[Super Rugby 2018] South African Teams - Pre-Season

[TRF_heineken]

Wow, big moves by Mitchell. Dropping Paige and then naming Odendaal and Nic de Jager captains. All three are big calls. One would have thought the leadership tussle was between Strauss, Pollard and Liebenberg.

Maybe he wants to take the additional strain of captaincy off Pollard so that he can focus on his playing. But it also shows continuity as both Nic and Burger were captains during the Currie Cup last year.

What this tells me is Mitchell wants to move the ball. Good call IMO with the player base he has available. If I were Mitchell I'd ask who has the best pass from the base and that'd be that. We are carrying 9s in SA who can't clear a ball without taking 2 minutes to do so.

Quick ball, and with Pollard and Boshoff being able to play flat, this could be ideal...

So if Odendaal and De Jager are the leadership group then that scuppers Pollard playing at 12? Good. Let him rather have an extended time back in position. The guy hasn't played any rugby for 2 years FFS.

Not necessarily. Nic and Burger are co-captains, so that means that either of them might not start every game. Also Burger can play 13 too. In fact he played 13 mostly during last year's CC.

I saw Smit, Kirsten and Liebenberg as the loose trio going forward. Might Liebenberg get the chop? The thing is, and maybe this is me not having followed the Bulls well enough, but aren't all of Smit, Kirsten, De Jager and (to a lesser extent) Liebenberg all pretty similar types of players?

Smit is fetcher. Kirsten is a tackler/workhorse and Liebenberg is a good ball carrier.
I'd say Smit and Steenkamp are in the same grouping, while De Jager and Kirsten are a bit of the same and Liebenberg an out and out no. 8. Not much else he's good at...

 

[User1245]

What I like about John Mitchell is that he is a mover and shaker. He has a vision and he is 100% committed to delivering it. I just hope he lasts... but he knows the environment in SA better than anybody I guess. The Springboks need a strong Bulls team.

 

[TRF_heineken]

So Skosan teared his ACL and will miss the entire Super Rugby season. So this means we will basically have a new winger for the June Internationals.

 

[saulan]

So Skosan teared his ACL and will miss the entire Super Rugby season. So this means we will basically have a new winger for the June Internationals.

Stormers also re-loaned out Craig Barry to the Cheetahs. Probably a good move all round. He has been playing well for the Cheetahs and is guaranteed playing time, meanwhile at the Stormers he wasn't going to make the bench until there were injuries.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Stormers also re-loaned out Craig Barry to the Cheetahs. Probably a good move all round. He has been playing well for the Cheetahs and is guaranteed playing time, meanwhile at the Stormers he wasn't going to make the bench until there were injuries.

Indeed.

I must say, I like the united fronts the different unions and franchises are showing towards one another for the sake of giving players chances and making accomodations should they run into trouble. All the trades so far have been quite amicable.

 

[SomeOke]

So Skosan teared his ACL and will miss the entire Super Rugby season. So this means we will basically have a new winger for the June Internationals.

Very bad news for Skosan and I feel bad for the guy.

Does open the door for a few youngsters to make their mark. Sbu Nkosi is the obvious man, but hopefully Seabelo gets a decent run of games as well, other than that their are a couple men at the Bulls who will hopefully benefit from a change in style.
I also hope Mampimpi starts at the Sharks but I don't really think Kobus van Wyk has done enough wrong.

Really looking forward to the season in general, not just for the Stormers who I'm a little dubious about but for all the SA teams. With the Bokke being so disappointing, it's one of the few things I look forward to on the rugby calendar.

 

[TRF_heineken]

Very bad news for Skosan and I feel bad for the guy.

Does open the door for a few youngsters to make their mark. Sbu Nkosi is the obvious man, but hopefully Seabelo gets a decent run of games as well, other than that their are a couple men at the Bulls who will hopefully benefit from a change in style.
I also hope Mampimpi starts at the Sharks but I don't really think Kobus van Wyk has done enough wrong.

Really looking forward to the season in general, not just for the Stormers who I'm a little dubious about but for all the SA teams. With the Bokke being so disappointing, it's one of the few things I look forward to on the rugby calendar.

If Ulengo and Ishmaiel can stay injury free, they will be knocking on that door hard.

I'm very interested to see what the Stormers' plan is with all their wingers. Will Senatla be a regular starter??

 

[SomeOke]

If Ulengo and Ishmaiel can stay injury free, they will be knocking on that door hard.

I'm very interested to see what the Stormers' plan is with all their wingers. Will Senatla be a regular starter??

I like Ismaiel in particular, big and elusive is a rare combination we usually see in NZ not in South Africa, Jamba a bit too one dimensional for me (and Ismaiel is still relatively young).

As for Senatla starting I honestly have no idea, I could see it being Senatla, Rhule or Petersen, it's also possible Leyds starts at 15 and 2 of them get a go (unlikely in my opinion).

I think based on the fact that he is the incumbent, has waited so long for his chance, and his Currie Cup was actually pretty impressive I'd say he will start. That said Sydeny Sevens is on the 4th of Feb so maybe he comes back too late.
I would absolutely give him the chance given that he has the highest ceiling and is probably the best defensively out of the above three, but I'm not coaching them.

 

[TRF_heineken]

I like Ismaiel in particular, big and elusive is a rare combination we usually see in NZ not in South Africa, Jamba a bit too one dimensional for me (and Ismaiel is still relatively young).

As for Senatla starting I honestly have no idea, I could see it being Senatla, Rhule or Petersen, it's also possible Leyds starts at 15 and 2 of them get a go (unlikely in my opinion).

I think based on the fact that he is the incumbent, has waited so long for his chance, and his Currie Cup was actually pretty impressive I'd say he will start. That said Sydeny Sevens is on the 4th of Feb so maybe he comes back too late.
I would absolutely give him the chance given that he has the highest ceiling and is probably the best defensively out of the above three, but I'm not coaching them.

I was under the Impression the Cape Town 7's would be Kwagga and Senatla's last tournament before joining the Super Rugby franchises.

Senatla, Rhule, Petersen, Leyds and SP Marais are good options, but there are only 3 positions available, so someone is going to miss out.

 

[unrated]

So the Sharks Beat the Bulls this weekend in a warm up game in my old home town Pietersburg. The Sharks played two different teams in each half whereas the bulls played with a team that's probably going to resemble a Super rugby starting team once you add their Springboks that still needs to come in.
The game ended 31-14 for the Sharks. You would hope the Bulls team is still gelling and getting their act together as they cannot just say our Springboks was not involved in the game. Super rugby tends to injure many players and they still need to look competitive without their Springboks since they wont have them in any case every week during Super rugby.
The Sharks are looking good so far especially since they played one team in each half which is usually a bit difficult if they attempt to form some cohesion.
Mapimpi scored a brace on debut. We have four quality wings this year in Nkosi, Mvovo ,van Wyk and Mapimpi. With Bosch and Mvovo also covering full back.

Teams:

Sharks

First half: 15 Lwazi Mvovo, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Jeremy Ward, 11 S'busiso Nkosi, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Cameron Wright, 8 Keegan Daniel, 7 Tyler Paul, 6 Jacques Vermeulen, 5 Ruan Botha (captain), 4 Hyron Andrews, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Juan Schoeman

Second half:

15 Garth April, 14 Makazole Mapimpi, 13 Tristan Blewett, 12 Marius Louw, 11 Courtney Winnaar, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Tera Mtembu, 7 Wian Vosloo, 6 Philip van der Walt, 5 Stephan Lewies, 4 Gideon Koegelenberg, 3 John-Hubert Meyer, 2 Franco Marais (captain), 1 Mzamo Majola

Extra players: Chiliboy Ralepelle, Khuta Mchunu

Bulls

15 Divan Rossouw, 14 Travis Ismaiel, 13 Johnny Kotze, 12 Burger Odendaal (captain), 11 Jade Stighling, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Hanro Liebenberg, 7 Thembelani Bholi, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Aston Fortuin, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Frans van Wyk, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Lizo Gqoboka

Substitutes: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Pierre Schoeman, 18 Conraad van Vuuren, 19 Eli Snyman, 20 Jano Venter, 21 Roelof Smit, 22 Andre Warner, 23 Marnitz Boshoff, 24 Franco Naude, 25 Jamba Ulengo, 26 Duncan Matthews


The Bulls sent a seriously second string team to the Lions with players mostly consisting of the Bulls XV to play on the same day but they were comprehensively beaten.

 

[TRF_heineken]

So the Sharks Beat the Bulls this weekend in a warm up game in my old home town Pietersburg. The Sharks played two different teams in each half whereas the bulls played with a team that's probably going to resemble a Super rugby starting team once you add their Springboks that still needs to come in.
The game ended 31-14 for the Sharks. You would hope the Bulls team is still gelling and getting their act together as they cannot just say our Springboks was not involved in the game. Super rugby tends to injure many players and they still need to look competitive without their Springboks since they wont have them in any case every week during Super rugby.
The Sharks are looking good so far especially since they played one team in each half which is usually a bit difficult if they attempt to form some cohesion.
Mapimpi scored a brace on debut. We have four quality wings this year in Nkosi, Mvovo ,van Wyk and Mapimpi. With Bosch and Mvovo also covering full back.

Teams:

Sharks

First half: 15 Lwazi Mvovo, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Jeremy Ward, 11 S'busiso Nkosi, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Cameron Wright, 8 Keegan Daniel, 7 Tyler Paul, 6 Jacques Vermeulen, 5 Ruan Botha (captain), 4 Hyron Andrews, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Juan Schoeman

Second half:

15 Garth April, 14 Makazole Mapimpi, 13 Tristan Blewett, 12 Marius Louw, 11 Courtney Winnaar, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Tera Mtembu, 7 Wian Vosloo, 6 Philip van der Walt, 5 Stephan Lewies, 4 Gideon Koegelenberg, 3 John-Hubert Meyer, 2 Franco Marais (captain), 1 Mzamo Majola

Extra players: Chiliboy Ralepelle, Khuta Mchunu

Bulls

15 Divan Rossouw, 14 Travis Ismaiel, 13 Johnny Kotze, 12 Burger Odendaal (captain), 11 Jade Stighling, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Hanro Liebenberg, 7 Thembelani Bholi, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Aston Fortuin, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Frans van Wyk, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Lizo Gqoboka

Substitutes: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Pierre Schoeman, 18 Conraad van Vuuren, 19 Eli Snyman, 20 Jano Venter, 21 Roelof Smit, 22 Andre Warner, 23 Marnitz Boshoff, 24 Franco Naude, 25 Jamba Ulengo, 26 Duncan Matthews


The Bulls sent a seriously second string team to the Lions with players mostly consisting of the Bulls XV to play on the same day but they were comprehensively beaten.

First time that I didn't attend the game here at Polokloftus...

Apparently the Bulls young guns had a bit of a party the night before, and some of them was even involved in a brawl at a local watering hole.

Anyways, these results don't mean a lot. How often do we see teams win all their preseason matches, and then lose a lot of their matches during the tournament.

 

[SomeOke]

I have to say I don't think that you could call that the starting Super 15 side for the Bulls.
Liedenberg/Papier/Odendaal/Ismaiel/Strauss
The only players I would call "starters" 5/15 does not a first team make.
RG Snyman/Jason Jenkins/Schoeman/de Jager/Smit/Pollard/Gelant/J Kriel/Ulengo - that's a LOT of missing quality.

Pre-season continues to not mean that much, but I suppose it can't be bad news for the Sharks.

 

[unrated]

I have to say I don't think that you could call that the starting Super 15 side for the Bulls.
Liedenberg/Papier/Odendaal/Ismaiel/Strauss and Lizo Gqoboka
The only players I would call "starters" 5/15 does not a first team make.

Pre-season continues to not mean that much, but I suppose it can't be bad news for the Sharks.

Schoeman//Smit/Ulengo + Lizo Gqoboka 9/15 give or take. Add the Springboks and you have your Super Rugby team.\
But yes i agree pre season is inconsequential. Its just nice to comment on some rugby action. Pre season is an exciting time because we are all looking for hints this is the year that our team will achieve success.

 

[SomeOke]

Schoeman//Smit/Ulengo + Lizo Gqoboka 9/15 give or take. Add the Springboks and you have your Super Rugby team.\
But yes i agree pre season is inconsequential. Its just nice to comment on some rugby action. Pre season is an exciting time because we are all looking for hints this is the year that our team will achieve success.

They didn't start but fair! I didn't watch the game at all just read a report.

I'm also super eager for the season to just start.
I fully expect the Lions and the Sharks to be 1 and 2 in SA, but there is still enough room for that to change, there is actually room for hope for every team in our conference.
Bulls and Jaguares are getting new coaches and strategic make-overs (in opposite directions ironically), and the Stormers were weirdly good last year (despite the critics) and even though we look a bit thin there is no reason we can't kick on.

As much as I feel bad for the Cheetahs/Force/Kings ultimately I do think the competition will improve this year, in terms of entertainment per round. Even keeping the undeserving Sunwolves is not that much of a big deal since there is usually at least one Aussie whipping boy anyway.

 

[unrated]

The Sharks play Racing 92 this weekend in Hong Kong. Now there is a couple of reasons im looking forward to this game.
1. French clubs poach players all around the world to play with their local players and in a sense club rugby there has become more important to them than the national side. So will interesting to see one of the best Super Rugby sides taking on the 3d ranked side in The Top 14, .
2. The Sharks are still trying to gain match fitness in preparing for Super rugby while Racing has been in good form to place as high as they are currently doing in the top 14. Cant wait for us to beat them with players that is not even ready for rugby yet against such an expensively assembled side.
3. They (Racing) stole our captain in Patrick Lambie. We need to show dominance over them not only to show Lambie his old team is still better but to show Racing that they can buy players all they want but they still cant beat one of the Southern hemispheres best.

The game will be live streamed on the sharks facebook page at 10.00 sa time on Saturday.
This will be the link to the stream: https://web.facebook.com/TheSharks/?_rdc=1&_rdr

If we lose then i really put my neck out in the open. But its just a game and its more interesting when you don't sit on the fence.

 

[unrated]

Sharks beat racing 92 Full Time 31-12 Halftime score 12-0
Our defence was outstanding constantly pushing back the attacking racing players. Sharks almost never kicked it away and just dominated possession for most of the match. We are still without some of our Springboks so Super Rugby is really looking promising. That first game against the Lions will be tough and i feel it will determine which team goes into the rest of the campaign with the confidence of beating a close rival. If Lions win first game i feel they will have the upperhand for most of the season and the Sharks would constantly need to play catch up. But if The Sharks win that game then they should really gain some confidence and if this happens i think it might be a special year.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Stormers suffering Wilco Louw injury. That is particularly bad as we are without Etzebeth and seemingly PS du Toit is under concern. That is 3/5 of our Bok tight 5 + Malherbe so none of our 2 Bok tightheads...

Its so hard to be a Stormers fan sometimes..

Does anyone know if Carr will be back? Our loosie and outside back stocks are actually looking pretty good for a change. Tight 5 and halves... not so much. Can't we have 1 season where the stars align?

 

[SomeOke]

Stormers suffering Wilco Louw injury. That is particularly bad as we are without Etzebeth and seemingly PS du Toit is under concern. That is 3/5 of our Bok tight 5 + Malherbe so none of our 2 Bok tightheads...

Its so hard to be a Stormers fan sometimes..

Does anyone know if Carr will be back? Our loosie and outside back stocks are actually looking pretty good for a change. Tight 5 and halves... not so much. Can't we have 1 season where the stars align?

I have a bad feeling about this season, I really hope I'm wrong as I actually thought we were pretty good last season, there shouldn't be much reason why we are worse.
RdP didn't even play much last year so we should be at least equally good.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Nah, actually I think we should be fine and those injuries apart from Etzebeth aren't long term. I fully expect us to make it to 7th/8th place. It would take something out of an ordinary Stormers season (starting strong but fading under a raft of injuries) for us to go further than just pitching for 1 play off match as a pinata.

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

Hi there. I understand the bulls are playing a friendly against jaguares this weekend. If anyone knows where that is being broadcasted in RSA kindly post here. As silly as it sounds, jaguares and uar refuse to let us know wether we can watch that game or not.
Some people couldnt organize a **** up at a brewery...