Rugby videos of tackles, tries, funny incidents and more: Blue Bulls win the Currie Cup final 2009

Monday, November 02, 2009

Blue Bulls win the Currie Cup final 2009

The Blue Bulls did the double on Saturday as they capped off a superb season, following on from their Super 14 win as they beat the Cheetahs 36-24 in the final of the 2009 Currie Cup.

Loftus Versfeld was awash with blue as a capacity crowd witnessed one of the most action packed, intense finals we've seen in recent times. Morne Steyn continued his fine run of form, scoring 21 points in total, but it was Fourie Du Preez who once again showed why he's considered the best number nine in the world.

The Cheetahs game out firing but it was the Bulls who soaked up the pressure in the first few minutes before getting into a position for Du Preez to take a quick tap penalty, then crosskick for the waiting Francois Hougaard.

A turnover after more Cheetahs pressure allowed the Bulls to move it wide with Zane Kirchner, Fourie Du Preez, and Bryan Habana combining beautifully to score a great counter attacking try.

Du Preez and Habana combined again a few minutes later, as a perfectly placed kick allowed the flying Habana to chase and gather for his second try in his last match for the Bulls.

At 24-0 to the home side, it looked as though we had a repeat of the Super 14 final on our hands, but the Cheetahs come back through a try by Frans Viljoen, and later Corne Uys and Nico Breedt.

Jaques Louis Potgieter kept them in the game with a dropgoal, but Morne Steyn punished whenever possible, slotting 8 out of his 9 kicks on the day.

A yellow card to Richardt Strauss signalled the end of the Cheetahs comeback as the Bulls went on to celebrate in front of the 55 000 strong Loftus faithful.

The Springbok touring squad was named after the final. There were a few surprises, but the side contains the core of the Tri Nations players, along with nine new caps, all listed below.

Time: 07:43
Forum: You can discuss the Currie Cup final and the Bok squad at further length here.

Springbok Squad to tour Britain, Ireland, and Europe
Forwards: John Smit, Victor Matfield, Andries Bekker, Bakkies Botha, Heinrich Brüssow, Schalk Burger, Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Alistair Hargreaves, Ashley Johnson, Ryan Kankowski, Bandise Maku , Tendai Mtawarira, Dewald Potgieter, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Davon Raubenheimer, Danie Rossouw, Pierre Spies, Gurthrö Steenkamp, Heinke van der Merwe.

Backs: Heini Adams, Meyer Bosman, Juan de Jongh, Fourie du Preez, Jaque Fourie, Bryan Habana, Francois Hougaard, Adi Jacobs, Zane Kirchner, Odwa Ndungane, Jongi Nokwe, Wynand Olivier, Ruan Pienaar , JP Pietersen, Earl Rose, Morné Steyn, Riaan Viljoen.

Well done to both teams on making it to the end. Great show of pace and skill :)

But congratulations to the Bulls!

By Phil, at November 02, 2009 12:35 pm
Great match but I think that the ref didn't see a knock on by the Bulls just before the penalty that leads to first try.

By JD, at November 02, 2009 1:03 pm
Wow! That was intense!

Can't wait for the match against the Bokkes in Toulouse, but i'm not very confident for Les Bleus...

By rodofle, at November 02, 2009 1:25 pm
Fourie du Preez... What a player. the best in the world for me at the moment

By Oli, at November 02, 2009 1:51 pm
If Carlsberg made rugby players, they'd make Fourie du Preez.

By Edbok, at November 02, 2009 1:56 pm
Those bulls look like a seriously good side. Entertaining match to watch for the neutral.

Why is it Habanas last match for the Bulls?

By Andy, at November 02, 2009 2:42 pm
That looked really good, much better than the GP games I've seen lately (mainly because the SA sides don't kick quite so aimlessly).

Having said that - a forward pass to Habana for one of his tries surely?

By Ted, at November 02, 2009 2:45 pm
Is habana quiting club rugby or what team is he moving too?

By Sean, at November 02, 2009 3:00 pm
habana is following the money to another team

some weird selections their on this bok team, still they gonna win every single match this november (convincingly)

By Anonymous, at November 02, 2009 3:02 pm
I just think its funny how the Bulls only perform if they have a good kicker...

And to the people asking about Habana.
He's coming to PROOOOOOOOOOVINCE/Stormers!!!!!!! :):):) :P:P:P can't wait to watch him at newlands!
And no he isn't following money nor is Fourie, Cape Town is the best city in SA and they just simple want to live here.

Can I please hear some debate on the Bok squad eg Heinie Adams and Bandise Maku!!!!????

By HabanIsAStormer, at November 02, 2009 3:16 pm
Habana is going to Western Province. And yeah.. a few 'flat' passes for sure..

Du Preez - unbelievable.

By Shaft, at November 02, 2009 3:17 pm
I feel sorry for Lionel Mapoe, although no doubt his time will come. I suppose we´re going with Habana, JP, Odwa, Nokwe and Francois Hougaard at wing.

By Robert, at November 02, 2009 3:35 pm
HabanIsAStormer, your thoughts would be welcome on the forum, we always have a good chat about PdV and his selections there!

By Peej, at November 02, 2009 3:36 pm
hahah yeah I have an account, I'll check it out ;)

And ya Lionel Mapoe deserved a spot no doubt. Odwa Ndungane is beyond average in my opinion, Jongi has way more potential.

I really think Sarel Pretorious should have been picked over Adams. It must take a blind man to not have noticed this stand out player.

By HabanaIsAStormer, at November 02, 2009 3:51 pm
Bryan Habana relocating to Cape Town. Will be playing for Western Province/Stormers.

Would have choosen Mapoe over Nokwe - Nokwe too scared of tacking a tackle.

By Just a Fan, at November 02, 2009 4:03 pm
Nokwe was also the top try scorer in the competition despite being injured. Tackling can be coached/developed but the X factor can't. Nokwe has it Ndungane doesn't and that's why I'd pick Mapoe over Ndungane.

By Anonymous, at November 02, 2009 4:19 pm
The Bulls 3rd try is a prime example of how useless a scrum-half is. They never contest a ruck, even if they're the only ones who can save a ball from turn-over. And what happens? The Bulls win it and the chip over the top makes it to Habana and he scores.

To be honest, the Bulls clearly deserved it. I thought the Cheetahs might've made a come-back, and the Bulls look out of gas, but they stuck in there...impressive stuff. As a neutral, it was a really exciting match; however, I also noticed the Bulls won countless turn-overs by players playing the ball while on the ground. They were really good at doing so while on the far side, away from the referee - cheeky stuff, really.

By flapjack, at November 02, 2009 4:39 pm
flapjack.. you say scrumhalfs are useless, but it was fourie du preez who put that kick in! what position is he again? :P

Unless you were meaning JP Joubert.. but even then, he's not toooo bad. Quick service anyway.

Mapoe is a bit of a one hit wonder isn't he? I've seen him score about 3 top tries, and now everyone's going on about him, purely because he ran over joe petersen, who is the size of a 13 year old boy? Or am I missing something.. someone inform me please.

By Dave, at November 02, 2009 4:53 pm
Maku and Adams? Yeah, a bit odd.

What just boggles my mind is how Derrick Kuun is the starting hooker and sometimes captain of the Blue Bulls. Yet somehow his two understudies (Ralepelle and Maku) get selected.

Folks can claim window dressing all they want. However, if the SARFU is committed to picking players of color, then they should also be committed to ensuring these players are playing full time first class rugby.

The SARFU should either force the window dressing down at the CC/Super 14 level (so that these players get match time), or do away with it entirely.

To take this half-assed approach -- picking these players without giving them a base of play, they are setting the players up for defeat and the Boks as well.

Adi Jacobs may suck at the Springbok level, but at least her starts week to week.

By cheyanqui, at November 02, 2009 6:13 pm
That kick at the ruck by du Preez should have been a yellow card.

BTW -- What's with Olivier's hair? The feathered look went out with Mel Gibson in the first "Lethal Weapon"

By cheyanqui, at November 02, 2009 6:27 pm
Great game.Cant wait for the Ireland SA game.Best of NH vs best of SH.Im Irish and I think we have a good chance of winning but i am obviously biased however we wont have a chance if O'Gara is selected ahead of Jonno Sexton.COME ON IRELAND!!

By Anonymous, at November 02, 2009 7:10 pm
Great highlights. Looks like it was a good game. I also just noticed that the Bulls have their first names printed on their kit.

By Unknown, at November 02, 2009 7:15 pm
Cheyanqui, Adi Jacobs is a good player and I think he deserves to be on the bench, Olivier should take the 12 position ahead of him for sure!

Also Derick Kuun is a class player but at number 6. He played his whole career at 6 until they had to put him somewhere else to make space for him. He is too small and inexperienced at hooker to play for the boks. This is why Chiliboy is chosen over him at international level (and Quota). Trust me Chiliboy is a good player and I feel he gets given to much crap because he is black. No one has seen him play because he is always injured or on the bench but watch him when he comes on, he is solid player and a great leader. Bandise Maku on the other hand must GTFO!!! And heinie Adams! Sies!!!

And to the guy who said Scrumhalves are useless, clearly your from the nothern hemisphere where only 2 decent scrumhalves reside.

By Anonymous, at November 02, 2009 7:21 pm
Sorry, but am i missing something? WHY THE HELL DOESN'T GIO APLON GET PICKED FOR THE BOKS?!?!?!?!

think about it: good at tackling, good at kicking, amazing runner, good catcher and good passer. unless he isnt south african, i see no reason :P

By Hooker_, at November 02, 2009 10:03 pm
Bryan Habana = Best wing in the world

Fourie du Preez = Best player in the world.

Brussow had some storming runs, too.

Intensity of a test match.

By Jaco Pret, at November 02, 2009 10:20 pm
No Jean de villiers and no francois steyn.....
so what if they are overseas, ill pick them anyway

By Voorblad, at November 02, 2009 10:22 pm
Incredible match.

Havent seen a standard of rugby like that since the Lions.

There doing something right down there in Africa.

By The Inside Shoulder, at November 02, 2009 11:03 pm
Haha, I didn't mean to offend. What I meant is that scrum-halves are instrumental in starting the attacking plays - and du Preez is one of the best there is - but 99% of the time, they'll just stand there with their thumb up their ass watching their side lose the ruck, when all it needed was an extra body.

Most of the time, it doesn't matter. But this was a final, and I think a little more commitment by Joubert would've been warranted.

But shoulda, coulda, woulda it doesn't matter now.

Thinking back on the match, was Bakkies Botha sort of anonymous all match? Mostly, he just seemed to get pinged for penalties...but maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention - I was pretty caught up in the possibility of a Cheetahs comeback (from 24-0!!).

By flapjack, at November 02, 2009 11:57 pm
^ Botha cleans the ruck for two.

By Anonymous, at November 03, 2009 12:22 am
Anonymous, Fair point on Kuun. Notwithstanding, it just surprises me that he starts at the Bulls if he is not Springbok material. I would hope that the S14 franchises are meant to be "up or out" pathways into the Boks (unless you are Terblanche or Ackermann or AJ Venter -- and then you can play however long you want).

One of the problems with the color quota system is that the rules come from up high, with little or no buy in or respect from the S14 or CC franchises.

This is big a reason as why quota selections fail.

Remember Wayne van Heerden getting picked for the Boks, and yet being unable to sign with an S14 franchise?

It's one thing to give a player of color a chance. However, if you have no mandate to ensure their development (i.e. the ability to impose them into an S14 team's starting lineup), they are even more likely to fail.

I think the issue is that there is a disconnect from the SARFU to the franchises. The franchises don't respect the politicos of the SARFU, or PDV.

If there was true respect for these men, then their borderline selections would be respected (if not agreed with).

By cheyanqui, at November 03, 2009 1:21 am
Du preez, du preez, du preez = AMAZING!The boks should clone him! He (for me) was the difference for them in the world cup and he just keeps getting better and better and Habana and him just play brilliantly together. Good stuff and can't wait for the boks end of year tour now!

By Anonymous, at November 03, 2009 1:26 am
It's a tradition for the bulls to have their first names on their shirts if they make it to any final. Well done bulls, we are gana miss habana next year...

By Anonymous, at November 03, 2009 1:47 am
I must say even though I'm an non bok fan - I always admired Joost (at his best) but Du preez I think has even taken it to beyond the 'Joost-level'. Brilliant player and is the best no 9 in the world at the moment.

By Anonymous, at November 03, 2009 1:51 am
Great match. BUT:

If anyone can find a ruck in that video where the majority of players are on their feet I'll be seriously surprised.

So much for the IRB directive about being stricter on going off your feet (last year I think it was). As far as I can see the refs are pretty much ignoring this in the SH.

Yes, it might make for faster, more attacking rugby in theory, but by making it easier to secure your own ball and reducing the competitive element, it reduces the number of turnovers, giving a less exciting game.

Sort it out refs...!

By HM, at November 03, 2009 4:20 am
To Hooker Gio Aplon is not good enough, I am a Stormers fan I've watched him for ages and he is not Bok material.

And to Flapjack Like I said you must be watching some pretty kak scrumhalves if thats your opinion...

By Anonymous, at November 03, 2009 7:50 am
I did mot watch the whole match, but what struck me form this highlights clip is that Morne Steyn is more than just a useful kicker.

Also, the Cheetahs have humiliated both the Shark and Bulls front row, who are packed with Boks.

When is South Africa going to pick its best props?

By Wessel, at November 03, 2009 11:39 am
flapjack - yeah you're right, botha was kinda quiet all match. I wonder if he was thinking about the internationals and had been severely warned that he best behave himself to make sure he gets on that plane.

Regarding someones comment about Joost & Du Preez - Du Preez wins it hands down. Joost was an amazing attacking #9, but Du Preez has the all round game to blow Joost out of the picture. In my opinon anyway..

Both Bulls though interestingly.

By Dave, at November 03, 2009 12:20 pm
Have to agree with Dave, Du Preez is a better all round player than Joost, who had a laboured and inaccurate pass.

By Wessel, at November 03, 2009 4:17 pm
Joost was an amazing attacking no. 9 as you say....but people often overlook the fact that he was a superb defender as well. Some of you may remember that he felled Jonah Lomu as he rampaged through the Bok backline in the first 5 minutes of the 95 world cup final.....making the Boks believe that Lomu could tackled and was not super human. Joost also stopped Lomu dead in his tracks later in the 1st half when the Blacks fed it directly from Zinny at a scrum to Lomu down the blind side. He went slow and stopped him dead.

FDP is very good, but not the attacking threat of joost and certainly not a better defender. FDP may be a better kicker, thinker and general tactician...but I would go with Joost.

I am english ;)

By Anonymous, at November 03, 2009 7:33 pm
To the above, I'm with you on this one (and I'm an irish fan)Joost takes it by a mile, I also remember him stopping Jonah Lomu in the 95 world cup (only player in my opinion to do it and do it effectively) I guess because it is the du preez era everyone only remembers what he is like (to those who dissagree- go and watch a re-run of the 95 final and you will remember Joost at his best) Don't get me wrong, du preez is the best in the world at the mo, but he aint no Joost!

By Anonymous, at November 04, 2009 12:23 am
Joost - a laboured and inaccurate pass?!? WTF? What have you been smoking my friend? I remember our coach back in High School showing us clips of Joost's 'laboured and inaccurate pass' JOOST IS A LEDGEND and FDP can only dream of coming within a sniff of him!

By Anonymous, at November 04, 2009 12:28 am
FDP was just crowned SA Rugby player of the year (2009) - enough said!

By Anonymous, at November 04, 2009 12:38 am
Top current try scorer in SA Rugby :
Joost 38
this just proves that the guys above are correct in saying he is the best attacking 9 for the boks!

By Anonymous, at November 04, 2009 12:45 am
what was the yellow card for?

By chris, Aust, at November 04, 2009 1:00 am
Gee - well done to the Cheetahs, just noticed that the bulls 3 tries came in the first 18mins, for the cheetahs to come back from that shows some determination from them. Must have been a great game to watch live!

By Anonymous, at November 04, 2009 1:02 am
Damn- I hate that man MSteyn, he's just too damn good and he's so calm and collected ALL the time - I just want to run up and punch him on the nose of his good-looking face!

By Anonymous, at November 04, 2009 1:16 am
Cheetahs front row for Bok caps - Come on PDivvy, you have to be blind if you cannot see what the rest of SA can see after this years CC!!

By Anonymous, at November 04, 2009 1:36 am
The yellow card was for verbal backchat to the ref ( and the same player was also involved in 'off- the- ball' stuff earlier on)

By Anonymous, at November 04, 2009 1:49 am
SA rugby is by far the best in the world to watch right now. Unmatchable intensity, fantastic skills that are used to compete not just for the spectacle (a la King Carlos, Lamb, Balshaw, etc..) brilliant athleticism and an embarrassment of riches in talent.

Pretorius was unlucky but Adams was an incredible stand out before Du Preez returned.

Great to see Ashely Johnson on the team, really solid, honest player.

Was the Cheetah 7 in the side, that guy makes ground everytime he touches the ball?

Only Ireland will challenge the Boks, though I doubt they are up to it.

In my opinion the end of apartheid was the best thing that happened to SA rugby. From the multitude of hues observed in the Currie Cup it certainly appears that SA rugby has benefitted from having the best athletes from all segments of society pushing each other.

PS the replacement hooker for the Cheetahs was a fool. Hope he learns that intensity is best saved for before the whistle, otherwise it is wasted and selfish

By Canadian Content, at November 04, 2009 2:27 am
Get over the past, Joost was an amazing player, a legend but I'm sorry Fourie Du Prez has taken the scrumhalf position to another level.

By Anonymous, at November 04, 2009 3:16 pm
On Odwa: has always been a questionable for me. Not much pace and average defence.

On Joost vs FDP: Joost no doubt. I'm an All black supporter and I hated/envied how good he was. Game changer.

By Spookie, at November 04, 2009 4:20 pm
Beautiful, just beautiful!

By Anonymous, at November 04, 2009 4:27 pm
It's gana be odd to see Habana in the WP/Stormers kit, but as a die-heart WP supporter - I'm sure I'll get use to it! ;)

Well done Bulls, till next year!

By Anonymous, at November 04, 2009 6:26 pm
Sorry, but Joost did have a labored and inaccurate pass, and the Hougaard Lima incident is just one of many exmaples of that.

He was without a doubt the best attacking scrum half ever. And he was an incredible defender.

But he did not do the stuff what scrumhalfs are primarily there for, nearly as good as Du Preez. I really don't care if Matfield is the highest try scoring lock SA has ever had. What matters is that he is the king of the air.

Joost often choose the wrong options and poor Stransky and Honiball often received the ball in no place to to attack, kick or hit the gap.

Joost's tenure as Bok number 9 was also the period that the Boks reverted to a very dumb type of direct rugby, and the results - besides the WC 95 were generally poor. And I believe that he was such a strong character that it was mainly due to him that the Boks played in this manner.

I saw Joost play his first game for the University of Pretoria first team in 1990 (against Wits), and he scored two scintillating tries. I knew then that I will hear more about him.

But he was disappointing in the end in the one departments that matters a lot in a number 9, thinking, passing, kicking.

By Wessel, at November 05, 2009 4:01 pm
Shit bok rugby is very healthy at the mo...it's almost scary. They are doing something right there in the Republic..

By Anonymous, at November 05, 2009 6:50 pm
BOKKE!!

By Anonymous, at November 06, 2009 5:58 pm