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Comment: Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town – South African fortunes in the Vodacom Super 14 have suddenly been restored to rosier health.
After two or three pretty anaemic weeks, the latest round of matches produced results generally more conducive to the prospect of the final being played on these shores.
Certainly the various weekend outcomes kept both the Bulls and Sharks very much in the semi-final picture, including the all-important pursuit of home games in the last four.
The Durban-based side had a bye which will have helped them spruce up their act after a rocky spell - and the good news for them was that they didn’t fall out of the top four on the table.
Instead the Sharks hold onto fourth spot after 10 rounds, but buoyed by the prospect of a run-in of games – Highlanders, Waratahs and Bulls respectively – all at their Absa Stadium stronghold.
Reversed
The table after this weekend’s fixtures nevertheless indicates an enthralling, ding-dong last few weeks, with the Hurricanes top of the pile (34 points), the Bulls back in second (33), the Chiefs falling to third (32) and the Sharks on 31. Amazingly, at least five other sides are still not out of contention.
But the latest has been an altogether happier round from a South African perspective, bearing in mind that last week three New Zealand teams earned wins against them: this time the situation was precisely reversed.
The Bulls, albeit a little nervy and perhaps too conservative in what might easily have been an ill-fated last quarter of their Loftus nail-biter against the Chiefs, just about kept composure to earn a 33-27 victory.
But South Africa’s best two franchises could do worse than post congratulatory cards to two of this year’s minnow sides, the Stormers and Cheetahs, for pulling off unexpected triumphs over the Highlanders and Crusaders respectively, which at least kept a muzzle on two New Zealand members of the semis-chasing pack – the Highlanders are almost certainly out of it now.
Indeed, the resurgent Stormers now return to Newlands for what suddenly shapes as a bit of a humdinger against the high-riding Chiefs, despite the Cape side not having any further interest in the semi-finals.
They are bound to be in better emotional fettle after their Dunedin feat, in which their much-maligned pack stood up surprisingly well. Two fit-again players, Andries Bekker and Brok Harris, were inspirational and their loose trio of Messrs Burger, Watson and Vermeulen gelled handsomely.
Frenzied energy
Capping a bad weekend for New Zealand’s Super 14 representatives, the struggling Reds produced arguably the main upset of the programme by looting the Blues’ palace in Auckland.
There were some parallels in Pretoria on Saturday to the corresponding game against the Chiefs two years ago, when it was also three tries all and an even closer score: 30-27 to the Bulls.
But as a relieved Victor Matfield pointed out on Saturday night, just getting the win – even if the Chiefs bagged a bonus point for finishing within seven points – meant the world to them.
It was a bruising but often fast-paced affair, with hooker Derick Kuun rewarded for a display of frenzied energy with a brace of tries and the man-of-the-match award.
Matfield’s restored presence after the birth of his daughter gave the Waikato outfit the jitters at lineout time; it’s just a shame that the set scrums are no longer a vehicle of consistent power and awe for the Bulls.
Turnovers
Flyhalf Morne Steyn and Wynand Olivier beside him at inside centre cranked up their credentials quite nicely for Springbok consideration against the British and Irish Lions – Olivier has certainly brought increased physical dimensions to his play, attacking the advantage line with relish and doing his bit in terms of working turnovers or slowing things at the breakdown too.
In Bloemfontein, meanwhile, the Cheetahs’ giant-killing of last year’s champions featured ticks in most key performance boxes from players like Hennie Daniller, the fullback who is literally walking tall at present, and that tireless little flank “mole” Heinrich Brussow.
Another slightly unsung hero for the Cheetahs is Wayne van Heerden, who may have entered second-row play belatedly after his prior deployment as a loose forward, but whose tackle-count and general work-rate at lock has been excellent of late.
There are a few other bridges to cross before we even get there, but the very last league-phase match of the 2009 programme – Sharks v Bulls in Durban – could well be instrumental in determining which of the two teams gets a home semi-final, spicing an already red-hot rivalry …
