ONCE more unto the breach, dear friends … tomorrow will almost certainly decide whether we get a crack at the play-offs or whether we are to go through this Super season barely surviving off bonus points from matches we could have won and should have won. A weird situation indeed. And the one match where we were properly klapped itself so alternated between the weird and the surreal that you can't draw any conclusions from it; the thing is best forgotten like a bad dream.
Have we used our bye to iron out the faults that have so plagued us? Most are in the kop: over-hastiness, over-eagerness, lack of composure – general jumpiness – leading to unnecessary spilling of the ball. We need to keep our passes short and crisp. The ball will always beat the man. Charl McLeod/Freddie Michalak need to get that ball out swiftly – none of this two paces before passing – so Lambie can get his line away, running onto the ball, not having to jump for passes or take them flat-footed, which has been a dreadful feature at times.
The Free State Cheetahs-Otago Highlanders game was an object lesson in this regard, both sides running onto the ball at speed. And what rugby, Otago coming back from 30-9 down to win 33-36! There's a message in this for us. Pas op!
In fact there was a feast of delightful rugby last weekend to fill the void created by our own bye. The Heineken Cup semi-final between Ulster and Edinburgh – played in Dublin - was an absolute cracker, a great contribution coming from those splendid Ulstermen, Johann O'Muller (captain), Ruan O'Pienaar, Pedrie McWannenburg, Stefan Sean Seamus Terblanche and Robbie McDiack.
A feature was the near-faultless handling on both sides, the amazing build-up of phases of play without breakdown. And again, running onto the ball at speed. Does the northern hemisphere have something to teach us in this regard?
A marvellous match, Ulster shading a most unlucky Edinburgh, who just didn't have the bounce of the ball; O'Pienaar decisive with 17 points off his boot in the 22-19 outcome. So it's an all-Irish final at Twickenham in a fortnight, Ulster versus Leinster. Glory days for the green! A humdinger is guaranteed and again there will be great local interest in the performance of O'Muller, O'Pienaar, McWannenburg, Stefan Sean Seamus Terblanche and McDiack.
But back to current realities. The hour approaches. Has Plummers got them in the right frame of mind? That really is all it needs. They've got the skills, they've got the beef, they've got the guts, they're rested. The gals in the Thunder Bar are bullish. Katinka says she's got lots of betting slips under safekeeping in her suspender belt, and they're all on the Sharks, most of them featuring Patrick Lambie. I go along with what she says.
Tomorrow the big crunch. See you in the Duikers' afterwards! If we pull it off, glory beckons. I'll be the one performing the wild Ukrainian dance with the Tattooed Lady.
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