Daily Archives: 3 February 2015

EnglandSale Sharks flyhalf Danny Cipriani has been named in the England squad for the Six Nations opener against Wales. The 27-year-old, who has not featured since last June’s tour of New Zealand, is set to start on the bench.

Harlequins No 8 eight Nick Easter, 36, returns for the first time since the 2011 World Cup.

Leicester Tigers trio Dan Cole, Tom Croft and Tom Youngs and Saracens prop Mako Vunipola are also named in Stuart Lancaster’s 25-man party.

Bath centre Jonathan Joseph returns to the squad for the first time since the 2013 tour to Argentina.

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Super RugbySuper Rugby is just more than a week away and most if not all Super Rugby Franchises have instructed their Kit Sponsors to come up with new designs for the 2015 Season.

All the Franchises are sponsored by BIG Kit sponsors.

Of the Australian Franchises the Brumbies are sponsored by CLASSIC, whereas the Western Force, Melbourne Rebels and Reds are sponsored by BLK, and the Waratahs are sponsored by CANTERBURY.

In New Zealand all 5 Super Rugby Franchises are sponsored by ADIDAS.

In South Africa, there is a mix of sponsors, with both the Vodacom Bulls and Toyota Cheetahs are sponsored by PUMA, whereas the rest all have their own sponsors. The Emirates Lions are sponsored by CANTERBURY, The Cell C Sharks by BLK and the DHL Stormers are sponsored by ADIDAS.

For a change the Vodacom Bulls have moved away from a radical Pink or Cammo approach to a more traditional approach and it seems only the Chiefs and to a lesser extent the Blues have somewhat pictorial designs on their Home Kit.

But… the Kit is not what makes a team, so although you might like or dislike a particular Franchise’s Kit, the proof of the pudding still lies in how the teams perform on the field of play.

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Gerbrandt Grobler

Gerbrandt Grobler

Western Province and Stormers lock Gerbrandt Grobler has received a 2-year ban after testing positive for an anabolic steroid.

According to reports, the test was done last October during the Currie Cup.

When Grobler, 22, was informed of the result, he admitted his guilt and made a settlement agreement with the South African Institute for Drug Free Sport (SAIDS). He therefore gave up the right to have a hearing.

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Allister Coetzee

Allister Coetzee

Long-serving DHL Stormers and DHL Western Province coach Allister Coetzee has chosen not to extend his contract at Western Province Rugby and will, instead, take up an opportunity abroad at the end of this year.

Coetzee, 51, will join Japanese club, Kobe Steel Kobelco Steelers, having decided to put pen to paper this week.

“I have always said that I would make an announcement once I had made a decision about my future and my decision has now been made and communicated properly,” said Coetzee on the official DHL Stormers website.

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WhistleNick Briant will officially get the 2015 Super Rugby season underway in Christchurch when he takes the whistle for the Crusaders vs Melbourne Rebels clash on 13 February.

Angus Gardner will oversee the Brumbies vs Reds which follows immediately afterwards in Canberra, with the Australian duo of Rohan Hoffmann and Andrew Lees sharing duties in South Africa for the Emirates Lions vs Hurricanes and Cell C Sharks vs Toyota Cheetahs matches.

The highly-experienced Chris Pollock and Jaco Peyper get the whistle for much-anticipated Round 1 derbies in Auckland and Pretoria respectively with new additions to the 2015 squad, Ben O’Keeffe and Jaco van Heerden assisting on the line in those matches.

Finally, Steve Walsh will be in the middle as the Waratahs get their title defence underway at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium against the Western Force on Sunday 15 February.

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ToulonCell C SharksThe Sharks match against Toulon will see 2014’s best European team take on the last year’s best South African team, but will it be rust versus readiness?

The men from Durban, bar a brief hit-out against Rovers last Thursday, have not seen competitive rugby in over 3 months, while their opponents, Toulon, are in the business end of their season.

There is bound to be some rustiness from the South Africans admits former Sharks prop Eduard Coetzee as he discusses what it will be like for them to face the Galácticos of rugby.

Coetzee is well versed in both countries’ rugby having spent 5 years with the Sharks before finishing off his career in France with Bayonne and finally Biarritz where he made 125 appearances.

“It is clear that for us that this meeting will be something special,” Coetzee said.

“We will assess our ability while facing the best team in the Northern Hemisphere.

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Conrad Smith

Conrad Smith

Will Genia

Will Genia

Reports from France seem to suggest that Wallaby Will Genia will finally make his much anticipated move to France along with the latest in the All Black post-World Cup exodus, Conrad Smith.

Genia, who for a peroid was heavily linked with English Premiership side Bath, now looks more likely to join Parisian side Stade Fancais on a 3-year deal.

It seems that Genia’s deal with Bath eventually fell through due to the Premiership’s salary cap restrictions and the English club’s existing deal with Rugby League convert Sam Burgess.

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Luther Obi

Luther Obi

Sylvian Mahuza

Sylvian Mahuza

SA Rugby’s lenient rugby agent laws may come under the spotlight after 2 highly promising players seem to have signed for the EP Kings while they had valid contracts with the Leopards Rugby Union.

The Leopards Rugby Union are set to lay a complaint at SA Rugby and have consulted legal advice after 2 of their players – highly rated wingers Luther Obi, who played for the SA Under 20 side last year and Sylvian Mahuza, apparently signed with the Kings while still having valid contracts with the Leopards until 31 October 2015.

Now the player agent Jaco du Plessis is facing both legal action and a complaint at SA Rugby about his conduct, as the Kings have claimed they acted in good faith and knew nothing about the prior contracts the 2 players had.

The Kings claim they were told the players had no binding contracts and therefore snapped them up.

Both players were set to make their debut for the Lions in Vodacom Super Rugby this season through the agreement between the Lions and the Leopards, but then did not turn up for practice sessions as instructed to.

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