Publications
Partners
Johannesburg - One round of Currie Cup rugby is perhaps not enough to make a final judgement on the relevant strengths of the eight teams in the Premier Division, but a few conclusions can be drawn after a round where errors abounded and where sharpness was still a major absentee.
Pride of place in the first round must go to Griquas. As they did last year, they won their first encounter. Again it was one of the big teams, in this case the Sharks, who saw the Kimberley team get off to the perfect start on Saturday with a home win of 40-34 and five points on the log. It was the first victory by Griquas over the KZN side since 2006.
In a match of too many missed tackles and missed opportunities the Western Province tight five outplayed the Free State Cheetahs and the Cape side's defence impressed as much as that of their the Super 14 Stormers when they held the Cheetahs at bay in the first half and then took control to deservedly win 25-11.
The Lions are unlikely early log leaders after their 43-13 away win over the Leopards on Friday night and the Blue Bulls stuttered their way through a poor final 60 minutes to beat the Pumas 38-15.
The Sharks pack didn't have it all their own way and their 20-8 halftime lead in Kimberley can be attributed mainly to poor defence by the home side. As was expected, most of the effective backline play came from Griquas who used their possession better while the Natal side simply didn't finish off when they needed to.
When Griquas winger Bjorn Basson was selected for the Test side earlier this year, many eyebrows were raised. However, he showed with two outstanding tries, he will be a handful in this competition, as did scrumhalf Sarel Pretorius. Newcomers from the Varsity Cup Matthew Rosslee (UCT) and Wesley Wilkins also had good first outings.
In the end, better thinking, better support and better finishing gave the Griquas their five points - and left the Sharks with two that they will be thankful for as the season unfolds.
Losing four of their own lineouts and a scrum in the first half was not the only problem faced by the Free State. They also squandered opportunities through poor handling and came up against a resolute Western Province defence where midfielders Paul Bosch and Tim Whitelaw were outstanding.
With 76% of the territory in the first half and making the most of the play, the Cheetahs should have been ahead at the break. Instead they were behind, and Province never looked back as flyhalf Willem de Waal controlled the game and slotted six penalties and a conversion in a tough but rather average match where only one try was scored by each side.
Both sides have work to do. The first-half possession won by the Free State forwards is indeed a reason for concern in the WP camp, while the Free State will have to pounce when they have the chance - and be more disciplined.
There is also their first-phase play which needs urgent attention.
The Blue Bulls started off well and, at 31-3 after only 24 minutes, a big score seemed a certainty. But the Pumas, who were struggling to come to grips with the talent in the Blue Bulls side and the greater pace at this level, stuck to their tackling guns and with guts and negative play kept the Bulls to only a single try after that.
The Pumas have a mountain to climb. Guts alone will not get them out of the considerable woods they're in and they will probably find, as do most of the sides promoted to the Premier Division, it becomes more difficult as the competition develops.
The Blue Bulls also have plenty to do. They lost lineouts on their own throw, the loosehead side of the scrum wasn't steady and there was a lack of rhythm in their attacks.
After the loss of 15 Springboks to international duty, injury, and transfers to Europe, the lack of experience to cope with the Pumas' negative play and retention of focus were obvious.
As it is, they play the Sharks in Durban this coming weekend. With injuries to lock Juandre Kruger, as well as both halfbacks Ruan Snyman and Jacques-Louis Potgieter and prop Dean Greyling, their coach Frans Ludeke has a tough week ahead of him for an important match.
The Lions did what they had to. The basics and structure were adhered to in a solid performance by their pack and, with Jano Vermaak in particularly outstanding behind the scrum, there was no stopping them as they piled up the points at regular intervals.
Still far from a force, there was enough in this performance to show the Lions are on the up - and they won't be there for the taking as they were in the Super 14.
The Leopards tried hard, but the difference in the quality of players and the level of rugby was obvious. The Leopards are way off the mark and it could become a very long season for them.
