Official Tri-Nations 2009 Thread

Who will take it? SA or NZ?

  • SA

    Votes: 71 89.9%
  • NZ

    Votes: 7 8.9%
  • Unsure

    Votes: 1 1.3%

  • Total voters
    79
So P-Divvy today acknowledged that Ruan Pienaar is still a good player in progress. We cannot afford to have "players-in-progress" on national level. Yes, Pienaar does have his strong points but I do not believe he's ready to play at national level. Morne Steyn, although also a new player in the green and gold, has shown stronger character on the field. And his kicking is undisputedly better that Pienaar's.

I'm sorry, except for his kicking Morne looks nothing more than solid. He has reached the limit of his potential. Pienaar is good now but if we stock with him he will be great one day.
 
I'm sorry, except for his kicking Morne looks nothing more than solid. He has reached the limit of his potential. Pienaar is good now but if we stock with him he will be great one day.

Thats what they said about Morne steyn 3 years ago :rolleyes:

He was the most dominant flyhalf in S14 rugby this year.
 
I think much of the credit for that should go to the Bull's pack which was awesome this year.

Then there should be no reason why he can't be dominant with the Bok pack in front of him.

I prefer Ruan over Morne. But Ruan's kicking is gonna cost us sooner or later.
 
I think much of the credit for that should go to the Bull's pack which was awesome this year.

And the sharks had a bad pack?

Or do the bulls have a better pack than the Boks?

All im saying is give pienaar a rest atm, the guy is going to get seriously injured sooner or later. While Morne is on sng give him the start and soon as pienaar is 100% give morne a perma bench spot......
 
What might also help Ruan's cause is ignorant bastids not booing him after his first missed kick ...... nothing like being booed by supposed Bok supporters to do wonders for the confidence :rolleyes:
 
What might also help Ruan's cause is ignorant bastids not booing him after his first missed kick ...... nothing like being booed by supposed Bok supporters to do wonders for the confidence :rolleyes:

+1 I freaking hate it when they boo. Even the oposition receiving a boo is not cool imo.

*This does not include nor overwrite my feelings on the subject of booing Puke Twatson
 
Puke is ok to boo for eternity .......... everyone else = no booing (even if they are in the team for no good reason)
 
http://www.sport24.co.za/Content/Ru...b3/28-07-2009 12-07/Steyn_to_start_at_flyhalf

Springbok coach Peter de Villiers made three changes to the match 22 that beat the All Blacks by 28-19 in Bloemfontein last weekend – one in the starting XV and two on the bench - for Saturday’s second Tri-Nations Test against New Zealand at the Absa Stadium in Durban.

At flyhalf, Morné Steyn starts ahead of Ruan Pienaar, who is injured. Lock Andries Bekker returns in the place of loose forward Ryan Kankowski on the bench, along with fit-again centre Adi Jacobs, who takes Morné Steyn’s place amongst the reserves.
 
So poor Kanko gets no start last week and then gets dropped for Bekker :confused: And we have no flyhalf cover now!
 
So we can expect a pretty bland kicking game on Saturday then ......... :(
 
Finally!!!!!!!!! we can see what morne can do with a full strength bok team.

Cannot believe it, never thought he would get a chance.
 
So we can expect a pretty bland kicking game on Saturday then ......... :(

We are not Fiji, we play test rugby. We play to win. Also he is 100% capable of sending away the backline. Look at the Bulls backline scoring try after try... Remind me again what was the S14 final's score at full time? 61-17. Must have been a hell of a boring kicking game :rolleyes:

Ps also he looked a lot more capable of straightening the backline in the second B&I lions test than pienaar did.

Give the man a chance ffs. You complain about the Morne fan club but you are judging him before he has even started.

After the game on saturday rip his performance to shreds if he deserves it.

Finally!!!!!!!!! we can see what morne can do with a full strength bok team.

Cannot believe it, never thought he would get a chance.

+1. Now I hope he steps up :o
 
So we can expect a pretty bland kicking game on Saturday then ......... :(
Well if that's how you feel perhaps you should rather watch a "PVR'ed" version of last weeks game this Saturday. Let’s wait and see. Just because the guy can drop kick and place accurately doesn’t mean he’s a dull kicking flyhalf. Yes perhaps he is more conservative than Pienaar but he’s far from another Willem de Waal. He has always been seen as the Bulls attacking option when Hougard was still around.

I didn’t find any of the bulls S14 matches a “dull backline kicking” affair. Games against the crusaders and chiefs (aka all blacks) were very entertaining all round to say the least. And you can’t say with a straight face that you found those a boring kicking affair.

Wish people will just acknowledge this and move on.

As for Saturday it all depends on whether or not the backline finds, reads and plays to Steyn and let him play his natural game. He is not a Pienaar so expecting him to play like one is unfair. And I hope to god that the coaching staff doesn’t try to enforce Pienaar’s style of play onto Steyn.

The Bulls know him very well and hopefully by now the A-team bok backline is used to his style of play. There will be just as many tries if they click as there are in a Pienaar backline. If they don’t find each other then yeah, maybe we’ll see some more kicking than we’re used to when compared to a Pienaar backline. It can turn both ways and the pressure is surely on Steyn this weekend.

I for one am pleased that we have 2 capable flyhalfs which are both able to play at this level. Because if there was no Steyn or if he was as boring and predictable as people claim, what would you have done now with a injured Pienaar?

I for one hope Steyn will have a great game. All this nay saying about his ability and all the comments that he's "boring and predictable" smacks of anti bull bias and it's getting slightly ridiculous now.
 
Last edited:
Since it seems that MyBB won't be running a predict-the-score competition this week, I feel we should play the game and make our score predictions here.

My prediction:
35 - 20 to the Boks.
 
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X