Isn’t it a little ironic that after being considered the “flyhalf factory” of South Africa for the last few years – and supplying countless promising young pivots to other provinces – the Blue Bulls now find themselves panicking somewhat as they look for an adequate backup option to Morne Steyn for next year’s Super 15?
The most recent news sees the Pretoria union in an audacious bid to secure the services of Griquas flyhalf Naas Olivier, a pretty utilitarian player who failed to set the scene alight in his last big time gig, with Western Province, although he does look a solid Currie Cup option. This comes hot on the heels of report that the Bulls are poised to pay a hefty transfer fee to get another Griquas player – wing Bjorn Basson – into their squad. One wonders if they’re planning on digging a big hole just next to Loftus in order to make the guys feel at home!
Outside of Steyn, who is in serious need of rest after being quite chronically overplayed for he last two seasons, the Bulls only really have Francois Brummer as a flyhalf option and it’s safe to say that he is a payer who has unfortunately failed to deliver on his age-group promise. Jacques-Louis Potgieter – who is looking average even at Currie Cup level right now – is one his way to the Sharks, just the latest in a long line of flyhalf talent to leave Pretoria in recent years. Potgeiter, Len Olivier, Ruan Boshoff, Burton Francis and Divan Kotze are just some of the junior flyhalves to have turned their backs on Loftus, while the province’s schools have produced countless more who have left even before under 19, including Willie du Plessis, an Affies boy currently playing for the Sharks juniors.
An interesting snippet that may have missed their attention, though, is the fact that Pumas pivot Elgar Watts has apparently decided to return to Boland next season, after only a year in Witbank. Watts is currently the third-highest try scorer in the Currie Cup, despite playing for one of the weakest sides and appears to be the complete package. He was again very impressive against Western Province this weekend, scoring his side’s only try with a lovely break that had the Province defence at sixes and sevens. Have the Bulls missed a trick, in aiming for the somewhat average Olivier when Watts was quite clearly on the transfer market?
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Why the hell would Watts go back to Boland?No my boy, not clever.
Sorry Bulls 🙄 😈
Well the simple answer is a resounding yes.
As for Elgar, he is a breed of flyhalf similar to Lambie and Jantjies which I am truly excited in seeing coming through in SA rugby at the moment.
I wonder if anyone can put the difference these guys bring technically and tactically into a team compared the the likes of the Steyn’s, De Waal’s etc we got so use to seeing in SA Rugby…?
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 1) :
Well he only has to compete against Louis Koen 😈
The only possible reason can be Loffie Eloff.
How are Boland looking at the moment? Any chance of them being promoted? As for the Griffons, it would be an absolute disaster for them if they ended up in the premier league because they wouldn’t then be able to use all the Cheetahs cast-offs. They’d take 100 each week.
Actually, bring it on. I love beating teams from the free state
@Morné (Comment 4) : Lol true
@robdylan (Comment 5) : Boland started well under Loffie but then seemed to have fallen off, they did however beat SWD over the weekend.
EP Kings looking lije they are heading up.
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 6) : do both teams have to play promo-relegation? Or is it only the second-placed team?
I am getting confused with EPL football, I think.
@robdylan (Comment 7) : According to Rugby365 its both teams
@robdylan (Comment 7) :
Bottom two in CC premier against top two in First division goes into a play-off.
If the bulls have messed up then surely everyone else has as well. Which province can say they have a good backup 10?
Not one other than the Sharks. Maybe they all missed a trick, maybe they all realise Watts is not THAT good, just yet.
@KSA Pink Shark © (Comment 10) :
WP has Oupa, Grant (will be back for Super rugby) and Cronje…
@Morné (Comment 9) : CC8 plays 1stDiv1, CC7 plays 1stDiv2. They play home and away. Team with the highest Aggregate points after the 2 matches will play CC next year. Well that was how it worked last year anyway. 🙂
Boland are 11 points behind 2nd placed SWD with a match in hand but only two rounds left, they will not get promoted.
@Morné (Comment 11) : Oh didn’t realise Grant will be back. Great stuff
@war1 (Comment 13) : so EP and SWD are guaranteed to play the promo-relegations matches?
@robdylan (Comment 15) : Yes, it seems like it. The irony is that Boland could win the 1st division via the semis but not get a shot at promotion, or at least that’s how I understand it.
they can always pay us a trandfer fee of R1,5mil and take Andre Pretorius 😉 then we can buy mapoe and use the R800 000 for JP and all is well in Sharks country…
what happens when SWD is liquidated?
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 1) : Watts got the talent, i`m just concerned about his place kicking. missed alot of kicks at goal in recent weeks…
@robdylan (Comment 18) : they get demoted to club champs… 😉
@VanWilder (Comment 20) : love it 🙂
“One wonders if they’re planning on digging a big hole just next to Loftus in order to make the guys feel at home!”
They don’t to the place is a hole. 😆
@try time (Comment 22) : true dat 🙂
rob flyahlf-flyhalf ear’s is missing the y. no malice intended.
anyone seen Greg on the site? i want to ask him what ever happened to Roland Bernard?
@VanWilder (Comment 25) : according to scrum.com he is at mont-de-marsan aka stade montois
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 1) :
You think he may have his sights set on making the Stormers set up for next year??
Please tell me De Waal’s contract ends after the current Currie Cup season! 🙄 😕
@robdylan (Comment 23) : i agree though, i feel watts is someone well worth his salt as backup flyhalf. he may not be ready for super rugby yet, but the right structures will definitely assist his progress. the sharks had already committed to meyer, bosman and jlp, before seeing watts’ quality, we can’t blame them for missing a trick. but agree bulls might have slipped up. unless watts is like us and dislikes the bulls.
@try time (Comment 24) : thanks
Wasn’t he supposed to be at the Sharks last year? Watts I mean
@VanWilder (Comment 25) : Nope, nobody on this site has seen me, only pictures of me 😆
@KSA Pink Shark © (Comment 10) :
Peter Grant
Lionel Cronje
De Waal 🙄
@war1 (Comment 30) : nah, you’re confusing him with Lionel Cornelius
@robdylan (Comment 33) : ah, my bad, any reason why that didn’t work out?
@Greg (Comment 31) : ahh, there you are… soooooo, interesting weekend coming up hey? 😉 u going to be there?
@war1 (Comment 34) : it was a rumour that seemingly had no basis in fact.
@robdylan (Comment 36) : like SO many of them, it seems
@war1 (Comment 37) : he he… fair enough
@VanWilder (Comment 35) : Am at this stage hping to be there, will depend on how things pan out, but will certainly be there in spirit, no matter what ❗ ❗
I wonder if the age-group flyhalves are leaving the Bulls because they tend to prefer a kicking gameplan? Must seem pretty dull to most youngsters who look up to guys like Carlos Spencer and Dan Carter.
Liefling (WP), Steyn (FS), Burton Francis (Boland), Wako Jako (everywhere but the Bulls) – what makes anyone think that the Bulls are a flyhalf factory?
They should start an import-export factory.
I conveyed my theory on this is to the guys in the office. i’m of the opinion that the Bulls relied to heavely on the same players everytime and actually lacked giving other players opportunities. I mean Victor, Morne, Habana, Fourie, Wynand were always playing. Even though they had age group players (who are currently leaving as indicated above), these players just saw a closed door in front of them. So they in esence lacked ‘real’ depth.
The sollution? The Bulls are either going have to buy players enmasse or languish at the bottom of the respective tournament logs. NEVER the Bulls guys said. Blahblablahblah they went on. And now I pointed out to them just how the Bulls are strugling in this years CC. They are extremely hopefull on the return of their Boks to secure the CC for them. I for one, hope that the Sharks do not just include their Boks at once (disrupt continuity?) In any case…..is’nt there a rule that says that a player had to play more than two games for his province in order to qualify to play in the semi’s and final? (i might have overlooked that certain Boks have played two games for their provinces.
Maybe, I don’t think Naas is a bad signing though…
I heard this morning that the Bulls confirmed the signing of Bjorn Basson…very good signing for them IMO. Basson is the best wing under a high ball in the country and it will suit the Bulls style of play very well.
It’s official: Bjorn Basson has signed with the Bulls and will make his way to Loftus after this year’s Currie Cup 😈
@Jarson (Comment 45) : Now the Cheetahs are going to be pissed 😈 😆
@Jarson (Comment 45) : I beat you by 50 seconds 😆
@Jarson (Comment 46) : I wonder what the transfer fee was?
@Jarson (Comment 45) : Good signing,doesnt say a lot about Akona coming back or gvdh for that matter
@ruggabugga (Comment 49) : GvdH and Basson will be 1st choice probably, Akona is also getting old in the tooth now 🙂
@Pokkel (Comment 48) :As far I know, they didn’t say how much. @Pokkel (Comment 47) : Stupid slow MTN 😈
@ruggabugga (Comment 49) : @Jarson (Comment 50) :
Sampie Mastriet is also a good prospect but he might still be too green. He has plenty of pace but needs to seriously bulk up!!
@wpw (Comment 52) :and jaco is too ballie!!
grasp (clutch, grab) at straws (a straw)
Etymology
This idiom refers to a drowning man grabbing any floating object, even a straw, to save himself. It was first used by Thomas More in Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation (1534).
Verb
grasp (clutch, grab) at straws (a straw)
1. trying to find some way to succeed when nothing you choose is likely to work.
2. trying to find reasons to feel hopeful about a bad situation.
3. hoping/wishing/praying that the Bulls may fail. see also: Super 14, Champions.
Fyndraai, you are a real piece of work 😉
@robdylan (Comment 55) :
On a more serious note, you wrote a good article, it made me think. First of a good pearler and then that Naas Olivier is probably a very good fit as a back-up for the Bulls.
He is maybe not the most talented runner, but a good kicking fly-half, very much like Derrick Hougaard. They had great success with him, even if you take into account that they should have lost that final.
That’s the genius of the Bulls’ game-plan. It’s not so depended on scarce Dan Carter like talents.