Daily Archives: 15 June 2015
Jnr Springboks (6) 20 / 28 (18) England (Final Score)
The South African Junior Springboks and England Under 20 did battle in a semi-final in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship at Stadio San Michele, Calvisano at 20:30 SA Time (20:30 Italy Time, 19:30 BST, 18:30 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
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Other matches – Fixtures & Results:
Australia 31 / 21 Scotland (Final Score)
New Zealand 45 / 7 France (Final Score)
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Malakai Fekitoa
All Black centre Malakai Fekitoa heads the list of key players set to return for the Highlanders’ Super Rugby preliminary play-off match against the Chiefs in Dunedin on Saturday.
Fekitoa missed last Friday’s victory over the Blues because of an injured groin, but coach Jamie Joseph is positive that 1 of his star backs will be fit for the encounter with the 2-time champion Chiefs.
The team received further boosts as they started training for their 1st home play-off match in 16 years.
3 Key forwards – No 8 Nasi Manu (shoulder), as well as locks Mark Reddish (broken hand) and Joe Wheeler (knee) – could be back for this week’s encounter.
Flank John Hardie looks to be the biggest injury concern for the Highlanders as they get into play-off mode.
Hardie, who damaged rib cartilage in the early stages of the match against the Blues at the weekend, could be in doubt.
Richard Graham
Reds head coach Richard Graham admits his future is out of his hands after watching his team end their season with a big loss in Sydney.
The Queensland outfit were hammered 31 / 5 by the Waratahs, letting in 4 2nd-half tries as they went down for a 4th time in a row against their rivals.
It caps a disastrous season for the Reds, who have won just 4 games all season and finished 12th in the table, with speculation over Graham’s future mounting.
Augustine Pulu
Chiefs scrumhalf Augustine Pulu has been ruled out of the Super Rugby’s Finals Series due to a broken arm.
Pulu, who represented the All Blacks in 2 Tests on their 2014 end-of-year tour, sustained the injury after coming on as a replacement in the Chiefs’ 21 / 13 defeat to the Hurricanes in New Plymouth on Saturday.
“Pulu underwent surgery earlier today to insert a plate,” the Chiefs revealed via a press release on Sunday.
“The expected return to play time is 8 to 10 weeks.”
Sonny Bill Williams
Sonny Bill Williams has been issued with a Citing Commissioner Warning for a dangerous tackle.
The Chiefs centre was warned for contravening Law 10.4 (e) Dangerous tackling during the clash with the Hurricanes in New Plymouth on Saturday.
The incident occurred in the 40th minute at Yarrow Stadium, but was not serious enough to warrant further sanction.
An ambitious plan to stage a match between New Zealand’s Crusaders Knights and English Premiership club Saracens in New Orleans has been cancelled.
The planned fixture on 1 August at New Orleans’ 70 000-capacity SuperDome was designed to capitalise on growing US interest in Rugby Union.
However, the fixture – just like the Independence Cup match, an encounter between the newly formed NRFL Rough Riders and English Premiership giants Leicester Tigers – has become a victim of the ongoing battle between USA Rugby and RugbyLaw.
USA Rugby is the recognised national controlling body registered with World Rugby, while RugbyLaw is planning to launch a new professional league, the NRFL, in the United States.
However, USA Rugby declined to sanction the encounter between Tigers and the Rough Riders – because the Rough Riders are not registered with USA Rugby.
Now the dispute between USA Rugby and RugbyLaw have claimed another victim.
Hosea Gear
French club Clermont Auvergne have signed All Black wing Hosea Gear on a 2-year deal from the Chiefs.
The 31-year-old Gear, who played 14 Tests and scored 6 tries for the All Blacks from 2008 – 2012, completes Clermont’s recruitment campaign for next season – following the arrivals of Springbok Flip van der Merwe, French international Scott Spedding, Waisake Naholo (Highlanders), David Strettle (England), Adrien Plante and Camille Gerondeau.
Gear is returning to France, where he already played 1 season for Toulouse in 2013 and 2014.
Italy’s World Cup preparations got off on the wrong foot on Monday, when players refused to take part in the 1st training session in a row over pay.
The Italian Rugby Federation said it had “taken note” of the players’ decision “to neither take part in training nor wear federation kit before a financial agreement is found over participation in training and the World Cup”.
40 Players had gathered at Niederdorf / Villabassa, close to the northern town of Bolzano, for the 14 June to 3 July training camp.
However, captain Sergio Parisse and veteran prop Martin Castrogiovanni were both absent after their Top 14 efforts with Stade Francais and Toulon respectively.
The Italian internationals want a match-by-match bonus for the 18 September to 31 October World Cup in England instead of a once-off payment linked to their performances, as desired by the federation.
The United States of America Sevens side will defend their Olympic rugby crown next year after defeating Canada 21 / 5 on Sunday to seal their tickets to Rio de Janeiro, where the sport is returning after a 92-year absence.
The 2 countries were playing in the final of the 2-day North America Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) qualifying tournament in Cary, North Carolina and it was the Eagles who showed their class in a game they were never troubled in.
First-half tries from former American football player Perry Baker, Danny Barrett and Maka Unufe were enough for the USA, who recently won the prestigious London leg of the international sevens circuit.
The USA, who won the gold medal at the 1924 Olympics in Paris when 15-a-side rugby was included in the games, effectively wrapped up victory in the opening minutes at WakeMed Park in sweltering conditions.
The Eagles struggled in the set pieces to start the match, including a 2nd-minute lineout following a penalty to Canada in the USA’s half. Canada, too, fell prey to unforced errors with a forward pass on the stolen possession.
Now that the league phase of the Super Rugby tournament is finished, I have posted a SA team of the tournament article. The team is based on the form players during the tournament, with overseas based players obviously not considered.
The South African teams had a very disappointing tournament by any standards, with injuries, poor form and bad reffing decisions making life hard for the critical rugby public, but in an attempt to find a silver lining here is this author’s team of the tournament (other contenders mentioned where appropriate):
It was a weekend of high drama in the final Open Round of Super Rugby, with a number of upsets and quite a few emotional good-byes as the regular season came to an end.
On Saturday afternoon, the Toyota Cheetahs gave their new coach, Franco Smith, something to smile about at the end of a tough season when they won for the 1st time ever in Pretoria as they beat the Vodacom Bulls by 42 / 29.
Shortly after the match, the Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd and the Blue Bulls Company Board of Directors confirmed that Frans Ludeke had stepped down from his position as Super Rugby and ABSA Currie Cup head coach with immediate effect.
The DHL Stormers were crowned champions of the South African Conference despite going down by 34 / 10 to the Cell C Sharks in Durban, as the KwaZulu-Natalians bid farewell to a number of Springbok stalwarts.
The Capetonians will host the Brumbies at DHL Newlands in the 2nd Qualifier next Saturday afternoon, at 17:05 SA Time. The 1st Qualifier is an all-New Zealand affair between the Highlanders and the Chiefs in Dunedin (09:35 SA Time), also on Saturday.
Tickets for the DHL Stormers’ match against the Brumbies match go on sale from Monday 15 June at 12:00 SA Time. Prices range from R 80.00 to R 350.00 and DHL Newlands season tickets are valid for this match. For more information or to book tickets, visit www.wprugby.computicket.com.
DHL Newlands Box Office ticket sales open on Tuesday 16 June. Tickets can also be bought at Computicket outlets and Shoprite / Checkers stores nationwide.
The Hurricanes and Waratahs finished in the Top 2 Combined Log positions and will enjoy a BYE next weekend before hosting semi-finals the week thereafter.
The Leopards and Boland Cavaliers took an early lead in the ABSA Currie Cup Qualifiers this weekend as they both secured bonus-point victories in the opening round.
The Qualifiers features 7 teams battling it out for the last remaining spot in the ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division. The remaining 6 teams will participate in the ABSA Currie Cup First Division.
The Leopards defeated the SWD Eagles 45 / 17 at Outeniqua Park in George on Friday thanks to an impressive 6 tries, while the Boland Cavaliers were guaranteed of their bonus-point for 4 tries in the 1st half against the Down Touch Griffons on Saturday, which set them up for a 32 / 22 victory in Malmesbury.
In the other match the Border Bulldogs surprised the ORC Griquas with a 20 / 13 victory at the BCM stadium in East London following a closely contested 1st half.
The Hino Valke, meanwhile, had a BYE.
Junior Springbok coach Dawie Theron made 2 changes to his match-23 for the World Rugby Under 20 Championship semi-final against defending champions England on Monday evening in Calvisano, Italy.
DHL Western Province flank Rikus Bothma takes over the No 6 jersey from his provincial team mate Jacques Vermeulen, while Malcolm Jaer (EP Kings) replaces Grant Hermanus (DHL WP) on the bench.
The rest of the match squad who defeated Australia in Calvisano last Wednesday, were kept unchanged.
Theron said the changes are part of the team’s rotational policy.
Michael Cheika – Wallabies coach
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said that overseas-based players will not be part of his Rugby Championship training squad.
Cheika has named a group of 22 players not involved in next week’s Super Rugby finals, but will give foreign-based hopefuls some extra time off.
The Wallabies coach said he spoke to Europe-based stars Matt Giteau, George Smith and Drew Mitchell and they all indicated they were available for The Rugby Championship, starting on 18 July against South Africa in Brisbane.
“They’ll be considered for selection for the 1st game,” Cheika told reporters.
“They’ve just finished seasons over there – they don’t need to come back now.
Johann Sadie
Newly-promoted French Top 14 team, Agen, have signed South African centre Johann Sadie as they continue to build ahead of next season.
The 26-year-old arrives from Super Rugby side the Toyota Cheetahs and has signed a 2-year deal, the club confirmed.
Sadie started his career with Western Province before spells with the DHL Stormers, Vodacom Bulls and then the Toyota Cheetahs. In 2014, he started playing for the NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes in Japan but was allowed to return to Bloemfontein during the Super Rugby season.