Andy Colquhoun rugby Underdogs in sport have always clung to truisms. They have sworn that it is only “11 against 11”. They have dismissed precedent by pointing out “sport is played on the field not on team-sheets”. And (my favourite) they have talked down the opposition by pointing out “they only have two arms and two legs as well, you know”. And we in the press joined in the conspiracy by nodding in agreement while both of us, in our own ways, quietly prepared for the coming annihilation. In rugby, where brute strength, size and speed magnify disparities in a way that soccer rarely does, the beatings were horrible and entirely predictable. Three years ago the South Western Districts Eagles conceded a century of points in three successive matches in the Currie Cup but on Saturday they go into a match against Boland that, if they win, would maintain their hopes of reaching the Currie Cup semifinals. Meanwhile the Blue Bulls – who handed out a whopping 147-8 klap to the Eagles in that run – find themselves scrapping against the Northern Free State Grifffons for a home semifinal in the second-division Bankfin Cup.
Professionalism may not have entirely levelled rugby’s playing field (the Blue Bulls’ annual wage bill would keep the Griffons in players for the next two decades, for instance) but it has taken away the chasm. Actually the Eagles find themselves underdogs once again on Saturday. Boland are one of the form teams in the Super Eight and will be sure of a place in the semifinals if they claim a third successive haul of five points while Free State simultaneously lose to Western Province. Rudi Joubert’s team could then go on to claim a home semifinal if they were to win at Newlands in the final round of Super Eight matches. But every team in the top five will be making those calculations. They all still have their destiny in their own hands although the pressure will be most keenly felt in Bloemfontein, where defeat would probably spell the end of their chances. The Cheetahs have lost two of their past three matches – the last to the Pumas – and the strain of papering over the cracks of so many departures in recent seasons may be beginning to show. Province have questions of their own to answer after last week’s home defeat by the Sharks, who can strengthen the probability of a Durban Currie Cup final if they beat the Pumas, while the Lions should dispatch Griquas at Ellis Park on Sunday.