Ex Supersport
The local conference Vodacom Super Rugby log is starting to resemble what would be anticipated if someone returned to this planet after three years away travelling in another galaxy without any exposure to news from earth.
The Vodacom Bulls were pretty unstoppable for much of the period between 2007 and the end of the 2010 edition of this competition, and if you were at Loftus at the weekend to see them smash the Hurricanes, you would be forgiven for thinking that it’s business as usual. They have that old belligerence back about the way they dispose of opponents, and it should be seen as an ominous warning by other contenders. (Please oak ge tsome perspective - yes obviously bulle are a cut above the hapless canes but do factor in te double whammy of travel and altitude)
The Toyota Cheetahs are of course still well in the conference race. They are only two points adrift of the Bulls at this point. But the Bulls get their second bye this week, and that means the automatic four log points will ensure that they stay out front for at least another week, although the Cheetahs, on the evidence of the Hurricanes’ implosion at Loftus, should back their chances of closing the gap by winning against the same opponents in Bloemfontein this coming Saturday.(Hurricaness will be better but hopefully Cheetahs better too for a period of rest)
Big matches that are looming in the future of the two inland teams which could decide the conference include the Cheetahs’ home clash with the Bulls, the Cheetahs’ visit to Newlands to play the Stormers after the break for the June international window, and the Bulls’ visits to Cape and Durban. The Bulls also still have to host the Sharks, who have beaten them a few times at Loftus down the years.
While the two coastal teams are lagging at present, neither of them are completely out of the conference race. At least not yet! That could change this weekend as they face difficult matches in Australia, a country which is showing the value of having a marquee series against the British and Irish Lions imminent.
The Sharks and Stormers are locked together on 29 points, effectively in joint ninth place, which is not out of range of the Bulls, who lead them by eight, and the Cheetahs, who lead them by six. However, the Bulls are set to pick up their four points for the bye this week, which means that if the Stormers or Sharks lose to the Waratahs or Reds respectively, it will leave them 11 or 12 off the pace.
With just six matches to go, that would be too many – although with such a log-jam in the middle and most of the teams being more competitive this year, a wild-card place still beckons for both teams regardless of this weekend’s results if you consider both of them have extended home runs to look forward to.
It has been a year for what Stormers captain Jean de Villiers calls “funny results”, and there were two of those this weekend – although there will doubtless be some who will say that the Force holding the Reds to a draw was not really so unexpected if you look at the recent record between the teams. And I predicted the Crusaders would beat the Brumbies so the Sunday result wasn’t so unexpected for this critic.
Nonetheless, those two results do add even more interest to an intriguing and tightly contested Australian conference, particularly as they offer just a sniff – a very outside one – to the Waratahs, who are threatening to stampede through their remaining matches as strongly as the Bulls.(Warts will crumble against the Migty Stormers - please somebdy flatten the flotua oak - what a fancy pants runner he is. Needs a nice hard hit -Duanne,Etzebeth, Elstadt etc you know what to do.)
That is less likely so at the moment for the Sharks and Stormers, who were supposed to be the two horse race in the South African conference. They were both good enough to win their matches against New Zealand opponents this past weekend and it has left them in a situation where if they lose this week any two horse race between them will be for eighth spot. (Yes the general consensus of knowledeable rugby men is that the Saffa sides were superior by some way - unfortuntely we have some dim kiwis and rooitwit being schooled on the subject- )
