I’m starting to worry that this Super Rugby pre-season friendly round-robin has finally managed to addle my brain! I’m seeing team announcements coming through thick and fast and will happily admit to having completely lost track of who is playing whom – and why!
The major source of confusion for me is that fact that the Cheetahs seem to be playing in three completely different warm up games on the same weekend. On Friday, the Cheetahs play the Bulls in Pretoria (I think this has been billed as a B-team, or Vodacom Cup warm up), then on Saturday the Cheetahs play the Bulls (again) in Polokwane, in what looks to be closer to a full-strength encounter. On the same day, wait for it, the Cheetahs play against Griquas in Kimberley, with nobody really all that sure of the nature of the encounter.
Now, making matters even more confusing, the Cheetahs B team playing at Loftus contains a whole host of Griquas players; that’s a little weird to start off with, though. If it’s a Vodacom Cup warm up, why are the Griquas guys playing for Free State, since they don’t operate as a combined entity in that competition. The consequence of that is that it reduces the game in Kimberley to a veritable “Griquas B v Free State C” encounter, which I can’t work out any reason for staging in the first place. Surely there must be a club game these people can watch? Another interesting fact about this game is that the Griquas second side seems to be full of discarded Lions players.
For the record, here are the teams playing in all three of the games. I note with interest that Dan Adonga and Rayne Gerber are due to start for the Bulls B side in Pretoria on Friday.
Friday game:
Blue Bulls:15 Jurgen Visser, 14 Sampie Mastriet, 13 Ulrich Beyers, 12 Adri Jacobs, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Lionel Cronjé, 9 Ruan Snyman, 8 Jean Cook, 7 Daniel Adongo, 6 Shaun Adendorff, 5 Cornell Hess, 4 Gerrit-Jan van Velze, 3 Rayno Gerber, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Dawie Steyn.
Substitutes: 16 Robbie Coetzee, 17 Louis Alberts, 18 Schalk van Heerden, 19 Victor Hechter, 20 Xander Redelinghuys, 21 Tony Jantjies, 22 William Small-Smith, 23 Travis Ismaiel, 24 Vincent Koch, 25 Marvin Orrie.
Cheetahs:15 Riaan Smit,14 Dusty Noble,13 Jean Stemmet,12 Barry Geel,11 Wilmaure Louw,10 Sias Ebersohn,9 Tewis de Bruyn,8 Philip van der Walt,7 Justin Downey,6 Johan Wessels,5 Waltie Vermeulen,4 George Earle,3 Lourens Adriaanse,2 Ryno Barnes,1 Marcel van der Merwe
Substitutes: 16 Hercu Liebenberg,17 Eugene Butterworth,18 Ockie van Zyl,19 Leon Karemaker,20 Marnus Hugo,21 Marnitz Boshoff,22 Matthew Rosslee,23 Philip Burger
Saturday games:
Bulls: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 Johann Sadie, 12 Francois Venter, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 CJ Stander, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle (captain), 1 Dean Greyling.
Substitutes: 16 Willie Wepener, 17 Frik Kirsten, 18 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 19 Arno Botha, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Louis Fouché, 22 JJ Engelbrecht.
Cheetahs: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Rayno Benjamin, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Philip Snyman, 11 Rocco Jansen, 10 Johan Goosen, 9 Pieter van Zyl, 8 Davon Raubenheimer, 7 Ashley Johnson, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Izak van der Westhuizen, 4 Andries Ferreira, 3 WP Nel, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Trevor Nyakane.
Substitutes: 16 Ryno Barnes,17 Lourens Adriaanse,18 Francois Uys,19 Philip van der Walt,20 Tewis de Bruyn,21 Sias Ebersohn, 22 Hennie Daniller,23 Andries Strauss
Griquas: 15 Rudi Vogt; 14 Jannie Boshoff, 13 PJ Vermeulen, 12 Walter Venter, 11 Lolo Waka; 10 Pieter Myburgh, 9 Zandré Swart; 8 Burger Schoeman, 7 Jonathan Adendorff, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Ligtoring Landman (capt), 4 Jaco Nepgen, 3 Ivan Espag, 2 Matt Dobson, 1 Steph Roberts.
Substitutes: 16 Simon Westraad, 17 Janro van Niekerk, 18 Gerhard Baard, 19 Werner Badenhorst, 20 Jacques Coetzee, 21 Richard Gum, 22 Divan Strauss, 23 Tiaan Knoetze.
Free State: 15 Marco Masson; 14 Sethu Tom, 13 Stevie Meyer, 12 Shaun Lombard, 11 Leeroy Bitterhout; 10 Danie Sharrat, 9 Willie Viljoen; 8 Inus Ras, 7 Egbert Ras, 6 Oscar Limani, 5 Charl Schultz, 4 Neil Claassen, 3 Justin Pappin, 2 Elandré Hugget, 1 JP Botes.
Substitutes: 16 Anton Earl,17 Don Manus,18 Ockie Van Zyl,19 Dries van Schalkwyk,20 Daron Colby,21 Johan van Schalkwyk,22 Franco van der Merwe, 23 Mzuvukile Duma, 24 Mauritz Henderson, 25 Mo Mpafi, 26 Andre de Villiers
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I’m lost..
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 1) : you and me both
It makes sense. The Cheetahs SR team is really the only combination team in SA – being made up of Vrystaat and Griquas players. So a little tricker for them to prep for the VcC coz the Cheetahs SR “B-team” is not their VcC team like in other SR regions.
By playing each other, both Unions are simply using the opport to give guys who will make the balance of their VcC sides to get some match fitness.
This is Cheetah country. Since when were things supposed to make sense to outsiders? 😛
Some of those guys are listed in more than one match 22.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 4) : 😆
Re the Griquas team so thats where former Lion Jannie Boshoff has gone. I know he was released from his Lions contract last year. I’d like to see Marnus Schoeman involved at some point in this years Super 15 but probably unlikely sinces he’s behind Brussouw and Wessels in the No6 queue.
@slammerboy (Comment 7) : Jannie Boshoff is a good player! I like him at centre. He’s in the Jacque Fourie mould. Big, strong and quick!
I agree about Schoeman! He’s quick to the ball and plays with a lot of heart! Cheetahs have a lot of depth with him, Floors and Peter Labuschagne not even making the squad!
The Bulls v Cheetahs main game should be interesting.
Why can’t someone bring the Sharks to Limpopo? Its always Bulls, Cheetahs or Lions coming here