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Being an ardent Blue Bull supporter, it was with quite a bit of trepidation that I watched the semifinal last Saturday between the Bulls and Western Province.
The Bulls team is probably the only team in the world that can achieve total euphoria and total depression with their supporters within a single half of a rugby match. The main reason for this seems to be the strategy of falling back the “Bulls pattern” once they are under pressure. This means that they tend to go back to the traditional ten men, pick up and drive, kick everything useable down field when they feel the pressure.
On Saturday particularly, I found this to be most boring game of the season, in fact so boring I have a feeling the players went to sleep. Can someone explain to me who makes the decision regarding the particular game plan before or during the game?
From my point of view two major factors impacts on the Bulls very boring game style: Lack of leadership and the Bull’s “Playing Style”.
The Bulls have been playing the same brand of rugby for a number of years, during which several rule changes have been implemented. It is beyond me, why they choose stagnation rather than growth.
Why would one of the strongest Rugby Unions in South Africa be stuck in an old and outdated structure? Maybe the Bulls Management team need to take stock of what they believe is the “best” playing style.
Another case in point, the Bulls had the Springbok fly-half playing in the semi-final game. After several missed kicks by Jacques, a leader should have made a decision to use Handre to kick to posts. Why someone did not make that decision is still beyond my limited grasp.
The Bulls seem to acquire some of the most brilliant young rugby players in South Africa, with plenty of talent and then force them through the Bulls Machine ending up being a Bull. This type of approach should be declared a criminal offence by the South African Rugby board.
Another case in point is the use of totally out of form players in a semifinal. I know these guys have contributed to the team during the season, and need to be rewarded for that. But surely a reward is only measured by the value a player adds on the field. Am I incorrect to assume that the net value of a player (value he adds – value he subtracts) should always be in the positive. An example of this, Jono Ross dropped the ball a couple of times and added no other value to the game, Nett result very negative. Another example, Dean Greyling “won” one or two scrums but given away a couple of penalties, nett result negative. Both these happened in the previous game as well, but still they were both given starting berths. I can only shake my head in admiration for the bravery of some mangement decisions.
If I watch the dwindling numbers of spectators at the Bull’s home games, it is clear that most of the supporters are just as bored with watching the same old, same old Saturday after Saturday and are voting with their feet in growing numbers.
Maybe this is the time, during the summer break, for the Bull’s management to take serious introspection of the facts and make some proper decisions to present he fans with rugby that is enjoyable to watch and we want to support.
