Frans Ludeke must be wondering why he still bothers even going on these trips to Australia and New Zealand. Surely he’s growing tired of the pitchfork-toting crowds that always seem to be waiting for him at international arrivals on his return?
So, predictably, the Bulls are in crisis. Amazingly enough, so much of what we predicted a fortnight ago seems to be coming true. They hired a coach who has a proven track record at this level (a track record of proven failure, that is) and have already felt it necessary to haul out the dreaded “vote of confidence” in his abilities. This after the second week thrashing at the hands of the Crusaders. The equally laughable fiasco around the appointment of a backline specialist saw Bok winger Pieter Rossouw appointed after first coice Nico le Roux had been shown the door. le Roux apparently lacked hands-on coaching experience, which makes Rossouw’s selection seem even more ludicrous.
To compound the self-inflicted problems of poor coaching, they are beset with personnel issues both on and off the field. About the only positive to come out of last week’s humiliation in Brisbane was the fact that, for the first time this season, none of their players were cited for any foul play. It seems the fight had gone out of this team, quite literally. We know that some of them (like Bakkies Botha) quite clearly no longer want to be there. Others are woefully out of form (such as du Preez, Olivier, Hougaard and Habana). There is a further group whose potential is being stifled through being played out of position (Steyn, Rossouw, Kuün) and the reluctance to embrace the new laws is hurting them further still. Not to mention the fourth group (including Nel and Demas) who are just plain not good enough at this level.
Ludeke will not survive this tour. I guess it just remains to be seen whether the Bulls can be convincing enough to convince Heyneke Meyer to come in and do an ambulance job. Fourie du Preez will be stripped of the captaincy as well, with Wikus van Heerden the logical choice to succeed him. This latter change should be made as soon as possible, to give du Preez some space to start getting back into the sort of form that made him the best player in the world a few years back. Potgieter and Stegmann need to start, as neither Rossouw or Wannenberg are effective loose forwards under the new laws.
Getting Morne Steyn back to inside centre is also a must and yet again, the decision not to bring a fullback along on tour is really starting to become a huge problem for them. I see the latest plan involves paying Habana at the back – a position he has never played before. This would, of course, mean that the woeful Demas will be at wing again. I reckon Sivivatu, Masaga and the boys are rubbing their hands in delight.
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I wonder if Steve Hofmeyr has thrown away his Blou trui yet?
Very soon Die Blou Bulle are going to be eating af van die vloer af.
Niiiiiice 😈
Pretty much spot on – and surely Slaptjips must take flack for the awful defensive effort and lack of enterprise on attack by the backs.
Habana would normally be very good at fullback – a position a good rugby-kenner friend of mine has been punting for him for 2 years now.
Steyn at 12 will help both Wynand at 13 and Lifling at 10, while finally seeing the obvious and having a quicker loose trio will help the whole team no end.
Not rocket science surely? 🙄
stupid is as stupid does, after all
Does this rugby-kenner friend of yours ever visit us here, Fish?
I still say Adams to 9 and Fourie to 10…
Wynand needs more than “help” at 12.
I wouldn’t write the Bulls off just yet though – they seem to come from nowhere and next thing you know, they are biting at your ankles on the log.
Nah Rob – he is a joruno (WP fan) I have been trying to lure to our fair shores for some time now.
My next trick is to tell him that we have lots of hot ladies posting here…
Anything would be better than the F show thats going on at the moment, Adams is quick base and i doubt Fourie can stand as deep as Ougaat stands.
Would be interesting.
Liefling cant be blamed for this – and I do think it was a bit of a fluke performance.
Trying a great 9 at 10 is surely the wrong thing to do when your team is falling apart. I think that with a few changes and some intelligent (I know guys, I know) decision-making, they can still win – their gameplan has always been about brawn rather than brain anyway.
I think i may have met said journo, is he the dude with the fiery red hair and crazy eyes?
LMAO!!!
Das da one!
Good chap that.
Thing is Fish, their plan is going nowhere,before they could honestly say they physically dominated other teams now they aren’t even handing out a bruise or two,and when they realise this, they get frustrated and hand out the now customary spear tackle.
Ol Vic soema injured his knee to avoid coming back to this mess.
sounds like Murph…
I still say that no team can loose Habana. Bakkies (only recently back from injury), Matfield, Gary Botha (no man, seriously) and heyneke meyer and still roll on all smoothly. Will take some time to get back.
Added to this, the Rules suit them less than any other team!
Fish your comment is fair, if it was any other team then i would cut them some slack but its not!
What is it with these red-heads hey Rob?
PJLD – its ok, ek verstaan.
75-14?
😆 😆 😆
Eish 🙄
eina!
Hehehe!
Its ok pjld – I feel the same way about Super 14 Final 2007.
If I had my connections with me at the stadium, Byran Habana was a dead man. 🙁
Did any of you guys notice that JP Nel and Bakkies both only served about 8 and a half minutes in the sin bin? What that our guys should be that lucky.
Bit harsh on FDP… the only shining light in a team woefully out of sinc…
Die Bulle moet net almal ge-circumsise word… 🙄
really? I thought he was also playing as poorly as the rest of them.
FDP…ag man, Kockott sal hom a fading star maak… 😈
FDP hasn’t been bad, but if he has appeared as a shining light, its only cos he has been like a birthday candle in the midst of an Eskom-inspired blackout by comparison with the rest of the Cows.