Bismarck du Plessis
Five members of the Springboks’ World Cup squad have been nominated for the SA Rugby Player of the Year Award, with the winner due to be announced at a function at Gold Reef City on November 3.
South African referee Craig Joubert will referee Sunday’s World Cup final between the All Blacks and France. It will be his first World Cup final.
Joubert, who controlled yesterday’s semifinal between the All Blacks and Wallabies at Eden Park, becomes only the second South African to take charge of a final after Andre Watson who has controlled two.
Though long have our Kiwi cousins walked in the shadow of the Valley of Death, through World Cup loss after World Cup loss, as an entire people plumbed the depths of despair, now, nowthe hour is upon them. The promised land is now just up ahead around the bend…
All Blacks (14) 20 / Wallabies (6) 6 (Final Score)
The New Zealand All Blacks and Australian Wallabies did battle in the First Semi-Final of Rugby World Cup 2011 at Eden Park, Auckland 10:00 SA Time (21:00 NZ 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 All Blacks were ruthless and commited and deserve their place in next Sunday’s Final. It was however a brave effort by Australia but Quade Cooper should have clicked earlier for them to have any chance.
It began, again, somewhere around the 70th minute.
Jean-Baptiste Elissalde had just converted a Yannick Jauzion try, scored off a missed forward pass, giving the French a 20-18 lead in their 2007 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal against the All Blacks in front of a packed Millenium Stadium in Cardiff.
The All Blacks were the best team in the world. All they needed was a penalty, a drop goal, a try. Momentum, that age-old All Blacks’ drive.
The All Blacks made three changes in their side and included injured skipper Richie McCaw for this weekend’s World Cup semi-final against Australia at Eden Park.
All Blacks assistant coach Steve Hansen has hosed down any speculation on Richie McCaw’s ability to play in New Zealand’s semi-final against Australia at Eden Park on Sunday. Continue reading
Danny Svoboda (in picture) played for Rhodesia in 1970 on the wing. The picture here shows him playing against the 1970 All Blacks touring side.
Danny’s widow, now living in Thailand, has contacted me in search of information about Danny.
The All Blacks have called up fly half Stephen Donald and winger Hosea Gear as replacements for full back Mils Muliaina and fly half Colin Slade who have both been ruled out due to injury.
All Blacks (12) 33 / Pumas (7) 10 (Final Score)
The New Zealand All Blacks and the Argentianian Pumas did battle in the Fourth Quarter Final in Auckland at 09:30 SA Time (20:30 NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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The All Blacks progress through to the semi-finals, but only after the galant Argentinians gave them a bloody good go in the process.
The final four are now decided, they are Wales vs France and All Blacks vs Wallabies.
Injuries have forced the All Blacks into making six changes to their starting side for their Rugby World Cup quarter final against Argentina on Sunday.
All Blacks assistant coach Steve Hansen says Richie McCaw will play against Argentina this weekend, despite fears that a troublesome foot injury could keep the New Zealand captain on the sidelines for the quarter-final at Eden Park.
“He’s great,” Hansen told a press conference at the team hotel. “He’s going to play on Sunday.”
New Zealand winger Zac Guildford has joined All Blacks injury list after he pulled a hamstring at training just as the team welcomed back captain Richie McCaw.
If the old cliche about“Defence wins World Cups” applies, then the Wallabies and the All Blacks have cause for concern.
When a player works four years to get in prime condition for the World Cup it is very sad when they get injured. The way a player handles his disappointment shows his metal. There are disappointments in your career and adversity makes you a better person. There might be many more disappointed players at this stage but the three Southern Hemisphere partners each lost one or more of their best players.
Here is the Dan Carter story.
Frans Steyn, Drew Mitchell and Wycliff Palu can be added as big losses.
Jeremy Paul the ex-Aussie hooker made an interesting comment after the NZ / Canada game namely that on the evidence of the Canada game NZ would not be able to win the RWC.
Weepu was not convincing on 10 neither was Slade. The rest of the NZ game was, in my, appreciation pretty good. They lost some form in the second half -which is understandable considering the scoreboard at that stage- but the big concern according to Jeremy Paul is the fact that the NZ halfbacks will have less time and space (than against Canada) when playing against quality opposition.
Paul obviously has the NZ/Aus Brisbane game in mind where the Wallabies secured a win by cutting down the space of the NZ halfbacks. Continue reading
All Blacks (37) 79 / Canada (8) 15 (Final Score)
The New Zealand All Blacks and Canada did battle in Wellington at 04:30 SA Time (15:30 NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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As expected, the All Black ran riot and scored 12 tries against Canada. Canada could muster 2 good tries but wasted many more and they never stood a chance against New Zealand.
Dan Carter is out of the World Cup!
All Blacks first five-eighth Carter has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament because of the groin injury he suffered at yesterday’s captains run and Colin Slade will now be expected to wear the No 10 jersey for the crucial play-off matches.
New Zealand No 8 Kieran Read will make his World Cup debut against Canada on Sunday after overcoming a serious ankle injury in the strongest loose forwards mix available to coach Graham Henry after the side was named on Friday.
New Zealand Rugby boss Steve Tew says that the All Blacks may be forced to withdraw from participating in future Rugby World Cups.
Tew says that the All Blacks participation at the World Cup has cost his union more than 13 million New Zealand dollars (£ 6.6 million).
The world’s rugby media have been rich in their praise for the All Blacks’ impressive win over France with former England lock Paul Ackford declaring: “The World Cup is as good as theirs”.
All Blacks (19) 37 / France (3) 17 (Final Score)
The New Zealand All Blacks hosted France at Eden Park, Auckland at 10:30 SA Time (20:30 NZ 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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After a strong France start, the All Blacks had a purple patch, where they scored 3 quick tries and from then on France was always just chasing the game.
5 Tries to 2 for the All Blacks.
Peter de Villiers surely did put the attention back on the Haka with his remark that over-performing it will impact on its effect.
The other side of the coin is that the more it is performed in the streets the more it connects the people to the tribe/nation.
I often get the impression that New Zealanders –especially the Islanders- have difficulty understanding that the rest of the world just don’t have the same romantic obsession with the Haka than them.
As an outsider one can feel that they just don’t get it namely that outsiders tolerate it and are not in awe of it. That outsiders are being polite and not overwhelmed by it when they make compliments and positive remarks about it.
For outsiders it is hard to understand how the Haka connects the individual to the Soul of the nation. For the kiwis the Haka is a serious war dance.
New Zealand rugby Coach Graham Henry has strengthened his All Blacks team with the return of skipper Richie McCaw and Dan Carter among four changes for Saturday’s big World Cup Pool A game with France at Eden Park.
A Maori leader has backed Springbok coach Peter de Villiers’ comments on the haka being overused, saying it has been “hijacked by rugby people” for commercial purposes.
PETER LOVE: “The haka in our culture is something which is regarded as special and should not be bastardised by sport.”
De Villiers’ comments attracted over 270 responses on Stuff.co.nz yesterday, with opinion split on whether the haka was overused.
All Black Captain Richie McCaw and key players Dan Carter, Mils Muliaina and Israel Dagg all look set top play in New Zealand’s crunch Rugby World Cup pool A match against France in Auckland on Saturday.
The match is set to decide the runner up of the pool and therefore who will face the winner of Pool B which includes England, Argentina and Scotland.
All Blacks wing Zac Guildford admitted he had an alcohol problem on Monday and publicly apologised for breaking an agreement with management by drinking “excessively” after a game last month.
Ireland’s upset over the Wallabies really has put the cat among the pigeons at this World Cup..in more ways than one.
You don’t have to draw too long a bow from the best match of the tournament so far to realise the result, potentially, has serious implications for the All Blacks.
I’m really interested now – and concerned in the same breath – to see how the French react to this result.
The haka is in danger of losing respect because it is performed too often, Springboks coach Peter de Villiers says.
All Blacks (38) 83 / Japan (0) 7 (Final Score)
The New Zealand All Blacks hosted Japan in Hamilton at 10:00 SA Time (20:00 NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & 4, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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The All Blacks scored 13 tries to 1 and ran riot!
Call them stubborn, label them stupid, but it certainly seems Graham Henry and his fellow selectors are struggling to learn the harsh lessons of their last World Cup failings.
Richie McCaw and Mils Muliaina are both out of tomorrow’s test against Japan.
Both players have been ruled out of the All Blacks’ second game of the World Cup because of injury, while Israel Dagg has also picked up an injury, following a training session at St Peter’s College in Cambridge late yesterday afternoon.
All Blacks star Daniel Carter is injured and won’t play in this week’s World Cup match with Japan.
Carter, who suffered a sore back in the opening clash against Tonga, was replaced by Canterbury’s Colin Slade in the starting XV, with halfback Jimmy Cowan coming on to the bench, and Piri Weepu moving out to provide first–five cover.
Injured All Black Kieran Read has declared that he will be fit to start the Rugby World Cup and play against Canada in New Zealand’s final Pool game. Continue reading
All Blacks coach Graham Henry gave his team a bare pass mark after they battled their way to beating Tonga 41-10 in the Rugby World Cup opener.