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Ken Borland



Jaws film reversed as Sharks get slaughtered by Bulls 0

Posted on August 02, 2025 by Ken

It was certainly a horror show for the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday evening as the Bulls walloped them by a record 64-0, a thrashing that was a reversal of the famous Jaws film but every bit as bloody for the visitors.

The Bulls scored five tries in each half and produced an outstanding display of rugby: forward dominance was complemented by a backline that was free-flowing and inventive, and showed both their skills and their physical attributes.

To be fair to the Sharks, they were up against a seasoned Bulls outfit featuring full internationals in brilliant flyhalf Jaco van der Walt and wing Aphiwe Dyantyi, plus a host of players with URC experience. The KwaZulu-Natalians are basically an U21 side playing in the senior Currie Cup.

While the slaughter made ugly viewing for Sharks fans, a good crowd at Loftus Versfeld were royally entertained. Understandably, the mood in the Bulls changeroom afterwards was reportedly “ecstatic”.

“The guys are obviously ecstatic. We were also able to celebrate our nine debutants from the last two weeks, so there’s a very nice vibe in the changeroom. We will all have a cold one tonight,” new Bulls lineout coach Josh Strauss said.

The Bulls’ new head honcho, Johan Ackermann, described this match as “the audition” when he spoke to the Currie Cup team in their changeroom before the match, and the hunger of the players, so many of them who barely had a look-in during the Jake White era, was palpable.

“We’re getting the blend right between the senior and younger players and that mix is definitely vital. We have one or two cooler, more experienced heads who can make decisions and guide the youngsters,” scrum coach Werner Kruger said.

“Obviously we’ve done really well in the first two games and there was probably less pressure today but there were still good lessons in terms of what areas we want to play in, when we want to slow things down and how to close out the game. When you have a performance like that, it means guys have definitely put their hands up, it’s undeniable.”

The Bulls hit the Sharks hard from the outset and there were already some pale Natal faces after the first 10 minutes with the home side 14-0 up. Wing Stravino Jacobs made a big hit after chasing a Van der Walt up-and-under and a penalty soon afterwards allowed the Bulls to use their powerful maul, hooker Juann Else scoring the first of his two tries and prop Dylan Smith also burrowing over the line.

The Sharks also had to face some storming runs from abrasive forwards like Nama Xaba, Jeandre Rudolph and Marvin Orie, and the defence was further tormented by a backline that was flowing beautifully thanks to the impressive and exciting combination of Van der Walt and inside centre Chris Smit pulling the strings.

Smit showed his strength in scoring his first try, and his second came five minutes later when he got on the end of a lovely little dink over the top of the defence by Van der Walt.

The second half started with fullback Boeta Chamberlain gathering a chip over the ruck by scrumhalf Zak Burger and racing away, setting up a try for eighthman Rudolph. An outstanding individual try by Jacobs followed and then it was Van der Walt’s turn to break, running practically from 22-to-22 before finding Rudolph storming through at great pace.

When replacement wing Cornel Smit scored in the 58th minute, the Bulls went 59-0 up and were already ahead of the previous record winning margin for any Loftus Versfeld senior side against the team from Durban – 62-6 in the 1991 Lion Cup final.

The Sharks showed some character, however, and did okay in the final quarter, only conceding another try at the final hooter as replacement flank JJ Theron powered down the touchline to score.

Sharks coach JP Pietersen was bravely taking his medicine after the hiding, reminding the media that their objective in the Currie Cup is to develop players and not compromise their next URC campaign by sending for S.O.S. recruits from that squad.

He also pointed out that the Bulls had been particularly inspired on Saturday.

“It was close to the perfect game for the Bulls. They really hurt us in the collisions and at the breakdown. They kept stealing our ball and shutting us down. Their kicking game was good and then they would get a penalty and maul us,” Pietersen said.

I don’t normally ascribe too much importance to the toss, but … 0

Posted on February 28, 2024 by Ken

Dane Paterson enjoyed a stellar opening day of the CSA 4-Day Series final with the ball at the Wanderers.

I don’t normally like to ascribe too much importance to the toss, but there is no doubt Western Province calling correctly on the first morning of the CSA 4-Day Series final against the Central Gauteng Lions at the Wanderers has turned out to be a big advantage for the visitors.

Having sent the Lions in to bat in heavily overcast conditions, WP backed it up with excellent bowling and an astonishing first 100 minutes saw the hosts crash to 35 for five. That the Lions eventually made it to 225 all out was thanks to fringe player Delano Potgieter showing what a useful cricketer he is by scoring 81, and their batting depth as the left-hander shared crucial partnerships with Wiaan Mulder (41) and Codi Yusuf (34).

Despite the rearguard action, WP were in no mood to allow the initiative to slip and Eddie Moore capped a great day for the Capetonians with a dominating 35 not out off 31 balls that took them to 49 without loss at stumps.

To be fair, it was not just a case of winning the toss and bowling first and dominating for WP. With the weather forecast predicting very hot weather and the pitch likely to dry out and crack (there was turn on day one for Kyle Simmonds), batting last will be tough as well. WP captain Kyle Verreynne admitted the decision was difficult when he said at the toss: “I was going to bat first but when I saw the floodlights were on I decided to bowl.”

There was a tinge of green on the pitch on the first morning and, with the overhead conditions, there was swing on offer. But credit to the WP bowlers, especially Dane Paterson, who found exactly the right areas of prime real estate on the pitch to cause major problems for the Lions top-order.

Paterson turns 35 in little over a month, but he does not look like retirement is on his horizon. And, after all, he has just returned from playing Test cricket for the Proteas in New Zealand, taking three for 39 in the second Test as South African gained a first-innings lead in Hamilton.

Lions openers Josh Richards and Dominic Hendricks seemed to have negotiated the first five-and-a-half overs comfortably enough, but then Paterson struck.

Richards found himself across his stumps and trapped lbw by an inswinger and the next delivery had Zubayr Hamza caught in the slips via a loose drive that seemed more appropriate for a game of garden cricket than a prestige final.

At the end of his next over, Paterson claimed the considerable scalp of the regular Proteas Test captain, Temba Bavuma, for a two-ball duck. Having survived the hat-trick ball, Bavuma could not have done much more with his second delivery, defending compactly on off-stump, but a beautiful away-swinger moved just enough to find the edge and wicketkeeper Verreynne took a fine one-handed catch diving in front of first slip.

Captain Hendricks survived for the first 45 minutes, before edging Beuran Hendricks to Verreynne and when Ryan Rickelton (9) edged Mihlali Mpongwana into the slips playing a loose punch outside off-stump when a leave would have been better in that situation, the Lions top-order had folded quicker than the origami world champion.

Mulder, enjoying a marvellous season with the bat, helped Potgieter to restore some balance, adding 77 for the sixth wicket before he also edged Mpongwana into the slips.

When Bjorn Fortuin, trying an overly-ambitious drive, was caught behind in the same over, the Lions had crashed to 112 for seven. But Potgieter played an inspired innings, his 81 coming off just 106 deliveries with 12 fours and a six.

His aggression paid off and his determination kept the Lions in the game, especially since the sun came out in the afternoon and batting definitely is becoming easier, at least until the back end of this five-day match.

The last pair of Malusi Siboto (32) and Tshepo Moreki (8*) then sat in for over an hour to stretch the total towards respectability.

All-rounder Mpongwana eventually ended the innings to finish with four for 41 in 15 overs, an admirable foil for Paterson, who finished with outstanding figures of 16-8-31-5.

With Moore and Tony de Zorzi (12*) then starting the WP innings so well, in terms of dominant positions, the visitors are definitely enjoying a front-seater.

Meant to be close derby at Kings Park, but Sharks blow Bulls away 0

Posted on September 20, 2023 by Ken

Given that the Bulls had won their last two matches against the Sharks and were fired up after their loss to the Stormers, it was meant to be a close United Rugby Championship derby at Kings Park on Saturday night, but the KwaZulu-Natalians produced a tremendously focused and intense performance as they blew the visitors away 47-20.

The opening quarter was tightly contested with Chris Smith and Curwin Bosch trading penalties, before the Bulls grabbed the opening try in the 19th minute. Impressive hands created space out wide for wing Canan Moodie, who regained his own chip ahead, albeit with a lucky bounce.

But then the Bulls found themselves in the eye of a storm, much of it of their own making as they were terribly ill-disciplined. Following a Bosch penalty, after prop Thomas du Toit won a turnover, that closed the gap to 9-13, the Sharks took a quick tap penalty and found space out wide, but Moodie knocked the final pass out into touch, leading to a yellow card and a penalty try.

The Sharks piled on the pressure and, with two minutes to go, flank Cyle Brink was also sent to the sin-bin after repeated Bulls’ infringements. A big Sharks scrum – an area where they held a great advantage – was followed by scrumhalf Grant Williams going one way and then the other and sniping over for the try.

By the time Bosch had converted – the resurgent flyhalf succeeded with eight of his nine kicks at goal – the halftime hooter was about to go, but referee Marius van der Westhuizen warned the Bulls twice that they could not kick the restart direct into touch.

Nevertheless, that is what Smith did and the Bulls paid a heavy price. The Sharks attacked from the scrum in the centre of the field, wing Kurt-Lee Arendse conceding a penalty for a deliberate knock-on, which allowed the Sharks into the 22. From there they earned another penalty, also kicked to touch, and a patient lineout maul saw hooker Bongi Mbonambi score. Having trailed by just three points two minutes before halftime, the Bulls were suddenly 13-30 down at the break.

The Sharks, confidence rampant, were on auto-pilot in the second half and they scored a superb try in the 51st minute to open the scoring after the break. Outside centre Lukhanyo Am popped an inside ball to wing Marnus Potgieter, who broke through before inside centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg’s quick hands sent the ball wide to fullback Boeta Chamberlain, who was stopped inside the 22 but produced a super offload for Janse van Rensburg to score.

The Bulls did respond with a fine try of their own, Moodie and Johan Goosen combining very well out wide for the fullback to score.

But the result was never in doubt as a Bosch penalty stretched the Sharks lead back to 40-20.

Moodie then ended up being red-carded, for a second yellow card, when he went fractionally high on a tackle on a dipping player. It was a harsh penalty when the Bulls wing did little wrong, and the officials ought to have paid more attention to the more dangerous neck-tackle on Arendse that followed. But because it happened later on in the same passage of play as Moodie’s small mistake, it was ignored.

The shellshocked Bulls then conceded another try after the final hooter when Janse van Rensburg snatched an intercept and dotted down under the poles.

The New Year’s celebrations at Kings Park will certainly be good.

Scorers

Sharks: Tries – Penalty try, Grant Williams, Bongi Mbonambi, Rohan Janse van Rensburg (2). Conversions – Curwin Bosch (4). Penalties – Bosch (4).

Bulls: Tries – Canan Moodie, Johan Goosen. Conversions – Chris Smith (2). Penalties – Smith (2).

Bulls & Stormers can drive buses through opposition defences, but tight derby expected between them 0

Posted on June 13, 2023 by Ken

There have been United Rugby Championship games where both the Bulls and Stormers have been able to drive buses through the opposition defence, but when last season’s finalists meet in a massive derby in Cape Town on Friday night, a tight spectacle is expected by the visitors.

Both teams were amongst the leading try-scorers last season and have thrived on counter-attack, with exciting back threes carrying the ball back to great effect. But Bulls fullback Wandisile Simelane said on Tuesday that he expects swarming defence to be a key feature of Friday’s humdinger.

“Any South African derby is always going to be difficult because we really study each other well,” Simelane said. “Games like these are great to be part of and it’s where you test yourself.

“I assume it’s going to be a tight match, a momentum game and putting points on the board will be crucial. I expect the defences to rush up on the faster guys, but opportunities will still come.

“If we don’t get five or six chances like usual, then there will be one or two and we have to make sure we make them really count. It’s about how well we execute in those one or two moments.

“Momentum will be very vital, we can’t throw the ball away, keeping it for a few more phases will be very beneficial. We mustn’t throw 50/50 miracle passes,” Simelane said.

While the romantics would love the match to be decided by a Simelane sidestep or a piece of Manie Libbok magic, the reality is it is the forwards who will have the key roles; from the tremendous platform laid by evergreen Stormers props Frans Malherbe and Steven Kitshoff, to the bruising gainline presence of Elrigh Louw and Marco van Staden that can leave opponents purple and pink.

Some big oaks have departed the Bulls kraal, but the shrubs that are coming up in their place show great promise. In the white-heat of battle, the 24-year-old Simelane knows being able to control and manage the contest will be crucial.

“Hopefully we will be calm enough to control the game and our game-managers can put us in the right positions. We love having ball-in-hand on attack, using our natural instincts, but there is a thin line between relying on natural instinct and building pressure through being more conservative,” Simelane said.

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  • Thought of the Day

    Micah 6:8 – “He has showed you, O mortal man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

    “Just knowing the scriptures does not make someone a Christian. Many experts on the theory of Christianity are not Christians. In the same way, good deeds do not make one a Christian.

    “The core of our Christian faith is our acceptance of Jesus Christ as our redeemer and saviour, and our faith in him. We need to open up our lives to him so that his Holy Spirit can work in and through us to his honour and glory.” – Solly Ozrovech, A Shelter From The Storm

    Matthew 7:21 – “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father.”

    So we must do God’s will. Which means steadfastly obeying his commands, following and loving Christ and serving our neighbour with love.

    We must see to it that justice prevails by showing love and faith and living righteously before God.

    All this is possible in the strength of the Holy Spirit.

     

     

     



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