European Rugby
England Rugby’s caretaker coach for the Six Nations could be given a permanent position if he impresses during the Championship.
Wales (6) 18 / Wallabies (3) 24 (Final Score)
Wales and the Australian Wallabies did battle at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff at 16:30 SA Time.
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was NOT broadcast LIVE on TV in SA. There will be a recorded broadcast from about 18:00 SA Time.
*******************
Springbok flyer Bryan Habana has paid tribute to Shane Williams ahead of his fellow wing’s final appearance for Wales and hopes his old rival can finish with a flourish against Australia.
The Rugby Football Union are ready to break the bank in their quest to assemble the “very best” England coaching team.
Some of the greatest rugby players from around the world will line up at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday 3 December 2011 for the ‘Heroes Rugby Challenge’. The match, which kicks off at 1630 and is supported by J.P. Morgan, aims to raise a substantial sum of money for Help for Heroes, the charity which provides practical support for wounded service men and women.
WIAN DU PREEZ is quiet-spoken. Thus, it made sense to meet the Munster and Springbok prop in the calm environs of the Castletroy Carlton Hotel in Limerick, rather than the chaotic surrounds of the Student Cafe in UL.
Twenty-one-year-old James O’Connor will start his maiden Test as a fly-half after today being named in the number 10 jersey for the Wallabies for Saturday’s game against Wales in Cardiff.
Wales centre Jamie Roberts will target Australia’s new midfield combination of James O’Connor and Berrick Barnes in Saturday’s Cardiff Test match.
England will have an interim coach for the Six Nations with the aim of appointing a permanent boss for the summer tour of South Africa.
THE FIRST glint of a fresh start for English rugby may have emerged at Twickenham yesterday as new acting chief executive Stephen Brown apologised for their team’s behaviour and performances at the World Cup and promised a new approach at every level.
With the international season taking a bit of a breather, I thought some informative statistics would be interesting. I am looking at the home record of the top nations, seeing when was the last time they lost a home test to each of the other nations.
I would think any nation would expect at least a 75% home win record as the minimm standard to attain. anything less would mean your home ground advantage counts for very little and travelling teams do not find it a daunting task to tour.
The Bulls have turned down a request from former Springbok flyhalf Derick Hougaard to return to Pretoria to play for them.
Rugby World Cup winner Mike Tindall has effectively won his appeal to have his fine from the RFU reduced and to be reinstated to the England Elite player squad.
Nick Mallett has revealed that he will not come in for England as an immediate replacement for Martin Johnson but that he will consider the job after the Six Nations.
The British and Irish Lions have announced the schedule for their 2013 tour of Australia
The Brumbies have moved quickly to end speculation over the future of their coach Jake White after he was linked to the vacant England job.
Jake White, who coached South Africa to 2007 World Cup success, dropped a hint on Sunday that he would welcome an approach to succeed Martin Johnson as England coach.
Barbarians (3) 11 / Wallabies (18) 60 (Final Score)
The Barbarians took on the Australian Wallabies at Twickenham at 16:35 SA Time (14:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
*******************
We thought we had problems in our rugby, but English rugby is in absolute tatters. I have attached the full article. Be warned, it does go on a bit, but it does show the extent of the problem that finally came to a head at the World Cup. Our problems pale into insignificance when you read this!
England Attack coach Brian Smith has resigned from his position with the Rugby Football Union as the fall out begins from the leaked reports.
As the Heineken Cup season gets under way, a series of controversial decisions by match officials in opening matches, has led to the International Rugby Board’s decision trial the wider use of television match officials to help get more accurate opinions on red card offences and crucial forward passes, among other things.
World Cup winning coach Graham Henry has chosen 2007 World Cup winning player Victor Matfield to lead the Barbarians in the game against Australia this weekend.
As a follow up to yesterday’s post, here are some of the comments given by the players questioned in the report, and boy, did they have a lot to say.
England Rugby Upside Down
Leaked reports into England’s rugby World Cup debacle paint a picture of a squad in meltdown and expose schisms and leadership failings greater than even their dismal performance had suggested.
A trio of reviews by the Rugby Football Union’s director of elite rugby Rob Andrew; the players’ union; and professional clubs, had not been intended to be seen by the public, but were obtained by the Times newspaper.
Sonny Bill Williams has withdrawn from the Baa-Baas and is replaced by Richard Kahui.
Drew Mitchel is injured again and expected to miss the opening Rounds of Super Rugby.
Conrad Smith is named as Hurricanes Captain for 2012.
Derick Hougaard could be back at the Bulls.
Bolla Conradie, Elgar Watts & Clemen Lewis, all from Boland, as well as Burton Francis are included in Stormers plans for 2012.
Graham Henry rules out England coaching job.
With Rugby news now a bit scrappy and few and far between for Southern Hemisphere Rugby interests, at least we can look forward to some Rugby participation by the Southern Hemisphere this weekend.
There is the HSBC Sevens World Series Gold Coast Tournament, the first IRB Sevens Tournament for the 2011 – 2012 Season, on Friday and Saturday as well as the Wallabies vs Barbarians game on Saturday, where Springbok legend Victor Matfield bids his final farewell in any form of competative rugby, finally retiring after a wonderful playing career.
It is Round 2 of the Heineken Cup and today 3 games are broadcast live on TV in SA.
They are:
- Benetton Treviso vs Ospreys (SS6 & CSN)
- Castres Olympique vs Munster (SS6 & CSN)
- Leicester Tigers vs Ulster Rugby (SS6 & CSN)
This is the general discussion thread for these 3 Games, only the first 2 will be updated live.
Saracens have been forced to cancel their plans to take a Heineken Cup match to Cape Town South Africa and moved the match back to London due to a spat in Cape Town itself over the stadium.
Saracens hooker Schalk Brits has been given a three week suspension for a dangerous tackle on a Treviso winger in the Heineken Cup.
Nick Mallett, front-runner for the position, has withdrawn his availability to coach England, whereas Eddie Jones has stepped up and declared his interests in the position.
Breaking news on the BBC is that England coach, Martin Johnson, has resigned.
The RFU put money behind the bar for England players on their controversial Rugby World Cup night out in Queenstown, New Zealand.
Saracens have been forced to move their Heineken Cup match against Biarritz in Cape Town from the new Cape Town Stadium to Newlands which is home to Western Province Rugby.
South African prop Eugene Van Staden returned to French club rugby for a second spell on Tuesday when Top 14 tailenders Biarritz signed him as a replacement for the retired Eduard Coetzee.
Secret plans to transform European domestic rugby union are being considered by French and English sides keen to put the professional club game on a firmer financial footing. One leading official from a Premiership club is warning of a possible “violent breakaway” by wealthier European clubs, with teams in South Africa understood to be monitoring the situation.