15 April 2019, by: Quintin van Jaarsveld

SUPER RUGBY ROUND 9 – BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS

The biggest takeaways from the ninth round of Super Rugby from a South African perspective, according to Quintin van Jaarsveld.

What had been a miserable tour had the happiest of endings for the Stormers in Melbourne as everything came together. A 41-24 scoreline suggests an easy win, but the Cape side’s upset was extremely hard earned.

It was a herculean defensive effort, made all the more impressive after the disruptions the team had endured on tour, through injuries and Springboks being rested. Their cohesion on defence – the way in which they shot up in sync as a collective – and execution as a unit and individually resembled a far more settled side.

On top of that, they tackled with dogged determination and aggression, smashing the Rebels behind the gain line time and time again. Their heroics restricted the fast-starting hosts, who had entered the match as the tournament’s top-scoring first-half team, to a single penalty in the first 40 minutes.

Stormers reduce Rebels to rubble https://t.co/UXKmn4xQxr pic.twitter.com/gQJ16wA1ad

— Super XV Rugby (@superxv) April 13, 2019

Their low, hard, swarming defence held firm until the 68th minute when Will Genia finally managed the first line break for the Rebels, whose first try had come via intercept. The resolute defence left the Rebels overwhelmed to the point of predictability and laid the groundwork for a complete performance by the Capetonians.

The Rebels, perhaps because of Dillyn Leyds’ sublime early score from a hack-through, refrained from chip kicks over the rush defence and became notably frustrated. They were blunt and subsequently brutalised by a team refuelled by a burning desire to play for one another.

The Stormers’ hard work on D bled into five tries…just rewards for a special team performance.

In stark contrast to the Stormers, the Lions leaked five tries in a poor defensive effort. There was commitment, best illustrated when the visitors repelled wave after wave of Brumbies attacks and earned a turnover on their tryline just after the 30-minute mark.

However, a lack of organisation opened plenty of gaps and gifted the Brumbies easy metres, while failing to get off the line gave the hosts go-forward continuity, which turned the sets of waves into a tsunami that floored the Johannesburg franchise (31-20).

Highlights: Brumbies vs Lions https://t.co/FPARVrNdDK via @sarugbymag pic.twitter.com/EH89OM7IIO — SARugbyChick (@SARugbyChick) April 13, 2019

Their first-time tackling was abysmal, with the Lions missing 15 tackles in the first half alone and 21 in the second stanza. Even more demoralising was some dreadful individual mistakes, including two from their most experienced and respected players.

Springbok wing Ruan Combrinck shooting out of the line in search of an intercept gave Toni Pulu an easy run-in for the Brumbies’ second try and Elton Jantjies’ cringe-worthy attempt to stop Tevita Kuridrani was worse still, with the Wallaby strolling in.

A second dismal defensive performance in a row is a real cause for concern, to say the least, and it the worst possible way to start a tour. It looks like the Lions are in for a long Australasian excursion.

The big question heading into this encounter was whether the Sharks would be able to replicate their remarkable performance against the Lions. The answer was a definitive no.

There was no sign of the collective Dr. Jekyll who romped to a 42-5 win in Johannesburg the previous week. Instead, it was the self-destructive Mr. Hyde who showed up at Kings Park and took a 51-17 thumping against the Jaguares, much to the disgust of Sharks supporters.

@STEVEHAAGSPORT 13,04,2019 The Cell C Sharks and the Jaguares gallery https://t.co/ld2ClOQVmC pic.twitter.com/qQ3aa4D04E

— Steve Haag Sports (@STEVEHAAGSPORT) April 13, 2019

One has to wonder how a team can go from sublime one week to shocking the next, yet that has defined the Sharks of 2019. They started the season with back-to-back wins, but have been consistently inconsistent since.

Shocking, inexplicable, embarrassing and unacceptable all describe the worst performance by a Sharks side in recent years. Their body language screamed apathy. The home team went through the motions and it was evident they were a defeated bunch long before the Jaguares truly pulled away.

The excuse of having a bad day is no longer good enough. Robert du Preez and his charges have much to answer for. The Sharks have been mentally weak this season, and Du Preez – who delivered the Currie Cup to Durban in 2018 – seems out of his depth at Super Rugby level.

There was no clear game plan at the weekend, and Du Preez’s persistence with his out-of-sorts son at flyhalf once again cost the Sharks.

Bolstered by half a dozen of returning Springboks, the Bulls were expected to be a different beast altogether against the Reds and they were exactly that. All six were massive in their respective roles and helped redeem the Bulls after the previous week’s implosion against the Jaguares.

This time around, the hosts were in control of the contest from start to finish and won comfortably (32-17) despite leaving plenty of points out on the park. Jade Stighling butchering a certain try was one of several missed opportunities that could and probably should have seen the Bulls put 50 past the visitors.

#rugby #super14 #bulls #queensland #vodacombulls #rgsnyman @rgsnyman (C) runs with the ball during the Super 14 Rugby union match, Vodacom Bulls v Queensland Reds at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, on 13 April, 2019 in Pretoria. (Photo by Christiaan Kotze / AF… https://t.co/oS4cZ587FG pic.twitter.com/urdEqSAwtb — Christiaan Kotze (@ChristiaanKo) April 14, 2019

Nevertheless, the Bulls secured the full five log points and as a result, claimed top spot in the South African Conference and shot up from seventh to second overall. Behind a dominant pack and with the crisp service of Ivan van Zyl, Handre Pollard and Warrick Gelant ran the show with good decision-making and execution, while Jesse Kriel continued where he left off in midfield.

Marco van Staden was good at the breakdown, but RG Snyman trumped them all with a world-class performance in the No.5 jersey. The returning Boks’ collective class shone through and brought confidence and order back to the Pretoria outfit.

Check out our Super Rugby Team of the Week – Round 9

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