Captain Cook, Friday, March 2, 2012

THE gals of the Thunder Bar are strumming their suspender belts in anticipation of tomorrow night's match against the Stormers. This time the Sharks must surely hit the jackpot. Last week it was nearly nearly. And what a corker of an opener! We ended it on song with the only try of the game and really going for them in that last 15 minutes. Stretch play of that quality over 80 minutes and we're in business. It can be done.

The Bulls were formidable. This was test match quality rugby, tough and unrelenting. Their box kicking was superbly effective and the pressure told. The penalty count against us was slow poison and we weren't able to fully recover. But the part-recovery was uplifting and there's no reason we shouldn't dish it out in style tomorrow.

One thing though: our big fellas must change their body posture when they break out. They must go into bushpig mode, head down and legs pumping, the way they are currently doing so effectively in the northern hemisphere. Too often our big fellas have too upright a stance. Last Friday Northerns, I mean the Bulls, too often were able to send in two or three tacklers to stop the guy at chest height and drive him backwards. Nobody has ever done this to a bushpig.

Also, we have to sort out whatever was jinxing our line-out. It was puzzling, it looked like what golfers call "the yips". All in the kop. We've just got to get rid of that.

A feast of rugby beckons. The Super matches plus Ireland-France in the Six Nations. And what a cracker of a game between Wales and England last weekend, a close-fought classic and a wonderful break-out try by Wales. The boyos have the Triple Crown and are well placed for a Grand Slam. It's been a-coming ever since their showing in the World Cup.

And there's been some manful stuff in the English premiership league. These games are always worth a squiz, partly for their intensity and skill, partly for the number of South Africans playing. Gloucester ran out winners 29-23 against Harlequins, an absolute thriller of a match, played at an amazing pace and with close to faultless handling and phase-setting. There was also another West Country derby between Exeter and Bath, which recalls the limerick.

There was a young lady of Exeter,

So pretty the men craned their necks at her;

One went so far

As to wave from a car

The distinguishing mark of his sex at her.

Bath took it 12-9. Those Exeter fellows need to keep their mind on the game.

 

And we need to keep our mind on the good stuff; the rucking and mauling we showed in the last 15 minutes at Loftus, the phase play, the short passing and the handling. We've got it. All we've got to do is unlock it. I hear the gals' knicker elastic twanging. Stand by for the traditional feu de joie as we shoot out the streetlights in celebration.

CAPTAIN COOK