European Rugby
The RaboDirect PRO12 is back and so is our weekly PRO12 preview, which takes the spotlight off the capital club and pans across the division.
Leicester boss Richard Cockerill has criticised the British and Irish Lions management over their handling of injuries to centre Manu Tuilagi and scrum-half Ben Youngs.
Ahead of the start of the RaboDirect PRO12 season on September 6, we preview the fortunes of each side.
They strode down the Grand Stairway into the Titanic Suite one by one, the captains of the RaboDirect PRO12 all kitted out in battledress and ready for action stations.
Rugby World Cup winning South African forward Juan Smith has signed a one year deal with Top 14 Rugby club Toulon.
The new season of RaboDirect PRO12 rugby is nearly upon us and despite seeing several top players leave the league and opt to take up a contract in the Top 14, the 12 sides in the Celtic competition have had a busy summer as they look to bolster their resources. Several top internationals have decided to give the PRO12 a shot and we have picked out a selection of eye-catching transfers in the latest Scrum Sevens.
PRO12 chief executive John Feehan has shrugged off the loss of title sponsor RaboDirect and insists the competition is thriving. Dutch banking group RaboDirect announced earlier this month that they would not be extending their support of the Celtic and Italian league beyond this season – their third as the main title sponsor having succeeded Magners in 2010.
Stade Francais marked their return to the refurbished Jean Bouin stadium with a crushing 38-3 victory over Biarritz on Friday, as they provisionally moved to the summit of the fledgling Top 14 table.
Edinburgh Rugby recorded their first win under new coach, Alan Solomons with a 15-5 victory over Newcastle Falcons in their final warm-up game before the 2013/14 RaboDirect PRO12 season gets under way.
There was much annoyance among Springbok fans when it was announced not long before South Africa’s test match against Argentina in the Rugby Championship that the release of Bryan Habana was required by his new club Toulon. This increased even more when it came to light that five of the players in the current Springbok Squad for the Rugby Championship were being ‘released’ to go back to their clubs in France while the rest of the players would return for a break to South Africa.
Scotland Women’s international squad will have an all-new coaching team as the season prepares to kick off later this week. Taking over the reins as head coach is Jules Maxton who has held a similar position, for the last few seasons, with Scotland Women under-20 while the assistant coaching roles are taken by rugby development officer and specialist skills coach Derek O’Riordan and former Scotland internationalist Roland Reid.
South African international flyhalf Morne Steyn revealed he would only start on the bench for Stade Francais in Friday’s Top 14 clash with Biarritz.
The 29-year-old – capped 47 times – only arrived from Argentina on Monday after helping the Springboks beat the Pumas 22-17 in a Four Nations Test.
Former Wales and British and Irish Lions flyhalf Cliff Morgan has died at the age of 83, the Welsh Rugby Union announced on Thursday.
The much-talked about showdown between the champion teams from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres seems to be back on the table.
Reports from France seems to suggest plans are afoot to arrange a match between European Cup champions Toulon and Super Rugby champions the Chiefs.
The Springboks’ decision to continue with their overseas-based players had its first impact as the team arrived back in South Africa on Monday with no fewer than six members of the 26-man squad having to fly back to France to represent their clubs this weekend.
Marketing men rub their hands as Sevens format quickly gains ground around the world. “Get on the train and see where it takes you,” is how Mark McCafferty of the Aviva Premiership described this past weekend’s inaugural World Club Sevens.
DHL Western Province and the Vodacom Blue Bulls are scheduled to face each other today at Twickenham on day two of the World Club 7s tournament. Both teams will be looking forward to improve on what was a disappointing first day for them at the inaugural tournament. Western Province lost all three of their games while the Blue Bulls lost two and drew one game.
Edinburgh Rugby players will turn out in black and red hoops for the first time in club’s history with this season’s playing kit, branded ‘old town, new look’.
Edinburgh Rugby back-row Stuart McInally has set his sights on the career path travelled by fellow club player, Scotland and British & Irish Lions internationalist Ross Ford – to make the positional switch from back-row to hooker.
Edinburgh Rugby have been very busy on the recruitment front in the closed season following a very disappointing 2012 / 13 season. Numerous players of varying experience have been brought in, with Australasia proving a particularly attractive source region to the club.
Aviva Premiership Rugby club Bath have announced that Springbok flanker Francois Louw has signed a new long term deal with the Club.
It’s that time of the year again – RBS Rugby Force weekend is here. This is an initiative by the Scottish Rugby Union to get folk involved with their local rugby clubs.
Former Scotland scrum-half and captain Rory Lawson is to retire from all rugby with immediate effect. Lawson (Newcastle Falcons), the 32-year-old son of former Scotland scrum-half and immediate SRU past president Alan Lawson, has been advised to retire on account of a chronic wrist injury.
Tyrone Holmes is set to make his debut on Thursday for Glasgow Warriors at Rubislaw in Aberdeen. The Warriors are on a two day trip to the city as part of their preseason preparations which include a practice session which will be open to the public to attend as well as a match against local team, Aberdeen Grammar.
Argentina head coach Santiago Phelan has confirmed a twenty-six man squad to travel to South Africa and play the Springboks at Soccer City on Saturday 17 August 2013.
The team will play a warm-up match against New South Wales in Salta on Friday before they travel to South Africa.
England Sevens Head Coach Ben Ryan has announced that after than six years in charge of the national side he will stand down.
The 41 year-old will help ensure a smooth transition takes place during the build-up to the new Sevens World Series and the recruitment process to identify his successor will be under way shortly.
Glasgow Warriors scrum-half Niko Matawalu will miss the start of the season after the Fiji international broke a bone in his foot. The 24-year-old has damaged the fifth metatarsal in his right foot during training and has undergone surgery.
The Irish Rugby Football Union today announced the appointment of John Plumtree as Ireland forwards coach.
Top 14 Rugby Club Toulon’s president Mourad Boudjellal has revealed that he is trying to set up a clash between the winners of the Heineken Cup and Super Rugby tournaments.
John Smit, the new Sharks CEO, has succeeded in luring English giants Saracens to Durban for an exhibition match.
The Word Cup-winning former Springbok captain, Smit, played for Sarries after he retired from international competition after the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.
The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) has confirmed it will have to borrow €25 million to fund the professional game over the next six years.
Wales and British and Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton will miss the next four month of rugby because of his left hamstring injury.
There was a wonderful symmetry to the Lions tour of Australasia as they ended the way they started, with a big victory. That first game of the Lions tour way back in the beginning of June against the Barbarians in Hong Kong ended with a resounding victory and today was followed up with an even more impressive dismantling of Australia in Sydney.
Wallabies (10) 16 / 41 (19) Lions (Final Score)
The Australian Wallabies and British & Irish Lions did battle in the British & Irish Lions series of 2013 at
ANZ Stadium, Sydney at 12:00 SA Time (20:00 AEST, 10:00 GMT, 11:00 BST).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
*******************