Brutes 2010

[PaarlBok]

While Etienne was in amazing form, he still had to deal with Jake Whit and his obsession with size. Botha was not a big man. But hell, he was fun to watch. IIRC, JdV and Jacque Fourie had aleady replaced DeWet Barry and Marius Joubert in 2005. But JdV was injured in 2006, and that was when Wynand Olivier got the call up after replacing Etienne at the Bulls. So probably a good bet that Botha would have got the nod before Olivier.

Google answers all :

Perhaps the greatest honour that Ettienne Botha would never know was Jake White's admission last week that he would have become a Springbok.

White, in an interview with the Pretoria News recently, said Botha would have worn the Green and Gold during this year's Tri-Nations tournament given the injuries that the Bok coach had had to deal with.

Ja Joke can say that afterwards, thats why we should valu Snor more, he may talk kak but he seems to let the favourates going and not afraid to pick them on form.

Ettiene was a great player and deserved that green jersey hands down. Like Blou stated , his stepping was pretty classy.

 

[Blue]

Big Bad Biltong Biting Bastard Bully Boys 2010

The current Bulls training squad:

Fullback: Zane Kirchner
Wings: Akona Ndungane, Gerhard van den Heever, John Mametsa
Centres: Wynand Olivier, Jaco Pretorius, Stephan Dippenaar, Stefan Watermeyer
Flyhalves: Morne Steyn, Jacques-Louis Potgieter
Scrumhalves: Fourie du Preez, Heini Adams, Francois Hougaard
Loose forwards: Pierre Spies, Dewald Potgieter, Deon Stegmann, Derick Kuün, Pedrie Wannenburg, Dries van Schalkwyk
Locks: Bakkies Botha, Victor Matfield, Danie Rossouw, Fudge Mabeta, Flip van der Merwe, Wilhelm Steenkamp
Props: Gurthrö Steenkamp, Werner Kruger, Jaco Engels, Bees Roux, Dean Greyling
Hookers: Gary Botha, Bandise Maku.

Players that are currently struggling with injuries: Chiliboy Ralepelle (foot), Frik Kirsten (neck) and Francois Brummer (groin). Bakkies Botha has had a knee operation, but he will in all probability be able to play in March.

Players that will join the squad at a later stage: Jaco van der Westhuyzen.

Losses: Habana to Stormers. Last I read Chiliboy is off to the Lions.

Gains: Gary Botha (arguably one of the best SA hookers ever who returns from a stint in the UK), Jaco vd Westhuyzen (no idea why - he is way past his sell-by date and never demanded a good price anyway). Bees Roux is a clear attemtp to shore up on the TH side - strong boy (Bees means "Cattle" . Greyling is a good young prop coming through the ranks.

Jacques Louis Potgieter is an exciting gain from the Cheetahs. Specialist 10 so will be interesting to see how they use him. Very good boot, quick off the mark and has a great pass. Hear soem runors of him playign at 12 with Wynand Olivier at 13?

Talk is also that Derick Kuun will be used as hooker and openside backup.

Finally, Franscois Hougaard (scrumhalf) is likely to feature at 11. Nuggety player and has big shoes to fill. Bulls could be found wanting for pace out wide although Hougaard is very quick.

I'll post my 2 cents on all the Saffer squads at the end of the month.

 

[TOCC]

Re: Big Bad Biltong Biting Bastard Bully Boys 2010

i think there is already a bulls thread for 2010, might be a couple of pages deep though

 

[Blue]

Re: Big Bad Biltong Biting Bastard Bully Boys 2010

Ah

Right you are: http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/forum/index.php?topic=9611.20

Mods please hack it.

 

[PaarlBok]

Look like Bakkies will play only towards business end of the S14. Sad for the brutes but a sure a blessing from a Bok point of view. He is such a important player for the Bokke we sure need to give the big man a healthy rest. I am also worried about Matfield and FdP. This two have played way to much rugby and if the Brutes dont manage this two very carefully it may cost us. They break down pretty soon. Fourie laready show signs in the EYT of to much rugby.

Also see Hoghardt is now out with a injury for a few weeks.

 

[PaarlBok]

Hell first they try to shoot down our beloved Bokkie, now its the Bartertonse daisy. Myself have a few in my garden and when the flowertjie is on its best it always remind me about NTvl and the Brutes.

As a Stormer and WP supporter I'll hate to see it go. Do these feckers know anything about Trade Marks, Goodwill or Intellect property.

Sport24

Rugby

Blue Bulls days numbered?
2010-01-13 08:00Email | Print

Pretoria – The newly-established Tshwane Sports Council is considering doing away with the Barberton daisy as the region’s traditional sporting symbol.

Five proposals – all incorporating the colours white, black, yellow and green – have already been tabled. It is on the cards for all representative sports teams in Pretoria.

Traditionally, Pretoria-based teams wear light blue with the Barberton daisy as their emblem.

Herman Bester of the Gauteng North Angling Association said that politicians had already decided to give the daisy the bullet.

He refers to minutes of the Tshwane Sports Council that provide five examples of a new logo that have already been tabled and of the Tshwane colours of white, black, yellow and green (almost identical to the ANC’s black, yellow and green).

Kallie Kriel of Afriforum has said that they are willing to take the matter to court on behalf of angling or “any other sporting code that would like to”.

The changes are among the possibilities that exist in the process where the newly-established Tshwane Sports Council are reconsidering emblems and colours that representative sports teams from Pretoria will wear.

Tshwane Sports Council chairperson Bismarck Mosuoe said that no decision had been taken. According to him the sports bodies had been asked for proposals and a decision will be taken at a special general meeting of the Tshwane Sports Council in April.

All sporting codes will be tied to that decision.

Beeld asked whether the Blue Bulls’ colours would also be in the firing line, and he answered that it is “the implication”.

However, he emphasised that the meeting had to take a decision.

“If they want the daisy, they will have it. If they want a zebra, they will have it.”

Blue Bulls president Boet Fick said: “It won’t happen.” He added that the Blue Bulls emblem had been registered.

Bester and Afriforum also expressed serious reservations about how the Tshwane Sports Council had been established and is functioning.

It is a structure under the Gauteng Sports Council and forms part of the new sporting structure that Government wants to establish in South Africa.

Gauteng and Tshwane’s sports councils and constitutions are apparently not in order and there was not much consultation with interested parties.

Bester denies that sports bodies had been consulted.

The establishment of the Tshwane Sports Council will apparently lead to the phasing out of the Gauteng North Sports Council to which 84 sporting codes are affiliated.

Bester said that only four sporting codes had attended the first meeting at which the Tshwane Sports Council had been created, and at the second meeting there were only eight.

The Tshwane Sports Council further consists of representatives from local sports councils from different parts of the Tshwane metropole.

Should all 84 sporting codes join the Tshwane Sports Council, they would have a lot more votes than the local sporting councils.

However, Kriel says he has seen an e-mail in which it is proposed that the local council’s votes should carry just as much weight as all the sporting codes put together. This is said to be “in the interests of transformation”.

The Tshwane Sports Council will meet again on Wednesday evening.

But then now with Pedrie Wannenberg also joining the sniffing squad, it endanger the Flowertjie even more. The Brute players and supporters sniff all its nectar, thats suppose to make more flowers but now the players and supporters just get stuck into the Brute Cow Girls. :yay

 

[Blue]

Shock. Horror. A rugby players admits to occasional recreational drug use.

Wannenburg is a gfreat bench player but I am more worried about Hougaardt's injury.

 

[PaarlBok]

Look like Pedrie is on his way to EP. Think it had all to do with the slet he had. Thats their biggest problem, they get stuck in doos and learn all those bad habits , are popular and ends up with only the kak habits.

 

[Lee Grant]

What's the best matchday 22 guys?

 

[PaarlBok]

My best match day Brute 22:
15 Kirschner
14 Akona Twin
13 J Pretoors
12 W Olivier
11 G van den Heever
10 M Steyn
9 FdP

8 Spies
7 D Potgieter
6 D Stegmann
5 D Rossouw
4 V Matfield
3 Bees Roux
2 G Botha
1 G Steenkamp

Reserves
J Engels, D Kuhn, W Kruger, W Steenkamp, F Hougaardt, JL Potgieter, Stefan Dippenaar

 

[PaarlBok]

The Bulls Vodacom side is playing Russia monday in a friendly on Loftus B. The team (this is a young side and their next generation players)
SARugby.com

Van Velze captains Bulls
Gerrit-Jan van Velze will captain the Blue Bulls Vodacom Cup side in the warm-up game against Russia at Loftus B on Monday afternoon.

Coach Niko Serfontein has named a young side consisting largely of players who represented the Bulls’ U21 and U19 teams last year. Van Velze tops the list of experienced players in the side which includes the likes of prop Rossouw de Klerk and flyhalf Marnitz Boshoff.

The fixture kicks-off at 16:00 and entrance is free. The Blue Bulls will play one further warm-up game against the Valke on February 12 before they kick-off their Vodacom Cup campaign against Griquas in Kimberley on February 27.

Vodacom Blue Bulls: 15 Justin van Staden; 14 Wynand Willis, 13 Jaco Oosthuizen, 12 Simpiwe Mtimkulu, 11 Tom Seabela; 10 Marnitz Boshoff, 9 Danie Faasen, 8 Gerrit-Jan Van Velze (captain), 7 Marnus Schoeman, 6 Vincent Gwavu, 5 Devin Oosthuizen, 4 Berend Botha, 3 Rossouw De Klerk, 2 Henri Bantjes, 1 Corne Fourie.
Reserves: 16 Zane Botha, 17 Morne Mellet, 18 Cornell Hess, 19 Jaco Fourie, 20 Nico Van Zyl, 21 JC Roos, 22 Niel Pieterse, 23 Bradley Moolman, 24 Peet Voster, 25 Ivan Espag, 26 Tendayi Chikukwa, 27 Eugene Steyn, 28 Stefan Van Wyk, 29 Thabo Motau, 30 Jono Ross, 31 Gert Lubbe.

 

[PaarlBok]

Scrums the focus point for the Brutes and rightly so

Sport24

Super 14

Bulls focus on their scrums

Pretoria – The Bulls can and will scrum better this year. This was the assurance given on Thursday by Bulls coach Frans Ludeke.

It is quite ironic that the Bulls (and Springboks) have had to put out fires about their scrumming after a magnificent 2009.

It was during the Currie Cup, in particular, that the Blue Bulls were criticised for their scrumming, while the Springboks struggled on their European tour.

The Bulls had the best year in the history of any provincial team in South African rugby, but Ludeke does not have his head in the sand.

“I think the importance of the scrum was shifted into the background, but that is definitely no longer the case,” said Ludeke.

“Fortunately we saw in November that the Bok scrum was under pressure and it was a timely wake-up before the World Cup next year.

“We are not blind to the problems we experienced at the Blue Bulls last year, but there’s no need to panic.

“There will definitely be a lot of focus on the scrums, but we already started bringing in specialists like Balie Swart last year and this year will be no different. This facet of the game will be given all the importance that it deserves.”

The coach believes that the declared policy of referees to handle the scrums better will lead to an improved product.

“There was possibly a problem in the past with the different interpretations, but we’re excited that they’re striving for uniform interpretations.”

Ludeke has better personnel at his disposal in the scrums this year.

Gary Botha’s return will definitely beef up the scrums and Bandise Maku has added confidence after his experience with the Springboks last year.

Bees Roux also gives the Bulls depth and experience at tighthead, which will benefit Werner Kruger and allow him to recharge batteries when necessary.

Kruger had little assistance during the Currie Cup following Rayno Gerber’s departure for France. His form suffered as a result.

Roux played for Clermont in the Top14 and the Cheetahs in last year’s Super14.

Frik Kirsten, Dean Greyling and Rossouw de Klerk will also be keen for opportunities.

At loosehead, Jaco Engels and Gurthrö Steenkamp are old hands.

Steenkamp needs a big season following his scrumming fiasco against the Leicester Tigers, while Engels will be out to secure a place in Namibia’s squad for the 2011 World Cup.

Steenkamp had to return early from the Boks’ tour, but not before he got a hiding from Italian prop Martin Castrogiovanni.

Ludeke expects a lot from his Springbok prop.

“Gurthrö is determined to perform well. He is very fit and training hard. I expect him to have a big season,” said Ludeke.

 

[Blue]

Can't smooth over the fact that Steenkamp and Kruger are adequate at best.

I have moved from "Kruger has potential" to "Kruger needs to live up to potential" to "Kruger is a very average scrummager".

I know little of Roux and the others. Hopefully a couple of young bolters come through.

Ironically Steenkamp and Kruger are great around the Park and Kruger is a great cleanout man. Somehow the Bulls scrum came good in the semi and final last year (in fact they smacked the Chiefs in the scrum).

I hope they get better.

Wings. We need wings. Anyone fast enough here with a Boer passport? Nope, didn't think so.

 

[PaarlBok]

I hope they get better.

You keep a eye on young Rossouw de Klerk. Will play Vodacom this year but will be up once that young body get like the old head it have on it. You wont get a harder crafter then that kid.

 

[PaarlBok]

Brute teams to play the Lions on saturday
White team – 15 Tiger Mangweni, 14 Sampie Mastriet, 13 Stephan Dippenaar, 12 Stefan Watermeyer, 11 Clayton Blommetjies, 10 Francois Brummer, 9 Ruan Snyman, 8 Dries van Schalkwyk, 7 CJ Stander, 6 Okkie Kruger 5 Wilhelm Steenkamp (c), 4 Fudge Mabeta, 3 Bees Roux, 2 Bandise Maku,1 Jaco Engels.
Subs: 16 Henri Bantjes, 17 Dean Greyling, 18 Cornell Hess, 19 Devin Oosthuizen, 20 Danie Faasen, 21 Marnitz Boshoff, 22 Wynand Willis, 23 Rossouw de Klerk, 24 De Wet Barry.

Blue team – 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Jaco Pretorius, 12 Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 11 John Mametsa, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pedrie Wannenburg, 7 Derick Kuün, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Victor Matfield (c), 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Gary Botha, 1 Gurthro Steenkamp.
Subs: 16 Jaco Engels, 17 Bandise Maku, 18 Bees Roux, 19 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 20 Ruan Snyman, 21 Francois Brummer, 22 Stephan Dippenaar, 23 Dries van Schalkwyk, 24 De Wet Barry.

Think they forgot Carlos Spencer dont play for the Lions , they still pick Barry in both sides. It was Gerber that gave King Carlos a life threathing tackle.

 

[PaarlBok]

After the Brutes beat the Lions in both matches on the weekend 25-3 & 42-12

Superrugby :Coaches impressions

Ludeke happy, Muir not perturbed

Bulls coach Frans Ludeke is a happy man. And that is not only because of the 42-12 win by his side over a spirited but still disjointed Lions side in a Super 14 warm-up match in Polokwane on Saturday night.

The Bulls, playing without seven Springboks who are nursing injuries of various forms and grades of seriousness and some long-term injuries, came out of the match unscathed - or nearly unscathed, that is.

Returnee from the Cheetahs Jacques-Louis Potgieter left the field with a nose that is broken, and has a bump to the leg. But other than that, the Bulls have a clean slate as they prepare for their first match in Bloemfontein against the Cheetahs on Friday, February 12.

"There's still lots of work ahead," Ludeke (predictably) said after the match, "but generally I'm happy with what the guys did today (Saturday)."

In particular the form of Jaco Pretorius, who looked sharp and eager at outside centre, and the work-rate of Pedrie Wannenburg would have impressed Ludeke.

There was also a performance by winger Gerhard van den Heever that showed he has come of age. And Zane Kirchner had one of his very best outings yet for the Bulls.

Add to that a generally good all-round performance of the side, and Bulls supporters will look forward to the Super 14 content in the knowledge that their side is ready for the defence of their title. And the Lions?

"The scoreline never would have counted in this match," was director of coaching Dick Muir's response to the rather large defeat. "This was not about winning, but about a process.

"And with that I'm happy," he said about the match and the one lost earlier when the Bulls ran out 25-3 winners. What impressed him was the fact that his side, not the best available selection like the Bulls', did create opportunities.

"If we hadn't done that, I would have been worried. But we did, and now it's a case of finishing off properly."

Three, four tries went begging because of a late knock-on or lack of ball control. And although the Bulls were undoubtedly the better side, the scoreline did flatter them somewhat.

"Our lineouts weren't great, but we only had one week to work on that," Muir said.

What concerned him more were the turnovers - both at the breakdown where the Lions were competitive but not clinical, and in general play.

For Friday night, Muir will select his two sides to play the Pumas and Leopards on merit. He will have Carlos Spencer for that outing, and even in his warm-up in Lions colours the former All Black will add a new dimension to a backline that showed lots of promise on attack but weren't always good enough on defence.

But that's a communication exercise - and as Muir had said: they aim to improve week by week.

It will be interesting to see what Muir has in mind when he selects his side for Friday night. There is so much young, rather raw talent in his squad that still counts over 50 that the challenge is to pick some of the talent and gel it with the experience.

The success of the team will be determined by whether he gets this right.

they received futher good news. Poaching back their lock from the NH they borrow from Maties

SARugby.com

Another Bull returns from Europe

Another high-profile Bull is returning from a European sojourn to continue his career in Pretoria. The Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd announced on Monday that they have secured the services of Juandré Kruger, who is currently playing in the English Premiership for the Northampton Saints.

Kruger will join the Blue Bulls in the beginning of June 2010 and his contract expires in May 2013.

He follows on the heels of Springbok hooker Gary Botha, who returned from English club Harlequins, to join the Bulls for this year's Super 14 series.

Kruger starred for the Blue Bulls in 19 matches in 2008 after which he departed for Europe, but he has been one of the Bulls' stalwarts during his time at Loftus and it is great news that he will join up with his former teammates.

The 24-year-old is a product of Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch and he first tasted senior provincial rugby in 2007 when he played a couple of matches for Western Province.

He won the European Challenge Cup with the Northampton Saints in 2009 and they are currently in a good position on the log in the Heineken Cup, Premiership as well as Anglo Welsh Cup.

Kruger said that Loftus Versfeld is the place where he wants to be and he believes the Bulls are the best team and franchise in the world.

"The coaching staff, the management team, the facilities and the whole culture at Loftus is every rugby player's dream and I am very excited about my second spell with the Bulls," he said in an interview on the Bulls' website.

"What I have experienced at the Bulls in 2008 is something that I do not want to exchange for anything. I would like to make a substantial contribution to the Bulls when I arrive in June and ultimately I want to represent South Africa."

Kruger played with fellow South Africans such as Brett Sharman, Regardt Dreyer and Brian Mujati at Saints and the fact that coaches like Jim Mallinder, Dorian West and Paul Grayson wholeheartedly believed in him, meant that he could maximise his potential in the Northern Hemisphere.

"In Europe you play against international opposition in every match. That had the result that I picked up a lot of experience and the Heineken Cup forced me to sharpen up my line-out play as well as my decision making and contact skills."

 

[PhucNgo]

Scrums the focus point for the Brutes and rightly so

Sport24

Super 14

Bulls focus on their scrums

Pretoria – The Bulls can and will scrum better this year. This was the assurance given on Thursday by Bulls coach Frans Ludeke.

It is quite ironic that the Bulls (and Springboks) have had to put out fires about their scrumming after a magnificent 2009.

It was during the Currie Cup, in particular, that the Blue Bulls were criticised for their scrumming, while the Springboks struggled on their European tour.

The Bulls had the best year in the history of any provincial team in South African rugby, but Ludeke does not have his head in the sand.

“I think the importance of the scrum was shifted into the background, but that is definitely no longer the case,” said Ludeke.

“Fortunately we saw in November that the Bok scrum was under pressure and it was a timely wake-up before the World Cup next year.

“We are not blind to the problems we experienced at the Blue Bulls last year, but there’s no need to panic.

“There will definitely be a lot of focus on the scrums, but we already started bringing in specialists like Balie Swart last year and this year will be no different. This facet of the game will be given all the importance that it deserves.”

The coach believes that the declared policy of referees to handle the scrums better will lead to an improved product.

“There was possibly a problem in the past with the different interpretations, but we’re excited that they’re striving for uniform interpretations.”

Ludeke has better personnel at his disposal in the scrums this year.

Gary Botha’s return will definitely beef up the scrums and Bandise Maku has added confidence after his experience with the Springboks last year.

Bees Roux also gives the Bulls depth and experience at tighthead, which will benefit Werner Kruger and allow him to recharge batteries when necessary.

Kruger had little assistance during the Currie Cup following Rayno Gerber’s departure for France. His form suffered as a result.

Roux played for Clermont in the Top14 and the Cheetahs in last year’s Super14.

Frik Kirsten, Dean Greyling and Rossouw de Klerk will also be keen for opportunities.

At loosehead, Jaco Engels and Gurthrö Steenkamp are old hands.

Steenkamp needs a big season following his scrumming fiasco against the Leicester Tigers, while Engels will be out to secure a place in Namibia’s squad for the 2011 World Cup.

Steenkamp had to return early from the Boks’ tour, but not before he got a hiding from Italian prop Martin Castrogiovanni.

Ludeke expects a lot from his Springbok prop.

“Gurthrö is determined to perform well. He is very fit and training hard. I expect him to have a big season,” said Ludeke.

Now there's some news. :lmaoG'day PB)

 

[Blue]

Fantastic news about Juandre Kruger.

Excellet backup to the Boss and his henchman.

 

[Newb]

so potgieter, bakkes, and akona twin are out injured, correct? where is olivier and spies? injured as well?

any idea on when they'll all be back?

 

[Blue]

so potgieter, bakkes, and akona twin are out injured, correct? where is olivier and spies? injured as well?

any idea on when they'll all be back?

Olivier started training last week

Spies has been training unless my info is wrong.