Solving rugby's Rubik's Cube......this is too much

Just because the Brumbies exploited the weensy Sardines loose forwards and had Steyn who mimics a planted oak to run at.....doesn't mean they are going to trouble the mighty Stormers. In the same article the writer admits:

"They also possess the player personal to execute the plan on the pitch and have received a timely boost in this regard in the return to fitness of Juan de Jongh.  

De Jongh, and his midfield partnership with Springbok captain Jean de Villiers, is an integral cog in the Cape side’s much vaunted defensive system.

Their tried and tested defensive structure isn’t suddenly inadequate; it’s the absence of De Jongh that’s created a degree of uncertainty that the Chiefs - and Tim Nanai-Williams in particular - exploited so expertly."
 

Well de Jongh, who has a test tackling success rate of 93.5% is back, and no doubt the Stormers' defence will be as tightly sealed as a can of Dr Pepper. And all of those flippy Brumbie passes look like interception material with Aplon, de Jongh and the Jean ready to pounce.

Jake's intemperate statements will chill the ice in Stormers veins and fill them with resolve. Frankly I can't see this even being close. The Sardines embarrassed SA rugger guys with their woosie display. The Stormers will restore some pride.

Rugby's Rubik's cube......hahaha.....pride goeth before the fall.

There is no reason in the world the Stormers should not beat the Brumbies for the simple reason they are a better side. Hell topping the S15 log last year takes some doing, they have not all of a sudden become an average side.

The loss of Etzebeth is huge, but one man does not make a side.

The Sharks cocked it up last week, they to are a better side than the Brumbies but got that one wrong. They seemed to find their feet in the second half, winning the half, but by then it was far too late.

The Stormers are going to beat the Brumbies

 Last year Etzebeth made a huge difference. When he ran over Bismarck he changed the psychology of Stormers/ Sardines matches. I recall Etzebeth standing tall holding back a scrum of Sardines....he is worth 5 points in my view

Nice cheerful posts but I am in two minds about this. I recall years ago the Stormers playing the highlanders with a micro light backline and the Highlander put 40 on them. They simply couldnt hold them.

Name me a side in the Super 15 that has a backline this small.  You lose the collisions and are continually going backwards when the ball goes out wide. 

A huge effort from the pack might offset this to some degree - we shall see. Very interesting match looming.

Agreed he is a big loss, the guy is the best lock in the game by some distance and his replacement in the Stormers side is at the opposite end of the scale. de Kock Steenkamp sells the side short, but with the grunt of Liebenberg at 2 and having two big loosies in Elsatdt and Vermeulen, this should offset the liability of Steenkamp.

The other issue is the number of small backs in the Stormers ranks - Coetzee has got the balance wrong.

However, the Stormers are still good enough to beat the Brumbies despite some of the suspect selections

Hasbeen I have sensed you are all wobbly about this. Take heart Ou Maaik is on the other side of my argument.......always wrong, never uncertain.

Mozart

I know who is wrong most of the time - because he always base his arguments on one ocurrence in a match - ignoring two years of previous disasters.   That CC final try becomes the pedestal on which he placed De Jongh.

I will make a forecast about De Jongh's performance tomorrow:-

*   He will be as per normal useless in attack;

*    He will make his tackles - but as he is not a strong tackler - he will not prevent off-loads and stop recycling of the balls: and

*    He will give away at least one penalty and will lose possession of the ball at least twice.

That is if he is not going to do a Twickenham and vanish from sight during the game.   Just see his following stats and see what I mean:-

The above stats indicated that the Springboks for 75 minutes of the game had 14 players and 1 passenger on the field of play that day and De Jongh did a masterly disappearance trick.  Will that happen again tomorrow?  

The Brumbies to win by 12+ points

There now you have the whole picture:

Poor Old Maaik.....I keep telling you, lay off the stats man....they can only hurt you.

Mozart and Saffex are you both in the "legend" making game regarding Etzebeth. He is the best lock in SA, but in the world....he hasn't done enough to warrant that tag....yet.  He has enormous potential and agree barring injury will fulfill that potential..but holding back scrums himself, hell why bother with the other 7 forwards.

Poly these things have to be viewed with a certain poetic license....but by the next RWC, he could be the best lock in the game.

Mozart, I was pulling your chain alittle. I do like Etzebeth and remembered when he steamrolled Du Plessis...(the best hooker in the game) THAT moment was my "damn he is something" moment.