OORB

Ellispark- Friday night

The Lions, coached by Eugene Eloff- captained by their inspirational leader Wikus van Heerden is hosting the free state Cheetahs – in what might just be a very important matchup in the domestiCctiff 2006 competition.

The Cheetahs are the current log leaders and while these two teams play each other in Jozi- the big annual north vs south derby is being settled in cape town with the Province boys hosting the Tswanepoele.

Now pundit RW poster Il Postino has expressed the view that the two crunch positions is 5 and 10- seeing that if Barend Pieterse do his normal – My ball is my ball and all your balls is also mine- act in the lineout and Meyer Bosman gets aggresively over the game line- its curtains for the Jozi Jollers.

Myself is a bit more pessimistic ( at least online- hehehe)- Although I am of the opinion that the Cheetah pack will dominate the tight stuff- the Lions Backrow has had the measure of the Cheetahs on two occasions last year- and they must be brimming with confidence- as I rate them the most effective unit in the competion.

The Cheetahs had made the mistake by keeping the ball static too long on the deck against WP and then King Carmisarb and his men contested heavily- with the resulting pressure on De Waal. But then Meyer is playing- and the other Meyer as well. against the Bulls- it was again the brilliant play of the Bulls loosies-with Tiger Tim Dlulane and Kuun at the front- who had undone a very gingerly looking Cheetah team.

The Lions backline is also a very effective unit and the red and white speedsters must relish the opportunity of playing against Eddie Fredericks- normally a very good defender- but lacking match sharpness and a bit of pace after a long injury induced layoff.

The various time delays in the Cheetah midfield- that haunted them in the games against WP and the Bulls( incidentally the only games in which they scored less tries than the opposition and consequently lost) had been removed- so expect some kind of FestRugby by the Cheetahs. It may not be flashcard induced instructions from the sideline that will spark this- but if the ball are being provided at a regular basis by the pack- the backs will do the natural oranje thing and swing it fast and wide.

It is my opinion that the Cheetahs will be able to win this game- but it will not be as easy as the first game in Bloem. ( Me saying it was easy is maybe a bit rich). The Lions tight 5 have played with commitment-for the last couple of games- their backrow is an excellent weapon and their backline has the ability to rip even the most organised defence to shreds. On this issue- the Cheetah defence had been the most miserly in the competition- but one has to ask whether good defence( pattern and individual tackling) or absolute possesion starvation by the Cheetah pack had been the underlying reason.

For me the most intense matchup will be the battle of the two backrows- in order to dominate the proceedings at the breakdown- fast ball there- and both backlines have the ability to score from 70 meters.

Will Ollie do the Leeuloop on Friday night- yes I believe so- to be joined by the Meyer twins,Hollenbach,Kabamba and all the other usual suspects.

Because the 2006 Cheetahs are not too shabby either.

The following teamsheets had been released by the Free State Rugby Union, for their respective games on the weekend.

Cheetahs vs. Leeus: Bevin Fortuin; Eddie Fredericks, JW Jonker, Hendrik Meyer, Alwyn Hollenbach; Meyer Bosman, Michael Claassens; Ryno van der Merwe, Darron Nel, Kabamba Floors, Barend Pieterse, Rory Duncan, Jannie du Plessis, Jaco du Toit, Ollie le Roux (C). Reserwes: Richardt Strauss, Wian du Preez, Corniel van Zyl, Bian Vermaak, Noel Oeslchig, Willem de Waal, Phillip Burger.

Vrystaat U’21: PD Terblanche; Frank Wagenstroom, Herman Pretorius, Hein Myburgh, Ashwin van Heerden; Jannie Myburgh, Dougie Helmuth; Ashley Johnson, Nicky Steyn, Stanley Stevens, Izak van der Westhuizen, Flip van der Merwe (C), Drew van Coller, Hercu Liebenberg, Steph Roberts. Reserwes: Michael Francke, JP Geldenhuys, Philip Steyn, Zane du Randt, Danny Theron, Rashied Isaacs, Pieter Odendaal.

Vrystaat U’19: Roux du Toit; Ralston Jensen, Philip Snyman, Henry du Toit, Rowan Walters; Bernd Theisinger, Jaco Colyn (C); Coenraad Pieterse, Maurice Ambrose, Bernard Wolmarans, Marnus Briedenhann, Hansie Moolman, Daniel Kotze, Frederick van Heerden, Kevin Stevens. Reserwes: Janco Holtzhausen, Roelof Koorsen, Nicky Faber, Johnny Schoeman, Phumzile Mafika, Lincoln Redcliffe.

Hurter and Super Dave back -

SOURCE: www.suparugby.com

Sean Robson

2006-8-29


The forgotten Springboks Marius Hurter and Dave von Hoesselin are on the Lions bench for their match-up with the Cheetahs at Ellis Park on Friday night.

Strongman Hurter comes in for Lawrence Sephaka who has once again been pulled into the Springbok set-up while ‘Super Dave’ gets his chance with Nick Eyre suffering a severe case of the flu.

Both players are seasoned campaigners who if anything have not seen enough game time this year. Lions coach Eugene Eloff has selected the same fifteen that defeated the Sharks in a nailbiter a fortnight ago but has since enjoyed a week off from the rigours of Currie Cup rugby.

Jaco van Schalkwyk continues at flyhalf with Enrico Januarie holding on to the number nine jersey while Jano Vermaak gets another week off. The home side currently occupy fifth place on the log and need to win all their remaining matches if they want to stand a chance of reaching the semi-finals.

The Lions have improved on almost a weekly basis under Eloff’s tutorship and they are in with a very real chance of defeating the defending Currie Cup champs.

Lions: Earl Rose; Wylie Human, Jaco Pretorius, Doppies la Grange, Louis Ludik; Jaco van Schalkwyk, Enrico Januarie; Ernst Joubert, Wikus van Heerden ©, Baywatch Grobbelaar, Anton van Zyl, Varkhond Grobler, Bertus Smit, Ethienne Reynecke, Heinke van der Merwe. Reserves: James van der Walt, Marius Hurter, Franco van der Merwe, Roland Bernard, Dave von Hoesselin, Grant Esterhuizen, Mark Harris

Due to the fact that I am moving HAUS ORAKEL since Wednesday to a new address, I had been unable to attend the match, but it seems that my presence was not really missed -large grin-

well done cheetahs- that points scored are looking good.

the following log is with the courtesy of the kind folks at ruggaworld.

Team	P	W	L	D	PD	BP	TP
CHEETAHS	9	7	2	0	241	7	35
WP	9	7	2	0	64	5	33
B/Bulls	9	6	3	0	77	6	30
Sharks	9	6	3	0	66	6	30
Lions	9	4	5	0	(11)	5	21
Griquas	9	4	5	0	(18)	3	19
Falcons	8	2	6	0	(151)	3	11
Pumas	9	0	9	0	(258)	3	3

SOURCE: www.rugby365.com

Cheetahs go top of the standings again
Saturday August 26 2006
Falcons' wings clipped in 12-try Bloem rout

The Cheetahs went back on top of the Currie Cup standings wen they beat the hapless Falcons 78-8 in their Round Nine match at Vodacom Park in Bloemfontein on Saturday. The Cheetahs scored 12 tries to the one of the Falcons.

The defending champions, the Cheetahs, went back on top after Western Province lost to the Sharks in Durban the night before.

The Cheetahs' rout included two hat-tricks: by new midfield signing Hendrik Meyer, who revelled in the surfeit of possession that the bulkier Cheetahs pack sent his way, and wing Alwyn Hollenbach.

The home side had wrapped up the bonus point in the 30th minute, when they scored four tries, of which only one was converted - on a day when fly-half Meyer Bosman struggled to find the target with his boot.

But later in the game he became more accurate and in the end converted four of his team's tries, before scrum-half Noel Oelschig took over the kicking duties and kicked four of his own. The final conversion was taken by replacement Phillip Burger, who also scored two tries in a festival of running rugby.

The Cheetahs put their first try up on the board in the sixth minute, when left-wing Alwyn Hollenbach, recently returned from a serious injury, barged over on the left.

The Falcons, denied of much of the ball, hit back minutes later through a long-distance penalty by fly-half Louis Strydom.

With both teams not really trying much creatively, the match went a little stale for 10 minutes before a Cheetahs maul led to a try to Ryno van der Merwe, another difficult conversion attempt, also missed by Meyer Bosman.

The Cheetahs were in cruise control and rarely looked like being troubled. They played the game at a pace they dictated and were rewarded, if not with spectacular rugby then points, in the way of tries, the third scored by centre Hendrik Meyer to give the hosts a 15-3 lead.

Meyer had a dream of a debut completing his brace on the half-hour mark, this time in front of the poles for Bosman to convert. And as easily as that, the Cheetahs had their bonus point, with 50 minutes still to play.

The Falcons, for their part, did not panic and scored a brilliant try of their own through the outright pace of left-wing Mpho Matsaung, who blitzed down the left to dot down, taking the score to 22-8.

That became 29-8 just before the half-time break when lock Corniel van Zyl scored a converted try.

Just after the break the carnage continued when Van Zyl barged over for his second, setting the tone for the rest of the half.

A second by Hollenbach, converted by Bosman took the score to 43-8.

Man of the match, standout centre Meyer, scored his hat-trick after some dismal defence and the score hit 50-8.

Phillip Burger then came off the bench and waltzed through a static Falcons defence for his trademark swallow dive, the Cheetahs ninth. He added his brace minutes later while Hollenbach notched up a hat-trick.

Meyer, fittingly had the final say with a run from 70 metres out, running left then cutting in under the poles, and passing to Marius Schoeman to score in a show of rare generosity and Cheetahs team spirit.

The scorers:

For the Cheetahs:
Tries: Hollenbach 3, Van der Merwe, Meyer 3, Van Zyl 2, Burger 2, Schoeman
Cons: Bosman 4, Oelschig 4, Burger

For the Falcons:
Try: Matsaung
Pen: Strydom

Teams:

Vodacom Cheetahs: 15 Gaffie du Toit, 14 Eddie Fredericks, 13 Chris Kruger, 12 Hendrik Meyer, 11 Alwyn Hollenbach, 10 Meyer Bosman, 9 Falie Oelschig, 8 Ryno van der Merwe, 7 Darron Neil, 6 Heinrich Brussouw, 5 Corniel van Zyl, 4 Rory Duncan, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Jaco du Toit, 1 Ollie le Roux (captain).
Replacements: 16 Richardt Strauss, 17 Wian du Preez, 18 Quinton Davids, 19 Kabamba Floors, 20 Michael Claassens, 21 Phillip Burger, 22 Marius Schoeman

Medicover Falcons: 15 Riaan Viljoen, 14 Brendon April, 13 Riaan Hefer, 12 Hanno Coetzee, 11 Mpho Matsaung, 10 Louis Strydom, 9 Sarel Pretorius; 8 Michael Vermaak, 7 Jacques Nieuwenhuis, 6 Piet Krause (captain), 5 Nico Luus, 4 Ryan Strudwick, 3 Philip Lemmer, 2 Piet Grobler, 1 Zane Killian.
Replacements: 16 Frik Venter, 17 Gavin Whittingham, 18 Attie Pienaar, 19 Sean Plaatjies, 20 Morné Adams, 21 Bosman Grobler, 22 Dean Okkers.

Referee: Craig Joubert
Touch judges: Tappe Henning, Roderick Barry (Western Province)
Assessor: Keith Hendricks (Boland)

Well- no siege of the Cheetahs dream at Kimberley then- getting 5 point at one of the most unforgiving rugby travel destinations on earth.

Griquas is a hard nut to crack at home- and as usual, the hard men from the northern cape keep their best for their orange outback neighbours. I have not watched this game- so will rely on a cut and paste match report.

Well done cheetahs

SOURCE - www.rugby365.com

Cheetahs work hard for Kimberley win
Saturday August 19 2006
Late try seals bonus-point win

The Cheetahs were made to work very hard for a 31-20 Currie Cup win against Griquas in Kimberley on Saturday, a win which also saw them take the OFM Challenge Cup for the third successive year. While the try-count was five-two to the Cheetahs, the win was only secured in injury time.

It was not a match that reached great heights, although it had some great moments. But those were too few and far between.

However, the Cheetahs will be happy that they recorded a win and scored a bonus point. Winning ugly could also bring some satisfaction.

It was a typical derby match, in which two sides bashed at each other vigorously and in the end it was the Cheetahs' greater forward strength that saw them home.

Griquas will also rue the numerous scoring chances they wasted with wrong options. The game was there for the taking, but they gave up at least three penalties - searching for tries instead and failing to find them.

The Cheetahs' hero was undoubtedly Bok utility Meyer Bosman, who showed Jake White that it was a mistake to drop him from the Tri-Nations squad. He started at inside side centre and finished at fly-half. In both positions he showed some sublime touches.

The Cheetahs had some early problems, with referee Linston Manuels, yes he of infamy, awarding three penalties to Griquas inside the first three minutes - one of which was slotted by Griquas fly-half Conrad Barnard for an early lead.

But the visitors settled down and when Mr Manuel awarded a penalty to the Cheetahs in the eighth minute, Willem de Waal slotted it from just over 30 metres to level the scorers.

The game then went into a lull, as both teams made liberal use of the boot - trying to find field position and hoping for some favourable bounces on the rock hard surface in Kimberley. The stop-start nature of the game did not make for great entertainment.

Eventually the stalemate was broken when Cheetahs captain Ollie le Roux bust through a few attempted tackles and rumbled up the middle of the field, to set up camp just in front the Griquas post. After a series of strong forward drives the Cheetahs found space out wide and Bevin Fortuin went over for the first try. De Waal's conversion drifted wide, but the Cheetahs were leading 8-3.

Four minutes later Griquas were back in the lead, when Tiger Mangweni joined the line at pace from fullback and found space out wide. He offloaded to Vuyani Dlomo, who in turn gave to Ronnie Cooke, who came up in support. Cooke went over for his team's first try and Barnard's conversion made it 10-8 to the home side.

The Cheetahs were next to score in this see-saw battle, when Windpomp van Rooyen was penalised for coming in at the side of a maul and De Waal slotted the penalty from 40 metres out - 11-10.

Now it was the turn of Griquas to question the referee's rulings, as they conceded a number of penalties. His explanations sounded logical, but Griquas captain Gareth Krause still shook his head in disbelief.

The game then again lost its shape, with both sides guilty of some real shocking errors, including Darron Nell knocking on inside the Griquas 22 with an open try-line.

Griquas' biggest sins were that they failed to convert kicks at goal - along with not taking a penalty shot at goal and rather opting for a line-out, with the Cheetahs simply bullying them into touch.

The final act of the half belonged to Griquas, when Cheetahs scrum-half Michael Claassens went offside at a ruck right in front of his posts and Barnard slotted the resulting penalty to make it 13-11 in favour of the home team at the break.

The Cheetahs scored first in the second half, after being let off the hook by Griquas - who again opted against taking a penalty shot at goal and paying a dear price.

It was Meyer Bosman who bust through in midfield and with plenty of support runners the Cheetahs raced clear and Philip Burger scored the try. De Waal couldn't convert, but the Cheetahs were leading again - 16-13.

The Cheetahs stretched their lead a few minutes later, when livewire flank Kabamba Floors turned over line-out ball for the Cheetahs and offloaded to fellow loose forward Darron Nell, who raced over for the third Cheetahs try. Again De Waal's conversion drifted wide, but the lead was now 21-13.

The Cheetahs were reduced to 14 men in the 55th minute, when wing Gavin Passens was yellow carded for a professional foul.

But again Griquas wasted a golden scoring opportunity - opting to kick for touch and not going for posts. Their attempts at scoring a try came to naught as they kept running into a white wall of defenders.

They did eventually manage to exploit their numerical advantage, when Bobby Joubert went over after running into space. Barnard added the conversion to make it a one-point game again - 21-20 to the Cheetahs.

The bonus-point try for the Cheetahs came in the 70th minute, following a great chip by Meyer Bosman, which turned into a five-metre scrum for the Cheetahs. From the scrum there was a series of forward rushes, before replacement prop Wian du Preez scored in his 50th game. Bosman failed with the conversion, but the Cheetahs had a six-point lead - 26-20.

Griquas now threw everything into attack in the final 10 minutes, as they searched for the winner. But their desperation were only rewarded with more turnovers, which the Cheetahs booted back deep into Griquas territory.

And with time up on the clock and Griquas attacking from inside their own 22, one of those turnovers gave the Cheetahs a final try, by Burger.

That not only secured the win for the Cheetahs, but robbed the home side of a possible bonus point.

The scorers:

For Griquas:
Tries: Cooke, Joubert
Cons: Barnard 2
Pens: Barnard 2

For the Cheetahs:
Tries: Fortuin, Burger 2, Nell, Du Preez
Pens: De Waal 2

Yellow card: Gavin Passens (Cheetahs, 55 - professional foul)

Teams:

Wildeklawer Griquas: 15 Tiger Mangweni, 14 Vuyani Dlomo, 13 Ronnie Cooke, 12 Herkie Kruger, 11 Bobby Joubert, 10 Conrad Barnard, 9 Tertius Carse, 8 Frans Viljoen, 7 Gareth Krause (captain), 6 Wayne van Heerden, 5 Windpomp van Rooyen, 4 Lodie Britz, 3 Hedley Wessels, 2 Willie Wepener, 1 Jané du Toit.
Replacements: 16 Tiaan Liebenberg, 17 Eugene Van Staden, 18 Cilliers Coetzer, 19 Heinrich Stride, 20 Jacques Burger, 21 JP Joubert, 22 Zane Kirchner

Vodacom Cheetahs: 15 Bevin Fortuin, 14 Philip Burger, 13 JW Jonker, 12 Meyer Bosman, 11 Gavin Passens, 10 Willem de Waal, 9 Michael Claassens, 8 Ryno van der Merwe, 7 Darron Nell, 6 Kabamba Floors, 5 Barend Pieterse, 4 Rory Duncan, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Jaco du Toit, 1 Ollie le Roux (captain).
Replacements: 16 Richardt Strauss, 17 Wian du Preez, 18 Bian Vermaak, 19 Heinrich Brüssouw, 20 Falie Oelschig, 21 Chris Kruger, 22 Alwyn Hollenbach

Referee: Linston Manuels (Boland)
Assessor: Stuart Berry (KwaZulu Natal), Chris Healey (KwaZulu Natal)
Television match official: Pro Legoete (Golden Lions)
Assessor: Richard Nash (Golden Lions)

Eurosport - Mike Hytner - 13/08/2006 19:38

All pictures- www.eurosport.com





Liverpool beat Chelsea 2-1 to take the Community Shield on Sunday thanks to a late headed Peter Crouch winner at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff. Jon Arne Riise opened the scoring in the first half before new Chelsea signing Andriy Shevchenko equalised to mark his debut with a goal.



Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez rested several key players with one eye on his side"s Champions League qualifying tie against Maccabi Haifa, captain Steven Gerrard included, but his tinkering provided dividends as Liverpool delivered an early psychological blow to their Premiership rivals.

"The result has given us confidence in ourselves," said a satisfied Benitez. "We have done a very good job against one of best teams in the world."

But more pleasing for the Spaniard would have been the performance of the strike pairing of Craig Bellamy - who started the match on the bench - and Crouch.

The duo worked well together following the Welshman's introduction after 67 minutes, and they showed what they are capable of with ten minutes remaining when Bellamy delivered an inch-perfect cross for Crouch - who had slipped in behind new England captain John Terry - to head home what proved to be the winner.

"BIG RESULT"

"It's always a big game against Chelsea, and when you see the players they had today, you know it's a big result," said goalscorer Crouch.

"The manager always wants players to improve," Crouch continued. "Last year was good for me, but I want to get better."

Liverpool had taken the lead after just nine minutes with a thrilling counter attack, Riise picking the ball up on the edge of his own box following a Chelsea corner, before running the entire length of the pitch and firing home from 25 yards.

Stand-in goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini was at fault, and should never have let the ball through his fingers, as was perhaps Terry, who stood off from making a challenge for too long, but full marks to Riise, who saw his chance and took it with aplomb.

"I caught it sweet," Riise said. "But to be fair, I thought the keeper would save it. I just smashed it and hoped for the best.

"Everybody worked very hard today," the Norwegian added. "It was a confidence boost for us."

SO FAR SO GOOD FOR SHEVCHENKO

Of the numerous new signings from both sides on show in Cardiff, Chelsea striker Shevchenko was by far the most impressive. The 44 million euros doled out by Chelsea on the Ukrainian international will be money well spent if he continues as he started on Sunday.

With fellow debutant Michael Ballack cautioned and then replaced after injury within the first 25 minutes, the spotlight was left firmly on the former Milan striker and he did not disappoint once Frank Lampard found him with a neat through ball just before the half time whistle.

Shevchenko took the ball in his stride, before looking up and slotting coolly past the advancing Jose Reina in the Liverpool goal. He made it look easy, but apparently that is what you get for such an inordinate amount of money.

NEW SIGNINGS IMPRESS

Both managers took the opportunity to blood new signings, and Shevchenko and Ballack aside, the barely three-quarters-full Millennium Stadium was treated to the sight of John Obi Mikel and Salomon Kalou, two more of boss Jose Mourinho's summer captures.

For Liverpool, Jermaine Pennant and Mark Gonzalez were both impressive on their full debuts, whilst the strength of Benitez's new squad was highlighted by the introduction of new Brazilian Fabio Aurelio and the reappearance of Bolo Zenden, who is as good as a new signing for the Merseysiders, following his injury ravaged season last year.

"We have a better squad than last season," said Benitez. "We can always try to improve but I am happy with this team."

It seems that the REDS have earned their stripes again!!

GREAT STUFF!!

Good luck for the PREMIERSHIP!!!!

AUGUST

18 Griquas v Cheetahs Kimberly

25 Cheetahs v Falcons Bloemfontein

SEPTEMBER

1 Lions v Cheetahs Johannesburg

8 Cheetahs v WP Bloemfontein

16 Pumas v Cheetahs Witbank

23 Cheetahs v Sharks Bloemfontein

30 Bulls v Cheetahs Pretoria

October

7 SF 1st Place v 4th Place

7 SF 2nd Place v 3rd Place

14 Final

Jolly Ollie is the new Cheetah captain
Thursday August 10 2006
Cheetahs scoop Namibian midfielder

Hannes Nienaber

SOURCE: www.rugby 365.com

Veteran Springbok prop Ollie le Roux will take over the Cheetahs' captaincy for the remainder of the Currie Cup season, after first choice Hendro Scholtz underwent surgery to repair a damaged chest muscle earlier this week.

OORB NOTE: I was looking for a long time for this photo- also from www.rugby365.com, just to irritate Aldo- seeing that Ollie is his most likeable Player- but I believe Ollie will be an astute captain- who had also resurrected his career- under the Master Retreader- Coach Erasmus.

The "silly season with regard to player movement had begun- and again Coach Erasmus seems to be ready. Last year- due to the orchestrated delay in the announcement of the 5 S14 Franchises- he was stopped from shopping - but it seems that the wheels of the Checkout trolly had been greased well in advance.

I do not think that the Cheetahs Buying spree will match that of Boland though- the way Boland is utilising the Fidentia Money will make every female with a craze to shop- green with envy. Or is it only Fidentia Money. In a Super 14 context- it will be intersting to se if these Boland players gets any Stormer game time. It also seems that kobus VD Merwe seems set to purchase all the Griqua S14 players- thereby creating a bit of uncomfortableness for Coach Erasmus. Very Chelsea like- behaviour from the BALD ONE- who is doing rather well without Motormouth Mallet - being the backseat driver.

Scholtz and wing Giscard Pieters are both unlikely to play again this season because of injuries.

Scholtz will be sidelined for eight weeks and at best will be able to train again the week before the Currie Cup Final (October 14). Even if the Cheetahs reach the Final, it is unlikely he will be considered after such a long lay-off.

Pieters is likely to be sidelined for at least six weeks.

Apart from appointing the amiable Le Roux as captain for the remainder of the season, Erasmus has also moved to improve his midfield resources.

Namibian international Hendrik Meyer, a talented 22-year-old centre, has been signed from the Pumas and will be available for the Cheetahs for the remainder of the season.

The Cheetahs' next game is against Griquas in Kimberley on August 19.

Meyer was on the shopping list of all the big unions in South Africa - the Lions, Blue Bulls, Sharks, Western Province and Cheetahs. It was the latter who scooped him away from the rest.

Dale Heidtmann has been doing duty at inside centre for the Cheetahs in the first half of the Currie Cup, but with Meyer's arrival and the return from Springbok duty of Meyer Bosman, the Cheetahs now have a surfeit of big, quality inside centres.

Erasmus also signed Leopards outside centre Warren de Bruin, who has been on trial in Bloemfontein this past week. De Bruin and JW Jonker will cover the No.13 position. ( I wonder how injured JW Jonker is?)

But the acquisition of Meyer, who weighs 105kg and is 192cm, is the team's biggest scoop of the season. Agree on this one- (Meyer had posed alot of problems for us in the Bloem game- good centre- and according to the media- almost all the provinces wanted to sign him.)

OORB NOTE: The Cheetah midfield - was I believe the reason why we could not convert 60 % possession against the Bulls and the Goats into victories. While Willem de Waal was not edzakkerly cooking in Oranje 10- the ability of Dale Heidtman to get JW Jonker running straight -with space- was not demonstrated.

With Meyer Bosman back- and with Hendrik Meyer immediatly available- I believe things might get better in the midfield. Some experts also indicated that Alwyn Hollenbach might be utilised in Oranje 14- although I would love to see him and Meyer Bosman in the midfield.

It will be interesting to see which of the Lions players would choose Bloem over PE for the S 14 2007. names that comes to mind - Jacque Fourie, Jano Vermaak, Ernst Joubert and my favourite vanilla-afro Varkhond Grobler. BTW- why is baywatch in Coach Eloff's dogbox? - or is Roland Bernard that good?

On Warren De Bruin- I know nothing of him- but the Leopards have been turning out good quality players for a long time now- so he will be most likely a good aquisition. I wonder about Bertus Swanepoel and Jonathan Mokoena?

What it takes to be a journalist
11/08/2006 10:47 - (SA)

Lizette Rabe

www.news24.com

It's that time of year again when matriculants have to decide what to study to keep themselves busy in a couple of years' time while earning some kind of living.

So why not consider journalism, some wonder, it seems.

But can anyone become a journalist*?

Only if you want to, is the short answer. Don't do it if you cannot close your eyes, ask yourself what your dream job is, and that magic word journalist appears.

Because journalism is a profession where you need the three h's. Hands - for practical skills; a head - for conceptual skills; and most importantly, a heart. Without passion you're not going to make it.

So who is a journalist?

Of course, none of us has everything that it takes. Otherwise you would be the perfect journalist. Our critics would say that must be a contradiction in terms.

But what characteristics do you need? What are the attributes that are must-haves for journalists?

You have to have a desire to make the world a better place. You need to be an idealist. Maybe some will accuse you of being unrealistic, but then that's their problem, not yours (and cynicism will not get its ugly grip on you).

You need to be inquisitive

Of course you need to be inquisitive. Journalism gives you a licence to ask. In fact, if you don't, you're not doing your job. The enquiring mind stops at nothing, and enquiry feeds enquiry. Question everything. That famous bullshit-detector must have an all-powerful 24/7 battery.

What else do you need? If you can answer yes to all the if's below, then it's your job:

If you're critical of everything around you - including your own profession and its shortcomings and challenges.

If you're a stickler for precision, journalism is your job. Dot the i's and cross the t's. Literally and figuratively.

If you fall in love with a phrase that's so elegantly written you want to burst out in tears, even after reading it for the hundredth time.

If you get frustrated behind your computer because that evasive phrase is driving you round the bend and back. I

f you see your keyboard as your instrument, and "compose", whether doing the two-finger two-step or the perfect ten-finger-waltz.

If you re-read your text, re-formulate a phrase, polish your copy, add a comma, delete a dash to get the perfect rhythm and register.

If you want to know what is behind something, and don't rest before you know. Everything. (Yes, you will become a pain.)

If you're a defender of the underdog, and the idea of being the voice of the voiceless sounds like the ultimate ideal.

If you're a lifelong-learner, and never satisfied with the here and now. If the knowledge and understanding of what we have today is not enough, and that constant yearning to unlock tomorrow is overwhelming.

If you want to tell our lives' stories, and the story of our lifetime.

If you're not afraid of hard work, and boring work, and long days (and longer nights). And if you remain enthusiastic throughout.

If you want to be the first to know, and to tell that story to the world. If you are addicted to news, on a need to know basis, and if people fascinate you.

If you get agitated when you start to think what you miss out because one just cannot possibly know everything that's going on.

If you're not afraid of the powerful, but rather want to ensure the powerful is not corrupted by their power.

If you don't mind being called names and being blamed for all the wrongs in the world.

Lastly, if you don't want to earn obscene amounts of money. Because journalism is not about the money. It's about doing a job you love.

Then, dear reader, you have what it takes to be a journalist.

Or, as some would describe this unloved species: homo sapiens journalismus. That strange, but fascinating creature that seeks out others of its kind, where they passionately discuss the latest skinner behind the story (oh yes), make insider-jokes (yebo), are irreverent over holy and unholy cows, dream up the ultimate intro for a story, fall in love with words and ideas. And above all, remain idealists.

Marius van den Bergh — MBA ‘95 - Australia

Marius van den Bergh approached his telling us about business in Australia from a different angle, as can be expected. There are horses for courses, and people all write in their own styles. This diversity makes life interesting …

“I was educated at Grey College in Bloemfontein, obtained an MBA from the University of Pretoria in 1995, and completed a DBA at Unisa in 2002.

I spent my working career in South Africa in the pharmaceutical industry in various positions in sales, business development, marketing and strategic affairs. We immigrated to Australia in April 2001 where I joined SIRTeX Medical as Sales and Marketing Director. SIRTeX Medical is a well-funded Australian medical device company with products in oncology that are sold in Australia, the USA, Europe, India, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and New Zealand.

I was part of the senior management team that created a viable company from an IPO. SIRTeX was the second fastest growing company in Australia listed on the ASX for 2003. The primary objective was to commercialize the novel, small-particle technology for liver cancer of SIRTeX Medical Limited. My position involves brand implementation, strategic business development and the development of marketing objectives. All in all, I am responsible for the general management of the entire Australian and Asia-Pacific functions of sales, marketing, business development, technical and regulatory, with revenues in excess of A$ 18 M. SIRTeX Medical Limited also provides global marketing support services for the USA and European markets.” When asked what it is like doing business in Australia as compared to other parts of the world (concentrating specifically more on soft issues such as culture rather than facts), Marius responded as follows:

“The business culture in Australia is based on values and attitudes such as self-regard and concern for others. That is:

Employees need to be provided with the necessary support, resources and training necessary to do their work.

They need to be involved in decisions that affect their work.

They need to be empowered to do what is necessary to complete their work and meet customer expectations.

Further, the management style that appears to best suit the Australian archetype is that of a ‘Captain Coach’, someone who works with people, provides leadership from inside the group, and creates stability, rather than one that creates instability — the ‘Task Master’ — which, in my experience, has been the predominant management style used all too frequently in South Africa.

The multi-culturalism in Australia and the nature of my role have also provided me with a better understanding of the importance of cultural recognition as a very important aspect in doing business in a global economy. The term ‘diversity’ and respecting it has taken on a new meaning for me. If you want to be successful in international business, embrace the concept and structure of your planning, business strategies and products strategies accordingly.”

From a TUKS alumni site- was communicating with Rasputin’s cuzin when this caught my eye

Maybe the underlying reason for 49ZIP, and some of our other problems- lies within this - expat saffa’s view