The rugby hurricane prepares to hit our shores…again

Can you feel it? I don’t know about you but I can. I can sense it in my bones and in the air. Cricket season is in full swing, a time of joy, sunshine and this season, squishing English ambitions.

However, like the days following a trance party, in the silence that is all you can hear. Thankfully instead of the monotonous beats offered by society’s foot-stompin set, I hear the sounds of body hitting turf, foot striking processed leather and the draught taps flowing.

Rugby season will be upon us in February (KO day is set for the 13th) at which point the rugby hurricane will envelope South Africa, Australia and New Zealand once more for another edition, and the last as we know it, of the Super 14. Teams have already begun preparing and from a South African perspective, this season promises to be the most intriguing we have witnessed for some time.

Of the five franchises, expect the Bulls and Sharks to be in contention with the Stormers, Cheetahs and Lions following as dark horses. “Wait a second!” you might be saying. “The Lions? Is this guy on crack?”

I must admit that their recent record, or frankly, their entire record over the history of the Super 14 and the Super 12 (as a lone franchise) is very, very poor.

However, as a Lions supporter, the recent acquisition of Carlos Spencer is most exciting and with union president Kevin de Klerk suggesting that more signings are to follow (who I have no idea) the Lions might be the team that surprises a few pundits and probably 95% of South Africa.

If they show the fight they exhibited against the Stormers in their final pool match of 2009, their re-match against the same team in their opening fixture at Ellis Park (screw Coca-Cola) should prove to be a cracker.

The Cheetahs also should be a very tough encounter for any side especially with a loose trio that rivals the best in the competition (Brussow, Smith plus Johnson). They face the Bulls in Bloemfontein in what promises to be a titanic clash of forward on forward, so expect Guthro Steenkamp (who always looks like he is about to keel over towards the end of a match) to be sucking in the big ones due to the presence of the Cheetahs powerful near Springbok-full front row. Also expect to see Wynand Olivier challenge for the title of best hair when rocked in a tackle or while taking crash ball.

The Stormers, the dashers of SA rugby (certainly not for most of last season) are the ones who should feel they have a real shot of usurping the Sharks and Bulls as South Africa’s top franchise. With Bryan Habana and Jacques Fourie in the backline, the potential for a try-scoring orientated approach is there. Whether they decide to be adventurous is another matter entirely. Once again, their biggest enemy is depth within the tight five, where two or three unlucky moments will hamper their chances considerably.

With the talent being more evenly spread among the five franchises, expect to see the Australians suffer on the field (that might not be true, but I hate losing to the Aussies) with an Australian team ending up with the wooden spoon (sorry Reds fans). Whether the Bulls can maintain their dominance remains to be seen with the loss of Habana and the injury to Bakkies Botha (a blessing in disguise for the 2011 World Cup?) something they will have taken on board. They still have “I will never miss while wearing blue” Morne Steyn and Victor Matfield to turn the screws. Expect more pressure rugby from Pretoria.

The Sharks also have a conundrum known as Ruan Pienaar. Murmurs from the east coast indicate that he will be used as a scrumhalf, his best position, with Rory Kockett as good a replacement as you will find. Argentinian import Juan Martin Hernandez will then have the no 10 jersey to command a Sharks backline without the ridiculous (I miss him so) Frans Steyn and his even more ridiculous boot. Who fills the gap left by Steyn remains to be seen, but with the ever-green Stefan Terblanche prowling around at fullback, expect the Banana Boys (to use an old term) and their powerful forwards, lead by John Smit and Johann Muller, to inflict some pain on their opponents.

I mentioned earlier that the Cheetahs have a loose trio to rival the best in the competition. If you have a look at all the franchises, South Africa is absurdly blessed with players in the no 6, 7 and 8 jerseys: Smith, Brussow, Johnson, Francois Louw, Jean Deysel, Schalk Burger, Dewald Potgieter, Duane Vermeulen, Pierre Spies, Ryan Kankowski and Cobus Grobbelaar. Expect much ball to be stolen and the turnover count to be high.

Of the opposition, the Crusaders, Brumbies, Waratahs, Hurricanes and Chiefs will be the teams who will be around come the business end of the competition. With Carter back in Christchurch and Giteau playing for ACT, the stage is set for the majority of the world’s best rugby players to show why it is called Super Rugby. Heineken Cup eat your heart out.

Another fascinating year of rugby is upon us. Let’s hope they decide to keep the ball more in hand this year (a la New Zealand’s win over France last year) so we can watch some exciting and high quality rugby.