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Opening Super 14 Weekend
Posted by Lucas - 5 February 2007 |
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Week 1 of the Super 14 is over and done with and without further ado
let’s discuss what transpired.
The opener, Blues versus the Crusaders was a really good match and quite
entertaining as expected from two of Super rugby’s super heavy weights.
The Crusaders obviously missed their front line players and the likes of
MacCaw and Carter to name but two All Blacks rested, are seemingly
irreplaceable. This will become a familiar refrain in the next 7 weeks.
But heck, there is still a lot of depth not only in the Crusaders
franchise, but the whole of New Zealand rugby.
Are they approaching the RWC in the correct way? Well, the opinions are
varied, and this arms length All Black supporter, think it is not the
way forward. Players want to play, they retain sharpness and skills by
applying them. Sure, rest them every second match or limit the game time
to 40-60 minutes but they need the feel of match pressure and knocks to
hone their skills.
Time will tell… however, in a short space of time, the rested players
will have to get their skills in place to be at their peak during the
RWC. Then there is the exception to this comment - Jonny Wilkinson but
more in a different article.
On the South African derbies; the Sharks victory and margin was a
surprise, the Bulls looked slightly lost and was not as strong in the
tight phases as is their want. Added to the Sharks menace upfront, is a
very suave and smooth Butch James directing affairs. He is fast
approaching the level that made him a Springbok a few years ago and it
was based on Super rugby performances. The Bulls missed Hougaard, not
just his kicking but also his cool head and a new tendency to attack the
gain line.
The Bulls this year will attempt to combine traditional forward power
and attacking back play but a solution will not be forthcoming
immediately, it requires a few years of hard work and the willingness to
lose matches as part of the ‘school fees’. When they get it right, watch
out.
The Cheetahs and Stormers result was very surprising, the Stormers with
high profile loose forwards, played second fiddle to Rassie Erasmus’
men. But then, they did exactly the same during last year’s Currie Cup
and Erasmus has got the formula right to play and win against local
teams, he’s done it for 2 years now.
All in all, it was not a bad start to the competition, this year will be
a far more evenly contested edition especially with the Crusaders
looking like mere mortals. As for the SA sides, this old observer will
only rave once they regularly beat their Aussie and Kiwi counterparts,
home and away. |
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