Lions
Former Bulls center, JP Nel, could play S15 rugby for the injury ravaged Lions.
Lions (7) 19 / Stormers (18) 24 (Final Score)
The MTN Lions and DHL Stormers did battle in Super Rugby at Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg at 19:10 SA Time.
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
The DHL Stormers raced to an early lead, and were 15 points up early on, but the MTN Lions never gave up and with over 60% possession were always in the game.
The DHL Stormers managed to endure tremendous pressure to hold on for the win, with the MTN Lions securing a losing bonus point.
Man Of The Match: Siya Kolisi
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South African referees boss André Watson says Lions coach John Mitchell was wrong to criticise the assistant referees after his side lost to the Sharks in Durban over the weekend.
Lions coach John Mitchell has put on report at least one of the match officials, following his team’s heart-breaking 20-32 loss to the Sharks in a Super Rugby match at the weekend.
The Sharks won their first Vodacom Super Rugby match of 2012 while the Vodacom Bulls let slip a great opportunity to remain top of the log as they lost at home to the Blues.
Sharks (17) 32 / Lions (6) 20 (Final Score)
The Sharks and MTN Lions did battle in Super Rugby at Kings Park, Durban at 17:05 SA Time.
This was the live match discussion Article.
The sharks battled for 80 minutes in an error strewn game to break down a heavily injury depleted Lions side, who never capitulated. The Sharks secured the bonus point try in the dying seconds, and in so doing deprived the Lions of a losing bonus point.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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The Toyota Cheetahs have hit the road and will face the Brumbies in Canberra first up on their four-week Australasian Vodacom Super Rugby tour on Saturday.
The men from Bloemfontein are the first to leave South Africa this year as they travel to the Australian capital for a match against a team now coached by former Springbok boss Jake White.
On home soil, The Sharks will be aiming for their first victory of the season when they host the MTN Lions in Durban, before the Vodacom Bulls aim to prolong the Blues’ blues on the Highveld.
Lions (8) 28 / Hurricanes (14) 30 (Final Score)
The MTN Lions and the Hurricanes did battle in Super Rugby at Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg at 19:10 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 Hurricanes will continue their tour as the first non-South Africa team to tour the Republic, while the South African Conference derbies continue with a marquee encounter between the Stormers and Sharks, while the Bulls travel to play the Cheetahs.
As previously posted, we have 5 pairs of tickets (10 tickets in total) available, courtesy of the Lions, for every Super Rugby match to be played at Coca Cola Park this season.
Last week we donated the tickets to the SA First Aid League (Noodhulpliga) in recognition of the hard work they do at the Lions club games in the lower leagues.
This week we’re offering them to Rugby-Talk bloggers who would like to go along and see the game.
All you need to do is e-mail the answer to the following question to Rugby-Talk’s Webmaster using the link on the website.
The Golden Lions Rugby Union announced the MTN Lions team to play in their second match of the 2012 Vodacom Super Rugby competition against the Hurricanes on Friday, 2 March 2012 at a press conference this afternoon.
Every season we muse over the potential changing of the guard, and of all the giants in Super Rugby many would have predicted that the Overlords of the game in the Republic – the Bulls – would have been a team that could have been excused for a season of rebuilding.
Lions (12) 27 Cheetahs (19) 25 (Final Score)
The MTN Lions and the Toyota Cheetahs did battle in Week 1 of Super Rugby 2012 at Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg at 19:10 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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In the final episode covering the Lions Super Rugby contenders, we look at the men tasked with both the last line of defence, as well as what is often the last point of attack, the Back Three.
The Speedsters.
In this the next episode of the Lions Super Rugby Contenders, we will look at the Centres that have been included in the squad.
In the next, and final episode, we’ll cover the back three.
With time creeping up on us very fast, we have received our first allottment of Super Rugby tickets, 10 in total, for the game between the MTN Lions and Toyota Cheetahs, which takes place on Saturday at 19:10 SA Time.
Scrumdown, one of our Lions reporters collected them today and phoned me.
He left a very good suggestion that we could give a couple of tickets to some of the unsung medics and helpers who work at the games in the Lions region… and he seems to have just the right people in mind.
The South African Rugby Union’s head honchos will come face-to-face with the ‘big five’ at a crucial meeting in Johannesburg on Thursday.
The SARU delegation, headed by CEO Jurie Roux, will meet with officials of the five current SA franchises – Lions, Bulls, Cheetahs, Sharks and Stormers.
So, in a year where the SA Super Rugby teams have so much to win, and so very much to lose should they have a nightmare season, the two perrenial bottom dwellers of the South African teams square up in the first round of games.
The Lions are riding on the crest of the Currie Cup wave, whilst the Cheetahs will take great heart from some truly stellar performances during the 2011 Super Rugby campaign.
Lets take a look at what we can expect in this the first CAT FIGHT of the season, as well as a look at the player – player match ups.
The Generals, Standoff’s of just plain Flyhalf’s. Irrespective of what you call the man with number 10 on his back, when on song they can single handedly destroy ANY opposition, but when having a miserable day, they can utterly negate the hard work done by their 14 team mates.
Let’s look at the men likely to do duty in the number 10 jersey for the Lions in this season’s Super Rugby campaign.
In the latest edition of the Lions’ contenders we look at the men that dictate the flow of the game once the hard wok has been done by the big men up front – the Scrumhalves.
Scrumhalves are not the biggest players in any squad, by any means, but often the nuggiest and most skillful of the whole bunch.
They often talk too much as well!
It will be goodbye Lions, hello Kings come 2013 as a political decision has been endorsed to allow only ONE TEAM per PROVINCE.
The Lions held a media conference to launch their Super Rugby campaign this afternoon, where the team to face the Cheetahs at Coca-Cola Park on Saturday was announced.
Kick Off is at 19h10 local time.
In todays edition of the Lions Super Rugby contenders we look at the Rugby equivalent of the hyena and jackal, the Loose Frowards.
The men who have to get low down and dirty, and win the ball wherever it’s available, but mostly on the ground.
I’ll kick off with the stalwarts of the 2011 season.
Picked up this piece on the net at a website called sportbilly.co.za
The man is some kind of biased New Zealand supporter of sorts… and obviously oblivious of what is really happening here in South Africa at present.
This Article of course does not necessarily reflect my own views or that of Rugby-Talk, but at least someone was willing to nail his beliefs to the wall!
Here it is:
Super Rugby previews are more numerous than Whitney Houston tributes at the moment. In both cases time is wasted. There seems to be a reluctance amongst sports writers in general to spare one’s balls from the impending pain and climb down off the fence. So lets now seperate the poop from the champagne when it comes to the teams.
I am not going to bore you with in depth analysis of the no-hopers. I’m looking at potential champions here. To win this thing you have got to finish top of your conference. Bottom line. The ‘extended playoff’ scenario gives the ‘also rans’ a cruel illusion of hope but their chances remain slimmer than a Somalian hunger striker.
Here is how I see it.
In this the 3rd instalment of the Lions contenders, we look at the big men who perform in the engine room of the forward pack, the lock forwards.
Providing the grunt in the heart of the scrum, as well as the means to win ball in the line-outs, this group of BIG men are responsible for ensuring a continuous supply of quality first phase ball for the team.
Let’s open with the players who did the hard yards in last years campaign.
The next instalment will look at the ever improving and exciting loose forwards.
The second Article highlighting the Lions Super Rugby players likely to bear the majority of the playing time in the upcoming Super Rugbycompetition.
Today we look at the men in the middle of the front row, the HOOKERS.
The next Article in the Series will be about the Lions Locks.
I thought I would start to post titbits picked up during the week, but probably don’t deserve a full article.
Lions coach John Mitchell has included playmaker flyhalf Elton Jantjies in the team to take on the Southern Kings in a warm-up match in George on Tuesday.
The Lions have announced their team to face the Southern Kings in a compulsory friendly in Port Elizabeth Tuesday evening at 18h00.
Whilst the backline has a familiar ring to it, there a couple of surprises in the pack and on the bench.
This is the 2nd last warm-up game the Lions will play prior to the start of Super Rugby 2012, the next being a warm-up against the Cheetahs this weekend.
South Africa’s five Super Rugby franchises have threatened to boycott the 2013 Super Rugby season if any of the current five teams are excluded from the competition.
Golden Lions Rugby Union president Kevin De Klerk has made it clear that no South African Super Rugby franchises would be prepared to merge ahead of the Southern Kings’ involvement in the tournament in 2013.
The Golden Lions Rugby Union made their “Major Announcement”, at a Media Briefing at the Auditorium at Coca-Cola Park, this afternoon.
Redefine Properties, the Second largest property company in South Africa, a listed entity on the Johannesburg, is going to be MTN’s co-sponsor for the Golden Lions Rugby Union in a 3-year deal with the Golden Lions Rugby Union!
In the past, some South Africans may have lamented an uneven balance of power, perhaps suggesting that their Conference was a drie perdewedren (three horse race), but on evidence of the last two months there will be a brutal dogfight amongst the five teams from the Republic this year.
Lions first-choice hooker Bandise Maku will be sidelined for some time after having surgery on a torn pectoral muscle, leaving Martin Bezuidenhout and Callie Visagie to wrestle over the No.2 jersey.
Who knows, this comes out after the New Age report from last week. If de Klerk ever loses his job, I strongly suggest he offers his c.v. to the Fire Department, he spends his life at the Lions putting out fires – would fit in perfectly! As to the heading, any guesses to who KdK may be out of the Magic Roundabout gang?