They are up in arms in Australasia crying foul as the Bulls plan to rest most of their team for the final match before the playoff starts. “It reeks of a South Africa stitch-up” says one New Zealand daily but can anyone really blame the Bulls for doing all they can to make sure they go into the most important part of the competition with none on their top players injured? Certainly not!
If the Bulls were playing a New Zealand team and decided to put in a bunch of second stringers nobody would be complaining but simply because it is the Stormers, who need to win to have a chance in joining the top four, suddenly the Bulls are being accused of compromising the integrity of the Super 14. What bollocks!
Right at the start of the season there were concerns that the Springboks in the Bulls team would be exposed to too much game time and when they finally played for the ‘boks they would be jaded. For me it is a welcomed relief that they are going to get a rest even though the motive is to be fully fit for the playoffs. Players like Matfield, Fourie du Preez, Morne Steyn, Spies and others have been in the thick of it week in and week out and their bodies have taken a hammering what is the big deal that they should be rested? That is the privilege of the team at the top of the table who do not have to panic about whether they are going to make the semis, they are there already and can now start to focus on building up the players for the finals.
Of course the real problem is about money, if the Stormers do manage to beat the Bulls second team and secure a home semi-final the Waratahs will be denied the opportunity of hosting what will be a financially lucrative match.The Waratahs, currently third on the table with 38 points and one point behind the Stormers, will get to play a semi-final at the Sydney Football Stadium if they beat the Hurricanes on Friday night and the Stormers lose to the Bulls. Such a game could boost the Waratahs's coffers by millions of rands.
But the odds of the Stormers hosting a semi-final in Cape Town will be shortened if the Bulls field a weakened team because a win this weekend will be enough for them to host the other semi final effectively ensuring that both playoffs take place in South Africa.
But honestly can you really expect any team in the Bulls jersey having sympathy on the Stormers and going easy on them gifting them a victory? Never in your life! The match will be as hard fought as ever and it will be an interesting twist to see de Wet Barry stretching the old hamstrings and planting a few big hits on the Stormers.
However I don’t believe the Stormers will be licking their lips in anticipation of facing a team of desperate Bulls eager to show they deserve to be wearing the jersey. The Sharks turned over the men from the Cape easily last week and their confidence going into this match must be somewhat shaky and thoughts of possibly tripping up on the final hurdle very realistic.
Yet should the Bulls lose it will not be by much and even with some second stringers and some tight hamstrings in the backline I predict the Bulls will still be too strong.
