URC: The final

[TRF_stormer2010]

So it's the old North - South derby.

Saturday, 18 July at 19:30 CAT
Ref: Andrew Brace
AR: Jaco Peyper and AJ Jacobs
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen

STORMERS
15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Hacjivah Dayimani, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 JJ Kotze, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain)

Substitutes: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Ernst van Rhyn, 20 Junior Pokomela, 21 Nama Xaba, 22 Godlen Masimla, 23 Sacha Mngomezulu

BULLS
15 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 14, Canan Moodie, 13 Cornal Hendricks, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Madosh Tambwe, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Zak Burger, 8 Elrigh Louw, 7 Arno Botha, 6 Marcell Coetzee (captain) 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Walt Steenkamp, 3 Mornay Smith, Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp

Substitutes: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Robert Hunt, 19 Janko Swanepoel, 20 WJ Steenkamp, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Morne Steyn, 23 David Kriel

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

The Bulls have to travel. We are hosting and we've beaten them twice this year. It all points to a Bull victory.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

I will go with my old assumption that the higher the stakes, the harder it is to execute an expansive gameplan (in any team sport). So I'll favour the side who focuses on high percentage passing and gaining yards with the pack. Bulls.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I will go with my old assumption that the higher the stakes, the harder it is to execute an expansive gameplan (in any team sport). So I'll favour the side who focuses on high percentage passing and gaining yards with the pack. Bulls.

That is certainly a factor. The Bulls have that history- stepping up when it counts. They have 3/3 wins in finals. Much like the Springbokke if we make it to the final..

Stormers are 0/1 in SR finals (lost to the Bulls in 2010). Sharks are SA's most consistent team in terms of win ratio overall but conversely are 0/3 in SR finals history.

Another factor is the weather has turned. Now proper winter and the Cape of Storms is living up to its initial naming. That said, the Portuguese king at he time (Ferdinand?) changed it to the Cape of Good Hope and there is real hope in CT. This team has bucked quite a few Stormers trends. Before this competition started there was a cloud over this squad's heads that perhaps they might be without a job at any point. So a lot of players left, big name or no, and you know the guys who are there now are committed like #^(!. I'll back us at home. We just need to not go to sleep in the middle.

EDIT: so Deon Fourie was part of the 2010 SR final loss to the Bulls. I did not expect that. Brok Harris not as surprising.

Also in the news, there seems to be a chance that we would be allowed to have capacity crowds. If it were last weekend I would've said it'd be a sell out but with the time and the weather I don't know that the final would sell out even if its the Bulls and even if its a final. But maybe we see a full complement of 55k in the crowd.

EDIT: updated OP with the referees. Happy enough. Hopefully Van der Westhuizen has a quiet game at TMO..

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Bulls (25: 1T, 1C, 6P)
15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Jaco Pretorius, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Victor Matfield (c), 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Gary Botha, 1 Guthro Steenkamp
Maku, Roux, Van der Merwe, Kuun, Potgieter, Van der Westhuyzen, Wannenberg (RIP)

Stormers (17: 2T, 2C, 1P)
15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Juan de Jongh, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Peter Grant, 9 Dewaldt Duvenhage, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Francois Louw , 6 Schalk Burger (c), 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Adriaan Fondse, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Wicus Blaauw
Fourie, Kritzinger, Van Zyl, Louw, Januarie, De Waal, Whitehead

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

OP updated;
STORMERS
15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Seabelo Senatla, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Hacjivah Dayimani, 6 Deon Fourie, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 JJ Kotze, 1 Steven Kitshoff (captain)

Substitutes: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Brok Harris, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Ernst van Rhyn, 20 Junior Pokomela, 21 Nama Xaba, 22 Godlen Masimla, 23 Sacha Mngomezulu

BULLS
15 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 14, Canan Moodie, 13 Cornal Hendricks, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Madosh Tambwe, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Zak Burger, 8 Elrigh Louw, 7 Arno Botha, 6 Marcell Coetzee (captain) 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Walt Steenkamp, 3 Mornay Smith, Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp

Substitutes: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Robert Hunt, 19 Janko Swanepoel, 20 WJ Steenkamp, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Morne Steyn, 23 David Kriel

The question for me is how many line-outs vs how many scrums will we see. I almost hope it does rain and we see many scrums..

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Looking forward to this now. Europe's premier domestic competition coming to you straight from South Africa.

 

[unrated]

Looking forward to this now. Europe's premier domestic competition coming to you straight from South Africa.

The teams from South Africa are pretty much 70% descendants from Europe mostly UK and Netherlands, so you can probably say we are like England - formerly from Europe. SA and England are both non-European countries playing the Champions cup.

 

[unrated]

I am supporting our Coastal friends today go Stormers, but if I was a betting man then I think the Bulls will take this one.
The thing is...
I dont want the Bulls to win more ***les, its going to be hard to catch up in the all time ***les game if they do, how awful would it be if the Bulls is recognized as the Leinster, Crusaders, Saracens, or Toulouse of South Africa by international observers, no thank you!

Please Stormers dont let them win.

Bit jealous we are not in the final. Maybe a bit bitter too, not sure if I would have prefered an Irish side to win it if Sharks didnt, may the best team win. The New URC era is only just starting and I have a feeling this is the best thing to happen to us.

 

[IT157]

Quite the start from the Bulls

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Bulls look like they're playing championship rugby

 

[Reiser99]

Pitch is pretty dire.

 

[saulan]

They really need to sort out the pitch for next season. If it's going to be used predominantly for rugby, they need to get the right turf in.

 

[saulan]

Deon Fourie is keeping us in this game.

 

[Reiser99]

It been raining in cape town? a lot of knock ons

 

[saulan]

It been raining in cape town? a lot of knock ons

Storms all week, lucky it's not raining right now.

 

[Reiser99]

Wow, how offside was 13 for the officials to actually call it? I thought they were just ignoring the offside rule (for both sides)

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Manky half of rugby. Thought Bulls looked a lot better in the first 15 mins and then it turned a bit messy, would back White and the Bulls to push on.

 

[unrated]

Stormers still in this but Bulls feel like they are controling the game better, also they are dominating the forwards. Stormers cant break gainline they constantly need tk go wide in order to make meters

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Too many unforced errors from us. Deon Fourie can only save us so many times. But if we can get more and more into the game or just keep it to a single score.. who knows at the end.

I do believe we have a better bench ITO the forwards but as is we aren't making the Bulls forwards work enough for that to make impact.