Cheetahs ready for lineout kings
29 Oct 2009
Lock Nico Breedt says the Cheetahs’ jumpers are looking forward to facing the ‘best lineout in the world’ at Loftus on Saturday.
Breedt and his lock partner David de Villiers will be up against the Bulls’ Springbok second row of Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha – a combination that is considered the best in world rugby.
Breedt admits it will be tall order to battle Matfield and Botha.
‘We won’t focus too much on them. We will concentrate on our own game,’ he told keo.co.za. ‘At times, players will get hung up by the fact that they are superstars and lose focus on their own game. But we won’t do that.
‘It will be a tough challenge and it’s always nice to test yourself against the best in the world. For David and myself, it will be a big achievement for us to do well.’
Matfield is known for studying his opponents intensively before the match and then ruling the contest in the air. Breedt, however, said the Cheetahs have been doing some homework of their own heading into the final.
‘Victor puts a lot of pressure on his opposition in every game he plays. He does his research well and we are doing the same,’ he said.
‘We worked a lot on our lineouts before the semi-final and we will carry on with that going into the final. We have to be very sharp against the Bulls if we want to do well.’
Adding to Matfield’s lineout supremacy, the Bulls boast extra lineout options in Dewald Potgieter and Pierre Spies, while the Cheetahs are limited in this department. This a disadvantage that has resulted in average performances in the lineouts this season.
‘We basically only have three jumpers. Frans Viljoen is the third option but he only developed into a jumper this season,’ said Breedt. ‘It’s been a challenge having only three recognised jumpers. They will have a lot of options, so it will be difficult contest in the lineouts.’
There’s no doubt that the Bulls are favourites to rule the lineouts on Saturday, but Breedt is confident they will be able to compete.
‘Victor and Bakkies are a bit taller and bigger in size, but David and I complement each other as well. We gel as a combination and perform well together,’ he said.
‘It will definitely be amazing challenge. We have come this far, so it will be disappointing to be dominated. We will be motivated when we run on to the field to face the world’s best.’
By Gareth Duncan
13 Comments
29 Oct 2009, 10:49 am
of for goodness’ sake, what is with these “second row” articles…yho hayi soze uve kaloku…
29 Oct 2009, 11:01 am
WTF!
Does Brussow have to do everything!
Well if anyone can steal a ball from Victor it will be Brussow
29 Oct 2009, 11:05 am
Boring…………
Surely their is others aspects about the game, that they can comment on.
Gareth it`s ok if their is no NEW news, no need the update the same **** everyday!
29 Oct 2009, 11:06 am
#2 adj nm: LOL! Well, Brussow has been used as a jumper before, so that may be a strategy… with his quicker reactions, and being easier to lift.
29 Oct 2009, 11:08 am
How bout a word from the bulls cheerleaders?
You know like what we can expect, who’s going to do some *** shaking?
29 Oct 2009, 11:09 am
#2 adj nm: jake white has already told us that brussow is k@k at the lineout, unlike schalk…so now worries.
29 Oct 2009, 11:14 am
Isn’t the Poll just interesting?
As it stands now we have 188 voters that wasted their votes.
We have 324 voters that made a calculation error.
We have 236 wishful thinking voters
And only 371 voters that knows anything about rugby!
Out of 1119 voters!
That is only 33%!
Shocking
29 Oct 2009, 11:16 am
#6 Transformation: Who mentioned anything about the lineouts?
29 Oct 2009, 11:22 am
Pierre Spies.
My Testimony
I was blessed to grow up in a loving Christian home. Both of my parents had committed their lives to the fulltime ministry of serving God and His people. Our little family, my parents, my elder sister Johanni, younger sister Steffani and I were instructed in the Way of the Lord – always placing Him first. We were taught the Word of God from an early age – learning it verse by verse and reciting it to guests visiting our home, Psalm 1: 1 was my recital verse and I rehearsed it over and over again. We were basking in the Love of the Lord and I felt blessed and at a young age was starting to comprehend the Fathers Heart for His children here on earth.
In Primary school I was excelling at academics and sport. I was a happy child and was experiencing Gods true blessings in my life. My parents loved each other and protected and challenged us on every level – always offering their support and motivation. My Father instilled a strong champion spirit within us teaching us to believe that we are winners and most importantly that: “The best is yet to come.”That is what God wants for you, the BEST,to PROSPER. My mother taught us the art of survival: to live with endurance and perseverance. She taught us diligence and nurtured a fighter spirit within each one of us. Never to give up in challenging times and to have patience and perseverance.
At the time I went to high school things started to change. I was going through the typical changes a teenage boy experiences. Wanting to impress the girls but feeling insecure, looking terribly out of proportion with extra large ears and feet and experiencing problems with my skin, didn’t play for the A-team, and wasn’t popular. A good thing was that my attitude was right and I always participated in as many events as I could. Knowing through what I had been taught that hard work and a good attitude is what pulls you through.
My parents were going through a crisis in their marriage and it became evident that my pretty picture of home was going to change. Satan has a way of stealing your inheritance and happiness if you do not nurture and take good care of what God has entrusted to you like your marriage, your talents or gifts.
At the age 15 my parents chose to get a divorce. I was asking more and more questions about life and God – especially, how a loving God could allow this to happen? Why does bad things happen to good people? Why do families get separated? I realised only later that this isn’t Gods plan but we live and die by the decisions we make…like in Deuteronomy 30 God says “I lay before you life and death, blessing and cursing, so choose life..” and a lot of times we blame God for the decisions we make.
This was a very big blow to my world. My picture of family was shattered – no more family holidays or Christmas’s. This security was plucked out from under me. Through this pain I made a decision that one day I would make a success of my marriage and I would learn from the mistakes my parents have made. You also have to make that decision…it’s not good enough to say because your parents did it, that’s why you are doing it, you’re better than that!
Turn your pain around. Learn from it. You can do it!
Instead of seeking God in all of my pain I found consolation with my friends and became more and more influenced by the group. Peer pressure like what people thought of me, trying to be someone else, initiated a lifestyle of self centeredness, always in pursuit of acceptance and acknowledgement but ironically only feeding the void in your soul. Being empty when I was alone.
I was living with my mother and two sisters and as a family we were going through some really challenging times. My elder sister Johanni was a full time student studying law. Myself and Steffani were both still at high school. At 40 years old, having been a stay at home mom, my mother decided to study a degree in law in pursuit of her independence and financial freedom. This was adding a lot of pressure to our situation and financially we were straining to make ends meet. I remember a time I invited friends over to our house, advising them that they could only visit our home but could not eat there because we did not have enough money for food to entertain our guests. It was during this time that my sister Johanni, in her final year of LLB and 22 years old fell pregnant with her long time boyfriend from high school. This was another blow to my understanding of life and family. A family so committed to serving God? What would everyone say? How would this look to the world? Our moral core values were in question.
Johanni was faced with the choice so many women are faced with, the question of having an abortion. This proved to be the easy way out. In our home we were taught that discipline and the pain of discipline is worth more than the pain of shame. Taking responsibility was the right thing to do – it would bring forth fruit in the long run. Johanni chose to take responsibility for her actions and not to give up, but to follow through with the pregnancy. God blessed her with a beautiful baby girl called Milla two weeks before her final LLB Law exam. Milla was a miracle and came to us in such a difficult time. Today we cannot imagine our lives without this little princess. Now she’s 7 years old and a bundle of life giving joy!
My father taught us that if we continue doing the same things that other people were doing we would never be different. I wanted to be different.
God blessed me with sporting talent. In this difficult time I chose to be different and make a few decisions. I wanted to be the fastest, the strongest and the best at what I did. When my father was young he was a prominent sports figure in South Africa, excelling at athletics and rugby. I had the blessing of inheriting these genes. Yet, talent is never enough. My father had taught me that the seeds of discipline and sacrifice needed to be sown for the harvest of success to come in. I had to make a commitment. It was the only thing I was sure of in my life.
“Success is not the blaze of sudden glory won, it is the effort adding up of strong work done.”
I was in gym every morning at 5am, playing rugby after school , choir in the evenings and then there was the academics. This was such a busy time but before I knew it I was in grade 12 and I had grown from small out of proportion teen to a tall, strong and fast young man. I started reaping the reward of those disciplined decisions. Not partying when they did and train when they didn’t . I was number 1 in South Africa in Discus, I was number 3 in shot-put under 20 and qualified for the world juniors. I was chosen as Craven Week captain and I was excelling at my rugby. I was confronted with a choice to pursue a professional career in sport. I chose rugby.
After high school I signed a contract with the Blue Bulls and was given a full bursary for studying at the University of Pretoria. This was awesome and I was experiencing my independence – all my studies were paid and my contract allowed me financial independence. I started experiencing the glory and the reliance on self. My first year I was chosen for the SA u/19 side. The media started paying attention – I was labelled the next best thing in SA rugby. I was experiencing the honour of man. I was riding this wave of glory but at the World Cup tournament the unexpected happened… and I broke my arm. The break was bad and the injury would initially take me out of play for at least 2 months. I was asking so many questions. This was supposed to be my time and my breakthrough after everything I had invested? Why me Lord? Why now? My granny gave me John 13:7 and I would only later understand. God has a plan with everything. My arm did not heal and my injury turned into a 10 month period of no play.
I was thinking this was a great time to commit to my studies – but it turned out to be the perfect excuse for a party. I was young and started hanging out in all the clubs, drinking and slowly losing my focus which had driven me to succeed. I was in a very bad space. My dad kept motivating me by saying I had to remain positive and that the best was yet to come. By the end of 2004 I had no goal and no motivation and was totally unfocussed. On top of all this my arm wouldn’t heal. It was at this time I believed things could not get any worse that I got the shocking news that my father had a heart attack and had died at the age of 53. How sudden! How could this be?
Lord this is too much! Why now? I need my dad, my father, my mentor…
But God had other plans…a better plan.
I was immediately confronted with life, mortality and eternity. This was the moment my life changed. I started asking what was the goal of my life? Could it be that God had a plan with my life? I knew that I desperately needed to get my life right with God. I was not sure of what would happen to me if I died – I needed to connect with God and make a few radical decisions for what I believed in.
My father had been the cornerstone of my security. He was my foundation, my protection my guidance. My dad called himself the “Groot Leeu” (Big Lion) he was 6 feet 4 inches and had an aura around him. He had a fantastic sense of humour, was multi talented, played the piano and guitar, wrote the most incredible letters, always sent us motivational texts and always inspiring us. He believed in me and raised us for one great goal and that was to do great things for the Kingdom of God.
My father taught us to always be the best you can be and wrote each one of us a song when we were little, mine went something like this:
“My naam is Ouboet en ek is my pa se bul, (My name is “Big brother” and I am my dad’s bull)
Ek is nog maar baie klein, maar Loftus gaan nog brul (I’m still small,but Loftus will still roar)
Al wil ek nooit aan die lag kom nie en almal se ek is nors (Although I struggle to get into laughter and everyone says I’m grumpy)
Bly ek nog die baas, met “Big Shot” op my bors.” (I still remain the boss with “Big Shot” on my chest)
My dad spoke prophetically into our lives from a young age. I will never forget the simple truths he taught me: always be humble and friendly and be friends with everyone.
They say when a father dies the son becomes a man. The “Groot Leeu”(Big Lion) was gone and the “Klein Leeu”(Small Lion) had to take his place.
God started sending people into my life, sharing His love and relating their life stories and that it was time for me to make a decision for Him.
One Sunday morning after a heavy night before, I found myself sitting in church. He was calling, the CALL was loud and clear within my spirit and I knew I wanted to make the commitment to give my life to the Lord ***** ******. That day the pastor spoke, it felt like he was speaking directly to me. The Bible says God is light and when he shines upon you it is your conscience that speaks to you.
I was tired of hangovers and the fake glory of man. I chose to give my life back to God that day in the church, publicly in front of people, crying and repenting of my sins, accepting ****** in my heart completely…wanting Him to consume every part of me. And He did…he made me new. God makes you a new creation and wipes away your past!
AGAIN, I wanted to be different.
I no longer wanted to live the lie. To be lukewarm and live proclaiming to be a Christian but not walking or really living like one. I had a burning within my soul to serve God and people, to find God and to really know God. Because, I had made the decision to seek God’s Kingdom first above everything else, He started to change things in my life. I wanted to serve people, to forget about myself, to see people coming into the Kingdom of God and finding ***** ******. finding freedom and peace and restoration for their brokenness.
I knew that I was chosen to fulfil God’s plan for my life and not my own. God had stationed me in a specific position to reach people and to share with them what He has done in my life. God has called us to be fishers of men and to live in love with one another. I am a warrior for the Kingdom of God and will stand on His word with my life and all that I am.
I realised Gods plans are better than mine and that He knows more than me!
In .2005 I met Juanné ,my (then girlfriend) and now my wife
A woman who loved God more than me ,who is my best friend and the most beautiful woman on earth. Someone who was willing of walking a road less travelled and who had a heart for broken people… Something I wanted, and God blessed me with her, in abundance.
In our relationship we made tough decisions and set boundaries to keep us pure before marriage and really become best friends. We still reap the rewards, and you can too if you make tough choices and put God first above yourself and your partner. Remember the devil wants to destroy your relationship and that your relationship is the first test of your faith.
Charity starts at home…always!
My rugby career started to soar and I was chosen to play for the Springboks in 2006.
My test debut was a nightmare losing 49-0 to Australia and then being dropped from the team. But I got a second chance and then gave a man of the match performance.
2007 was world cup year and the excitement was building having had a successful Super 14 with the Bulls winning the trophy and after that all roads led to France. I was selected in the World cup squad being a favourite for player of the tournament without it even started
2 weeks after the squad announcement I started to cough up blood and had chest pains and pain breathing…our team doctor took me for tests and the shocking news hit us…I had blood clots on my lungs.
I was thinking:
What? blood clots? God you must be joking? We’re on our way to the world cup? highlight of my career? I’m walking in your ways God? I live healthy and look after my body and train hard and don’t use illegal substances?
Doctors said a minimum of 6months blood thinning medication, and never to play rugby again.
Immediately I knew God was in control…I didn’t know exactly how but His word says He has great plans for our futures and that we’ve been healed by his wounds.
Walking in faith was what I did now…I wrote on a big poster :”Healed in ***** name” because I knew God had the power to heal me, otherwise His word would not have been true. My faith was tested but I made a decision to praise God even if I stayed sick or get healed…because I know Gods plan is bigger than mine and I had to submit to His will…an unconditional choice, the way He loves us.
There was a lot of medical tests done on me, from head to toe, and always in my car on the way to the hospital I put on praise and worship music, and screamed and praised God with a loud voice knowing that whether these lungs are sick or if they’re healthy, I’m going to praise God for He IS GOOD. You keep with your decision…you keep on keeping on.
For with man it is impossible but with God all things are possible.
And then…after the 6months of medication…a miracle happened…GOD HEALED ME
Doctors said it was impossible, I would never play again , most people with blood clots never gets of the medicine.. but God is moved by faith and not by world systems. And he did a great work in me and he can do the same for you.
And I was able to play rugby again and peruse my career and got married at the end of 2008 which shows his great love and mercy.
Through everything in our lives God will fulfil his plan for you. ***** has used me as an instrument to reach my family and friends and help them change their lives by loving them the way He instructs us to. Through my rugby career I have been honoured to visit many exceptional countries and places and meet wonderful people, many doors have been opened to me to share His Name and His Love.
My message to you is that God has a plan for your life. He has a passion for YOU. He speaks to your everyday, that still small voice inside you – yes, you probably know it. Once you have decided to follow Him and live for Him, He will do more for you than you ever could have imaged. Take His hand, He will do the rest.
29 Oct 2009, 11:25 am
#9 DAN_MAN: Thanks, I’ll take the rest of the day off and read it
29 Oct 2009, 11:29 am
#8 adj nm: what is this thread about?
29 Oct 2009, 11:40 am
#11 Transformation: what does the thread have to do with anything?
29 Oct 2009, 22:23 pm
jees we dont want an essay! just another trophy in bloem!
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