Although I think you’re being premature, my pick is Chiefs by 10.

OJ – On the road is irrelevant, they won enough games on the road to get a home final.

I just find that the term great is thrown around a little too loosely here

Realise it is your opinion and your personal definition of greatness, I beg to differ that’s all.

So yes Sam a team can be classed as great but this years Bull team is far from great. They are a solid outfit but they are not a great outfit, Great teams don’t get humiliated like the Bulls were in Palmerston North. Great teams stamp their authority at times the Bulls barely scraped by and at times when they did get past it was amid controversy.

All credit to the Bulls getting where they are however I don’t hear or see anyone else calling them great except their own fans and media.

I thought the Brumbies sides that won their two titles were great teams. Even the Crusaders of 1998 – 2000 weren’t great teams in terms of dominance during the regular season. Those three consecutive titles were a great and unprecedented achievement (especially since they were all away from home) but the Blues were the better performing team during 1998, the Highlanders in 1999 and the Brumbies in 2000. It wasn’t until their all conquering season in 2002 and the manner in which it was achieved that you could say that the Crusaders were a great team. Where teams will always struggle in comparison against the Crusaders is their sheer consistency, but other sides throughout the years do qualify to being called a great team based upon their performances throughout the year.

It’s very similar in respects to how the All Blacks are the most consistent team in world rugby and are the benchmark for other teams, but not every All Black team that’s taken the field could be called great.

i cant see it on the Setanta guide either. If anyone has ideas please let me know.

Cheers

T Mtawarira, Jannie Duplessis
B du Plessis, Smit can cover here
J Smit (captain),
Matfield
Botha/Bekker,
H Brüssow, Bench Burger
Juan Smith,
Spies/R Kankowski.
Du Preez, he is the best, Vermaak as backup, cant stand Kockheads attitude.
Morne Steyn/Pienaar bench
Habbana / Nokwe
Jean Devieliers / Bench Waynand Olievier
Fourie no doubt
JP Pieterson
Zane Kirchner

Sure PDV is playing around with new talent but there are far more talented young players to test with then ROSE!!!

I hope for my sake you are right.

If I go back to 2005 some of the smaller unions such as Southland and Taranaki gave the Lions a real fright for a large portion of the game both of these unions only having populations of 100,000 people which while they both lost it does put it into perspective a little what they were up against

E Rose; J Nokwe, M Newman, M Bosman, O Ndungane; P Grant, R Januarie; T Mtawarira, B du Plessis, J Smit (captain), J Muller, A Bekker, H Brüssow, J Deysel, R Kankowski.

January has done nothing this season, Rose is the biggest joke in SA rugby, Newman is unheard of and warmed the bench 99% of the season. Add to that one dimensional Grant and you only have one person to smile about in the back line and it’s a wing. Ill be surprised if Nokwe gets his hand on the ball.

Rose and Newman are no-bodies and playing out of position to boot. Expect Derick Hougard to kick the hell out of the back three, he will be smiling when he reads the paper this morning. This Namibian team is no joke, they have some solid player’s imagine the boks and the Bulls lose sure games this weekend.

Your right about the Lions tour being able to help divert some of the attention away should the unlikely event of a lose occur but what makes you think they won’t spin it into Titanic proportions. After experiencing the Lions media machine of 05 Temba noone could avoid it. Temba I’d be very cautious it won’t be long before the Lions PR people find something to blow completely out of proportion like they always do and a lose in a S14 final would be a gold mine for them.

Actually I’m sure their PR team goes out of their way to spin something to divert the attention away from their own performances.
Lets hope like hell its a close and fair final without any dubious calls or ugly incidents.

P.s Boks 3-0 for the series this Lions doesn’t look that hot as is being made out and I would have to agree with Smit that this years crop of Springboks look a little more confident than those from 07.

As you have pointed out before the comp has been very close with even sides like the reds and the lions putting big scores on top level teams. So in this way I say its who ever comes to game day with game.

If we go back to February most would not have agreed that the Bulls would be in the final and finished top of the log, so its not all disappointment. I suppose the 50 000 people in blue at Loftus would feel robbed most.

Anyways as said before too, the Lions are in town, that at least will divert the attention from a home final loss.

re last post, if the Chiefs go against the odds and beat them it makes them a great team too. I dont claim the bulls are the greatest of all time but I think they have shown in the last couple of years that they can roll with the greats.

Rusty, Temba in all honesty what kind of reaction would you expect should the Bulls lose the unloseable?

what’s the alternative – all Aussies with Dickinson in charge and Goddard and Marks on the line … FFS no thanks – one thing this game does not need is a Dickinson mess backed up by two incompetent sidekicks …

Kaplin is one of the few who I believe will be able to handle the crowd pressure … Lawrence did an ok job last weekend but I reckon the crowd got to him a bit in the end … esp when the penalty / free kick count against the Bulls really took off early in the first half … he started to ease off a bit and gave them a bit more latitude … I can’t see Kaplin letting it effect him as much …

Will they be extra harsh on the Bulls as not to give the impression of favouring their home team?
Or will they make calls in favour of the Bulls and effectively whistle the Chiefs out of the game completely?

The South Africans have had to deal with the travel for years so I guess everyone else has to deal with it and in some ways it does give teams the insight into what they have to deal with.

But isn’t it ironic that certain teams are allowed to moan about travel but others aren’t?

Do you have anything to add that you have not said over and over before? What do you think of my game plan mentioned above?

I’m not chomping your head off at all Temba just need to give you a taste of reality your getting carried away with your one eyed patriotism son. Just pull it in a little your Bulls are not doing anything that hasn’t been done before.

As for earning their home final yourright but they did it amongst much controversy and we could argue all night long but there’s no point.

As for your pathetic attempt to be funny Temba what I was alluding to is that everything is stacked highly in the Bulls favour and anything but a win will be an almighty choke. If they win its expected, should they lose it will have to be the biggest choke in history. From all the self promoting hype from the Bulls and SA it would be very hard not to come to any other conclusion.

Once again the Bulls are a good team and should win.
Just don’t start counting your chickens before they hatch son

Now how in any way is this being nasty please explain to me?

There is nothing nasty about my comments Temba it just is downright plain obvious you will not accept someone not rating your team as highly as you do. Get a grip son like you say above this is a opinion column buddy.

That or the Chiefs score early tries force the Bulls to play expansive catch-up rugby and then look to out run the bulls out wide. The Chiefs will need to neutralize Matfield and Steyn. How will they do this… I certainly don’t know.

I don’t think that’s an entirely accurate account of the 2004 final. The Crusaders mounted the mother of all comeback attempts in that final. Even when Roff sealed it, they still kept attacking. The only consolation try was the one Carter scored after full time. The Crusaders only really had a glimmer of hope with 20 minutes to play, but people were so impressed with their fightback that Mehrtens earnt an ill-fated recall to the All Blacks.

Kaplan selection could work against the Bulls too.

I predict a solid outing for him, let’s not judge him before he has done his job.

The Bulls aren’t legends yet but the are certainly a great team. This is my opinion and many others. You can bring up stats from when ape men wondered the planet, its not going to change what is happening in the now.

2nd title in 3 years if they win it… it’s not bad. I know you hate them, you have repeatedly state that “they are good but not great”. I am sure everyone has heard it by now. I feel like talking about Rugby, take your nasty arguments to another website.

You see if the Bulls win it will be as expected any other result will send the media and fans into overdrive.

Lets just Hope I don’t have to rename you Stuart come Sunday.