I love the way the Lions play the game. How good would Ackerman and de Bruin be as the Bok coaching pair? They have achieved so much with the Lions with far less to work with than the Sharks, Bulls and WP. They say de Bruin is a rugby genius and it tells. It’s a no brainer as to who should be taking over from Meyer as the Bok coach. Young Smith at loosehead is a great find, Marx at 2 is a physical freak. Kriel has no peers at 6 and Whiteley is both a great player and leader. Sadly he is just not physical enough to be a test 8. As Christian Cullen intimated all through the game, the attacking platform Faf and Jantjies created was simply sublime. Faf provides skill and energy, it’s a crisp sharp service, just what you want from a 9. He is always at the base at speed and clears at speed, not to mention the questions he asks of defences. The best 9 in SA by a country mile, one of the best 9’s in the game in total. Jantjies has always had it, but with years behind his belt, he is now the finished article. Solid in defence and in good physical shape. The vision and hands this lad has is just something that can’t be taught. His ability to ignite his backs and put players into space with a pass is second to none. Great touches with those inside passed create havoc with defences. I just don’t get how rugby followers miss all this……..it smacks of ignorance and rugby conservatism. Vorster was good but sadly crocked again, Mapoe has always been good, always asking questions on attack. Combrink showed last year that he is a test quality wing. His performance on the weekend reaffirmed that……he was outstanding. Skosan is another who has blistering pace and would never let a test side down. Coetzee offers creativity from the back, have always rated this guy. Beating the Chiefs at home was simply awesome……and their victory was emphatic.
The Bulls had a great 50min and then let themselves down in a big way after amassing a huge lead. Add Gelant to the list of future Boks, he is a great prospect, always looking to attack, great feet, another Kolbe, but a bigger version. Basson might be good in the air and he ran well but his defence is pathetic. He must have accounted for as many tries against the Bulls as he scored himself and for that reason should never have won MOM. Ismeil had a good game, looks pretty physical……could do with being a little more assertive in what he does. Serf and Odendaal were good as was Dries Swanepoel when he came on. Brummer had a better game at 10 but will always be a bog ordinary rugby player. Paige had a good game at 9, good speedy service. The frontrow of Nyakane, Strauss and Marcel dominated up front once again. RG Snyman had a very good game as did Hattingh once again. Jenkins impressed me with every outing. Arno Botha had a quiet game. It was good to see more of de Jager at 6, he scored a great try with a nice step thrown in for good measure. I like the look of Kirsten at 7, did not know much about him but In can see why he has been intrusted with a starting spot.
The Cheetahs were always going to be up against is against the Stormers. Pietersen and Rhule were very good. Frans Venter yet again was the pick of all the SA centres on display, class act this lad and handy that he can play both 12 and 13. Marais at 1 looks a powerhouse in the scrums, good find for the Cheetahs. Maks v/Dyk yet again stood firm at 3. He has had a great start to the year. Lood and Wegner were good in a losing side. The Cheetahs backrow were pretty much overshadowed by their opposite numbers. Kolbe had a quiet game by his standard. New boy Zas had a good debut. Lleyds went unnoticed. Kotze tried hard to make things happened, de Jongh did not feature much, was solid. Du Preez was good, Coleman his replacement was poor. I am not sure why Vermaak is playing ahead of Groom who had a very good CC. Kebble, Mbonambi and Koch were good, there was nohing much in the scrums. Malherbe was huge after his first scrum and one has to wonder why Fleck keeps starting Koch ahead of him. Etzebeth and PSDT were very good, with PSDT the most productive with ball in hand. Notshe was very good, I really rate this guy – good attacking skills. Schalk was solid, Carr was good.
The Sharks had their moments. Willie is back to his best after an average WC by his standards. JP did nothing of note nor did Ndungane. Jordaan was good at 13, Etserhuizen was very physical at 12, has a huge left boot on him. He gets better and better. Joe was good at 10, its his best spot without doubt. Reinach had another good game. Beast and Coenie did really well in the scrums against the renowned Argie scrum. I like the look of Marais at 2. It was good to see Lewies back at 5, he had a good first game back. Oosthuizen is doing a good job of playing the enforcer role for the Sharks. The loosetrio of du Preez x 2 and Coetzee carried on from where they left off in their last game. This trio will take some beating.
All in all a great weekend for the SA sides, the highlight being the Lions beating the fancied Chiefs at Home and the Bulls playing great attacking rugby against the Rebels. Onwards and upwards……its so good to watch SA sides playing rugby……gone is the conservative crap dished out in the past by the Meyer clones
