SA Rugby
Nick Mallett has criticised the IRB for not taking action against poor refereeing.
Mallett, who voiced his opinion after the match is now angry at the way which the IRB has handled the situation.
DHL Western Province coach Allister Coetzee has announced his team for Friday evening’s Absa Currie Cup clash against GWK Griquas at DHL Newlands in Cape Town (kick-off 19:10).
Lock De Kock Steenkamp will again lead the WP side into battle, in the absence of injured skipper Deon Fourie, with coach Coetzee making just two changes from last weekend’s brave 29-18 win at Loftus Versfeld.
Western Province flank Michael Rhodes has been suspended for one match for stamping on Blue Bulls captain Jono Ross in their Currie Cup clash on Saturday.
The Springboks face potentially more French referee heartache with the realisation that Jérôme Garcès has been appointed to take charge of their next Rugby Championship match against Australia at Newlands on Saturday, September 28.
Kick-off is at 17:00.
The Springboks will be happy to have the services of scrumhalf Fourie du Preez back for their final two Rugby Championship Tests.
Japan-based Du Preez was not available for the away leg in the competition but will be in the mix for the Tests against Australia at Newlands (September 28) and Ellis Park (October 5).
The recall of Waratahs prop Benn Robinson is one of the main features of a 28-man Wallaby squad for their two-match tour to South Africa and Argentina.
Australia tackle the Springboks in Cape Town on Septemver 28 and the Pumas in Rossario a week later.
Another South African is set to ply his trade at French Top 14 club Toulon, with Sharks hooker Craig Burden reportedly set to leave Durban.
Ewen McKenzie has not had the start he wanted in his first 10 weeks as Australia coach but, rejecting any talk of crisis, the former test prop is busy plotting a first win over South Africa in Cape Town in two decades.
McKenzie’s appointment in the wake of the British and Irish Lions series defeat provoked a wave of optimism in Australia but that was quickly dissipated by two defeats at the hands of New Zealand and a humbling 38-12 home loss to the Springboks.
With only 730 days till World Cup 2015 the pools and qualifying teams are starting to take shape.
There is still quite a few qualifying matches ahead and still a playoff series to fill all open spots.
Western Province’s Springbok hooker Tiaan Liebenberg could be out of action for the rest of the Currie Cup season.
Although he announced last Wednesday the five-times capped Bok, who was battling with back spasms, could be out for two or three weeks, WP coach Allister Coetzee said in Cape Town on Monday that latest scans show that Liebenberg may have suffered spinal disc damage.
Western Province flank Michael Rhodes will appear before a SARU judicial committee on Tuesday in Cape Town after receiving a Red Card in their Currie Cup clash against the Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Having had a disturbed night’s sleep, and having blasted Romain Poite and his co-match officials here on Rugby-Talk, during and after the Rugby Championship match yesterday, it is fitting to have a look at what rugby analists, the rugby media here and abroad (including those from New Zealand), have to say.
Firstly, let’s look at the SuperSport media panel who sat during and after the match, with Nick Mallett (fromer Springbok coach) and John Mitchell (former All Blacks coach) the key ingredients here, augmented by Naas Botha (Former Springbok Captain) and Ashwin Willemse (former Springbok wing).
Both Mitchell and Mallett slammed referee Poite, point blank, so too Naas Botha and Ashwin Willemse.
Here’s a video exerpt of what these fine gentlemen had to say:
[youtube]http://youtu.be/LkptdOWWVIU[/youtube]
The Springboks, who lost over the weekend to the All Blacks, will feel a little undone by the result, but not all hope is lost.
It will take a big push to ensure they still win The Rugby Championship.
Four members of the Springboks’ 30-man Castle Lager Rugby Championship squad have been released to their provinces for Absa Currie Cup duty this weekend.
Mr Oregan Hoskins, President of the South African Rugby Union (SARU), on Sunday paid tribute to former SARU vice-president and long-serving rugby administrator, Koos Basson, who passed away on Saturday. He was 74.
Mr Basson had recently become ill with a heart condition and had been discharged from hospital on Monday.
He passed away at home during the Springboks’ match against New Zealand, doing the thing that he most enjoyed in life, watching rugby, said his widow, Stella.
SANZAR judicial officer Terry Willis has removed a red card from the disciplinary record of Bismarck du Plessis.
Du Plessis was issued with a red card after receiving two yellow cards during the Rugby Championship match between New Zealand and South Africa at the weekend.
The build-up to this match was incredible, it was so hectic that it almost seemed like this was a World Cup final, or the last match before the end of the earth.
However, after just 15 minutes of play some fans wished for the end of the world to come.
The International Rugby Board has confirmed that French referee Romain Poite was wrong in his decision to give Bismarck du Plessis his first yellow card during the Boks’ clash against the All Blacks in Saturday’s Castle Lager Rugby Championship match in Auckland.
Du Plessis received two yellow cards and was sent from the field in the 42nd minute, making the Boks play with 14 men for almost 50 minutes in the game, which many feel allowed New Zealand to win 29-15.
Some Great pictures of big moments in South African Rugby
Springbok hooker Bismarck du Plessis will appear before a SANZAR Duty Judicial Officer after being shown a red card in the defeat to the All Blacks.
Du Plessis received two yellow cards for separate incidents in the 29-15 defeat at Eden Park on Saturday, and will have his case considered in the first instance by SANZAR Duty Judicial Officer Adam Casselden.
Blue Bulls (6) 18 / 29 (20) WP (Final Score)
The Vodacom Blue Bulls and DHL Western Province did battle in the Currie Cup Premier Division 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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Griquas (17) 24 / 25 (11) Sharks (Final Score)
GWK Griquas and the Sharks did battle in the Currie Cup Premier Division at
GWK Park, Kimberley at 15:00 SA Time (13:00 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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All Blacks (17) 29 / 15 (10) Springboks (Final Score)
The New Zealand All Blacks and South African Springboks did battle in The Rugby Championship at
Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand 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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It is the uncertainty factor that produces the biggest satisfaction and enjoyment in sport. That uncertainty; brought about by not being sure whether you’ll be able to be victorious or not. That’s why as athletes and human beings we seek and thrive on competition. We find it in challenging ourselves to complete a marathon or to play against individuals or teams with higher rankings. That’s why as nations we play test matches and why even in test matches we want to compete against the very best.
It is sort of boring to play against a team that you know you are going to win. The uncertainty factor is absent and therefore also the real joy in the victory.
I’ve been living in NZ now for 12 years and for only the second time in 12-years there is a real uncertainty in Kiwi land about a test match against South Africa. The last time was in 2010 after the 2009 Springbok victory in Hamilton. The uncertainness in 2010 was not because it was felt that SA played good rugby but because there was uncertainness about the All Black team’s ability to handle the box kick and Matfield in the line-out.
FS Cheetahs (23) 26 / 23 (3) Golden Lions (Final Score)
The Toyota Free State Cheetahs and MTN Golden Lions did battle in the Currie Cup Premier Division at
Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein 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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As we enter Round 6 of the 2013 Currie Cup, WP is setting the pace at the top of the Log, with 16 Log points. The Griquas find themselves in last place with 8 Log points.
The Blue Bulls last week showed us that they are still a force in the competition, even having lost many players to Europe, injury and to the Springboks. It is stil a close nit affair as the difference between current leaders WP and 5th place Blue Bulls is only 6 Log points. So, a defeat for WP could see them fall down quite a few spots. The Griquas will also need to find winning ways soon, if they were to challenge for a semi final, a defeat this weekend could put this totally out of reach and probably see them end in last place.
The Vodacom Blue Bulls are playing DHL Western Province this S
aturday at Loftus, and as we know Western Province sports a few nimble smaller players… or midgets, if you want to be blunt and not so Politically Correct.
A young Blue Bulls supporter, shows us how and what to do, to beat Western Province…
The Sharks welcome back Pieter-Steph du Toit to match action where he will line-up for his first start in this year’s Absa Currie Cup campaign for Saturday’s clash with Griquas at GWK Park in Kimberley.
Jean Deysel, who was nursing a few bruises, has been passed fit and will take his place at flank with Jacques Botes retaining the captaincy for this important game.
This is building up to be one of the classic clashes in the history of The Rugby Championship. Here is a head to head breakdown of how the two teams compare.
These teams have met each other 85 times in the past, with the All Blacks having won 48 of these encounters and the Springboks 35, only 3 draws have ever been recorded between these sides.
If history and statistics are to be believed, then it would seem that the All Blacks have the edge over the Springboks in this game, having scored a total of 1612 points against the Springboks while the Springboks have only scored 1313 points against the All Blacks. This is an average score of 19-15 in favour of the All Blacks.
The Springboks also have the highest success rate of all other teams against the All Blacks, by winning 40% of the encounters between these sides.
The largest winning margin by the All Blacks over the Springboks was 36 points and the largest winning margin by the Springboks was 17.
This however looks like the year of the BOK and if the Springboks can keep up to their form of late they could beat the All Blacks over the weekend. This is always as massive clash and the table is set for yet another massive clash.
Griquas coach Pote Human made three changes to his side for their Currie Cup match up against the Sharks in Kimberley on Saturday.
Most notable is the inclusion of Australian lock Rory Arnold in the starting line-up, after he was cleared of biting Free State Cheetahs’ hooker Ethienne Reynecke.
Two of the Free State Cheetahs’ key forwards have been ruled out of their Currie Cup crunch match with the Golden Lions in Bloemfontein on Friday.
No.8 Philip van der Walt (shoulder) and lock Lodewyk de Jager (concussion) have both succumb to their respective injuries.
Blue Bulls coach Pine Pienaar made three changes to his side that will play Western Province in a Currie Cup match at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Ulrich Beyers, who was initially named in the starting lineup failed a late fitness test, following an ankle injury, with Waylon Murray getting the nod at No 13, with William Small-Smith on the bench in place of Murray. At scrumhalf, Rudy Paige starts in place of Ruan Snyman, who has moved to France.
Lock De Kock Steenkamp will captain Western Province in Saturday’s Currie Cup clash against the Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld (17:05 kick-off).
Steenkamp takes over the captaincy from injured flank Deon Fourie (ribs), with Michael Rhodes shifting to the back row in one of just two changes to the WP line-up this week.
Following his victory over Australia in Brisbane, Heyneke Meyer’s Springbok win-record is the second best in the modern era.
Following a shaky start to his Springbok coaching career in 2012, Heyneke Meyer’s stocks have soared, with his Springbok team currently enjoying a run of nine consecutive victories.
But can Meyer make it the perfect 10 against the All Blacks in Auckland this weekend?
A star-studded array of national captains as well as the entire Springbok squad will attend the official opening of The Springbok Experience at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town two weeks today (September 24), the South African Rugby Union confirmed on Tuesday.
Coach Heyneke Meyer, captain Jean de Villiers, players and management will be joined by captains representing all rugby’s traditions as well as other VIPs to open the state-of-the-art rugby museum.