SA Rugby
Heyneke Meyer, Springbok coach, has named an unchanged Springbok team for Saturday’s Test against the All Blacks from New Zealand.
The media is a buzz with content relating to how happy and positive the Springboks currently are, that there are no injury worries, that the Springboks are grounded and yet want to go up a step or two and continue to improve. Scribes from all over say the All Blacks are on edge and South African supporters seem to be favouring a win for the Springboks in New Zealand on the weekend.
The weather and possible game plan variations are being discussed at lenght, questions are asked whether the Springboks will continue to play more ball in hand rugby or whether this weekend will see a slight shift towards a more conservative approach.
The All Blacks say they will stick to their game plan and they will match the Springbok physicality.
Let’s face it though, it will be tough… it will be war, it will be hard as nails between the two best sides in the world.
With the victory by the Springboks over Australia at the weekend, the gap between the Springboks and the All Blacks on the IRB World Rankings has been closed to only 2.7 points.
At the start of last week the points gap was 4.35 and after the match on Saturday only 2.7.
Schalk Burger has been set to resume training today after a long term injury.
He recently underwent minor tendon surgery which delayed his return.
Griquas lock Rory Arnold won his appeal against a ban for biting and has been cleared to play.
The Australian second row forward, on loan to Griquas for the Currie Cup competition from his Brisbane club, was on Monday found “not guilty” on a biting charge after.
DHL Western Province flank and captain Deon Fourie was cited on Monday for making contact with the face in the eye area of Sharks looseforward Keegan Daniel during their Absa Currie Cup clash in Cape Town on Saturday.
Fourie was cited for contravening Law 10.4(m).
Golden Lions coach Johan Ackerman has announced his side to take on the Toyota Free State Cheetahs in a Currie Cup fixture in Bloemfontein on Friday evening.
The team sees four changes to the starting line up that squeaked past Griquas last weekend, including a completely re-vamped front row that includes former Blue Bull Bees Roux at Tight Head Prop.
Herewith the GLRU media announcement:
This would a be a year the Sharks would like to forget as they have been plagued with injuries and it seems that their injury woes are not over yet.
It would seem the newest victim is 34 year old lock Marco Wentzel, who suffered a shoulder dislocation. There has been no time frame linked with his recovery.
On Saturday the Springbok women’s team booked their place at the 2014 IRB Women’s Rugby World Cup, by beating Uganda 63 / 3 in East London.
By beating Uganda they did not just qualify, they also achieved the biggest victory margin ever by a Sprinbok women’s team.
The Blue Bulls have confirmed that scrumhalf Ruan Snyman has been released with immediate effect to join his new club Racing Metro in France.
The transfer fee has already been paid and Snyman will be able to play as soon as he is selected.
The Springboks emerged from Saturday’s massive 38 / 12 victory over the Wallabies in Brisbane with no worrying injuries to report.
The new week presents new challenges against the New Zealand All Blacks, the number one team in the world but it appears that Heyneke Meyer will be able to name an unchanged side for this important clash.
There is an air of happyness in the Springbok camp, yet a groundedness, knowing the challenge they will face in New Zealand, where wins is almost as scarse as chicken teeth.
DHL Western Province this weekend reclaimed the top spot on the Log in the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division as the competition reached the halfway mark, establishing themselves as one of the favourites in the competition.
But with 5 rounds of matches remaining and only 6 points separating the Cape side from the 5th-placed Blue Bulls on the standings, the competition remained wide open.
Western Province delivered a fine performance to defeat the Sharks 25 / 19 in Cape Town, while the Vodacom Blue Bulls registered a 26 / 10 victory against the Toyota Free State Cheetahs in Pretoria and the MTN Golden Lions beat GWK Griquas 38 / 32 in Kimberley.
On a bright Monday morning, I look back on a weekend where the rugby gods smiled on me and the teams I support.
On Saturday morning at 09:35 SA Time, the New Zealand All Blacks and Argentinian Pumas met at the Waikato Stadium, Hamilton in wether which was never going to suit high-scoring running rugby, with wind and rain pelting down. The All Blacks won a tough encounter against a spirited Pumas side by 28 / 13.
A bit later, at 12:05 SA Time the Australian Wallabies and South African Springboks met in Brisbane, in perfect weather for rugby. By the end of this game the Wallabies would have given anything to rather have played in attrocious weather conditions, because the Springboks hammered, destroyed… and educated the Wallabies, setting up the biggest win against the Wallabies by a Springbok team in Australia of all time, the final score Springboks 38 / 12, a margin of 26 points!
Heyneke Meyer emotional and animated in the game between Wallabies vs Springboks, 2013
Gesels jy op ’n gewone oggend met Heyneke Meyer sal dit jou dalk opval dat daar onder die goeie maniere en vriendelikheid waarskynlik ’n paar senuwees en ’n bra intense persoonlikheid ook is.
The hype building up to this match was big and the result as well especially if you support the Springboks. They dominated from the word go and also built the lead from early on. The match started at a huge tempo and held that most of the match, giving fans a great match to watch. The scoring of the match started slow with the Springboks scoring a early try but the Wallabies stayed in touch with penalties.
The end result of 38 – 12 in favour of the Springboks and a bonus point to boot has moved the Springboks 1 Log point clear at the top of the Log, 1 point ahead of the All Blacks, who they will be facing next weekend.
WP (15) 25 / 19 (0) Sharks (Final Score)
DHL Western Province and the Sharks did battle in the Currie Cup Premier Division at
Newlands, Cape Town at 19:10 SA Time (17:10 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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Blue Bulls (3) 26 / 10 (5) FS Cheetahs (Final Score)
The Vodacom Blue Bulls and The Toyota Free State Cheetahs 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 (19) 32 / 38 (17) Golden Lions (Final Score)
GWK Griquas and the MTN Golden Lions 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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It would seem Springbok fans don’t allow too much margin for error when it comes to rugby.
Are Springbok fans putting too much pressure on rugby players to perform at 150%, week in and week out.
Wallabies (6) 12 / 38 (16) Springboks (Final Score)
The Australian Wallabies and South African Springboks did battle in The Rugby Championship at
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia at 12:05 SA Time (20:05 AEST, 10:05 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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Western Province coach Allister Coetzee has been forced to make a late change at hooker ahead of Saturday’s Currie Cup clash against the Sharks at Newlands.
Tiaan Liebenberg has been ruled out with a back spasm, meaning Siyabonga Ntubeni will start in the No.2 jersey and young Michael Willemse will warm the bench.
As we enter Round 5 of the 2013 Currie Cup, there is still no clear indication as to who is the favourite team to win it this year.
The Sharks currently set the pace with 14 Log points, but they are closely followed by 2nd place Free State Cheetahs and 3rd place Western Province both on 12.
Can Western Province take the crown two years in a row and / or can the Blue Bulls still make a great comeback. Only time will tell!
On Wednesday last week SARU announced that ASICS will be the new apparel sponsor of the Springboks as well as other associated national teams.
A six year deal was signed running from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2019, spanning over the world cup in England 2015 and in Japan 2019.
The Blue Bulls Rugby Union and Blue Bulls Company are saddened by the news that Professor Fritz Eloff passed away on Thursday, September 5th, 2013. The BBRU and BBC extend condolences to his family and wish them strength during this difficult time.
He leaves behind two daughters and two grandchildren.
Some of the best young rugby talent in South Africa – including ten SA Schools players from 2013 – will form part of the Western Province Rugby Institute intake for the 2014 season.
MTN Golden Lions head coach Johan Ackermann has announced his team to face the GWK Griquas in Kimberley on Saturday afternoon.
Scrumhalf Will Genia will captain Australia against South Africa in their Rugby Championship match on Saturday, after James Horwill was ruled out through injury.
Regular skipper Horwill will miss Saturday Round Three encounter in this Southern Hemisphere showpiece in Brisbane, after scans revealed he had strained his left hamstring during Tuesday’s training.
In anticipation for this weekend’s clash between the Springboks and the Wallabies is a head to head breakdown of how the two teams compare.
These teams have met on 76 previous occasions with the Springboks winning 55% of these clashes and these teams have only once played a match that ended in a draw.
Since 2010 the Wallabies have managed to beat the Springboks in 6 out of 8 games. This is building up to be a big clash once more as the Springboks haven’t lost a game in The Rugby Championship this year, whilst the Wallabies haven’t managed any wins.
What makes this clash even more interesting is that the Springboks have never beaten the Wallabies at Suncorp Stadium, so it would seem that the Wallabies have the edge in this clash. Having said that, the Springboks are coming off two wins, so maybe they can end their losing streak at Suncorp Stadium.
Griquas lock Rory Arnold (with the nickname “Big Dog”) has been suspended from all rugby for seven matches for biting Cheetahs hooker Ethienne Reynecke in Bloemfontein.
Free State Cheetahs coach Naka Drotské named an unchanged team for their crucial Currie Cup encounter Blue Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday.
Following his team’s demolition of Griquas last week Drotské opted to stick with a winning formula for a match that could see them overtake the Sharks at the top of the standings.
Griquas coach Pote Human wasted no time in drafting in his latest recruit, Leopards lock Victor Kruger, for the Currie Cup crunch match against the Golden Lions in Kimberley on Saturday.
The 24-year-old PUK (Potchefstroom University) Varsity Cup captain, who is affectionately known as Strand, comes in for Australian import Rory Arnold – who is still awaiting the outcome of his disciplinary hearing, after having been charged with biting in the 20-40 loss to the Free State Cheetahs last week.
The Sharks have named their side to face DHL Western Province away at Newlands, Cape Town on Saturday 7 September at 19:10.
Butch James reclaims the flyhalf starting berth in favour of Fred Zeilinga who had a stellar performance against the Vodacom Blue Bulls last weekend.
Rayno Gerber gets to start at tighthead prop and Wiehahn Herbst is relegated to the bench.
Vodacom Blue Bulls coach Pine Pienaar welcomes back a fit-again Francois Venter to his midfield ahead of their Absa Currie Cup clash against Toyota Free State Cheetahs and will give Jacques Engelbrecht a first start in the blue jersey.
Louis Schreuder is back at scrumhalf for DHL Western Province in the only change to the defending champions’ line-up for Saturday’s top-of-the-table Absa Currie Cup clash against the Sharks at DHL Newlands (19h10).
Quade Cooper returns to the Wallaby starting line-up for Saturday’s Rugby Championship clash with the Springboks, an indication that Australia will unleash a running game on the Boks.
Coach Ewen McKenzie gave further indication of his intentions by shifting Israel Folau from wing to fullback – to make the best use of his attacking potential.