Daily Archives: 10 February 2015
Joe Pietersen
The Toyota Cheetahs have named former Stormers fullback Joe Pietersen at flyhalf for their Super Rugby Round 1 clash with the Sharks in Durban on Saturday.
Pietersen is an unknown entity at flyhalf having spent most of his time running from the back for the Stormers and for French club Biarritz, where he made 17 appearances.
In the front row, Springbok Coenie Oosthuizen packs down at tighthead alongside Currie Cup captain and Namibian international Torsten van Jaarsveld.
Former Sharks prop Danie Minnie solidifies the front line of the scrum.
At lock there is room for another Springbok in Lodewyk de Jager who pairs up with new captain Francois Uys.
Willem Alberts
It is still unsure as to when Springbok Willem Alberts will return from injury as the Sharks prepare to face the Cheetahs in Round One of Super Rugby this weekend.
Alberts, who damaged a hamstring while on duty with the Springboks, has been out of action since before the Rugby Championship in August last year.
The flank went down with the injury right before the Boks first game against Argentina at a soggy Loftus Versfeld, this allowed Warren Whitely to make his debut.
Alberts also missed the next game against in Salta.
Steven Sykes
Former Sharks lock Steven Sykes has joined the Cheetahs squad as they prepare for the Super Rugby competition.
According to reports, it remains unsure if Sykes has signed a contract with the Cheetahs or just training in Bloemfontein on a trial period.
Sykes will compete for a spot in the Cheetahs’ Super Rugby team with the likes of Lood de Jager, Francois Uys, Carl Wegner and Armandt Koster.
England head coach Stuart Lancaster has named an unchanged match day squad for Saturday’s Six Nations match against Italy at Twickenham.
The 23 players will re-assemble at Pennyhill Park on Wednesday, with the starting XV and replacements announced on Thursday.
Lancaster said: “We’ll name the team on Thursday but we’ve gone for the same squad that played against Wales as we look to build consistent performances.
“There are many players pushing hard for selection and we are looking forward to watching their club games this weekend.”
Di Patston
The Australian Rugby Union and former employee Di Patston looks set for another round of ‘airing dirty laundry in public’.
Media reports in Australia revealed the highly-publicised Kurtley Beale sage – which resulted in an emotional Patston returning home prematurely from the Wallaby tour of Argentina and later resigning her position – could result in a protracted legal battle.
The ARU are expected to fight a discrimination claim brought by the former Wallaby business manager, Patston, but – according to the reports – it will result in a protracted and potentially embarrassing pubic hearing for the ARU.
Patston has engaged a well-known personal injury law firm on the New South Wales north coast to act on her behalf in a claim of ‘adverse action’ under the Fair Work Act over her employment and subsequent resignation from the ARU last October.
Steffon Armitage
Prosecutors have requested a 5 to 6 month suspended prison term and £5000 fine against Toulon’s flank Steffon Armitage who appeared in a French court Tuesday on charges of assault.
Armitage, last season’s European player of the year and capped 5 times by England, is alleged to have struck a 31-year-old man on 13 December in a Toulon restaurant after an evening drinking with teammates following the side’s 23 / 8 victory over Leicester in the European Champions Cup.
According to witnesses, a fight broke out and Armitage, 29, and Toulon prop Xavier Chiocci, who was later released without charge by police, felled the restaurant goer before striking him, injuring his eye.
Emirates Lions Head Coach Johan Ackermann has announced his 23-man side to take on the Hurricanes in the Southern African season opener at Emirates Park on Friday evening.
Ackermann has combined both a boost of youth and experience in his side.
The match will get under way at 19:10 SA Time on Friday 13 February at Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg.
Sharks Director of Rugby, Gary Gold has released the names of his 40-man squad for Vodacom Super Rugby 2015.
The following players were not considered for selection at this stage due to injury: JC Astle, Paul Jordaan, Stephan Lewies, Tonderai Chavhanga, Willem Alberts.
The Cell C Sharks commence their Vodacom Super Rugby campaign this Saturday, 14 February 2015 against the Toyota Cheetahs at Growthpoint Kings Park.
The match is scheduled to kick off at 17:05 SA Time.
There were 2 thrilling draws in an intense opening round of FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International action on Monday.
Cape rivals FNB UCT and FNB Maties ended deadlocked on 32 / 32 at a sold out Green Mile, whilst in Bloemfontein 2-time champions FNB UP-Tuks and FNB UFS-Shimlas played out a 29 / 29 draw.
That means that FNB UJ top the standings after Round 1 following their 46 / 10 demolition of newcomers FNB CUT Ixias, and they are followed by FNB NWU-Pukke who scored 2 late tries to secure a 36 / 26 victory over FNB NMMU.
Nemani Nadolo
Crusaders winger Nemani Nadolo could be back in Super Rugby sooner than expected but he is unlikely to play in the Super Rugby opener against the Rebels in Christchurch on Friday.
Nadolo has completed his commitments with the NEC Green Rockets after they suffered a shock loss to Teikyo University in their All-Japan Championship knockout so he is free to return to the Crusaders.
The Fijian winger was joint top try scorer in 2014 – on 12 tries with the Waratahs’ Israel Folau – but despite his value he is unlikely to be rushed into action this week at Christchurch’s AMI Stadium.
Sam Lousi
Waratahs coach Michael Cheika has targeted rugby league convert Sam Lousi as the long-term replacement for lock Kane Douglas, the one significant departure from the squad that won last year’s Super Rugby title.
The work done by the hulking second row trio of Springbok Jacques Potgieter, Will Skelton and Douglas played a large part in building a solid platform for the running game that took the Waratahs to their first championship in August.
The departure of Douglas for Ireland was a blow not only for the Waratahs but also for the Wallabies, who Cheika will guide into the World Cup this year as well as leading the Super Rugby title defence.
Rieko Ioane
Akira Ioane
Teenage star Akira Ioane and 17-year old teenage brother Rieko who was outstanding in the recent Wellington Sevens for New Zealand, have both been signed by the Blues.
Akira, the loose forward, a star of Sir Gordon Tiejens’ All Black Sevens team last year, could make his debut in Saturday’s opening game of the Super Rugby for the Blues who are at home against the Chiefs.
Ioane, who has been a trainee with the Blues for the past few weeks, was named as the fulltime replacement for Peter Saili who is now playing in Europe.
Akira, who was born in Japan, has rugby in his blood with his father Eddie a former Samoan international while mother Sandra played for the Black Ferns.
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George North down against England on the weekend
Wales will have instant video replays available to their medical staff for the remainder of the Six Nations tournament to avoid a repeat of an incident where one of their players continued playing after losing consciousness on the field.
Wales have come under criticism after winger George North played on following a clash of heads with a teammate in the second half of the 21 / 16 loss to England in Cardiff on Friday. He did not undergo a mandatory test for concussion.
In an interview posted on the Welsh Rugby Union’s website on Monday, the national medical officer, Prav Mathema, said team doctors did not see the incident involving North and that he was lucid when they arrived to treat him.