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<blockquote data-quote="Gena_ZA" data-source="post: 515230" data-attributes="member: 42835"><p>Stumbled upon this atricle on supersport.com and thought it is up for discussion here as well</p><p></p><p>"<span style="color: #1D1D1D"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">What can be said about the quality of rugby produced in a conference when it’s comfortably led by a team that has gone through 14 matches without scoring a single four-try bonus-point?</span></span><span style="color: #1D1D1D"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">That, unfortunately, will be the synopsis of South Africa’s participation in the 2012 edition of Super Rugby after the Stormers pretty much sealed our conference on Saturday when they limped to yet another unimposing win, this time at home to a self-destructing Lions outfit.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #1D1D1D"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">And it could be worse, what will it say about the tournament as a whole if that same flair-less team turns out to be its overall leader at the end of league play?</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #1D1D1D"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">That, too, is a real possibility, because the Stormers have only the out-of-the-running Cheetahs and Rebels left to tick on their pre-playoff to-do list, while the Chiefs -- the only other realistic contenders for the top-of-the-log spot -- have both the Crusaders and the Hurricanes waiting for them in the next fortnight.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #1D1D1D"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">The answer to those questions, of course, is nothing. It’s not an indictment on either the conference or the tournament if its dullest team ends up being its torch-bearer; it is just sad proof that the game itself has degenerated into an adventure-less, defence-dominated bore-fest.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #1D1D1D"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">And it’s hardly news. <a href="http://www.supersport.com/rugby/blogs/super-wrap/The_rugby_wasnt_great_its_official" target="_blank">We’ve been bemoaning the state of the game</a> â€" even in one of its most exciting tournaments - since kick-off way back in February. And it’s no surprise that nothing has been done since to rectify it.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #1D1D1D"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">So what are we to do now? Shall we just hand the Stormers the trophy now and hope that by next year this time something will have happened in the world of rugby so that it is no longer necessary to out-bore them in search of glory?</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #1D1D1D"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">The answer, at least historically, is a resounding no. It may be true that Super Rugby could end its league phase being led by a team that struggles to score, but the ***le has never been won by one.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #1D1D1D"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">All five champion teams had a devastating game with ball-in-hand when they won their respective ***les, and quite often it was required of them to call on it en route to or in the playoffs themselves.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #1D1D1D"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Take the Bulls, for example. They won their first ***le in 2007 with a miracle try well after the hooter against as resolute a Sharks defence as you could ever hope for. They were able to believe in their own scoring abilities in those last couple of minutes because two weeks beforehand they ran in 13 tries against the Reds just to qualify for a home semifinal.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #1D1D1D"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">And then we have last year’s champions, the Reds. They had their backs against the wall in the final after an opportunistic Dan Carter try, but Will Genia, Quade Cooper and Digby Ioane were able to create two great tries out of nothing to win despite their flyhalf’s wayward boot. They never panicked, because they knew how to put their stars away for points, they had been doing it all season.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #1D1D1D"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">And that brings us back to the Stormers. What will they have to fall back on if they once again find themselves having to play catch-up in a knockout match? So far this season they have scored a measly 25 tries. That is 20 less than their closest conference rivals the Bulls, and only one more than the lowest-ranked Lions. With a backline as talented as any other in the competition, that is simply unacceptable.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #1D1D1D"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Their ultra-conservative approach has gotten them into the playoffs, but it’s done so before, and that alone should no longer be good enough for them. It’s time for them to step out of their comfort zone.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #1D1D1D"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">History (both their own and that of previous champions) shows that you can’t go into knockout matches with a limited arsenal. Let’s hope that in these next two weeks the Stormers will stop trying to tackle themselves to wins and start focusing on getting their potentially awesome attack into the game.</span></span></p><p>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]<span style="color: #1d1d1d">Play like the </span>[/FONT]<em>lekker ding</em>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]<span style="color: #1d1d1d"> you claim you are. It is something you owe yourselves and your fans, and it’s the only way you’ll get the momentum you need going into the playoffs. It will also make the rest of the rugby world a tad less depressed about the state of our game if it is not just plain cynicism that has won the day."</span>[/FONT]</p><p></p><p>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]<span style="color: #1d1d1d">We big mouthed Stormers supporters once lamented the Bulls (10 man) and Waratahs (just cause they are plain dull) for paying boring rugby. Now this lies with us.</span></p><p><span style="color: #1d1d1d">We might end Tournament leaders without one decent display of running rugby.</span></p><p><span style="color: #1d1d1d">Where is it going wrong, why can't we produce tries with the personnel on-board</span></p><p><span style="color: #1d1d1d"></span></p><p><span style="color: #1d1d1d">Share your views</span>[/FONT]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Gena_ZA, post: 515230, member: 42835"] Stumbled upon this atricle on supersport.com and thought it is up for discussion here as well "[COLOR=#1D1D1D][FONT=Arial]What can be said about the quality of rugby produced in a conference when it’s comfortably led by a team that has gone through 14 matches without scoring a single four-try bonus-point?[/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#1D1D1D][FONT=Arial]That, unfortunately, will be the synopsis of South Africa’s participation in the 2012 edition of Super Rugby after the Stormers pretty much sealed our conference on Saturday when they limped to yet another unimposing win, this time at home to a self-destructing Lions outfit.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#1D1D1D][FONT=Arial]And it could be worse, what will it say about the tournament as a whole if that same flair-less team turns out to be its overall leader at the end of league play?[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#1D1D1D][FONT=Arial]That, too, is a real possibility, because the Stormers have only the out-of-the-running Cheetahs and Rebels left to tick on their pre-playoff to-do list, while the Chiefs -- the only other realistic contenders for the top-of-the-log spot -- have both the Crusaders and the Hurricanes waiting for them in the next fortnight.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#1D1D1D][FONT=Arial]The answer to those questions, of course, is nothing. It’s not an indictment on either the conference or the tournament if its dullest team ends up being its torch-bearer; it is just sad proof that the game itself has degenerated into an adventure-less, defence-dominated bore-fest.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#1D1D1D][FONT=Arial]And it’s hardly news. [URL="http://www.supersport.com/rugby/blogs/super-wrap/The_rugby_wasnt_great_its_official"]We’ve been bemoaning the state of the game[/URL] – even in one of its most exciting tournaments - since kick-off way back in February. And it’s no surprise that nothing has been done since to rectify it.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#1D1D1D][FONT=Arial]So what are we to do now? Shall we just hand the Stormers the trophy now and hope that by next year this time something will have happened in the world of rugby so that it is no longer necessary to out-bore them in search of glory?[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#1D1D1D][FONT=Arial]The answer, at least historically, is a resounding no. It may be true that Super Rugby could end its league phase being led by a team that struggles to score, but the ***le has never been won by one.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#1D1D1D][FONT=Arial]All five champion teams had a devastating game with ball-in-hand when they won their respective ***les, and quite often it was required of them to call on it en route to or in the playoffs themselves.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#1D1D1D][FONT=Arial]Take the Bulls, for example. They won their first ***le in 2007 with a miracle try well after the hooter against as resolute a Sharks defence as you could ever hope for. They were able to believe in their own scoring abilities in those last couple of minutes because two weeks beforehand they ran in 13 tries against the Reds just to qualify for a home semifinal.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#1D1D1D][FONT=Arial]And then we have last year’s champions, the Reds. They had their backs against the wall in the final after an opportunistic Dan Carter try, but Will Genia, Quade Cooper and Digby Ioane were able to create two great tries out of nothing to win despite their flyhalf’s wayward boot. They never panicked, because they knew how to put their stars away for points, they had been doing it all season.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#1D1D1D][FONT=Arial]And that brings us back to the Stormers. What will they have to fall back on if they once again find themselves having to play catch-up in a knockout match? So far this season they have scored a measly 25 tries. That is 20 less than their closest conference rivals the Bulls, and only one more than the lowest-ranked Lions. With a backline as talented as any other in the competition, that is simply unacceptable.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#1D1D1D][FONT=Arial]Their ultra-conservative approach has gotten them into the playoffs, but it’s done so before, and that alone should no longer be good enough for them. It’s time for them to step out of their comfort zone.[/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=#1D1D1D][FONT=Arial]History (both their own and that of previous champions) shows that you can’t go into knockout matches with a limited arsenal. Let’s hope that in these next two weeks the Stormers will stop trying to tackle themselves to wins and start focusing on getting their potentially awesome attack into the game.[/FONT][/COLOR] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][COLOR=#1d1d1d]Play like the [/COLOR][/FONT][I]lekker ding[/I][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][COLOR=#1d1d1d] you claim you are. It is something you owe yourselves and your fans, and it’s the only way you’ll get the momentum you need going into the playoffs. It will also make the rest of the rugby world a tad less depressed about the state of our game if it is not just plain cynicism that has won the day."[/COLOR][/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][COLOR=#1d1d1d]We big mouthed Stormers supporters once lamented the Bulls (10 man) and Waratahs (just cause they are plain dull) for paying boring rugby. Now this lies with us. We might end Tournament leaders without one decent display of running rugby. Where is it going wrong, why can't we produce tries with the personnel on-board Share your views[/COLOR][/FONT] [/QUOTE]
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