­
  • Home
  • Match Centre
  • Vodacom URC
  • Videos
  • Cars
    • Cheap cars for sale
    • Used Cars For Sale
    • New Cars For Sale
    • Demo Cars For Sale
  • Deals
    • One Day Deals
    • Nationwide Deals
      • Deals in Cape Town
      • Deals in Johannesburg
      • Deals in Durban
      • Deals in Pretoria
      • Deals in Port Elizabeth
    • Accommodation Deals
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Food and Drink Deals
    • Experiences
    • Health and Wellness Deals
    • Beauty and Spa Deals
  • BLACKOUT RUGBY MANAGER

SA Rugby magazine

South African rugby news, interviews, videos and more. Covering the Springboks, Bulls, Stormers, Sharks, Cheetahs and Lions, as well as schools and club rugby.

Primary Menu Search
  • Home
  • Match Centre
  • Vodacom URC
  • Videos
  • Cars
    • Cheap cars for sale
    • Used Cars For Sale
    • New Cars For Sale
    • Demo Cars For Sale
  • Deals
    • One Day Deals
    • Nationwide Deals
      • Deals in Cape Town
      • Deals in Johannesburg
      • Deals in Durban
      • Deals in Pretoria
      • Deals in Port Elizabeth
    • Accommodation Deals
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Food and Drink Deals
    • Experiences
    • Health and Wellness Deals
    • Beauty and Spa Deals
  • BLACKOUT RUGBY MANAGER
You are here: Home ∼ What we’ve learned

What we’ve learned

Published on March 8, 2014 | Leave a response

Five lessons from the past weekend's Vodacom Super Rugby matches, according to SIMON BORCHARDT.

Schalk Burger is back to his best
If ever a player deserved to be on the winning side, it was Burger in Christchurch on Saturday. Having missed the Stormers' match against the Hurricanes through injury, the flanker produced a performance that would have had Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer smiling. Burger carried the ball 13 times, dominated the collisions and got over the gainline regularly. He also made 16 tackles, the most by anyone on the field. Burger sported a 'golf ball' lump on his cheek early in the match and continued to play without any regard for his own safety. If he maintains this kind of form, he'll walk back into the Bok squad in June.

Referees must penalise defenders who hold back players without the ball
In Christchurch, Owen Franks was penalised for holding on to Schalk Burger's jersey when he didn't have the ball, much to the delight of former Test referee Jonathan Kaplan. 'Burger held back badly … almost tackled as a defender. It is a HUGE blight on the game and something needs to be done,' tweeted Kaplan. 'Referees are doing very little to protect defenders being held back by attackers. Take a bow, [referee] Rohan Hoffmann! It's happening far too often.' Kaplan, though, was fuming later in the match when Frans Malberbe and Duane Vermeulen were both held back without the ball within the space of two minutes. On the second occasion, the Crusaders went on to score their only try of the match.

The Crusaders won't win an eighth title this year
The Saders are traditionally slow starters in Super Rugby, so this could come back to bite me, but without Dan Carter (who's on a sabbatical) and Richie McCaw (out for eight weeks with a broken thumb) the Class of 2014 look decidedly average. They began their campaign with two defeats (at home to the Chiefs and away to the Blues) and were lucky to beat the Stormers. The Crusaders may well go on to reach the play-offs, but they don't have the firepower to break their five-year title drought.

The Cheetahs have forgotten how to play winning rugby
Adrian Strauss's men reached last year's Super Rugby play-offs because they put as much emphasis on defence as they did attack. This year, though, they have fallen back into bad old habits. In the first half against the Reds in Brisbane, they missed nine tackles and conceded four tries. The Cheetahs were better on attack than they had been a week earlier in Melbourne but still went wide when they hadn't earned the right to and were easily shut down by the defence. If the Cheetahs are to turn things around, they need to start making their tackles and playing smarter rugby with ball in hand.

The Bulls need Deon Stegmann in their loose trio 
The openside flanker, who missed the Bulls' first three matches because of a groin strain, made a big impact at the breakdown upon his return against the Blues at Loftus. As Nick Mallett pointed out in the SuperSport studio, the Bulls loose trio is far more balanced with Stegmann at 6, Jacques du Plessis in a ball-carrying role and Jono Ross at No 8.

Frans Steyn was the difference at Kings Park, writes Jon Cardinelli

Photo: Marty Melville/AFP Photo

Posted in Match Centre

Post by Simon Borchardt

Simon Borchardt

Check out Blackout Rugby Manager HERE!

← Previous Next →

Sevens’ party falls flat

World Rugby shouldn’t have messed with a winning sevens formula, writes SIMON...

Draining format clogs Blitzboks’ blockage

A protracted schedule took the wind out of South Africa's sails at...

England cut Eddie, Razor to stop the bleeding

England have made the rash decision to part ways with coach Eddie...

Rassie ref hom in die rooi

Rassie Erasmus is hardly the embarrassment that some are making him out...

Cut and paste Kurt-Lee for Kolbe

Kurt-Lee Arendse ticks all the right boxes to replace the injured Cheslin...

Rassie auditions for England job

Rassie Erasmus has made the most calculated of public job applications to...

Boks need to make mentality adjustment

The Springboks need to lose their underdog mentality, writes SIMNIKIWE XABANISA in...

Kolbe’s worth every penny

Cheslin Kolbe’s big-money move to Toulon should be welcomed as a massive...

‘Bok gameplan, when executed correctly, is hard to match’

The opportunity to play against the All Blacks is a career highlight...

Five key areas the Boks need to dominate for first victory

SA Rugby magazine highlights five crucial areas the Boks will need to...

Top six: Best and worst foreign imports

SARugbymag.co.za identifies six of the best and worst foreign players to play...

Column: When context is needed

As highlighted by the Argentina controversy, ‘cancel culture’ needs a spoonful of...

Dark cloud hangs over WP Rugby

The problems at Western Province Rugby are layered, and everyone involved needs...

From the mag: Foreign Favourites

As Vodacom Super Rugby turned 25 this year, JON CARDINELLI picks an...

Bulls rookies to watch

After a massive exodus of players the Vodacom Bulls will be eager...

Analysis: The new suffocate-and-strangle game

For the Boks to emerge as World Cup winners, they need to...

VIEW MORE
  • Bonus-point Bulls douse Dragons
  • Munster maul luckless Lions
  • Stormers sign off 2022 in style
  • Sharks carve Bulls on New Year’s Eve

Jacques Burger’s Perfect XV

    BKT United Rugby Championship, Scotstoun, Glasgow, Scotland 8/1/2023 Glasgow Warriors vs DHL Stormers Stormers' Damian Willemse Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Craig Watson
  • Highlights: Heartbreak for Stormers in Glasgow thriller

###


COVID-19 Corona Virus
South African Resource Portal

African Insider
African Insider News

ABOUT

  • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Videos
  • Player Features
  • Subscribe
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy Policy

TOURNAMENTS

    • Rugby Championship
    • Super Rugby
    • Currie Cup
    • Varsity Cup
    • Gold Cup
    • Schools
    • Six Nations
    • Champions Cup
    • World Cup
    • Challenge Cup

OPINION

  • Mallett on SuperSport
  • Cardinelli column
  • Lewis column
  • Xabanisa column
  • Borchardt column
  • Superbru

Primary Menu

  • Home
  • Match Centre
  • Vodacom URC
  • Videos
  • Cars
    • Cheap cars for sale
    • Used Cars For Sale
    • New Cars For Sale
    • Demo Cars For Sale
  • Deals
    • One Day Deals
    • Nationwide Deals
      • Deals in Cape Town
      • Deals in Johannesburg
      • Deals in Durban
      • Deals in Pretoria
      • Deals in Port Elizabeth
    • Accommodation Deals
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Food and Drink Deals
    • Experiences
    • Health and Wellness Deals
    • Beauty and Spa Deals
  • BLACKOUT RUGBY MANAGER