Super Rugby
Lions (8) 18 / 23 (9) Kings (Final Score)
The MTN Lions and Southern Kings did battle in the 2nd and last Super Rugby
Promotion / Relegation game at Ellis Park, Johannesburg at 17:0 SA Time (15:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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Chiefs (9) 27 / 22 (16) Brumbies (Final Score)
The Chiefs and Brumbies did battle in the Final of Super Rugby 2013 at Waikato Stadium, Hamilton at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 07:35 GMT, 17:35 AEST).
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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Here are the Super Rugby team sheets for the two teams contesting the Final of Super Rugby 2013, as they were announded.
Brumbies coach Jake White has named an unchanged team for this Saturday’s Super Rugby Final showdown against the Chiefs at Waikato Stadium.
It’s the third week straight White has named the same 22 and the first time that’s happened since he took over the coaching reigns, two and a half years ago.
Some thoughts for you to chew on…
I was asked yesterday by someone at Sky what my feeling was on the future of SuperRugby and I said, all three Unions of SANZAR have recently released their year end figures and none of them made any real profit. They are all close to borderline break even.
The current number Super Rugby matches per annum is 125, so any reduction of matches would no doubt mean a reduction in broadcast money.
The talk is about South Africa splitting from SANZAR in terms of Super Rugby only. However the South African time zone goes a long way to pushing up the money that is earned from the broadcast deal.
If SA leave, more matches will be played in New Zealand and Australian time zones (according to the reports). This has no global appeal.
MTN Lions head coach Johan Ackermann has announced his side to face the Southern Kings in the second leg of the Super Rugby promotion / relegation series.
The match will take place on Saturday 3 August at 17:00.
The defending Super Rugby champions, the Chiefs, were on Thursday sweating on the fitness of star wing Lelia Masaga in the countdown to Saturday’s Final against the Brumbies.
It is the time of the year I always dread the most. This is the time where every Player Agent licks his lips and rubs his grubby little hands at the prospect of selling his wares to the highest bidder, with no regard to the welfare of the rugby of any Player, Country, Club, Union or Franchise.
It is the time of the year that the greedy pigs grin!
It is reported that the Stormers are chasing the signature of the mercenary called Lionel Mapoe, who’s been about everywhere now, Cheetahs, Sharks, Lions, Bulls… and possibly now heading for his 5th SA Super Rugby Franchise.
The Western Force announced today that they have signed 2 more South Africans, WP’s Marcel Brache and Chris Heiberg.
The Bulls seem to be investing, or rather re-investing in another ton of Young Guns, to replace the loss of 8 Springboks in one heap but seemingly giving no heed to the warning sirens that seriously flawed players like Dean Greyling and Werner Kruger now seem to be their most experienced players! The Blue Bulls have re-signed players like Paul Willemse (lock) and Under 20 SA star, Jacques du Plessis (looseforward) as well as a host of others… and the name Lood de Jager jumped at me, with me initially thinking that it might be the Cheetahs Super Rugby lock but alas it is the junior Blue Bulls centre who has suffered quite an injury run. See the details below on the rest of the Blue Bulls signings. In the last 3 years the Bulls have lost the services of 18 Senior Springbok players, whilst purchasing only 4 senior players from elsewhere.
The Chiefs will play the Brumbies at home in Hamilton in front of a sold out Waikato Stadium as the fixture is officially sold out.
Anything you can do, we can do better! This is the message, loud and clear, from Lions fans to their Southern Kings rivals.
The Kings have been praised for their good crowd attendances at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, but the Lions will well and truly upstage them.
Lions president Kevin de Klerk is confident that his team will take what he believes is their rightful place in Super Rugby.
This is what really happened behind the scenes…
[youtube]http://youtu.be/_APSHxnTZp8[/youtube]
You know we’re joking, of course
The Irish Rugby Football Union today announced the appointment of John Plumtree as Ireland forwards coach.
The Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd is pleased to announce that Piet van Zyl has agreed terms and will join the Vodacom Bulls on a two year contract from November 1st, 2013.
The Pretoria-born 23 year old scrumhalf made his Springbok debut in 2013 following some very good performances for his Super Rugby franchise, the Toyota Cheetahs.
JC Janse van Rensburg will ‘ride off’ into the proverbial sunset soon, but the long-standing captain is determined to leave the Lions with a perfect parting gift.
The 27-year-old uncapped Springbok prop wants to ensure he plays part in the Johannesburg-based franchise regaining their Super Rugby status.
Having captained the Lions to a 26-19 win over the Southern Kings in the first of the two promotion-relegation matches in Port Elizabeth last week, Janse van Rensburg will run out in front for the last time in the return match at Ellis Park on Saturday – before heading to French team Bayonne, where he signed a to-year deal.
Who remembers the old movie, King Solomon’s mines? Well, The Southern Kings, own Solomons… Alan Solomons, is off to dig for gold elsewhere. We’ve known about it, it has been denied, but still came to pass.
Kings Director of Rugby Alan Solomons will part ways with the Eastern Cape franchise after being appointed head coach of Edinburgh.
Springbok wing JP Pietersen has bid farewell to South Africa as he prepares to head to Japan to take up his contract with the Panasonic Wild Knights.
The defending champion Chiefs will be looking to produce the perfect parting gift to five players.
However, they will be keen to stay focussed on the job at hand – beating the Brumbies in the Super Rugby Final in Hamilton on Saturday, rather than getting caught up in the hype of the occasion.
The Vodacom Bulls missed out on a fourth Vodacom Super Rugby final in seven years when they were beaten in the second tense semi-final by a spirited Brumbies team in Pretoria on Saturday evening.
As a result, the Brumbies will now travel to Hamilton to face the defending champion Chiefs in the 2013 Final. Both teams have won the title before – the Chiefs last year and the Brumbies in 2001 and 2004.
The Chiefs won hosting rights for the Final when they beat the heavily-favoured Crusaders by 20-19 in a nail-biter at the Waikato Stadium on Saturday morning (SA time). The defending champions fought back brilliantly in the second half after they were behind by 3-9 at the break.
South African referee Craig Joubert has been confirmed as the man to take charge of the Super Rugby final between the Chiefs and Brumbies in Hamilton this coming Saturday.
Kings Flyhalf and top points scorer, Demetri Catrakilis, will miss the second promotion relegation game against the Lions in Johannesburg after sustaining a shoulder injury.
Following the results of the Super Rugby semi-finals of 2013 the Super Rugby Franchises are already starting to make their plans and get their structures in place for 2014.
Fresh news is that the Crusaders have extended coach Todd Blackadder’s contract till end of 2014, the Waratahs report that they have secured the services of Dave Dennis and Rob Horne and Kyle Godwin has cleanes up the awards for the year for the Western Force.
Reports of a proposed ‘split’ between South African and their Australasian partners are still “some way off”, but remains a reality.
It was reported in the Australian media on Saturday that Australia and New Zealand would form their own Australasian competition – one of a number of scenarios being considered by SANZAR.
Bulls (11) 23 / 26 (16) Brumbies (Final Score)
The Vodacom Bulls and Brumbies did battle in a Super Rugby semi-final at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria at 17:05 SA Time (15:05 GMT).
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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Chiefs (3) 20 / 19 (9) Crusaders (Final Score)
The Chiefs and Crusaders did battle in a Super Rugby semi-final at Waikato Stadium, Hamilton at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 07:35 GMT).
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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Kings (14) 19 / 26 (19) Lions (Final Score)
The Southern Kings and MTN Lions did battle in the 1st of 2 Promotion / Relegation games for Super Rugby
at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth at 19:10 SA Time (17:10 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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Wallabies fullback Kurtley Beale has been ruled out for the year after being told by new coach Ewen McKenzie to have an operation on his shoulder and come back fit and healthy next year.
Kenyan-born Kings loose forward Daniel Adongo has made the leap from Super Rugby to the NFL.
Here are the Super Rugby team sheets for the teams contesting the Semi-Final Round of Super Rugby 2013, as they were announded.
The Brumbies may be bleating on about the challenge of beating the Vodacom Bulls in front of a full house at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, but initial indications are that the stadium may not even be full.
Both the Chiefs and Crusaders have announced their teams nd squads to contest the Semi-Final at Waikato Stadium, Hamilton at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time) on Saturday 27 July 2013.
Here are the names of the gladiators who will go to war on Saturday:
Top 14 Rugby Club Toulon’s president Mourad Boudjellal has revealed that he is trying to set up a clash between the winners of the Heineken Cup and Super Rugby tournaments.
Both the Vodacom Bulls as well as the Brumbies have announced their teams and squads for the Super Rugby semi-final clash at Loftus Versfeld at 17:05 SA Time on Saturday. Both team sheets were dispatched to the media via Bulls media releases.
Here are the gladiators who will do business on the weekend:
The Chiefs have not forgotten the hammering they received at the hands of the Crusaders earlier this month and they are looking for revenge.
A shared vision and his high regard for John Smit as a person and a leader who breeds success and inspires people around him is what prompted Brendan Venter to take on the challenge of being the first man to fill the newly created position of Director of Rugby at the Sharks.
Venter will link up with the Sharks for the first time on Sunday at the start of a training camp that will mark the beginning of the build-up to a Currie Cup season that will see last year’s beaten finalists going into the competition with a completely revamped coaching team.