As a nation, South Africa deserves a whole lot more and so does the game of Rugby.

Writing about colour, race and politics is probably my least favourite topic to discuss, taking into consideration that in my view it doesn't belong near any form of sports. As a professional athlete, your race should play no part in any criteria for participation except for when you are a South African athlete, I would assume...  

In sport there is a saying that timing is absolutely everything, and with less than two months before the Rugby World Cup, it has been proven to be exactly the same for politicians and dimwits pushing their own agendas. Not even 48 hours after South Africa's shock defeat to Argentina, Tony Ehrenreich, the provincial secretary of Cosatu (South Africa's largest workers union) claimed that Heyneke Meyer is deliberately not selecting black players in the match 23. Though there is merit in Erenreich's claims that some players are denied game time, he failed to mention that those players denied are all South Africans, some black, and some white, not that it should matter anyway.  

There is a reason why boxers are not allowed to continue a fight while the opponent is down and out lying on the canvas dreaming about sunshine on a cloudy day...

Rule of thumb makes this quite simple, "you don't kick someone while he is down" and believe me Heyneke Meyer and his Springbok team was pretty much knocked out! This is a gesture that most South African supporters seem to forget whenever our heroes are lying flat on the canvas grasping for air, fighting a count down. No one took more punches and blows than our own Jake White. He was highly criticised for his defensive game plan, selections, losses and for sticking with captain John

Smit. However everything seem to have changed on the eve of 20 October 2007. All of a sudden this same guy was considered a genius and one of the best that we had ever had... Seriously? After a career of more than 100 test caps we seem to be nothing more than our last performance. This is how short-sighted we have become. Speculation has it that whenever you are fortunate enough to have a fan base, you are in no need of any enemies...

Faf de Klerk, Elton Jantjies, Scarra Ntubeni, Schalk Brits, Heinke Van der Merwe, Steven Kitshoff, Zane Kirchner, Franco Mostert, Rudi Page and even Patrick Lambie all have good reason to question their lack of participation in this year's Rugby Championship, but as far as I am concerned, it should

be a honour and a privilege to represent your country at the highest level, not a right! 

Has our standards deteriorated to such an extend where players can now all of a sudden claim game time? A track athlete doesn't have to qualify for finals, he could just claim that he is good enough and with the sound of a gun he's running next to Mr. Bolt himself.

I am not defending the lack of squad rotation by no means, and I too question the Springboks' approach over the last 10 months but I would very much like to erase the political concerns that has now been aired. Obviously the national coach has a game plan (probably not a very good or successful one I might add) and some players might not fit into the picture, though they are good enough to fill the void should injury force the hand of the coach. One should also hope that Heyneke Meyer still has his eyes firmly set on the World Cup and as I have stated on a dozen occasions, that takes proper preparation.

The term "kwota" in my view is rather offensive, and one I despise using. Would the minister of sport Mr. Fikile Mbalula refer to world cup winning, international player of the year Bryan Habana as a player of colour, or as a "kwota"? I would certainly hope not! 

Players like Breyton Paulse, Chester Williams, Errol Tobias, Brian Mujati, Eddie Andrews and personal friend of mine Ashley Johnson deserve a whole lot more than to be referred to as "kwota" players. They all made the national side on merit, and the fact that the government forces the selectors to have a certain amount of players of colour in a team places players of colour under immense pressure, and this should be brought to an end, as South Africa consist of bucket loads of players of colour who is coming through the ranks with heap loads of talent and potential. Consider this, if Jonah Lomu or Tana Umaga was representing the Springboks they would have been regarded as making up numbers, instead of being considered for what they really were, brilliant rugby players. 

I find it mind blowing that a coach of a national team is held responsible for "transformation". Surely his job is to coach, strategise a proper game plan and to make sure that the country's best rugby players fill the trophy cabinets. Transformation is something that the South African Rugby Union should take accountability for. They are to make sure that the game gets promoted in areas where people previously did not have the opportunity of playing rugby. Take the sport to all schools and let the talent develop naturally.

Tony Ehrenreich (Cosatu)

Earlier this year the South African Proteas was blown out of the Cricket World Cup, and the only thing that the media could rant about afterwards was the fact that there was allegedly interfered with last minute team selections. As they had it the call came from some guy wearing a tie and authority, apparently. It was argued that the coach had to play injured medium pace bowler Vernon Philander, because in Philander's absence the team would be considered "politically incorrect". Philander, when fit, is probably one of the best bowlers in the world and one I highly rate. Personally I believe Philander has the goods to in future be compared to the likes of Shuan Pollock and Australia's Glen McGrath, but obviously not while he is playing with an injury. The injustice in this scenario, should it be true, was not against the team who lost and dropped out of the World Cup, but rather towards the individual. Vernon Philander is by no means a "kwota" player and South Africa seems to be the only country in the world where players are regarded as such. How humiliating and unfair, to say the

least. 

21 years after independence, and probably after a life time of inaccuracy, Mr. Ehrenreich is still

campaigning for a national team to be selected on the demographic state of a nation, instead of merit. If his wish were to be somehow commanded, a 23 man team would ultimately consist of 18 Black

Africans, 2 Coloureds, 2 Whites, and 1 Asian. The mere fact that I have to differentiate between

South Africans is offensive and I find it sickening to say the least. Personally I believe the true heroes of this world like Madiba, fought a damn hard fight to make sure that 21 years after apartheid we are all equal, and valued for our input, not the colour of our skin... Select 23 SOUTH AFRICANS, FULL STOP.

With this uncomfortable article now written and soon to be published, I would like to plead with South African politicians and media to keep away from racial debate and racial issues. Within the sport of rugby we are all friends and ultimately family, and if anything could unite South Africa, there could be no better example than the one of Rugby World Cup 95'. Let the guys play, and lets suport them all the way, together as ONE NATION!        

     

Heading into a World Cup, does one opt for creativity or reliability?

In rugby, your more conservative coaches used to believe in a golden line. A line that went straight through the heart of any team, and in fact formed the beat of many a team.  The math was simple. You draw a straight line starting with the hooker, passing both the locks, running through the eightman, the scrumhalf, flyhalf and eventually ending up with the fullback. These were the positions that one would prefer your more experienced players, calming things down whenever the bounce of the ball seems to be bouncing in favour of the opposition.

John Smit, Sean Fitzpatrick, John Eales, Martin Johnson, Lawrence Dallaglio, Fourie du Preez, Johnny Wilkinson, Dan Carter, Percy Montgomery and Andre Joubert are all perfect examples of

players illustrating what the Golden Line in rugby exemplifies. They are all match winners in own right but prefer the spotlight on the chap next to them, playing with an attitude of “ nothing flashy, just do the basics right”. 

Some coaches on the contrary, prefer not to believe in the Golden Line and fancy their playmakers in the exact same positions, and no example could be more suitable than Carlos Spencer, Quade Cooper, Zinzane Brooke and Isreal Felou. These are all game breakers who tend to steal the show and believe to be in exactly the right position to do so…

Following Springbok rugby quite closely, I sense that Heinike Meyer might be at a split road, especially regarding his first choice fullback. Over the last three seasons, Heinike Meyer has invested quite heavily in Willie Le Roux, the young boy that stole South African hearts by running at every opportunity he got. Le Roux played a major part on all levels of the game, and very quickly became one of the senior players in the Cheetah camp. Naka Drotsky unleashed Le Roux into Super rugby as a wing and to his delight Le Roux made a massive impact in their campaign. Although the Cheetahs were more often than not on the wrong side of the score board, Le Roux was instrumental in almost every counter attack and every try scored. 

In 2013 Le Roux made his Springbok debut and has since established himself as the number 1 contender for the nr 15 jumper. With Jean de Villiers and Bryan Habana entering the final phase of their careers, Le Roux has stepped up as the playmaker and the one sparking fire of unpredictability. He is undoubtedly the man with the X-factor in the Springbok backline and has the ability to generate 7 points from a stop-start.

Meanwhile in the shadow of a poor Super rugby campaign and a serious neck injury, HM still has the option of Patrick Lambie to consider. Lambie has proven himself on more than one occasion as Mr. reliable and a player loaded with big match temperament. The typical “nothing flashy” type of guy that does all the basics right, and making it look easy too. He always seems to be in full control and just has this calmness about him. This is the perfect candidate for any coach who still believes in the Golden line.

To chose between the two is a bit like choosing between BMW and Mercedes Benz in the late 80’s. The one is this incredible sporty ride with leather seats, while the other one is this ridiculously elegant drive with a touch of sportiness… in the end they were both equally quick and you will most certainly reach your destination in both, the only question was how you prefer getting there. I tend to opt with Patrick Lambie and here’s why.

Willie le Roux is a far better rugby player than he is a fullback, meaning that he has this raw type of talent that will excel in almost any position, as long as he is on the park. Spotting gaps and running angles at high speed comes naturally for this bloke and it’s not something that can be taught, but rather something that you are born with. Such skills can be developed but you either have it or you don’t. Playing from the back against ordinary opposition, Willie le Roux will tear you apart. Just the other day he ran in three tries against the World XV.

The flip side though, is that against real quality opposition like the All Blacks, he might be neutralized by them playing strategic footy. With proper analyzing they can starve le Roux of the ball and whenever he enters the line he will ultimately leave a void at the back. Because of this, I much rather prefer le Roux on the wing. It makes it so much easier for him to enter that first five eight channel and to fire out one of his trademark bullet passes to a speedster running flat and into a gap. It opens up the option of a little chip kick without leaving the back uncovered. Opposition is to be so much more aware of the blind side with Le Roux possibly in that channel. 

Its seriously much easier to cover a wing out of position, compared to covering a fullback on the deck and both wingers having to play towards their own goal line.

Patrick Lambie offers you quite the opposite, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. With 40 test caps Lambie has this mature approach, creating a sense of security at the back. He is capable under the high ball, very seldom gets caught off guard or out of position and when touch is needed he makes sure that the ball crosses the white marker. Both South Africa’s WC winning teams consisted of a fullback rather opting for a calm, steady approach and ones who left the flashy stuff to the wingers and centers.

Being the motor fanatic that I am, I would leave my Beamers out on the wing to show off their speed and skill, while the Benz who epitomizes consistency, stability and reliability takes charges from the back and insures the Golden Line to stay intact.         

Rating the Boks on their performance against the World XV

    1.      Tendai Mtwarira :    5/10

Very average performance before being substituted for obtaining quite a bad cut to the face.

   

    2.      Bismarck du Plessis    6/10

Did all the basics right but was ultimately outclassed by for former Sharks teammate Craig Burden.

    3.       Jannie du Plessis    4/10

Failed to get the upper hand in the scrums and needed his contact lenses reinserted in order to spot the opposition.

    4.       Eben Etsebeth   8/10

Got stuck into the more physical stuff and slowly starting to show signs of the Etsabeth of old.

    5.       Victor Matfield.  06/10

Glad to see Big Vic going for the full 80. Except for competing for a spot on the wing, had a pretty good game and combined well with Etsabeth.

    6.       Francois Louw    05/10

Not the performance we have become accustomed to. Was far below the radar and gave his team some defensive practice by spending 10 minutes in the sin bin.

    7.       Marcell Coetzee   08/10

Got smashed on a couple occasions in the first 40, but certainly got up tougher and made a few hits good enough to dominate the highlight real. A complete performance and certainly a candidate for man of the match.

    8.       Warren Whiteley   07/10

Played quite a balanced game and seem to pop up everywhere when least expected. 

    9.       Ruan Pienaar    6/10

Did nothing spectacular and was out runned by opposition hooker Craig Burden on two occasions. If not for experience, he would have possibly been warming the bench…

   10.   Handre Pollard. 6/10

Though he made one or two poor tactical kicking errors during a 13 man period, he played a good running and distributing game. Substandard placekicking for a international player with his abilities.

   11.   Bryan Habana 5/10

Playing on reputation and one would expect more from him in a high running game of this nature. Made an exceptional pass that lead to a try though.

   12.   Damian de Allende   9/10

The real stand out player of the day. Ran great angles, scored two tries and were physically and defensively a real menace to the opposition. 

   13.   Jesse Kriel   7/10

Made a great debut, especially considering the fact that he did not play in his preferred position. Seems to run good supporting lines and might just turn out as the find of the season.

   14.   JP Pieterson    06/10

Nothing spectacular but did his job and did it convincingly.

   15.   Willie le Roux    07/10

Recovered quite well after having three blunders in the first 20 minutes. Scored a hatric of tries and glad to see him playing with confidence after suffering from injury. Better opposition will obviously test his positional game and some might still argue that Willie would perform best on wing.

The guys on the bench made a big impact and none bigger than Vincent Koch and Schalk Burger. Between Koch and Trevor Nyakane they brought stability to the scrums. Koch made a couple of big hits and covered the park like a loose forward. Adriaan Strauss seems to have found some of his lost form. Oupa Mahoje did his part while Burger was quite instrumental. The veteran losie doesn’t have the speed anymore but does seem to have a skill set to get the flyers away. Cobus Reinach recovered well from injury, scored a try and might get the starting jumper soon. Patrick Lambie brought some calmness and stability to the back and slotted both conversions with ease.  You could literally hear the whole Newlands crowd holding their breath when Jean de Villiers got his first tackle. This shows what a phenomenal player and leader he has become. Still lacking speed, but good to see Jean stepping off both knees with confidence. 

Preparation equals perfection.

Preparation equals perfection.

When looking forward to rugby’s most prestigious tournament later this year, one can’t help but revert back to the past.

I found myself wondering as to what the blue print should be for a World Cup winning coach, and the only answer I could come up with, was proper preparation.

Upon my blast into the past I tried to find a parallel between Kitch Christi and Jake White, both men who were able to guide the Springboks to World Cup glory. My conclusions were discussed over a couple of beers with mates and the one thing that stood out most was the fact that these two coaches had shown so much continuity in their players and their positions. They both went into a World Cup

with captains that might not be remembered for being the absolute best at their positions, but for their undeniable leadership skills and ultimately for holding the William Webb Ellis Trophy on behalf of 46 odd million South Africans celebrating and uniting, not only as rugby fans but as a nation.  

In the days of oom Kitch, there was no question as to who would wear what jumper. We all knew his first choice hooker was Bullet, the locks was big old Kobus Wiese and Hannes Strydom. Flankers was Ruben Kruger and Francois Pienaar. Joost operating as the main link, Hennie and Japie playing in the midfield and the Rolls Royce covering at the back. Now you might argue that this was before rugby had turned professional and rightly so, but Jake White had the same approach and eventually tasted the same champagne in 2007.

Thinking back, there was very little time for any critics to accuse Jake of not being consistent regarding first team choices. Jake White knew very well two years before travelling to France who the 15 men was he would want in any final. Except for a injury here and there, Jake stuck to his team and as a team they played and won!

Of all South African coaches taking charge after oom Kitch, Nick Mallet was the only one to show some consistency. This was now until Jake took over. Jake had a tendency to pick players out of position quite regularly but in doing so he had this unbelievable way of phasing in youngsters and getting the balance spot on. He created real legends for not only the Springboks but for the whole global community of rugby. In 2004/2005 De Wet Barry and Marius Joubert had covered the midfield for the Springboks but JW knew they might not have four years of quality international games left in the tank, so he drew in a very young inside centre from Western Province and a even younger outside centre from the Lions in the form of Jean De Villiers and Bryan Habana respectively.

They didn’t just replace De Wet and Marius but rather seemed to be phased in by starting out on the wing, gaining confidence and experience. Bryan did so well on the outside that today he is regarded as one of the best wings to ever have played the game. Same chapter in the book of a young Francois Steyn and Patrick Lambe. JW also seems to have a talent for taking risks, and investing heavily in second chances….

He brought back guys like Os du Randt, Percy Montgomery and Bobby Skinstad, who were all seemingly written off by the media, and who evidently played a fundamental part in their 2007 WC campaign. He took Ashwin Willimse off the streets of Jozi and later in his career got South African born centre Clide Rathbone to return to the game after suffering from depression…. This is not only a rugby man, but a man who believes in building relationships, developing youngsters and one who offers great loyalty to all his players. 

All that said, I’m very concerned about the Springboks not finding the right balance between youth and experience. The pressure to win every single match has deprived coaches of taking chances, developing the young guns and creating new combinations. Pieter de Villiers played out his stint with the exact same core as the one that stood tall in France 2007. De Villiers failed to develop any of the younger players and I felt quite a bit for HM when he took over as coach, because his main core was well overdone while the squad lacked young talent. Four years after the Bryce Lawrance incident we still have to play with Fourie du Preez and Ruan Pienaar. I find this mind blowing considering the talent we had to our disposal. Should Pienaar pick up an injury, we would have to compete with a debutant in what’s probably the most crucial position on the pitch. Same can be said about our props. For way to long have we been counting on the services of Jannie and Beast. The Stormers created havoc in the scrums this year but neither Steven Kitshoff or Vincent Koch has played in the Northern Hemisphere, let alone has a test cap….

I would have liked to see a scenario where Senior WC winners like Fourie du Preez, Victor Matfield, Os du Randt and Percy Montgomery all form part of the Springbok squad as technical assistants rather than players. They would have brought so much insight and probably added great value inside the camp.

Injuries obviously did take its toll on some players leading up to the WC, one can’t argue about that, but I am yet to be convinced that HM has a proper blueprint come September…. By this time the second best team in the world should surely have cemented out nametags to the Green & Gold jumpers with their first, second and third team choices. The fact that we need a rugby Championship 2 months prior to the WC to contemplate selections and combinations is not only alarming, but in fact disturbing.

One could only hope that sanity will somehow prevail at SARU and that they will apprehend the fact that you sometimes have to sacrifice games, in order to win trophies!  

Too Much of a Good Thing…

Too Much of a Good Thing…

Its five o'clock on a Saturday morning. Usually you would want nothing more than the sweet sound of silence.Suddenly the door bursts open and you wake to the sound of excitement. Dad’s screaming like a man possessed. The smell of coffee and anticipation is hanging in the air. No time for yawning, as the old chap enthusiastically almost brakes the door in an attempt to wake you. 

It’s an immediate adrenaline rush from the second you open your eyes. You've guessed it…

It’s the Springboks playing the mighty All Blacks in New Zealand.

The two top teams in world rugby gets to slug it out in what becomes the most anticipated 80 minutes of the last 12 months… you get to witness the “HAKA”, as if its performed within your living room, and better yet, you get to see the Boks accepting the challenge by a stare-off. 

Biscuits and sweet cakes are served with the coffee in order to chew on something as this match tends to be a real nerve snapper! This is the only time ever dad will offer you some of his “biltong” at five in the morning, so you literally grab it with both hands. Today is all about, real rugby rivalry.

Before rugby had turned professional, tests would only be played on tours, which in this case would only come round once every five to six years. We have been starved of this spectacle for more than a decade due to the political disarray South Africa had been in and evidently one could understand why the excitement is so highly contagious . Since the famous 1995 World Cup final featuring these two great rugby nations, they got to face each other twice a year and we would sometimes even be fortunate enough to be entertained no less than three times a year, in what was called the Tri Nations, also featuring Australia.

The “rude awakening” is one of my fondest childhood memories and a memory that’s fast becoming an idealistic dream for the future.  It seriously saddens me to think that my boy and I, will never get to enjoy this spectacle with the same hype, enthusiasm  and eagerness as we did in the late nineties. Now you might argue that I'm a wee bit cynical, and so it might be but don’t get me wrong, I'm all for the game being professional, but to what cost I wonder…

The magnitude of rugby we enjoy in the Southern Hemisphere is a topic immensely discussed the last couple of years and rightly so. Not only are the players facing hectic touring schedules, but the number of injuries has increased quite tremendously. Super Rugby transformed into a marathon where squad depth is as important as game plans and defensive structures. Gone are the days where the coach’s biggest predicament was selecting the 15 strongest players. Nowadays, the coach has to deal with player management, rotation policies and more medical reports than  Meredith Grey in Greys Anatomy…

Currently the 2015 Super Rugby season consist of 16 games per team. That’s 1280 minutes of possibly the toughest Rugby competition in the world. Now picture a scenario where a player like Handre Pollard plays a full eighty in all his team’s round robin matches, makes the inbound tour, Castle Lager Championship and plays all the matches on the year end tour, meaning that this player had basically played  2400 minutes of more or less  International Rugby, facing off against the very best of the best… Personally I’d consider this to be a suicide mission!!! Looking at the bigger picture though, we as spectators are spoilt so rotten, that we tend to lose the significance of it all.  Super Rugby has expanded to such an extent that it almost seems to lose its value. As a Springbok supporter, I'm not eager on what a Sonny Bill Williams or Julian Savea could be up to in the mighty black jersey, cause I get to watch them on telly week in and week out and I know all too well what they are capable of…

USA is not considered a rugby nation by any means, and yet they had a sell out crowd of 61 000 fans last year when the All Blacks played the Eagles at Soldier Field, Chicago. They wanted to see their very best taking on the world’s best and though the yanks were annihilated on the score board, they were never humiliated as a team, nor as a nation. In fact, that one night in Chicago went a long way and had meant more to the rugby playing community of America than anything they had ever seen. USA is starving for rugby and subsequently they should be fed, but we should all learn from their hunger and not forget that Southern Hemisphere rugby might be the fat kid suffering from obesity, not appreciating the value of rugby pumping in our veins…

I don’t mean to say that the international rugby games played per annum is too much, by no means. But what I do want to bring across is that too much Super rugby has definitely deprived us of what makes old traditional rivalries so nostalgic.

At this point I quite like the Six Nations format and I love the fact that they only get to play one another once a year. Its keeps the rivalry alive, the intensity up there and the crowd’s bottoms off their seats!

I didn't completely agree with Steve Hansen when he recently stated that rugby union is getting a tad

boring, but he did make a valid point though, and money might just be the one cup-cake we should not place above all else…  we should all fear for the day when the soul of sport and more in particular, rugby, is sold for fame and gold. Lately it’s become quite common for a international player to rather walk in the direction of domestic rugby. Facing that crossroad between domestic rugby and representing your country at its highest level is one where players all of a sudden has no shame on rather banking the cheque, and compromise the opportunity of wearing a jersey that so many others had bled for…    

I truly believe that in this case less will be more and less rugby evidently should be the way forward.

Old habits seem to die hard.

In recent years, the Stormers (and the Western Province)have become quite renowned for 2 things. First up, for their incredible defensive abilities and secondly, for their lack in creativity, failing to run angles, perform switches and generally not being able to get the ball out to the speedsters. 

Stormers supporters became used to tedious rugby where penalty goals and courageous defensive efforts turned the scoreboard to favour the Capetonians. Running rugby seemed to be something of the past and yet the Newlands faithful always turned up in numbers and  never seemed to disappoint.

Obviously something had to be done and after a disappointing 2014 Super Rugby season Gert Smal was appointed as Director of Rugby with both the Western Province and the Stormers. Immediately one could note the difference Smal had made and the faithful was entertained with real running rugby during their 2014 Currie Cup campaign yet again. Between Smal and Coetzee it was as if they got the balance spot on between defence and attack. Between a running game and a kicking game. Suddenly real talented running backs were discovered within the group. Seabelo Senatla, Cheslin Kolbe and even youngster Kobus van Wyk created havoc for opposition’s defensive structures.  Juan de Jong flourished in these conditions and many a folk felt that he was hard done by for not being part of the Springbok squad. 

By tweaking their attacking formation from 9 to 10, avoiding the old South African approach of kicking away all the ball possession, and just running angles, they created space on the outside and played really well balanced rugby. Province did not deviate from their well-organized defensive structures and the tight five still played their part. With the tight five taking care of business, the loose forwards had less hard work to do and guys like Nizaam Carr thrived with ball in hand. The results came automatically. Western Province qualified for the finals and won a hard fought battle with 19 points to 16 against the regiment of Johan Ackermann’s Golden Lions. Not only were Western Province crowned 2014 Currie Cup Champions, they were also honoured with being named South African team of the year. Nizaam Carr also strode along home with being awarded the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the year.

Stormers fans had hoped that they could feed off this energised Currie Cup squad and that the momentum they had generated would only be the tip of the iceberg come Super Rugby time. And so it was, with the opening round fixture against old foe in the Bull ring. All hopes and prayers did not go unanswered as the Stormers played with real intensity and stability. They dominated in scrums, stood tall in the line outs and never shied away from any of the physical stuff. The first five-eight didn't try to steal the show by attempting to perform miracles and played with no sideshows what so ever. He just did the basics right and laid a good platform for the centres to cause mayhem, and that they did. Damian de Allende had a fantastic performance and  outright outplayed Springbok centre pair Serfontein and Engelbrecht. 

Admittedly the Bulls were not at their best but as my Old Man always argues, "you only play as well as the opposition allows you to play"…  

Week two however saw the Stormers revert back to “winning rugby” where the ball was met more by the boot than by the outside backs. Admittedly they did face a Blues outfit that played rather negative footy and it felt like the match never really got into full motion. All facts considered though, the tight five was fending most of the time not contesting the rucks and malls. Even with the advantage of an extra man on the park for most of the 80, it seemed like the men from Cape Town struggled to get over the white chalked line. 

Round 3 saw  the Stormers even deeper in the game plan that kept their trophy cabinet empty for quite some time. The forwards did not commit to any of the rough stuff, the line outs was nothing short of a mess and the centres were used as main defenders, rather than ball carriers. Taking nothing away from the Lions, (except the game) they displayed heaps of character and one couldn't help but feel for them with the end result. 

Point is, although the Stormers won three from three and are currently topping the South African conference, I miss the intensity, the ball skills and outright class act they ought to be. Personally, I believe that relying only on your defence will only get you so far, and "that" far is definitely not far enough. They have to maintain the balance they had in the Currie Cup if ever they would like to raise some silverware in Super Rugby. 

I would love nothing more than to see the tight five get into the rough stuff,  the loose trio playing towards the ball and the backs just turning on the magic with those jet shoes we all know they wear…

Keeping your eye on the ball

If round two of Super Rugby has learned us anything, it’s to play your own game, focus on what you've prepared for, and play accordingly. I believe that most Blues fans will not only forgive me but most likely agree with me that had the Blues played their own game against the Stormers of South Africa, they most probably would have won their round 2 fixture against a team who seemingly lacked creativity.

Watching the game reminded me so much of the “Coyote” and the “Road Runner”. The Coyote was forever trying to catch the Road Runner by setting up traps, ambushes and using explosives. The Road Runner on the contrary, would just go about doing his own thing, surviving by doing what he does best, running!

So often we witness  teams trying to slow down the opponent’s ball, disrupting them at the break-downs, playing on the offside line and generally getting on the wrong side of the whistle. The Blues made themselves guilty of this phenomenon  on Saturday and the reality of it is that they were actually the more dangerous side on the park. When the game became more of a running game the Blues, playing with only 14 men, were indeed very dangerous and at times had the Stormers’ defence at sixes and sevens. The fact that they couldn't dictate their own game plan and became more focussed on disrupting the opposition, halted their own momentum and was as useful to them as the explosives to the Coyote.

Ireland and Samoa are two international sides that very often find themselves in similar situations. While the Irish have it well within their capabilities to beat any Northern Hemisphere side at any given day, they seem to struggle against New Zealand, South Africa and the Australians. Whenever Ireland play in the Six Nations, they play towards their own strengths. The forwards are big and heavy and they tend to dominate the breakdowns, creating good go forward ball for a first five-eight who pretty much always dictate matters.

This formation seems to fly out the window whenever Ireland face up with the Heavyweights of the Southern Hemisphere. Before you know it they are setting up traps and planting explosives which pretty much explodes in their own faces and they end up on the wrong side of the score board, not because they were the inferior team but ultimately because they didn't play towards their own strengths and abilities.

Samoa tend to be so physical that they start playing towards the contact and not the space. Rugby is all about creating space and then playing into those spaces created.

Late in 2013 the All Blacks got flabbergasted by an Irish side that played like men possessed. There were no niggles , nags and no off the ball nonsense from the Irish. Just 15 men playing for the spaces and most importantly playing for each other. The Irish were very unfortunate when Crotty scored in the dying seconds and Cruden converted on his “second” attempt. With that performance Ireland proved that they are serious 2015 World Cup contenders and playing the World Cup very close to their own backyard, they are definitely not to be underestimated and could dish up some controversy come September.

I sincerely hope to see less of this Coyote slowing up our game, and more of the Road Runner just going about, doing what he does best, RUNNING.