Thursday, April 19, 2007

Outwit.....Outplay.....Outlast

Outwit.... Outplay..... These words have probably never been used before to describe the performance of a South African super 14 franchise against New Zealand opposition away from home...
But, that's exactly what happened last Saturday in the Blues vs Sharks match at North Harbour Stadium in Albany.

In the week before the game, Blues players were quoted saying their aim would be to make things as tough as possible for Ruan Pienaar. To prevent the exciting youngster from getting quick ball to his outside backs. Just a pity that on the night the Sharks had to go do exactly that to Steve Devine...
David Nuke 'em-fora can point the finger to Stuart "Yes, I'm a-Dick"inson and dodgy Sharks tactics for his side's shock loss, but the fact of the matter is just that his team were never allowed an oportunity to get going in the match. The Sharks defence was solid, the kicking clever - how about THAT drop kick- and the pressure outstanding. Okay, they didn't quite sustain it for the full 80 minutes, but by the time the Blues scored their first try, the damage was already done.
Nuke'em-fora also complained about Sammy Torpedo's yellow card, and only saw Johan Ackerman throwing the first punch.. Just a pity he failed to mention Nacewa's attempted elbow on Monty in the first half...

I've heard people say the Sharks have shown their hand, and will be shown up by the Chiefs this Saturday in Hamilton. It might still prove to be the case, but the Sharks have proved against (the rubbish) Reds they can score tries out wide. The Chiefs on the other hand smashed the Force last weekend, but also conceded 36 points in the process. Their defence is shaky, and dare I mention the name of Tasesa Lavea as a possible weakness? (This one will probably come back to bite me, but hey......)
It's not rocket science, but if the Sharks manage to win this one, they're a step closer to securing that home semi final. And, if the Chiefs get the win, they keep the semi final dream alive. Not bad for a team who only won 4 of their 10 games so far!!

Lastly, I guess I should say "congrats" to the Bulls for their performance at Loftus last weekend... (arrrrrrrr....) For those Stormers supporters who've been complaining about our teams' inconsitancy so far this season, don't worry: I'm sure we'll be consistant this weekend! It'll be our first consecutive defeat in the competition this season.....

Big Pik's picks for the weekend:
Crusaders
Brumbies
Cheetahs
Sharks
Highlanders
Lions (sorry, I just can't back them Bulls....)
Blues

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

It's now how you start, but how you finish....

I'm sure we've all heard these words before. Years ago Naas Botha was quoted saying "the Currie Cup's not won in May", and more recently after the Sharks slumped to a second defeat in so many weeks, every single rugby writer made it his or her job to point out the fact that "they might've peaked too early" or "great start, but let's see where they finish"......
Now i must say these words of wisdom by the experts got me thinking - and yes, I know it must be hard to believe a one eyed Stormers supporter is actually capable of something like that - but forget about rugby for a moment, and let's focus on the cricket world cup.

It's probably an understatment to say the Proteas haven't really been impressive so far. They arrived at the tournament as the "number one ranked team in the world" - thanks for continuously pointing that one out, Graeme Smurf - but have looked far from it. Teams have made a mockery of Polly's economy rate, Kallis has been blamed for his tortoise-like batting and they lost to Bangladesh for varks steaks!!! The lack of variety in the bowling attack has also been exposed on numerous occasions.... (Oh, and did I mention the defeat to Bangladesh by any chance???) But..... But..... But..... The scary thing however, is that South Africa are still in the competition, and haven't been knocked out yet.... Even if they have been performing poorly!

And earlier today they managed to get their campaign back on track with a vital win against the Windies. AB managed to get a big score, Kallis kept the scoreboard ticking yet again, and Gibbs and Boucher secured the big score with their flurry at the end. Of course it was by no means a flawless victory - the fact that they couldn't finish off the tail must surely still be a big headache for Mickey Arthur and his troops - but it was at least a better result than the Bangladesh match.... So, with games against New Zealand and England left to play, one victory should be enough to let them advance to the semi's.

Now, that brings me to the Black Caps. They're unbeaten, and have been really impressive so far. Fleming, Fulton, Styris, Oram and Mccullum have all contributed with the bat. Bond and Vettori have been on fire with the ball. They've brushed aside the opposition by hardly breaking a sweat. Surely they must be sitting pretty to win the whole thing! But... But... But... Let's start by looking at their remaining matches - they still have Sri Lanka, SA and Aussie left to play in the space of a week....
What if Shane Bond gets injured?
And, what happens if the top order fails to get them off to a good start... Will the middle and lower order be able to do the job? (Just go look at South Africa's 1996 world cup campaign.. in the quarter finals against the West Indies the middle and lower order failed to get the job done, probably because they didn't spend enough time in the middle during the pool matches, when the batsmen did their job....)

So, I'm really looking forward to this weekend's match between the Black Caps and Proteas. What's the saying again? "It's not how you start, but how you finish". Suppose we'll have to wait and see.