­
  • 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 October 26, 2014 | Leave a response

Five lessons from the Currie Cup final at Newlands, according to SIMON BORCHARDT.

Pragmatic rugby wins finals
In the buildup to the decider, Lions coach Johan Ackermann insisted his men would stick with the ball-in-hand, attacking game that had seen them score 44 tries in 10 league matches and another six against the Sharks in their semi-final. And they did, to their detriment. The Lions played too much rugby in their own half and behind the gainline during the first 40 minutes, instead of kicking for field position and building pressure. When they did adopt a more pragmatic approach after the break they were able to fight their way back from 13-0 down to make it 13-13 after 57 minutes. It was obvious on Saturday which team was playing in their third consecutive Currie Cup final and which was in their first since 2011.

Goal-kickers can win, and lose, finals
Demetri Catrakilis justified his selection ahead of Kurt Coleman by succeeding with all five of his kicks at goal on Saturday. Many, including Nick Mallett, felt Coleman should have worn the Western Province No 10 jersey as he is better suited to the attacking game WP played throughout the league stage. But play-off rugby is a different beast, and just two tries were scored in a final involving two teams that crossed the line 84 times between them during the regular season. In such a tight game, Catrakilis's reliable boot was invaluable for WP, while Lions flyhalf Marnitz Boshoff produced his worst goal-kicking performance of the season, missing four penalties, including one in the 80th minute that would have taken the game into extra time. With Ruan Combrinck also off target with a penalty attempt, the visitors missed out on a massive 15 points.

Nizaam Carr belongs with the Boks
Western Province’s MVP and Players’ Player of the Year was immense in the Currie Cup final, making 67m from 12 runs and 21 tackles. When asked about Carr’s Bok prospects at the start of the Currie Cup, Heyneke Meyer said he had enjoyed what he had seen of the flanker in Super Rugby and the message to him was to keep on playing well because he is on the national radar. Carr did exactly that and received his reward when he was included in the Springbok squad for their end-of-year tour.

Fans still care about the Currie Cup
For the first time in a non-World Cup year, the Springboks did not play any part in South Africa's domestic tournament, yet 44,505 people packed Newlands for Saturday's final, and there were good crowds for both semi-finals. The Currie Cup clearly still matters to South African rugby fans even though it has become an under-strength tournament that is more about developing players for Super Rugby than earning bragging rights as South Africa's best team (an honour, which this year, belongs to the Sharks, who won the South African Super Rugby conference when the Boks were available).

Craig Joubert is a referee for the big occasion
There have been several poor refereeing performances this year, so it was a pleasure to see the man in the middle enhance, and not detract from, the occasion on Saturday. Joubert rewarded the Lions for their dominance up front with six scrum penalties – all of which were justified – played advantage well and let the players take centre stage. Former Test referee Jonathan Kaplan has pulled no punches when evaluating referees this year on his blog but he had only praise for Joubert on Twitter. 'After having reviewed final, I can honestly say that I think Craig Joubert was outstanding – my clear vote for man of the match!' said Kaplan on Sunday.

Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images

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