13 May 2004

Round-robin play in the 2004 Super 12 is over and one South African team, the Stormers, has qualified for the semi-finals, clinching the spot with victory over the Sharks in their final match in the closest Super 12 competition yet.

The Sharks, despite entering the final weekend in eighth place, could have made the last four had results gone their way. That's how close it was.

Halfway through the competition I took a look at how the South African sides were doing in a mid-term Super 12 report. Now it's time to examine the teams' and players' performances in the Super 12 in its entirety.

Midway through the season the Bulls occupied second place on the log, the Stormers were fourth, the Sharks were sixth, and the Cats were in last place. How did they finish?

The Stormers moved up one to third, despite finishing with a long run away from home. The Bulls didn't handle the travelling as well as the men from the Cape, dropping four spots to sixth.

Sharks' disappointing finish
John Smit and the Sharks dropped only one place to seventh, but that was highly disappointing because they finished the season with four home losses in succession after a strong tour of Australasia.

One of their defeats was rightly termed the worst game in Super 12 history, a 6-5 stinker against the Reds.

The Cats never got over a tough start away from home and managed only a win over the Chiefs, but they did, at least, show heart in their matches, never giving up. That will be small consolation to their fans, however.

There were some notable performances along the way. Number one on the list must go to the Stormers, who turned in a showing against the Blues in Auckland that will probably be spoken about for years to come.

Trailing 11-5, Corne Krige and co. tore the Blues apart with five tries in a 13-minute span just before half-time to take a 36-11 lead into the break. They eventually went on to win 51-23. It was stunning and sensational.

The Sharks' best outing came against the Crusaders in Durban. Exhibiting a sharpness not often seen in South African teams, they took advantage of any chances that came their way to beat the four-time champions 29-25, in the process ending their Super 12 winning drought against the Christchurch-based team.

Cats robbed
The Cats' best performance also came against the Crusaders (at least in the second half), even though they lost.

Trailing 29-6 at half-time, and then by 30 when they conceded another try early in the second half, the Cats suddenly found the heart and firepower to totally outplay Reuben Thorne's men.

A four-try burst incredibly took them ahead of the Crusaders, only for a last-gasp penalty by Daniel Carter to rob them of what would have been an astounding victory.

The Bulls played their best rugby early in the competition, their top showings coming against the Brumbies and the Waratahs, in that order. Against the Brumbies they made excellent use of difficult weather conditions to control the game through their pack, which turned in a top-class performance against the team that eventually finished top of the table.

So let's revisit the teams and grade their performances throughout the Super 12.

The Bulls
Tight Scrums: 7/10 – Their ranking drops in this category because they had been dominant at home before turning in some sub-par performances overseas. At best they are the top tight unit in the Super 12. Sometimes, though, they seem to be missing some focus. Hooker Gary Botha is a dynamo.

Lineouts: 8/10 – Bakkies Botha was fantastic throughout the Super 12, comfortably outplaying his more experienced second row partner, Victor Matfield, who was not in top form. Could the captaincy have weighed too heavily on Matfield's shoulders?

Loose play: 7/10 – A slight drop in rating for the Bulls' loose trio, although it may relate to the less dominating performances of the tight forwards away from home. Piet Krause remains a very under-rated, hard-working fetcher.

Backline offence: 6/10 – Flyhalf Derick Hougaard failed to dictate matters as he is capable of doing, and the backline's attacking ability suffered as a consequence. At times there was some fine play, but the Bulls rate some way behind the better attacking combinations in the competition.

Backline defence: 5/10 – The Bulls scored a good number of tries, but they gave up the third most, behind only the Highlanders and the porous Cats. The backline shouldn't take sole blame for this, but they simply let in too many soft tries. Beating the Cats 62-52 is not a good advertisement for the defensive ability of South African teams, who for so many years counted on their defence to win games.

Discipline: 7/10 – Sometimes the Bulls let themselves down with what I would call "over-commitment": they seem to barrel into situations with plenty of heart, but not enough forethought about the consequences.

Spirit: 6/10 – One gets the impression that all was not well between the Bulls and coach Rudy Joubert. It appears as if Blue Bulls' coach Heyneke Meyer enjoys a far better rapport with the players.

The Cats
Tight Scrums: 7/10 – They improved as the season went on, and former SA under-21 prop Gurthro Steenkamp made a good impression. The athletic Gerrie Britz, at lock, exhibited a wonderful work rate.

Lineouts: 7/10 – This wasn't a weakness, but it wasn't a strength either. Better consistency would have been expected.

Loose play: 7/10 – This was one of the strengths of the Cats' side and, especially when play opened up, the loosies came into their own.

Backline offence: 6/10 – The Cats had a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde nature to their attacking performances. At times they were indifferent, at other times they were brilliant. However, the wings didn't see enough ball. Centre Jacque Fourie is one to watch.

Backline defence: 3/10 – 110 points: that's the difference between the number of points the Cats conceded and that of the next highest number conceded by another team. It's not only about the backline, though, because defence is a team discipline. Nonetheless, too many soft tries were conceded.

Discipline: 7/10 – Pretty average. Nothing stands out much.

Spirit: 8/10 – It is often in adversity that a side's true colours show, and the Cats showed plenty of spirit, even in a one-win season. Their sensational comeback against the Crusaders demonstrated this. Also, against the Bulls in their last game, they fought back from 38-14 down before eventually succumbing 62-52.

The Sharks
Tight Scrums: 7/10 – The best acquisition the Sharks made was not that of a player; it was of forwards' coach Balie Swart. He helped turn the Sharks tight five into a very solid unit.

Lineouts: 8/10 – They competed nicely on the opposition throw – just ask the Crusaders, who lost eight of their own throw-ins. They were also solid on their own ball. John Smit's throwing has improved, while lock Johann Muller has developed nicely.

Loose play: 7/10 – Coach Kevin Putt chose not to tinker with his side too much, and it appeared to me (and I was at every Sharks game but one) that the loose forwards showed some fatigue towards the end of their Super 12 campaign. Luke Watson, though, enjoyed a great competition, and Russell Winter was a classy acquisition from upcountry.

Backline offence: 6/10 – At times they were brilliant (as against the Crusaders), at times poor (as against the Reds), but through it all flyhalf Butch James stood out. He was one of the best flyhalves in the competition, and the knee injury that he picked up in the final game is an unfortunate blow, both for him personally and for the Springboks. Bok coach Jake White admitted as much.

Backline defence: 7/10 – Towards the end of the season the Sharks gave up a few too many points. Again, this could have been as a result of not rotating players enough.

Discipline: 8/10 – There can be few complaints about the Sharks' discipline. AJ Venter was given an eight-week ban for head-butting; Reds' scrumhalf Josh Valentine, though, says it was nothing, and he was the one who supposedly suffered from it.

Spirit: 7/10 – Early in the season the Sharks won some games at the death with a never-say-die effort. Towards the end of the season some games were lost in the final minutes. One cannot fault the players' effort. It just seemed that they were more desperate for victory when they were away from home earlier in the competition.

The Stormers
Tight Scrums: 8/10 – They proved to be a better unit than the sum of their parts. Tighthead Eddie Andrews must surely have played himself onto coach Jake White's Springbok shortlist. Hooker Pieter Dixon is a real workhorse.

Lineouts: 6/10 – At times their lineouts proved to be something of an Achilles heel, but the return of Selborne Boome to the second row helped solidify this aspect of their play.

Loose play: 8/10 – One of the strengths of the team. Even after captain Corne Krige earned himself an eight-week suspension, they still performed well week in and week out. Hendrik Gerber's hit on Blues' flyhalf Carlos Spencer was one of the tackles of the season.

Backline offence: 9/10 – Having Paarl Gymnasium schoolmates De Wet Barry and Maruis Joubert at centre certainly gave the Stormers a great attacking edge. Their understanding was of immeasurable benefit on the offense. Winger Tonderai Chavanga is a talent to watch out for. He's got gas to burn. Wow!

Backline defence: 7/10 – Again, the combination of Barry and Joubert in the middle was a strength for the Stormers. Their defence out wide also improved as the season progressed.

Discipline: 7/10 – Corne Krige finally found a disciplinary committee that was not afraid to nail him for foul play. His headbutt against the Chiefs looked nasty, and cost him eight weeks out. He claims innocence, but it appears he has overstepped the mark once too often.

Spirit: 8/10 – Very good. They showed that playing away from home should not be considered a sentence, but an opportunity.

Results

The Bulls

Sharks 24 - 31 Stormers, Durban

	Luke Watson tackles Werner Greeff in the Stormers' 31-24 win over the Sharks in Durban in the final round of the Super 12

	Mid-term report: SA's Super 12 White takes on a tough job South African rugby in 2003 South African rugby in 2002 South African rugby

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