My rugby roundup and Super 14 predictions for this week.

After hoping against hope for the Sharks in Christchurch, especially at 10 – 6 down at halftime – I was at the Stormers game, and watched the Lions succumb bravely on Saturday, fleetingly saw the Cheetahs lose their way and then saw the highlights of the Bulls in full flight.

There is something that the Bulls are cultivating through persistent victories that is hard to quantify and even name, but it is resulting in confident, attacking, focused players being at their best during the most important 80 minutes of their week.

I wish they would bottle it and sell ‘it’ to the other teams and franchises !

Have you had a chance to think about what ‘it’ is , and if you could put it into words, what is it ?

Bob

Highlanders will take this one, just a gut feel, that they are better than last weeks result.

Reds were sharp, Crusaders to edge them here though, too much in tank; Cheetahs to provide an upset at the Shark tank.

Canes too strong at home, watch them for semi’s.

Chiefs to spread the ball and smash John Robbie’s home team!!

Bulls squeeze the life out of the Wild horses at Loftus and Stormers to win ‘cos Tahs are tired after trip.

The best news is – the players are playing in the best climate – the not so good news over the last two years or so, is that we have allowed the destructive, slowing down, slow ruck and innefective maul dominated game to emerge.

Taking nothing away from the freeflowing try scoring styles that have definitely been on show, the majority of games have been kick and chase at best, slow on tries and penalty dominated.

This will be no more !!( I hope ), well, so does everyone, and the refs included, which is why after chatting to Andre Watson and Craig Joubert at length – and then seeing Craig ref the pre season friendly at Newlands, and now this weekends games – I think they have got it right.

Seriously – the way they are going to police the game in the first few weeks will bug a few spectators, and it was the subject of much debate at the first SuperSport commentators meeting, but eventually most agreed that the right perpetrators were going to be targeted. Good luck to them and expect the refs and penalties to be explained away in depth ….

Which is why I have – entered a Fantasy Rugby team, these okes are gonna cook, seriously, sign up here (supersport.com/fantasy) to take me on, it’s free and great fun !

Now lets look at those games

Blues versus Canes was a great start – two distinct halves and loads of opportunity for the ref to police the two sides going backwards and forward , and shoe how quickly they have adapted, we will have to watch both teams closely to predict their season ( for fantasy players too !)

Reds almost upset the Waratahs , and to be honest – looked more convincing than the Sydney outfit for about 77 minutes ! Wycliff Palu’s try under the sticks just ripping an almost perfect victory away from the Brisbane side. Waratahs will go from strength to strength and the Reds will have to recover quickly to  be a competing team late on.

Force predictably succumbed to the Brumbies, after losing Andre Pretorius in pre season, they had to jiggle the backline around – the Brumbies had too much eventually and after an early score held the lead most game – the Ex WP hooker Huia Edmonds finished off a  good upfield surge by smashing through James ‘O Connor to score as well, good to see him getting some game time, he’s a great team man.

Cheetahs versus Bulls was a typical South African derby, minus the mindless penalties, and adding in a lot of pace – wow the Champions have had a serious pre season cos the y look in amazing nick, fitness, hands and physicality all showed through. Great stretch by the Bulls led to two quick tries, then Pierre Spies was about to put them out of sight, till the stadium manager decided to do ti himself rather ! Lights out meant a little break and gave the Cheetahs an opening to come back – which they almost did, but the powerful Bulls outfit held out.

Stormers were too strong for the Lions in Jhb and the only Lions highlight was a lovely offload that put Killian under the sticks,  the rest was Habana, Fourie and Stormers dominated – Duane Vermeulen is going to be immense this season, no doubt !

Sharky sharks – they were beaten by a Chiefs outfit that did the dirty, snuck a win from under their noses. Got to be honest though, it was probably the Sharks and their yellow cards who helped the Chiefs stay in the game – whether the last penalty was right or not is irrelevant, Donald had missed two others !

I know they will pull some positives out of it and they will be ready for the Cheetahs onslaught of fast running rugby.

Stefan Terblanche was outstanding on defense and in tactical kicking and catching. Chiefs forwards off the bench were brilliant, and Donald with his little chips and grubbers, disruptive to the usually solid Sharks backline defence.

(Crusaders was the only game I missed live cos was travelling but it has been reported as a bit of a squeeze out by the multiple former champs – the return to form of Dan Carter, good with the boot, and the strong scrum management of scrum time were both highlighted in what I saw – the All blacks have a World cup dream building already ….)

I called 6 out of the 7 right but am not really shaping in the fantasy league – you can enter my league as well, just to prove you are better than me, check the details below.

Bob

I will be announcing my fantasy team on Boots and All – watch the show and look  out for the updates, in the meantime – this is what I think will happen, after some loose thought on the games ahead.

I think the first clashes will pan out like this – on Friday, New-look Blues to beat The Canes, The Force to go down against the Brumbies, and the defending champions, Bulls to go up over Cheetahs.
Not too many surprises there -
Then on Saturday morning through the day the resurgent Crusaders to beat the Highlanders, the Reds to lose to the Waratahs in Brisbane (too many defections there), The Stormers to take early season form into the Lions den and hold it to go up, just and the Chiefs, still smarting from last year, might have enough to beat the Sharks.

No doubt some of you disagree !