Share

Mixed fortunes for SA teams

Johannesburg - Two very good wins and two comprehensive losses sum up the fortunes of South African sides this weekend, with the most notable effect probably the fact that the Bulls are now four points clear of the chasing pack on the log after the Waratahs defeat to the Crusaders.

The Stormers (28) are still in fourth place, five behind the Bulls (33) and one behind Crusaders and the Waratahs (29). The Waratahs have however played one match more.

Pride of place must go to the Stormers, who took over in their match against the Blues when it mattered. This time the Stormers did let through three tries to make it a total of only nine in eight matches, but it will matter little to them after a 33-21 win in Auckland.

"We knew we had to attack against the Blues and our focus was on attack," Stormers coach Allister Coetzee explained afterwards.

Outstanding were hooker Tiaan Liebenberg - one of the many hookers of class in South Africa - and Andries Bekker, who has upped his work rate to add to his skills.

Fly-half Peter Grant had a good game and his backs got plenty of ball from a crisp service from scrumhalf Dewaltd Duvenage with the hard-working loosies Schalk Burger, the tireless Francois Louw and Duanne Vermeulen the heroes in a good pack.

It was an impressive performance against a team that beat the Bulls last weekend - and again disappointed by not cashing in on their win of last week to retain their title as perennial under-achievers.

The Bulls will be a little perturbed about the way they were rucked off the ball by the Chiefs on a few occasions despite their 33-19 win in Hamilton.

It was a typical Bulls performance built on playing in the opposition half and grinding their way out of early trouble and then taking control through some great play at the breakdowns.

The Bulls initially looked a little flustered, but when the chips were down the real Bulls came out for a first-ever win in Waikato. It was also only the third win in 32 matches for the Bulls in New Zealand.

Zane Kirchner was good on attack, outstanding under the high ball and a class act on defence - and showed that Springbok coach Peter de Villiers' recent assertion that there is no fullback of international class in South Africa is not necessarily a valid one.

Danie Rossouw revelled in getting another start and was hugely influential, Gurthro Steenkamp again impressed in scrum and with ball and Fourie du Preez was back to his brilliant best. And all the others more than did their bit in a very good Bulls performance where it did, however, seem that Morne Steyn is not quite on top of his game or his kicking.

If the Lions were again disappointing in their defence that let in six tries - four in the first 17 minutes - the Cheetahs were even worse.

The Lions came back well to close the gap to 27-19 before losing 41-26 to the Reds in Johannesburg. They outscored the visitors by four tries to two after the early blitz despite continued poor defence and too many turnovers, many of them when they were on the point of scoring.

What was as obvious as the defensive blunders was that Carlos Spencer is no longer of the required standard, that Jano Vermaak is an exceptional player and firmly in the race for Bok No 2 scrumhalf along with Duvenage, Sarel Pretorius and Ruan Pienaar, and that the Lions lineout and even more so their scrum were up to standard.

It also reinforced that the Lions can in fact score tries with their 25 only being bettered by the Bulls 33, Waratahs (32), Reds (31) and Brumbies (27) this weekend.

It's the 43 that they've conceded that makes their log fortunes unpleasant reading.

The Cheetahs conceded nine tries against the Brumbies in Canberra in their 61-15 defeat. It is an indictment of note, for it was the first time in their eight matches that the Brumbies could score four tries or more.

Before this clash they had only 18 in seven matches.

What the Cheetahs learned was that Pretorius and Riaan Viljoen are their best halfback pairing, that Adriaan Strauss remains a very good hooker and that the Cheetahs' defensive system has little structure and no effect against a good side.

The Crusaders beat the Waratahs 20-13 in Christchurch in what was an uncompromising clash between two of the big guns with one try apiece and the battle between the two captains Richie McCaw and Phil Waugh providing the highlights.

The Highlanders, playing at home in the beautiful Queenstown, were hammered by six tries to three as they went down 41-27 to the Western Force, who keep on improving and will undoubtedly still rock the boat as the teams jostle for possession in the run-in to the play-offs.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE