Ken Borland

The Bulls and Stormers reopened their roads to the SuperRugby playoffs at the weekend as their victories over the high-flying Cheetahs and Sharks respectively saw the South African Conference concertina in dramatic fashion.

The Bulls beat the Cheetahs 26-20 and joined the central franchise on 23 points and in seventh place overall, and the Stormers saw off the Sharks 22-15 and are now just six points behind the Conference leaders and three adrift of the Bulls and Cheetahs.

And, just to further emphasise how competitive the South African Conference is, the Southern Kings snatched a last-ditch 30-27 victory over the Rebels in Melbourne and are in 13^th position overall and just five points off the Stormers.

The Kings ended their extraordinarily impressive maiden overseas tour with an amazing victory sealed by flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis’s drop goal after the final hooter. The Eastern Cape side only had about 35% possession through the match and, after an arduous four-week tour, looked a metre off the pace for most of the game.

But they showed amazing resolve, tenacity and composure to still win against the odds and they will be hoping to transport the same spirit to Port Elizabeth as they now return home.

The Rebels will be pondering what could have been as they led 27-17 early in the second half, but what really cost them was the number of handling errors they made, mostly due to passes being rushed.

The Kings scored three tries, two of them in the first 15 minutes, and one can only imagine what they could do with a decent share of possession!

The Sharks were convincingly outplayed by the Stormers in Cape Town, only scraping a scarcely-deserved bonus point after the final hooter thanks to Pat Lambie’s fifth penalty.

The Sharks had enough ball (52% of possession according to ruckingoodstats.com) but what happened to their possession was the key as they could not get across the advantage line thanks to the Stormers putting their bodies on the line and dominating the collisions in emphatic style. Three of their players went off for concussion tests during the first half to exemplify their tremendous attitude.

The Stormers also dominated the set-pieces, especially and most surprisingly the scrums, to further undermine the Sharks’ ability to get front-foot ball.

The home side, like all good teams, scored just before half-time to transfer their dominance on the field on to the scoreboard. Captain and inside centre Jean de Villiers showed lovely hands in the tackle to send outside centre Juan de Jongh powering over for the only try of the match, taking the Stormers’ lead to 16-3.

The Sharks failed to make much of an impression against a Stormers defence that was led by the indefatigable Siya Kolisi, with Deon Fourie, Michael Rhodes and Andries Bekker not far behind.

The Sharks have now failed to score a try in four of their seven matches this season and the pedestrian nature of their attack, and the failure of anyone to really straighten the line, meant they were unlikely to trouble what has been the best defence in the competition in recent years.

The Stormers also won the territorial battle thanks to the splendid boot of fullback Joe Pietersen, who was also faultless when kicking at the poles, while Gary van Aswegen gave an assured display in the troublesome flyhalf position.

For the Sharks, too many of the senior players were not at the top of their games: Jannie du Plessis struggled in the scrums, Lambie was mediocre in terms of running the backs and Francois Steyn was disappointing at fullback, the Springbok wasting an overlap in the dying stages of the first half.

The Blue Bulls Rugby Union held a procession of former players at Loftus Versfeld to mark the union’s 75^th anniversary and the old stars of Northern Transvaal rugby would have been delighted by the tremendous passion and commitment their side showed, especially in defence.

The Bulls were coming off three straight defeats overseas, but, back at home, the old intensity and confrontational fire was back as they held off a Cheetahs side that provided much to a game that was a wonderful spectacle.

The defences of both teams were excellent and it took the individual brilliance of scrumhalf Jano Vermaak to break the deadlock shortly after half-time.

The former Lions halfback sniped through the Cheetahs defence and the tackle of flank Lappies Labuschagne, dashing over from the 22-metre line in the 43^rd minute.

The Bulls lineout was a clinical tower of strength throughout the game and, soon after Vermaak’s try, the Cheetahs found themselves under pressure on their own throw, trying to run the ball behind the advantage line and only managing to infringe at the ruck and give Morné Steyn a penalty to stretch the Bulls’ lead to 16-9.

With Victor Matfield now part of the Bulls’ coaching team, it’s no surprise their lineout is a work of such precision and Steyn was provided with another penalty in the 55^th minute when the Cheetahs were again under pressure at the set-piece and Philip van der Walt tackled Pierre Spies off the ball.

But the Bulls also seemed to have plenty of information on the Cheetahs’ preferred exit strategies from their own half and their homework paid off in the 76^th minute as Jan Serfontein was quickly up on Adriaan Strauss in midfield, the hooker dropping the ball under pressure, and, from the turnover, replacement hooker Callie Visagie was able to force his way over for the match-winning try.

Serfontein, despite being just 19 years old, was an immense presence at inside centre. Nothing went through his channel and he was also a highly effective ball-carrier. The 2012 IRB Junior Player of the Year is also a wonderful attacking player, with top-class skills, and it is hoped there will be a chance for him to display these other talents as well.

But Serfontein handled the pressures of a crucial South African derby, an in-form opposite number in Robert Ebersohn, and an expansive Cheetahs side that loves to stretch defences like a seasoned pro.

It is always marvellous to see youth being given its head and the Bulls should trust their structures as they look to continue their challenge for a playoff berth.

 http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2013-04-14-superrugby-wrap-bulls-stormers-get-back-on-track/#.VPRLp_mUde8

An epic weekend of SuperRugby action ended with the Sharks, Cheetahs and Southern Kings emerging as the big winners, furnishing themselves with the invaluable characteristic of being able to get the job done against the odds.

The improvement of the Sharks in their second half against the Crusaders was remarkable and their 21-17 victory looked implausible at half-time when the home side were creaking like one of the decrepit ships in the harbour not far away.

The Cheetahs showed that they now obviously have the belief to contend for the crown of Conference champions as they snuck home 26-24 against the Stormers, increasing the misery of one of the pre-tournament favourites.

And although the Southern Kings didn’t win, their 28-28 draw with the log-leading Brumbies in Canberra was one of the most unexpected results in the history of the competition.

The Sharks now lead the South African Conference by just three points from the Cheetahs, but have just come off the bye, with the Bulls and Stormers six and nine points behind respectively.

The break didn’t seem to have done the Sharks any good in the first half, though, as the Crusaders dominated the possession and territory stats and stressed the home side’s defence by attacking both close to the fringes and out wide.

The finishing of the Crusaders was poor, however, and the 11-9 half-time lead did not reflect the dominance they had enjoyed.

It was the unerring boot of flyhalf Pat Lambie that had kept the Sharks in the game with three penalties and, with their game undergoing a dramatic refurbishment after the break, he was able to kick four from four in the second half and give the Natalians just their third win in 17 matches against the Crusaders.

The boot of opposite number Tyler Bleyendaal was less precise, even though the youngster had kicked superbly out of hand in the first half. The 22-year-old stand-in for Dan Carter missed a potential five points in the first half and another six in the second, while he was no longer the master of the territorial game either. Even wing JP Pietersen was more effective with the boot after the break.

The scoreboard was still in the Crusaders’ favour, however, heading into the final 10 minutes at 17-15. It was the Sharks scrum, which was uncertain in the first half, which turned the contest as a tremendous shove earned Lambie a penalty to give the home side an 18-17 lead.

The clincher came with four minutes remaining and was due to an inconsequential ruck infringement by the Crusaders on their own ball.

But the Sharks were deserving winners, keeping the ball for longer in the second half, and their forwards producing a superb effort spearheaded by Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira and the highly impressive young lock, Pieter-Steph du Toit.

Burton Francis kicked an angled penalty after the hooter to also steal the plaudits in the Cheetahs’ 26-24 win over the Stormers.

Having earned a reputation in previous seasons for always losing the close games, the Cheetahs showed remarkable composure and belief to end a six-year losing streak against the Stormers and to avenge two narrow defeats against them last year. It was also their fifth successive win, to mark their best ever run in SuperRugby.

Replacement wing Damian de Allende’s failure to remove his hands from a ruck as the Stormers tried to repel wave-after-wave of desperate last attack by the Cheetahs led to the penalty, which was contentious. But it was fair that the last piece of fortune should fall the Cheetahs’ way because referee Stuart Berry had earlier seen fit to award the Stormers a try despite accidental offsides in the build-up and a crucial 71^st-minute ruck penalty when Heinrich Brüssow looked hard done by and which infuriated the hosts.

The crowning of Francis as hero only came after a shaky last 10 minutes when he had missed a relatively straightforward penalty and a drop goal (having slotted a brilliant one on the hour mark) and had kicked the ball dead to concede a scrum in the final minute, inside the Cheetahs’ half.

But the massive scrum that followed, earning the Cheetahs a tighthead, was the obvious match-winning moment, allowing the home side to launch those last forays that earned Francis his shot at glory.

The play of the Stormers was inconsistent, ranging from the sublime to the lethargic and the number of errors they made meant the Cheetahs were always in the game.

Having competed so well in the opening exchanges, the Cheetahs were in a state of some shock at half-time as the Stormers scored two tries in the last five minutes of the first half to open up a 15-7 lead.

The second try should never have been, though, as Gio Aplon, having re-gathered his own chip over the defence, then grubbered into one of his own players standing in front of him, which should have been called for offsides. It was during a typically helter-skelter, scrappy period of play, but the information would have been readily available to referee Berry had he referred it, like so many other decisions, to the TMO. Then again, perhaps the Cheetahs players should have put up more of a fuss.

But the Cheetahs struck early in the second half, Elton Jantjies being penalised for a judo-throw tackle and replacement scrumhalf Sarel Pretorius then snapping up an attempted box-kick practically off opposite number Nic Groom’s boot and racing away from 45m for a superb try.

It came at a cost, though, as Pretorius strained his hamstring during his sprint, forcing replacement wing Ryno Benjamin to play scrumhalf. Fortunately he fitted the bill as he has played there before for the Springbok Sevens team, and it characterised the Cheetahs’ determination to succeed whatever the obstacles, which included a dysfunctional lineout.

The Stormers are not the only bemused pre-tournament favourites at the moment, though, with the Brumbies wondering how on earth they couldn’t beat the Kings in Canberra.

The answers lie in how magnificently the Kings defended, but also in how the Brumbies chose to attack the tournament newcomers.

Having started brightly, using their big strike runners to narrow the defence and then going wide as they built an early 13-0 lead, the Brumbies declined to use the width of the field in the second half.

It played into the hands of the phenomenal Kings defence at close quarters, with flank Wimpie van der Walt leading the way with an extraordinary 19 tackles, missing none, to win the man of the match award for one of the most ferocious displays seen this season.

It was Van der Walt and excellent fellow loose forward Cornell du Preez who had carried the ball strongly to allow prop Schalk Ferreira the momentum to score the Kings’ opening try in the 22^nd minute.

The Kings lost a couple of lineouts and hardly ever retained possession from the kick-offs to make life even harder for themselves, but Van der Walt scored from a brilliant rolling maul to keep the gap to just 14-19 at half-time.

For whatever reason, Jake White’s Brumbies have been unable to give of their best for two weekends now and their lack of focus saw the Kings claim the lead just six minutes into the second half as a dropped pass allowed Sergeal Petersen to hack the ball away and give chase. The visitors won the turnover, scrumhalf Nicolas Vergallo holding the ball up well before providing Du Preez with the scoring pass.

It was clear the Brumbies were now in danger of a shock defeat, even though the Kings’ lead only lasted four minutes as Vergallo’s clearance from the kick-off was charged down, leading to a penalty.

But it was the Kings, learning about rugby at this level with prodigious speed, who had all the answers in the closing minutes. Even a harsh yellow card to Ferreira, which contributed to two Brumbies’ scrum penalties, and a missed penalty in front of the poles by George Whitehead failed to derail them and the final minute saw them hard on attack.

The Brumbies conceded a string of penalties as the clock ticked down, and the hooter had long gone when the admirable Bandise Maku made good ground after tapping the penalty and the tenacious Du Preez muscled his way through the tackles of four Australians to clinch the most heroic of draws.

 http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2013-04-08-superrugby-wrap-sharks-cheetahs-kings-against-all-odds/#.VOHZq_mUde8

The Sharks have been enjoying a fortnight of input from New Zealand-born attack coach Brad Mooar and, according to veteran wing Odwa Ndungane, the specialist advice centred around being able to pick the right time to turn defence into offence.

“It’s been nice to have Brad around because the Kiwis have been the leading attacking teams. It’s about creating something out of nothing and he’s given us some small ideas. It’s about vision, decision-making and also confidence. The structure is there, but we need to see the opportunities when they present themselves elsewhere. The call might be to go left, but then there’s space on the right and everyone needs to adapt, everyone needs to know what to do,” Ndungane told The Citizen on Thursday.

The Sharks were in the bottom five for tries scored in the 2014 SuperRugby tournament, with just 32 in 16 matches, and Ndungane admitted their sluggishness on attack needed to be sorted out.

“We had our fair share of criticism for not scoring tries, but we want to play and score tries, so we’ll take any help we can get. Brad tweaked a few small things, the structure’s there but it’s just about shaping it to use all opportunities. It comes down to knowing when to play, about opportunities in the right areas.

“A lot of times last season I could see space on the outside, but it’s about having confidence in the guys around you. Everyone needs to be aware and communicating and the inside players mustn’t take up the space,” the Springbok said.

Ndungane said sharpening their skills in terms of running lines, catching and passing and when to push off or cut back in, was part of Mooar’s sessions, and the Southland coach told The Sharks website that his goal was to provide the team with the weapons to carry out the greater attacking emphasis that new coach Gary Gold wants.

“It’s about looking at different ways of attacking, looking at the little things,” Mooar said. “This is a very simple game, but as coaches we tend to over-complicate things. We need to go back to basics, so this is really simple stuff.

“Somewhere between the South African philosophy and the New Zealand philosophy is a very powerful beast. The main difference between rugby in the two countries is simply a decision-making thing. In New Zealand we are a lot more comfortable allowing opportunity over system. In South Africa, traditionally it’s been a lot more system-based. When an opportunity is presented, you must stay in the system, but if space opens, why not play it?

“I think that would be the key difference. Once that happens, it’s about providing the skills around that. What do we need to make that happen?

“The players are more than keen to learn; they have been outstanding. I think they are quite keen to attack, and it might not always be about attacking more, just attacking better.

“There are a lot of big men and good athletes here, but it’s about a mindset – becoming and being comfortable playing and taking opportunities. Knowing that if they have a go they’re not going to be criticised on Monday,” Mooar said.