SA Rugby

The rather yo-yoing Sharks have a dual responsibility in their influential Super Rugby meeting with new overall log-leaders the Chiefs at Mr Price Kings Park on Saturday.

Not only will victory mean an awful lot in their quest to qualify for the playoffs again this year, but their halting the charge of the currently rampant Waikato franchise is also important for the respective aspirations of better-placed compatriots the Stormers and Bulls to secure top spot on the broader table and thus the likelihood of a home final.

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Generally speaking it was a much improved performance by the Sharks though it against an embattled Blues team. The main difference, this week, being the greater urgency on defence and on attack. The blues are not a happy bunch with coach Pat Lam this week burtsing into tears on national television when questioned about his opinion regarding remarks that the blues problems relate to the high number of Maori and Pacific Islanders in the team. There was also Kevin Muliamu who opinionated his unhappiness with Weepu’s physical condition. So this victory need to be considered against that back drop whether the Sharks like it or not.

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Coenraad Victor Oosthuizen is so much more than just your average prop. Coenie, or Shrek, as he is affectionately known by his teammates, has the ability to excel in whatever sport he competes in.

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The match officials for Week 8 of Super Rugby 2012 was released by SANZAR.

There are only 6 matched scheduled for this week, with the first two matches on Friday 13 April and 4 matches on Saturday 14 April 2012.

Steve Walsh kicks off with the match between the battling Blues and embattled Sharks at 09:35 SA Time Friday morning, whilst 3 teams have a bye weekend, namely the Highlanders, Hurricanes and the Reds.

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Tuks (13) 29 / Maties (13) 21 (Final Score)

The University of Pretoria – Tuks and University of Stellenbosch – Maties did battle in the Varsity Cup Final of 2012 at Tuks Sports Grounds, Pretoria at 19:00 SA Time.

This was the live match discussion Article.

The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & SCN on TV in SA.

Our proud champions for Varsity Cup 2012 are Tuks…. it’s Tuks or niks!

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South Africa 36 / 16 Wanganui-King Country (8 August 1956 – Spriggenspark, Wanganui)

Terry Mclean wrote an entertaining piece about this game in his book ‘Battle for the rugby crown’. His pivotal story line is the fact that the Springboks for the first time on tour had some fun and approached the match in a more than usual relaxed manner. Craven actually took two days ‘holiday’ going with his wife to Mount Edmont –he only re-joined the players only the day before the Wanganui match– which might explain the relaxed and abundant behaviour of the players. Almost like kids who have at last escaped the scrutiny of their parents.  Continue reading

The Stormers have shown yet again exactly how to beat New Zealand sides.

The Highlanders play classic New Zealand rugby; a style of rugby that is almost entirely focussed on the breakdowns. Personally, I’ve been much impressed by the Highlanders structure, commitment and tidiness at the breakdowns since Jamie Joseph took over as coach in 2011.

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Cheetahs (23) 26 / Lions (0) 5 (Final Score)

The Toyota Cheetahs and MTN Lions did battle in Super Rugby at Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein at 15:00 SA Time.

The home side were too good for the upcountry visitors, and 23 unanswered points in the 2nd quarter of the game, coupled with excellent second half defence was enough to give the home side the 4 log points, taking them up to 3rd in the SA conference, and 8th in the combined log.

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 Sharks surely had their chances but a lack of intensity on attack and defence saw them slump to a humiliating defeat.

I would venture that the travel factor -after weeks on the road- played a significant role in this lacklustre performance. They started off well in terms of holding onto the ball but there was never intensity as they took the ball up. They looked flat; no speed onto the ball; sort of just going through the steps right from the start and got even flatter as the match evolved. None of that never say die attitude that the Cheetahs enthralled us with last week against the same opposition.

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In an exclusive interview with Volksblad’s Hendrik Cronjé, Juan Smith has announced his immediate withdrawal from all rugby for 2012, to fully recover from the injury that has sidelined him since the beginning of 2011. Juan has indicated that he hoped to return to the field of play vs the Lions on Saturday, but after 4 operations, he has still not recovered sufficiently!

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This weekend that was I went to a coaching course with a group of players. The course was generally speaking very informative. We rotated through different stations doing basic handling, rucking, tackling and kicking drills with lots of feedback to players and coaches.

At the end we played a game (10 players on each side) called touch and ruck. It is a really nice way to enforce some basic skills at the young age groups. Players learn about maintaining the offside line, to go up in a line on defence and on attack, to touch with both hands (essential to learn that you need to punch through with the arms when you tackle), to rip and place and to clean-out at the rucks.

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