Daily Archives: 2 September 2014

Rugby-TalkOur previous PUB NIGHT, last Tuesday, we had great FUN!

This week we add another TWIST to PUB NIGHT, we are throwing the whole website open so that ANYBODY can comment, Registered AND Unregistered Readers.

So, whether Registered or not, take part tonight!

Registered Subscribers Login as per usual and comment as per normal, Unregistered Readers who want to take part, simply supply a Blogging Nickname and your E-Mail Address (must be a valid E-Mail Address) and join in the fun.

The idea is to lighten up our dull Tuesday evening with an evening of music, comedy and fun.

Rugby takes a backseat tonight as the clan and fellow rugby nutters gather…

Read the rules below carefully, or you WILL get burnt!

Just for clarity sake, when someone does not adhere to the Rules of the PUB, EVERYBODY jumps on them and pummels them, right… understood?

 

Here’s how it works:

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Argentina scrum

ACID TEST: The All Blacks’ pack will have to be at its best to deal with a powerful Argentina eight at scrum time on Saturday.

You can blame the goal kicker, you can blame the concession of daft technical penalties or a single colossal blunder at the wrong time.

It’s hard to argue. But the single main reason why Argentina’s strong men could dominate South Africa the other weekend and still end up losing was the train of Springbok replacements.

Coach Heyneke Meyer hooked beaten players from the pitch and sent on an eager second wave of men like Adriaan Strauss and Tendai ‘the Beast’ Mtawarira.

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Rugby-Talk.comSpring has sprung:

It is 1 September 2014… and yes, 2 thirds of the year has flown by already… in the blink of an eye!

1 September is Spring Day in the Southern Hemisphere, a time for regeneration, rejuvination, renewal and a general litf in the mood after yet another winter has come and gone.

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George Smith

George Smith: the picture that sparked a thousand and more discussions.

We all remember it: the vision of a glazed and vacant George Smith staggering from the turf at ANZ Stadium, led by a medic at each elbow, after a sickening clash of heads with British & Irish Lions hooker Richard Hibbard handed him a one-way ticket to cuckoo-land.

We remember it was upsetting to see the great warrior reduced to a helpless lump.

We remember how sad it seemed that his comeback in the third Test- billed as a fairy-tale finale – had apparently been curtailed so quickly.

And we remember, of course, the hapless call to return him to the action that sparked the concussion debate that – more than one year on – continues to envelop the Australian sporting fraternity.

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Carlos Spencer

Carlos Spencer

EP Kings head coach, Carlos Spencer, has made five changes to the starting lineup that will take on Western Province at Newlands on Friday.

Spencer announced that Steven Sykes will once again captain the side as regular skipper, Luke Watson, was still recovering from a concussion.

Changes to the forward pack include Lizo Gqoboka, who will return to the side at loosehead prop in place of BG Uys, with Shaun McDonald coming off the bench on at Flank, rotating with Thembelani Boli who moves to the bench.

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James O'Connor

Runaway success: James O’Connor scores a try for Toulon on the weekend.

The short-term future of James O’Connor and his return to Australia is assured, but doubts remain about his long-term plans after the World Cup in Britain next year.

Queensland are expecting O’Connor, who has 44 Test caps with the Wallabies, to remain in Brisbane after announcing last Friday that the back had signed a two-year deal with them – starting next season.

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Bryan Habana

Springboks flyer Bryan Habana

The Wallabies have been the source of great pain and great satisfaction in Bryan Habana’s glittering Test career.

After the anguish of the 2011 World Cup quarter-final – a game still capable of sending a collective shudder through a Springboks team room – and the elation of last year’s watershed Test victory at Suncorp Stadium, it is fitting that the South African winger will play his 100th Test against the Wallabies in Perth.

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Kingston Park

Kingston Park

A new domestic season is almost upon us and among the fresh faces set to make their Premiership Rugby bow is a key arrival who may just turn out to be one of the most significant signings of the off-season.

Newcastle Falcons’ decision to install a hi-tech artificial pitch at Kingston Park makes them the second club in England’s top flight to ditch a traditional grass playing surface after Saracens’ ground-breaking and headline-grabbing switch in 2013 – with both understood to have cost in the region of £500,000.

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Mike Coman

Mike Coman – Edinburgh’s captain

Experienced back row, Mike Coman, will captain Edinburgh this season, with Scotland international lock, Grant Gilchrist as vice captain.

Coman, who turns 27 later this month, said: “It’s a massive honour, we’ve got an exciting team and I’m really looking forward to the season ahead.”

Signing for Edinburgh Rugby during 2013/14 on a two-year deal, Coman is no stranger to the captain’s armband.

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Nizaam Carr

Nizaam Carr

He has been one of the stellar performers nationwide as the Currie Cup approaches its halfway stage in pre-knockout play this weekend.

But will Nizaam Carr, the tearaway No 8 for log-leaders Western Province, fall prey soon to that all too common shortcoming by South African coaches at either Super Rugby or provincial level: flogging players to the point of exhaustion or often not unrelated injury?

A week and a half ago, WP coach Allister Coetzee admitted to some journalists that Carr, whose game-to-game work-rate has often been little short of extraordinary, was in need of some “off” time – remember that the domestic competition has no bye-weekend luxuries.

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Frans Ludeke

Frans Ludeke

Vodacom Blue Bulls coach Frans Ludeke has laid it on the line. Saturday’s Absa Currie Cup showdown with neighbours the Xerox Golden Lions is almost a season-decider for his team.

Having won just one out of four games thus far, the Blue Bulls desperately need to reverse their fortunes and while their performance against Western Province was a lot better than their opening three games, they still couldn’t get a win in the game, despite dominating possession.

Ludeke has made it clear that the Bulls need to up their finishing, something that has been a difficult thing for them this season, and they need to take the points on offer when they are in control.

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It's not a good idea to get in Ben's way, even if you are the referee.

It’s not a good idea to get in Ben’s way, even if you are the referee.

Waikato prop Ben Tameifuna has been cited for acting against the spirit of good sportsmanship, after referee Glen Jackson was allegedly shoved.

The incident occurred during Waikato’s Week 3 NPC Cup match against North Habour at QBE Stadium on Saturday. The alleged incident occurred in the 72nd minute of the match when Jackson was knocked off his feet.

The incident was noted by Citing Commissioner John Wootton. Tameifuna has been cited under law 10.4 (m) which deems that a player must not do anything that is against the spirit of good sportsmanship in the playing enclosure. His case will be heard on Wednesday September 3, by Judicial Officer Chris Morris by video conference.

Watch the video below.

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TJ Perenara

SLIPPERY WHEN WET: All Black TJ Perenara catches the ball during a rain-affected training session in Napier.

Rarely do the All Blacks relish the chance to train in relentless rain and on a sodden pitch.

But when it comes to playing Argentina in New Zealand, those conditions have been a given in recent times, so today’s training at the Napier Old Boys Marist club may prove the perfect dress rehearsal for Saturday’s Rugby Championship test.

“We have a plan A and a plan B, but we have an eye on Saturday’s [forecast] and it looks like it’s going to be reasonably wet later in the week,” backs coach Ian Foster said.

“We’re going in with a plan that we want to play if the conditions are great, but our awareness of plan B is pretty high this week.”

The All Blacks are aware that they played poorly in the wet three weeks ago during a dour 12-12 draw with Australia in Sydney where they kicked too much and struggled with their handling.

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AustraliaThe Kurtley Beale No 10 experiment has been aborted, with Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie naming Super Rugby title-winning halves Bernard Foley and Nick Phipps to take on South Africa in Perth this Saturday.

Beale and Brumbies halfback Nic White have both been benched following the Wallabies’ 51-20 flogging from the All Blacks, but centre Matt Toomua, winger Rob Horne and star fullback Israel Folau have all held their spots in the backline.

Adam Ashley Cooper has shifted to the wing to cover for the retired Pat McCabe (neck), with Tevita Kuridrani getting the call-up at outside centre for the Patersons Stadium clash.

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ITM CupThis turned out to be a pretty good week for visiting teams and those in the Championship section, but a couple in the Premiership won’t be feeling quite so chipper about life.

At the end of hostilities the top five in the lower division are separated by only three points and, in most cases, have not yet started playing amongst each other.

Manawatu opened the weekend with a big win at Wellington; it was only their second ever over Wellington a in the capital and deserved on the run of play, since the Turbos didn’t squander their chances and Wellington did.

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