It is with a great sense of uncertainty that I write this post game report. I know it has taken a few days to process but this is because I take great pride in my work and not because I'm lazy. Wednesday saw the top of the table clash between Easterns and the mighty Cobras. While both teams were vying for the first place seed spot for the next round it is without doubt that most people, Cobra or not, believed it to be a rather trivial affair. It should have been. On a cold blustery eveing both teams took to the field, Cobras playing into the wind in the first half as we are inclined to do. Having camped in their half for a good ten minutes, an unnamed Easterns player broke the line and one too many tackles, to put his mate over in the corner. Cobras down by five. Then things took a turn for the better. Aggression levels rose, rucking improved and by half time it was Cobras up 12 to 5. Brendan Raubenheimer going over twice. Tactically positioned on the flank Raubi had a great performance.
In the second half, wind at our backs and a healthy lead the stage was set for a massacre. or so we thought. It was a dull affair. Easterns became more aggressive and it appeared that we just didn't really have our heads in the game. One try in the second half was all we could muster and that was down to an error on their behalf. No bonus point. From the sideline there were a few things I picked up. Firstly and for some bizarre reason, we are sucking at these new rules. Our breakdown play is horrendous. Teams, whether intentionally or not, are killing our ball far too easily and ensuring very slow ball out to our far superior backline. Perhaps we are just being too polite or have become a bit complacent. Complacency is worrying because truth be told we haven't achieved anything in this league. Just like Ricky Bobby said: If you ain't first you're last. True too Ricky, true too.
Secondly it seems that the arrogance of youth that was once abundant in this team seems to have faded. I'm not berating anyone here, as I respect all of you as human beings and rugby players. But right now there is only one man who I belive is playing to his highest potential and has been doing so for the last three games. G Van de Rede stand up, down a beer and take a bow. Confidence is probably the underlying reason for this slump. For heaven's sake, we showed more aggression gainst the Panthers in the change room than we did on the field. It's time for us to take a look at what we're doing and not just brush it under the carpet and put it down to a bad day. Honestly, our last three performances have been below par and if we even think that this is the season where we're going to lift that trophy then some drastic changes need to be made.
Sorry. Other than that we had an absolutely cracking fines session in the change room, which culminated in Raubs bottling a Panther and Kyle Renny taking home the Cobra- gator. Awesome. Also I was told by a friend that the Panthers were bleak with us because they were trying to have fines but couldn't because the noise from the neighbouring change room was just too much. Those that participated can give themselves a hearty pat on the back. Fuck I love the Cobras. See you at touch. Bye for neow...
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