Super Rugby
The Golden Lions Rugby Union is pleased to announce the appointment of ex-Springbok coach Rudolf Straeuli, as General Manager: Professional Rugby and Commercial.
This week Bakkies Botha returned to the Springbok team and very soon his long-time second row partner Victor Matfield may be back on the playing field as well.
Reports suggest that both Matfield (Big Vic) and Bok flyhalf Derick Hougaard (Liefling) are on the comeback trail with the Bulls, hoping the experienced duo can play a role in their 2014 Super Rugby campaign.
One of the worst-kept secrets in Super Rugby has been confirmed – Stephen Larkham will take over from Jake White at the Brumbies, whilst Laurie Fisher will become Director Of Rugby at the Brumbies.
The Stormers could have two Argentine players in their squad for next year’s Super Rugby competition.
The five New Zealand Super Rugby franchises have named their squads for the 2014 Super Rugby season including their Wider Training Groups.
Western Province and the Stormer are looking to add depth to their scrumhalf, lock and wing positions with the eye on next year’s Super Rugby competition.
The Highlanders have announced that former All Black and current Otago ITM Coach Tony Brown has joined the Super Rugby franchise as an assistant coach.
Brown has played for the Sharks and Stormers in Super Rugby but is best known for his 90 caps starting back in 1996 with the Hlghlanders.
Prolific try scorer and Blitzbok stalwart, Cornal Hendricks, finally gets to don the Cheetahs jersey. The Toyota Cheetahs iniatially contracted Hendricks for this year’s Super Rugby, but a dispute arose with SARU, as Sevens coach Paul Treu wanted Hendricks for the Sevens circuit. It now seems that Hendricks’ wish of playing for the Cheetahs will come true.
Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske has confirmed that Hendricks has signed a contract for the 2014 Super Rugby and Currie Cup season.
The Western Force say their negotiations with James O’Connor have ended after the troubled Wallaby decided to play in Europe.
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and the Blues have confirmed that All Blacks midfielder Ma’a Nonu has signed with NZR and the Blues for 2014 and 2015.
South African scrumhalf Conrad Hoffmann has signed two-year contract with the Brumbies.
The Waratahs have revealed that they will play their first Super Rugby warm up match for the 2014 season against the Melbourne Rebels.
Waratahs new recruits Kurtley Beale and Nick Phipps, along with defensive coach Nathan Grey, will take on their old club the Melbourne Rebels in their first trial match for 2014.
Another South African is making his way accross to Australia to play Super Rugby! The Twitterverse reports that MTN Lions utility backline player, Lionel Cronjé, has signed and is is off to Canberra to join the Brumbies for next year’s Super Rugby competition.
Lions coach Johan Ackermann says that unless someone gives them a lot of money he will not be doing any recruiting ahead of Super Rugby.
After being knocked out of the Currie Cup in their semifinal defeat to the unbeaten Western Province at Newlands, focus for the Johannesburg franchise now shifts to their re-entry into Super Rugby.
One more Super Rugby door closed on All Blacks centre Ma’a Nonu on Friday when the Waikato Chiefs confirmed fullback Mils Muliaina and centre Robbie Fruean would be joining them for next year.
Nonu’s final chance of securing a Super Rugby contract in New Zealand now lies with the Auckland Blues after the Otago Highlanders, Canterbury Crusaders and Wellington Hurricanes all passed up the chance to sign him.
Local media reports this week said the Blues were talking to Nonu, although a decision is not expected until after the third Bledisloe Cup test against Australia in Dunedin on Saturday.
South African lock Etienne Oosthuizen has been released from the final year of his Super Rugby contract with the Brumbies to be closer to his family, the club said Friday.
Not only were WP Rugby’s professional players awarded individual trophies based on their performances throughout the 2013 season, but the Western Province Rugby Football Union also recognised all club, junior, female and referees’ performances within the union this past year.
The event was well attended on the night with the DHL WP Absa Currie Cup team present – ahead of this weekend’s semifinal against the Golden Lions – along with other key sponsors, players (seniors, juniors and club players), administrators and the local rugby media.
Rugby World Cup winning All Black prop Tony Woodcock has agreed to re-join his former Super Rugby team the Blues for the 2014 season.
Jake White has gloated he has got his ”dream” job in South Africa after walking out on the Brumbies, but another Super Rugby head coach – Damien Hill – is on the list of candidates to join the ACT coaching staff next season.
It’s understood White paid the Brumbies a six-figure amount in compensation to seek an early release from his contract, clearing his way to join the Durban Sharks as coaching director.
Despite speculation that he is set to be replaced by Jake White, Sharks Director of Rugby Brendan Venter insists that he is intent on leaving a legacy in Durban.
New CEO John Smit invited Venter to play a similar role at the Sharks to the one Smit had, as a player, encountered at Saracens.
Venter is very clear about his goals in Durban as the Sharks look to build an environment that allows them to reach their potential.
World Cup-winning All Blacks blindside flank Jerome Kaino will return to the Blues next year after signing a two-year deal with the Auckland franchise.
The 48-Test All Black has been contracted to play with the Blues and be available for the All Blacks in 2014 and 2015.
The Sharks released a statement announcing their new Title Sponsor, Cell C.
The Sharks (PTY) Ltd are proud to announce that Cell C will become our new title sponsor on a new three-year deal, effective from the 1st January 2014.
This sponsorship will see the Cell C brand emblazoned on the playing kit of The Sharks Professional Teams, The KwaZulu-Natal Amateur and Schools teams as well as The Sharks Academy.
Tasman’s Marty Banks, Auckland’s Hadleigh Parkes, and Mark Abbott from Hawke’s Bay have all signed on to join the Hurricanes in 2014.
Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett said all three had shown great form throughout the NPC, and each would bring different qualities to his strengthening squad.
New Zealand’s Super Rugby coaches are pushing for a team of Pacific island players to be included in the Southern Hemisphere competition when it expands in 2016.
The team, based in Auckland, would be part of an 18-team competition under a proposal from the head coaches of New Zealand’s five existing Super Rugby teams, the New Zealand Herald reported.
I am virtually speechless, gobb-smacked… I actually touched rugby history today!
Rugby-Talk was invited to the grand opening of the Ellis Park Rugby Museum, which happened this morning.
The museum boasts probably the biggest single collection of rugby memorabilia in South Africa and probably the entire world, with memorabilia from the earliest days of rugby, rugby in South Africa both Provincially and on a Franchise level and of course probably the biggest element being the fantastic Springbok collection.
There are International jerseys, blasers, signed balls, penadants, artworks as well as other visual elements from all over, it is mind-boggling and to do justice to the exhibition one actually needs several hours to see everything properly, let alone study every ehibit.
The collection is owned by Swys Joubert, who played Provincial rugby in SA, and also played rugby in the UK and France.
Firstly, well done Swys, what an awesome experience!
Otago forwards Gareth Evans and Tom Franklin have signed with the Highlanders, and livewire halfback Fumiaki Tanaka has recommitted for the 2014 season.
The Reds have appointed Steve Meehan as their new attack coach as their preparations for the 2014 Super Rugby season continue.
The Jake White saga continues as the most recent indications are that Brendan Venter will be leaving his temporary position as Sharks Director of Rugby at the end of the 2013 Currie Cup, making way for the appointment of Jake White in the same position.
Last week it was rumoured that White could become the new Director of Rugby at the Sharks, but Brendan Venter was already in the position and uncertainty surrounded whether Venter would stay on.
How big is the role that bonus points play in rugby these days? Are teams and specifically SA teams scared of bonus points or impotent to get them?
Has the bonus point hurdle become to high for SA teams to get over, or are SA teams just coached wrong in terms of bonus points?
Stephen Larkham has been named in a caretaker coaching duo for the Brumbies with fellow assistant Laurie Fisher in the wake of Jake White’s sudden resignation, but the former Australia flyhalf would like to take on the head role fulltime.
Larkham, who formed one of rugby’s most successful halves partnerships with fellow Brumbies’ player George Gregan, has been the team’s attack coach for the past three seasons, helping the Canberra-based side to the final of this year’s Super Rugby competition.
Brumbies coach Jake White has quit his job as head coach of Super Rugby finalists the Brumbies for personal reasons.
According to reports White has quit the Brumbies and is rumoured to have been upset that he was overlooked for the Wallabies job which was given to Ewen McKenzie.
Lourens Adriaanse has signed a two year deal with the Sharks.
There is growing concern that New Zealand rugby’s new contracting landscape will create unsustainable bidding wars and render Super Rugby franchise boundaries irrelevant.
Two more Southern Kings players have decided to make their futures elsewhere, bringing the tally to 10 so far. Cornell du Preez will join Solly (Alan Solomons) in Edinburgh, and Nicolas Vergallo will join French club, Lyon.
The players who have now already left the Southern Kings are: Nicolas Vergallo, Cornell du Preez, Daniel Adongo, Waylon Murray, Bandise Maku, Jacques Engelbrecht, David Bulbring, SP Marais, Wesley Dunlop and Dimetri Catrakilis. Alan Solomons of course has also jumped ship to Edinburgh.
The Lions took a giant leap in the right direction with the bulk resigning of a core group that includes their Springboks, as they start looking towards their re-entry into Super Rugby.
Springboks Elton Jantjies, Franco van der Merwe and Lionel Mapoe headline the group that will remain with the Lions through till 2015.