Power to powder blue
12 Oct 2006
Keo, in his News24 column, reminds the Muppits that Saturday’s Currie Cup winner was identified some time ago.
This is what I wrote in my column on September 27:
‘One team of the top five is going to miss out and it is going to be the Lions. Brave and brilliant in the last seven matches, the Lions will curse their early season experiments that cost them easy points. Lesson learned by Eugene Eloff who will not easily again surrender league points to prove a point to his senior players.
‘The Cheetahs will lose in Pretoria on Saturday but still end top of the table, with the Bulls ending second on points difference from Western Province who’ll take the five league points at Newlands. The Sharks will hammer the Falcons to set up another trip to Bloemfontein and a semi-final exit from the competition.
‘The Sharks, my early season call to win the competition, have mixed and matched so much this season that they cost themselves a home semi-final and with that any chance of winning the competition. The Sharks can’t beat the Cheetahs at the moment. In the other semi-final match-up Western Province will travel to Loftus and this time there won’t be an ambush.
‘I’m tipping the Bulls to win on Saturday, win against Province the next week and then travel to Bloemfontein and set the record straight for last season’s defeat to the Cheetahs in the final.’
Are these words, written more than two weeks ago, to be viewed as some sort of prophecy? Absolutely not. Because I also wrote in May that the Waratahs would win the Super 14 and the Wallabies would triumph in the Tri Nations.
Domestically, though, it was always going to be the Bulls once the Sharks started fading through excessive experiment.
That’s why I could write with such conviction on September 27 as to how the Bulls march to the trophy would unfold. It is now October 11 and nothing in my view has changed. I am still backing the Bulls to go to Bloemfontein and win. Individually, they are a better unit and cohesively they have made as much impact as the Cheetahs in the last month.
Take nothing away from Ollie le Roux and Rassie Erasmus. The former, in his role as captain, has been inspirational. The latter is the most exciting thing to happen to the South African coaching scene. He is talented, innovative and definitely not a one season wonder. South Africa rugby is healthier in the coaching department because of Rassie’s emergence.
But if you want to know why the Cheetahs won’t win on Saturday, then you simply have to look at the tight five composition of the Bulls and the kicking game of Derick Hougaard at flyhalf. The tight five will set up the victory for the visitors and Hougaard’s boot will close the deal.
There won’t be much in the final, but all you need to win it is one point.
Statistics favour the Bulls. They’ve lost just one out of their last 10 against the Cheetahs, while winning the last four in Bloemfontein. The defeat happened to be in last year’s final and it took a miraculous comeback and the bounce of the oval ball to sink them.
The surprise element a year ago was with the Cheetahs, but this weekend there won’t be any such tricks in the party packs handed out during the final. The Bulls know exactly what to expect and they are in no doubt as to what they have to do to succeed. This is a victory that will be fashioned on preparation as much as execution and with Heyneke Meyer back from his overseas travels his input is crucial.
Pote Human has settled as Bulls coach, but Meyer’s technical and analytical contribution will be massive to the Bulls success. He remains the Director of Rugby at the Bulls and the man in charge.
The Bulls have been the form team in South African rugby in the last month. They’ve put 50 past the Sharks in Durban, given the Cheetahs 41 points in Pretoria and scored 45 comfortably against Western Province a week ago. They’re scoring tries with ease and Hougaard is kicking well.
Gary Botha’s captaincy has been outstanding and the tight five are fronting for each challenge. The Cheetahs, this season, have thrived on forward domination against most teams. The exception has been when playing the Bulls. That is why they lost in Bloemfontein earlier in the competition, got hammered in Pretoria and will again come second best on Saturday.
The path to the final was recorded here a fortnight ago. And nothing in the last fortnight convinces me to change the call that has the Bulls to win the Cup again.
1,320 Comments
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12 Oct 2006, 06:20 am
If ever there was a bogie for any team, it is keo picking you as winner!
12 Oct 2006, 06:21 am
Anyway Ig, jy praat k*k!
12 Oct 2006, 06:23 am
Only joking, unlike a few others today and most other Thursday and, is it Mondays Ig, I did read the first line!
12 Oct 2006, 06:35 am
Cheetahs does not stand a change. Bulls will takes this one too.
12 Oct 2006, 06:41 am
thanks goodness that keo picked the bulls.
it’s a final and anything can happen.
12 Oct 2006, 06:42 am
Agreed fully Koos, he doesn’t sound very convincing at all, does he ?
Yes, yes, the BB are loaded with Jake White boks, but that is exactly WHY it increases Freestate’s chances even more !!
What people seemed to forget is that Rassie prepared for a home final…now he will play his cards and the bulls won’t like it…the BB were also fortuanate in coming up against a half baked WP team in the semis, who had little grip on the basics, even then, if it wasn’t for two or three give-away tries, the Stormers might have won !!!
The BB are vastly overrated, just like last year…in fact in the last final the Freestate forwards destroyed the BB pack…pushed them constantly back in the scrums, outjumped Matlock and kie, walked dozens of metres with the mauls, and in general completely whipped them, the BB also got a lucky try then and hit back with hteir customary dirty play, and that is all it might take…one habitual act of stupidity, inbred into them, and it is game, set and match…anyway, the Freestae forwards will come to the party, either as a heavier pack or outrun them from the start..the mere fact that the Bulls have so many of White’s ‘boks’ in their team is the final kiss of death…
12 Oct 2006, 06:43 am
Agreed fully Koos, he doesn’t sound very convincing at all, does he ?
Yes, yes, the BB are loaded with Jake White boks, but that is exactly WHY it increases Freestate’s chances even more !!
What people seemed to forget is that Rassie prepared for a home final…now he will play his cards and the bulls won’t like it…the BB were also fortuanate in coming up against a half baked WP team in the semis, who had little grip on the basics, even then, if it wasn’t for two or three give-away tries, the Stormers might have won !!!
The BB are vastly overrated, just like last year…in fact in the last final the Freestate forwards destroyed the BB pack…pushed them constantly back in the scrums, outjumped Matlock and kie, walked dozens of metres with the mauls, and in general completely whipped them, the BB also got a lucky try then and hit back with their customary dirty play, and that is all it might take…one habitual act of stupidity, inbred into them, and it is game, set and match…anyway, the Freestae forwards will come to the party, either as a heavier pack or outrun them from the start..the mere fact that the Bulls have so many of White’s ‘boks’ in their team is the final kiss of death…The Cheetahs WILL win…and I have said so since last year !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
12 Oct 2006, 07:03 am
Stem saam #2!
12 Oct 2006, 07:08 am
I hate to say it, but I also believe the Blues will take this one, and fairly comfortably so.12 point win vd Bulls.
12 Oct 2006, 07:08 am
Blues? Who?
12 Oct 2006, 07:09 am
Yes, but on September 27 you didn’t know kaplan was going to be the ref!
12 Oct 2006, 07:18 am
Keo kan baie str@nt praat!
12 Oct 2006, 07:29 am
i just wonder if the bulls really know what to expect. they all are of the opinion that they were robbed last year and then going on to beat the cheetahs three times after that….. now we know that the blue bulls and their supporters are not rocket scientists; they’ve already put the champagne on the ice.
the cheeaths on the other hand know exactly what to expect. i just wonder what their reaction to a more intense cheetah team will be? there might be just a wee little surprise waiting for them.
12 Oct 2006, 07:36 am
So GCC are you a rocket scientist?
12 Oct 2006, 07:37 am
frisco
how did you know?
12 Oct 2006, 07:37 am
Bulls will have to go out and TAKE it, not wait for something divine to happen and for the Cheetahs to lie down and hand it to them.
They will have to defend much better out wide and play within the laws so as not to give Kaplan any opportunities to penalise them. We all know Kaplan is anti-Bulls (only he can set the record straight on Saturday).
The Bulls will also have to THINK better – both in preparing the strategy, and in executing it on the field.
Keo punting the Bulls has not helped the Bulls’ cause either.
12 Oct 2006, 07:37 am
Well done Keo tell us something we dont know???? Its the Blue Train again…….. YAWN!!!!!
12 Oct 2006, 07:39 am
GCC, you guys can relax because the last thing I will do is put champagne on ice before Saturday. There is no way in hell that I am even remotely confident about a Blue Bulls victory on Saturday.
Not with the Cheetahs best player, kaplan, there.
The Blue Bulls will have to play the PERFECT game, and I mean perfect to win the CC.
We will have to be 24 – 0 up in the first quarter and then continue on from there.
At least one Blue Bulls player will be carded. That is a given, and it will be controversial again like with Habana last year.
When the Cheethas team is announced you will immediately be able to see who the guys will be that have been tasked to play dirty.
And , of course, after every whistle a Cheetah player will go down “injured” so that Oily can read the lights.
Like I said, prepare for a final of at least 3 hours.
12 Oct 2006, 07:42 am
OOeeee, koos, GCC, Muskadel…
Dinge gaan begin opwarm vandag!!
Ek se weer,hou julle ‘pose’ Cheetah-ondersteuners, die Bloues ‘nip’ hulle gatte af vir hierdie een!
12 Oct 2006, 07:44 am
ja pieterman
ek kon dit net nie weerstaan nie.
12 Oct 2006, 07:45 am
GCC
Jy het niks slegs of aanstootlik gese nie, net feite gestel…
12 Oct 2006, 07:46 am
Or maybe a WP supporter – did you enjoy losing against the bulls (again)
12 Oct 2006, 07:47 am
frisco
YAAAWWWN! no. next question?
12 Oct 2006, 07:47 am
Kry mens nog frisco, ek dog Koffiehuis het hulle uitgekoop in SA!
12 Oct 2006, 07:48 am
frisco
sorry, i see there are two parts to your question. no. n/a. next question?
12 Oct 2006, 07:49 am
koffiehuis as jy afrikaans is en frisco as jy engels is, pieterman
12 Oct 2006, 07:51 am
My head says the bulls .. but just
My heart is with the Cheetahs.
If the bulls actually showed up to play rugby last year in the final instead of trying to prove a point they would have won .. but they did not.
This years final will be allot closer, and may well be decided on one bounch of the ball again.
We all know how the bulls are going to play and what they are going to do .. if there are any surprises, it will come from the cheetahs side.
Gooooo Cheetahs!!!!
12 Oct 2006, 07:52 am
Ek meen, as ons nou nog oor Ozzies en hulle kriminele streep uitwei, ek ken ‘n hele paar Ozzies wat my of ander vriende al blatant belieg het, oor geld, en hulle geheeues verswak dadelik die oomblik dat jy hulle geld leen, wag nogsteeds vir hierdie een proffessor om my terug te betaal..en die kinders is nog erger !
Het nog nooit so ‘n spul lummels in my lewe raakgeloop nie…
Koreane, veral nou die Xtene onder hulle is baie soortgelyk, on-eerlik nou bedoel ek…ek dink die oomblik wat hulle ver–amerikaans het, kom daai nare anglo-westerse streep sterk deur, en hulle is ook die mees nasionalisties-fanatiese mense wat ek ken…dalk die dat die noorde hulle so bietjie wou wakker klap met ‘n kern bommetjie hier en daar…of wat se ek alles Pieter ? En Koos ?
12 Oct 2006, 07:54 am
GCC 26# Dankie
Ek sien jy is op hoogte wat tuis aangaan, tussen dat jy daar is. Mooi!
n Man moet weet wat in jou land aangaan.
(Sonder grappies…ek verbaas my soms vir die insiggewende posts wat n mens hier van oorsese Saffas sien… Koos, PikSteal, Stodders, Thehef, Quinny…Miskien is dit die verlange wat maak dat mens meer intensief belangstel in dinge tuis. Ek weet dis die geval met my, ek verslind absoluut enige nuus uit SA.)
12 Oct 2006, 07:55 am
GCC
Die naaste wat ons gaan kom in SA aan ‘n rocket scientist is Rassie met sy disco ligte
12 Oct 2006, 07:58 am
pieterman
absoluut. elke oggend eet ek my ontbyt voor die rekenaar met die volksblad oop. my mense is nog daar, dus wil ek weet wat daar aangaan.
12 Oct 2006, 08:02 am
Ek stem saam julle almal die enigste plek waar die bekker die naweek gaan mooi lyk is in blou hande
12 Oct 2006, 08:06 am
yster vark
nee wat jong, ek dink nie ollie se hande gaan blou wees nie; alhoewel, ek **** dat die bulletjies vir ollie target – dalk is jy reg… met behandeling sal ollie se hande agetr darem nie vir lank blou bly nie.
12 Oct 2006, 08:07 am
agetr = egter
12 Oct 2006, 08:08 am
folanke, talk rugby please. we don’t discuss koreans here, only rugby.
The team in last year’s final that didn’t pitch up to play rugby was the Cheetahs, not the Blue Bulls. I am assuming you were not at Loftus but at an anti-Bulls gathering of wp, sharks etc. supporters and therefore could not see what was happening.
If the Blue Bulls win on Saturday I will be pleasantly shocked.
12 Oct 2006, 08:08 am
I tend to disagree with keo.@weeks back the bulls played a FS “2nd team” and concieded the bonus point to them.THat happened at fortress loftus.Now that the rerun is @Bloem it’ll be a different story altogether.THe FS tite5 will match the bulls and their backs will outplay theirs,it’ll be close but FS to take it.
12 Oct 2006, 08:10 am
GCC, the Bulls know exactly what to expect.
You can expect a another tough battle and if the last encounter between them is any indication,the cheetahs are going to get hammered.
and Folanke,
Are you the Cheetahs new mascot by any chance ?
12 Oct 2006, 08:11 am
GCC ek lees ook gereeld die Volksblad en jy is reg pieterman, ‘n man probeer maar op datum bly.
Folanke, jy probeer hard maar dit gaan nie werk nie, laat staan dit maar, vir solank as jy uit SA uit kom moet mens eerder jou bek hou as dit by kriminele aksies kom.
12 Oct 2006, 08:11 am
Blou bloed, maar ten minste kan die gebeure in Korea arme Pieterman se erge sorge omdat sy span alweer vroeg verloor het verwyder of hoe ?
Ek meen, ‘n atoombom hier en daar konsentreer die gedagtes nogal…en ek is maar net nuuskierig om uit te vind of AL die Ozzies ALTYD oneerlik is, dus kan ‘n man wat daar woon soos Koos bv, my inlig of hoe ?
Dis net soeke na perspektief jy weet, amper soos komende Sat se game, wat Vrystaat definitief gaan wen, maar kan jy dit wel so aanvaar ?
12 Oct 2006, 08:15 am
anvil
that’s exactly my point; the cheetahs’ intensity won’t be the same as the last encounter. if the bulls have the last encounter in mind, they might just be shocked on saturday.
12 Oct 2006, 08:16 am
A cheetas 2nd team – HAHAHAHA when last did you check out their depth, now it might be better that Griquas are not playing – their feeder union.
Anvil – Flunky is their new mascot, a little korean wannabe with spots painted all over him! Teaching all the little cheetas to read nicely.
12 Oct 2006, 08:16 am
#35 .. BB agree .. the cheetahs went to loftus last year with the idea of disrupting the bulls, .. they set them up before the game, and then during the game, and the bulls were dumb enogh to fall for it.
If the bulls actually concentrated on playing rugby last year instead of trying to prove how tough they were they would have won the game easily.
This year it is going to be different though, because I think both teams will actually show up to play rugby .. and it is really to close to call.
12 Oct 2006, 08:16 am
Koos, koos, komende uit SA kan ek mos wel relevante vrae vra ?
Hoekom nie ?
Antwoord my dus net; is die Ozzies, oor die algemeen gesproke, gebore kriminele ?
Ek sal nogal bly wees om te verneem dat my eie imperatief-persoonlike opmerkings in die verband verkeerd is, maar toemaar, al is ek ook reg, het ek darem goeie nuus vir jou, die Kanadese is nog erger !
Hulle laat selfs die Yanks intelligent lyk…dus kon jy in nog ‘n swakker posisie jouself bevind het !!
If the Jews are God’s chosen people, what to call the Canadians ??
12 Oct 2006, 08:18 am
Yes Keo blah blah, thanks. You’re so good and so clever.
I see in the Burger headlines WP’s complaining bout the Bulls cheating. Please inform quickly so that I can go assissinate the fool.
12 Oct 2006, 08:18 am
GCC,
I agree on that, won’t be the same cheetas the bulls faced before. More like the cheetas that played that first 30min against the sharks. They play like that for 80 and there will be a serious battle on hand.
12 Oct 2006, 08:19 am
Folanke,
#6 & #7
You are a top class idiot!
Firstly, the bulls played WP not Stormers
Secondly, who is Matlock?….duh get your wording right before posting such drivel, you IQ, or lack thereof, is noted
12 Oct 2006, 08:22 am
You = your
12 Oct 2006, 08:24 am
Tisme…are you in Canada by any chance ?
12 Oct 2006, 08:24 am
Jake White has really shot himself in the foot by handing out long-term contracts to players that are really unprofessional. Now he is stuck with them. And I think his attempt to make the provincial coaches look bad by them honouring that contract. I think that of Jake was feable and cowardly. It would be interesting to see Jake White’s elite play against the SA Currie Cup all-stars. I have a feeling the Elite would have their asses handed to them. My Currie Cup All Stars:
Head Coach: Rassie Erasmus
Forwards Coach: Pote Human
Backs Coach: Gary Gold
Skills Coach: David Campese
15.) Bevan Fortuin
14.) Brent Russel
13.) Jaco Pretorius
12.) Wynand Olivier
11.) Phillip Burger
10.) Andre Pretorius
9.) Ruan Pienaar
8.) Robbie Diack
7.) Pierre Spies
6.) Luke Watson
5.) Francois van Schouwenberg
4.) Danie Rossouw
3.) BJ Botha
2.) Gary Botha (C)
1.) Jaco Engels
against SA Elite
15.) Percy Montgomery
14.) Ashwin Willemse
13.) Jacque Fourie
12.) De Wet Barry ?
11.) Bryan Habana
10.) Jean de Villiers ? (No flyhalf contracted)
9.) Fourie du Preez
8.) Jacque Cronje
7.) Juan Smith
6.) Schalk Burger
5.) Victor Matfield
4.) Bakkies Botha
3.) CJ van der Linde
2.) John Smit
1.) Os du Randt
12 Oct 2006, 08:25 am
Dit is lekker om te lees hoe groot all die ander supporters se bekke is en al die bulle is maar still….ons weet wat gaan gebeur die naweek…en ek wag vir maandag so dat ek lekker kan lag……….lekker kan lag
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