SA Rugby
The Southern Kings have signed three more prominent players as they aim to bolster their squad ahead of next year’s Super Rugby competition.
Seasoned Boland flyhalf Elgar Watts will join the Cheetahs at the end of November for the 2013 season. Initially the Cheetahs hoped to have Sias Ebersohn released to the Cheetahs after the Super Rugby season, but new Force coach Foley wasn’t amenable to such an arrangement. Hence the Cheetahs will have Johan Goosen, Elgar Watts and Francois Brummer as the flyhalves to choose from, with Willie le Roux, and Riaan Smit able to slot in at flyhalf in an emergency.
Ruan Pienaar’s elevation to the Springbok kicking role is likely to continue this weekend despite the fact he was successful with less than half of his kicks at goal against Australia at Loftus Versfeld.
The dreaded injury bogey and looseforward curse has struck Heinrich Brüssow, the Toyota Free State Cheetahs and Springbok flank yet again.
Springbok prop Coenie Oosthuizen has been cleared to play after an examination by a neurosurgeon in Durban on Tuesday.
South Africa bounced back to winning ways in The Rugby Championship with a dominant 31-8 victory over Australia on Saturday to return to second place in the latest IRB World Rankings.
The convincing win of the Springboks on Saturday was followed by news on the injury front.
Most notably Francois Steyn, who rolled his left ankle last Monday morning, will have to undergo an operation to clean the ankle up and will be sidelined for 3 months recovering from the surgery.
What an enjoyable Saturday late afternoon, bar the ridiculous 3G Internet signal at Loftus Versfeld, of course!
The Springboks totally dominated and comprehensively outmuscled and outplayed a very ordinary and injury ravaged Wallabies side, with the Springboks eventual winners by 31 / 8, after also leading at the halftime break by 14 / 3.
I guess 5 tries to 1 tells the story, with Bryan Habana scoring a hat-trick on the day to increase his Springbok all time record to 46 Test tries.
Springboks (14) 31 / 8 (3) Wallabies (Final Score)
The South African Springboks and Australian Wallabies did battle in The Rugby Championship at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria at 17:00 SA 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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WP (3) 9 / 21 (6) Lions (Final Score)
DHL Western Province and the MTN Golden Lions did battle in the Currie Cup, Premier Division at Newlands, Cape Town at 14:00 SA Time.
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 5 on TV in SA.
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Cheetahs (17) 35 / 20 (6) Griquas (Final Score)
The Toyota Free State Cheetahs and GWK Griquas did battle in the Currie Cup, Premier Division at Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein at 14:00 SA Time.
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, M-Net on TV in SA.
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Sharks (5) 13 / 12 (9) Blue Bulls (Final Score)
The Sharks and the Vodacom Blue Bulls did battle in the Currie Cup, Premier Division at Kings Park, Durban at 19:10 SA 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 Springbok side to face the Wallabies on Saturday at Loftus, has been announced.
Two late changes have been made to the Springbok 22, with Francois Steyn failing a late fitness test and Coenie Oosthuizen also not fit enough to man the bench. Jean de Villiers moves to inside centre and Jaco Taute will make his Springbok debut at outside centre. PatCilliers replaces Coenie Oosthuizen on the bench.
It took guts and determination from Heyneke Meyer and clearly he has the best interests of Springbok Rugby as well as the individual interests of the players at heart, when making some hard and big decisions.
Johan Goosen starts at flyhalf and Andries Bekker starts at No 5 lock in place of Juandré Kruger. Elton Jantjies is on the bench and Morné Steyn drops out of the match 22 alltogether.
Flip van der Merwe moves down to the bench after a strong game against the New Zealand All Blacks, but one has to mention that Flip is carrying a niggling injury and did not practice with the squad on Monday and Tuesday.
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) is moving offices after 17 years at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa in Newlands, Cape Town.
Herewith a team by team breakdown of the selected sides for this weekend’s Currie Cup Premier Division matches.
Continue reading
There was a buzz at Loftus today as thousands gathered to watch the afternoon open practice session on Loftus main field. Fathers, mothers and heaps and heaps of children attended to watch Heyneke Meyer’s squad of 30 go through their paces. My son, BonzaiGBS, was our resident photographer and took hundreds of photographs.
There’s some good news and some bad news, I’m wondering which you want to hear first….
Lions (6) 28 / 22 (16) Sharks (Final Score)
The MTN Golden Lions and The Sharks did battle in the Currie Cup, Premier Division at Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg at 19:10 SA 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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Blue Bulls (17) 34 / 30 (9) Cheetahs (Final Score)
The Vodacom Blue Bulls and Toyota Free State Cheetahs did battle in the Currie Cup, Premier Division at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria at 17:05 SA 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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WP (31) 45 / 21 (7) Griquas (Final Score)
DHL Western province and GWK Griquas did battle in the Currie Cup, Premier Division at Newlands, Cape Town at 15:00 SA 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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Rassie Erasmus says Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer is tweaking his game plan ahead of next weekend’s Rugby Championship clash with the Wallabies in Pretoria.
SANZAR has made known the full game schedule for Super Rugby in 2013. Take critical note of the fact that the Australian sides will feature a week earlier than the New Zealand and South African sides, as they feature alone in Round 1 – 15 & 16 February and in the middle of the year, Round 17 – June 7 & 9, the Australian sides will feature alone as well, whilst in Round 18 & Round 19 the New Zealand and South African sides will feature without the Australian sides.
This accomodation is done to assist Australia who hosts the British and Irish Lions touring party in the middle of 2013.
Accordingly the Super Rugby Combined Log will be skewed from the start, then become even more skewed after Round 17 (The Australian sides having played 2 games more by then) and that the Combined Log will only appear realistic and normal after the conclusion of Round 19.
The revival of club rugby in South Africa received a major boost on Thursday with the announcement that a new televised national tournament for non-university clubs would kick off in 2013.
Alan Solomons, the Southern Kings Super Rugby coach, has indicated that controvertial looseforward Luke Watson will be the captain when the team makes their Super Rugby debut in 2013.
Herewith a team by team breakdown of the selected sides for this weekend’s Currie Cup Premier Division matches.
Continue reading
Lions stalwart Wikus van Heerden will retire after Saturday’s Absa Currie Cup match against the Sharks at Coca-Cola Park in Johannesburg.
Springbok utility back Patrick Lambie’s unavailability for Currie Cup duty this week has left Sharks coach John Plumtree a frustrated man.
Springbok Rugby coaches have released five players back to their Currie Cup squads from the squad that returned from New Zealand.
Western Province loose forwards Jebb Sinclair and Tyrone Holmes have almost completely escaped further punishment for the punches they threw at Kings Park on Saturday.
Here’s a review of the Judicial hearings and citings following a weekend of ill-diciplined rugby in South Africa.
As we all know by now, in a water logged match in the ABSA Currie Cup between The Sharks and DHL Western Province, four players were carded in Durban, Sharks losse forward Jean Deysel received a Yellow Card, Jebb Sinclair and Tyrone Holmes from Province both received Red Cards for punching, whilst Wilhelm van der Sluys from Province received a Yellow Card.
From about 5 minutes before the end of the match, Western Province was forced to play with only 12 players on the pitch, effectively resulting in an eventual Penalty Try to the Sharks just before the end of the game.
Springbok prop Dean Greyling has been suspended from all forms of Rugby for two weeks after he pleaded guilty for foul play.
Western Province coach Allister Coetzee is determined to snuff out the ill-discipline that saw his team reduced to 12 players against the Sharks.
Morne Steyn’s indifferent performance against the All Blacks has increased the pressure on Bok coach Heyneke Meyer to start Johan Goosen at flyhalf.
There is a caveat, and given Heyneke Meyer’s insistence that his team employed the right game-plan in Dunedin it is a significant one, but the Springboks have ended the away leg of their Castle Rugby Championship campaign with reason to be encouraged.
Sharks (16) 43 / 27 (12) WP (Final Score)
The Sharks and DHL Western Province did battle in the Currie Cup, Premier Division at Mr Price Kings Park, Durban at 19:10 SA 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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Cheetahs (16) 23 / 38 (20) Golden Lions (Final Score)
The Toyota Free State Cheetahs and MTN Golden Lions did battle in the Currie Cup, Premier Division at Free State Stadium at 17:05 SA 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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