Bernard Lapasset
The GLRU recently held a meeting with their Sponsors MTN and Discovery Health following the demise of their equity partnership deal with Guma TAC.
Despite a distinct lack of communications to the media over the last week from the GLRU regarding the talks with the sponsors, recent communications indicate that MTN are still on board as an investor in the Johannesburg based Rugby Union.
In 1891, just before the departure of the British Isles Rugby team for South Africa, Sir Donald Currie, owner of the Union Castle Line presented the squad with a golden trophy.
With the trophy came a very clear instruction to present the trophy to the team that gave the most spirited opposition during a tour match.
After a hard fought match Griqualand West became the first ever holders of the trophy that would, over the next century or so become the Holy Grail that South African provincial Rugby Teams would work tirelessly to possess.
Lions (5) 20 / Bulls (24) 24 (Final Score)
The Lions hosted the Bulls at Coca Cola Park, Johannesburg 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.
In the first half it was all Bulls and they built up a 19 point lead by halftime.
In the second half it was all Lions as they clawed their way back to lose only by 3 points.
The Lions look extremely fit…. and better under Mitchell.
Sanzar made an announcement today to say some forced changes had to be made to the Referee line-ups for some of the First Round games
Forty years ago, Syd Nomis’s intercept try against Brian Lochore’s All Blacks swept him into Springbok folklore. As Afrikaans radio broadcaster Gerhard Viviers shouted breathlessly “Sydie … Sydie … Sydie!”, Nomis sprinted for the line, securing a 17-6 victory for the Boks.
The Lions will be playing Tucuman from Argentina on Wednesday, 9 February 2011 in their second last warm up match ahead of the 2011 Super Rugby competition.
The Lions face the EP Kings on Friday and the team will be announced on Thursday.
The Lions impressive win against the Sharks in their warm-up match Tuesday night, did not come without a price to pay.
Andre Pretorius injured a hamstring AGAIN, and this yo-yo-man’s run of bad luck just continues.
The Lions tore the Springbok laden Sharks team apart last night in the Neo Africa Tri Series. Continue reading
The Tri-Series, one of the pre-curser events leading up to the Super Rugby Competition has kicked off and the first result is in!
The Tri-Series is warm-ups played between the DHL Stormers, The MTN Lions and the Sharks.
The Stormers beat the Lions 15 / 0 in the first encounter, played tonight at Newlands, Cape Town.
Lions have released their squad that will compete in the Tri-Series warm-up games in Cape Town.
The Lions will head to Cape Town for the Neo Africa Tri-series against the Stormers and Sharks without Springbok flyhalf Elton Jantjies.
Businessman and now part owner of the Lions rugby union, Robert Gumede, spoke to Jacques van der Westhuyzen about his vision for the Lions.
Highly rated Vodacom Blue Bulls coach, Nico Serfontein, has been given permission to join the Guma group, a shareholding company of the Golden Lions Rugby Union, with immediate effect.
James broke back into the Springbok squad last season but was injured playing for them in the TriNations.
Now that he is back in the fold for South Africa he stands a chance of playing in the Rugby world cup next year.
The Lions and Sharks have both upped the ante as the tug-of-war for the services of iconic Springbok prop Tendai Mtawarira drags on into the festive season.
After a successful inaugural tournament, WP Rugby and Club Newlands are delighted to announce the return of the Neo Africa Tri-Series in 2011.
The pre-season series will see the DHL Stormers, the Sharks and the Lions battle it out as they prepare for the Vodacom Super Rugby, which kicks off on 18 February.
Come 2011, the Beast could be hunting with the Lions instead of swimming with the Sharks.
Tendai (Beast) Mtawarira, the Sharks and Springbok prop, has apparently received an offer from the Lions which he may be unable to turn down.
The Golden Lions Rugby Union remain hopeful of luring two World Cup-winning Springboks back to South Africa, despite the reluctance of their European clubs.
The Golden Lions Rugby Union have signed Sharks prop Patric Cilliers and flank Michael Rhodes have signed for the 2011 Super Rugby competition.
New Lions hooker Bandise Maku is looking forward to being a part of what the Johannesburg-based outfit is building but knows ‘nothing is guaranteed’, insisting he is ready to work for his spot and prove himself. Continue reading
The Blue Bulls have given their departing hooker – Springbok Bandise Maku – the blessing to leave for the Lions at the end of the season.
Lions (17) 27 / Pumas (17) 34 (Final Score)
The Xerox Lions hosted the Barloworld Toyota Pumas at Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg at 19:10 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 on DSTV in SA.
The Pumas showed guts and determination and a very good mauling and scrumming game to beat the Lions at Lions headquarters.
Final score Pumas 34 / 27.
Here are the Teams as anoounced.
The Lions were forced to make four late changes to their team that will face the Pumas in a Currie Cup clash in Johannesburg on Friday.
Centre Doppies la Grange, who pulled a hamstring early in last week’s 37-43 loss to the Cheetahs, has been ruled out – forcing a complete reshuffle in the backline.
Lions coach John Mitchell has named veteran Springbok flank Wikus van Heerden on the bench for what is likely to be his team’s final Currie Cup match of the season.
Following a closed competitive bidding process, Lions Rugby has announced the signing of an agreement with two of Africa’s leading entrepreneurs, paving the way for their investment in Lions Rugby and heralding an investment step change and a whole new era of opportunity for the Lions and for rugby in South Africa.
The Free State Cheetahs moved to third place on the Absa Currie Cup log when they scored six tries in beating the Xerox Lions 43-37 in Bloemfontein in Saturday.
Cheetahs 43 / Lions 37 (Final Score)
The Vodacom Free State Cheetahs host the Xerox Lions in Bloemfontein at 17:05 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match is broadcast live on SuperSport 1 & HD & M-Net in SA.
Currie Cup Coach-of-the-Month for September, John Mitchell, made only the one anticipated change to the Lions starting lineup for Saturday’s decisive clash with the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
The Sharks may shortly experience a wing crisis similar to the one that was a major headache for Free State in this year’s Currie Cup.
Phokeng – Earl Rose has done it again.
The Lions player and his younger brother Jody deserted the Lions camp at the Platinum International Sevens Tournament here and returned to Johannesburg without permission.
Lions (10) 22 / Sharks (10) 20 (Final Score)
The Xerox Lions hosted the Sharks at 17:05 SA Time at Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 & HD and on M-Net on TV in SA.
In a nail-biter till the end the Lions came back at the death to score a try through captain Franco van der Merwe and with the sucessful conversion from Elton Jantjies sealingthe win by only 2 points…. final score Lions 22 / 20.
Six teams are still jostling for semi-final places in the 2010 Absa Currie Cup as the Premier Division competition enters its final three weeks of league fixtures.
Blue Bulls (6) 24 / Lions (6) 21 (Final Score)
The Blue Bulls hosted the Lions at Loftus, Pretoria at 17:05 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, M-Net and SuperSport HD in SA.
The Bulls squeeked a win by 3 points whilst Jacques-Louis Potgieter was off with a yellow and the Lions coming back strongly.
This weekend we see the following 4 matches:
17 | GWK Griquas | v | Platinum Leopards | GWK Park, Kimberley | 19:00 |
17 | Pumas | v | Vodacom Western Province | Puma Stadium, Witbank | 19:10 |
18 | Sharks | v | Vodacom Free State Cheetahs | The Absa Stadium Durban | 15:00 |
18 | Vodacom Blue Bulls | v | Xerox Lions | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | 17:05 |
The two most interesting clashes both take place on Saturday 18 September, those between the Sharks and Cheetahs and the Blue Bulls against the Lions.