End Of Year Tours
Ting Ting… Round 3 of the End Of Year Tours and it is another weekend filled with lots of rugby. This weekend has a total of 11 clashes and some great ones to predict.
When the Southern teams go North, every match is hyped up as both hemispheres want to prove a point and claim global domination. The big games this weekend to look forward to is England vs New Zealand, Ireland vs Australia and finally Scotland vs South Africa. All in all a good weekend ahead for rugby and it should be enjoyed the world over.
Cardiff Blues centre Cory Allen is in line to make his Test debut this weekend after being named on Thursday in the starting side to play Argentina.
At the other end of the spectrum, prop Gethin Jenkins will become only the fourth player to win 100 Wales caps after Stephen Jones, Gareth Thomas and Martyn Williams when he takes the field at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on Saturday.
Vastly experienced lock Paul O’Connell will lead Ireland against Australia in Dublin this Saturday.
Italy captain Sergio Parisse and Martin Castrogiovanni will make their 100th international appearances for Italy in Saturday’s match against Fiji.
Jacques Brunel has made eight changes from the side that was thumped 50-20 by Australia in Turin last weekend.
JP Pietersen will on Sunday become the 28th player to reach 50 Springbok Test caps when he runs out against Scotland at Murrayfield in Edinburgh in the second match of the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour.
The 27-year-old Pietersen, who will return from Japan to Durban to play for The Sharks in Vodacom Super Rugby next season, made his Test debut on 9 September 2006 against Australia in Johannesburg when he was only 20.
England have made one change to the team that beat Argentina for this weekend’s Test at Twickenham against New Zealand’s All Blacks.
England hooker Dylan Hartley will win 50th England cap this weekend when he faces the country of his birth.
Coach Ewen McKenzie axed veteran prop Ben Alexander as he looks to cure Australia’s scrum ailments ahead of their Test against Ireland.
Philippe Saint Andre has made five changes to the France starting line-up for the test against Tonga in Le Harve on Saturday, the coach opting to overhaul a side that lost 26-19 to New Zealand last week.
All Black coach Steve Hansen made just one change to his starting line-up for Saturday’s revenge mission against England.
As expected, star flyhalf Dan Carter will pick up his 100th Test cap, as New Zealand aim to make amends for a shock loss to England last year – Hansen’s only defeat since taking the reins in 2011.
The announcement of the South African Springboks side to face Scotland is expected this afternoon (Thursday 14 November 2013) and all the noises from the Springbok camp seem to be positive.
Bakkies Botha, affectionately called “Oom Bakkies” by some of the Bokke young guns is having a profound mentoring affect on the young charges in the side, specially on Eben Etzebeth and Pieter-Steph du Toit.
For the 2nd Test of the tour, the Springboks are set to announce a number of changes in the match 23, most notably in the front row, locks & looseforwards.
Australia have dropped to fourth on the IRB world rankings and appear to be a team on the slide.
However, Ireland defence coach Les Kiss believes that the Wallabies are in fact a team making strides in the right direction – or as he put it, a giant awakening after slumbering through a season of discontent.
Teenage lock forward Jonny Gray is the only uncapped player in Scotland’s 23-man squad to face South Africa in the viagogo Autumn Test at Murrayfield on Sunday.
England’s front row crisis worsened afer it was confirmed that Alex Corbisiero has been ruled out of Saturday’s Test against the All Blacks at Twickenham.
England are also without Mako Vunipola, who is nursing a knee injury, while Joe Marler still has to pass a concussion test to prove his fitness.
Samoa centre George Pisi is set to miss the remainder of his country’s matches in November after he was handed a six week ban for a tip tackle on Ireland wing Tommy Bowe during last Saturday’s 40-9 hammering by the Irish at Lansdowne Road.
France’s Jérôme Garcès will referee the Scotland v Springboks Test at Murrayfield in Edinburgh on Sunday.
Kick-off is at 17:00.
Rugby fans can start voting for their own International Player of the Year and World XV of the Year following the release of a 45-strong shortlist of contenders.
Part of the inaugural Ultimate Rugby IRPA Awards, the Fans’ Player of the Year, and World XV of the Year will be decided by votes cast on Ultimate Rugby’s mobile app, and announced in conjunction with other category winners on November 26.
New Zealand’s Kieran Read says his side will be more eager to mark Dan Carter’s 100th cap with a good performance than avenge last year’s loss to England when the teams meet on Saturday.
Carter, 31, will become the fifth All Black to reach a century of caps if he plays at Twickenham.
Although his passion for Test rugby remains, All Blacks hooker Andrew Hore’s time in the Test arena appears to be drawing to a close.
His legs may be growing weary but the Wallabies are wary of Irish great Brian O’Driscoll’s rugby brain in this weekend’s Test of character in Dublin.
O’Driscoll is into his 15th and final season for Ireland as he prepares for his 135th Test cap and last battle with Australia at the old Lansdowne Road.
Combining a fair bit of Springbok news, as speculation flows…
John McFarland, Springbok defensive coach says the Springbok defences were already better last week compared to the previous game against the All Blacks.
Scribes worry and remind Bakkies Botha to keep his dicipline on field and not to succumb to the “Red Mist” od ill-dicipline and the real threat of Yellow or Red Cards.
It also appears that both the formidable frame of young Pieter-Steph du Toit (lock) and that of Patrick Lambie will be in the run-on side for the Springboks on the weekend, with scribes writing up the virtues of Pieter-Steph du Toit almost non-stop, whilst others consider Lambie the perfect fir for the Scotland game.
Scotland have injury concerns over five players ahead of next Sunday’s Test against South Africa at Murrayfield.
Ireland will be without Keith Earls and Chris Henry in Saturday’s Test against Australia in Dublin.
Chris Rattue, one of the well-known New Zealand Rugby Journalists, wants Dan Carter not to be selected for the England clash and he believes Dan does not have the magic of old anymore.
England claimed yet another southern hemisphere scalp with a 31-12 victory over Argentina but it was a case of two steps forward and one back for Stuart Lancaster’s side.
What were the keys to their victory and will anything have New Zealand worried ahead of their return to Twickenham next weekend?
International news is flowing like a river in flood today, seems I have been updating all day, today… but we like it that way, don’t we!
Reviews of the Fourie du Preez try, clearly shows that Jaque Fourie was ahead of Fourie du Preez when he kicked, did not retreat and the subsequent try, however well-worked, should not have been awarded. Another blemish on refereeing in 2013!
Looking ahead at this weekend’s clash against Scotland, it appears at this stage if Bakkies Botha might get a starting berth at lock and it looks likely that Patrick Lambie will get the nod at flyhalf.
Meanwhile Morné Steyn is responding well to treatment for his back spasm injury and it looks likely that he’ll also be ready for Sunday’s match.
The Springboks’ victory over Wales on Saturday has slightly narrowed the gap between them and the All Blacks at the top of the IRB world rankings.
Scotland coach Scott Johnson was struggling to evaluate his side’s win over Japan as he looked ahead to the sterner tests that South Africa and Australia are sure to pose at Murrayfield on the next two weekends.
It was not the perfect weekend for the All Blacks, with France running them close. This begs the question whether Daniel Carter is still the flyhalf maestro he once was.
All Blacks coach, Steve Hansen, says the All Blacks will be better against England compared to how they went against France.
On the weekend, one of the clasheds we most look forward to is the battle between England and the All Blacks.
England have been hard hit by the injury to Mako Vunipola though, who is out of the clash.
The war of words have also started and it seems that England contend that they are not afraid of the mighty All Blacks
Two players have been cited for alleged foul play, following the weekend’s round of Test matches.
All Black captain Richie McCaw added another accolade to his unrivalled résumé in the 26-19 win over France at the Stade de France on Saturday.
Wales were badly hit by injuries on the weekend, in the clash with the Springboks from South Africa.
Wales coach Warren Gatland was left lamenting the disparity in differing regional rugby after seeing his team go down 24-15 to South Africa on Saturday.
The Springboks, coming into their autumn internationals on the back of an impressive second place in the Rugby Championship, outscored Wales by three tries to nil.
The Springboks have veered off from their normal schedule on Sunday to visit the iconic Old Trafford in Manchester for the English Premiership clash between Manchester United and Arsenal.
The South African team was invited by Richard Arnold, Group CEO of Manchester United, when he met Springbok captain Jean de Villiers at a rugby match in Cape Town earlier this season.
France, or Les Misrables, as they should be called in 2013, is desperate for a win – with a 2013 season record of 9 Tests played, 1 win, 1 draw and 7 losses!
France next play Tonga and veterans Frederic Michalak and Fulgence Quedraogo have been called up to boots the French.
That said, France was the side in 2013 to give the world’s No 1 team, the New Zealand All Blacks, their toughest run yet in 2013!