Sorry Sharks and Cheetahs fans........I am a neutral and therefore for the sake of SA rugby, I want to see the Stormers and Bulls climb the table, they are placed far too low. Post the weekend we need to Stormers on 20 points and the Bulls on 23.
Lets hope the Sharks and Cheetahs pick up bonus points though, 2 each would be perfect, which of course would then allow the Bulls to progress to 24 points and the Stormers 21 (4 tries each and all that!)
Saffex
There is only one positive for the Stormers this week - which could benefit the Stormers and that is the fact that Jantjies is not playing. If he was playing the match was over and done with with the Sharks winning easily. Now they have a small chance of causing an upset.
Ludeke made a fool of himself by not playing Arno Botha as a loosie. So his team are also in for another loss.
i would prefer both the sharks and cheetahs to win, for the very same reasons that saffex mentioned, plus the cheetahs have always been my fave saffa team. lolz.
but i can actually see both the stormers & bulls winning these matches and winning them easy. i cant see the stromers scoring 4 tries though, they have managed to that only once in 2012 & 2013 to date & that was against what IMO is an overrated brumbies team.
Mike wow am really surprised to hear your typical prejudicial shit regarding Jantjies
Sas, you need to read my post again.....I want the Bulls and Stormers to win
Saffex
The Jantjies bit was specially put in to get a reaction from you. I got it and laughed aloud. Look - I do not think eiter the Bulls or the Stormers have a chance to win in this case.
The Bulls
The Bulls team have serious weaknesses in those positions where the Cheetahs are strong - namely the props and hooker and the loosies. I cannot see how Stegmann and Potgieter can get the better of Labuschagne and Brussow. The wing situation also favour the Cheetahs and I beleve the center situation is 50-50.
I do not like the Bull scrummie and Morne will always be Morne. He can and have the ability to completely neutralize the Bulls backline.
The Stormers
They have three backline players of value, namely De Villiers, Aplon and De Allende only. For the rest there backline is really a dead duck. Van Aswegen is poor - or at least was when he came on in the Cheetahs game. Up front the Stormers have real problems - I like their props - but Fourie - although good in the loose -his scrumming is poor. I do not share your viewpoints on Kolisi - he does very well in some aspects of the game - but is not really up to the standard of good all-round loosies. He played well this year - but tend for long periods in games become invisible. Rhodes is not up to standard. I definitely prefer the Sharks loose combination to the one of the Stormers. At lock it is 50-50
I would say both the Bulls and the Stormers have about a 35% chance of winning.
@saffex,
LMAO, :oP
i did read ur comments carefully, but remember im a kiwi all the way, its in NZs interest that the sharks and cheetahs win for the very same reaosns u as a saffa neutral siad they should lose, :o)
im happy to see that SA have 4 teams really giving it a go though, SA have not had that the last two years while NZ has.
IMO 2013 is going to be the closest year yet, but im expecting 2 teams from each conference to make the final top 6. however, in order for NZ to have an inkling of a chance to get in three teams, we need sharks and cheetahs to reamin undefeated in all their local darbies, :o)
Sas, did SA not have 3 sides end up in the top 5 of last years S15?
Wrong Mike, the Bulls have better props than the Cheetahs given they leave Coenie on the bench. Nkanyane and Melllet are about par. Kirsten is better than Adriaanse. Chiliboy is hardly a weakness at 2. Yes Strauss is better......same can be said of the Bulls loosies......Stegman, Potgieter and Spies are hardly a weakness......the Cheetahs loosies are better but only just.
@saffex,
thats my point, last year the cheetahs and lions were nothing more then a free points cow for the bulls, sharks and stormers to milk and get a finals spot.
there were even a ton of comments about how the lions should just bow down to SA teams and not play as hard as they do, cos those teams would get better finals chances.
entering the last two rounds in last years finals, there was 9 teams who were playing for a finals spot & four of them were kiwi teams, its why NZ was the only one to have 4 teams with 50 championship points or more as opposed to SA who had three and then the cheetahs who had 38 championship points.
2013 is differnet though, cos SA clubs are feeling an unfamiliar pinch that NZers are very familiar with, the cannibalisation of local darbies.
australia are fortunate, cos the reds who when fully fit are a very strong team have 4 lesser teams to pick on which is what happens more often the not , but slip ups are common. meanwhile the brumbies who IMO are the most over rated team in the comp get to build their points up thanks to useless teams like the waratahs, force & rebels.
any team from NZ and australia bar the kings would thrive in the OZ conference.
