[2015 Super Rugby] Lions vs. Bulls (Round 8) 04/04/2015

[TRF_heineken]

Emirates Airlines Park, Johannesburg

17:05 CAT (SA, GMT+2)​

Teams

Lions: 15. Andries Coetzee, 14. Ruan Combrinck, 13. Lionel Mapoe, 12. Harold Vorster, 11. Anthony Volmink, 10. Elton Jantjies, 9. Ross Cronje, 8. Warren Whiteley (captain), 7. Warwick Tecklenburg, 6. Derick Minnie, 5. Franco Mostert, 4. Andries Ferreira, 3. Ruan Dreyer, 2. Robbie Coetzee, 1. Jacques van Rooyen

Substitutes: 16. Armand van der Merwe, 17. Corne Fourie, 18. Julian Redelinghuys, 19. Robert Kruger, 20. Jaco Kriel, 21. Faf de Klerk, 22. Marnitz Boshoff, 23. Howard Mnisi

Bulls: 15. Jesse Kriel, 14. Francois Hougaard, 13. JJ Engelbrecht, 12. Burger Odendaal, 11. Bjorn Basson, 10. Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 9. Rudy Paige, 8. Pierre Spies (captain), 7. Hanro Liebenberg, 6. Deon Stegmann, 5. Grant Hattingh, 4. Jacques du Plessis, 3. Trevor Nyakane, 2. Adriaan Strauss, 1. Dean Greyling

Substitutes: 16. Callie Visagie, 17. Morne Mellett, 18. Marcel van der Merwe, 19. Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, 20. Roelof Smit, 21. Piet van Zyl, 22. Tian Schoeman, 23. Jurgen Visser

 

[Shaggy]

Soooooooooooo! ... are Bulls going to name a side any time soon

 

[Bull]

Bulls
15. Jesse Kriel, 14. Francois Hougaard, 13. JJ Engelbrecht, 12. Burger Odendaal, 11. Bjorn Basson, 10. Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 9. Rudy Paige, 8. Pierre Spies (captain), 7. Hanro Liebenberg, 6. Deon Stegmann, 5. Grant Hattingh, 4. Jacques du Plessis, 3. Trevor Nyakane, 2. Adriaan Strauss, 1. Dean Greyling
Substitutes: 16. Callie Visagie, 17. Morne Mellett, 18. Marcel van der Merwe, 19. Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, 20. Roelof Smit, 21. Piet van Zyl, 22. Tian Schoeman, 23. Jurgen Visser

 

[TRF_heineken]

Soooooooooooo! ... are Bulls going to name a side any time soon

Finally!!

 

[SomeOke]

Bulls
15. Jesse Kriel, 14. Francois Hougaard, 13. JJ Engelbrecht, 12. Burger Odendaal, 11. Bjorn Basson, 10. Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 9. Rudy Paige, 8. Pierre Spies (captain), 7. Hanro Liebenberg, 6. Deon Stegmann, 5. Grant Hattingh, 4. Jacques du Plessis, 3. Trevor Nyakane, 2. Adriaan Strauss, 1. Dean Greyling
Substitutes: 16. Callie Visagie, 17. Morne Mellett, 18. Marcel van der Merwe, 19. Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, 20. Roelof Smit, 21. Piet van Zyl, 22. Tian Schoeman, 23. Jurgen Visser

Nice tea- Oh wait no Pollard.

Honestly the Bulls back line seems to be coming on, Odendaal was fantastic last week, Kriel was great and even Hougard and Engelbrecht looked improved, but I can't help but feel that Pollard is the lynch pin to their entire attack.

 

[Bull]

Pollard will definitely be missed but I reckon JLP and Schoeman are good replacements. I'm more concerned about Matfield not playing as I firmly believe he calms the players and is the true captain of the team.

 

[MotherRucker1]

Bulls should win as imo, they may well be the strongest side in the South African conference. Stormers obviously have issues. Lions and Cheetahs are same old. Sharks haven't convinced me that much. The Bulls were unlucky to lose to the Canes, dealt to the Crusaders, seem to have been finding more rhythm as they've gone on. If they can keep that going in Pollard's absence, don't see too many issues for them.

Bull, so you don't agree with Ollie le Roux's assessment that Victor plays like an old man then?

 

[ianw16]

Whoops, Lions win it with a last minute try. Good job the conference winners are guaranteed a play off spot, otherwise the Republic could miss out altogether!

 

[Amobokoboko]

Good win by the Lions!!!

 

[Tony Manx]

I was forced to watch this as forgot that Sky had lost the battle to screen Leinster/Bath match having returned from a pub lunch especially with my grand son.

I was thoroughly disappointed at the level of this game but especially that of the refereeing (Van Heerdan?) who seemed like the young Steve Walsh reincarnated.............more interested in how he looked and appeared than what was happening in front of him!!! Such penalties that he gave were more by luck than by judgment and he seemed to pick one in 10 offences to penalise!!

I am sure that there is better fayre available in Super Rugby than this but not sure this match encourages me to want to get up early enough to watch it from New Zealand!!

PS Grandson went off to find something else to do after 20 minutes of this match but did manage the whole of the Clermont game!!

 

[ianw16]

I was forced to watch this as forgot that Sky had lost the battle to screen Leinster/Bath match having returned from a pub lunch especially with my grand son.

I was thoroughly disappointed at the level of this game but especially that of the refereeing (Van Heerdan?) who seemed like the young Steve Walsh reincarnated.............more interested in how he looked and appeared than what was happening in front of him!!! Such penalties that he gave were more by luck than by judgment and he seemed to pick one in 10 offences to penalise!!

I am sure that there is better fayre available in Super Rugby than this but not sure this match encourages me to want to get up early enough to watch it from New Zealand!!

PS Grandson went off to find something else to do after 20 minutes of this match but did manage the whole of the Clermont game!!

It was garbage by all accounts. Evidently it was p*ssing it down with rain, which wouldn't help, but the saffer teams are not a good yardstick of Super XV rugby, to be honest. Look at the tables. Their top team were slaughtered by the Crusaders at home yesterday. The Crusaders are 4th in the NZ conference. If the whole competition took place on neutral territory, at sea level, I doubt any of their teams would make top 4, probably even top 6. The SARU decision to pick overseas based players for the Boks has meant a hemorrhaging of talent to Europe to a greater extent than NZ or Aus.

 

[SomeOke]

I was forced to watch this as forgot that Sky had lost the battle to screen Leinster/Bath match having returned from a pub lunch especially with my grand son.

I was thoroughly disappointed at the level of this game but especially that of the refereeing (Van Heerdan?) who seemed like the young Steve Walsh reincarnated.............more interested in how he looked and appeared than what was happening in front of him!!! Such penalties that he gave were more by luck than by judgment and he seemed to pick one in 10 offences to penalise!!

I am sure that there is better fayre available in Super Rugby than this but not sure this match encourages me to want to get up early enough to watch it from New Zealand!!

PS Grandson went off to find something else to do after 20 minutes of this match but did manage the whole of the Clermont game!!

What are you trying to accomplish here? Judging by the amount of posts you have. you're a really experienced forum member, why are you trying to start something? Don't act like you don't know exactly what kind of response from saffers this post will receive.

 

[ianw16]

What are you trying to accomplish here? Judging by the amount of posts you have. you're a really experienced forum member, why are you trying to start something? Don't act like you don't know exactly what kind of response from saffers this post will receive.

Trying to pretend like the Crusaders, Hurricanes, Chiefs, Highlanders, Brumbies, Waratahs etc wouldn't kick their ar*es. Can't speak for the saffer teams. You'd have to comment on that. On what I've seen this weekend, Taranaki would have a bloody good chance of winning the European Cup. And they'd probably be better to watch. Let's face it, the most dominant team in Europe are based around a pack of aging Southern Hemisphere has beens. How can that be good for European rugby? But they know best. Toulon are rubbish. In a straight fight I'd back Taranaki.

 

[nickdnz]

Trying to pretend like the Crusaders, Hurricanes, Chiefs, Highlanders, Brumbies, Waratahs etc wouldn't kick their ar*es. Can't speak for the saffer teams. You'd have to comment on that. On what I've seen this weekend, Taranaki would have a bloody good chance of winning the European Cup. And they'd probably be better to watch. Let's face it, the most dominant team in Europe are based around a pack of aging Southern Hemisphere has beens. How can that be good for European rugby? But they know best. Toulon are rubbish. In a straight fight I'd back Taranaki.

Do you actually watch any European rugby?

 

[TRF Mr Fish]

I'm closing this thread because I can't imagine we'll see anything productive eventuate.