SA Rugby

DHL WPDHL Western Province have announced just one change for Saturday’s Absa Currie Cup, Round Two encounter with the Free State Cheetahs at DHL Newlands (19:15).

Michael Rhodes starts in the No.4 jersey, with youngster Gerbrandt Grobler dropping down to the bench after making his Absa Currie Cup debut in WP’s 24-24 draw against the Blue Bulls last Saturday.

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SharksThe Sharks have named their squad to host the Golden Lions in the Currie Cup, Premier Division clash on Friday 16 August 2013.

Tim Whitehead is injured and is replaced by Heimar Williams and recent acquisition from the Southern Kings, SP Marais, gets the nod at right wing which in itself seems strange because Odwa Ndungane is a winger preferred at fullback whereas SP Marais is a fullback now getting the start on wing.

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RoryPote Human has gone “Down Under” to find a replacement for injured lock, Ligtoring Landman. Landman who broke his thumb in the match versus the Sharks will be out until at least the second round of the Currie Cup.

With Martin Muller (Lions), Frikkie Spies (France) and Edwin Hewitt (Sharks) all gone to greener pastures, Landman, Nepgen and Lobberts were the only lock options. Pote has brought in the man mountain Rory Arnold from the Gold Coast Breakers Club in Queenslan Australia,  to trial for the Currie Cup season.

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Stokkies HanekomThe Golden Lions were dealt a cruel blow with the news that talented midfielder Nicolaas “Stokkies” Hanekom will miss at least a month of Currie Cup action.

Lions coach Johan Ackermann confirmed on Tuesday that Hanekom will be sidelined for at least four weeks, maybe longer – with a shoulder injury and also a knee problem.

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GWK GriquasGriquas have lost the services of two key players ahead of their Currie Cup trip to Loftus Versfeld on Friday.

Coach Pote Human confirmed that stalwarts Rynhardt Landman and Marnus Schoeman both suffered serious injuries in the 32-30 win over the Sharks in Durban last week and will not travel to Pretoria.

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Callie VisagieWillie WepenerDie Vodacom Blou Bulle-afrigter, Pine Pienaar, het slegs een verandering aan sy span gemaak wat Vrydag op Loftus Versfeld in ‘n Absa Curriebekerwedstryd teen Griekwas speel.

Callie Visagie begin as haker in die plek van Willie Wepener, met Bongi Mbonambi wat Van Wyk se plek op die plaasvervangerbank inneem in die Blou Bulle se eerste tuiswedstryd van die kompetisie. Dit sal ook Mbonambi se eerste verskyning in vanjaar se kompetisie wees.

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Fourie du PreezSpringbok coach Heyneke Meyer welcomed the calming effect Fourie du Preez brought to the team ahead of their Rugby Championship opener against Argentina at the FNB Stadium on Saturday.

The veteran of 62 Tests has been called into the Springbok squad for the first time since the Springboks’ quarter-final defeat to Australia at the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

“I was very impressed with Fourie du Preez today (Monday), I always knew he was a world-class player and it’s been an honour for me to coach him since he was 19-years-old,” Meyer said.

“He hasn’t lost anything.

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South AfricaThis Monday morning the overseas contingent of the Springboks joined the squad in preparation for The Rugby Championship and this weekend’s game against Argentina. This after the Pumas have already been in camp for a month and having just completed 2 vital warm-up games against a strong New South Wales Barbarians touring side, just winning the first encounter and then doing a real demolition job on the NSW Barbarians side on the weekend, winning 58 / 12.

Of course the Springboks firstly have to come to grips with the new scrum engagement sequence, something we saw this past weekend in The Currie Cup Premier Division matches, which caused quite a stir.

During last week Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira sat out with a hamstring twinge, Coenie Oosthuizen had the flu and Jannie du Plessis was nursing a light calf strain, so it’s fair to assume not a great deal of scrum preparation work could be done.

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ABSA Currie CupThe Absa Currie Cup Premier Division lived up to its billing as SA’s premier domestic competition this weekend as the opening round delivered a series of nail-biting encounters, which set the scene for a gripping competition.

GWK Griquas and the Toyota Free State Cheetahs got their campaigns off to positive starts as they registered invaluable away victories, while DHL Western Province and the Vodacom Blue Bulls played to a draw in an epic clash in Cape Town.

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MTN Golden LionsFree State CheetahsWith the six-team strength-against-strength format making each Currie Cup a must win game, the Cheetahs and Golden Lions will be looking for a positive start in their season opener at Ellis Park, in Johannesburg, on Saturday.

The Cheetahs experienced the cruelty of the new format last season, after finishing bottom of the log and having to play in the promotion-relegation matches against the EP Kings.

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Bandise MakuDavid BulbringCallie VisagieThe open secret which has already done all the rounds, has been confirmed.

Apart from Waylon Murray and Jacques “Vleis” Engelbrecht joining the Blue Bulls, Bandise Maku and David Bullbring  (both Kings) and Callie Visagie (Golden Lions) have signed and will join the Blue Bulls with immediate effect, in deals stretching to the end of 2016.

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ABSA Currie CupThe Absa Currie Cup has been given the ‘ultimate makeover’ for the 2013 season with the winners set to walk away with a R1,8m cheque and a trophy restored to its 1891 historic glory.

The tournament has been given a major revamp by the South African Rugby Union and sponsors Absa in arguably one of the most exciting developments in the competition’s 122-year history.

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South AfricaSince the Springbok squad for the upcoming Rugby Championship was announced, featuring 10 players who will be applying their trade away from South African shores, speculation has been ongoing whether there has been a shift away from picking South African based players over internationally based South Africans for the Springboks.

This week there has been some mumblings by Jurie Roux, SARU CEO, and the inclusion of Japan-based Fourie du Preez has prompted the question whether Japan’s clubs and our National team setup has moved the goal posts as far as selection of Japanese players are concerned.

Opinion is widely devided on whether the Springboks should allow foreign-based players to be eligible for Springbok selection, with the one lot saying it’s the professional era and where you are based no longer matters, as long as you are the best in your position. The result is the conundrum of player availability well before a Test. At the moment clubs overseas are only obliged to release the players to be available on the Monday preceeding the Test, which allows for very little preparation time.

On the other hand there has been the stance that overseas-based players should not be picked for the Springboks, in order to firstly discourage players leaving the SA shores for lucrative deals elsewhere, having chosen to apply their trade elsewhere and thus voluntarily choosing not to be considered for the Springboks. I was a serious proponent of this stance, but I’ve had somewhat of a mind shift, I must admit.

Certainly for the upcoming Rugby Championship, it would have been foolhardy not to pick the Springboks who have recently decided to go overseas, after all there are 6 regular starting Springboks amongst those recent departees.

I now find myself in the middle somewhere, hoping players could stay in South Africa if they aspire to continue or start their Springbok careers, yet seeing the inevitability of the lure of the stronger currencies abroad.

The solution would have been simple…. institute a CENTRALLY CONTRACTED SYSTEM here in South Africa (very similar to the New Zealand system), where SARU takes charge of the contracts of the frontline Springbok players, but that remains a pipe dream and clearly is beyond the capabilities of the inept bunch at SARU. In stead we can rely on SARU to muck things up even more and I’m afraid but I would not want their grubby hands to touch Central Contrating under those circumstances.

Another solution could be to impliment a CLEAR OVERSEAS QUOTA SYSTEM in the selection policy, where SARU regulates to the players and national coach that only 2 or 3 overseas-based players may be included in a 30-man squad. This would have put the Springboks in a conundrum situation right now before the start of The Rugby Championship, but maybe with an eye on the End Of Year Tours and beyond, that system must be applied, unless it can be negotiated that overseas-based players are available earlier and for every Test of the year, no exceptions allowed.

Below some of the news and speculation in this regard, taken from what was available in the press.

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