Super Rugby
The Toyota Cheetahs have moved swiftly to replace the departing Cheetahs star centre, Robert Ebersohn, who is off to further his career in France with Montpellier. Junior Bok and one of the Bulls form centre’s for the past two years, Francois Venter, has signed a contract with the Cheetahs for the next two years. Venter will still play for the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup in 2013 but will then join the Cheetahs.
The Chiefs are having to keep an eye on their loose forwards ahead of this weekend’s Super Rugby semi-final against the Crusaders.
Loftus Versfeld is the Vodacom Bulls’ house. It is time to make it count.
This was the message from Bulls assistant coach Victor Matfield, a man who has led the team to their three Vodacom Super Rugby titles, as he prepares for a different role in getting the next generation to write their name in history.
The FIRST of two Promotion / Relegation matches, to decide wo of the MTN Lions or the Southern Kings will take part in Super Rugby 2014 will be played on Friday 26 July 2013 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth.
This follows after the Southern Kings ended last in the South African Super Rugby Conference, in fact ended stone last in the whole of 2013’s Super Rugby competition. SARU’s determination was that the team who ended last in the South African Conference will play a series of two Promotion / Relegation matches against the MTN Lions, who had to make way at the end of 2012 in favour of the Southern Kings, in rather unfortunate and bumbling circumstances engineered by SARU.
Demetri Catrakilis will almost certainly be playing Absa Currie Cup Premier Division rugby during the forthcoming domestic season, but there is still no clarity on which team he will be playing for.
Two of the Stormers regular wings of the last few seasons have confirmed their moves to go play overseas. They are Bryan Habana, who will move to Toulon and Gerhard van den Heever (Shadow), who will be playing for Munster.
Waratahs centre Tom Carter has announced his retirement from playing rugby after ten seasons with the Waratahs, the New South Wales Rugby Franchise.
It was impossible not to admire the clinical way Todd Blackadder’s Crusaders destroyed the Reds in their Super Rugby showdown over the weekend.
Die Vodacom Bulls se spandokter, Org Strauss, het Maandag bevestig dat die Bulls op verskeie staatmakers kan reken as die span Saterdag in Pretoria teen die Brumbies in die halfeindstryd van die Vodacom Super Rugby-reeks speel.
SANZAR has announced the names of the match officials for the 2 games in the Semi-Final Round of Super Rugby 2013. The 2 games are both played on Saturday 27 July 2013.
The Chiefs will host the Crusaders in Hamilton with Steve Walsh in charge of that match and the Bulls will host the Brumbies with Craig Joubert taking charge.
The Toyota Cheetahs’ fairytale season came to an agonising end as they lost their maiden Vodacom Super Rugby play-off match against the Brumbies in Canberra Stadium on Sunday morning (SA time).
Despite being outscored by two tries to nil, the Brumbies’ nail-biting 15-13 victory in the second Qualifier in Australia’s capital means they now have to travel to Pretoria to take on the Vodacom Bulls in one of the two semi-finals, on Saturday at Loftus Versfeld.
Brumbies (6) 15 / 13 (5) Cheetahs (Final Score)
The Brumbies and Toyota Cheetahs did battle in Super Rugby at Canberra Stadium, Canberra at 08:10 SA Time (16:10 AEST, 06:10 GMT) on Sunday.
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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Crusaders (21) 38 / 9 (6) Reds (Final Score)
The Crusaders and Reds did battle in Super Rugby at AMI Stadium, Christchurch 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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The Sharks announced on Friday that Pieter-Steph du Toit has reaffirmed his commitment to the team by re-signing for a further two years.
The announcement brings to an end weeks of speculation about the 20-year-old’s future – with both the Bulls and Stormers having shown interest in his services.
The Southern Kings suffered a crippling blow ahead of their Super Rugby promotion-relegation series against the Lions.
Rumours doing the rounds that the Cheetahs are set to lose some of their stars have been correct. Star centre, Robert Ebersohn has signed with French Club Montpellier. He will reportedly still play in this year’s Currie Cup, before furthering his career overseas.
The DHL Stormers continue to be trend-setters under the now three-year-old conference system for economy in try-concession in Super Rugby.
Stormers flank Don Armand has become the latest player to leave the Cape side after he confirmed a move to English Premiership club Exeter Chiefs.
Loftus Versveld and Waikato Stadium in Hamilton will be the venues for the two Super Rugby semifinals after details were confirmed by SANZAR.
The Stormers plan to lodge a complaint with Super Rugby organisers SANZAR about the provisional 2014 Super Rugby draw.
A provisional list of Super Rugby fixtures have been released to the Stormers for 2014 and revealed a a tour from hell for the Stormers.
The Vodacom Bulls will be able to use Jan Serfontein, Francois Hougaard and Flip van der Merwe for their Vodacom Super Rugby semi-final in two weeks’ time.
Toyota Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske has a firm message for all of those writing off his team’s hopes in this year’s Vodacom Super Rugby finals series – we are not done.
Drotske and his team arrived in their plush Coogee Beach base in Sydney, where they will be until Friday before heading south to Canberra by bus as they prepare to take on Jake White’s Brumbies side in their playoff match.
SANZAR have warned coaches that taking unnecessary pot-shots at referees could land them in hot water.
New Zealand referee Chris Pollock has been axed from the Super Rugby play-offs, because of poor form.
Richie McCaw’s likely return to Super Rugby via the Crusaders bench adds spice to Saturday’s playoffs opener with the Reds, a match offering a sneak preview of Australia’s looming Rugby Championship date with New Zealand.
The World Cup-winning captain made a low-key return to rugby on Saturday after a long sabbatical, playing a full match for Christchurch in a regional club competition.
The Vodacom Bulls were officially crowned South African Conference winners in Cape Town on Saturday evening, but The Sharks and the DHL Stormers took the spoils in the final round of Vodacom Super Rugby league action for 2013.
Although these two coastal sides, semi-finalists in 2012, missed out on the Finals Series this year, they recorded solid final round victories to end a disappointing season on a high note.
Following the completion of the regular season in Super Rugby the top 6 teams have been determined and the 4 teams that will play in the qualifiers next weekend.
By finishing the season as the competition’s two highest-ranked conference winners, the Chiefs (66 points, 12 wins) and the Bulls (63 points, 12 wins) have earned the week off and progress straight to the Super Rugby Semi Finals where they await the winners of the qualifying matches.
The match officials for the 2 games have also been decided.
Stormers (23) 30 / 13 (13) Bulls (Final Score)
The DHL Stormers and Vodacom Bulls did battle in Super Rugby at Newlands, Cape Town 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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Sharks (26) 58 / 13 (13) Kings (Final Score)
The Sharks and Southern Kings did battle in Super Rugby at Kings Park, Durban 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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Force (14) 21 / 15 (3) Brumbies (Final Score)
The Western Force and Brumbies did battle in Super Rugby at NIB Stadium, Perth at 13:45 SA Time (19:45 WAST, 11:45 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
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Waratahs (12) 12 / 14 (8) Reds (Final Score)
The Waratahs and Reds did battle in Super Rugby at ANZ Stadium, Sydney at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 Sydney Time, 09:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
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Blues (13) 16 / 26 (13) Chiefs (Final Score)
The Blues and Chiefs did battle in Super Rugby at Eden Park, Auckland 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 & CSN on TV in SA.
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Springbok fullback Jaco Taute has made his stay in Cape Town a permanent one.
Rebels (7) 38 / 37 (31) Highlanders (Final Score)
The Melbourne Rebels and Highlanders did battle in Super Rugby at AAMI Park, Melbourne at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 Melbourne Time, 09:40 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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Crusaders (13) 25 / 17 (5) Hurricanes (Final Score)
The Crusaders and Hurricanes did battle in Super Rugby at AMI Stadium, Christchurch 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 & CSN on TV in SA.
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Here are the Super Rugby team sheets as they were announded for Round 20 of Super Rugby 2013.