MTN Golden Lions
The partnership between the Golden Lions Rugby Union and MTN South Africa came to an end as of Friday 13 December 2013, with the company opting not to renew their sponsorship of the GLRU teams.
After a fruitful three-year relationship, the telecommunications giant have chosen to realign their sponsorship portfolio and will no longer sponsor a rugby outfit.
The Lions have finalised their warm-up matches ahead of next year’s Super Rugby tournament, however there are rumours of demands and coaching demands by the Pumas, who form part of the Lions Super Rugby franchise.
These rumours want us to believe that the Pumas are insisting that their coach, Jimmy Stonehouse, has to be involved in coaching at the MTN Lions. With Golden Lions coach Johan Ackermann’s coaching contract already extended and with him the designated figure to take the head coach role for the MTN Lions, this spat could easily turn ugly if the parties do not reach some compromise and consensus.
The Golden Lions Rugby Union is pleased to announce the appointment of ex-Springbok coach Rudolf Straeuli, as General Manager: Professional Rugby and Commercial.
Blue Bulls Under 19 – (21) 35 / 23 (9) – Golden Lions Under 19 (Final Score)
The Vodacom Blue Bulls Under 19 and MTN Golden Lions Under 19 did battle in the Currie Cup Under 19 Final at
Newlands, Cape Town at 12:30 SA Time (10:30 GMT).
Western Province Under 21 – (16) 30 / 23 (13) – Blue Bulls Under 21 (Final Score)
DHL Western Province Under 21 and Vodacom Blue Bulls Under 21 did battle in the Currie Cup Under 21 Final at
Newlands, Cape Town at 14:30 SA Time (12:30 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The matches were broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
Another South African is making his way accross to Australia to play Super Rugby! The Twitterverse reports that MTN Lions utility backline player, Lionel Cronjé, has signed and is is off to Canberra to join the Brumbies for next year’s Super Rugby competition.
DHL Western Province and The Sharks on Saturday booked their places in the Absa Currie Cup final in Cape Town next week following well-deserved victories in their semifinals against the MTN Golden Lions and Toyota Free State Cheetahs respectively.
Defending champions, Western Province, automatically earned a home final with their 33-16 victory against the Lions at DHL Newlands after finishing the round-robin stages as the top team, while the Sharks defeated the Cheetahs 33-22 at Growthpoint Kings Park in Durban.
Next week’s match-up will mark the second successive showdown between the teams in the Absa Currie Cup final, while it will also mark the Sharks’ fourth successive final appearance.
Lions coach Johan Ackermann says that unless someone gives them a lot of money he will not be doing any recruiting ahead of Super Rugby.
After being knocked out of the Currie Cup in their semifinal defeat to the unbeaten Western Province at Newlands, focus for the Johannesburg franchise now shifts to their re-entry into Super Rugby.
WP (18) 33 / 16 (9) Golden Lions (Final Score)
DHL Western Province and the MTN Golden Lions did battle in a Currie Cup Premier Division Semi-final at
Newlands, Cape Town at 14:30 SA Time (12:30 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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It is just before the Semi-Finals of the Currie Cup Premier Division competition of 2013 in South Africa.
Only 4 teams are still in it to win the competition.
Put your skills to the test here to predict who will eventually walk away with glory and the bragging rights in the competition for 2013. Voting is open to Readers and Registered Subscribers of Rugby-Talk.
[poll id=”4″]
Voting for the Poll will close just prior to the advent of the 1st Semi-Final, on Saturday 19 October 2013.
So, we find ourselves close to the end of yet another great Currie Cup season, but don’t get sad because there are still 5 big Currie Cup clashes left – 2 Promotion / Relegation matches, 2 semi-finals and the BIG Currie Cup final.
Our starter for the weekend will be a Promotion / Relegation match on Friday evening between GWK Griquas and Steval Pumas in Kimberley. This will be followed by two main courses on Saturday. The one course will be served Newlands style with a side of “big hits”, whilst the second course will be served Kings Park style with a side of “open and running rugby”. Desert will be a choice between pure bliss or extreme sadness, depending on main course selection.
MTN Golden Lions head coach Johan Ackermann has announced his side to take on DHL Western Province in the 2013 Absa Currie Cup semi-final at Newlands on Saturday afternoon.
Jean de Villiers will start at outside centre for defending champions DHL Western Province in Saturday’s Absa Currie Cup semifinal meeting with the MTN Golden Lions at DHL Newlands (kick-off 14:30).
National captain De Villiers replaces Michael van der Spuy in the only change to the WP line-up that defeated the Sharks by 17-13 in Durban last Saturday – a result which sealed a top-of-the-log finish for the reigning champions.
Rudolf Straeuli’s reported shift from Kings Park to Ellis Park is not a done deal yet, but there are plenty of good reasons why it will happen.
Golden Lions Rugby Union CEO Manie Booysen confirmed to this website that they are “in conversation” with Straeuli at this stage.
The Golden Lions rugby union has announced the signing of a two year contract with former Boland and WP scrumhalf Ricky Schroeder.
The round-robin stages of the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division this weekend reached an exciting conclusion, as DHL Western Province maintained their unbeaten run to retain the No1 spot on the log, while the Toyota Free State Cheetahs and MTN Golden Lions secured their semifinal berths.
DHL Western Province will host the MTN Golden Lions in the first semifinal in Cape Town next Saturday, while The Sharks will meet the Toyota Free State Cheetahs in Durban in the other pay-off match.
The Lions and Cheetahs finished the league stages level on 26 log points thanks to the four-try bonus point bagged by the Johannesburg team in their clash against GWK Griquas.
Golden Lions (15) 35 / 28 (19) Griquas (Final Score)
The MTN Golden Lions and GWk Griquas did battle in the Currie Cup Premier Division at
Ellis Park, Johannesburg at 15:00 SA Time (13:00 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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What a final round of Currie Cup rugby this is turning out to be. At one end of the table we have the Sharks and Western Province battling each other for the number one spot and at the other end we have the Free State Cheetahs and the Blue Bulls playing for the final semi final spot.
The Golden Lions are also by no means safe. If they lose to the Griquas and do not score any bonus points and the Blue Bulls manage a win, then the Golden Lions could find themselves in 5th place. This does not seem likely, taking current form into account.
This is the last weekend of the pool stages and it is turning into a quasi-play-off weekend, with the top two teams battling for 1st place and 3 teams competing for the last two semi final spots. What more can we ask for.
MTN Golden Lions head coach Johan Ackermann has announced his side to take on the GWK Griquas at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon.
With The Rugby Championship now done and dusted, the Springbok players involved look set to be returning to their Provincial Unions and respective overseas Clubs to continue plying their trade.
This of course leaves Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer a worried man and wishing he was in the fortunate situation which the All Blacks coach finds himself, where the All Black players will rest some more before the November Internationals start (of course there is still the matter of a Bledisloe Cup encounter between the All Blacks and Wallabies to consider on 18 October).
WP (18) 36 / 23 (9) Golden Lions (Final Score)
DHL Western Province and the MTN Golden Lions did battle in the Currie Cup Premier Division at
Newlands, Cape Town at 14:00 SA Time (12:00 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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As we enter Round 9 of the Currie Cup Premier Division of 2013, the Sharks and WP find themselves topping the Log with 28 points each. The closest rival here is the Golden Lions who are on 21 points. With WP and the Sharks playing each other next weekend in the final match before the semi-finals, this weekend is a must win weekend end for both sides at the top.
The Blue Bulls, who are facing the Sharks, is in a must win situation for them if they would like to keep their semi-final hopes alive, as a win for the Free State Cheetahs this weekend could see an end to their Currie Cup season, if they lose.
MTN Golden Lions head coach Johan Ackermann has announced his side to front DHL Western Province in Cape Town on Saturday afternoon.
Ackermann has made several changes to his starting line-up, with the majority of the changes taking place in the backline.
Injury is likely to rule Golden Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies out for the remainder of the Currie Cup season.
The Sharks and DHL Western Province this weekend cemented their Absa Currie Cup Premier Division semifinal spots and set themselves in good stead for home semifinals, while the Vodacom Blue Bulls reignited their semifinal chances.
In a weekend of away wins, the Sharks fought their way to a 31-25 victory against the MTN Golden Lions in Johannesburg, DHL Western Province pipped the Toyota Free State Cheetahs 29-27 in Bloemfontein and the Vodacom Blue Bulls thumped GWK Griquas 52-10 in Kimberley.
Golden Lions (20) 25 / 31 (16) Sharks (Final Score)
The MTN Golden Lions and The Sharks did battle in the Currie Cup Premier Division at
Ellis Park, Johannesburg at 19:10 SA Time (17:10 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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As we enter Round 8 of the 2013 Currie Cup, the Sharks and Western Province are setting the pace at the top of the Log, with 24 Log points each. The Griquas find themselves in last place with only 10 Log points.
With only 2 rounds remaining after this weekend the Sharks and Western Province have probably already booked their places in the semi-finals. The Blue Bulls find themselves in a must win scenario this weekend as a loss this weekend could see them end last on the Log and totally miss out in the race for a semi final place, they now already find themselves 5 Log points behind the 4th placed Free State Cheetahs.
MTN Golden Lions head coach Johan Ackermann has announced his side to take on The Sharks at Ellis Park this Friday evening.
Ackermann has made just two changes to his starting side for the ABSA Currie Cup round eight clash.
The Sharks and DHL Western Province this weekend strengthened their chances of home semifinals in the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division, while the Vodacom Blue Bulls and GWK Griquas continued their struggle to make their presence felt.
With only three pool rounds remaining the Sharks and Western Province need only two more log points to cement their semifinal places, while the Blue Bulls and Griquas face a daunting task to sneak into the semifinals after each side managed to secure only a bonus point this weekend.
Golden Lions (13) 35 / 26 (7) Blue Bulls (Final Score)
The MTN Golden Lions and Vodacom Blue Bulls did battle in the Currie Cup Premier Division at
Ellis Park, Johannesburg at 17:05 SA Time (15:05 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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As we enter Round 7 of the 2013 Currie Cup, WP is setting the pace at the top of the Log, with 20 Log points. The Griquas find themselves in last place with 9 Log points.
A win for the Shark and Western Province this weekend could almost assure them of a semi final spot, in this scenario the Free State Cheetahs, Golden Lions and Blue Bulls are still fighting for the last two spots. A loss for the Griquas this weekend could see them remain in last position.
Lions coach Johan Ackermann has made several changes to the team that lost 26-23 to the Cheetahs last week.
FS Cheetahs (23) 26 / 23 (3) Golden Lions (Final Score)
The Toyota Free State Cheetahs and MTN Golden Lions did battle in the Currie Cup Premier Division at
Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein at 19:10 SA Time (17:10 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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As we enter Round 6 of the 2013 Currie Cup, WP is setting the pace at the top of the Log, with 16 Log points. The Griquas find themselves in last place with 8 Log points.
The Blue Bulls last week showed us that they are still a force in the competition, even having lost many players to Europe, injury and to the Springboks. It is stil a close nit affair as the difference between current leaders WP and 5th place Blue Bulls is only 6 Log points. So, a defeat for WP could see them fall down quite a few spots. The Griquas will also need to find winning ways soon, if they were to challenge for a semi final, a defeat this weekend could put this totally out of reach and probably see them end in last place.
Golden Lions coach Johan Ackerman has announced his side to take on the Toyota Free State Cheetahs in a Currie Cup fixture in Bloemfontein on Friday evening.
The team sees four changes to the starting line up that squeaked past Griquas last weekend, including a completely re-vamped front row that includes former Blue Bull Bees Roux at Tight Head Prop.
Herewith the GLRU media announcement:
DHL Western Province this weekend reclaimed the top spot on the Log in the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division as the competition reached the halfway mark, establishing themselves as one of the favourites in the competition.
But with 5 rounds of matches remaining and only 6 points separating the Cape side from the 5th-placed Blue Bulls on the standings, the competition remained wide open.
Western Province delivered a fine performance to defeat the Sharks 25 / 19 in Cape Town, while the Vodacom Blue Bulls registered a 26 / 10 victory against the Toyota Free State Cheetahs in Pretoria and the MTN Golden Lions beat GWK Griquas 38 / 32 in Kimberley.