European Rugby
The core of the Springbok team that has played in 2013 has been selected to start in the final match of the season, marking 100 years of Test rugby against France in Paris on Saturday evening.
Tendai Mtawarira, Bismarck du Plessis, Eben Etzebeth and Morné Steyn all return to the starting line-up after last weekend’s 28-0 win over Scotland in Edinburgh, for the last match of the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour.
Wing Fergus McFadden compounded Ireland’s injury woes after being ruled out of Saturday’s Test against the All Blacks.
McFadden fractured his hand in the 15-32 loss to the Wallabies and joins Keith Earls, Craig Gilroy and Simon Zebo on the sidelines. Coach Joe Schmidt has subsequently called up Felix Jones.
South Africa defence coach Richie Gray – whose namesake plays in the Scotland second row – said the Springboks’ win on Sunday saw them destroy a “myth” about their breakdown play.
France have recalled prop Thomas Domingo and No 8 Louis Picamoles to their squad for this weekend’s Test against the Springboks.
Scotland (0) 0 / 28 (21) Springboks (Final Score)
Scotland and the South African Springboks did battle in the End Of Year Tours at
Murrayfield, Edinburgh at 17:00 SA Time (15:00 GMT).
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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England (16) 22 / 30 (20) All Blacks (Final Score)
England and the New Zealand All Blacks did battle in the End Of Year Tours at
Twickenham, London at 16:30 SA Time (14:30 GMT, 03:30 Sunday 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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Meanwhile, other Internationals were in progress at the same time, here are the scores:
Italy (20) 37 / 24 (5) Fiji (Final Score)
Wales (23) 40 / 6 (3) Argentina (Final Score)
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Ireland (12) 15 / 32 (15) Wallabies (Final Score)
Ireland and the Australian Wallabies did battle in the End Of Year Tours at
Aviva Stadium, Dublin at 19:45 SA Time (17:45 GMT, 04:45 Sunday AEDT).
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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Meanwhile, another International will is in progress at the same time, here is the score:
France (21) 38 / 18 (6) Tonga (Final Score)
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Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer has explained why he decided to not include lock Pieter-Steph du Toit in his squad to face Scotland on Sunday.
Ryan Grant and Sean Maitland are among four Scotland rugby players due to appear in court next month after an alleged assault outside a takeaway shop in Glasgow last month.
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.
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.
European rugby’s new club competition is a “train that has left the station” but there is still just time to pick up the Heineken Cup refuseniks, the head of the English Premiership said on Wednesday.
Although there are still a number of issues to be finalised, notably about the governance, the English and French leagues and the Welsh regions are all committed to the new two-tier “Rugby Champions Cup” which will swing into action next season.
Australian international wing Digby Ioane is still waiting for the medical staff of his Top 14 club Stade Francais to give him permission to start playing again, he said on Wednesday.
France’s Jérôme Garcès will referee the Scotland v Springboks Test at Murrayfield in Edinburgh on Sunday.
Kick-off is at 17:00.
The most experienced team in All Blacks’ history will face France this weekend, after New Zealand coach Steve Hansen recalled his big guns for the Paris clash.
Hansen’s run-on team announced on Thursday has 853 caps, with a further 112 available on the bench for a combined record of 965, in a sign the world champions are not taking the mercurial French lightly.
Munster back Keith Earls has been ruled out of Ireland’s opening Autumn International Test match against Samoa in Dublin due to a knee injury.
Wales have announced their team to play South Africa in their opening Autumn International Test match, initially with Ospreys wing Eli Walker being named to make his international debut. Walker has since been sidelined by injury and is replaced by Liam Williams (Scarlets).
Heyneke Meyer has given a clear indication as to what his intentions are for the 2013 End Of Year Tour.
It seems likely that Meyer will use this End Of Year Tour to test combinations building up to the 2015 World Cup.
Former New Zealand international wing Rene Ranger and South African centre Robert Ebersohn on Monday arrived to significantly bolster Top 14 highflyers Montpellier’s ranks.
James O’Connor has been seen at Toulon in a meeting with Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal.
O’Connor who made his debut appearance for London Irish over the past weekend is already linked with a move to Toulon.
England have closed the gap on second placed South Africa after their 20-13 victory over Australia this past weekend.
With the victory over Australia, England managed to gain half a ranking point and is now 1.55 ranking points behind South Africa.
From time to time Rugby-Talk is approached by rugby enthusiasts, who read our content, who enquire whether they can write guest articles for publication.
My response is the same every time… send it along, if it is good, we will publish it. More aptly, I also invite these people to register and become part of our wonderful website, to join in the comments with us and should we see value in their style and knowledge, there will be no hesitation to make them fullyfledged authors here on Rugby-Talk.
I hope this is an inspiration to more people to contribute…
Here is a wonderful piece on the history of the Six Nations:
England (6) 20 / 13 (13) Wallabies (Final Score)
England and the Australian Wallabies did battle in the End Of Year Tours at
Twickenham, London at 16:30 SA Time (14:30 GMT, 01:30 Sunday AEDT).
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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Joel Tomkins will make his England debut in Saturday’s international against Australia at Twickenham Stadium.
The centre will be joined by Saracens teammate Billy Vunipola and London Irish wing Marland Yarde, who both won their first caps in Argentina in June and make their first starts at Twickenham.
World rugby supremo Bernard Lapasset has warned English and French clubs wishing to form a breakaway European club competition that they do not have the right to impose their will on other leagues reluctant to join them.
The 66-year-old Frenchman – president of the International Rugby Board since replacing Irishman Syd Millar in 2008 – has kept his own counsel while the English and French clubs have tried to persuade their counterparts in Wales, Ireland, Italy and Scotland to leave the European Rugby Cup (ERC), who organise the European Cup and Challenge, and join the planned 20-team Champions Cup from next year.
Experienced Springbok tighthead prop Jannie du Plessis has been ruled out of the forthcoming Castle Lager Outgoing Tour to Wales, Scotland and France because of injury.
His place in the touring team will be taken by the uncapped GWK Griquas prop Lourens Adriaanse, a member of the Springbok squad during the Castle Lager Rugby Championship who was on the official standby list and will play with Du Plessis for The Sharks next season.
Former Springbok coach Nick Mallett has backed current coach Heyneke Meyer NOT to rest his key players on the end of year tour, despite the risk of player burn-out.
Speaking to BallzRadio, Mallett said that the Springbok Tests should take precedence over the Currie Cup and Super Rugby, and said franchise coaches should take responsibility for managing players better. Mallett also praised Sharks Director of Rugby Brendan Venter as one of the few coaches using proper player rotation.
England lock Geoff Parling has been ruled out of Saturday’s opening November international against Australia at Twickenham with concussion.
Parling was concussed during a training session at England’s training base in Bagshot, south-west of London, on Tuesday and will now follow the standard procedure for players who’ve suffered head injuries.
Captain Sergio Parisse and popular prop Martin Castrogiovanni are closing in on a century of caps after the Argentine-born pair were named in Italy coach Jacques Brunel’s 30-man squad for next month’s international tests.
Both Stade Francais No 8 Parisse and Toulon’s Castrogiovanni have 98 caps and could surpass the century landmark during tests against Australia, Argentina and Fiji in November.
London Irish confirmed that the club has signed Australian international James O’Connor on a short-term deal until the end of the season.
A familiar question hangs in the air ahead of the start of this year’s November internationals – who can defeat New Zealand?
The world champions have been in especially scintillating form of late, winning all six of their matches in the southern hemisphere rugby championship.
Former England flyhalf Jonny Wilkinson has married his long-term live-in girlfriend Shelley Jenkins in a private ceremony in the southern French resort of Bandol on Monday, the local mayor reported.
Springbok scrumhalf Jano Vermaak was the hero for Toulouse as he scored a crucial try in Saturday’s top-of-the-table clash against Toulon in the Top 14.
With the clubs level at the summit of the standings at kick-off, the match was the highlight of the French rugby weekend as Toulouse came back from 12-0 down at half time to win 13-12.
James O’Connor is expected to make a decision on his future in the “next 24 or 48 hours”, according to London Irish coach Brian Smith.
O’Connor has been linked with a move to the English Premiership side after the Australian Rugby Union terminated his contract following a string of embarrassing off-field incidents earlier this month, culminating with the talented 23-year-old being escorted from Perth airport for drunken behaviour.
Welsh international scrumhalf Mike Phillips has been sacked by French club Bayonne after being accused of turning up drunk at a training session, a source at the club said.