Weer Probeer

Ag and the okies in pink did.....but no joy.

Very close game, congrats WP. I'd like to see where all the Chiliboy critics are now though.

The Blue Bulls were so bright in pink that I was blinded by the sheer magnificence of the pink - we can call it even nipple pink - the colour for all suckers.

One could really feel pity for them - and ask the fashion police not to arrest them for abuse of colours - but despite their bright cpolours they lost.

Can someone please advice the Blue Bulls that pink is not really the colour for rugby players - they should stick to blue and hope for the best

Well Etzebeth was huge again....he would have been my MOM. Jean outplayed Wynand handily and de Jongh shredded Sadie.  Aplon was superb and Habana did some good things. Joe Pietersen made some critical mistakes, not finding touch.....but I did love the way he decked the great Spies in open field.

The Bools played better in the second half, and face it the ball really bounced for them for their try. The other try highlighted Grant's weakness as a tackler, and Bekker's lack of faith in him. The Stormers by contrast started to play silly buggers in their own half.

What I really don't like is all this talk about what a great job Susspies is doing. The Bools found the plot at the half, not from their captain. I'm just paranoid enough to see in this an attempt to tee up this moron as Bok captain.

Chiliboy is my MOM, made very telling contributions. Etzebeth as you say was very prominent. Very silly Bull's errors cost them as they did in fact dominate that first half. Left it much too late and showed a lack of composure once they drew level. Jean did more than Olivier, but de Jongh was not as effective as I had hoped. I counted two good carries and a bad missed tackle. Regarding Joe's strength, I warned that he was no pushover; he put Bismarck on his backside with a fierce hand-off and seconds after handed off the Shark loosehead! For me the standout locks were Etzebeth and Kruger, both Bekker and Flip failed to live up to the hype. Flip's interference at the lineout was bordering on Bismarck stupidity.

Unfortunately, we are short of captain material. I'm not sure what's going on with Juan, but outside of him there is very little on offer. Strauss (x2), Spies, Burger, Jean and Bismarck have all been mentioned, and not one of them has a clear edge over the other. I would punt Chiliboy, but seeing as he is playing so well I would leave him to concentrate on his game. The advantage of Spies being captain though would be his relationship with Meyer. Meyer understands the dynamic of the Bull's setup very well. We'll just have to wait and see what he does. That he isn't going to commit to a definite captain now says alot about the void Smit has left behind.
 

The other thing Joe Pietersen has to be dinged for is the Bools try. There was nobody home at the back....and given Pietersen wasn't involved in the play preceding the interception and kick by Hougaard, that was unacceptable. Positional play still means something.

It's hard not to agree with your points on Chili....he had a great game. I thought de Jongh made some hard yards carrying the ball in traffic and he cut past Sadi to settle their contest. Engelbrecht beat him, but that was the only tackle he missed....and he made amends by beating Engelbrecht a little later.

Bason must be about the best chasing wing in the game....but I'd still take Habana that half volley catch of Hougaard's kick was brilliant.

Kitshoff struggled a bit technically....Werner Kruger never made solid engagement, fading back and inside and Kitshoff's body position was over extended. His power was observable in the few fair scrums, and his play around the park is excellent.

Etzebeth is the great new find though.....fast, smart and powerful. He doesn't give away penalties and is so powerful in the forward exchanges. He totally dominated Flip Flop. This is what Rugby 365 said:

Man of the Match: Some 40 men gave of their heroic best in this epic battle but our Man of the Match is that giant of strength, skill and calm Eben Etzebeth.

Unfortunately for the Chilli boy fans the man of the match went to the very underatted Liebenberg who got through a mountain of work. To compare the  ocassional efforts of wee chilli boy to Liebenberg is plain rediculous. Fortuntately the adjudicators recognised real worth when they saw it.

Yes Etzebeth was the best lock on the field and amazingly for one so young has established himself as our premier lock. Bekker will be his partner I think unless its Elstadt.

Juandre seems to have the makings of a great number 7 and I hope Meyer has the nous to recognise this.

Alistair made the mistake of subbing both Liebenberg and Elstadt too soon. But I could b wrong as in Elstadt case this was his first game back at this level and he may have been more tired than I could make out.  Liebenberg had put in a HUGE effort and possibly he was in a similar position.

Those beating the chilli boy drumbeat really need to think of their credibility. bfore proceeding down thsi path much longer. The pecking order is Bissie (best hooker in the world) followed by Strauss or Liebenberg. If you need a powerful scrummager Liebenberg is a bit better than Strauss while Strauss ias a bit more mobile. Both put in a huge amount of work which chilli boy does not come near to. We then take a drop in class to Chilli Boy and the other hookers around.

I was very sorry that Duvenage couldn't take that pass and that of course the Hougaard kick ahead led to a most unfortuante try. A 14 point swing. With the lightening of the pack things got a little more difficult but it was note worthy that it was the Mighty storemrs who ended the game the stronger.

Hats off to bulle ref craig joubert who officiated reasonably well and not is the  very biased manner we have seen in the past. and particulary in that Super 14 final agaisnt the bulle. Maybe the heat on  BL and paddy has been a salutory lesson to him. Plus of course all the cricism on rugby boards which I am sure he is aware of plus the outcry from France etc.

Liebenberg got MOM? Are you serious? Having done what exactly? Chiliboy was the most influential individual in that game by far and is still the best hooker in South Africa by quite some distance.

 Great physical encounter. Close on paper and proved as close on the park. Have to disagree with Moz's take on Jean and de Jongh being better than Olivier and Sadie - there was nothing in it.

Same with Cards take on Flip and Bekker who both had good games. Etzebeth is just something else - pure power and a must as a Bok starter - hell and he has not even found his feet yet. Its great to see Spies back in form, he was easily the loosie on the field.

Beeno your anti Chiliboy is starting to sound pretty pathetic. He is twice the player the very average Liebenberg is - there is no way in hell that average player could have got MOM. Liebenberg is easily the weakest of the SA S15 hookers - Bismark, Chiliboy, Strauss and Visagie are all better as are hookers like Burden and Deon Fourie