It’s a mystery to me, the game commences, for the usual fee, plus expenses, He could throw that ball by you, Make you look like a fool boy. As neither Mark Knopfler nor Bruce Springsteen actually sang. But this is it, after months of travel and travails, outlandish skill and outrageous decisions, flashy footwork and plodding power, sleight of hand, nothing bland, we arrive at the knockouts of the URC. The last eight sides still in with a shout, four matches this weekend that could produce some stunning upsets or predictable eye-rolling. Let’s see.
Glasgow Warriors vs Connacht sets the ball rolling in Scotland on Friday night, with 1st vs 8th on the log being about as deceptive as you’ll get. Glasgow are stacked full of internationals and top the table after a fine season, but they had a couple of notable wobbles later on, losing badly on their tour of South Africa, and sneaking past Ulster in the final fixture to guarantee top spot. Connacht really came out of nowhere after a slow start to the season, but arguably finished the league phase as the form side – a solitary loss to the Lions (of course) in Johannesburg their only defeat since the end of January. Eight wins from their last nine, including wins over the Stormers, Munster – and Glasgow underpinning their pedigree, despite the lack of big-ticket names. Can they pull off what would be one of the shocks of the season thus far? Unlikely – the Warriors have a 100% record at home this season and are fiendishly difficult to beat on their home patch.
Verdict: The Weedge by a whisker!
Bulls vs Munster gets Saturday rolling on the highveld at the ridiculous time of 1:30pm this side, when most parents and kids are still at schools for rugby. Oh well. Both sides had indifferent starts to the campaign, but both have gathered a head of steam lately. The Bulls have only lost two URC matches this year (both to the Stormers) and have scalped Munster, Cardiff and the Lions during that run (as well as Edinburgh to avoid outrage). Both home losses were against local opposition, with a perfect record against European teams. A helluva pack of forwards and some good outside backs along with Pollard’s boot has seen off most at Loftus for a couple of seasons now, but Munster ran them desperately close a few weeks back – 3 points in it. Munster? Won six of their first seven URC matches this season and folks were talking about them being back. Since then, though it’s five wins and six losses, which suggests a side still struggling to get on a run and to finish off the tight matches. Both sides are capable of winning, both have the odd brainfart to undermine them too.
Verdict: Bulls by bugger-all!
Stormers vs Cardiff has upset written all over it. But who is the underdog? Cardiff gave the Stormers a lesson in cohesive, quick-thinking rugby a couple of weeks ago and won’t fear Cape Town Stadium, close to Llandudno, a fabulous, overpriced beach community down there. The Stormers got off to a flyer this season, with eight wins on the bounce, bookended by Leinster at home and then four in Europe, with Munster the final one. After that, though, they’ve spluttered through a series of embarrassing performances, their defence more passive than a noun in a corporate training manual, and their attack more ragged than a tramp’s coat in a tempest. They’ve lost confidence and there are dark mutterings in the camp. The Diff gave them the stiff in the last round, but have been mercurial in their own right this season: two relatively heavy defeats to Glasgow and the Bulls aside, most of their matches have finished within a score – eleven out of the other sixteen. They’re difficult to put away, but can also be their own worst enemies, or perhaps are lacking a little on the bench? A wild ride in, with three wins and three losses, but crucially, all the losses were away, with two in South Africa.
Verdict: Stormers by a sailor’s stubble.
Leinster vs Lions: Obviously the rugby world is backing the Lions to slay the rough beast that slouches towards Scotstoun. Not as obvious is how the Lions will achieve this most magnificent of results. Leinster may be battered and bruised from their hammering by Bordeaux, but they still have pretty much a British and Irish Lions side there. Definitely an Irish international side. Despite whispers of Jacques Nienaber stitching them from the inside, they remain a formidable side, well oiled and with excellent depth. A few injuries for sure, but the Lions are without three key players too – and without anywhere near the squad depth Leinster have. The Pride of Joburg ran Leinster close three weeks ago, being within a score until the last 10 minutes or so, before falling away having tackled themselves to a standstill. They stayed in Ireland and have had two weeks to prepare, whilst Leinster have been battling for higher honours. The word is that they’ve taken the lessons on board from that last match and have a plan. But as Mike Tyson said, “everybody got a plan ‘til they get punched in the face.” I fear we’re going to get punched in the face.
Verdict: The Lions will be more brave, brave Sir Robin than Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog slayers. Leinster by a length.
Deliberations by Deebee7
Jesus. Poor performance from Ireland all around.
LikeLike
Better than Italy’s!
LikeLike
True!
LikeLike
Jesus Scotland are crap today. It looks like they’re trying to be the anti-Fiji – by which I mean fielding 15 inanimate blocks of wood.
LikeLike
I’d be happy to ship a Bok tight five to Fiji just to see them run rampant with their loosies and backs.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aww, poor Fiji. Cruel, cruel Scotland.
LikeLike
Oh no, it’s Brace.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh shit, it’s Brace on the whistle.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha – snap!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The audio mix on Brace’s mic is really weird.
LikeLike
Ok, that SA scrum was terrifying.
LikeLike
A touch of the rucksy-dropsy about this match.
LikeLike
Boks have been woeful under the high ball. Been a pretty crap game all in all.
LikeLike
Ooh, handbags inside 5mins.
LikeLike
Manni F-W is having a lot of success so far.
LikeLike
Oh my, England just crushed the Arg scrum.
LikeLike
The last time Argentina beat England in Argentina, in 2009
LikeLike
I do love how much of an ‘orrible bastard Ollie Chessum is.
LikeLike
Bloody hell, a penalty advantage actually expired. I can’t remember the last time I saw that happen.
LikeLike
Argentina have been pretty awful tonight.
LikeLike
I think the scrums would go a bit better, if Gardner wasn’t so glacial with his engage call.
LikeLike
Can you imagine if England didn’t commit 1000 penalties in a match? sigh
LikeLike
Can’t believe we squeaked that.
LikeLike
Well, that half-time thing was ass.
LikeLike
The stadium looked like it was designed by Ikea, the closing ceremony was boring, the half time ‘entertainment’ was even worse, and to crown it all, Argentina said “hold my beer, we can reduce this to a farce.” It’s a pity Spain didn’t score early on to force Argentina to play something approaching football.
LikeLike
You missed the worst of all. Infantino in a suit with WHITE TRAINERS!
LikeLike
Scotland still the last team to beat Spain in a competitive international.
Just sayin’……
LikeLiked by 1 person
He looks photoshopped in
LikeLike
Prendergast does look like he stepped out of the hairdresser’s chair, halfway through the cut
Someone said he looks like a cat that’s had a pre-operative shave
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a pity Spain didn’t score early on to force Argentina to play something approaching football
Jonathan Wilson – of the Guardian – has a book Angel with Dirty Faces that provides the history of football in Argentina. Having visited Argentina, I enjoyed it. Puts the evolution of the Argentina approach to the game into it’s social and economic context.
They lurch from playing some wonderful stuff, and then revert to the horror show we saw on Sunday.
Menotti’s team in 78 played some great stuff, the 82 team was dour, then 86 was good – driven by Maradona – and 90 fairly horrific albeit they got to the final The 2006 team left that world cup behind them and 2010 was dreadful, 2014 – again a world cup they could have won.
Wilson termed it “menottismo” vs “bilardismo” – Bilardo was behind some of the horrendous club teams of the late 60s and early 70s.
This team was running on fumes – bit like 1990 – they’d one less day of recovery and played hard matches vs England, Egypt, Cape Verde… probably peaked in 2022
LikeLiked by 1 person
Poor performance from Ireland all around
I’ve been a bore on this – but this is essentially the 2023 team w/o Sexton. No real attempt made to freshen things. Odd player has seen games but against the big 3 – it’s as you were. Porter – if fit – would come in for O’Toole, and Doris at 8.
We’ve now lost 4 in a row to NZ – and our last 7 to the top 3 (NZ, France, SA) – and if you exclude the flash in the pan vs SA (the Frawley drop goal game), I think it’s 8 out of 9.
Essentially, we rely on “penalty ladders” – earn a ruck pen between the 10s, kick to the corner and we’re still good at repeated ‘pick and go’ from the 5m line – very little created otherwise.
Gibson Park had a poor game – but Casey got 6 mins (and if not Casey, Doak would have gotten 6 mins).
We don’t have any big ball carriers to break the line in the way that SA, France (and England when they get their act together) do. McCarthy – a bit.
Really frustrating and it;s almost too late to make changes – so barring injuries – what you saw last weekend was what we’ll see next year
LikeLiked by 1 person
Never mind. You’ll still beat Scotland next year.
LikeLike
Never mind. You’ll still beat Scotland next year
I’m fond of the old Vitas Gerulaitis take ….
“And let that be a lesson to you all. Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row!”
It’s not 17 times yet – but the hammering we handed out in 2000 to the reigning 5N champions with a much-changed team is an omen.
The dam has to break …..
LikeLike
I must admit, I’m starting to get a bit nervous about the upcoming All Black tour (stuff the marketing jargon). Every journo across the land is now rolling out the stats and opinions on what a genius Rassie is (he is, like him or not), how many Bok sides we could put out that would beat everyone (we can’t – the drop from 1st choice XXIII to second choice is large enough to lose to most top sides) and how Dave Rennie hasn’t had enough time to mould a Kiwi side that can compete here for four Tests.
I think the Boks will win, because the series is here and we’ve had the wood over the Kiwis in recent year, but mainly because the touring side has to play 8 matches in five weeks and will surely not be bringing 46 players over for that. They play the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls in 8 days before a week off to face the Boks on three consecutive weekends, with the Lions sandwiched inbetween the first two Tests, before heading to Baltimore (of all places) for the 4th Test. Tall order, even if weakened URC sides are put out. I have a feeling they won’t be terribly weakened, with fringe Bok players turning out for their clubs to keep sharp in case of a call up.
LikeLike
Trisk, that Geralitus quote is still one of the best in sports history! Along with Tyson’s “Everybody got a plan until they get punched in the face.”
BB – I thought Scotland were a far better side in these matches than Ireland, so it’s largely a mental issue for the Scots now. Definitely have a far superior backline to Ireland, I reckon loose trio shades it too, so get a few more fatties and beanpoles in the mix and sort out the vast, empty, lonely spaces between the ears, and it’s all yours!
LikeLike
On that note, with Rassie peering over my shoulder, here’s the Bok squad of 43 players for the Argentina match and Kiwi Tour. It’s pretty strong, with a bunch of players who missed the Nations Cup due to injury back in the fold. Hooker and Lock look light, but van Staden and Wessels both cover hooker, whilst Mostert, Cobus Wiese, Tshituka and du Toit all cover lock. So does Dixon. Moodie and Hooker, Ethan, both cover centre as well, so decent enough there.
The Boks have already used 67 players this season, if you include the non-capped matches against the Barbarians and SA ‘A’ against Zimbabwe, with the rest of those guys now back at their clubs – and waiting for the Kiwis.
Props: Thomas du Toit (Sharks), Wilco Louw (Stormers), Ox Nche (Sharks), Zachary Porthen (Stormers), Carlu Sadie (Bordeaux Begles), Gerhard Steenekamp (Bulls), Boan Venter (Lions).
Hookers: Johan Grobbelaar (Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears).
Locks: Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Eben Etzebeth ( Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Kubota Spears).
Loose forwards: Paul de Villiers, Ben-Jason Dixon (both Stormers), Cameron Hanekom (Bulls), Siya Kolisi (Stormers), Elrigh Louw (Bulls), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks).
Utility forwards: Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Vincent Tshituka ( Sharks), Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Wiese (all Bulls).
Scrumhalves: Herschel Jantjies (Bayonne), Cobus Reinach (Stormers), Morne van den Berg (Lions), Grant Williams (Kobe Steelers).
Flyhalves: Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers), Vusi Moyo (Sharks), Handre Pollard (Bulls).
Centres: Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Andre Esterhuizen (Sharks), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles).
Outside and utility backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Mitsubishi Dynaboars), Aphelele Fassi (Toshiba), Ethan Hooker (Sharks), Quan Horn (Lions), Cheslin Kolbe (Stormers), Canan Moodie (Bulls), Edwill van der Merwe (Sharks), Damian Willemse (Stormers).
Players released to play for their franchises in RGR:
Forwards: Ntuthuko Mchunu, Evan Roos, Andre-Hugo Venter (all Stormers).
Backs: Jaco Williams (Sharks), Embrose Papier (Bulls).
Standby: Ruben van Heerden (Montpellier).
LikeLike
Adam Jones was quite good a pushing people
LikeLike
Adam Jones is still a favourite of mine!
LikeLike
Did we not once have a poster named Hair Bear Heroes referring to Jones and … ah shit, the blond one with all the hair.
LikeLike
Duncan Jones – that’s it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wasn’t HBH the one who lived in Jersey? I know that me & Mrs BB met someone from the Not-A-Blog when we were there. They then went on a tour to Southeast Asia, Australia & NZ, before moving to Edinburgh.
LikeLike
BB, I think he was. Also seem to remember him having Adam Jones as his avatar for a while, although I could be wrong.
LikeLike
Yep, HBH was last in Edinburgh iirc – as were Utility Forward (?) and a couple of others…..
LikeLike
CJ was also in Edinburgh (or close to it). Wonder if Ticht has come across any of them while following Dunbar?
LikeLike
Seems like Edinburgh is a dangerous place to visit for Notabloggers! The rugby version of the Bermuda Triangle.
LikeLike
CJ was the lad who was matey with Beardmore from Eggchasers pod?
LikeLike
Trisk – yep.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Testing…
LikeLike
Good! 2nd time lucky, maybe. Bok side to take on Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday evening. It’s a strong side, with the likes of Etzebeth, De Jager, Kolisi, Moodie, Hooker, Sacha F-M and Esterhuizen all returning from various degrees of injury and getting a run ahead of the All Blacks tour.
Fassi needs a big performance to have a look in going forward – his form has dipped sharply this season. Hanekom and Louw on the flanks also have to step up and prove they’re good at this level, not just club rugby, with PSDT and Jasper Wiese needing back up.
The Bok backs are unusually tall for this match with only Cobus Reinach at 9 under 6ft, and Moodie, Esterhuizen and Hooker all coming in at 6’3″ and up. Won’t be the same when Kolbe, Kriel, De Allende and Arendse return though. Hefty front row (who knew?) with a meaty 2nd row – I really hope de Jager can stay fit and healthy for a sustained period after his injury problems. Etzebeth too, having suffered another bout of concussion recently. Frankly, for his own health, he should probably retire.
The bench is pretty beastly, with Wessels and Porthen both very mobile, Steenekamp can put in a shift outside of the set pieces too, Dixon and Wiese-C are emerging as the next generation of hybrid back row-locks in SA (especially Wiese) and we could potentially see Pollard on at 12 and Esterhuizen moving to the side of the scrum, for an effective 7-1 split.
15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Boan Venter
Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Ben-Jason Dixon, 20 Cobus Wiese, 21 Marco van Staden, 22 Morne van den Berg, 23 Handre Pollard
LikeLike
Fatties on the rampage!
LikeLike