Kings v Western Force - R2

[Boomer]

i can assure you iv got no reason to want to justify my comments to someone of your ilk.

Just out of curiousity which round do you claim is the Kings best chance of a win??....im all ears

The point is, big calls, in week 2, are probably off-beam.

Myopic judgements do nothing for the conversation. They have little to do with the reality of this week's game.

To imply that no other team could lose to the Kings this year is wrong headed. It won't be a "damning indictment" if the Force lose.

The trash talk and snide implications, I'll let through to the keeper.

Got ilk?

 

[ChargerWA]

i can assure you iv got no reason to want to justify my comments to someone of your ilk.

Just out of curiousity which round do you claim is the Kings best chance of a win??....im all ears

Just own your comment. You think the Force are shit, that's your opinion and your perfectly entitled to it. It's the back peddling that's hard to abide.

Anyway, everyone is forgetting that the Force play better in SA than they do in Perth. It's like a home game for us. We'll do fine.

 

[BDA]

Just own your comment. You think the Force are shit, that's your opinion and your perfectly entitled to it. It's the back peddling that's hard to abide.

Anyway, everyone is forgetting that the Force play better in SA than they do in Perth. It's like a home game for us. We'll do fine.

haha wow i never realised you force fans are so sensitive. I certainly wouldn't call the Force shit. But in my opinion the Kings' opening home game is their best chance of a win. I base that on a few things, including that I think the Force are one of the weaker teams in the comp.

Although i'd probably have kept that opinion to myself if I'd known half of Western Australia were bound to scorn me.

 

[ChargerWA]

I base that on a few things, including that I think the Force are one of the weaker teams in the comp.

A lot of Force fans wouldn't disagree with you. But we have to have hope.

 

[BDA]

A lot of Force fans wouldn't disagree with you. But we have to have hope.

i agree totally..what's to say I wont eat my words at the end of the season. It wasnt all that long ago that the Reds seemed destined to play out their years as cellar-dwellers

 

[Woodenspoon]

It's a common opinion that the Kings will be targeting the Force and will be probably playing the "game of their lives" next weekend in Port Elizabeth. It's their first superrugby match, they play home against a (to their eyes) weak team and they want to show they have the right to stay in the competition.
But just a month ago they lost almost every important pre-season game, they've lost against the Lions (a weaker side than the one we used to see last season in superrugby) and against Griquas (the penultimate team in 2012 Currie Cup)
In my opinion any result but an easy victory of the Wetsern Force would be a disaster for the Force.

 

[Moono75]

The Force need to win and do it with a bonus point. BP's can make or break your season.

 

[GaffaCHinO]

Kings surprise with all-SA run-on XV

Back-rower Luke Watson will lead an all-South African Kings starting XV in their Super Rugby opener against the Western Force in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

The side will be captained by back-rower Luke Watson, who along with centre Andries Strauss and hooker Bandise Maku are the only Springboks in the side.

Kenyan forward Daniel Adongo and Kiwi utility back Hadleigh Parkes are both amongst the replacements as the foreigners in the matchday squad.

The franchise's three other foreign players were not considered due to injury. Argentine scrum-half Nicolas Vergallo has been ruled out with a muscle injury in his lower body, while his compatriot, flank Tomas Leonardi, is struggling with a chest injury.

French hooker Virgile Lacombe will be sidelined for a few more weeks with a back injury.

The Kings recently included all five of their imports in a 35-man squad released to Sanzar, ignoring SARU's rule which allows only two foreign players per squad.

Kings:
15 SP Marais,
14 Sergeal Petersen,
13 Ronnie Cooke,
12 Andries Strauss,
11 Marcello Sampson,
10 Demetri Catrakilis,
9 Shaun Venter,

8 Luke Watson (c),
7 Wimpie van der Walt,
6 Cornell du Preez,
5 Steven Sykes,
4 David Bulbring,
3 Kevin Buys,
2 Bandise Maku,
1 Schalk Ferreira.

Replacements:
16 Edgar Marutlulle,
17 Jaco Engels,
18 Daniel Adongo,
19 Jacques Engelbrecht,
20 Johan Herbst,
21 George Whitheead,
22 Hadleigh Parkes.

Date: February 23 Kick-off: 19:10 local (17:10 GMT)
Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Referee: Lourens van der Merwe (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Stuart Berry (South Africa), Christie du Preez (South Africa)
Television match official: Johann Meuwessen (South Africa)

http://za.news.yahoo.com/kings-surpr...145126184.html

 

[thierry dusautoir]

Leonardi out is a bit of a blow but i find it really surprising that adongo is on the bench and also interesting that there is know killian or grey

 

[en_force_er]

I didn't know the Kings had Bandise Maku, he goes okay.

The issue is whilst Andries Strauss is a good squad player and could even fill a role in a starting XV, he's certainly not a key player. For the Kings, he's a key player.

 

[thierry dusautoir]

i disagree while he is never going to be a springbok centre i find that his is quite a handy player and a very good defender and player at the breakdown which with the wingers surrounding him is exactly what the kings need.......i am sure willie le roux would tell you how handy he is

 

[I like to watch]

The Force need to win and do it with a bonus point. BP's can make or break your season.

I am predicting that the Force will get more bonus points losing by a little than by scoring 4 tries.
Happy to be proved wrong ,however.

 

[Moono75]

I am predicting that the Force will get more bonus points losing by a little than by scoring 4 tries.
Happy to be proved wrong ,however.

You may be right in the long run....but certainly for this game against the Kings there is no better opportunity to nab 5 points.

I also think it is too early in the season to be judging the form of the Australian teams. Far too many people are writing the Force off and talking up the Brumbies, Rebels and Tahs. Some teams look great on paper but that doesn't always translate into wins on the park.

As for the Kings team I think they are playing all the SA talent to maximise appeal to the home fans.

 

[Boomer]

This is the part where you and I say boom and fist bump as the kids do..

'Spect.

 

[Shiggins]

This is a big game. Its going to be hard but if we get it right we should come away with a good win. If we crumble under the pressure of the massive crowd and the Kings get a sniff it will be on. We have to start like we did against the rebels but this time take some points away.

 

[PaarlBok]

Looking forward to see another Petersen getting into top level rugby.
Schoolboyrugby

Sergeal needs to bring on the Brent Russellness

Not too much enthusiasm is expected to come Kings Super Rugby campaign this season but they do have one of the brightest most exciting young prospects on their books and they intend to use him. Grey High and SA Schools 2012 wing Sergeal Petersen has been selected to start for the Kings in their first ever Super Rugby match against the Western Force on Saturday 23 February. The youngster Super Rugby player of all times was the Force’s former star James o’Connor at 17 years 288 days so that record is not under threat but at 18 years and 206 days, Peterson is still pretty much a baby in a competition in which the average age of the local Saffa squad players is still close to 26.
It’s an outstanding achievement for Peterson and justifies him taking the risk to sign for a franchise with a bit of an uncertain future beyond this year’s Super Rugby competition. Had he joined a bigger South African team with more depth, this kind of opportunity so early on in his career would not have been possible. He would have had to pay his dues in some way or another and follow a pecking order before qualifying to play in the Southern Hemisphere’s premier competition. Not that there is not compo for starting places at the Kings and obviously Sergeal does not select himself. Others with far more experience like Kings head coach Alan Solomons make that choice and one has to assume that the proper assessments have been done by these experts and that Petersen is in fact at a development point that allows him to at least cope with the speed and intensity of rugby at this very high professional level.
In most cases academies and rugby institutions form the vital link between school and senior rugby. With more players in South Africa seemingly being readied for senior at an earlier age, one can see the growing move towards improving player skills and conditioning while they are still at school. This is transforming schoolboy rugby at a very fast rate and the overlaps between school and pro rugby are increasingly being noticed all over the country. In this regard Petersen’s readiness for the big times is a tribute to the work done at Grey High School in Port Elizabeth.
Often fast tracked teenagers both locally and abroad do go on to have very prosperous careers, justifying the decision made to throw them into the deep end early. There have however also a few occasions when it didn’t work out. Wandile Mjekevu is a good example of a teenager that former Lions coach Dick Muir should a lot of faith in when he promoted the youngster to Super Rugby starter a few years ago. Back then you might have expected Mjekevu to be a Bok by 2013 but today as a fully fit under-22 player he plies his trade at club level without a union contract. The bottomline is although the hard work and incentive to get to the top ended relatively quickly for young Peterson in relation to others his age, he is now presented with a brand new challenge of proving his worth, keeping his learning curve on the up and staying focused on both short and longer term goals for himself.
Whether he is mentally ready for senior rugby remains to be seen but in terms of physical maturity, he was an early developer and looks the part. However at just a little over 1.70m there is every chance that he will be the shortest player on the park in every game he plays in. Even Gio Aplon who stands at 1.75m is noticeably taller than Sergeal. The modern day wing has to cope with aerial defensive threats all the time and on occasions these amount to one-on-one contests to pluck the ball out of the sky. Players with high-ball skills close to those of All Black Cory Jane will be licking their lips at the prospect of taking on short Peterson in the air. He will be targeted and tested here and in other aspects of his ground and kicking defensive game.
With his size restriction, Peterson would do well to model his game on that of pocket rocket Brent Russell or even former Welsh and Lions superstar Shane Williams. For attack Sergeal has awesome speed, good balance and wonderful footwork. Introducing explosiveness and working on his skills of anticipation to exploit defensive weaknesses, building his strength on his feet for withstanding collisions and perfecting the art using chip and other cute kicks to get past organised defences could see him go very far perhaps all the way to the top. Everyone loves a flashy player and he certainly has all the ingredients to be just that.

 

[Forcefield]

Good luck to him but I think it will be a tough debut.

 

[GaffaCHinO]

The Emirates Western Force will welcome captain Matt Hodgson, winger Nick Cummins and off-season recruitHugh McMeniman into their starting XV to play the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.The three Wallaby representatives did not take part in last weekend’s 30-23 loss to the Rebels in Melbourne, with Hodgson returning from a hamstring injury and McMeniman a late withdrawal from the side due to a pectoral strain. Cummins started in Force A’s 23-16 win over Rebel Rising, in his first appearance for the year after sustaining a knock to his knee during pre-season training and not participating in either of the side’s trial matches.Hodgson will become the eighth player in the Emirates Western Force’s history to captain the side in Super Rugby and will run on at openside flanker replacing Chris Alcock, who will start as one of five forwards on the Western Australian bench.McMeniman is set to make his first appearance in Super Rugby since his final season with the Queensland Reds in 2009. The 29-year-old will pack down alongside Sam Wykes in the second row, behind an unchanged front row of Pek Cowan, Nathan Charles and Tetera Faulkner.Cummins represents the sole change to the Emirates Western Force backline that produced an impressive first-up performance in their maiden start together against the Rebels. The Wallaby flyer replaces Pat Dellit on the right wing after Dellit was forced to return home with facial fractures and an ankle injury sustained against the Rebels. He is expected to be available for selection for the Force’s Week Five match against the Reds in Brisbane.Saturday night’s match represents the Kings’ first in Super Rugby after replacing the Lions in the South African conference.Emirates Western Force Head Coach Michael Foley said he was keen for his side to build on its performance against the Rebels.“We’re fortunate to be in a position to bring in Hodgo, Hugh and Nick for Saturday,” he said. “Last week there were some promising signs that we’re heading in the right direction. Our challenge is to continue to develop as a team and persevere with the style of game we've begun to play. “We’re looking forward to the challenge that awaits the side on Saturday night.”2013 Super Rugby – Week TwoSouthern Kings v Emirates Western ForceNelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port ElizabethSaturday, 23 February 2013 Kick-off: 7.10pm (local)/1.10am, Sunday, 24 February (AWST)
1. Pek Cowan
2. Nathan Charles
3. Tetera Faulkner
4. Sam Wykes
5. Hugh McMeniman*
6. Angus Cottrell
7. Matt Hodgson (c)
8. Ben McCalman
9. Alby Mathewson
10. Sam Christie
11. Alfie Mafi
12. Kyle Godwin
13. Winston Stanley
14. Nick Cummins
15. Will Tupou

Reserves
16. Heath Tessmann
17. Kieran Longbottom
18. Toby Lynn
19. Richard Brown
20. Chris Alcock
21. Mick Snowden**
22. Junior Rasolea*
Emirates Western Force debut** Emirates Western Force & Super Rugby debut

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Tapatalk 2

 

[Moono75]

Like the look of that team. Faulkner deserves to start again but some good backup on the bench. Looking forward to seeing MMM first game and the development of the Alby and Sam combination. Godwin to weave a bit more magic and hopefully have his kicking boots on this week. Heading into unknown territory against the Kings but we should beat them with a few late trys run in at the back end to win by 28 points.

No Sias either. Could be a tough year for him.

 

[Alex]

Force just got a nasty shock. Kings in the corner for first points