The Springbok starting XV to face France in Toulouse on Friday

So the Springbok team for the match Friday evening will be as follows:
15 Zane Kirchner (1)
14 JP Pietersen (30)
13 Jaque Fourie (51)
12 Adi Jacobs (28)
11 Bryan Habana (54)
10 Morné Steyn (9)
9 Fourie du Preez (52)
8 Ryan Kankowski (9)
7 Schalk Burger (53)
6 Heinrich Brüssow (10)
5 Victor Matfield (89)
4 Bakkies Botha (63)
3 John Smit – Captain (90)
2 Bismarck du Plessis (30)
1 Tendai Mtawarira (19)


So here is my take on the team selection and things that we will have to keep a look out for – There will be the battle up front that is going to be fundamental in the outcome of the match. I have seen that a hard battle upfront certainly have an effect on the way a team dominates and controls the match. France have one of the biggest front five combinations in world rugby at the moment. We must see if South Africa can stand up to the task that have been set by these players.
I do think that South Africa should fare well in the loose with Heinrich Brüssow and Schalk Burger both fetchers and complementing each other well. It is a pity that Spies was ruled out due to injury as that would be by first choice.
I do think the most stringent test will fall on Zane Kirchner and Adi Jacobs which has to fill cardinal positions and will be playing in stead of De Villiers and Steyn which have been playing well during the whole Tri Nations campaign. I predict a very close game that might be won by drop goals and penalties in stead of the wide open running Rugby. Good luck Boks!

Preview to the 2009 Currie Cup Final Bulls vs Cheetahs

This is certainly going to be unforgiving hard physical rugby being played at Loftus with no prisoners taken by either of the two competing teams.

The Bulls will probably have the upper hand in both the lineout’s and rumbling the ball up with a good kicker to convert and capitalizing on any errors form the Cheetahs. The Bulls will have to be patient in their buildup and going through the phases. Regardless of the score there should not be a letup during the last twenty minutes of the match. It was during this time that the Cheetahs have normally caught up with their opponents in the past seven matches.

The Cheetahs will probably have the upper hand in the scrums and has shown in the past few weeks of the Currie Cup that they have a formidable pack upsetting the springbok front row in the semi finals. Then there is also Brussouw that will probably get some turnovers or win penalties with his phenomenal speed and quick recovery, putting pressure on the opponents. Then there is Potgieter that can also slot some testing kicks.

It will certainly be a tight game. Good luck to both teams but we would like to see a winner and not a draw.

The lack of some of the Springbok players for the Sharks has not gone unnoticed

The lack of some of the Springbok players for the Sharks has not gone unnoticed. Players like the beast and John Smith have looked lacked lustred in their performance. It was noticeable that both of the players have struggled in the scrums and might have been the reason that they have not performed in the match. The calling of the word Beeeeeast was lacking in the game which has gone to show that there was seldom a rollicking run by the beast that normally end up with a gain in field position. John Smith was just as quite in the game and this have shown up to be one of the reasons that they lost out to the Cheetahs. Players in the Shark team that was playing well includes Bismarck Du Plessis, Kankowski, Pienaar which seemed to be the form players for the Sharks. The loss to the Cheetahs was a definite surprise for me but the Cheetahs always seems to get stronger to the end of the season when the weather normally gets warmer and the chance for running rugby is a better prospect.

Looking back at the week’s Semi-final match between the Sharks and the Cheetahs.

Looking back at the week’s Semi-final match between the Sharks and the Cheetahs it has been clear that the Sharks have been maybe overconfident in their match approach. The Cheetahs has always been a team that finishes strongly in the last 20 minutes of the game and has proved to be the case in the match. The non performance of some of the staunch Springbok players in the Sharks outfit is also a course for concern in the year end tour to England. The front rows for the Sharks have been totally dominated in the scrums by their Cheetah counterparts. I personally think that Os du Rant has done wonders to the cohesion in the front row for the cheetahs and they will still improve into the future. Maybe they can become a force to be contended with in the future and maybe also in the super14 competition. It will be interesting for me to see how the Bulls front row is going to stand up to front row of the Cheetahs in the final. I personally think that the Freestate has got the best front row in the Curry Cup competition.

Hernandez have slotted a nerveless penalty

Hernandez have slotted a nerveless penalty from close to the sideline to extend the Shark’s lead 21 to 13 leading by 8 points and leaving them the task to score at least twice.

Next 20 minutes Sharks vs Cheethas

The next 20 minutes will be influential in the outcome of this year’s Curry Cup. The Sharks have has lead from the start, starting like a house on fire but the Cheetahs have been closing the points deference ever so slowly. The Cheetahs have put up a fight in the Sharktank and the returning Springboks to both sides have made a difference in the intensity on the field

The Sharks vs Free State

The Sharks vs Free State is dishing up some spectacular running rugby for a change. Fabian Juries have been magnificent running from the back showing devastating speed. Free State is playing inspirational Rugby trying to force their way into the top four in the standings. If it was not for missed kicks from flyhalf it would have been an exceptionally close game

Riaan Viljoen has done it for Griekwas

Riaan Viljoen has done it for Griekwas scoring a try 5 minutes from time in the Lions Griekawas Curry Cup match in Kimberley. Griekwas is now 5 point to the good with only minutes left on the clock.matc

Herkie Kruger has slotted a penalty goal.

Herkie Kruger has slotted a penalty goal from some distance out to put the Lions in the Lead in the Curry cup match in Kimberley. The kick from the right hand side of the field cleared the crossbar to put the Lions in the lead by 2 points