The Sinbin

An article on sarugby.com has highlighted the possibility that bulls captain Gary Botha punched Derick “Liefling” Hougaard in order to have him replaced. Was this purely because Liefling has a hit me face, or were there more sinister forces at work?

Tukkers wonder if there are any other players who you think deserve a punch for a variety of reasons, be they looks, attitude, general lack of rugby ability or all of the above. Let us know who you think deserves the punch and why!

A few of my own….

Philip Burger – his head is too big to miss

Bolla Conradie – pure irritation value

George Gregan – need I say more?

Percy Montgomery – to ruin his modeling career

Jerry Collins – what a way to go, imagine being killed by a Jerry haymaker!

I’m sure there are a few more out there. Let us know…

Tukkers out.

WE are at the business end of the 2006 Currie Cup. I like to take a few moments to reflect back on the season, identifying some good, bad and ugly aspects of the season.

The good…

It has been encouraging to see the attacking prowess of most of the sides in this years competition. Too often fans have had to sit through game after game of dour, stereotyped crash and bash rugby. This season has shown a remarkable turnaround. This was exemplified by Hottie Louws’ try for the bulls against province this last weekend. The interpassing between forwards and backs was excellent. The sharks, province, cheetahs, lions and even the griquas have shown the willingness to keep the ball alive instead of seeking contact, thereby slowing down the game. What a welcome relief.

Another good has been the emergence of one or two really good players who have performed consistently and should come into the reckoning come World Cup time. Hilton Lobberts confirmed his arrival on the big stage with an audacious pickup and score against Province. Bevan Fortuin has not put a foot wrong all season, and would not let the Boks down. Bradley Barritt has shown consistent form for the Sharks, as have Waylon Murray, Keegan Daniel and Francois Steyn. For Province, Robbie Diack has been immense, the Lions are fortunate to have the services of a player like Jaco Pretorius, and the Cheetahs have given Kabamba Floors the opportunity to confirm what many people already knew – that he is a player of genuine class.

It has also been encouraging to see the quality of rugby being played when one considers that many of the leading Springboks were not involved in the competition. This has given the opportunity to the above-mentioned players to show their worth on the big stage.

The bad…

In the same breath, the number of points being scored in some of the games in the knockout section has been a worry. But I for one would prefer to see points being scored, than a battle of two kickers. The inclusion of sides like the Pumas and the Valke continues to amaze me. Now don’t scream at me saying that the only way they will improve is by being exposed to this level of competition. I would concur that they are being badly exposed. The Griquas claimed the notable scalp of the Sharks, and ran the bulls, province and the lions close at various stages during the competition. How much good can you be doing for a rugby players career when week in and week out he is on the receiving end of a 40 point plus hiding, and at the end of the season to be told not to come back next season as his union is under financial pressure?

The ugly…

Ollie le Roux’s mullet. I battle to keep my beer down every time I see the Cheetahs play!

On a more serious note…

I have been disappointed by the level of refereeing  in the competition this year, in particular the performance of the TMO. The now famous, “I cannot see the ball being grounded. I have no reason not to award the try. You may award the try.”, comes straight to mind. Too many “home team decisions” have been made. The role and definition of the TMO is a simple one. If the men in the TMO box are making errors with the benefit of slow motion replays and endless angles, what are the chances that they are going to get it right on the pitch in the heat of battle. I believe this is something that needs to be addressed, I don’t have the solution.

Perhaps you do? Or do you have any additions to the Good, Bad and Ugly of the 2006 Currie Cup? Let us know.

Tukkers out.

Just a quick one, but did anybody else notice that Olly Barkly has injured his testicle and is currently out of the England training squad? 

Makes one wonder how he accomplished this. Does anyone know of any interesting injuries which have occurred on the rugby field, or in post-match drinking related binges? 

Let us know.   

Just to get the ball rolling, I can relate the following to you… 

A good friend of mine (let’s just call him Neil Riemer) was playing a match for UCT. He went in to tackle someone from behind, completed the tackle and ran off to the next ruck. It became apparent that something was seriously awry when one of his teammates noticed a red stain appearing in the general vicinity of the genitalia. Further inspection by Neil, teammates, the ref and some very dodgy physios lead to the conclusion that he had indeed sliced open his passion pouch while completing the tackle. 2 stitches, and a week later he told me that “there was no lasting damage”. (the above story was actually submitted to FHM) 

Anyone know of anything similar??? 

Let us know. (please, no mentioning names) 

Tukkers out. 

Tuckers was back in town briefly yesterday, inbetween gigs with Joe Weider Supplements, and sent me this great column.

I don’t know whether any of you who read the Sinbin have ever played a game called ‘Would you rather…’? For those of you who haven’t, the game involves giving your opponent, or a group of people a choice between 2 options. Usually the goal is to try to give the other person an impossible choice, because of the fact that both options are both stomach turning. For example, ‘Would you rather drink hot beer or hot crackling?’.

In all cases the people involved in the game have to choose one of the options. More often than not the game degenerates to involve family members. I will not lower myself to that level, however I would like to pose some questions about something which is also close to my heart – The Springboks. So consider my options below, and decide how you would handle each choice…

• Would you rather sleep with Lawrence Sephaka or Os du Randt?
• Would you rather Rudolf Straueli or Harry Viljoen replaced JakeWhite?
• Would you rather be tackled by Jerry Collins or run head-first into a wall at full speed?
• Would you rather lick the sweat off George Gregan or Wendell Sailors head?
• Would you rather bring back Norman Jordaan or Ettiene Fynn into the Bok side?
•  Would you rather listen to Hugh Bladen or Gavin Cowley?
• Would you rather shoot Clyde Rathbone or the rest of the aussie team?
• Would you rather play in Rustenburg or Tweebuffelsmeteenkooeldoodgeskietfontein?
• Would you rather have Brian van Rooyen or an Aussie running SA Rugby?
• Would you rather watch an unending loop of the 49-0 Bok loss to the Aussies or the 53-3 loss to the Poms?
• Would you rather trust Naas Botha or De Wet Barry to make a tackle to save your life?

I hope this generates some lively debate. Does anyone else out there have any notable “would you rather’s”? Put us on the spot and let us have to make the tough choices!

Tukkers out.

In a season so far characterized by flowing backline moves, and a co-ordinated defensive effort, the sinbin was lucky enough to catch up with the man largely responsible for this, Jaco vd Westhuizen, on his way to drop kick practice. As he approached he removed his earphones, and all that could be heard were the distinctive sounds of the 80’s rockers, Alphaville…

                         The Thursday before the Brisbane Massacre…practicing their drops? 

JvdW: How long is this going to take? I need to get to drop kick practice, and then I have a meeting with Advanced Hair Studio.

Sinbin: Not too long Jaco. But significantly longer than the amount of game time you are going to get against the All Blacks.

JvdW: Huh? I don’t understand. Can we do this in Japanese? Did I tell you, I’m big in Japan…

Sinbin: Sorry Jaco. Unfortunately Japanese is not one of our 11 official languages. How is morale in the side at the moment? How are the guys handling the loss?

JvdW: Very well thanks. As I said, things are not too bad. I have meeting with Advanced Hair Studio, who are looking to grow back my flowing locks for me. Hopefully this will give me strength like Samson. I’m not looking for the Riaan Cruywagen  look, he looks like he has a meerkat stapled to his head.

Sinbin: That’s great Jaco. Glad to hear it. Can you shed any light on your drop kick on Saturday?

JvdW: Ja, well, it’s a move we have been practicing for a while now. The intention is to catch the opposition off guard. Ricky and I had it perfect on the training field. To put us under pressure while practicing we made Os try for the charge-down on the kick. We are so fast he did not get us once!

Sinbin: Why Os? Surely you would want to do under near match conditions, why not someone faster?

JvdW: Jake had anyone quicker than Os fetching beers. Apparently Os is too slow, or drinks them himself.

Sinbin: Tell us Jaco. What went through your mind when you called the move deep inside your own half, in the pouring rain?

JvdW: I must admit, I am used to playing rugby in Japan. The fields there are a lot smaller to accommodate their smaller players. I have slotted a drop from my own 22m before. Did I tell you, I’m big in Japan…

Sinbin: Yes Jaco, you did. Where to from here for the team? What are your plans?

JvdW: Well as soon as I have finished my meeting it’s off to the golf course, we have a round planned.

Sinbin: Surely you should be practicing?

JvdW: Shows you how much you know bru. We can’t get any worse than last weekend. We reckon if we don’t practice we have to improve.

Sinbin: That’s reassuring to hear Jaco. Good luck with the meeting, don’t let them sell the product they gave to Patricia Lewis.

JvdW: Thanks man. Will they be able to read this in Japan?

Sinbin: Yes Jaco, they will.

With that the Drop Kick King trotted off with his headphones on to the tunes of Alphaville, his balding head glinting shining in the sunlight. The Sinbin wishes him all the best with his hair treatment…

Tukkers would like to congratulate Jaco van der Westhuizen for managing to actually prove that he is an absolute prat.

Obviously he could not handle the ball, or the fact that he had dropped it. But to carry on the way he did by claiming it was a drop kick attempt from 70m out in the rain is about as believable as the bok chances of beating the All Blacks this weekend (I hope to be proven wrong). Are rugby fields in Japan smaller than on the international stage? Does anyone know if Jaco has slotted a drop from that far out before?

Well done Jaco, the Sinbin salutes you! The only problem is that we fear 10 mins in the bin will not be long enough if the boks are to stand any chance of winning against the Kiwis.

Please watch this space to see the sinbin’s exclusive interview with the 70m drop kick king…!!