John Mitchell, coach of the MTN Golden Lions, and Demetri Catrakilis, flyhalf for DHL Western Province, have been named ABSA Currie Cup Coach of the Month and Player of the Month respectively.
The Lions have only lost one match in the first round of pool games and are clear by 5 points at the top of the Currie Cup log.
Demetri Catrakilis is straight into the think of things after still playing Varsity Cup at the beginning of the year and is holding his own against far more experienced players.
We would like to congratulate both men on their awards!
Well done Greek lad!
Don’t know what WP is gonna do with all our flyhalves that still have to return from injury… and Japan.
@molly (Comment 2) :
Is Grant definitely coming back?
And the ABSA raspberry goes to… Marius Joubert.
What an investment
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 3) : As far as I know, yes.
Mitchell deserves the kudos; Leeus made the Sharks look like the u15D team on Saturday
@CapeShark (Comment 6) :
The blind U15D team..
@molly (Comment 5) :
Interesting..
That leaves you with Grant, Catrakilis and Coleman. Anybody else in the pipeline?
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 8) : Gary van Aswegen and Lionel Cronje.
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 8) : oh and Tim Lane’s son Sam… although I haven’t seen him play, he was above Catrakilis and Coleman (judging on Vodacom Cup selection) in the pecking order.
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 7) : I see Plumtree’s point about the scrums at the moment, who is actually benefiting, cos it’s not the team with the strong scrummagers.
@molly (Comment 9) :
@molly (Comment 10) :
That’s a kak-huis vol flyhalves!!
mooly
You forgot Ish-mael Dollie!
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 12) : ya, you see why I’m concerned
@molly (Comment 14) :
And they all pretty much the same age hey?
Some of them will have to leave..
@wpw (Comment 13) : oh and Earl for Super Rugby duty of course.
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 15) : I think they all (except Grant) featured for the u21′s last year and some of them can still play there this year.
@molly (Comment 16) :
Earl the Pearl.. Nice, you must be very confident now!
No, seriously, that’s a bit of talent running around. You might have to loan a few of them out to see what they can do..
I think Cronje is going to be off to the Bulls
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 19) : really? I wouldn’t be surprised, we haven’t exactly given him proper opportunities.
South Africa’s very own DC.
Demetri Catrakilis, what a player.
I’ve said it before, if I were the Bulls I’d trade Fouche, Boshoff and Brummer to get DC.
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 19) : @molly (Comment 20) : You know who starts those kind of rumours – Muzi the Lobbyist.
Eventually so many Bulls fans believe it that the Union feels obliged to sign the player.
@beet (Comment 22) : Good one
@molly (Comment 20) : Yeah i think he got a bit a raw deal at WP, his career could have been much further had he stayed at Free state.
@beet (Comment 22) :
Congrats to the winners.
@beet (Comment 22) : LOL,
can’t argue that… Elton is playing fantastic rugby, he should be awarded soon…
@DarkDestroyer (Comment 28) : I don’t want to take anything away from the other players but just like last season, it’s amazing how well the Lions perform when Jantjies brings on his A-game.
Agree with Mitchel ,that team is finding its feet. But Catrakilis…what about Jantjies?Strauss? cant help but feeling this is another wp ploy to get their own player recognition-didnt dwayne the mullet get it last year, at some stage, undeservingly?
Maybe Plum needs to implement the tough discipline that Mitchel does, I read somewhere that he dropped Rhodes after he got a Yellow card. It seems that from afar( I am in Christchurch) that the Sharks are giving away for too many penalties. However Mitchel does have the luxury of being able to pick almost his entire Super team, all he lost was James. On another note on the stuff.co.nz site there is an article about the All Black blatantly cheating (yes the word cheating is used)boy oh boy are the bloggers up in arms about that. ( Evidently the author is an ex Pom) I aslo see the Pom team has also landed on these shores in preperation for the World Cup.
@beet (Comment 29) :
it seems we build our team around him .
Burton doesnt get the backline goeing like elton does
@Dynamite (Comment 31) :
jip got drooped after he got a yellow against the Bulls
you have to admit though . Our Super rugby team is nowhere near the level of other teams . and it showed in the Super rugby season . Although we are improving a statement like that is not really valid
its not like we have Richie Macaw and Daniel Carter ien our team …
@beet (Comment 21) : catrikilis is no dan carter, lets not get ahead of ourselves. he can kick alright but the rest of his game is still to be seen.
@beet (Comment 29) : @Zibbie (Comment 32) :
Let’s hope Elton can step up and be more consistent.
He is a better attacking flyhalf than the likes of Lambie, Grant, Steyn and if he can just be consistent he would offer us more options at test level imho.
@beet (Comment 29) : yip; Elton is their General…
@wpw (Comment 35) :
Yea that would be awesome . He had a good currie cup 2010 . a horrid start to super rugby but in the last few games he looked a lot better . and so far in this currie cup he looked good . He just needs that confidence.
@Megatron (Comment 34) : I’m not getting ahead of myself. You’ve misunderstood me.
Merely pointing to the fact that SA rugby now has a first-5/8 with the initials DC.
Never meant it to be an indicator that a St Johns boy who was a complete unknown 6 months ago is now suddenly in the same category as one of rugby’s best ever players.
@beet (Comment 38) : my bad
@wpw (Comment 35) : needs to work on his kicking, his attack is instinctive rather than creative ,he plays what he sees whereas guys like jean de villiers/dan carter seem to construct their attack.
@Talent (Comment 40) : he certainly kicked outstandibly against the sharks last weekend
i don’t get this part “his attack is instinctive rather than creative ,he plays what he sees whereas guys like jean de villiers/dan carter seem to construct their attack.”
what is to “construct” one’s attack?
@Megatron (Comment 41) : It means he plays for the Lions, not the sharks, and until he moves to durban, he will never be good enough, and until then, if we can’t find valid reasons to knock his game, we’ll just make some up.
@Megatron (Comment 41) : @Greg (Comment 42) : @Talent (Comment 40) :
if you cant beat them with constructive arguments bamboozle them with BS
@Greg (Comment 42) : At least he isnt so dik anymore.
@Salmonoid (Comment 45) : thats why he was breaking the line willynilly on saturday, michalak couldn’t hang on to elton
@Megatron (Comment 41) : Outstandibly???
@Megatron (Comment 46) : Ja, poor Fred was looking for the love handles.
@Dancing Bear (Comment 47) : yes a combo of outstanding and incredibly
@Salmonoid (Comment 48) : and with elton sporting a new 6-pack, he was left grasping thin air.
@Megatron (Comment 49) : Sweet, I like it, can I use it if I give you credit?