Unbeata-Bulls are creating a new Super dynasty
Columnist
By Spiro Zavos, 31 May 2010 Spiro Zavos is a Roar Expert
- Tagged:
- Bulls, Fourie du Preez, Rugby Union, Stormers, Super 14 final, Super 15, Super Rugby, Victor Matfield
Bulls captain Victor Matfield, center, celebrate with teammates after winning the Super 14 rugby match at the Orlando stadium in Soweto, South Africa, Saturday May 29, 2010. Bulls beat Stommers 25-19. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
The Bulls won their 20th consecutive home victory in a gripping and ferocious Super 14 final when they defeated a brave Stormers side 25 – 17 at Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
The Bulls now have three trophies in the last four years. They also join the Blues and the Crusaders as the only teams in Super Rugby to win back-to-back tournament victories.
The Bulls franchise is the new Super Rugby dynasty.
This is a dynasty built on a game plan designed for altitude (the Bulls are unbeaten in 20 consecutive home matches). It’s carried out by outstanding players all over the field, with two great players, Victor Matfield as the aerial specialist and Fourie du Preez, the best South African halfback since World War II, totally dominating their spheres of influence.
The Bulls demonstrated once again in the final their massive physical presence all over the field. They out-muscled the Stormers, a big and aggressive pack in its own right, with their blitzkrieg tactics of high balls and thunderous charges into the rucks and mauls. They forced three penalties, all converted, from a powerful scrum.
They also scored a clever try which kicked the side out to a 16 – 0 lead, which looked at the time, and proved to be, an unassailable advantage. Once again the key to the try was the impeccable timing of a pass by du Preez.
The Bulls ran a smash-and-grab forward push. The Stormers lined up with a slight gap between Adriaan Fondse guarding the ruck and Andries Bekker second man in the line. The stocky, electric-fast winger Francois Hougaard came from the blindside and scooted through the small gap to clear out for the try.
The mark of the Bulls, especially at altitude, is their ruthless finishing, either in scoring the crucial try or forcing a penalty or (and this was a rare occasion when Steyne missed his one attempt) knocking over a dropped goal.
They play a hard shouldered game in which they put continual pressure on the opposition with high balls which are chased relentlessly. It was significant, for example, that even Bryan Habana was pressured into dropping a high ball.
It is this chase, the best in Super Rugby for the last three years, that forces oppositions into making mistakes. Also it allows the Bulls to really punish opponents by smashing them to the ground. After the first 15 minutes, the Stormers had lost several players with injuries.
It is salutary for struggling franchises to remember that only six years ago the Bulls were a joke in Super Rugby. They were hardly able to win any games, even at home.
Slowly a team and a playing style has been put together that reflects the lung-bursting conditions of playing at altitude. Even the loss to the Stormers of Bryan Habana and Jacque Fourie to the Lions (two of the Bulls’ stars last season) has not weakened the Bulls to any great extent.
So the last Super 14 tournament has ended with the best team in the competition enjoying a convincing well-played and well-coached victory.
The season started with most pundits, myself included, dismayed about the boring kickathons of the 2008 season. The interpretation of the laws were tweaked or enforced to allow sides going into the tackle to have all the rights in placing the ball.
The final was a gripping game that revealed all the best about the unpredictability of rugby, even when it is played by a well-structured disciplined team like the Bulls.
The opening sequence in the final, for instance, with both teams running the ball wide, lasted 1 minute and 39 seconds, a lung-busting period of time at altitude. But to the credit of both sides they were still going hammer and tongs at each other at the end with the Stormers making a long series of plays to at least finish off the game (or attempt to finish it off) in style.
The player of the memorable match and of the tournament in my opinion was Fourie du Preez, the best player in the world right now and one of the great halfbacks in the history of the game.
A final point: 2010 is the last Super 14 tournament. Next year we have a Super 15 which involves more matches in each of the SANZAR countries. The Bulls have set the benchmark now and it will be fascinating to see how the other Super Rugby franchises try to stop their current dominance.
My guess is that this dynasty has a couple of years to run, or at least until Matfield and du Preez leave the team.
It’s game on now for the Super 15 tournament of 2011.
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TembaVJ said | May 31st 2010 @ 8:11am | Report comment
A good s14 comes to an end… now for the international season.
The Boks could clean up this season but instead sending a 2nd string team to wales this weekend.
I suppose the 3N is what really counts.
Will be interesting.
I was wondering if anyone can do an article on the format of the s15 next year, still not exactly sure on how it works.
pothale said | May 31st 2010 @ 9:59am | Report comment
“The Boks could clean up this season but instead sending a 2nd string team to wales this weekend.”
Indeed Temba. Though I note that SARU rarely comes out giving out about NH sending weakened teams down South. It’s mainly the O’Neill/Tew axis.
Lee said | May 31st 2010 @ 8:17am | Report comment
“Even the loss to the Stormers of Bryan Habana and Jacque Fourie to the Lions (two of the Bulls’ stars last season) has not weakened the Bulls to any great extent.”
Sorry Spiro but Fourie was a Lion for a number of seasons and then moved to the Stormers – he was never a Bull.
Nice article though, not sold that the Bulsl form will translate into Boks, but hopefully.
Ivan Nel said | June 2nd 2010 @ 1:25am | Report comment
thanks I was about to comment on that.
Apelu Tielu said | May 31st 2010 @ 8:17am | Report comment
This is, in my view, a main problem with super rugby. Only 4 teams have won it in 15 years. In can get boring, but not sure what the solution. May be the new 6-team finals might change the patterns.
True Tah said | May 31st 2010 @ 8:42am | Report comment
Whats wrong with having teams performing consistently? Crusaders, Bulls and Blues have stamped their presence on Super rugby at differant times.
The finals format of Super 14 favours the best performing teams for the whole year, and by restricting it to four, it makes it a lot tougher to win – would you prefer the NRL system of having 50% of all teams qualify for the finals?
The English Premier League is pretty much a four horse race, yet that is the biggest sporting comp in the world.
TembaVJ said | May 31st 2010 @ 8:52am | Report comment
I am with you TT but I will say it’s a cycle, no one stays on top for ever. Who knows perhaps the Reds can go next.
Like Spiro points out, lots of old heads in the Bulls as too with the Crusaders. Sure if Matflied and Du Preez retire after the RWC the bulls will take a knock but not as hard as say McCaw and Carter leaving.
The Bulls stock seems to be very well maintained. Look at Van der Heever, where the hell did he come from? To loose Habanna and still find an able replacement?
Mr Saunders said | May 31st 2010 @ 9:28pm | Report comment
Arguably the Crusaders have been far, far more badly hit by player drain over the past few seasons, and whilst losing Carter and McCaw would be a huge blow, potentially the Bulls are likely to lose Steenkamp, G. Botha, Rossouw, B. Botha, Matfield, Du Preez and Olivier.
Brett McKay said | May 31st 2010 @ 8:48am | Report comment
Apelu, I happen to think 4 winners in 15 years just adds to the prestige of Super 12/14, it proves that dominant teams need to be created organically, rather than artificially through salary caps or the like. It puts the onus on teams to lift their game in order just to compete. I don’t know how many different teams have run last in the same period, and I suspect it’s more than 4, but I’d be surprised if it’s more than half the teams. That further highlights the teams that haven’t made any ground in 15 years..
Apelu Tielu said | May 31st 2010 @ 10:34am | Report comment
Agree Brett, as I detest the illegal salary cap practice, utterly. But I’m a compassionate person, and I feel for the long-suffering Tah fans. We in Brumby land have tasted it twice. We know how sweet it is, and I thought the cup should be passed around so they (the Tah fans), also, may experience heaven on earth.
Rusty said | May 31st 2010 @ 4:47pm | Report comment
classic
ilikedahoodoogurusingha said | May 31st 2010 @ 5:02pm | Report comment
I too, am compassionate AT……but not that compassionate!!! Let them suffer a little longer
Jerry said | May 31st 2010 @ 10:28pm | Report comment
How do feel about the legal salary cap practice?
Justin said | May 31st 2010 @ 8:18am | Report comment
The match was ferocious. The Bulls defence was the best it has been all year and was the key to victory. Bekker will be disappointed with his match after a stunning season. He was the one who messed up the defence for the try and also gave away a stupid penalty when they had a shot at goal to close within a few points and get some momentum.
Clearly to beat the Boks this year teams must make their tackles, particularly close to the rucks. Also choose wingers comfortable under the highball. The way the forwards charge with ball in hand is awesome. But make your tackles and I think they are beatable. There was very little ball playing or off-loading in the tackle so the game was played from ruck to ruck mainly.
Well done Bulls a superb effort.
Justin said | May 31st 2010 @ 8:20am | Report comment
Oh and I wish the SA stadiums would ban those stupid bloody horns forever! That was the most annoying thing I have put it with while watching sport ever….
Mike G said | May 31st 2010 @ 1:25pm | Report comment
Agreed Justin, was the same in the Top 14 final too…bloody annoying
lucyfanclub said | May 31st 2010 @ 8:35am | Report comment
TembaVJ,
Go to:
http://www.superxv.com
There’s a whole section that explains the new format.
Brett McKay said | May 31st 2010 @ 8:50am | Report comment
Temba, I saved this just the other week from a post OJ provided on the S15:
Super 15 format
The Super 15 is supposed to work like this:
Stage One: The first domestic rounds
The tournament will start each team playing all the other teams in their own conference. (4 Matches per team)
Stage Two: The cross conference rounds
The teams then play four of the five teams in each of the other two conferences. The missed team in each cross conference stage will change on a five year rotation, e.g. it may be that the Crusaders would skip the Bulls and the and Force one year, the Lions and Reds the next, the Brumbies and Sharks the next, and so on. They could, of course, still meet in the post- season.
NOTE: This system is very similar to the way the cross-conference system works in the NFL regular season.
These eight games will be a mix of two home and two away games from each conference. (8 Matches per team)
Stage Three: The return domestic rounds
The tournament then goes back to a conference format again and another four rounds of domestic matches but with the venues reversed. This means that each team in a conference will have a home and an away match with their fellow conference teams by the end of the tournament. (Another 4 matches)
Once these three stages are complete teams will have played a total of 16 round-robin games.
Mid Competition Break
The All Blacks, Springboks and Wallabies will host tours from international teams – historically from the Northern Hemisphere – these are usually known as the June tours. Once the June tours are complete, the Super 15 resumes and the finals start.
NOTE: Due to 2011 being a Rugby World Cup year the June Internationals appear have been suspended across the board.
Stage Four : Post season
The finals are in an expanded format and will feature six teams rather than the Super14’s four team format. The six teams will be made up of the conference winners and the three next teams with the highest total number of points, therefore Australia, South Africa and New Zealand will each be guaranteed to have at least one team participating in the finals. The post season draw is determined follows:
► The top team in each conference will automatically qualify for the post season
► The top two ranked conference winners get a first round bye to home semi-finals
► The remaining four are ranked to determine the quarter-final draw. The third conference winner is automatically the third qualifier (and therefore top quarterfinalist) regardless of table points.
Quarter Final Draw
QF1 3rd at home v 6th
QF2 4th at home v 5th
Semi-final Draw
SF1 2nd at home v QF1 winner
SF2 1st at home v QF2 winner
Final
Higher Ranked SF winner at home v Lower ranked SF winner
The expanded finals is expected to start in July and will therefore finish in early August.
TembaVJ said | May 31st 2010 @ 8:52am | Report comment
tnx Brett
ilikedahoodoogurusingha said | May 31st 2010 @ 5:04pm | Report comment
I heard on the ABC today that the draft draw has been leaked for next year. Brumbies fans may like it…..the team we don’t play in the regular season next year is the Bulls.
ISO said | May 31st 2010 @ 9:26am | Report comment
Spiro,
A brilliant, well compiled article – one cannot expect less.
When it comes to an international final, technicalities need to be accounted for. The Stormers did not play their best, at times it seemed they hadn’t pitched.
In fairness and due respect to the Bulls on a great performance, it’s a pity there were two sets of rules – when one witnesses various, including Skipper, John Smit and Montgomery – both seasoned and capped players of a high genre, shake their heads in obvious disagreement at the ref’s ruling – one has to think again. I don’t personally have a vested interest in either team albeit both teams have certain players who are admirable.
Fourie du Preez rendered a stunning performance! Morne Steyn was indeed well covered by the stormers, but his involvement in toto was great, combined with his accuracy through the goal posts. If it were not for du Preez & Steyn – sorry and the ref, one has to wonder what an objectively fair outcome would have been – taking nothing away from the dominating Bulls as paradoxically as it may appear.
Not so sure about the Bok team retaining certain, integral players – i.e. Fourie du Preez, Grant, Pienaar – and perhaps Bakkies Botha – if there’s truth to these rumours, the Bok team as a whole may face a downward spiral – I hope not.
Albeit, I’ve given my two-pence worth, at the end of the day, as you cite in your article Spiro, the Bulls are a force to be reckoned with.
johnny-boy said | May 31st 2010 @ 9:34am | Report comment
Rubbish Spiro given the Reds ran both the Stormers and Bulls ragged this year. The South African sides are never as scary as the South Africans and media make them out to be. Like all lumbering oversized insecure cheap shot (or is that bite) cowardly bullies, as soon as you stand up to them they go to water. Mind you, I can’t believe the South Africans are actually running it a bit this year, What’s got in to them ?
Kuri said | May 31st 2010 @ 10:28am | Report comment
The Blues also beat the Bulls and they were run closest at home by The Tahs, Crusaders and Hurricanes.
What people are forgetting is that the majority of the Springboks are combined within these two SA teams so it’s no big surprise that they are doing so well.
Hoy said | May 31st 2010 @ 9:51am | Report comment
It is hard for me not to be skeptical about the game fixing by South Africa to allow two South African teams into the finals when quotes come out after the game about how good the final was for South Africa as a whole, healing the nation etc.
I know, the Bulls had every right to drop the game with 13 replacements, but really, at the time it was hard not to see it as a colusion, and now in hindsight, particularly after the quotes given out, it seems even more so.
Congratulations to them. They won what was a pretty good comp this year I think.
TembaVJ said | May 31st 2010 @ 10:09am | Report comment
Hoy so what you thinking is if the Bulls beat the Stormers in Capetown that the Tahs would have beat the Stormers at home and then stood a better chance then the cape side to beat the Bulls in the final?
This matching fixing/cheating BS is just another Aussie excuse for not cutting it… The Tahs would have lost this weekends and it would have been an even bigger loss then the Chiefs last year.
The two best side fought it out and the Bulls won, fair and square.
Hoy said | May 31st 2010 @ 10:49am | Report comment
Temba, I am not so delusional as to argue that the best team didn’t win the comp. I am not arguing match fixing robbed teams of winning the comp. That is wrong. The Bulls deserved to win the comp. I also think match fixing is the wrong term here, only when I submitted I couldn’t think of a better term. My problem is the manipulation (better term) of the finals for South Africa’s benefit.
Again, correct me if I am wrong, I am often, but:
Wasn’t there were a few teams vying for the finals, pending results, and they could have made it had the Bulls beaten the Stormers. Is that correct? I think at the time, mathematically, if the Bulls beat the Stormers, and other teams won, results fell into place, the finals teams could have looked different. In fact, I was told that the Stormers could even miss out altogether if they lost, and results fell a certain way. That was taken out of the hands of the gods, and placed in the hands of two South African teams creating a stacked finals series, with all games in South Africa, creating two things: 1) jackpot of attendance in South Africa for two weeks in a row,and 2) difficult games for foreign teams to win in the republic, hence leading to the final we had.
Again, I am not looking at the petty argument that the Tah’s could have beaten the Bulls or anything like that, and saying they should have beaten team X in round Y and they could have had a better place on the table is also not relevant. I don’t care about the Tahs of the Crusaders, or anyone else. What I am saying is, as it stood, it seemed to be manipulated by South African teams to create the finals series that benefited South Africa as a whole. That is sometimes a scary fine line to tread.
I took it with a grain of salt, saying it looked bad before, but after the post match quotes, it looks worse.
TembaVJ said | May 31st 2010 @ 11:06am | Report comment
So Hoy if the Crusaders did not rest players when they played against the lions, they could have had an injury to Dan Carter and there for lost more games allowing the Brumbies into the finals?
This is how stupid it sounds.
Fact is the Bulls had more in the juice tank the last two games, this is only due to resting players when they had a chance. A chance they won by playing good rugby. They do not owe the Tahs anything.
The hype about the final and what it has done for south Africa was because it was played at a pack Orlando stadium. Not that they played the Stormers.
It could opf been any other team, infact a foreirgn team would of created more unity, the fact that the Afrikaaner folk flooded Soweto bars and pubs, seeing a black man wearing a bulls top. Its moments like that and the 95 RWC that creates much needed unity and breaks down the racial divide in SA. This might not sound as important to many but spend 6 months there and you will change your mind about many things.
It was a big moment… better then the money… that was the only thing that seem to bother the Tah administration.
In the end if the roles were reversed and the Tahs “helped”the Reds into semi’s all you lot would be singing a different tune.
Hoy said | May 31st 2010 @ 11:30am | Report comment
Call me a bastard, but I always hope that anyone who “helps” other teams has it backfire on them. I would feel a little off if my team “helped” anyone, that is for sure.
Perhaps Dan Carter falls down in the shower, or hurts himself at a family BBQ, like David Kidwell did, and then the Crusaders lose more games, allowing the Brumbies into the finals… Maybe. At least that would be real. I don’t think it sounds stupid at all, plus a bit of a difference between resting Dan Carter and resting 13 players, thereby all but guaranteeing the opposition a win, and a guaranteed home semi.
Don’t get me wrong in any of this, they were the best two teams, but I don’t like how it happened. Perhaps I am too cynical for this argument Temba.
Kuri said | May 31st 2010 @ 1:12pm | Report comment
Your a flogging a dead goose here Hoy and actually did anyone even know there was a final on outside of SA, it has failed to generate much publicity here in Australia outside of the roar and from what I can see online not much has been said across the Tasman either.
You are right in what you say but unfortunately Temba can only see it his way. Many people have thoughts similar to yours and the point you raise that had results gone certain ways is correct yes the Stormers could’ve missed out on the finals all together had the lost without a bonus point.
The season is done and dusted I’m more interested in the Wallabies now couldn’t give two hoots about the Bulls to be honest. So what they’ve equaled Aucklands tally of titles. I think this talk of a dynasty is a little premature. Come back and talk about that when they have won 7 titles and featured in 12 finals series like the Crusaders then and only then will I believe this dynasty hype.