It is officially the dreaded OFF-SEASON for Southern Hemisphere rugby, so it means under normal circumstances that we would be going into withdrawal system mode very, very soon… but NEVER here on Rugby-Talk.com.
As from this week (sometime), we will be starting IN DEPTH DISCUSSIONS on the INDIVIDUAL POSITIONS and the PLAYERS who will be filling these positions for the 5 South African Super Rugby Franchises.
That alone means 40 Articles to feast on (8 per Franchise), at a rate of 2 per midweek day, therefor roughly 10 per week, and subsequently it will take us roughly 4 weeks to complete… which basically covers most of the off-season.
But, that is not all folks, we will also be covering INTERNATIONAL CRICKET and some of the NORTHERN HEMISPHERE RUGBY.
In addition we will have a Christmas and New Year’s message, which has also proven popular over the years.
So, lots to look forward to, hold on to your boots!
If you have additional suggestions, feel free to voice them on the discussion articles or by contacting us at: webmaster@rugby-talk.com.
Never fear, when GBS is here!
Regards,
Whew. And I thought rugby was going to be scarce this next few weeks
@ Lion4ever:
I just love listening to Saffas slagging off NH rugby!! 🙂
@ Blue Bird:
Hi Blue Bird haha think I have been fighting a lone battle on here trying to extol the virtues (I swallowed a dictionary today 😆 ) of European rubgy, problem is each mid or end of year tours the Southern Hemisphere just reign supreme, this autumn though the tables turned a bit which is nice except for the ones against Springboks.
Being a regular starter for his Japanese club has helped Elton Jantjies to regain his form and confidence,
With two minutes to go in their must-win Top League match against the NEC Green Rockets, the NTT Communications Shining Arcs took the ball through several phases before it came back to Elton Jantjies, who was standing in the middle of the field, 45m out. The flyhalf made a split-second decision to kick a right-footed drop goal that sailed over the crossbar and soon after NTT celebrated a win that took them into the top-eight stage of the competition.
It was a special moment for Jantjies, whose mother Alma was in the stands, and one that gave his confidence a further boost.
Jantjies has had a tough time of it since earning two Springbok caps off the bench during the 2012 Rugby Championship. His attacking game, which had been lauded at the Lions, didn’t gel with the Stormers’ more conservative approach during an unsuccessful on-loan stint last year, and he missed the start of this year’s Super Rugby tournament due to a shoulder injury. That allowed Marnitz Boshoff to take ownership of the Lions No 10 jersey, and while Jantjies did start three matches after returning from injury, he got just 311 minutes game time out of a possible 960.
Jantjies had decided before Super Rugby to play club rugby in Japan later in the year, and it’s proved to be a good move for him considering that Boshoff, when fit, was an automatic selection for the Lions in the recent Currie Cup.
As you would expect, Jantjies has been the Shining Arcs’ first-choice flyhalf throughout the Top League season, with head coach Rob Penney and backline coach Hugh Reece-Edwards, the former Natal and Springbok fullback, giving him their full backing.
‘Coach Reece is the chilled one, while Coach Rob has the rugby brain, so it’s a lot like playing under Carlos Spencer and John Mitchell when they were at the Lions,’ says Jantjies.
‘When I arrived in Japan the first thing the coaches told me was not to put pressure on myself, because they know I always want to perform and have high standards for myself. They said I must just enjoy it and express myself on the field. They have also given me a lot of responsibility and I’ve become one of the leaders within the team, even though it’s my first season here.’
‘When I arrived in Japan the first thing the coaches told me was not to put pressure on myself’
Jantjies relishes running the show for NTT and doesn’t have too much trouble communicating with his Japanese teammates.
‘They understand a bit of English and rugby terms, and we have calls for general and specific attacking plays, so everyone is on the same page. It can be difficult to communicate if I want to play off the cuff, but often they see what I am trying to do.’
While the standard of rugby in the Top League is well below that of Super Rugby, and closer to the Vodacom Cup than the Currie Cup, Jantjies says the pressure to perform in Japan is just as great.
‘I feel the same pressure playing for NTT as I do for the Lions, because you’re playing for a company and not just a team,’ he says. ‘The company expects a lot from their players, especially the foreigners they’ve invested in.
‘There are notable differences between the Top League and Currie Cup,’ he adds. ‘The rucks are quick in Japan, because the breakdown is not as physical. Japanese teams also like to make leg tackles so they focus on line speed in defence, whereas in South Africa it’s all about maintaining line integrity and alignment. Our coaches have changed our defensive structure this season, which is probably why we have reached the top eight.’
However, as Jantjies indirectly points out, it’s unfair to compare largely amateur Japanese clubs with fully-professional South African sides.
‘In Japan, the local players all have day jobs with the company that owns the rugby team,’ he says. ‘At NTT, I go to gym at 10am – an unusual time for me as I’m used to 5am sessions with the Lions – and then train with the team from 3pm, when the locals players get off work, until 6 or 7pm. It’s not like in South Africa where the team can focus on rugby all day.’
Jantjies has also had to adjust to the Japanese culture, which he admits took some time.
‘The language is the big issue, the food is very different and you have to get used to the different mode of travelling. We use bicycles and trains a lot, and aren’t allowed to drive cars to the company for safety and insurance reasons.
‘But I’ve really enjoyed it here,’ he adds. ‘I’ve got a nice two-bedroomed apartment – although the club uses one of the rooms – and stay in the best part of Tokyo, close to Disney World.’
Most importantly, Jantjies is enjoying his rugby and getting back to his best.
‘I’m very happy with my performances and I feel like I’m playing like I did for the Lions last year before getting injured. I want to maintain this form for the rest of the Japanese season, go back to the Lions, have a good Super Rugby season, and get back into the Springbok squad.’
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS CUP
Pool 1
– Saracens completed the double over English rivals the Sale Sharks with a 28-15 victory in London. Former Sharks lock Alistair Hargreaves and prop Petrus du Plessis started for Sarries, while ex-Bok scrumhalf Neil de Kock featured off the bench from the 61st minute.
– Clermont powered past Munster with a 26-19 victory to reclaim top spot in Pool 1 ahead of Saracens. Ex-Bulls No 8 CJ Stander and former Bok prop BJ Botha retained their places in the Munster starting XV after their defeat against the same opposition last week.
Pool 2
– Wing Zane Kirchner played a key role for Leinster in their nervy 14-13 win over Harlequins. Flyhalf Tim Swiel kicked two penalties and a conversion for Quins, but also missed a 30m sitter that proved costly. Both sides are level on 13 points each, but Leinster are second because of points difference.
– Loose forward Ashley Johnson and his London Wasps teammates ended the club’s stay at Adams Park with a crushing 44-17 win against Castres. The Londoners, who will play at the Ricoh Arena from this coming weekend, are now just a point behind the top two in this pool. Castres, who had eighthman Jannie Bornman in their run-on side, are still winless.
Pool 3
– Toulon exacted revenge against the Leicester Tigers with a convincing 23-8 victory at the Stade Mayol. Boks Bryan Habana, Bakkies Botha and Juan Smith were all listed in the defending champions’ run-on XV, but just before the interval Botha suffered a broken nose after a collision. The result put Toulon firmly in charge of Pool 3 on 13 points.
– A week after their 15-point defeat against Ulster, the Llanelli Scarlets turned the tables on their Irish opponents with a 22-13 victory at home. Locks Johan Snyman and George Earle represented the Scarlets. Scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar converted two Ulster penalties and was joined in the match-day squad by compatriots Louis Ludik, Robbie Diack, Franco van der Merwe and Rob Herring. The result all but ended Ulster’s play-off hopes, as they are seven points adrift of leaders Toulon.
Pool 4
– Toulouse continued their impressive run in Europe by defeating the Glasgow Warriors 12-9. The French team, who had Bok prop Gurthrö Steenkamp in their side, are unbeaten and comfortably lead Pool 4 with 16 points from their four wins. Former Lions No 8 Josh Strauss skippered the Warriors, who leapfrog Bath into second on the table on points difference.
– Bok flank Francois Louw marked his return to the playing field with a victory as Bath ousted Montpellier 32-12. Centres Robert Ebersohn and Wynand Olivier, along with prop Pat Cilliers, turned out for Montpellier, who suffered their fourth straight defeat.
Pool 5
– The Northampton Saints blanked out Treviso, with a 67-0 win at Franklin’s Gardens. Flank Meyer Swanepoel started for the Italians, who remain rooted at the bottom of the log, while the Saints edged Racing Métro into first place by a point.
Johan Goosen was again in the thick of things, as Racing battled past the Neath-Swansea Ospreys 14-12. The flyhalf added eight points to Racing’s tally (a conversion and two penalties) and was joined in the starting team by No 8 Antonie Claassen, flank Bernard le Roux and locks Francois van der Merwe and Juandré Kruger. Hanno Dirksen and Rynier Bernardo turned out for the Ospreys.
EUROPEAN CHALLENGE CUP
Pool 1
– Grenoble, with fullback Gio Aplon and lock Hendrik Roodt in their team, struggled past Rovigo 20-17. Centre Joe van Niekerk and utility back Stefan Basson were on duty for the losers. The teams remain third and fourth respectively, behind London Irish and the Cardiff Blues.
Pool 2
– Don Armand and his Exeter Chiefs teammates hammered La Rochelle 41-17 to cement their place at the summit of Pool 2. Lock Cobus Grobler and prop Rassie van Vuuren wore the yellow jerseys of La Rochelle.
– Connacht stunned Bayonne in France with a 29-27 victory, which kept them in second place on the log. Front rowers JC van Rensburg and Gert Muller scrummed down for Bayonne, who moved off the bottom of the standings courtesy of a losing bonus point.
Pool 3
– Stade Français scored a late try to beat the Newcastle Falcons 31-24 in Paris. Bok flyhalf Morné Steyn converted three of the five tries they scored, while his ex-Bulls teammate Jono Ross, who started alongside Steyn and lock Gerhard Mostert, spent 10 minutes in the sin bin. Despite the victory, third-placed Stade are still five points behind the second-placed Falcons in the standings.
– Prop Brok Harris and lock Ligtoring Landman were included in the Newport Gwent Dragons match-day squad that felled the Bucharest Wolves 69-17. Flank Johan van Heerden featured for the Wolves, who have conceded the most tries (24) in the competition.
Pool 4
– Edinburgh pulled away in Pool 4 with a 69-17 victory against London Welsh. Former EP Kings captain Andries Strauss played in midfield for the winners with lock Anton Bresler also in the starting lineup. Prop WP Nel entered the fray in the 71st minute, while flank Ben Pienaar failed to make an appearance off the Welsh bench.
– Lock Connie Basson led Lyon to a surprising 37-28 win over their French rivals Bordeaux. Former Bok scrumhalf Ricky Januarie completed the winners’ match-day squad, while Bordeaux dropped lock Jandré Marais from the starting XV to the bench. The positioning of all the teams in this pool remain the same, but Lyon closed the gap between themselves and second-placed Bordeaux to a point.
Pool 5
– Eighthman Dries van Schalkwyk scored a five-pointer in a losing cause as Zebre lost 32-16 to Gloucester. Fullback Hennie Daniller and lock Quintin Geldenhuys played for the Italian team alongside the try-scorer.
– Riaan Swanepoel guided Oyonnax to a narrow 22-17 win against Brive in their French derby. The centre booted two conversions and a penalty, while prop Johannes Coetzee played a key role in the dominant Oyonnax scrum. Lock Peet Marais and prop Ruaan du Preez were listed as substitutes for Brive and Oyonnax respectively.
JAPANESE TOP LEAGUE
– Former Sharks loose forward Keegan Daniel scored a brace for the Kubota Steelers, who thrashed the Munakaua Sanix Blues 36-11. Flank Jacques Potgieter started for the Blues, but was replaced in the 61st minute.
– Flyhalf Riaan Viljoen scored a try for the NTT Docomo Red Hurriccanes, but it wasn’t enough as the Kintetsu Liners held on for a narrow 30-27 win. Flank Heinrich Brüssow started alongside Viljoen for the Hurricanes and centre Johann Sadie joined them in the 50th minute.
– The Panasonic Wild Knights claimed a thrilling 29-27 win over the Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers. Boks Andries Bekker and Jaque Fourie turned out for the Steelers and the former scored an early try. But wing JP Pietersen came off the wood for the Wild Knights early in the second stanza to score the winning touchdown.
– Suntory Sungoliath powered past the Toshiba Brave Lupus 32-16. Frans Steyn’s accurate kicking (two penalties and a drop goal) kept Toshiba on par with Suntory, but when he was substituted in the 48th minute, they faded away. Flank Justin Downey represented the victors.
– NTT Communications Shining Arcs lost 26-9 to Yamaha Jubilo. Elton Jantjies slotted two penalties and a drop goal for the Shining Arcs’ only points.
– Ryan Kankowski and his Toyota Industries Shuttles teammates suffered a humiliating 36-0 loss at the hands of the Ricoh Black Rams.
– The Toyota Verblitz cruised to a 37-15 victory against the Canon Eagles. Sharks flank Jean Deysel did service for Verblitz from the 61st minute.
@ superBul:
If you ever wondered where is half of South Africa,s rugby players read above post
Does playing club rugby in Japan equal S15? No wonder Junkies looks so good there.
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