Chances await in Currie Cup

DURBAN – The extent to which you create opportunities for yourself, but also for your opponents, will be critical in the Currie Cup rugby final between the Blue Bulls and the Sharks in Durban on Saturday.

This was the opinion expressed by both the coach and the vice-captain of the Blue Bulls. Frans Ludeke and Fourie du Preez agree that finals are all about opportunities, but not only those you create for yourself.”Just as you can create opportunities for yourself through good decision-making and tactical play, you can also concede the initiative to your opponents through bad kicking and turnover ball,” said Du Preez.He believes, in fact, that the Sharks have just that ability to capitalise clinically on other teams’ mistakes, as happened, for example, in the semi-final when they scored that magnificent try in reply to the Lions’ goal from the next kick-off.”The Sharks are not a good side only because they have good players.What makes them particularly dangerous is the great damage they can cause with possession from broken play.We’ll have to be very careful of their counter-attacking,” said Du Preez, the Bulls’ scrumhalf.Ludeke, the Bulls’ coach, said that it is even more important in a final to use your chances well.PROVERBIAL CRUMBS “It isn’t the end if the world if you don’t make use of every chance, because that would put too much pressure on any player.Even in finals there is usually a second chance, but it’s still important to try and do everything right the first time,” he added.Du Preez referred to the semi-final, when the Bulls had to be satisfied with the proverbial crumbs in the first 20 minutes as far as possession was concerned.”We were battling to get our hands on the ball, but nevertheless still kept the scoreboard ticking over – and only because we utilised the considerably fewer chances we had, that much better than the Cheetahs did,” said Du Preez.He says he is up to the big task awaiting him in the final – he is, after all, a scrumhalf that is capable of rising to great heights in the tactical department.”It has always been a strength of mine to be able to attack with the boot, and particularly in finals it’s very important to be at your best tactically.”I don’t pay any attention to duels, but on the other hand it is also true that Ruan (Pienaar, his immediate opponent in the Sharks side) and I are the same kind of scrumhalf.This should place the tactical play of both of us even more in the spotlight,” Du Preez added.Sharks, who have a number of World Cup winning Springboks in their ranks, have won 12 of their 14 matches so far in this South African domestic competition which augurs well for their chances in the final.The Sharks have often in the past banked on the experience and flair of French players, with Test veterans of the 1990s, lock Olivier Roumat and flyhalf Thierry Lacroix, contributing significantly to the titles won by the Sharks in 1995 and 1996, the last time the team from the east coast of South Africa won the prestigious competition.Now, the Sharks are looking to Frederic Michalak to follow in their footsteps, and provide some of the magic the French players are so well known for.The 28-year-old from Toulouse has enjoyed a good season with the star-studded side and even kept the likes of Springbok stars Ruan Pienaar and Frans Steyn out of the number 10 jersey.Pienaar has been playing at scrum-half, his favoured position, while Steyn has had to settle for a place at inside centre.The young, blond-haired prodigy has often stated he would like to play at flyhalf, but Sharks boss John Plumtree, a New Zealander by birth, has backed Michalak to play the creative role at number 10.With well over 40 international matches and two World Cups behind him, the Frenchman has a wealth of experience having also featured in Top 14 rugby and the European Cup and the fact his team are playing in the final on Saturday has not gone unnoticed in his home country.French television crews and pressman descended on Absa Stadium here this week in search of interviews with the icon, rugby player and fashion model.Michalak joined the Sharks from Toulouse at the end of last season ahead of this year’s Super 14 competition, but a knee injury cut short his time in the southern hemisphere’s most physical and demanding provincial competition.He returned to France for the Currie Cup despite signing a three-year deal to turn out for Toulouse.Superrugby and Nampa-AFPFrans Ludeke and Fourie du Preez agree that finals are all about opportunities, but not only those you create for yourself.”Just as you can create opportunities for yourself through good decision-making and tactical play, you can also concede the initiative to your opponents through bad kicking and turnover ball,” said Du Preez.He believes, in fact, that the Sharks have just that ability to capitalise clinically on other teams’ mistakes, as happened, for example, in the semi-final when they scored that magnificent try in reply to the Lions’ goal from the next kick-off.”The Sharks are not a good side only because they have good players.What makes them particularly dangerous is the great damage they can cause with possession from broken play.We’ll have to be very careful of their counter-attacking,” said Du Preez, the Bulls’ scrumhalf.Ludeke, the Bulls’ coach, said that it is even more important in a final to use your chances well.PROVERBIAL CRUMBS “It isn’t the end if the world if you don’t make use of every chance, because that would put too much pressure on any player.Even in finals there is usually a second chance, but it’s still important to try and do everything right the first time,” he added.Du Preez referred to the semi-final, when the Bulls had to be satisfied with the proverbial crumbs in the first 20 minutes as far as possession was concerned.”We were battling to get our hands on the ball, but nevertheless still kept the scoreboard ticking over – and only because we utilised the considerably fewer chances we had, that much better than the Cheetahs did,” said Du Preez.He says he is up to the big task awaiting him in the final – he is, after all, a scrumhalf that is capable of rising to great heights in the tactical department.”It has always been a strength of mine to be able to attack with the boot, and particularly in finals it’s very important to be at your best tactically.”I don’t pay any attention to duels, but on the other hand it is also true that Ruan (Pienaar, his immediate opponent in the Sharks side) and I are the same kind of scrumhalf.This should place the tactical play of both of us even more in the spotlight,” Du Preez added.Sharks, who have a number of World Cup winning Springboks in their ranks, have won 12 of their 14 matches so far in this South African domestic competition which augurs well for their chances in the final.The Sharks have often in the past banked on the experience and flair of French players, with Test veterans of the 1990s, lock Olivier Roumat and flyhalf Thierry Lacroix, contributing significantly to the titles won by the Sharks in 1995 and 1996, the last time the team from the east coast of South Africa won the prestigious competition.Now, the Sharks are looking to Frederic Michalak to follow in their footsteps, and provide some of the magic the French players are so well known for.The 28-year-old from Toulouse has enjoyed a good season with the star-studded side and even kept the likes of Springbok stars Ruan Pienaar and Frans Steyn out of the number 10 jersey.Pienaar has been playing at scrum-half, his favoured position, while Steyn has had to settle for a place at inside centre.The young, blond-haired prodigy has often stated he would like to play at flyhalf, but Sharks boss John Plumtree, a New Zealander by birth, has backed Michalak to play the creative role at number 10.With well over 40 international matches and two World Cups behind him, the Frenchman has a wealth of experience having also featured in Top 14 rugby and the European Cup and the fact his team are playing in the final on Saturday has not gone unnoticed in his home country.French television crews and pressman descend
ed on Absa Stadium here this week in search of interviews with the icon, rugby player and fashion model.Michalak joined the Sharks from Toulouse at the end of last season ahead of this year’s Super 14 competition, but a knee injury cut short his time in the southern hemisphere’s most physical and demanding provincial competition.He returned to France for the Currie Cup despite signing a three-year deal to turn out for Toulouse.Superrugby and Nampa-AFP