25 March 2004

It's about the halfway mark of the 2004 Super 12 competition, and there are three South African teams in the top six of the standings. That's a huge improvement over past seasons, but how good - or bad – have the South African franchises been so far against Australia's and New Zealand's best?

The current log that has the Bulls in second place, the Stormers in fourth, the Sharks in sixth, and the Cats in twelfth and last spot, might be a little misleading. Unfortunately, if it is misleading then it is in an overly optimistic reflection of South Africa's teams. At the same time, it also speaks of a mediocre start to the competition for New Zealand's sides.

The Bulls and the Stormers are the highest ranked of the South African franchises, but then they should be. The Bulls have played five home games, while the Stormers have played four at Newlands. In the Super 12, one of the keys to success is winning one's home matches; teams that don't do that don't reach the playoffs.

Not great
Viewed in that light, it hasn't been a great opening stanza for either the Bulls or the Stormers. The Bulls lost to the Sharks in their first match when a poor showing littered with mistakes saw the visitors snatch a 23-18 win, while they also managed only a draw against the Highlanders, who are probably not the powerhouse team that they have been in the last handful of years.

The Stormers started well with an away win against the Cats, but they've presented a Jekyll and Hide face, at times playing scintillating rugby, and at times fumbling their way around the park.

They produced a spectacular comeback from 22 points down to thrash the Highlanders in week two, but the next week they fell 25-19 to a Hurricanes team that seemed undermanned. Next the Men in Black raced out to a 22-point lead, before downing the previously unbeaten Waratahs 27-23. However, they followed that up with a 33-15 loss to the Brumbies in which they failed to land a single kick out of six at goal.

It is hard to tell from one week to the next how the Stormers are going to perform, but the Bulls, it must be said, have looked good in their recent outings, a 32-21 win over the Brumbies, and a 38-27 victory over the Waratahs. The big trick now is to take that kind of form with them when they tour Australasia.

Happy Sharks
The team that is probably the happiest is the Sharks. Their season began with five away games, against the Bulls, the Waratahs, the Brumbies, the Highlanders and the Hurricanes. Not too many people would have placed money on any Sharks' victories. Two wins would have seemed too much. But three wins, which is where they stand at present, all away from home, is a rich bounty indeed, especially as the team from Durban has only home games to come.

Their good away results, including a win over the Bulls and two one-point skin-of-the-teeth thrillers over the Highlanders and Hurricanes, have given them a very real chance of making the semi-finals. It’s generally agreed that seven wins is normally enough to make the semis, so the Sharks need to win four out of six contests at the Absa Stadium to progress to the final four.

Rest assured they will be very well supported in those games. It’s a late home start for the Sharks, but their encouraging performances overseas, and the manner in which they have played with heart and soul has Durban and Kwazulu-Natal buzzing, and the crowds will come out in their thousands.

Only the Cats have failed to fire, losing their only home game to the Stormers and then four in a row in Australia and New Zealand, including a 68-28 stinker to the Brumbies. It seems that the combination of the Lions and the Cheetahs doesn’t make for a strong Cat.

Porous defence
The most glaring weakness of the Cats has been a porous defence that has conceded 28 tries in only five games, an average of 5.6 five-pointers a contest. They’ve given up 213 points in all, which is 79 more than the next highest number of points conceded.

It’s hard to fathom. On paper, based mostly on individuals, this is a decent team, but the pack, for instance, has performed below par when on paper they appear to be one of the stronger units in the Super 12. The backline has some real game breakers, but with a lack of possession or maybe that should read decent possession, they haven’t made much impact.

So, let’s grade the teams:

The Bulls

Tight Scrums: 9/10 – The Bulls may well be the most powerful unit in Super 12 rugby. Lock Bakkies Botha has been superb and the front row, including those men on the bench, is top class.

Lineouts: 8/10 – Both Botha and Victor Matfield are top class lineout forwards.

Loose play: 8/10 – Maybe due to their strong play in the tight phases, the Bulls have been strong in the loose. Jacques Cronje has shown up well, Piet Krause has been everywhere on the field and Anton Leonard has been a powerful presence at number-eight. The Bulls have also been excellent at forcing turnover ball at rucks.

Backline offence: 6/10 – The Bulls’ backline has surprised at times, showing that they’re not just a 10-man team. Flyhalf Derick Hougaard has not been as influential as he is capable of being.

Backline defence: 5/10 – Generally the Bulls’ defence has been strong, thanks mostly to the ferocious tackling of their forwards, but they have let in some soft tries.

Discipline: 8/10 – This is a well drilled team that appears to be getting better and better and to be successful good discipline is needed. The Bulls have it.

Spirit: 8/10 – Rudy Joubert’s side is looking hungry and they’re prepared to put their bodies on the line week in and week out. Matfield is setting a quiet, solid example as captain.

The Cats

Tight Scrums: 5/10 – They’ve struggled with an aspect of their play that was supposed to be a big strength.

Lineouts: 6/10 – Not too bad in the lineouts, but Lukas van Biljon’s throwing hasn’t always been up to scratch.

Loose play: 6/10 – The Cats have some very talented loose forwards, but that have struggled at times because of the team’s shortcomings in the tight phases.

Backline offence: 5/10 – It’s been alright, but it’s difficult to play off of the back foot. 2003 Player of Year Ashwin Willemse has had few opportunities to show off his talent.

Backline defence: 2/10 – Terrible. At times it makes one think of the parting of the Red Sea. Too often the cover defence is AWOL.

Discipline: 6/10 – Only average. Too many penalties have been given away at scrum time, which is probably an indication of the Cats’ struggles in the tight.

Spirit: 6/10 – The Cats, to their credit, appear to have found some backbone in their last two games, something that appeared to be missing in two big losses in Australia.

The Sharks

Tight Scrums: 7/10 – The Sharks were supposed to be weak up front, but it seems that assistant coach, Balie Swart, a World Cup winning prop for the Springboks, has been an excellent acquisition. John Smit has led brilliantly from the front and AJ Venter has been turning in fantastic all-round performances at lock. His second row partner Johan Muller is one of the most improved players this season.

Lineouts: 7/10 – The Sharks have been nice and secure on their own throw-ins and have competed well against the opposition.

Loose play: 8/10 – Jake White might not have selected Luke Watson for his sides when he was in charge of South Africa under-21, but the new Bok coach must have been impressed by Luke Watson who has performed superbly against big guns like George Smith and Phil Waugh. Russell Winter has been a great pick-up from the Cats.

Backline offence: 6/10 – Nothing too earth shattering to write home about, but the Sharks have pretty well at taking their chances when they’ve got near their opponents’ try line.

Backline defence: 8/10 – Apart from one game against the Waratahs, the Sharks’ defence has looked strong. The combination of Butch James and Trevor Halstead at flyhalf and inside centre is intimidating.

Discipline: 8.5/10 – This aspect of the Sharks’ play has been fantastic. John Smit’s leadership has been superb and it would be little surprise if Jake White names his former SA under-21 skipper as Springbok captain.

Spirit: 9/10 – Winning the last two games of a four-match tour of Australasia after losing the first two shows that this team is happy and working as one.

The Stormers

Tight Scrums: 7/10 – Tighthead prop Eddie Andrews has been one of the revelations of the Super 12, while Daan Human has been powerful on the loosehead.

Lineouts: 5/10 – With Selborne Boome sidelined through injury, the Stormers have lost far too many of their own throw-ins.

Loose play: 7/10 – At times it has been great, at other times ineffective. It’s a microcosm of the Stormers’ performances this season.

Backline offence: 8/10 – The Stormers have shown the ability to open up any opposition’s defences. Marius Joubert’s return to action has given the backline an extra edge and Breyton Paulse is back in sharp form, while Pieter Rossouw is a standout on the opposite wing.

Backline defence: 6/10 – Generally it has been solid, but they have been outmanoeuvred out wide at times.

Discipline: 6/10 – Not too bad from the Stormers, but there have been some instances where they have got away lightly for playing the man well away from the ball.

Spirit: 7/10 – At times they look like world beaters, while at other times they are mediocre. Why the roller-coaster form?

Results

The Bulls

Stormers 15 - 33 Brumbies, Newlands

	The Sharks' good results under John Smit in Australia and New Zealand have many touting him as the next Springbok captain.

	White takes on a tough job Big sports events in 2004 South African rugby in 2003 RWC 2003: A Bok fan's take Rugby: Errol Tobias South African sports trivia South African rugby Rugby: Morné du Plessis Rugby: Naas Botha Rugby: Frik du Preez Rugby: Gary Teichmann

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