Monthly Archives: January 2013
The Sharks beat the Dolphins at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead, in the Pick n Pay T20 match in aid of charity, “and charity won big at the end of the day”.
Let me be the first to say that we were treated to a festival of cricket and fun with both team’s players doing their utmost to give time to fans and at the same time try put up a spectacle worthy of these high class sportsmen, and so they did.
DISCUSSION: 
South Africa and New Zealand did battle in the 2nd 5-Day Test at St George’s Park, Port Elizabeth which started at 10:30 SA Time on Friday 11 January 2013 and which was due to only finish on Tuesday 15 January 2013.
This was the Live Game Article for the match.
South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first. They posted a mammoth First Innings total of 525 runs for 8 wickets, when they declared the First Innings closed.
New Zealand went in to bat and the South Africans demolished them by bowling them out for a measly 121 runs, forcing New Zealand for follow on with their Second Innings. New Zealand battled on a bit more resolutely in the Second Innings but the last 5 wickets fell rapidly at the end, causing New Zealand to be all out for 211, still 193 runs short.
South Africa won by an Innings and 193 runs, before Lunch on Day 4, also winning the Series with a clean sweep of 2 / 0.
Doubts surrounding the availability of Tiaan Liebenberg and Scarra Ntubeni has forced the Stormers management to urgently search for a back-up to Deon Fourie for the start of the Super Rugby campaign.
Naka Drotske has reason to smile, as it is reported that Springboks Coenie Oosthuizen (back) and Johan Goosen (knee) are progressing well. Willie le Roux (groin), Phillip van der Walt (knee), Lappies Labuschagne (ankle) and Springbok Heinrich Brüssow (shoulder) are all on track for early participation in this years Super Rugby Competition.
A Welsh rugby star has had to pull out of an important match in France after his puppy chewed up his passport. Jason Tovey, 23, was all packed and ready to go to the airport to fly to Toulon to play for Cardiff Blues when he found his ruined passport. He said he was dreading telling his coach that he could not play in the Heineken Cup game on Saturday.
Undefeated Harlequins and Clermont can book European Cup quarterfinals this weekend with Toulon also close to securing their spot in the last eight. English champions Harlequins, bidding to make the knock-out stages for just the fifth time, already have 19 points from four Pool Three wins and on Saturday tackle Connacht where just a losing bonus point will be enough to see them through.
Referees will now be able to ask Television Match Official (TMO) to review up to two phases prior to the ball being grounded as part of a new worldwide TMO Protocol trial announced by the International Rugby Board (IRB).
The IRB and its Member Unions have underscored their ongoing commitment to consistent and accurate match officiating by approving a global trial to extend the powers of the television match official (TMO).
Following on our series of articles about the player pedigrees, it was suggested we do the same for the coaching teams. To do the entire spectrum of a Super Rugby Coaching personnel would be too encompassing (the research was hard enough), so I am going to focus only on the people responsible for the main portfolios of Head, Backline, Forwards and Defence coaches.
We all have our predictions and gut feelings, this is what the International top betting sites have to say:
Bellville – Stormers Coach Alistair Coetzee has named a 36 man training squad for for next week’s pre-season camp in Hermanus.
Allister Coetzee
DHL Stormers coach Allister Coetzee wore a broad smile on his face after the second day of training at the squad’s High Performance Centre base in Bellville on Tuesday.
Schalk Burger looks to be the likely Stormers Captain this year despite Jean deVilliers being the current Springbok Captain.
First match: 15 May 1956 – Canberra
South Africa 41 / Australian Capital Territory (ACT) 6
Promoting rugby union was paramount in Australia when the Springboks arrived in 1956. Consequently -soon after arrival- at a civic reception at the Sydney Town Hall Danie Craven and Basie Viviers promised to play open attractive rugby to help rugby union in their battle for player volume against rugby league.
The team travelled to Canberra for the first match against an Australian Capital Territory team. This match was not part of the original tour itinerary and was arranged as a tribute to the resolute efforts of local administrators to gain footing for union rugby in an area with a population basis slightly bigger than Paarl in Cape Province, South Africa.
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans is keen to stay in the job until the 2015 World Cup, but Australia’s new rugby chief says he will have to reapply when his contract runs out.
Italy coach Jacques Brunel has named his 30-man squad for the upcoming Six Nations and called on his players to build on their promising November test campaign.
Lock Pascal Pape will stay as captain of France for the Six Nations tournament despite the return to the squad of Thierry Dusautoir, L’Equipe newspaper reported on Thursday.
Super Rugby News is now starting to come thick and fast!
Below you can read about the Super Rugby HALFTIME BREAKS being extended to 12 minutes, about Ben Mowen who remains Brumbies Captain, about the Super Rugby Draw for 2013, about Bismarck du Plessis’ injury and Frans Steyn gearing up for the 2013 season and about Wynand Olivier who is still in Japan. Tamati Ellison will miss the majority of the Competition for the Highlanders, due to injury.
And then, if a sub-standard squad was not enough, the Southern Kings lose two key forwards due to injury.
Australia flyhalf Quade Cooper was on Thursday pitted against Muay Thai veteran Barry Dunnett for his professional boxing debut scheduled in Brisbane next month.
The 8th Article in the set discussing the Southern Kings.
In this Article we look at the contenders for BACK THREE (Wings & Fullbacks) in the Southern Kings 2013 Super Rugby group, and what their worth will be in Super Rugby terms.
The 8th and last Article in the set discussing the Vodacom Bulls.
In this Article we look at the contenders for the BACK THREE (Wings & Fullbacks) in the Vodacom Bulls 2013 Super Rugby group, and what their worth will be in Super Rugby terms.
It has officially been confirmed that Bryan Habana penned the deal with the French side in the last few days.
The Cheetahs have assembled some real speed merchants in their wider training squad, and the competition will be fierce for starting spots. With players like Piet van Zyl, Johan Goosen, Robert Ebersohn and Johann Sadie, one can expect the pace men to get plenty of opportunity to stretch the hamstrings.
In this Article we look at the contenders for WINGS AND FULLBACKS at the Sharks 2013 Super Rugby group.
The Sharks will have a very solid backline in 2013 with all positions having sufficient depth and with the Back Three the same can be said. In JP Pietersen, Lwazi Mvovo, Odwa Ndugane and Sibusiso Sithole they have four good wings with the likes of Paul Jordaan, Louis Ludik and Gouws Prinsloo who can all also cover the position if need be.
Finally, we come to the back three, the wings and fullback. The Cape has always produced a plethora of gifted wingbacks and this year it is no exception. Add to the mix the precocious talent of a young Mr Taute, and we have the making of a sublime back three.
The South African Rugby Union have revealed the Springboks’ list of international fixtures for the 2013 season which ends with a Test in France for the first time since 2009.
The Springboks start their internationals in June as usual followed by the Rugby Championship and end with a three match tour of Europe which features Tests in Scotland, Wales and France.
England coach Stuart Lancaster has included uncapped pair Calum Clark and Billy Twelvetrees in his 33-man squad for the Six Nations.
Ellis Park is back as the stadium name of the Golden Lions’ home ground, but that may again change in the near future.
South African-born former England international Hendre Fourie has been told by immigration officials that he does not have to leave Britain, despite fearing he was on the brink of deportation having retired with a shoulder injury.
Wales lock Alun-Wyn Jones says he is on course to feature in Wales’ Six Nations campaign after undergoing shoulder surgery two months ago.
Bill Pulver, the head of a linguistics technology company, has been named as John O’Neill’s successor at the helm of the Australian Rugby Union.
The Sharks have returned to Mr Price KINGS PARK on Monday after their Christmas break and will continue building a fitness and conditioning platform from which to launch and sustain their 2013 Vodacom Super Rugby challenge.
While Sunday offers some fun in the form of the cricket match against the Sunfoil Dolphins at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead, the Durban weather at this time of the year coupled with the watchful eyes of the conditioning and coaching staff means that this is always the hardest time of the year for Sharks players.
Fiery Cheetahs flanker, Frans Viljoen, has no contract with the Cheetahs but has asked coach Naka Drotské for a chance to prove his mettle. He is willing to play without a contract and just earn match fees. Viljoen showed in only a handful of matches in the Currie Cup, the value of his physical presence in the Cheetahs team. He will get a chance to prove his fitness in the warm up matches versus the Lions (26 January) or versus the Bulls (9 February).
The 7th Article in the set discussing the Southern Kings.
In this Article we look at the contenders for CENTRES in the Southern Kings 2013 Super Rugby group, and what their worth will be in Super Rugby terms.
The Southern Kings have announced a 40-man squad ahead of their Super Rugby debut season, with some experienced players falling by the wayside.
The Eastern Cape franchise will make their Super Rugby entry without stalwarts Tiger Mangweni and Wayne van Heerden who failed to make the cut when the revised squad was announced this week.