SA Rugby

Super RugbyIn preparation of the 2014 Super Rugby season, the pre-season is underway before the Christmas / New Year break later in December.

So, what happens to the remaining Southern Kings players, who now have to sit out of Super Rugby again? Whilst a lot have already found franchises like the Bulls, Sharks, Cheetahs to sign for and others are available on loan to these other franchises, there is still a number of players who want to find a spot to play Super Rugby in 2014. Sergeal Petersen, young wing sensation of the EP Kings and Southern Kings is one such player.

Then we move over to up-and-coming youngsters who have now played Currie Cup rugby and questions are asked whether they will step up and rock Super Rugby the way they did the Currie Cup. We specifically look at Cheslin Kolbe, who set the world alight at Western Province in the Currie Cup.

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HSBC Sevens World SeriesNelson Mandela Bay SevensThe South African Blitzbokke and the other 15 international teams participating in this weekend’s Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens arrived at the Port Elizabeth International Airport on Monday evening.

The 16 teams arrived on two flights from Johannesburg, with the second flight about half an hour after the first flight.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens tournament marks the last leg of the 2013 part of the 2013 / 2014 HSBC Sevens World series, to be resumed well into 2014.

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The Rugby ChampionshipSANZAR have announced the draw for the 2014 Rugby Championship which will start on the 16th of August when Australia host New Zealand in Sydney.

The 2014 Super Rugby season ends on August the 2nd and then the Southern Hemisphere’s best players will get the weekend of August the 9th off and then the Rugby Championship starts a week later on the 16th.

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AfriForumCivil rights organisation AfriForum has warned SARU in a letter that its decision to implement racial quotas in the Vodacom Cup would constitute a violation of the IRB’s prohibition on racial discrimination.

SARU was also informed in the letter that the Olympic Charter, with which rugby has to comply as Olympic sport, explicitly prohibits racial discrimination.

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Junior World Championship 2014 - New ZealandThe Junior Springboks were grouped with hosts New Zealand, Samoa and Scotland when the pools and fixtures of the IRB Junior World Championship 2014 were confirmed earlier today in Auckland.

The future stars of world Rugby will come together in New Zealand from 2-20 June 2014 for the seventh edition of the Under 20 tournament which will see matches played at North Harbour Stadium and Pukekohe Stadium during the pool stages and semi-finals on 2, 6, 10 and 15 June 2014.

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Vodacom BullsAnother new innovation from the Bulls, South Africa’s most successful Super Rugby franchise!

InvisBull becomes visible as PUMA launches the new Vodacom Bulls Super Rugby kit for 2104. Playing on the fact that Camo is designed to make you invisible, PUMA has launched a Camo Home shirt which stays true to the traditional Bulls’ blue, while the Away shirt is khaki green and brown.

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Bjorn BassonRecord-breaking wing Bjorn Basson has extended his contract with the Bulls and will be available for the Pretoria franchise until the end of October 2016.

Basson, who holds the national and Currie Cup record for tries in a season and the Bulls’ record for tries in a Super Rugby season, was also part of the Springbok squad in 2013.

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Rugby World Cup 2015The Springboks and South African fans on Wednesday received good news in the lead-up to the 2015 IRB Rugby World Cup in England, with the announcement that three of the team’s four round-robin matches will begin at 17:00 (19:00 SA Time) and only one at 20:00 (22:00 SA Time).

The Springboks kick off their Rugby World Cup campaign on 19 September 2015, against the top Asian qualifier at the Brighton Community Stadium, Brighton, at 20:00 (22:00 SA Time).

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StormersBack Cheslin Kolbe, who is currently on SA Sevens duty, and flanker Schalk Burger, who will play for the Barbarians in London this weekend, will join the WP Rugby training squad at a later stage.

Springbok tourists Jean de Villiers, Frans Malherbe, Eben Etzebeth, Duane Vermeulen and Gio Aplon will join the squad in January 2014 only. However, hooker Scarra Ntubeni, flanker Siya Kolisi and scrumhalf Louis Schreuder – all of whom also toured Europe with the Boks this month – will join squad training on Monday 2 December.

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New ZealandIrelandFranceWalesEnglandAustraliaSouth AfricaNew Zealand media have dubbed the 2013 All Blacks “The Unbeatables” after their perfect season, but acknowledged their rivals are closing the gap ahead of the next World Cup.

The tone was more relieved than triumphant after the New Zealanders snatched a 24-22 result over a desperately unlucky Ireland to record 14 wins from 14 and become the first international side in the professional era to win every single Test in a calendar year.

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South AfricaHeyneke MeyerThe Springboks have made South Africans proud in 2013, with 10 wins from 12 Tests, the only blight on their record 2 losses against the world’s No 1 side, the All Blacks from New Zealand. South Africa beat France on the weekend by 19 / 10 at Stade de France in Paris, capping off an undefeated tour.

But let’s put those 2 losses into some perspective… in New Zealand the Springboks were on the wrong side of poor reffereeing by Romain Poite, the French referee in charge of that match, resulting in the fact that the Springboks had to play 48 minutes without Bismarck du Plessis. In those circumstances, the Springboks were still highly competative and probably the most pleasing part was that the Springbok forwards dominated large parts of the game. The Springboks lost that one though, as the slow All Black poison came through for the home side in the end.

In South Africa it was do or die for the Springboks… go out and score 4 tries against the All Blacks and win by more than 7 was the challenge in The Rugby Championship, a tall order indeed! The Springboks managed their 4 tries but once again the slow poison of New Zealand worked in their fafour and they came back from behind in the last quarter to score their fourth and ultimately their fifth try, to also beat the Springboks.

So, well done to the All Blacks… and while we’re at it, well done on an All Black season of 14 wins from 14 Tests, what an enviable record, New Zealand certainly deserve the No 1 world crown at this juncture in time!

The positive side of the coin however for the Springboks is that South Africans, and the world in general, now realistically give the Springboks a chance against the All Blacks in every Test match, even away from home. Having looked at results on the End Of Year Tours by both the Springboks and All Blacks, it can also be argued that the Springboks had a slightly better tour north compared to the All Blacks, specially with the All Blacks only managing a last gasp win against Ireland with a try long after the hooter had sounded for full time on Sunday night. The Springboks also only conceded 1 solitary and fortunate try on the whole of the tour up north, whilst the All Blacks conceded far more.

Looking to the future of Springbok rugby, Heyneke Meyer said after the weekend’s Test against France that Jean de villiers will stay Springbok captain in 2014 and the total message out of the Springbok camp is that the Springboks will now aspire to the No 1 ranking spot in world rugby, from 2014 and thereafter.

That certainly implies that Heyneke Meyer wants to and needs to beat the All Blacks… but it does not stop there, seeing as the Springboks want to go to No 1, notwithstanding  how or what the All Blacks do.

The Springboks certainly have improved their chances in 2013 to aspire to a World Cup win in 2015, in fact they are fast becomming joint favourites with the All Blacks in the race to this title.

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WhistleThe South African Rugby Union has confirmed the panels for the 2014 season, with a number of changes resulting from a selection and grading meeting held last week. Retirements and the reduction of some panels has also had an impact on the final lists.

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End Of Year Tours - 2013This weekend sees Round 4 of the 2013 End Of Year Tours. It is the last weekend on tour for the Springboks from South Africa, with their last game on tour probably the most difficult one. A a win over France will see the Springboks ending with what can be called a great season.

All in all a good weekend of rugby lies ahead and it will be enjoyed the world over, like always. Here are the head to head stats to help you with your SuperBru picks. Good luck to all sides.

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TVFor the Springboks this is the last weekend of competative rugby in 2013, bar of course the 9 Springboks who have been chosen to represent the Barbarians next weekend.

So, apart from some HSBC Sevens action and a weekend without the Springboks next weekend, the Southern Hemisphere season is fast approaching it’s end.

Just imagine all the Northern Hemisphere rugby and all the cricket we’ll have to get by on in December and Juanuary!

So, this weekend I’m stuck in front of the TVand watching every game I possibly can.

5 Tests will be broadcast live on TV in South Africa this weekend, 1 on Friday, 3 on Saturday and the last 1 on Sunday.

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Richie GrayHearing a Springbok management member refer to Nelspruit as “Nelsproot” during an informal gathering in Paris was a refreshing reminder that the xenophobia that has often blighted South African rugby’s progress is finally being eroded.

Harry Viljoen, when he was coaching the Boks in 2000 and 2001, met with howls of protest from disgruntled media, officials and sections of the public when he included several Australians such as kicking coach Lee Byrne, assistant coach Tim Lane and defence coach Les Kiss, in his management group in his attempt to make the coaching more specialised.

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South AfricaThe 2013 year has been a good year for Springbok Rugby and the cherry on the cake could be placed on the season should the Springboks manage to beat France in their last Test of the year.

Heyneke Meyer is however frustrated about the amount of Cards as well as the amount of penalties his Bok charges have conceded in 2013 and is constantly striving to better Springbok dicipline as he goes along, something (dicipline) he values intensely.

Pieter de Villiers, the former France prop, who is a South African born and bred specimen and current scrumming guru of the Springboks is plotting and working towards Springbok domination in the scrums against his erstwhile team. Pieter knows the French systems and some of the French key players for the weekend well, the question is, can he strike benefit from that in favour of the Springboks.

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Jurie RouxSouth African Rugby Union CEO Jurie Roux has been linked to a police investigation into major financial irregularities at Stellenbosch University.

At the centre of the investigation is former Stellenbosch Rugby Football Club chairperson and Deputy Director of student finances, Chris de Beer, a good friend of Roux’s and a SARU-accredited agent.

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South AfricaThe 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.

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MTN LionsThe Lions have finalised their warm-up matches ahead of next year’s Super Rugby tournament, however there are rumours of demands and coaching demands by the Pumas, who form part of the Lions Super Rugby franchise.

These rumours want us to believe that the Pumas are insisting that their coach, Jimmy Stonehouse, has to be involved in coaching at the MTN Lions. With Golden Lions coach Johan Ackermann’s coaching contract already extended and with him the designated figure to take the head coach role for the MTN Lions, this spat could easily turn ugly if the parties do not reach some compromise and consensus.

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