Time for local rugby to put best foot forward

The probability that the Springboks won’t be going to the Rugby Championship should be even more of an inspiration for the local teams to put their best foot forward and play eye-grabbing rugby when Vodacom Super Rugby Unlocked goes into the second round this weekend.

It isn’t official yet but it appears the news has been leaked in New Zealand about South Africa’s reluctance to participate in the four nation international competition and a final announcement is expected Friday. It will mean that the coming months of Super Rugby Unlocked will be played at full strength and with the Bok non-participation in the Championship creating a void to be filled, this is the chance for local rugby to shine and attract eyes to the domestic game.

The buzz around the competition won’t just happen without everyone involved, from coaches through to players and even off-field administrators, playing their role. At a time when the entertainment for people watching on television should be top drawer and everything should be run close to perfection, a repeat of last week’s clash of jerseys in the Bulls/Pumas game would be unacceptable.

At the top level winning is everything but there should also be at least some acknowledgement of the need to play an aesthetically pleasing, quick paced game that will draw fans back to the product week after week.

The first week of a new competition always starts a bit slowly from a hype aspect but the pressure is certainly going to be ratcheted up this weekend, with the Toyota Cheetahs and Vodacom Bulls both facing their respective moments of truth in Bloemfontein on Friday night while the Emirates Lions are already up against it after one defeat as they go to Cape Town to face the Springbok-laden Stormers.

The latter had a bye in the first week and with lots of ructions off the field at that union in recent times, the players should be eager to make the resounding start to their campaign that will push some of the negativity out of the headlines and peoples minds. Of course it is not a new challenge for the players in a region where the performance of the playing staff is often compromised by the people who employ them.

Again, there’s a need for South African rugby to run smoothly and for the Unlocked competition to rival New Zealand’s Aotearoa in terms of grabbing attention and entertaining, so problems off the field really can’t be countenanced at this time.

Talking of the Aotearoa, it does need to be acknowledged that the New Zealand competition was played in open stadiums and it was also between just five Super Rugby franchises, and not seven teams like the South African version of domestic Super Rugby is. So comparisons are odious.

But the rather dreary recent Green/Gold game aside, there has been a lot of promise shown in the early stages of South African rugby’s comeback from lockdown, and Friday’s Bloemfontein game could be a thriller given how both have shone in patches in recent weeks.

Certainly the Cheetahs were compelling with the pace and skill with which they executed their first half performance against the Phakisa Pumas. The Bulls weren’t so flush against Tafel Lager Griquas in the later game, but we saw what they could do when they are properly motivated to impress when they played the Super Fan game against the Cell C Sharks.

WEEKEND PREVIEW AND PREDICTIONS

Toyota Cheetahs v Vodacom Bulls (Bloemfontein, Friday 19.00).

The phrase “moment of truth” is an old sportswriting cliche but it does apply to this game in the sense that two fancied teams are facing the biggest tests they have faced so far. The Bulls did smash the Sharks at Loftus on Super Fan Saturday but there were question marks afterwards over how ready the Sharks were for that game. Was it the Bulls playing well, the Sharks being short of a gallop, or a combination of both? I’d go for the latter, but there is no denying the Bulls are a strong team on paper and there is no denying Jake White’s ability as a coach.

For the Cheetahs the season so far has been a bit of a calm before a storm. In the sense that they haven’t played a top team yet. They rollicked to big scores in the first halves of their friendly against Griquas and in their opening Super Unlocked game against the Pumas before fading in the second half. The Bulls will test their pack and their defence more than either opponent has up to now.

Bulls coach White has made five changes for the game, including bringing back captain Duane Vermeulen and choosing the abrasive Clinton Swart in the midfield. It has been speculated the latter selection is directed at unsettling Frans Steyn, who showed last week what a difference he makes to the Cheetahs.

TEAMS

Toyota Cheetahs: Clayton Blommetjies, Malcolm Jaer, Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Frans Steyn, Rosko Specman, Tian Schoeman, Ruan Pienaar (captain); Jasper Wiese, Junior Pokomela, Andisa Ntsila, Walt Steenkamp, Carl Wegner, Luan de Bruin, Reinach Venter, Charles Marais. Replacements: Jacques du Toit, Boan Venter, Erich de Jager, JP Du Preez, Aidon Daivd, Chris Massyn, Tian Meyer, William Small-Smith

Vodacom Bulls: Gio Aplon; David Kriel, Cornal Hendricks, Clinton Swart, Jade Stighling; Morné Steyn, Embrose Papier; Duane Vermeulen (captain), Arno Botha, Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortje, Jason Jenkins, Trevor Nyakane, Johan Grobbelaar, Jacques van Rooyen. Replacements: Joe van Zyl, Gerhard Steenekamp, Mornay Smith, Sintu Manjezi, Nizaam Carr, Ivan van Zyl, Chris Smith, Stedman Gans.

Prediction: Bulls to squeak a close one.

Tafel Lager Griquas v Phakisa Pumas (Kimberley, Saturday 16.30)

They haven’t played two competitive games yet and already the Griquas are suffering from injuries, with three leadership figures having been ruled out over the course of the past week or so.

Ryan Nell, chosen to lead the Pumas against the Cheetahs last week, was injured early in the game and left the field. He is out for the season. Influential lock Le Roux Roets took over from Nell but has now also been ruled out with injury. He underwent an operation on Thursday that will see him miss at least six weeks of rugby, while Marne Coetzee broke an arm in a warm-up game against the Lions. Former Griquas stalwart Pieter-Jansen van Vuren is the new Pumas captain.

The ‘Lowvelder’ has suggested this is a knock out game and in terms of Super Rugby that is no exaggeration. Both sides lost their opening games and with only seven games to be played in Super Rugby before the winner is determined, the loser on Saturday afternoon can consider themselves to be out of contention.

On what we saw last week we’d give Griquas the edge even though the Pumas did come back well in the second half against the Cheetahs.

TEAMS

Tafel Lager Griquas: Anthony Volmink, Daniel Kasende, Harlon Klaassen, Andre Swarts, James Verity-Amm, George Whitehead (captain), Zak Burger, Niell Jordaan, Stefan Willemse, Carl Els, Victor Sekekete, Ian Groenewald, John-Roy Jenkinson, HJ Luus, Mox Mxoli. Replacements: (from) Alandre van Rooyen, Andrew Beerwinkel, Madot Mabokela, Adre Smith, Zandre Jordaan, Gideon van der Merwe, Ashlon Davids, Berton Klaasen, Mzwanele Zito, Ewan Coetzee, Bjorn Basson.

Phakisa Pumas: Devon Williams, Etienne Taljaard, Erich Cronje, Wayne van der Bank, Neil Maritz, Eddie Fouche, Ginter Smuts, Jeandre Rudolph, Willie Engelbrecht, Francois Kleinhans, Pieter Jansen van Vuren (captain), Darrien Landsberg, Ruan Kramer, Simon Westraadt, Morgan Naude.

Replacements: HP van Schoor, Liam Hendricks, Heath Backhouse, Phumzile Maqondwana, Dian Badenhorst, Niel Marais, Ali Mgijima, Dewald Maritz.

Prediction: Griquas by 10 to 15

DHL Stormers v Emirates Lions (Cape Town, Saturday 19.00)

The Lions have answered the question the Stormers were asking during the week by selecting Burger Odendaal and Dan Kriel in the midfield and leaving the attacking skills of Wandesile Simelane on the bench. This is an indication the Lions will be out to try and get profit from a direct, physical approach against a Stormers team that has several stars in it but which may be underdone after starting with a bye last week.

The big challenge for the Lions will be to try and cancel out the massive superiority the Stormers enjoyed in the Super Fan Saturday game between the teams three weeks ago. On another day you might say they could still have a chance of winning if they don’t get some kind of physical parity as they were good at playing off scraps of possession in the past but this selection is less equipped for that.

Where the Lions may come into their own and be dangerous though is if they manage to keep the Stormers within touching distance going into the last quarter. That is when their bench, which features the attacking skills of Simelane and Hacjivah Dyimani, could just make the extra minutes of competitive rugby the Lions have played become more significant.

TEAMS

DHL Stormers: Warrick Gelant, Sergeal Petersen, Dan du Plessis, Rikus Pretorius, Leolin Zas, Damian Willemse, Herschel Jantjies, Juarno Augustus, Ernst van Rhyn, Siya Kolisi (captain), JD Schickerling, Salmaan Moerat, Frans Malherbe, Bongi Mbonambi, Steven Kitshoff. Replacements: Scarra Ntubeni, Leon Lyons, Neethling Fouche, Chris van Zyl, Nama Xaba, Paul de Wet, Michael Haznar, Tim Swiel.

Emirates Lions: EW Viljoen, Jamba Ulengo, Burger Odendaal, Dan Kriel, Rabz Maxwane, Elton Jantjies (captain), Morne van den Berg, Len Massyn, Vincent Tshituka, Jaco Kriel, Marvin Orie, Willem Alberts, Carlu Sadie, Jaco Visagie, Sti Sithole. Replacements: (from) Jan Henning-Campher, Dylan Smith, Wiehahn Herbst, Wilhelm van der Sluys, MJ Pelser, Hacjivah Dyimani, Ross Cronje, Gianni Lombard, Wandesile Simelane, Ruan Dreyer.

Prediction: Stormers to edge close game.