Super Rugby
Loose forward Warren Whiteley has been named as Lions captain for next year’s Super Rugby competition, reports indicate.
Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth is unlikely to feature much for the Stormers next year.
The young star revealed on Thursday that he will undergo surgery for an ankle injury sustained in South Africa’s 19-10 win over France last weekend.
“Going for operation on Monday,” Etzebeth tweeted, adding: “Plus-minus six months out of action.”
Another new innovation from the Bulls, South Africa’s most successful Super Rugby franchise!
InvisBull becomes visible as PUMA launches the new Vodacom Bulls Super Rugby kit for 2104. Playing on the fact that Camo is designed to make you invisible, PUMA has launched a Camo Home shirt which stays true to the traditional Bulls’ blue, while the Away shirt is khaki green and brown.
Record-breaking wing Bjorn Basson has extended his contract with the Bulls and will be available for the Pretoria franchise until the end of October 2016.
Basson, who holds the national and Currie Cup record for tries in a season and the Bulls’ record for tries in a Super Rugby season, was also part of the Springbok squad in 2013.
Back Cheslin Kolbe, who is currently on SA Sevens duty, and flanker Schalk Burger, who will play for the Barbarians in London this weekend, will join the WP Rugby training squad at a later stage.
Springbok tourists Jean de Villiers, Frans Malherbe, Eben Etzebeth, Duane Vermeulen and Gio Aplon will join the squad in January 2014 only. However, hooker Scarra Ntubeni, flanker Siya Kolisi and scrumhalf Louis Schreuder – all of whom also toured Europe with the Boks this month – will join squad training on Monday 2 December.
The Stormers’ Bok trio of Jean de Villiers, Eben Etzebeth and Duane Vermuelen will only be required to join pre-season training in January.
The Lions have finalised their warm-up matches ahead of next year’s Super Rugby tournament, however there are rumours of demands and coaching demands by the Pumas, who form part of the Lions Super Rugby franchise.
These rumours want us to believe that the Pumas are insisting that their coach, Jimmy Stonehouse, has to be involved in coaching at the MTN Lions. With Golden Lions coach Johan Ackermann’s coaching contract already extended and with him the designated figure to take the head coach role for the MTN Lions, this spat could easily turn ugly if the parties do not reach some compromise and consensus.
News out of the Stormers camp is that coach Allister Coetzee says Wallaby wing Cooper Vuna has not signed and will not join them for the 2014 Super Rugby season.
Wallaby wing Cooper Vuna has reportedly agreed to join the Stormers for next year’s Super Rugby competition.
Eastern Province Kings players Lizo Gqoboka (prop) and George Whitehead (flyhalf) have both been called up to take part in the Sharks wider training camp ahead of the 2014 Super Rugby Season.
The Reds will start their 2014 Super Rugby campaign with a pre-season match against defending champions, the Chiefs, in Toowoomba on 8 February 2013.
Reds head coach Richard Graham said the trial would provide his team with a good platform to launch their season.
South African Rugby Union (SARU) president Oregan Hoskins wants to see a 17-team Super Rugby competition in future with fewer local derbies and an Argentine team in the mix.
The Super Rugby format is set to change from 2016 when a new broadcast deal takes effect and Hoskins would like to see a change from the current 15-team format.
Auckland based Super Rugby franchise the Blues have made two new key appointments to their management team ahead of the 2014 Super Rugby season.
Richard Fry has been appointed manager of rugby, while former Blues star Isa Nacewa will assume the role of mental skills coach.
The home and away Super Rugby derby matches could be dropped in favour of playing every team when the tournament format is restructured in 2016.
The current Super Rugby format has split teams into three conference of five teams each and the teams in the conferences play opposition teams on a home and away basis.
Kings duo Rynier Bernardo and Shane Gates have both been called up to the Cheetahs wider training camp ahead of next year’s Super Rugby season.
It is not exactly a state secret, but the Stormers confirmed on Saturday that Argentinean lock Manuel Carizza will move to Cape Town after his country’s November tour.
The Golden Lions Rugby Union is pleased to announce the appointment of ex-Springbok coach Rudolf Straeuli, as General Manager: Professional Rugby and Commercial.
This week Bakkies Botha returned to the Springbok team and very soon his long-time second row partner Victor Matfield may be back on the playing field as well.
Reports suggest that both Matfield (Big Vic) and Bok flyhalf Derick Hougaard (Liefling) are on the comeback trail with the Bulls, hoping the experienced duo can play a role in their 2014 Super Rugby campaign.
One of the worst-kept secrets in Super Rugby has been confirmed – Stephen Larkham will take over from Jake White at the Brumbies, whilst Laurie Fisher will become Director Of Rugby at the Brumbies.
The Stormers could have two Argentine players in their squad for next year’s Super Rugby competition.
The five New Zealand Super Rugby franchises have named their squads for the 2014 Super Rugby season including their Wider Training Groups.
Western Province and the Stormer are looking to add depth to their scrumhalf, lock and wing positions with the eye on next year’s Super Rugby competition.
The Highlanders have announced that former All Black and current Otago ITM Coach Tony Brown has joined the Super Rugby franchise as an assistant coach.
Brown has played for the Sharks and Stormers in Super Rugby but is best known for his 90 caps starting back in 1996 with the Hlghlanders.
Prolific try scorer and Blitzbok stalwart, Cornal Hendricks, finally gets to don the Cheetahs jersey. The Toyota Cheetahs iniatially contracted Hendricks for this year’s Super Rugby, but a dispute arose with SARU, as Sevens coach Paul Treu wanted Hendricks for the Sevens circuit. It now seems that Hendricks’ wish of playing for the Cheetahs will come true.
Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske has confirmed that Hendricks has signed a contract for the 2014 Super Rugby and Currie Cup season.
The Western Force say their negotiations with James O’Connor have ended after the troubled Wallaby decided to play in Europe.
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and the Blues have confirmed that All Blacks midfielder Ma’a Nonu has signed with NZR and the Blues for 2014 and 2015.
South African scrumhalf Conrad Hoffmann has signed two-year contract with the Brumbies.
The Waratahs have revealed that they will play their first Super Rugby warm up match for the 2014 season against the Melbourne Rebels.
Waratahs new recruits Kurtley Beale and Nick Phipps, along with defensive coach Nathan Grey, will take on their old club the Melbourne Rebels in their first trial match for 2014.
Another South African is making his way accross to Australia to play Super Rugby! The Twitterverse reports that MTN Lions utility backline player, Lionel Cronjé, has signed and is is off to Canberra to join the Brumbies for next year’s Super Rugby competition.
Lions coach Johan Ackermann says that unless someone gives them a lot of money he will not be doing any recruiting ahead of Super Rugby.
After being knocked out of the Currie Cup in their semifinal defeat to the unbeaten Western Province at Newlands, focus for the Johannesburg franchise now shifts to their re-entry into Super Rugby.
One more Super Rugby door closed on All Blacks centre Ma’a Nonu on Friday when the Waikato Chiefs confirmed fullback Mils Muliaina and centre Robbie Fruean would be joining them for next year.
Nonu’s final chance of securing a Super Rugby contract in New Zealand now lies with the Auckland Blues after the Otago Highlanders, Canterbury Crusaders and Wellington Hurricanes all passed up the chance to sign him.
Local media reports this week said the Blues were talking to Nonu, although a decision is not expected until after the third Bledisloe Cup test against Australia in Dunedin on Saturday.
South African lock Etienne Oosthuizen has been released from the final year of his Super Rugby contract with the Brumbies to be closer to his family, the club said Friday.
Not only were WP Rugby’s professional players awarded individual trophies based on their performances throughout the 2013 season, but the Western Province Rugby Football Union also recognised all club, junior, female and referees’ performances within the union this past year.
The event was well attended on the night with the DHL WP Absa Currie Cup team present – ahead of this weekend’s semifinal against the Golden Lions – along with other key sponsors, players (seniors, juniors and club players), administrators and the local rugby media.
Rugby World Cup winning All Black prop Tony Woodcock has agreed to re-join his former Super Rugby team the Blues for the 2014 season.
Jake White has gloated he has got his ”dream” job in South Africa after walking out on the Brumbies, but another Super Rugby head coach – Damien Hill – is on the list of candidates to join the ACT coaching staff next season.
It’s understood White paid the Brumbies a six-figure amount in compensation to seek an early release from his contract, clearing his way to join the Durban Sharks as coaching director.