The Super 15 has finally got under way and if SANZAR hoped to build on the hype they created pre-season with the new format they would have been sorely disappointed. After a few boring fixtures, many hoped that the Saturday evening fixtures would provide some real Super Rugby.
Sharks v Cheetahs
The first of the South African matches was played at a wet and miserable Kings Park. Going into the competition, many believed that the Cheetahs would benefit from the new format due to their track record against local teams. Comparing the Currie Cup to Super Rugby is pointless. The fact is that the Cheetahs are terrible in Super Rugby and nothing has changed here.
Conditions contributed to a stop-start affair but both teams also lacked structure and discipline. The Sharks surprisingly struggled at line-out time and the Cheetahs got pinned way too often in the scrums.
There was a lot of aimless kicking specifically by the Cheetahs, and although one could forgive them for employing this tactic given the conditions, the poor execution of this cannot be excused. At times I got the impression that the Free State team thought they were playing a game of gaining grounds which contributed absolutely nothing to the fixture.
The Sharks will be happy with the 4 points, but will know that they have to raise their game if they want to be a contender in 2011.
Lions v Bulls
The resurgent Lions promised much in the build-up to the Super 15 and almost delivered on Saturday night in Johannesburg.
A composed Bulls team looked like defending Super rugby champs in the first 40 minutes of the game against a Lions team which appeared nervous.
With a half-time lead of 24-5, one would never have thought that the Bulls would have to defend their line in the final 5 minutes to avoid what would have been a magnificent victory for the home team. But they did, and as is expected from a champion team, did it successfully.
For the Lions this will be just the tonic to go into the tournament with some confidence and although 2nd place is never good enough as coach John Mitchell said, they will take more out of 40 minutes on Saturday than what they did in 13 games last year.
For the Bulls, one has to ask how they let a lead like that slip. Given the lack of pre-season preparation for most of the senior or first-choice members one might have expected some rustiness, but that was not really the problem – they just did not seem fit enough to complete 80 minutes of rugby which should serve as a warning.
Also given they had to make more than double the amount of tackles (over 200), kicked the ball twice as many times and gained less than half the meters the Lions did in the overall game stats, questions may rightly be asked whether their approach to Super rugby is correct in the 2011 version.
I can’t see the Lions being title contenders in 2011 and I’m sure the management realise this. They have a young team with experienced players in the right positions, but they need time to grow. South Africa needs the Lions back to where they belong and a mid-table finish seems pretty likely after what we saw on Saturday night
