Gurthro Steenkamp
Experienced South African sports and rugby communications consultant Anthony Mackaiser has been appointed Communications and Marketing Manager of the recently established SANZAR (South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia Rugby) organisation.
The newly-established SANZAR (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia Rugby) organisation based in Sydney has appointed former international referee Lyndon Bray to the new role of Game Manager.
Argentina face the daunting task of joining the top three rugby union teams in the world, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, in an expanded Tri-Nations from 2012.
The Chiefs announced today that Canterbury lock and 2010 Crusader Isaac Ross will be joining the Chiefs playing squad for the 2011 Super Rugby competition.
When the original Super12 expanded to the Super14 in 2006, Australia’s performances in the tournament dropped alarmingly and by further diluting their playing resources they’re unlikely to improve.
The Super 15 can be tantamount to a SANZAR suicide if players from South Africa, New Zealand and Australia are not managed carefully to enable them to perform optimally at next year’s World Cup.
If Currie Cup is your thing, then I have some bad news for you. You are about to witness the long, and painful death of the world’s oldest and most fierce domestic rugby competition. Continue reading
Wallabies (14) 22 / All Blacks (6) 23 (Final Score)
The Wallabies hosted the All Blacks in Sydney, Australia at 12:00 SA Time in the last 2010 Tri-Nations match. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 on DSTV in SA.
The Wallabies led for most of the match and at one stage after halftime led by 19 / 6.
The All Blacks came from behind and ground out a penalty and 2 converted tries, thereafter closing out the win in the dying minutes.
All Blacks win 23 / 22 and are undefeated in the Tri-Nations. They are also now 10 in a row against Australia.
The Wallabies host the All Blacks in Sydney on Saturday 11 September 2010 for the last Tri-Nations match of the year at 12:00 SA Time. Can the All Blacks do a complete 6 from 6 Tri-Nations whitewash and can they go 10 in a row against the Wallabies?
The Wallabies have been warned that disrespecting the All Blacks’ haka could result in a fine from the International Rugby Board.
The ARU was recently forced to pay a £1000 ($1677) fine to Rugby World Cup Limited after the Wallaroos, Australia’s women’s rugby team, advanced on the Black Ferns mid-haka before their World Cup pool match in England last month.
Springboks (13) 39 / Wallabies (31) 41 (Final Score)
The Springboks hosted the Wallabies at Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein at 17:00 SA Time in their last Tri-Nations and Mandela Cup encounter of 2010. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, M-Net, SuperSport HD in SA.
Australia first squandered a 25-point lead, to clinch the game on full time with a successful long distance penalty by Kurtley Beale. Final score Wallabies 41 / 39.
The Springboks host the Wallabies in thier last Tri-Nations and Mandela Plate encounter of 2010 against one another.
As far as Tri-Nations glory goes, this is a dead rubber apart from playing to avoid the wooden spoon.
We preview this game below.
The possibility of further misery or a likely last chance in 2010 to get his Test-level act back together?
Recordings of both After Match Press Conferences were made by me, both on Audio Format as well as seperately on Video Format.
The Audio Recordings:
[cincopa 10732542]
The Video Recordings: The Videos are long, so they’ll take long to buffer before playing, hope you have proper broadband
[cincopa 10732781]
Springboks (24) 44 / Wallabies (28) 31 (Final Score)
The Springboks hosted the Wallabies in their penultimate encounter against one another this year in the Tri-Nations at Loftus, Pretoria, South Africa at 17:00 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The game was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SuperSport HD and M-Net with previews from 16:00 SA Time.
In a very strange match, the Springboks proved too tough for the Wallabies, running in 5 tries to 4.
What was apparent to me of this match was how severely off form Bryan Habana was the whole match and what a positive impact Chiliboy Ralepelle made as a substitute for a lacklustre John Smit.
Francois Hougaard is my Man Of The Match!
Victor Matfield did a lap of honour after the match to celebrate his 100th Test Cap.
Time for some tough decisions for Peter de Villiers….. put Bryan Habana and John Smit out to pasture, their time has come and gone!
The Springboks host the Wallabies at Loftus, Pretoria at 17:00 on Saturday 28 August in the 2nd last Tri-Nations encounter between the 2 teams for 2010.
We see the match like this:
Springboks (16) 22 / All Blacks (14) 29 (Final Score)
The Springboks hosted the All Blacks in their last Tri-Nations match against one another of 2010 at FNB Stadium, Johannesburg at 17:05 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was bradcast live on SuperSport 1, SuperSport HD and M-Net.
The All Blacks won, scoring 2 quick tries in the last 3 minutes, to break the Bokke hearts and those of their supporters.
It must be said though that the Springboks showed moments of brilliance during the game though, with the Hougaard experiment working well and Juan Smith and Flip van der Merwe doing their part brilliantly too.
Jean de Vlliers shone at inside centre and Morne Steyn’s boot was as effective as ever.
… but well done Blacks, you came, you saw, you absorbed a shipload of pressure … and you won!
It’s the day before the momentous Test, the best in the World playing one another, in the Tri-Nations.
What more could you want, 90 000 spectators at the Southern Hemisphere’s best Stadium, the All Blacks standing ont the verge of the Tri-Nations crown for 2010 and Springbok captain John Smit due to run out for his 100th Test cap?
Will the Bokke be better at home or will the All Blacks continue their dominant form of 2010?
The South African Player’s Association has called on the SANZAR partners to stop their threats of dissolving the partnership. Continue reading
A New Zealand view of the SARU spat with SANZAR
Once again South African rugby officials are spouting off and causing further cracks in an already strained relationship with the Australian and New Zealand Unions.
3 Of the Bulls Bokke contingent in the current Springbok squad are injured. Zane Kirchner, Dewald Potgieter and Danie Rossouw did not take part in general training today.
The Western Force has landed one of rugby’s most exciting young playmakers with New Zealand Maoris representative Willie Ripia heading to Western Australia for the next two Super rugby seasons.
South African rugby is exploring the possibility of breaking away from their alliance with New Zealand and Australia as the SANZAR relationship is too strained.
Next year’s Springbok Test against New Zealand will be held in Port Elizabeth, following a decision of the executive council of the South African Rugby Union.
Soccer City, the World Cup Soccer venue as well as the venue where the Springboks and the All Blacks will compete on 21 August, will henceforth be known as FNB Stadium or First National Bank Stadium.
This follows a ruling by the Gauteng South High Court today, Wednesday 11 August 2010 after First National Bank took the proposed name changers, who wanted to change the name to National Stadium, to Court.
The Springboks are currently busy with a 4-day training camp at Hyde Park High School, where the squad of 29 will be whittled down to 24 on Friday.
A number of the All Blacks squad have again been made available for ITM Cup provincial rugby games this week, if required by their provinces, ahead of the All Blacks departure to South Africa this weekend.
Pieter De Villiers has been found not guilty of bringing rugby into disrepute. Continue reading
Just look what Bob Dwyer has now cooked up… why don’t you just shut your trap Bob, and silently sink away into oblivion!
World Cup-winning Springbok utility Frans Steyn is one of five players recalled to the Bok squad for South Africa’s home leg of the Tri-Nations.
Judgment was reserved in the hearing of Springbok coach Peter de Villiers’s misconduct hearing on Friday over his suggestion that the team were victims to a conspiracy to assist the All Blacks ahead of next year’s World Cup.
The All Blacks and the Wallabies cross swords at the AMI Stadium, Christchurch, New Zealand on Saturday at 09:35 SA Time for their 2nd Tri-Nations match between one another for 2010.
Wallabies (14) 28 / All Blacks (32) 49 (Final Score)
The Wallabies are hosting the All Blacks at Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, Australia at 12:00 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The game is broadcast live on SuperSport 1 on DSTV in SA.
The All Blacks got into their racing gears quickly in the match and before halftime had already secured their bonus point for tries after just more than half an hour of play.
Magnificent all round performance from the All Blacks and a valient effort by an outclassed Wallabies side.
The All Blacks rubbed salt into the wounds with a 7th try on 80 minutes and a comfortable romp of 49 / 28.
Securing a sustainable and profitable future as a union or franchise depends on your ability to apply the same principles you require for your business, to your resources and assets. Continue reading