Daily Archives: 21 August 2015
Griquas (9) 9 / 31 (10) FS Cheetahs (Final Score)
The ORC Griquas and Toyota Free State Cheetahs did battle in the ABSA Currie Cup at
GWK Park, Kimberley at 19:10 SA Time (17:10 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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Roddy Grant
A team of 28, captained by flanker Roddy Grant, has been announced for Edinburgh Rugby’s opening pre-season friendly against Romania at the Greenyards tonight (Friday 21 August, kick-off 18:30 UK Time, 19:30 SA Time).
Bolstering the backs for this season, Edinburgh Rugby announce the signing of winger Otulea Katoa on a 1-year deal.
The Tongan international, who arrived in the capital earlier this week with his wife and 1-year-old son Eli, will bulk up the backs with a number of players involved with Scotland throughout the year.
The 24-year-old, who has been capped 7 times by Tonga, most recently represented his country in July’s Pacific Nations Cup and has been signed from New Zealand provincial side, Southland.
2 Of the tournament’s pace-setters are going head-to-head on Saturday. But it is no ordinary match. It is the BIG north-south derby – the Vodacom Blue Bulls hosting DHL Western Province in the feature match of the weekend, when they meet in Pretoria on Saturday.
They are 2 of only 3 remaining unbeaten sides.
However, before we get there we have 2 Friday games – which will feature 3 teams still seeking their 1st win.
The winless Eastern Province Kings host an ambitious Steval Pumas team in Port Elizabeth, while the central unions partners (and rivals) ORC Griquas and Toyota Free State Cheetahs will meet in Kimberley.
Griquas and Cheetahs are also both still winless.
The Cell C Sharks, fresh from their 1st win of the season, host the high-flying Xerox Golden Lions in Saturday’s early match before we get to the BIG derby at Loftus Versfeld.
The Vodacom Blue Bulls are currently sitting at Top of the standings – as a result of their greater points difference over their Gauteng neighbours, the Xerox Golden Lions – with both on a full-house 10 Log points.
DHL Western Province are 1 Log point further back (9) in 3rd place.
The Cell C Sharks (5 points), Steval Pumas (4), Toyota Free State Cheetahs (1), EP Kings (1) and ORC Griquas (1) trail behind the pace-setters.
We look at all the Round 3 matches!
Michael Cheika – Wallabies coach
Veteran lock James Horwill and scrumhalf Nic White were the 2 big omissions Friday as southern hemisphere champions, Australia’s Wallabies named their 31-man squad to tackle a challenging group at next month’s Rugby World Cup.
Horwill captained the Wallabies at the last Rugby World Cup in New Zealand but was a high-profile casualty with Kane Douglas returning as 1 of 4 2nd-rowers in the line-up, alongside Dean Mumm, Rob Simmons and Will Skelton.
Coach Michael Cheika phoned Horwill on Thursday to break the news and have what he called “a very difficult conversation”.
Werner Kruger
Vodacom Blue Bulls prop Werner Kruger will on Saturday become the 1st player at the union to play 100 matches for both the Vodacom Bulls (Vodacom Super Rugby) and Vodacom Blue Bulls (ABSA Currie Cup). Kruger played his 100th match for theVodacom Bulls in April 2014 and will become an ABSA Currie Cup centurion for the Vodacom Blue Bulls when the side take on DHL Western Province this weekend.
Kruger made his Vodacom Blue Bulls debut in 2007 as a replacement against the Golden Lions and has since been one of the most consistent performers the Loftus Versfeld faithful have seen.
Vodacom Blue Bulls coach Nollis Marais named Kruger in the side which shows 3 changes to the one that beat the ORC Griquas a week ago. William Small-Smith and Deon Stegmann have been ruled out due to injury and will be replaced by Dries Swanepoel and Roelof Smit respectively.
Marais also decided to start with Bandise Maku at hooker, with Jaco Visagie swopping roles with the former Springbok and reverting to the bench.
Dan Kriel will move onto the bench in place of Swanepoel.
Johnny Kotze
DHL Western Province backline ace Johnny Kotze has been entrusted with the No 13 jersey for Saturday’s ABSA Currie Cup clash against the Vodacom Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.
Kotze, 22, replaces the injured Juan de Jongh at outside centre in the only starting change from last weekend’s hard-fought 9 / 3 win over the Toyota Free State Cheetahs in Cape Town.
Kotze made 8 Vodacom Super Rugby starts for the Stormers earlier this season (on the wing), but this will be his 1st ABSA Currie Cup start – having made his tournament debut off the bench 2 weeks ago against the ORC Griquas.
DHL Western Province coach John Dobson told the www.wprugby.com website: “It was always our intention to get Johnny into the No 13 jersey at some point, but of course, it has now been necessitated by Juan’s injury.
Luke Watson
Luke Watson and Stefan Willemse have been withdrawn from the line-up due to leg injuries, for Friday night’s clash against the Steval Pumas at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.
Unfortunately the pair have not responded to treatment as quickly as the team management had hoped. They have been replaced so as to not risk losing them for the remainder of the Currie Cup campaign.
Cameron Lindsay replaces Stefan Willemse on the bench, while Thembelani Bholi has been moved to the starting line-up in place of Luke Watson, with Paul Schoeman taking his place on the bench.
Steven Sykes will captain the team.
Stokkies Hanekom
Xerox Golden Lions head coach Johan Ackermann has announced his team to front the Cell C Sharks in Durban on Saturday.
In the forwards, Ackermann has made 4 changes. Ruan Dreyer and Robbie Coetzee move into the starting line-up at loosehead prop and hooker respectively. At lock, MB Lusaseni also moves up into the starting side and Kwagga Smith will start at flank.
In the backline, Stokkies Hanekom will start in the place of injured centre Harold Vorster. Jaco van der Walt starts at fullback, shifting Ruan Combrinck to right wing.