Bok fury to fuel Bulls
Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:45
Bullish Bok: Blue Bulls centre Wynand Olivier
The Blue Bulls will have a few 'angry' Springboks running out to prove a point when they travel to the newly built Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on Friday.
And the Pumas could be on the receiving end of this backlash - as Wynand Olivier, Dewald Potgieter and Zane Kirchner go out to send a strong message to the national selectors.
The Pumas, hosting the Bulls at this soccer World Cup venue, the Mbombela Stadium, will realise the tempo and intensity of the Currie Cup competition picks up significantly when Boks return to their domestic teams.
Just ask Western Province about a Bok-backlash - with Tendai Mtawarira, Bismarck du Plessis and Ryan Kankowski having laid down some big markers last week.
Expect much of the same from Olivier, Potgieter and Kirchner vent their frustrations on their hosts.
The Pumas are currently in seventh position on the log, with seven points, and are just three points clear of the bottom-placed Leopards.
However, the Bulls are third place (with 22 points) and determined not to lose any more ground on the tournament leaders - the Sharks (30 points) and Province (28).
The Pumas have secured only one victory in this season's competition, a 37-32 win over the Leopards in Witbank during Week Two's action.
The Bulls were outstanding last week in the second half, when they fought back from a 7-27 deficit against Griquas to sneak in 39-38.
Their problem isn't quality.
Some would accuse them of arrogance (or over-confidence), because of the way the Blue Bulls seldom put more than 30 good minutes together in a match.
The Bulls' stand-in captain, flank Derick Kuün, is the first to admit that his team has not been playing to their true potential.
Although Kuün was happy with the Bulls' set-piece standards, he suggested they are letting themselves down with poor decision making.
"That is one aspect we can certainly improve on," Kuün said,
However, the return of some of his Bok stars is what pleases coach Frans Ludeke most.
"It is fantastic to have those Bulls back and we welcome them with open arms," the coach told a media gathering this week.
"You can see that they are determined to make an impact," Ludeke added.
The Bulls' mentor said the team reached its goal of a top-three finish at the halfway stage of the season, but must now ensure they put themselves in an even stronger position as they head towards the play-offs in October.
Recent results:
2006: Blue Bulls won 48-17, Witbank
2006: Blue Bulls won 66-3, Pretoria
2010: Blue Bulls won 38-15, Pretoria
rugby365.com Prediction: The Blue Bulls will underestimate the Pumas at their own peril. Jimmy Stonehouse's Pumas have shown plenty of guts and a good serving of talent - even though they lack real dept. However, should the Bulls play to their potential and the Boks fire as they promised they will, the people from Nelspruit could see their team get a real hammering. The Blue Bulls to win by about 20 points.
Teams:
Pumas: 15 Nicky Kritzinger, 14 Vainon Willis, 13 Shaun Venter, 12 Tian Meyer, 11 Allistair Kettledas, 10 Elgar Watts, 9 Jacques Coetzee, 8 Christo le Roux, 7 Torsten van Jaarsveld, 6 Corné Steenkamp, 5 Marius Coetzer, 4 Andries Kruger, 3 Ashley Buys, 2 Hannes Franklin (captain), 1 Ronnie Uys.
Replacements: 16 Dee-Jay Terblanche, 17 Dawie Steyn, 18 Willem Serfontein, 19 Eduan van der Walt, 20 Ricardo Croy, 21 Ashwin Scott, 22 Jaco Bouwer.
Blue Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Jaco Pretorius, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Hayden Groepes, 10 Francois Brummer, 9 Dustin Jinka, 8 Dewald Potgieter, 7 CJ Stander, 6 Derick Kuün (captain), 5 Juandré Kruger, 4
Wilhelm Steenkamp, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Bandise Maku, 1 Dean Greyling.
Replacements: 16 Henry Bantjes, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Fudge Mabeta, 19 Okkie Kruger, 20 Ruan Snyman, 21 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 22 Jaco van der Westhuyzen.
Date: Friday, August 27
Venue: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Kick-off: 17.00 (15.00 GMT)
Referee: Stuart Berry
Assistant referees: Quinton Immelman, Stefan Breytenbach
TMO: Johann Meuwesen
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