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17/04/2008 10:52
JJ Harmse
What a huge weekend we have ahead of us in Super 14!
In Cape Town, the Stormers need to prove that they are indeed the real deal in 2008 and serious contenders for a change. In Pretoria, the Bulls need to find some face after the disgrace of last weekend and in Canberra, the Sharks will have to prove that they have not used all their 'get out of jail' cards and that they can actually score some tries.
It has been a very long couple of weeks for the Bulls supporters with their team not even a resemblance of the one that filled Loftus last year. I think they will be lucky if they draw 15 000 people on the weekend. The early kick-off may count in their favour, but it is hard to see how they can redeem themselves in the eyes of their supporters after such a shocking performance against the Hurricanes.
Make no mistake, the Wellington-based side can indeed be like their name suggests. That is when they get it right, as they did a couple of times this season, most notably against the Chiefs.
Spectacular demise
The lack of intensity in the Bulls effort though, cannot be ignored, but both Wikus van Heerden and Bryan Habana promised the media on Wednesday that it would not happen again. They are looking at a strong finish to the season and still believe they can finish in the top 10. Of course, that is a poor reflection on their abilities, but a number of things contributed to their spectacular demise this season.
As spectacular as the demise of the Bulls has been, so impressive the Stormers seem to be.
They have a huge weekend against the Hurricanes. The boys from Wellington have won their last two matches at Newlands and coach Colin Cooper hinted at his side finally getting some consistency.
The fact of the matter is that they are beatable. Their scrum has never been dominant, bar their demolition of the Bulls pack last week, but they will have to front up against a Stormers tight five that has not taken a step back against anybody this season.
Crossroads
The vibrant expectation in Cape Town with the style of rugby their side is playing will no doubt manifest itself into a packed stadium. Let us hope the Stormers will, for once, do justice to the expectations.
It will not be the first time in recent years that they started with too much hype and no results. They are at the crossroads of not only a Super 14 season, but also the way coach Rassie Erasmus wants his side to play. Despite the hype, the reality is that they have not really achieved anything,
Looking at their season, they are on the edge of going one way or the other. They have won four of their eight games and scored 168 points to the 147 conceded, giving them a +21 points differential. Their try tally (19) is also pretty average on the log as seven teams have scored more tries so far this season.
Therefore, despite all the good press and ticket sales generated, the Stormers must realise that the hard work is still to come. They can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it is up to them to push all the way. (The Bulls are also seeing the light in the tunnel, but for them, it is an oncoming train).
Winning ugly
It was interesting to note that John Mitchell says winning ugly is now acceptable to him, as long as the Force keep on doing just that. Mitchell used to be one of the coaches who in the past had a lot to say about the way a team plays in order to achieve results and for him to take a victory anyway it comes, shows how cut-throat things are in professional rugby.
Winning is everything at this level and hopefully the Stormers will keep that in mind over the next month or so. The Sharks are battling to score tries, but they remain unbeaten and are winning ugly. It is ironic that they probably have the most philosophical of coaches among the South Africans teams, but they are playing the most boring rugby.
Dick Muir has an almost romantic vision of how the game should be played and the Sharks played like that for most of last season. However, this year they are much more practical in their approach. Maybe the ELVs have had something to do with that
Heads down
The Bulls have finally acknowledged that their failure to embrace the ELVs has been part of their downfall. The Sharks have adapted much better to those changes, but at the cost of attacking rugby.
However, they are winning and that is all that counts. They are looking strong in the semi-final race and should make it. Let us hope the Stormers can keep their heads down and join them. They are not going to disappoint again, surely?
Read JJ every Sunday in Rapport.
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