Gainline battle the key
DU PREEZ: IT’S A LOCAL DERBY SO I’M EXPECTING NOTHING LESS THAN A WAR
Ken Borland
Abattle of the gainline looms as the Sharks host the Bulls in a Super Rugby derby at King’s Park today, with both teams desperate for victory as reward for the impressive, if not always successful rugby they have been playing recently.
While both teams have shone with ball in hand recently, the Sharks averaging more than 30 points per game and Bulls coach John Mitchell making his desire for high-octane rugby abundantly clear, the visitors are certainly expecting a fiery physical reception in Durban. Whatever expansive plans either team has, they can only be implemented if they win the decisive gainline battle.
“It’s going to be very hard in Durban, the Sharks are very physical and their forwards really take on the gainline. Our defence is going to have to put their halfbacks under pressure, they score most of their points within the first three phases, so we need to disrupt their launch by getting some strong hits in. We want to win the gainline and the first carry or tackle sets the tone,” Bulls captain Burger Odendaal said.
“The Sharks are confident in attack, they look to dominate the gainline and offload. They hold on to the ball and score a lot of points, but they will also test us by kicking to the back. It’s going to come down to field position, the gainline and who takes their opportunities. They also concede a lot though,” Mitchell said.
Sharks coach Robert du Preez confirmed that he was not averse to some Test-style rugby.
“We want to score tries, but it’s more important to win games and if we have to fight in the trenches then we will do that. I’m not too sure what to make of the Bulls, they play a good brand of rugby, but it’s a derby so I expect nothing less than a war. There’s a lot riding on the game but we have to stick to our plan,” Du Preez said.
Mitchell hinted that they had done some research on referee Egon Seconds, whose influence on such a tight, highly-charged game could be crucial.
“We need to keep an eye on discipline and we just ask that the referee is consistent on both sides of the field, a couple of times this season we haven’t had the rub of the green in that respect. It’s critical that you don’t get any yellow cards and some referees are more prone to dishing those out, but if you’re cynical then you’re definitely going to suffer repercussions,” Mitchell said.
EHeinz Schenk
arlier this week, the Bulls announced an initiative where John Mitchell and his troops will have training sessions at three Pretoria clubs for the rest of the season.
New Bulls president Willem Strauss says it’s part of a drive to “bring the professional game back to the community”.
However, a thought that resonated more than anything else – at least for me – was a question over whether the Bulls can unearth a few Jacques van Rooyens.
The Lions prop is a true, retro rags-to-riches story. Van Rooyen was playing club rugby for Pretoria Police when Johan Ackermann spotted him.
Strauss mentioned the case of Kefentse Mahlo, a 25-year-old utility back from Tzaneen.
Mahlo had been very much part and parcel of the Bulls’ youth structures but has never quite been able to crack it at senior level. He hasn’t given up though.
Mahlo currently plays for one of Pretoria’s biggest clubs, Naka Bulle, and has been in fine form.
Strauss believes if that trend continues, Mitchell could easily consider him again for this year’s Currie Cup.
The Bulls’ club competition is a well-organised, semi-professional set-up, meaning players do make some money, theoretically, giving added emphasis to club rugby is one of the measures that can financially save SA rugby.
Local rugby is a crappy business nowadays, if you can even call it a business. The word “profit” is quite frankly laughable.
Any reasonably discerning rugby fan will know how much the player exodus to the UK, Japan and Europe contributes to the financial pressures experienced by unions.
However, Saru president Mark Alexander also noted an uncomfortable reality at the governing body’s AGM last week: South Africa has too many professional players, an incredible 750. That’s simply not sustainable. First and foremost, there are too many smaller provincial unions contracting players on a fulltime basis.
These unions make no money of their own and are kept afloat by Saru.
But vanity and pettiness mean they won’t make structural changes as these presidents still play a meaningful role in rugby politics. But don’t absolve the bigger unions.
Some of them contract up to 70 players and then plead poverty.
Giving club rugby and Varsity Cup more emphasis can help sustain the pool of depth while alleviating some financial pressures.
It’s unlikely to happen though.