Nathan Sharpe: Cream came to the top

[travelling_gerry]

Nathan Sharpe: Cream came to the top

NATHAN SHARPE, The West Australian May 19, 2010, 8:28 am

Getty Images / Cameron Spencer © Enlarge photo




Last weekend's final regular-season matches showed the most deserving teams made it to the final four.
The Waratahs and Crusaders saved their best performances for the weekend that counted the most - essentially a quarterfinal for the six teams in play-off contention.
These teams outplayed their opponents with a combination of will and skill, an unbeatable mix in most cases.
The Stormers rounded off the weekend with what was almost a guaranteed win when the Bulls rested so many players, a move that sparked much debate in rugby circles.
Without doubt the Bulls earnt the right to make that decision.
They have the experience and quality to utilise the rest in a positive way. I believe it will serve them well this weekend but I'm sticking with my prediction the Stormers will win the competition.
The fact the Bulls will be taken from their fortress at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria - to play in soccer heartland Soweto - makes them even more vulnerable against the Stormers.
I spoke to Sharks captain John Smit after our game in Durban and he felt the Bulls would win the competition.
He described the ragged performance the Stormers put in against the Sharks in the previous round as "a game the Stormers simply did not turn up ready to play in".
Of course, these theories are all well and good but these teams need to account for the Waratahs and Crusaders.
Let's not forget the game that got away from the Crusaders only two weeks ago against the Bulls in Pretoria. The Kiwis will steel themselves to get one back against the Bulls.
Durban was a painful city to be in on Friday night for the men from the Western Force. We battled hard but like so many times this year we were too sloppy with our execution when it mattered most.
After a hard start to the season, where we had plenty of hurdles to overcome in terms of injuries and a new squad coming together, the way the team bounced back in the second half of the campaign was most encouraging.
I believe it augurs well for next year. We spoke after the game of the lessons we must learn from this year, regardless if this was a player's first or 10th season.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/spo...me-to-the-top/

[Burgs]

That's rather amusing, a story about a star player and cream rising and then they show a photo of Trestle...

[tragic]

Cream's not the only thing that floats, Burgs.