Can the Lions make it three out of three and move to the top of the Vodacom Super Rugby standings when they take on the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday, or will the home team slump to their worst start to the season in almost a decade?
These will be some of the questions on the minds of the two Gauteng-based sides when they clash in the first Jukskei-derby of 2014 – and this time the Lions will be arriving at Loftus Versfeld with their confidence high after a superb start to the season.
The Vodacom Bulls, on the other hand, are still winless. The last time they lost their opening three rounds of the competition was in 2005, but all three those matches were on the road. This weekend, the team from Pretoria are at their beloved Loftus Versfeld, where they boast a 63% win record in local derbies.
Their aims will be on completely different targets when the Vodacom Bulls host the Lions in their third round Vodacom Super Rugby match at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday evening.
One will be trying to avert their worst-ever start to the season in nearly a decade, while the other is gunning for a third successive win and their best-ever start to the toughest provincial competition in the world.
When history is taken into account, it will be easy to think the Lions are the strugglers and the Vodacom Bulls the cruisers, but this time it’s the other way around.
And if the Lions can break their duck at Loftus Versfeld, like they did over the DHL Stormers last weekend, they will finish the round at the top of the standings.
In 2007, the Lions won four of their first five matches, but the defeat came in round one against the Waratahs. Their next best came in 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2012 when they won one out of their first three matches. But in 2010 and 2011 the team from Johannesburg were still winless after three rounds.
The Vodacom Bulls, on the other hand, have not lost three straight in the opening rounds since 2005. Two of those were Down Under, but in the opening round they came unstuck against the Cats at Ellis Park.
The Pretorians pulled themselves together and later that season they still made the semi-finals, but having been amongst the top teams for a long time, they know full-well home defeats are not ideal if you want to make it to the top six.
After making a number of changes to his team for this important match, Vodacom Bulls coach Frans Ludeke said: “It is still early in the competition, but we have to be honest with ourselves – we cannot afford a repeat of the first two weekends, where we were lethargic and inaccurate in our set plays.
“The Lions are high on confidence, so we need not only to start well, but play with belief and commitment.”
Flip van der Merwe, who took over the captaincy from Pierre Spies last week, will again lead the team into battle.
“We are way down on the standards we set for ourselves this season,” said Van der Merwe.
“This will be our first home game of the season and we are pleased about it after two difficult weekends in Durban and Bloemfontein. We are facing a rampant Lions team though who are playing with passion, skill and precision. We need to match them in those areas if we want to record our first win of the tournament.”
The teams are:
Vodacom Bulls: Jurgen Visser, Akona Ndungane, JJ Engelbrecht, Jan Serfontein, Bjorn Basson, Jacques-Louis Potgieter, Francois Hougaard, Grant Hattingh, Jacques du Plessis, Jono Ross, Victor Matfield, Flip van der Merwe (captain), Frik Kirsten, Callie Visagie, Dean Greyling. Replacements: Bongi Mbonambi, Werner Kruger, Marcel van der Merwe, Paul Willemse, Jacques Engelbrecht, Piet van Zyl, Handré Pollard, Ulrich Beyers.
Lions: Chrysander Botha, Deon van Rensburg, JW Jonker, Stefan Watermeyer, Ruan Combrinck, Marnitz Boshoff, Faf de Klerk, Warren Whiteley (captain), Warwick Tecklenburg, Jaco Kriel, Franco van der Merwe, Franco Mostert, Julian Redelinghuys, Robbie Coetzee, Schalk van der Merwe. Replacements: Willie Wepener, Jacques van Rooyen, Ruan Dreyer, MB Lusaseni, Willie Britz, Ross Cronje, Courtnall Skosan, Coenie van Wyk.
Date: Saturday, 1 March
SA Time: 17h05
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Referee: Chris Pollock (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa), Sieg van Staden (South Africa)
Television match official: Johan Greeff (South Africa)
Credit: SARU Corporate Affairs
Gameplan is bietjie voorspelbaar. Agterstebal in die lynstaan met Hattingh daar4/5 wat omvou en 11/14 wat die 10/12 kanaal aanval.
Miskien werk dit maar wat ek gesien het van die leeus se defence is dit nogal goed. Ek bly maar bang vir die turnovers op die grond en sonder 'n fetcher. Voel nog steeds Mbonambi sal baie goed doen in daardie rol. Hy het die spoed krag en vaardighede.
Ons span gaan n paar jaar neem voordat ons weer goed genoeg is om die kompetisie/enige kompetisie te wen.
Ek onthou nog na ons 2009 en 2010 die S14 gewen het, het bestuur en afrigters gese die Bulls franchise wil rugby rugby in SA en S15 domineer die volgende paar jaar...waar is ons vandag? n Span wat meesal uit Vodacom Cup spelers bestaan...
Wil graag het Ludeke moet verduidelik waaraan hy "beplan" het die afgelope 3 jaar wat hy nie CC span afgerig het nie!
Hoekom het ons nie opvolgers soos, Johan Heunis, Naas Botha, Tommy Du Plessis, Moaner Van Heerden, Louis Moolma, net n paar en ek kan die lys nog langer maak
As Oom Buurman nog geleef het sou ons nie in die posisie gewees het nie
Ek sal my laaste sent gee vir die bulle maar dan moet hulle uithaal en wys
Sterkte vir saterdag
Met `n bietjie harder veld en beter losskakel gaan ons senters meer in die spel kom en dan kan hulle skade aanrig. Basson weet ons kan goed afrond.
Een groot leemte is nog steeds op die grond by breekpunte, ons is te stadig daar en gaan sukkel om turnovers te kry. Miskien met Hatting op agsteman gaan ons groter ouens vinniger by die breekpunte kry wat dan turnovers met counter rugging kan bewerkstellig.
Moet se ek kan nie wag dat Steggies terug is nie en dan moet ons vir Pollard en Willimse genoeg speeltyd gee om hulle groot te maak vir hierdie vlak. Help nie ons probeer maatreels instel om in een jaar te wen nie en dan verloor ons die groter prentjie. Ons het juis te lank staat gemaak op ysters soos Bakkies, Rossouw, Steyn en andere en nooit aan die toekoms gedink nie.
Go Bulle. Ek gee hulle die wen met 8 punte.
> en dan sit ons met `n losskakel wat baie meer direk speel en ook strate beter is as Fouche (wat na my mening die grootste rede was vir die vorige twee wedstryde wat ons verloor het.
Brettbull, moenie jou hopes opkry oor Fouche nie
http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/Super15/Ludeke-still-backing-Fouche-20140227
Ludeke still backing Fouché
Brenden Nel - SuperSport
Johannesburg - Bulls coach Frans Ludeke defended the dropping of flyhalf Louis Fouché from the squad to face the Lions in their Vodacom Super Rugby match at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, saying the decision to elevate Jacques-Louis Potgieter from outside the squad was because he was “on form.”
According to supersport.com website, Potgieter leap-frogged prodigy Handré Pollard as well as he was included in the starting line-up on Wednesday, and while the decision may well spell the end of Fouché’s hopes for the meantime, relegating him to third spot in the flyhalf race, it is also a lease of life for Potgieter, who re-joined the Bulls from Bayonne last month.
Potgieter put in an excellent performance in Polokwane in the pre-season game against the Stormers and followed it up with an impressive 20 points against the Cheetahs Vodacom Cup team in the curtain-raiser to last Friday night’s Super Rugby loss.
But Fouché, who has had poor form in the Bulls’ opening two losses, seemingly is the scapegoat for the defeats, with Ludeke saying he decided to rather go with the in form flyhalf.
“It’s a tough decision. It’s almost a better decision for Louis, if you think about it. He’s a talented player, but we decided on the old head - the guy who is on song. He played in Polokwane and he played well in the curtain-raiser in Bloemfontein. He’s out from a season in France where he played until the weekend before he joined us,” Ludeke said.
“He’s on, if you could call it that. You compare that to Handré (Pollard) and Louis is coming back from an injury, and we were satisfied with his preparation. We backed him, we believe he has a special talent and at the moment we decided to go for someone who has an old head, and whose game is on. We pulled Louis a bit back, we will work with him to get his confidence back.
“It’s small things - his overall game was fantastic. His kicking accuracy was 74% with all his kicks, it was just that his goalkicks were off on the night. If you look at the weekend’s games, the goalkicking percentage across all teams was 50%. But goalkicking is vital, especially in the beginning of the competition where there are a lot of penalties and teams don’t have their rhythm right. If you have a good goalkicker you can get momentum in a game quickly.
Ludeke did defend Fouché though, saying he needed to find his confidence again, but that he was far from finished. Ludeke said the team management still backed Fouché “100%”
“Louis had a fantastic Currie Cup in 2012. He was our Currie Cup player of the year back then. In 2013, he had two Super Rugby games and then he picked up an injury that kept him out for the whole year. There is nothing wrong with his ability, he is a quality flyhalf and we need him. He could still be the guy who does something special for us at a vital stage of the season. You can’t coach that sort of talent and he has what it takes.
“He came back from an injury perhaps too soon and I will take responsibility for that. Perhaps we should have been a bit more conservative in our approach, and managed his comeback better from our point of view - a knee operation, especially for a kicker, is a massive operation.
“We back him 100%, he is still in our system and we need him. If you ask how does he come back, well, if there is an injury then he will be back, and the Vodacom Cup is also there for him to get his form back.”
Kom ons kyk of die AS Saterdag gaan gebeur, en of die AS sommer heeltemal afgebreek gaan word.
Sterkte Bulle.
“Louis had a fantastic Currie Cup in 2012. He was our Currie Cup player of the year back then.'' Ek het seker daardie jaar se Currie cup gemis, want ek kan nie onthou dat Fouche ooit n fantastiese toernooi gehad het nie. Standaarde het so laag geval by die Bulle, ek weet nie of ek moet lag of huil nie.
Anyway op papier is dit onmoontlik dat die Leeus saterdag kan wen maar Watermeyer,Boshof,Mostert en Tecklenberg en Skosan sal n punt wil bewys.Die bulle wou hulle mos nie gehad het nie.
Bulle met 12
Die keer kon ek kaartjies verniet kry, maar ek sien geen punt om die ge-palookary te ondersteun nie, daar is net nie passie nie, en dan nog het ons spelers soos Fouche en Ross wat nie op standaard is nie, en 'n hasbeen wat eens op 'n tyd 'n legende was, maar nerens is as hy nou op die veld kom nie. Moet nie eers laat ek begin met Grant Knock-Knock Hattingh nie.
Die besluit om Victor terug te bring, lyk ongelooflik desperaat, en dui dus vir my daarop dat die bestuur nie weet wat hulle doen nie, want ons het genoeg slotte en voorspelers verloor om dit te noodsaak - nou speel ons 'n washout slot op agtsteman.
Neewat, Bulle, hou op probeer om die seisoenkaartjies aan mense af te smeer, en probeer eerder om dit wat op die veld gebeur, reg te kry. Dan sal die seisoenkaartjies hulself verkoop.
En nou is daar 'n kans dat ons dalk, net dalk teen die Leeus te wen. Dan wen ons 'n game teen 'n span wat ons 'n jaar terug nie eers sou dink om teen te verloor nie, en dan kom Ludeke weer uit met die soundbytes soos "Our season is on track now", en "It was tough, but we had faith", en "We really wanted to show the doubters".
Dit alles terwyl 'n tight wen teen die on-form Lions net mooi niks sal beteken nie - is dit rerig die maatstaf teen wat ons onsself wil meet. Want kom ons wees nou eerlik, as die Cheetahs en Stormers die heel jaar moet speel soos hulle in daardie enkele games gespeel het, gaan hulle albei nie hoer as 11de op die log eindig nie.
Maak nie saak wat ons van die spelers se nie solank as FL die coach is gaan niks verander nie, nie die gameplan en nie die spelers nie.
Naas het genoem dat op n afrigtings forum by die BB is daar gese al loop julle 40 nul agter bly julle by die game plan. Maw daar is geen vryheid vir die spelers om slef besluit te neem nie.
n Ander artikel verwys ook dat Fl met HM se plan gewen het tot 2008 en dinge verkeerd geloop het, daarna het Matfield en F DPreez oorgeneem.
I would like to think that I create an easy-going, fun atmosphere and a freedom which allows my coaching staff and players an opportunity speak freely whether sharing advice or offering opinion. As a coach, I strongly believe in making collective decisions which best benefit the team. And the element of respect is big in my book. Respect for the team environment, one’s teammates and the Lions jersey.
Laastens dis die mees irriterinde website - wat veronderstel om n blog te wees.
MAAR nou is ek darem baie negatief. Ek dink nie die bg spanne is al werklik getoets nie en ons weet nog nie werklik wat is hulle sterkte nie. Na hierdie naweek sal ons nader daaraan wees, weersomstandighede kan nie geblameer word nie en ook nie die feit dat dit `n eerste super wedstryd is nie.
As die Bulls en die Stormers hierdie naweek wen sal ek eers weer meer gerus wees, jammer die Cheetahs het geslip.
"Vodacom Bulls need to fire against Lions"
'n Beter titel sou wees
"Vodacom Bulls will fire (if we lose) after Lions game"
and your voice is the only thing we hear,
no I won' be afraid, no I won't be afraid,
just as long as you stand, stand by me.
So won't you, won't you stand by me,
oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me, stand by me.
EVERY TRY, THAT WE'RE FIGHTING FOR,
WE'RE FIGHTING FOR YOU,
FOR YOUR GLORY,
TOGETHER YOU AND ME.
Raise your flag, raise your voice
oh give us a cheer,
just as long as you stand, stand by me.
So Bulle Bulle stand by me, oh stand by me, stand by me,
stand by me, stand by me, BULLE !!!
HOU BY DIE BLOU MY VOLK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
kom bulle julle kan en baie sterkte
Nitronic, val in jopu Spies......