THE TIGHT 5
Perenara has a serious attitude problem
There’s a big difference between being bold and just being arrogant, and I think after Saturday’s match at Loftus it’s easy to say which category Hurricanes captain and scrumhalf TJ Perenara falls under. You see, this man has always been the epitome of a good scrumhalf with his nippy play and snappy on-field ways, but I was repulsed by his attitude against the Bulls. After having a sharp exchange of words with his Bulls counterpart Rudy Paige, Perenara told Paige to “shut the f*** up” right in front of referee Egon Seconds, and I’m pretty sure I heard him telling Seconds to “even things out”. Now talking to another player like that right in front of an official is one thing, and it makes it quite clear that the arrogant Kiwi has no respect for the referee, but basically telling a referee how to officiate is another thing (if you want to see it as him simply asking the referee to be fair that’s your view, but that’s not the point). That kind of behaviour is just not on.
Matthews looks a hot prospect
Saturday didn’t go too badly for the Bulls (compared to their other results this season), but one thing that the men from Pretoria can be especially chuffed with is Duncan Matthews’ debut performance. The young winger enjoyed a fine game filled with great tackles, even better running lines and just an overall top effort. He scored one of the Bulls’ two tries and had a wonderful hand in their second as he showed off some great interplay with Jan Serfontein leading up to their second try. He definitely seems like a young ray of sunshine in dark times for the Bulls.
Why is Mapoe not in the Bok setup?
The Lions outside centre has been in superb form for Johan Ackermann’s side, and his performance against the Kings yesterday was no different, so he fully deserves that Bok call-up, even if it came because of injury to another deserving player in Lukhanyo Am, who was ruled out with a fractured cheekbone sustained during the Sharks’ win over the Stormers. During yesterday afternoon’s encounter, Mapoe was all over the field, especially in the first half, and helped spark the Lions’ game with that stunning outside-inside run of his, his top offloads that kept the Lions’ attack alive, and he made line breaks and beat defenders like it was going out of fashion. I should also add that I really don’t understand why Mapoe wasn’t included in Allister Coetzee’s 31-man Bok squad initially, I mean, it’s not like there are outside-centre contenders in the current Bok crop that can outshine the on-form, experienced Mapoe. He’s a first class player on both attack and defence, unlike Am, who is a brilliant defender but doesn’t come close to Mapoe with ball in hand, and Jesse Kriel, whose defence has also left him a little vulnerable at No 13 at times. Yeah, Mapoe missed a tackle in the build-up to the Kings’ first try, but otherwise his performance was just another example of his top form.
Lovely Lions
It’s something that we already know, but the Lions’ match against the Kings yesterday again showed just how good they are. They scored some fantastic tries that started all the way back in own 22, and the interplay between backs and forwards was scintillating. Whether it was a wing or a prop, the way the Lions handled the ball looked like they didn’t even have to think about it, like that skill was innate. Now I know the Lions’ flair has been a talking point for a while now, but it’s just something that one can never tire of saying. And if uttering it week in and week out can motivate every South African team to follow their path, then it’s totally worth repeating.