All Blacks
The Cheetahs’ management team will have to wait a week longer before they get to see their Springbok acquisition in action.
Springbok centre Andries Strauss is struggling with a groin injury ahead of the Super Rugby tournament, and will not play in the Cheetahs’ warm-up games on Friday.
Cheetahs flanker Heinrich Brüssow will miss the first few weeks of Super 15 Rugby and is only expected back in March this year.
Springboks Bjorn Basson and Chiliboy Ralepelle will have to wait a while longer before they know their fate in the ongoing doping saga.
Chilliboy Ralepelle and Bjorn Basson will face a SARU judicial committee at 09h00 this morning. Continue reading
Failure to plan is planning to fail, or so the old saying goes.
232 SAFFAS PLAYED ABROAD IN 2010!
New Super Rugby franchise The Melbourne Rebels are ready to unleash former Western Province and South African under-18 player JP du Plessis onto the world stage during this year’s tournament.
Player management in this, a World Cup year, is once again in the spotlight. And the three-time defending champion Bulls seem to have the perfect blueprint on the subject.
The fixtures for the fourth-ever FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International have been announced; with the 2011 tournament kicking-off in Bloemfontein in February when Shimlas play host to UCT in a repeat of one of last season’s semifinals.
Fewer home Tests, a shortened Tri-Nations and no end of year tours in a Rugby World Cup year means that the three big Southern Hemisphere powers will as a consequence earn less money in 2011.
South Africa have been drawn against Fiji, France and Canada in the third leg of the 2010/11 IRB World Sevens Series in Wellington, New Zealand, in February, the International Rugby Board announced on Friday.
It being the end of the year it is a good time to review what actually happened this year with the Springboks. Coming last in the Tri-Nations, losing at home against Australia (on the Highveld first time since 1963), losing all three Test matches against New Zealand and then the gut wrenching loss against Scotland was almost too much for this ardent Springbok supporter.
It is all over, done and dusted, now but I have been pondering non-stop (I hope PdV is doing the same thing) about our season.
What exactly went wrong and how bad was it really? Continue reading
The South African Rugby Union have revealed that the Springbok duo of Chiliboy Ralepelle and Bjorn Basson will face a anti-doping tribunal after their B samples also tested positive.
Barbarians (19) 26 / Springboks (3) 20 (Final Score)
The Barbarians and the Springboks met at Twickenham, North London, at 16:30 SA Time on Saturday in the last match for Southern Hemisphere rugby interest for 2010. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 2, M-Net and SuperSport HD on TV in SA.
It was an error-ridden match with lots of penalties by the French referee and most of the excitement came from the Barbarians in the first 20 minutes.
The Barbarians scored 4 tries, the Springboks 3.
Kicking to posts by Elton Jantjies was abysmal.
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) held its last General Council meeting for the year on Friday in Newlands. The Council agreed to adopt the policy pertaining to the New Zealand Maori, which now paves the way for matches between South African teams and the Maoris.
The Springboks and Barbarians goes toe to toe on Saturday 4 December 2010 at Twickenham, London at 16:30 SA Time.
This game is difficult to judge, it is a festival game and we should see a very different playing style from a Springbok team which shows 12 changes from last week’s side. All the youngsters and “Fringe-Bokke” gets game time this week.
Nick Mallett does not share the pessimism about South African rugby, and believes Peter de Villiers’s Springboks are headed for next year’s World Cup semi-finals with New Zealand and Australia.
The international between the Barbarians and South Africa will go ahead as scheduled at Twickenham on Saturday, despite the current cold weather.
With a host of domestic club games, scheduled for this weekend, already called off because of the frosty conditions and heavy snowfall, there were fears the Twickenham encounter may also fall foul of the weather.
I hope this is a joke. No seriously, I hope that Peter de Villiers was sarcastic in his interview in the build up to the Baa-baa’s test.
Don’t know what I am referring to?
Let me help.
First Andries Strauss, Sharks centre, and now Werner Kruger, Bulls tight head prop, answered the Springbok S.O.S. call to join the Springboks in the UK for the last match of the season against the Barbarians at Twickenham, this Saturday.
Lambie will start at 15 and Janjties will start at 10 for Saturdays game against the Barbarians. Continue reading
In London to cover the last two games of the Springbok tour to the UK, it seems I am part of an ever shrinking group of people that not only believe in, but love the Barbarians concept.
In this professional era it seems we are happy (or forced) to let the once legendary traditions of rugby past just to slide into ignominy…
Wow! I don’t know what game some of the reporters were watching, but I thought it was an excellent rugby match and classic Test match stuff! Hard, bruising tackles, rock solid defenses, no one giving an inch, and men dying for their inches…well amost. Continue reading
Despite a Bok victory on Saturday against England atTwickenham, Springbok coach Peter de Villiers will probably see a considerably clipping of his wings in the coming week.
Cheetahs flanker Juan Smith has been named as captain of the Springbok squad for Saturday’s season-ending finale against the Barbarians at Twickenham.
England (6) 11 / Springboks (6) 21 (Final Score)
England hosted the Springboks at Twickenham at 16:30 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SuperSport HD & M-Net on TV in SA.
The Springboks came out firing in the forwards, dominating the forwards battle and scored 2 tries in the process, one a wonderful break by Lwazi Mvovo who gets his first international try.
The Springboks showed some guts and grit and determination and deserved their win, well done Bokke.
The handing out of Springbok jerseys, a pre-matchday tradition in the South African team, has a new member in their club.
Fikile Mbalula, the minister for Sport and Recreation, presented the team with their match jerseys in London on Friday – ahead of the Boks’ encounter with England at Twickenham on Saturday.
Dawie Theron, the new SA Under-20 coach, on Thursday said he was looking forward to work with SARU in an attempt to further develop South Africa’s rugby talent.
After two Springboks had two players tested positive for banned substances in Chiliboy Ralapelle and Bjorn Basson the Six Nations Rugby Limited increased the normal number of two players tested to six.
Springbok coach Peter de Villiers has made just two changes to his side to face England, as Pierre Spies and Ruan Pienaar return to the starting line-up for the final Test match of the tour.
Scotland (12) 21 / Springboks (9) 17 (Final Score)
Scotland hosted the Springboks at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh at 16:30 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
In a scrappy game a brave Scotland held out to beat the Springboks and shatter their Grand Slam hopes.
Worst Springbok performance in a very long time.
For this time of year there is a lot of rugby to be seen on TV in SA This weekend.
All Rugby Unions have received the following Letter from BokSmart, notifying them of the requirements for next year.
A bit longwinded but interesting.
Coach Peter de Villiers on Thursday called up three replacements to the Springbok squad for the final two matches of the team’s end-of-year tour against England and the Barbarians – both matches at Twickenham.
We laud some schools for developing rugby and producing quality players like a conveyor belt, well Grey College boasts 9 players in the Springbok touring squad and 8 out of 22 in the match 22 for the Springboks against Scotland! Amazing.
The South African Rugby Players Association has welcomed the arbitration award handed down by Advocate Nic Treurnicht – confirming that SARPA must with immediate effect be given representation on the SARU Executive Council.
It is the second time that a court has ruled in favour of the players’ union, to ensure they have a member on the council.