Call It Like It Is by Jonathan Kaplan

Author:Jonathan Kaplan [Behr, Mike]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
Published: 2014-05-21T22:00:00+00:00

24

David and Goliath

It was one of those David and Goliath games, with the Free Staters out to avenge their demoralising 33-42 defeat the previous year and determined to secure their first Currie Cup in 29 years. I had run touch in the previous year’s dramatic match, so I had a good idea of what to expect that afternoon.

I also knew that the Cheetahs, under the helm of new coach Rassie Erasmus, had arrived at Loftus resolute that this time they would not be bullied by the Bulls, who, with all their Boks, looked to be unbeatable on paper.

The Bulls had become near invincible under Heyneke Meyer, who had utilised their traditional strengths and given them a new sense of pride in the jersey. He had paid his dues as a coach and was now on his way to greatness. Meyer was assisted by high-performance manager Ian Schwartz, and their recruitment was the best in the country. They either had the best players or players who would eventually be the best in their positions.

In Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield they had the best locks in world rugby, and they were complemented by a very strong leadership group that included Anton Leonard, Fourie du Preez, Bryan Habana and Gary Botha. They also had at their disposal the metronomic boot of Morné Steyn and a massive pack of forwards. Plus, they were also the three-times defending champions and had beaten Free State twice already that season, by four and 10 points respectively (although one of those games involved Free State playing the majority of the game with 14 players after Ollie le Roux was sent off).

Free State were the Bulls’ little boeties. No less proud a union, though, and perhaps more of a family, Free State had improved their structure and tactics consistently over the past few years. Now they approached play-off matches with far more intent than in previous years. They chose a massive front row for the final, sending out a clear message to their counterparts that they would not be bullied.

I thought Free State won the front-row battle on the day, but the Bulls won most of the other battles. Their tactics, their line-outs, their physical backs, especially J.P. Nel and Wynand Olivier, their huge kicking game and their pack were paving the inevitable path to success … or so it seemed. Free State were only hanging on by a thread, but, crucially, were not taking a step back.

But the Bulls were confident. They had the ascendency and it showed on the scoreboard. They were executing their game plan with precision and were slowly strangling their opponents, who were relying on guts and heart. Sometimes, that is not enough at this level. Young Juan Smith, Barry Goodes, Hendro Scholtz and little Ryno van der Merwe were working their arses off on defence.

Inevitably, there was a lot of argy-bargy in the game, with players squaring up to each other, snorting, pushing, pulling, shoving. And I was thoroughly enjoying the challenge of

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