Biggest test yet for Bulls
No Loftus wins for ‘Saders in nine years, but now they’re on fire Meiklejohn predicts ‘up’ run record
OMETH the hour, cometh the man”. Those will probably be the last words Bulls coach Nollis Marais will say to his team before they run out to face the almighty Crusaders at Loftus Versfeld today (5.15pm).
Today will be the hour of reckoning for the Bulls as they look to unshackle themselves from the horrible start to the Super Rugby campaign and at the same time take another step in their road to redemption as they look to build on their two-match winning run.
But the Bulls will need to front up for more than just an hour; they will need all of 80 minutes to show a true turnaround and finally play to their full potential.
For most of this season Marais’ side have struggled to put together a convincing 80minute performance to justify their pre-competition billing as one of the best teams around, and this was why in their first six games they only managed to win one.
Beyond just playing for 80 minutes all individuals will need to be accounted for if the team is to function at its optimum and tempt fate by becoming the first side this season to beat the Crusaders.
There can be no doubting the talent the Bulls have within their squad and even with for mer Junior Springbok captain Hanro Liebenberg withdrawing from the team yesterday because of a hamstring strain, Marais is confident that Namibian international Renaldo Bothma will be up to the task of starting at number eight.
This is the one game that will go a long way in determining how the remainder of the season pans out for the Bulls and this is when their shortcomings and inability to dominate the set-piece, the breakdown and the lack of tightness in their defence will have to be a thing of the past if they are to hold on to their nine-year unbeaten run against the Crusaders at Loftus.
Yes it has been nine long years for the Crusaders but they will be the first to admit that it was always against Bulls outfits that were brutal physically, were overwhelmingly dominant in the scrums and line-outs, were unrelenting on defence and effectively made good of every opportunity they created to score points.
The attributes that have made the Bulls successful at home against the Crusaders in the past are the same traits that this year’s Crusaders outfit possess and it is difficult to see how any team in the competition can stop them.
At the same time, though, the Crusaders will be under no illusion at the possible ambush they could be walking into and their defeats in the 2007, 2009 and 2010 Super Rugby semifinals including the epic round robin encounters in 2010 and 2015 will serve as a reminder of how dangerous a wounded Bulls team can be.
However this season the Crusaders have three times come from behind to win matches, playing with the physicality of men possessed.
In the past it has been this very same winning blueprint that the Bulls have copied with aplomb in winning their three Super Rugby titles and it is continuing to follow this blueprint that will place Marais’ men in the same position to replicate what previous Bulls teams have done to the Crusaders at Loftus.
“Our team is in good spirits ad the guys know exactly what we want. It is a huge opportunity and honour to play against a team as highly rated as the Crusaders,” Marais said. “They are the number one side in the competition, haven’t lost yet and if we want to beat them we will have to be up for it.”
A COMRADES Marathon record that has stood for 19 years is in danger of being broken – and Shaun Meiklejohn believes that, just like the “down” run record last year, the “up” run time of 5hr 24min 49sec will fall to a South African.
“I believe the top athletes will be gunning for the record and I won’t be surprised if they break it,” said Meiklejohn, a winner of the race back in 1995. “Not many people believed the record would go last year, but David Gatebe did it and I think he has what it takes to also break the up record.”
Last year, Gatebe finished in 5:18:19 as he smashed the previous record of 5:20:49 set by Russian Leonid Shvetsov.
Meiklejohn says Gatebe’s build will make it even easier for him to do well at the famous ultra marathon from Durban to Pietermaritzburg on June 4.
“I think Gadebe will be even tougher to beat because he is short. Guys built like him often do well on the hills while the taller guys struggle. And I know Gatebe and his teammates are working very hard in preparation.”
The 53-year-old Meiklejohn also believes the race will once again be won by a South African. “Besides Gatebe there is also Ludwick Mamabolo whom I believe has the potential to win the race again,” he said of the 2012 champion.
He, however, ruled out 2014 winner Bongumusa Mthembu from the list of potential winners. “I think Bongumusa wasted a lot of energy at Two Oceans recently. He finished in the top ten and that would have taken a lot out of him. He might struggle at Comrades because he has so little time to recover. While Meiklejohn foresees the time record falling, the Save Orion Running Club member believes no one will ever get near to equalling or even bettering Bruce Fordyce record of nine wins.
“That’s mission impossible,” he said without flinching “Sure Leonid’s re- cord can be broken but I don’t see it happening (anyone winning the Comrades ten times). That’s just too much to ask.”
Meiklejohn will be participating at the race again this year and believes he still has a lot more races left in his 53-year-old legs. “I am aiming for 6:43 this year,” said the veteran who has completed 25 Comrades with 18 gold medals “I want to make 30 races, then after that I can reassess my options.”
Meiklejohn is pleased to see that corporate South Africa is now making it worthwhile for runners to go out on a limb on the road. “The sponsors used to pay a lot of money for foreign athletes to come and run, what with appearance fees and bonuses. But what is good now is that sponsors like Nedbank and KPMG are starting to invest in locals with increased prize-money. Back in 1995 I won R45 000 for winning Comrades; today it is close to R300 000 plus bonuses that go with breaking the record. This is very encouraging.”