Currie Cup Final: Sharks vs Western Province - Preview

It is Currie Cup final time!!!! The Sharks host Western Province at Durban and once again rain is expected in the Kwazulu Natal coastal city.

The Sharks would want to forget about last years dissapointing performance in the final against the Lions and return the coveted trophy to Kings Park. The Sharks lifted the trophy in 2010 outplaying the same opponents where Pat Lambie had a dream game.

WP would want to travel home with the awesome trophy for the first time in 11years, thats right they last lifted the trophy in 2001 when they beat Natal 29-24 at Newlands.

Sharks coach John Plumtree has given all his Springboks a go in the starting line up with the Beast and robust openside flanker Willem Alberts getting their oppertunity to shine. All eyes will be on Pat Lambie as he will try to eclipse his feat in 2010 and stake a claim for the Springboks no.10 jersey.

WP coach Allister Coetzee made one change to his team that beat the Lions with a last gasp effort in the semi final last weekend and it is a big surprise, Damian de Allende replaces Marcell Braché at 12. There has been a lot of hype during the build up week about de Allende and lets hope he produces a sublime performance.

Prediction: The Sharks should be more accustomed to the wet weather and they look the more blessed side accross the park, but WP would want to shake their "chokers" tag and will through everything, including the kitchen sink at the Sharks. I am a huge WP supporter and hoping for a huge performance and a massive upset over the Sharks. I am therefore going with my hart and tipping Province to win by 3.

Teams:

Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Tim Whitehead, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Keegan Daniel (captain), 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Anton Bresler, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Craig Burden, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.

Supersubs: 16 Kyle Cooper, 17 Wiehahn Herbst, 18 Jandré Marais, 19 Jean Deysel, 20 Charl McLeod, 21 Meyer Bosman, 22 Odwa Ndungane.

Western Province: 15 Gio Aplon, 14
Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Don Armand, 6 Deon Fourie (c), 5 De Kock Steenkamp, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Steven Kitshoff.

Supersubs: 16 Deon Carstens, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Wilhelm van der Sluys, 19 Jebb Sinclair, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Marcel Brache, 22 Joe Pietersen.

Date: Saturday, October 27
Venue: Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 17.00
Expected weather: Overcast with a chance of rain, 17 C, wind of 15k/ph
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistant referees: Christie du Preez,
Stefan Breytenbach
TMO: Johann Meuwesen

Till next time!!!

Be blessed
Barry-Jo

Currie Cup Semi Finals - Prediction

I predict the Currie Cup semi finals.

Sharks vs Bulls

Another wet encounter awaits. Its going to be tight and hard as nails. If the Bulls dominate like the previous encounter then the Sharks are in for a long day at the office. If the Sharks stand up they might sneak it.

Prediction: Bulls by 5.

Teams:

Sharks: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Tim Whitehead, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Keegan Daniel (captain), 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Anton Bresler, 4 JandréMarais, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Kyle Cooper, 1 Dale Chadwick.

Supersubs: 16 Craig Burden, 17 Tendai Mtawarira, 18 Wiehahn Herbst, 19 Steven Sykes/Peet Marais, 20 Willem Alberts, 21 Charl McLeod, 22 Meyer Bosman.

Blue Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Francois Venter, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Arno Botha, 7 Jacques Potgieter, 6 Dewald Potgieter (captain), 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Willie Wepener, 1 Morné Mellett.

Supersubs: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 CJ Stander, 20 Francois Hougaard, 21 Louis Fouché, 22 Dean Greyling.

Date: Saturday, October 20
Venue: Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 16.30
Expected weather: It will rain on Saturday. The questions is just how much of it will fall during the game and how heavy it will be. At this stage the prediction is for light to moderate rain, with the temperature around the 17°C to 18°C mark
Referee: Mark Lawrence
Assistant referees: Jason Jaftha, Christiedu Preez
TMO: Shaun Veldsman

Province vs Lions

This is going to be another tight game. The Lions will be well rested and try to build on their consistently good season. Province look more blessed around the park, but the lions will not go down without a fight.

Prediction:

Western Province by 5-7 points.

Teams:

Golden Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Jaco Taute, 12 Alwyn Hollenbach, 11 Anthony Volmink, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Michael Bondesio, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Jaco Kriel, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Michael Rhodes, 3 Jacobie Adriaanse, 2 Callie Visagie, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg (captain).

Supersubs: 16 Bandise Maku, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Hendrik Roodt, 19 Derick Minnie, 20 Ross Cronje, 21 Butch James, 22 Deon Helberg.

Western Province: 15 Gio Aplon, 14
Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Marcel Brache, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Don Armand, 6 Deon Fourie (captain), 5 De Kock Steenkamp, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 1 Steven Kitshoff.

Supersubs: 16 Deon Carstens, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Wilhelm van der Sluys, 19 Jebb Sinclair, 20 Louis Schreuder, 21 Damian de Allende, 22 Joe Pietersen.

Date: Saturday, October 20
Venue: Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 19.00
Expected weather: Rain and
thunderstorms are predicted for Saturday evening .The high will be 24°C and it will cool down to about 19°C.
Referee: Marius Jonker
Assistant referees: Sindile Mayende,
Stefan Breytenbach
TMO: Johann Meuwesen

Till we meet again.

Be blessed
Barry-Jo

Kings Brought Down to Earth

After the EP Kings claimed the Currie Cup 1st Devision title last week against the Pumas, they travelled full of convidence to Bloemfontein to tackle the Cheetahs in the first leg of two games, hoping to gain promotion to the Premier Devision.

The Cheetahs played as if their lives depended on the result and lets be honest, it technically did. If the Cheetahs lost it would have opened a whole new can of worms regarding the Kings playing SupeRugby next year at the expense of the Lions. Ultimately the Cheetahs gave the Kings no chance as they dispatched them 53-14. Unless the Cheetahs implode spectacularly next week in the second leg and lose by 40 points without getting a bonus point, their spot in the Premier League seems to be as safe as a reinforced concrete basement in hurricane season.

The Kings placid display begged a couple of questions, if the Cheetahs handled them so easy, what is going to happen against the likes of the Crusaders, Chiefs, Hurricanes, Bulls, Sharks and Stormers just to name a couple of high class SupeRugby sides who know how to demolish strong opposition? Will SARU back their decision to let the Kings play SupeRugby pre-maturely?

After last night one thing stood out like sore thumb, the Kings will end last on the SA converence and the Lions will replace them in 2014.

I am not saying that the Kings do not have tallented rugby players to make the cut at the highest level, I am saying that they are not READY!!
They should have released a couple of young players to the five individual unions to prepare them for arguably the toughest rugby competition in the world. This should have happened 2-3 years ago, yes they have a acadamy system in place, yes they have very good coaches, but is that enough? Is Cheeky Watson going to flash his rather large checkbook to "buy" a decent team to be competitive enough not to end up with the wooden spoon?

The Kings have another shot at the Cheetahs next weekend and lets hope for their sake that they put up a better fight and show the whole of South Africa that they are indeed ready to play SupeRugby.

Till next time, be blessed.
Barry-Jo

Springboks vs All Blacks - Teams and Prediction

Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer, for the first time at the helm, named an unchanged team for their all important clash with the All Blacks at Soccer City stadium in Soweto.

All Black coach Steve Hansen called in Brodie Retallick at lock who makes a direct swop with Luke Romano. Hosea Gear takes over from Julian Savea on the left wing who will have to keep Bryan Habana in check. Savea falls out of the matchday squad alltogether.

Allthough the All Blacks secured the Rugby Championship title last week against the Pumas, it by no means mean that they will simply let the Boks walk over them. There is alot at stake at Nasrec as the All Blacks would want to extend their unbeaten run to 16 consecutive games and the Springboks would like to build on some impresive momentum picked up against the Wallabies last week end.

Prediction:

Expect an exciting, physical, running game with both teams trying to empose themselves on each other. Both teams are high in confidence and both sides will give everything for a victory. I am simply going with my hart on this one and call the Springboks by 3 points.

The teams:

Springboks: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Bryan Habana, 13 Jaco Taute, 12 Jean de Villiers (captain), 11 François Hougaard, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 François Louw, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.

Super subs: 16 Tiaan Liebenberg, 17 Coenie Oosthuizen, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Marcell Coetzee, 20 Elton Jantjies, 21 Juan de Jongh, 22 Pat Lambie.

All Blacks: 15 Israel Dagg, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (captain), 6 Liam Messam, 5 Samuel Whitelock , 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Andrew Hore, 1 Tony Woodcock.

Super subs: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Luke Romano, 19 Adam Thomson, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Aaron Cruden, 22 Tamati Ellison.

Date: Saturday, 6 October 2012
Kick-off: 17.00 SA Time
Venue: Soccer City, Soweto
Expected weather conditions: Mostly
cloudy with a high of 30°C, dropping to
15°C
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Romain Poite (France),
Greg Garner (England)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)

Springboks vs Wallabies - Prediction

I do not think this is going to be a tight game at all. I reckon the Springboks have to much fire power up front with Eben Etzebeth returning for Flip van der Merwe and partnering the very skillful Andries Bekker. Johann Goosen makes his run on debut and should get the skillful backline players on his outside going like a V8 engine. I expect an open running game filled with excitement.

The Aussies have opted to play Curtley Beale at ten to give them some attacking prowess and Berrick Barnes finds himself at fullback. I wonder if the Quade Cooper rant during the week will have an effect on the team as they look pretty thin without the services of robust loose forward, Scott Higginbotham with the latter picking up an injury on Thursday and looks unlikely to feature on the bench. A replacement hasn't been named.

Prediction: Springboks by atleast 20.

The teams:

Springboks: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Bryan Habana, 13 Jaco Taute, 12 Jean de Villiers (captain), 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.

Super subs: 16 Tiaan Liebenberg, 17 Pat Cilliers, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Marcell Coetzee, 20 Elton Jantjies, 21 Juan de Jongh, 22 Pat Lambie.

Wallabies: 15 Berrick Barnes, 14 Dominic Shipperley, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Radike Samo, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Dave Dennis, 5 Nathan Sharpe
(captain), 4 Kane Douglas, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Tatafu Polota Nau, 1 Benn Robinson.

Super subs: 16 Saia Fainga'a, 17 James
Slipper, 18 Rob Simmons, 19 Scott Higginbotham, 20 Liam Gill, 21 Brett Sheehan, 22 Anthony Fainga'a.

Date: Saturday, September 29
Kick-off: 17.00 SA Time
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Expected weather: Clear with a high of
21°C, dropping to 10°C  and no rain - a
beautiful spring day on the Highveld, great
for rugby.
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Romain Poite (France),
Greg Garner (England)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (South Africa)

Steyn, Oosthuizen Fails Fitness Tests

Frans Steyn and Coenie Oosthuizen failed late fitness tests and will not take part in the test against Australia at Loftus Versfeld.

Jaco Taute will make his Springbok debut at outside centre and captain Jean de Villiers moves to his prefered inside centre position.

Pat Cilliers replaces Coenie Oosthuizen on the bench.

Watch out for my previews a bit later.

Till then

Barry-Jo

Springbok Team vs Australia - 29 September 2012

The Bok team to face Australia was announced with a couple of bolters. Johann Goosen gets his run-on debut replacing under fire Morné Steyn, who is left out of the match 22 all together. Jaco Taute is in brackets with Frans Steyn if the latter fails a late fitness test. Pat Lambie, unfortunately stil finds himself warming the bench. Eben Etzebeth returns and joins up with his Stormers partner Andries Bekker, who swops places with Flip van der Merwe. Juandre Kruger falls out all together.

Springbok side to face Australia:

15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Bryan Habana, 13 Jean De Villiers (c), 12 Francois Steyn/Jaco Taute, 11 Francois Hougaard,10 Johann Goosen, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Francois Louw,5 Andries Bekker, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie Du Plessis, 2 Adrian Strauss, 1 Beast Mtawarira.

Super Subs: 16 Tiaan Liebenberg, 17 Coenie Oosthuizen, 18 Flip Van der Merwe, 19 Marcell Coetzee, 20 Elton Jantjies, 21 Jaco Taute/Juan De Jongh, 22 Patrick Lambie