Force v Bulls. Perthfontein.

[chief]

A shame that the Force can't get a bonus point. They deserve it. they bought on youngster Luke Jones (Aus Schools 09) although he only played 3 minutes he looks very good.

 

[Brumby Jack]

Bulls win 28-15.
The Force did put up a good fight in patches, but missed opportunities and some penalties didn't help their cause.

Staniforth and Hodgson were the best for the Force.

 

[JJJ]

They kept the Bulls from getting a bonus point. That's a bit of a win for them.

 

[Blue]

Watching this game as a Bulls man was like eating glass.

If a few final passes stuck early one we would have been up by 20 plus.

On top of that Steyn had a mare with the boot.

Force defended well, but even though they retained the ball well, the rarely really threaten for extensive phases which I put down to a pedestrian 10 and a lack of structure deep into the phases.

Just happy the Bulls started the road trip with a win. It could easily have gone wrong for them but they still looked great in patches.

As for the Force, they seriously need Pocock and Brown. Hodgson is fighting a lone battle.

 

[Spook]

I was impressed with the Bulls. They were up against a willing side but they just kept coming and held their nerve. STEENKAMP!

 

[mark_s]

Im very happy as I tipped the tahs by 1-12 and the bulls by 1> 12.5 so my multi bet gets up!

 

[Reddy!]

I can't help but keep thinking O'Connor is just too good for his team mates. Sometimes they just can't keep up with how good he is, his offloads and running.

Old James really step up his defence tonight which was good to see.

Cummins is also getting back into some of the form he showed glimpses of last year. I think he has to work on his support play and hitting the right lines. He obviously has an eye for gaps when he is running in open play and can tackle.

 

[Spook]

They have to stick with O'Young. Sheehan is a ditherer like Phibbs and Burgess.

 

[Pfitzy]

Was that an eye-gouge on sharpie in that maul?

Were there any South Africans on the field? Both questions are intrinsically linked

Just jokes Saffers, just jokes...


But seriously - it was the Bulls, right? 8)

 

[rugbywhisperer]

Was that an eye-gouge on sharpie in that maul?

Where's the citing commissioner when you want him - that was a blatant piece of foul rugby and needs to be adressed.

 

[spectator]

Bold defensive effort by the Force, but their attacking options seem to be confined to the one guy, O'Connor.

How many young guys were on the field towards the end? I think at one stage the Force had four teenagers on. Wow!

Gee, that Spiers is one hell of an athlete.

 

[Newb]

i didn't get to watch the game, but based on the player of the match numbers it looks like sharpie had a good one. seems he's had a few this year. is his form good enough to get him back in a gold jersey?

 

[Reddy!]

With Horwill out, probably yes. Although there a few locks having good seasons: Humphries, Mumm, Douglas, Caldwall, Hockings and even Simmons. Which is great to see.

And Spectator, I think you are right. There were a least 4-5 under 20s on the field by the end of the game and a number of boys in their early 20s.

Whoever does the Force match review, make sure you include Ryan Cross for your "Did himself no favours for Wallaby recall"

 

[Pfitzy]

The only thing I want to see from Sharpe's game is that the Force scrum works. It now does, even with a journeyman like Henderson at loosehead. Good enough for me, as I feel it was the biggest weakness of Sharpe's game.

 

[Lee Grant]

It was a disappointing 2nd half against a sub-standard Bulls team who were there for the taking had the Force played their best rugby.

Yeah, as speckie said, there were a lot of young guys on the park at the end. Not for the first time did I wish that the ARC, started and finished in 2007, was still in operation. After 3 years of the ARC the Force could have had more seasoned players finishing the game even though they may have been new to Super rugby.

We will revisit this problem time and time again, and more so when we have a 5th Super team.

That said, it was good to see a glimpse of 18 y.o. Luke Jones showing his 3M attributes. Watch this space.

Agree with speckie also that the Force relies too much on JOC (James O'Connor). Last year the double threat of Giteau and O'Connor had an effect that was somehow more than double of what we are seeing now. I fear the Force may have to go through the hell that the Reds have had to go through before they become (ahem) a force again.

Or maybe I worry too much.


NTA

And notice that Sharpe is playing TH lock in the scrums this year. Talk about grunt.

 

[Lance Free]

Whoever does the Force match review, make sure you include Ryan Cross for your "Did himself no favours for Wallaby recall"

Agreed and done.....

 

[JJJ]

Seriously, did nobody else think that repeated hand all over Sharpe's face (and especially at his eyes) during the maul was cite-worthy? It wasn't just a one-off, he kept putting it back there every time Sharpe managed to get rid of it. I had the commentary off so I didn't hear what they had to say, but haven't seen it mentioned anywhere.

 

[chief]

I thought that the ref saw it once, and maybe not worthy of a cite, but certainly worthy of a "you do it again, and you'll be in the bin"

 

[Pfitzy]

Just had a look at the highlights on foxsports.com.au - Steyn's try should have been disallowed. He was clearly held and did not reach out to score the try, but rather used his legs to propel himself. Amateur refereeing.

 

[Spook]

Seagull Sharpe gets a lof bagging but that was an awesome performance from him. Coming through the maul and being a bit of a cvnt all night was good to see.


Was the the young tall bloke who came on at the end the lad bound for the Rebels? He looks big, fast, and strong. I think Lee said he was a 3M type but let's hope he doesn't get injured as often.