SA Rugby
Western Province captain Deon Fourie has been offered a contract by Toulon and expects to join the French Top14 club after the Currie Cup.
Just days after the Lions Super Rugby franchise was ejected from the 2013 Super Rugby competition, the Golden Lions Rugby Union were dealt another crippling blow as they will have to pay millions of Rands in outstanding franchise fees to their partners in the Lions franchise, the Leopards and Pumas Rugby Unions.
The Sharks have named their team to play against the Blue Bulls in Saturday’s Absa Currie Cup match At Loftus Versveld in Pretoria.
GWK Griquas coach Pote Human made three changes to his run-on side for Saturday’s Currie Cup encounter against the Toyota Free State Cheetahs in Kimberley.
DHL Western Province head coach Allister Coetzee has named his team for Saturday’s Absa Currie Cup meeting with the MTN Golden Lions in Johannesburg (17:05).
Johann Sadie will start in his first Currie Cup match for the Vodacom Blue Bulls.
The attacking midfielder has been included in the side to face The Sharks at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday and is one of four changes made by coach Pine Pienaar.
Talented Cheetahs pivot Johan Goosen has been cleared to start and not surprisingly coach Naka Drotske has opted to start with him.
The Vodacom Blue Bulls will be hoping for a better medical bill of health on Wednesday morning after their preparations for Saturday’s Absa Currie Cup game with the Sharks were severely disrupted by a massive flu bug that hit the camp.
Media reports are quick to plug that the Springboks have never lost to the Pumas.
However I can still remember the day in 1982 when Hugo Porta’s South American team, the Jaguars, gave the Springboks a hiding 21-12 with Porta scoring all his team’s points by running in a try, kicking a drop goal, and slotting a few penalties and a conversion.
The draw and format has been announced for the 2012 SARU National Club Championship tournament.
South Africa are facing an anxious wait over the fitness of Bryan Habana and Andries Bekker ahead of their match with Argentina in Mendoza on Saturday. Bryan Habana even disbarked in Mendoza on crutches and sporting a moonboot on one leg.
Renowned defence guru Jacques Nienaber has signed a three-year deal with Western Province Rugby, which will keep him in Cape Town until 2016.
The good news is the probable return from injury of some stalwarts for the Free State Cheetahs.
Sharks hooker Craig Burden has replaced injured hooker Bismarck du Plessis in the 26-man Springbok squad that will travel to Argentina for their second Rugby Championship match this coming weekend.
For my 2 cents worth, I thought this was a good game from South Africa without it being a commanding one.
Only the 4th match into the Heyneke Meyer era, and after a very long and hard Super Rugby season, the number of injuries, the tiredness of the Sharks players in the Springboks and the short preparation time, these are all contributing factors that will always make the early games in The Rugby Championships seem a bit loose.
This was also very evident in the Australian Wallabies vs New Zealand All blacks match where a number of balls were spilled, knock-on’s, errors, etc was the prevailing trend.
This will improve, and I expect to see a much better performance in the next set of matches.
I have penned my feelings, lets open the debate and have your reactions to the match.
Sharks (6) 30 / 14 (7) Lions (Final Score)
The Sharks and the MTN Golden Lions did battle in the Currie Cup, Premier Division at Mr Price Kings Park, Durban at 19:15 SA Time.
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Springboks (20) 27 / 6 (6) Pumas (Final Score)
The South African Springboks and Argentinian Pumas did battle in The Rugby Championship Newlands, Cape Town at 17:05 SA Time.
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Griquas (12) 20 / 25 (7) WP (Final Score)
GWK Griquas and DHL Western Province did battle in the Currie Cup, Premier Division at GWK Park, Kimberley at 14:30 SA Time.
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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The President of the Golden Lions Rugby Union Kevin de Klerk on Friday issued the following statement in the wake of the SARU General Council decision to exclude the MTN Lions from the Super Rugby competition in 2013.
Cheetahs (23) 32 / 18 (10) Blue Bulls (Final Score)
The Toyota Free State Cheetahs and Vodacom Blue Bulls did battle in the Currie Cup, Premier Division at Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein at 19:10 SA Time.
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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The Golden Lions Rugby Union announced the MTN Golden Lions team to play The Sharks on Saturday, 18 August 2012 at Mr Price Kings Park, this morning.
The only change to the starting line up who beat the Cheetahs last weekend is Warren Whiteley replacing Derick Minnie at Number Eight due to injury.
The Sharks have named a side showing a number of changes to the victorius side which beat DHL Western Province last week.
South African Rugby officials have confirmed that the Southern Kings will play Super Rugby and that the Lions will sit it out for the 2013 Super Rugby season.
Keegan Daniel’s inclusion into the Springbok team at No 8 was one of five changes to the Bok side which last played against England at the end of June.
Daniel comes in for the injured Pierre Spies, and coach Heyneke Meyer said the young player would provide the team with “that X-factor”.
Griquas coach Pote Human has to make do without star fullback Willie le Roux for his side’s Currie Cup encounter against Western Province in Kimberley on Saturday.
Naka Drotske and Hawies Fourie have reshuffled the backline to lend more impetus on attack. The most meaningful change is the return to the flyhalf berth for Sias Ebersohn.
Springbok centre Frans Steyn will on Saturday play in his 50th Test for South Africa when they take on Argentina in the opening round of The Castle Rugby Championship at DHL Newlands in Cape Town.
England Under 18 were outdone by northern hemisphere rivals France in George, South Africa, losing 20-13 at Outeniqua Park Stadium in a bruising encounter, but Head John Fletcher was satisfied that his side “gave their all”.
Springbok No 8 Pierre Spies has been ruled out of The Rugby Championship due to an injury he sustained playing Super Rugby last month.
Although the Springbok side will only be announced on Wednesday, indications are that the composition is the squad is largely decided, bar maybe a tough choice at lock and finalisation of the replacement bench.
Newcomers Argentina may be the weakest outfit by IRB ranking in the Castle Rugby Championship, but the novelty of their first match in the competition looks like luring a full house to Newlands on Saturday.
Vodacom Blue Bulls coach Pine Pienaar made one enforced change to his line-up for Friday’s Absa Currie Cup match against the Toyota Free State Cheetahs.
DHL Western Province head coach Allister Coetzee has made six changes ahead of Saturday’s Absa Currie Cup meeting with GWK Griquas in Kimberley (14h30).
(See Audio clips at the bottom of the Article)
Herewith some nice short audio clips from the Bok camp, as they prepare for this weekend’s clash at Newlands, Cape Town in the Springboks opener in The Rugby Championship.
The silly season is truly upon us, with players moving like pieces on a chess board. Promising young Bulls tighthead prop, Rossouw de Klerk will join the Toyota Free State Cheetahs for 2 years, at the end of the current Currie Cup competition. The loss of de Klerk is likely to be offset, by the Bulls signing of young Marcel van der Merwe. Apparently Rayno Gerber was also attempting to get onto the the Cheetahs player list. Naka has signed Ross Geldenhuys, and Pieter Stemmet, to cover the departure of WP Nel, but they have been signed fr the CC only thus far.