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Safari so good for the Crusaders?
What is the difference between a competition and a procession? When it comes to Vodacom Super Rugby, the answer is "the next two weeks".
Sitting 14 points clear of their closest non-conference rivals and with only five games left to play in the regular season, it is only this current little trip to Africa that seems to be standing between the defending champion Crusaders and a double-figure title count.
It doesn’t happen often, but for the next fortnight all Super Rugby fans outside of Christchurch (and certain pockets of Cape Town) will be Bulls and Stormers fans.
As they should.
There is not one team currently playing in Super Rugby that can travel to win a final in Crusaders territory. There is not one team that has ever managed to do that in the competition’s 23-year history.
If the runaway ‘Saders train is not stopped now, we may as well hand them over the trophy already and start preparing for the World Cup.
That is not good for a competition that is already fighting for eyeballs. No one wants to watch a story that they already know the ending of (except, possibly, if it’s a movie of the blue variety...).
But there is at least the tiniest sliver of hope for the two traditional South African powerhouses after their countrymen Sharks managed to hold on for a celebrated draw in Christchurch last Friday.
The draw didn’t do the Sharks themselves much good, in fact they slipped down a spot in the South African conference, but it did show that the nine-times Super Rugby champions can be vulnerable if you have the correct ammunition to bombard them in the right places.
The Sharks showed that a strong set-piece, a physical loose-trio and an agile and committed defence can frustrate the normally unshakeable Crusaders into making just enough errors for you to squeak in a tight win. But only if you use every half-chance that comes your way.
For the Bulls to beat the Crusaders on Friday night they will need a massive improvement on their effort against the Waratahs last weekend. In a game where they enjoyed complete dominance upfront, they still managed to be tied on the scoreboard with only ten minutes left on the clock. Mostly because they went to sleep halfway through the game.
South Africa’s conference-toppers can’t afford to give the `Saders even a half-sniff at a result, because unlike the 'Tahs, they’ll pounce. The Bulls must go into this game determined not to give away anything more than 20 points, and then hope for all that is holy that Pollard’s boot is back on song. Any sort of run-fest and it's tickets.
We know it won’t be a run-fest at Newlands the following week, because the Stormers will be playing. For them the game will have a bit more of a personal edge with sizeable parts of the home crowd vociferously supporting the opposition.
The best response to a Cape Crusader taunt is to silence them on the field. If they use that bit of motivation to their advantage often enough during the 80 minutes, they too can sneak in. Lose the crowd, however, and things can soon turn real nasty for the home side.
The Crusaders’ African safari is not exactly mission impossible for the local sides, but it definitely is mission critical. Even if the home sides manage to win both games, that would still not be enough to haul in the high-flying Canterburians on the overall log. It may, however, allow the Hurricanes to leapfrog them, and let’s face it, a trip to Wellington if far less daunting than one to Christchurch.
The real worth of two South African wins over the Crusaders now will be psychological in nature. If it so happens that you have to travel to New Zealand for a Super Rugby knockout game or a final, at least you’ll know that you are not completely without hope.
Any win over New Zealand’s best side is also more than handy in a World Cup year during which the Springboks will clash with their arch-enemies from under the Long White Cloud on a regular basis.
The next two weeks’ results can easily determine course of the rest of this massive 2019 rugby season. Let’s hope that course is one that will have us all glued to our seats.
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Let’s have a look at what happened elsewhere in the world of rugby this week.
Tries of the week:
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Best of social media:
Shall we ask Duane to score an intercept try for every one of our teams?
It’s Monday and I’ve finally caught my breath after that try ??.
— Duane Vermeulen (@duane_vermeulen) May 6, 2019
@blue_bulls_official here’s a challenge… let’s make 6000 tickets available for just R20, and let’s get the #BullsFamily making some noise against Crusaders. ???? pic.twitter.com/3YlQjoSAWe
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Since we're on the subject...
?? SAPD recently released footage in connection to an incident in Pretoria on Saturday afternoon where an Aussie tourist was robbed in broad daylight. pic.twitter.com/5IzdfKBQdK
— Sportingbet SA (@SportingbetSA) May 6, 2019
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Fitting farewell to a legend (both on and off the field)...
Such a wonderful moment for Schalk and his kids . So much sacrifice for the families and great that they can run out with their dad @Saracens @MicheleBurger1 pic.twitter.com/FyABgfwN1l
— Annelee Murray (@AnneleeM) May 4, 2019
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Was that a game or a drunken poker night...
Hope Angus Gardner is playing with a full deck. #SSRugby #REDvSUN pic.twitter.com/hZKykb8658
— Michael Oakley (@Mike_Slinky) May 3, 2019
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Do they Ever rest?
Former Wales and B&I Lions star Shane Williams recently broke two world records after playing rugby at Mount Everest.thesun.co.uk reports that a group of former players and intrepid adventurers have entered the record books after contesting the highest game of rugby in history – 6 331m above sea level.
Williams, 42, played in full contact sevens action alongside ex-England international Lee Mears and against a team led by Ollie Phillips. The score ended 5-5.
The teams also played a game of touch rugby at 5 119m at Everest Base Camp – another new achievement awaiting ratification from officials at the Guinness Book of Worlds record.
The teams battled altitude sickness – the symptoms of which include severe headaches – lack of sleep, loss of appetite and severe shortage of breath.
Williams told The Sun: “In arguably the world’s most spectacular setting for a rugby match but also the most unhospitable conditions, the game was incredibly tough.
“If you ran during the match it took 10 minutes to recover. That said, everyone put in 100% and there was some great rugby played. I can’t praise the team enough.”
Keeping down with the Jones
Master baiter, Sunday Times writer Stephen Jones, has managed to upset the entire nation of New Zealand once again this week.
In his latest opinion piece he claimed that there has never been a club match quite as big as the Leinster v Saracens Champions Cup final that awaits us this weekend.
For Jones the clash ranks right up there with "Ali-Foreman, Federer-Nadal in their career pomp, it is Messi v Ronaldo".
"Leinster and Saracens are the two best non-international teams in the sport,” Jones’ baiting continued.
"No team in Super Rugby comes close."
The Long White Cloud was fuming, as is evident in this strongly worded reply from the New Zealand Herald: “…to suggest that the double Super Rugby champions — with a test tight five and plenty of others from the world champion All Blacks — aren't close to Leinster or Saracens is pure Stephen Jones.”
That’ll put him in his place!
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