There was much chaotic rugby in the second round of the Carling Currie Cup, with it being noticeable that teams that boasted the greater continuity in both game plan and personnel were the ones that were successful, but out of chaos also sometimes comes great entertainment.
No-one who watched the Toyota Free State Cheetahs cement their place on the top of the log with their comprehensive win over the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV in Bloemfontein at the start of the weekend would have failed to be entertained.
And 1995 Springbok World Cup winner Kobus Wiese spoke for many when he said, in his role as SuperSport interviewer, of the captains and man of the match at the post-match presentation in Wellington about how much he admires and enjoys the thrilling brand of rugby the Boland Kavaliers have produced over the past two seasons.
Boland were a bit of a revelation when they started off last year’s competition in giant slaying mode. Eventually they fell just short of their target of securing a home semifinal but given how they’ve picked up from where they left off, and even in some senses improved further under the astute coaching of Hawies Fourie, you wouldn’t bet against them hosting a play-off game at their home ground of Boland Stadium this time around.
The two wins they have achieved so far to put them second on the log behind the Free Staters were both achieved at home, and they would be formidable opponents for any visitors in a playoff game at the end of the Currie Cup season.
Their big win over the Stormers XXIII featured some spectacular play from their backline and their loose-forwards, with the back three of Jayden Bantom, Domenic Smit and Xavier Mitchell sharing some special tries as they took full points in front of a full house at their picturesque home stadium.
KEEPING VISITORS FROM SCORING WAS AN ACHIEVEMENT
However what was arguably even more impressive on a weekend where defensive organisation was clearly a work-on rather than a highlight was the fact they kept the Stormers to zero in the try scoring column.
Indeed, the three points that the Stormers did score summed up just how good the hosts were defensively - when retreaded flyhalf Dominic Malgas was asked to kick for posts when his team were trailing 10-0 halfway through the first half, it was an acknowledgment that this was a day the Boland defence would be particularly hard to break down.
DE KLERK\S TACTICAL NOUS iNSPIRED CHEETAHS
Better defensive organisation was a hallmark of the Cheetahs’ win in the opening game of the round, as was the tactical nous of scrumhalf Faf de Klerk.
The double World Cup winner didn’t take long to figure out that the Sharks inside backs were in linking mode and that the Durbanite attack was predictable, and that and his decision making on attack, plus his calm presence during a stage in the middle of the match when it appeared the Sharks forwards were taking control, accounted for why what was initially a close game eventually became a runaway win.
There were way too many errors in Bloemfontein, as indeed there were in Wellington, for it to be described as quality rugby, but it was entertaining. The upshot is that the teams that won at those venues top the log as the only unbeaten teams, although a caveat to that is that both sides have played their two games thus far at home.
There’s only been one game in eight that an away side has won in the competition after two rounds, and that was the Sharks’ win in Nelspruit in the opening game last Friday.
The teams aligned to URC franchises should get stronger after this as they welcome back members of the all conquering Junior World Cup winning Junior Springbok team in the coming weeks, and there is also the not insignificant question over how they are going to approach their forthcoming Greatest Rivalry tour fixtures against the All Blacks, with the Stormers the first up to play the Kiwis next Friday, 7 August.
LAST YEAR'S FINALISTS FLEXED THEIR MUSCLES
In the two games played on Saturday it was the turn of the two finalists from last season, the Suzuki Griquas and ADT Fidelity Lions, to rebound from opening round defeats and show that they mean business in this year’s competition.
The Lions lost in agonising fashion in the last two finals, first to the Sharks and then Griquas, but on the evidence of their strong showing against the Airlink Pumas at Ellis Park they now have the depth to sustain another strong challenge without necessarily letting it impact on what follows in the next URC season.
The Bulls were in the game against Griquas at Suzuki Stadium for much of the way but then, like the Sharks in nearby Bloemfontein the day before (well the two cities are 160 kilometres apart), they fell away in the face of the organised onslaught of opponents who, like Boland and the Cheetahs, had a whole SA Cup campaign together as preparation for the premier domestic competition.
One of the big positives of round two was the crowds that turned up to watch the games, particularly the Friday night game in Bloemfontein and the Sunday game in Wellington, but also the one in Kimberley, with the supporters of the smaller unions showing their appetite for rugby by making a statement at the turnstiles.
Results from Round 2 of Carling Currie Cup
Toyota Free State Cheetahs 43 Hollywoodbets Sharks XV 21
ADT Fidelity Lions 52 Airlink Pumas 29
Suzuki Griquas 56 Vodacom Blue Bulls XV 26
Sanlam Boland Cavaliers 41 DHL Stormers XXIII 3