Bismarck du Plessis
Controversial Springboks coach Peter de Villiers has found an unlikely ally in All Blacks assistant Steve Hansen.
South Africa were well beaten by Australia in the Tri-Nations opener after de Villiers decided to leave most of his top players at home and a woefully understrength Springboks side will also run out against New Zealand in Wellington on Saturday.
The All Blacks will rest at least four key players for Saturday’s Tri-Nations rugby test against South Africa’s Springboks in a move that is likely upset a number of New Zealand Rugby fans.
All Blacks (32) 60 / Fiji (0) 14 (Final Score)
The All Blacks hosted Fiji at Carisbrook, Dunedin on Friday 22 July 2011 at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ 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.
As expected, the All Blacks were far too strong for a gutsy Fiji side, with their forwards doing most of the damage.
The All Blacks are set to unleash a new game plan as they start their Rugby World Cup preparations with a one-off TriNations warm up Test against Fiji on Friday.
London – New Zealand rugby coach Graham Henry plans to rest several members of his squad ahead of September’s World Cup to guard against the possibility of burnout.
Henry told the BBC in an interview Thursday that several All Blacks stars were “overdone” as the New Zealanders head into an international season which will culminate with the World Cup on home soil.
Highlanders lock Jarrad Hoeata is the newcomer in the All Blacks squad named for the Tri-Nations.
The squad, which will be captained by All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, is made up of 16 forwards and 14 backs and packs huge experience with 1028 test caps between them.
England U20 booked their place in the IRB Junior World Championships Final on Wednesday with a 31-18 win over France in Treviso, Italy.
To mark the final World Cup-ometer, let’s take a look at the building blocks already laid down by the Tri Nations contenders over the regular rounds of the competition.
There will be further twists and turns over the coming weeks of finals football – and the opportunity to see how the players cope with the unique pressure of the knockout stages – but there has been ample evidence already presented to make a judgment of how the Wallabies, All Blacks and Springboks are shaping up.
The All Blacks could face a tricky juggling act with Richie McCaw in the lead up to the World Cup.
With Richie Mccaw still struggling with the screw in the metatarsal bone in his right foot there could be a tug of war over who his
backup is.
All Blacks coach Graham Henry has said that his selectors face a tough job as they must ensure that New Zealand’s entire squad must get game time ahead of the world cup and still win Test matches.
All Blacks’ inspirational captain Richie McCaw has confirmed that he has re-signed with the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) and the Crusaders Super Rugby franchise, committing through until 2015.
Whilst South Africans might admire the fact that New Zealand Rugby has successfully retained Dan Carter, Richie McCaw and soon to be confirmed, Sonny Bill Williams – post Rugby World Cup 2011, there are some who believe the All Blacks have ‘sold their soul’.
Daniel Carter to announce playing future
Dan Carter is expected to announce his playing future at a press conference in Christchurch today. LATEST: He’s staying
‘We are at war’ in NZ conference: Joseph
Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph says the difference between the New Zealand and Australian Super Rugby conferences is like “war and school stuff”.
Blues work on Stormers maul busting
It’s not like the Blues don’t know it’s coming. It’s just how effective they are in dealing with the Stormers potent rolling maul that’s the tricky part.
Motormouth Springboks coach Peter de Villiers has launched another scathing attack on Crusaders star Sonny Bill Williams, describing his flamboyant offloading style as “nonsense” and a poor example for young rugby players.
By Marc Hinton
Who’s hot and who’s not… and who’s not injured?
Every Tuesday until the All Blacks’ World Cup squad unveiling in late August, Fairfax digital sport editor Dan Gilhooly will assess the status of players in the selection frame.
Who are the certainties to make the cut for coach Graham Henry’s squad of 30? Who are battling for contentious spots and what are their odds of selection?
The Bulls won’t even make it through to the knockout stages in defence of their Super rugby title, says former All Black captain Sean Fitzpatrick. And Fitzpatrick launched a scathing critique of the Pretoria-based team’s failings in this year’s Super 15, as they crashed to defeat against the Western Force in Perth.
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.”
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.
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.
The All Blacks are considering doing away with their iconic silver fern at the World Cup and replacing it with a red fern in a symbolic gesture to quake-hit Christchurch.
A perfect Autumn evening in Johannesburg. Not too hot, no wind, and no threat of rain.
Perfect that is until the Blues from Aukland spoilt it all for the vast majority of the 26 532 people at Coca Cola Park in downtown Johannesburg.
The Crusaders have been forced to move their Vodacom Super Rugby home matches from AMI Stadium following a deadly earthquake this week, but the Christchurch mayor still hopes the city and stadium will be ready to host Rugby World Cup matches in September.
Continue reading
The death of a Crusaders board member during the Christchurch earthquake hung over a meeting of players tonight to determine the fate of Saturday’s Super Rugby match against the Hurricanes.
BIG-SPENDING French club Toulon has given up on getting Sonny Bill Williams back on their books after the Rugby World Cup.
The Crusaders have named their team for the 2011 Super rugby opener against the Blues in Auckland on Saturday which includes three Whitelock brothers.
Former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga will make an early comeback to Super Rugby after being named in the Waikato Chiefs’ starting line-up for Saturday’s Super 15 match against the ACT Brumbies.
The words “World Cup” are stamped on page one of every New Zealand Super 15 handbook with the series overshadowed by All Blacks’ coach Graham Henry charged with producing a world champion side.
The Crusaders ended their pre-season trial matches with a 40-21 victory over the Highlanders at Whitestone Contracting Stadium in Oamaru.
All Blacks and Crusaders captain Richie McCaw will miss the first month of the Super Rugby season after fracturing a bone in his foot.
Continue reading
The Blues beat the Hurricanes 33-22 at Kerikeri in a Super Rugby warm up match making it two wins from two in their pre-season.
The Blues beat the Highlanders last weekend in a similar warm up match and have started the year strongly while the Hurricanes beat the Chiefs last week.
The Crusaders will be wearing specially designed GPS systems in this weekend’s pre-Super 15 Rugby warm up against the Reds.
The newly-established SANZAR (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia Rugby) organisation based in Sydney has appointed former international referee Lyndon Bray to the new role of Game Manager.
Springbok rugby and South African rugby in general is coming to the end of an era, and it might be time to think about what the future holds. Continue reading
Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder has revealed that just two of his All Blacks will be on prescribed resting plans in the new Super Rugby tournament for the Rugby World cup later this year.