off which to play, but makes the game unique.
“That is what distinguishes the game from rugby league and ensures that the game is played by people of all shapes and sizes. That is particularly the case in the tight five,” he said.
He believes that Derick Kuün can play a decisive role in the final.
“His play in the loose makes him valuable. He has done everything that is expected of him to date. The longer a team plays together, the better the unit becomes and that is what is happening with the Bulls’ forwards,” said Botha.
He also has a healthy regard for the Cheetahs’ ability in this regard.
“There is a lot of knowledge among the Free State coaching staff. Naka Drotské and Os du Randt are guys with immense knowledge of the set phases and have travelled a long road together,” he said.
“They will impart that knowledge to the Cheetahs’ pack and therefore the set phases should be a strength of theirs.”
Bulls scrum coach Balie Swart said earlier the Cheetahs will not be able to repeat their powerful performance in the scrums of two weeks ago.
“I had my doubts about the commitment with which some of the Sharks played in the semi-final and it was particularly apparent in the scrums,” said Swart.
He believes the Bulls’ work ethic ensures that they will take the right attitude into the game so that they can achieve the double of a Super14 and Currie Cup title in a year.
“No other team with which I have been involved believes as much in hard work as the Bulls do,” said Swart.
Pretoria – Experience, attitude and a good dose of aggression. These are attributes required of any tight five in rugby and while the Blue Bulls possess them all, the application thereof will determine whether they can see off the Cheetahs’ onslaught in Saturday’s Currie Cup final at Loftus Versfeld.
That is the take of former Springbok and Bulls hooker Gary Botha on the battle between the two forward packs.
Botha, who played in five consecutive finals for the Bulls, believes the difference between winning and losing lies in the number of players that “pitch up”.
“You want at least 10 players in your team to be at their best on the day. That will determine who wins the Currie Cup,” said Botha.
He cannot find fault with the Bulls’ tight five.
“Look at how good they fared in the Super14. There you play against international players every weekend and there weren’t any problems. I can’t see why it will be any different now,” he said.
Botha believes the Bulls showed against Western Province that their scrumming problems are something of the past.
“Province expected to dominate the scrums and it never happened. Finals are emotional occasions and the Bulls’ forwards will have fire in their bellies,” he said.
Botha believes the set phases do not only provide a platform off which to play, but makes the game unique.
“That is what distinguishes the game from rugby league and ensures that the game is played by people of all shapes and sizes. That is particularly the case in the tight five,” he said.
He believes that Derick Kuün can play a decisive role in the final.
“His play in the loose makes him valuable. He has done everything that is expected of him to date. The longer a team plays together, the better the unit becomes and that is what is happening with the Bulls’ forwards,” said Botha.
He also has a healthy regard for the Cheetahs’ ability in this regard.
“There is a lot of knowledge among the Free State coaching staff. Naka Drotské and Os du Randt are guys with immense knowledge of the set phases and have travelled a long road together,” he said.
“They will impart that knowledge to the Cheetahs’ pack and therefore the set phases should be a strength of theirs.”
Bulls scrum coach Balie Swart said earlier the Cheetahs will not be able to repeat their powerful performance in the scrums of two weeks ago.
“I had my doubts about the commitment with which some of the Sharks played in the semi-final and it was particularly apparent in the scrums,” said Swart.
He believes the Bulls’ work ethic ensures that they will take the right attitude into the game so that they can achieve the double of a Super14 and Currie Cup title in a year.
“No other team with which I have been involved believes as much in hard work as the Bulls do,” said Swart.
