The Rugby Championship
The Wallabies finalised their coaching team for this month’s Rugby Championship with Jim McKay to be the attack coach under Ewen McKenzie.
The Pumas snatched a dramatic 29-27 victory over a New South Wales Barbarians team with the last kick of their match in La Plata.
Two Sekope Kepu tries at either end of the first half gave the visitors a two-point advantage going into the break.
Veteran scrumhalf Piri Weepu has been dumped from the All Blacks for the Rugby Championship, but captain Richie McCaw returns.
All Black utility back Rene Ranger has pulled out of the upcoming Rugby Championship series, citing family reasons.
The South African Rugby Union’s (Saru’s) policy of favouring local players over overseas-based stars could be under threat, especially when the Springboks name their squad for the Castle Rugby Championship at the end of the week.
Saru have been firm that there has been no change in the policy regarding players based overseas, but a recent exodus of Boks stars may make that policy shift when the Bok squad is chosen for the November tour of Europe.
New Zealand’s front row resources have been reduced ahead of the starts of the Rugby Championship.
Springbok scrumhalf Francois Hougaard will not play again this year and will undergo surgery next week.
Australia centre Anthony Faingaa has been ruled out of the remainder of the 2013 international rugby season due to left shoulder reconstruction surgery.
The Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd is pleased to announce that Piet van Zyl has agreed terms and will join the Vodacom Bulls on a two year contract from November 1st, 2013.
The Pretoria-born 23 year old scrumhalf made his Springbok debut in 2013 following some very good performances for his Super Rugby franchise, the Toyota Cheetahs.
Springbok wing JP Pietersen has bid farewell to South Africa as he prepares to head to Japan to take up his contract with the Panasonic Wild Knights.
Uncapped Hurricanes loose forward Brad Shields has been included in a 30-man All Black training squad who will gather in Auckland this week ahead of the Rugby Championship.
Blues utility back Francis Saili is the second uncapped player included in the squad by All Black coach Steve Hansen, who has as expected welcomed back captain Richie McCaw.
Reds flyhalf Quade Cooper has returned to the Wallabies set-up after being included in new coach Ewen McKenzie’s first training squad for The Rugby Championship series against South Africa, New Zealand and Argentina.
Wallabies fullback Kurtley Beale has been ruled out for the year after being told by new coach Ewen McKenzie to have an operation on his shoulder and come back fit and healthy next year.
South Africa’s Craig Joubert, who was in charge of the Rugby World Cup 2011 Final, will referee the first Test under the scrum engagement trial sequence when he takes charge of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship match between Australia and New Zealand in Sydney on 17 August.
The International Rugby Board on Wednesday announced the names of the 12 referees for The Castle Rugby Championship. These appointments were made by the IRB Match Official Selection Committee following a detailed review of recent performances during the June Tests.
Australian rugby chiefs are to fire national coach Robbie Deans and replace him with the Reds’ Ewen McKenzie on Tuesday, reports said on Monday following the Wallabies’ series loss to the British and Irish Lions.
Deans will be sacked six months before his contract ends, as the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) seeks to rebuild after the national team’s 41-16 thrashing by the Lions in Saturday’s series-deciding third Test, the Sydney Morning Herald said.
South Africa’s national football and rugby teams will play on the same day at the former World Cup showpiece stadium in Soweto to honour Nelson Mandela, bringing together the country’s two most popular sports that once portrayed its racial divisions.
The South African Rugby Union has confirmed that Rohan Janse van Rensburg will replace his Blue Bulls team mate Jan Serfontein in the South Africa Under-20 squad for the Junior World Championship (JWC).
All Blacks centre Conrad Smith has revealed that he will miss New Zealand’s European tour in November and take a sabbatical after the Rugby Championship.
How will Heyneke Meyer fare in 2013?
We take a look at Springbok participation in the Tri-Nations (now expanded and renamed The Rugby Championship).
The Springboks took part in the Southern Hemisphere’s premier international competition just five years after being readmitted to international competition in the 90’s.
The South African Rugby Union have revealed the Springboks’ list of international fixtures for the 2013 season which ends with a Test in France for the first time since 2009.
The Springboks start their internationals in June as usual followed by the Rugby Championship and end with a three match tour of Europe which features Tests in Scotland, Wales and France.
The Springboks will face their Rugby World Cup 2015 Pool B opponents, Scotland and Samoa (as well as Italy), in an innovative new tournament featuring double-header Test matches in 2013, the South African Rugby Union announced on Thursday.
This past weekend saw the end of the Southern Hemisphere 15-man rugby season… a long and arduous season.
Now only the HSBC Sevens World Series Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens tournament remains, after which we, as proud Southerners, have to rely on the scraps of rugby coming to us from the Northern Hemisphere, and then fill in the gaps with some cricket action to keep our sport addictions alive.
The South African Blitzbokke provide scant hopes for a good result in Port Elizabeth this coming weekend, but the party will continue… and we will party right along.
On the positive side, it was a good season again for Southern Hemisphere rugby, spoilt by the fantastic wins by France against the Wallabies about a month ago and of course the Coup de Grace by the England rugby side against the world number one side, the New Zealand All Blacks, this past weekend – lambasting them by a massive 38 / 21.
Hereafter a quick look at the respective seasons of the BIG BOYS of Southern Hemisphere Rugby:
It was written on their faces. The Boks, to a man, left Soccer City in despair last night, their 2012 Championship ending on the most depressing note.
The All Blacks, the trend-setters in the modern game, were beaming and edging ever closer to a world-record run of victories, after a game that only required one half of a puff from them.
Lungani Zama – Sunday Tribune
Pumas (9) 19 / 25 (15) Wallabies (Final Score)
The Argentinian Pumas and Australian Wallabies did battle in The Rugby Championship at Estadio Gigante de Arroyito, Rosario at 01:10 SA Time Sunday (20:10 ARG Time, 09:10 AEST Sunday, 23:10 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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Springboks (16) 16 / 32 (12) All Blacks (Final Score)
The South African Springboks and New Zealand All Blacks did battle in The Rugby Championship at FNB Stadium, Soweto at 17:05 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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The Springbok side to face the All Blacks at FNB Stadium (Soccer City) on Saturday, has been announced.
The same side which played the Wallabies has been selected, with only Coenie Oosthuizen coming in on the bench in place of Pat Cilliers.
Due reward was given to the side who played so well against the Wallabies, by keeping the entire squad in tact.
The New Zealand All Blacks have made two changes to the starting team which ran riot over the Pumas last weekend, to play the Springboks at FNB Stadium (Soccer City), near Soweto.
Argentina coach Santiago Phelan has named an unchanged starting line-up for Saturday’s Rugby Championship clash with Australia in Rosario.
Western Force wing Nick Cummins will become the 11th new cap, and the 38th player to represent Australia in what is the 10th Test of a challenging year.
The International Rugby Board (IRB) have said that Irish referee Alain Rolland got it wrong when he refused to allow Australia to make a replacement and forced them to play the last 14 minutes with 14 men.
Springbok flyhalf Johan Goosen has been cleared to take over the kicking duties again in this weekend’s Castle Rugby Championship match against the All Blacks at FNB Stadium.
Ruan Pienaar’s elevation to the Springbok kicking role is likely to continue this weekend despite the fact he was successful with less than half of his kicks at goal against Australia at Loftus Versfeld.
Springbok prop Coenie Oosthuizen has been cleared to play after an examination by a neurosurgeon in Durban on Tuesday.
The convincing win of the Springboks on Saturday was followed by news on the injury front.
Most notably Francois Steyn, who rolled his left ankle last Monday morning, will have to undergo an operation to clean the ankle up and will be sidelined for 3 months recovering from the surgery.