Wounded Bulls are ready for war and revenge in the City Of Roses, expect a battle royale, writes Vata Ngobeni
There’s nothing pretty or heartwarming about the orange that often engulfs Bloemfontein and the Toyota Stadium on big rugby occasions.
It does, though, work for the local side, the Cheetahs, as was the case in last year’s Currie Cup final.
But tomorrow’s game is no final and the Cheetahs come off a first round defeat against the Lions so there really won’t be anyone around to watch the game besides that guy in the orange paint with black spots and those noisy Harleys.
Oh those Harleys!
They are certainly an irritation for visiting teams and supporters and their momentary ear busting revving at the beginning of the game will hopefully be a sign of how long the Cheetahs will last in this contest.
The Bulls showed last week that they struggle with a team that starts well in front of a big home crowd when they played at Newlands but they won’t be faced with such in Bloemfontein.
It’s the City of Roses but there won’t be any love shared between the two sides as the Bulls roll into town like a jilted lover ready with a well-plotted plan for revenge.
Yes revenge. It could easily have been Cheetahs coach Franco Smith shedding bucket loads of tears in the aftermath of the Currie Cup final, but the Bulls were a broken side at the end of that game and they will come with war in mind and not love.
There won’t be any homecoming jeering and meowing from the Cheetahs fans at Lood de Jager, the son who turned his back on them for a better life and a chance to win some meaningful silverware in the big city of Pretoria, after De Jager was ruled out because of concussion.
But worry not Bloemfontein, your other son that you let go so easily a few years ago will be rolling into town all bruised and battered after being handed a bit of a scrumming lesson by the Stormers’ JC Janse van Rensburg.
Trevor Nyakane is snorting with the rest of the wounded Bulls so don’t expect a fashion show. Instead, be prepared for a scrumming exhibition by one of the most talented props in the land and a rugby lesson from an equally talented but bruised team.
Cheetahs need a full 80 minute effort to run wild over the visitors on Saturday, writes Jacques van der Westhuyzen
In 1995 a book titled “Vrystaat … 100 jaar van hardlooprugby” hit the shelves. Loosely translated means, “Free State … 100 years of running rugby”.
It was a big book – nearly as big as new Bok assistant Franco Smith at the moment – celebrating the centenary of the Free State Rugby Union, the “owners”, if you like, of the Cheetahs.
It was an apt title for the team hailing from Bloemfontein – the City of Roses where current fullback Clayton Blommetjies must surely feel very much at home – as they have always been known to play open, expansive rugby, sometimes at the expense of a victory, but always to thrill fans. Over the years the Cheetahs have become everyone’s “second favourite team” because of their ball-in-hand rugby, their dislike for kicking and their spectacular tries.
Of late, though, the Cheetahs have not quite lived up to their billing as a try-hungry team. Last year in Super Rugby they scored 47 tries in their 15 games; decent, but not close to the Lions’ 71 in their round-robin fixtures.
In the domestic Currie Cup, however, a competition where they won all 10 matches to win the title, they scored 49 tries in round-robin play, matched only by the Lions, and 10 better than the third best try-scoring team. It is now time though for the Cheetahs to replicate that sort of form in Super Rugby.
They have a coach in their midst (Smith, who is now a real big-shot) who encourages running rugby, who wants to see plenty tries being scored and this weekend they have an opportunity to do just that. Smith will be the Boks’ attack coach going forward, but for South African fans to get behind him they’ll first want to see the Cheetahs pouncing and producing some magic and tries being scored.
The Cheetahs showed glimpses of what they’re possibly capable of against the Lions last week, but they didn’t sustain it and after 80 minutes they were left wondering how that match got away.
Saturday’s outing is an opportunity for Smith and his Cheetahs to show they can run it and also win it. This is a chance for them to really run over the Super Rugby Bulls, like they did the Currie Cup Bulls.