Blues (23) 40 / Rebels (17) 23 (Final Score)
The Blues hosted the Melbourne Rebels at North Harbour Stadium, Albany at 09:35 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was bradcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV on SA.
The Blues started like a house on fire, then allowed the Melbourne Rebels to claw their way back with 2 tries and good goal kicking, with some poor Blues licking to posts by Stephen Brett. At the end of the 2nd Half the Blues pulled away again, with 2 well-worked tries.
The Blues scored 6 tries to 2 by the Melbourne Rebels.
The words of Irish international Fergus Slattery echoed perhaps best the general feeling about South African rugby at the end of the 1976 tour. Commenting to Phillip Jones of the Sunday Times before he left South Africa Slattery said: “The first thing I would tell a young player is not to play like the Springboks. They are five years behind the times.”
Herewith ALL the Super Rugby team sheets as they are announced for week 9 of Super Rugby 2011.
The Sharks have named Partick Lambie in their team to face the Hurricanes this weekend however Bismarck du Plessis will miss the match.
The Crusaders and Canterbury Rugby Unions have paid tribute to Brad Thorn after he announced that he will join Japanese club Fukuoka Sanix Blues following the Rugby World Cup.
The Crusaders have named their team to face the Highlanders this weekend with Richie McCaw and Dan Carter both missing the match due to injury.
Reds coach Ewen McKenzie has made two changes to his starting team for Saturday’s clash against the Waratahs at Suncorp Stadium with prop Guy Shepherdson earning his run-on debut for Queensland.
The Cheetahs can look forward to welcoming back no less than four players from injury for their clash against the Brumbies next week.
SANZAR have released the match officials for the tenth Round in the 2011 Super Rugby tournament and Jonathon White starts the action on Friday.
The Sharks have been boosted by the return of flyhalf Patrick Lambie at training ahead of this weekend’s Super Rugby clash against the Hurricanes.
The Waratahs welcome back 243 caps of Super Rugby experience for Saturday’s round ten clash with the Queensland Reds at Lang Park.
Captain Phil Waugh, No.8 Wycliff Palu and centre Tom Carter have all been recalled to the starting XV as the Waratahs look to continue their winning form against Australian teams this season.
French Top 14 Rugby club Toulouse have revealed that they have signed All Black centre Luke McAlister, Wallaby scrumhalf Luke Burgess and Springbok prop Gurthro Steenkamp for next season.
Bulls back-liner Jaco Pretorius will miss his team’s Super Rugby clash with the Force due to a neck injury.
Western Province senior professional coach Rassie Erasmus will be part of the Springboks management team at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand later this year.
The South African Rugby Union on Wednesday named 51 players who have been called to a national team planning session at the start of next month. The players will attend two days of meetings and logistical discussions in the first of three national camps in preparation for the international season.
Former Lions and Springbok prop Brian Mujati is having an exceptional season in Europe with his English club Northampton Saints.
So much so that Peter Bills of the Independent newspaper feels he may be the type of Tighthead Prop that Bok coach de Villiers should be looking to take to New Zealand for Rugby World Cup 2011, but realises that in South Africa, talent alone decides very little at the end of the day.
Herewith the full article. Continue reading
All Blacks coach Graham Henry has taken a swipe at the number of New Zealand rugby players giving up on the dream to become an All Black and choosing money instead.
Scrumhalf Fourie du Preez is one of three players returning to the starting line-up of the Vodacom Bulls for their match against the Western Force in Perth on Saturday.
Martial arts have quite a number of fascinating or secret fighting strategies which are made known to the experienced or deserved practitioner. Continue reading
Peter de Villiers was quoted recently saying he will have to make some tough selection decisions in this Rugby World Cup year, the toughest of these, will be who wears the number 10 jersey.
It’s not all doom and gloom when looking towards the business end of this year’s rugby. Most of us are quite concerned about the performances of the Bulls, Lions and Cheetahs, but then we have to be honest with ourselves. Over the last number of years the Cheetahs and Lions have never really looked like world beaters and have often found themselves at the bottom of the Super Rugby tables.
I think most South Africans (except maybe Stormers supporters) are somewhat disappointed with the way our Super Rugby teams are going this year. New Zealanders (Crusaders fans excluded) are also not particularly over the moon with how their teams are performing. The Chiefs is almost bottom of the log. The Blues is somewhat better than previous seasons but far from consistent. The Canes is sort of all over the place. The Highlanders is the surprise package for the Kiwi’s but just a few injuries short off coming apart. They lack depth in the squad and everyone in Kiwiland is holding their thumbs but not expecting them to go all the way. Continue reading
For years and years rugby laws were adapted to the way players wanted to play. Recent law changes have followed that principle though it may just be that the written laws have lagged somewhat behind accepted practice. I just had to place this article, the most passionate discussions we had here was about this subject. Lets go..
Brumbies (10) 19 / Force (7) 27 (Final Score)
The Brumbies hosted the Western Force at Canberra Stadium, Canberra at 08:10 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
In a bland see-saw match the Western Force scored a converted try with a minute’s play left, to finally pull away from the Brumbies and leave the Brumbies 8 points in the dust and not a single bonus point earnt.
On Rugby-Talk’s live Bulls vs Reds thread I cannot recall anybody complaining about it. Now reading some of the other match reports is see a big uproar about something we never picked up or said a word about. Obstruction or obstructive running.
Cheetahs (33) 47 / Hurricanes (30) 50 (Final Score)
The Toyota Cheetahs hosted the Hurricanes at Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein at 19:10 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
The Hurricanes stole the game right at the death with a long distance try in a game which was fast-paced and producing a plethera of tries.
Lions (13) 19 / Stormers (23) 33 (Final Score)
The MTN Lions hosted the DHL Stormers at Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg at 17:05 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
The Stormers scored 3 tries, the Lions 1.
Reds (17) 39 / Bulls (13) 30 (Final Score)
The Reds hosted the Bulls at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane at 11:40 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
The Reds, with some amazing game breakers simply outscored a game Bulls side, and the Bulls were always playing catch-up rugby.
Blues (31) 31 / Waratahs (7) 17 (Final Score)
The Blues hosted the Waratahs at Eden Park, Auckland at 09:35 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
The Blues started like a house on fire and within half an hour had already recorded their bonus point for tries scored.
The Warayahs desperately tried to break back into the game, but fell short of any bonus points.
Rebels (6) 18 / Highlanders (22) 40 (Final Score)
The Melbourne Rebels hosted the Highlanders at AAMI Park, Melbourne at 11:40 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
The Highlanders simply blew the rebel out of the Rebels.
Chiefs (13) 16 / Crusaders (17) 34 (Final Score)
The Chiefs hosted the Crusaders at Baypark Stadium, Mt Manganui at 09:35 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
The Crusaders bagged their bonus point-earning 4th try just before full time… and the juggernaut continues.
Show me one unbiased blogger, author, journalist or rugby supporter and I will show you my sister. Basically because she cares so little for the game or its players that she doesn’t even know about the All Blacks’, the Bulls’ or the Stormers’ existence. In her case then, it rarely aids in the cause, seeing as you can’t extract any useful information or opinion from her, other than… I don’t really think that yellow sign on his chest really matches the rest of the outfit, in fact the stripes look more like bars, and everyone knows VERTICAL stripes are slimming, yada yada yada yada….
Continue reading
Kurtley Beale has signed for the Melbourne Rebels on a two year deal, for 2012 & 2013.
Coach Allister Coetzee today named a match 22, to take on the Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Port Elizabeth will host the South African leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series, after coming out as clear winners in a competitive tendering process. The announcement was made by the South African Rugby Union in Cape Town on Wednesday after the recommendation of a tender committee was accepted by the SARU Executive Council.