MTN 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.
Loose forward Warren Whiteley has been named as Lions captain for next year’s Super Rugby competition, reports indicate.
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.
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.
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.
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.
South Africa will be kicking off the the 2014 Super Rugby season with 4 of their 5 teams playing in the first weekend.
The Toyota Cheetahs will be hosting MTN Lions on Saturday 15 February at 17:05 whilst The Sharks will host the Vodacom Bulls at 19:10. The Stormers find themselves with a bye in the first week.
The Lions took a giant leap in the right direction with the bulk resigning of a core group that includes their Springboks, as they start looking towards their re-entry into Super Rugby.
Springboks Elton Jantjies, Franco van der Merwe and Lionel Mapoe headline the group that will remain with the Lions through till 2015.
The newly promoted Golden Lions will formally sit down with prop Jacobus (Bees) Roux on Tuesday to see if they can sign him on a short-term Currie Cup contract.
Roux, better known as ‘Bees’, hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons in August 2010 – when he was arrested in connection with the death of a South African police officer in Pretoria.
Roux was given a five-year suspended jail sentence in 2011 over the beating to death of Tshwane metro police officer Johannes Mogale the year before.
Lions (8) 18 / 23 (9) Kings (Final Score)
The MTN Lions and Southern Kings did battle in the 2nd and last Super Rugby
Promotion / Relegation game at Ellis Park, Johannesburg at 17:0 SA Time (15:00 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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MTN Lions head coach Johan Ackermann has announced his side to face the Southern Kings in the second leg of the Super Rugby promotion / relegation series.
The match will take place on Saturday 3 August at 17:00.
Anything you can do, we can do better! This is the message, loud and clear, from Lions fans to their Southern Kings rivals.
The Kings have been praised for their good crowd attendances at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, but the Lions will well and truly upstage them.
Lions president Kevin de Klerk is confident that his team will take what he believes is their rightful place in Super Rugby.
This is what really happened behind the scenes…
[youtube]http://youtu.be/_APSHxnTZp8[/youtube]
You know we’re joking, of course
JC Janse van Rensburg will ‘ride off’ into the proverbial sunset soon, but the long-standing captain is determined to leave the Lions with a perfect parting gift.
The 27-year-old uncapped Springbok prop wants to ensure he plays part in the Johannesburg-based franchise regaining their Super Rugby status.
Having captained the Lions to a 26-19 win over the Southern Kings in the first of the two promotion-relegation matches in Port Elizabeth last week, Janse van Rensburg will run out in front for the last time in the return match at Ellis Park on Saturday – before heading to French team Bayonne, where he signed a to-year deal.
The Vodacom Bulls missed out on a fourth Vodacom Super Rugby final in seven years when they were beaten in the second tense semi-final by a spirited Brumbies team in Pretoria on Saturday evening.
As a result, the Brumbies will now travel to Hamilton to face the defending champion Chiefs in the 2013 Final. Both teams have won the title before – the Chiefs last year and the Brumbies in 2001 and 2004.
The Chiefs won hosting rights for the Final when they beat the heavily-favoured Crusaders by 20-19 in a nail-biter at the Waikato Stadium on Saturday morning (SA time). The defending champions fought back brilliantly in the second half after they were behind by 3-9 at the break.
Kings (14) 19 / 26 (19) Lions (Final Score)
The Southern Kings and MTN Lions did battle in the 1st of 2 Promotion / Relegation games for Super Rugby
at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth 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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The FIRST of two Promotion / Relegation matches, to decide wo of the MTN Lions or the Southern Kings will take part in Super Rugby 2014 will be played on Friday 26 July 2013 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth.
This follows after the Southern Kings ended last in the South African Super Rugby Conference, in fact ended stone last in the whole of 2013’s Super Rugby competition. SARU’s determination was that the team who ended last in the South African Conference will play a series of two Promotion / Relegation matches against the MTN Lions, who had to make way at the end of 2012 in favour of the Southern Kings, in rather unfortunate and bumbling circumstances engineered by SARU.
Springbok flyhalf Elton Jantjies will play two more matches for the Stormers, before returning to Johannesburg to help the Golden Lions in their bid to regain their Super Rugby status.
Lions (7) 33 / 29 (19) Sharks (Final Score)
The MTN Lions and The Sharks did battle in the MTN Lions Challenge at Ellis Park, Johannesburg at 19:10 SA Time.
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
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MTN Lions head coach Johan Ackermann has announced his side to front The Sharks at Ellis Park on Friday evening.
Lions (28) 42 / 12 (5) WP (Final Score)
The MTN Lions and a weakened Western Province side did battle in the Lions Challenge at Ellis Park, Johannesburg at 19:00 SA Time.
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
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Yes, I’ve deliberately inverted the WP Logo, for disrespecting the Lions
WP coach John Dobson has named his team to take on the Lions in a friendly at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Friday. Kick-off is at 19:00.
One of 2 things must happen as a result of the Western Cape deciding not so send their Super Rugby side, but rather a WP “No-Namers Side” consisting of a mix of Vodacom Cup and Under 21 players, to face the Golden Lions. Either the Golden Lions must go on and man-shame WP for daring to disrespect the Lions so much and at the same time proving that the Lions are indeed still a team with Super Rugby quality. Alternatively, if the Lions do not manage to win against this mottley crew, they must lose and lose well, so that it is clear for all and sundry to see that the final demise of the Lions is imminent.
Lions (28) 56 / 24 (14) Mont-de-Marsan (Final Score)
The MTN Lions and Mont-de-Marsan did battle in the Lions Challenge Series at Ellis Park, Johannesburg at 19:30 SA Time (17:30 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, & CSN on TV in SA.
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So the long awaited “non-grudge” game between South Africa’s newest Super Rugby franchise and the team they displaced has come and gone, with the Lions winning the game on the score board.
But who were the real winners on the day and why?
Here’s my personal take on it all:
Lions (22) 41 / 31 (7) Kings (Final Score)
The MTN Lions and Southern Kings did battle in the MTN Lions Challenge at Ellis Park, Johannesburg at 14:15 SA Time.
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
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MTN Lions head coach Johan Ackermann has announced the following team to take on the Southern Kings this Saturday at Ellis Park.
The match kicks off at 14:15 but gates open at 10:30 for the Oostelikes versus Alberton curtain raiser.
Bulls (22) 38 / 32 (17) Lions (Final Score)
The Vodacom Bulls and MTN Lions did battle in the Gauteng Rugby Cup at Orlando Stadium, Soweto at 15:00 SA Time.
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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MTN Lions head coach Johan Ackermann has announced the following team to take on the Vodacom Bulls in the Gauteng Cup, taking place this Saturday at Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
Kick-off is at 15:00.
Southern Kings captain Luke Watson has said that SARU’s decision to relegate the Lions was unfair and expressed sadness at the Lions’ Super Rugby exit.
Speaking to SportsTalk in a radio interview, Watson sympathised with the Lions’ plight, and said fans had every right to feel aggrieved.
Lions (7) 33 / 17 (12) Cheetahs (Final Score)
The MTN Lions and Toyota Cheetahs did battle in a MTN Lions Challenge and Super Rugby wrm-up game at Ellis Park, Johannesburg at 17:05 SA Time.
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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Lions 51 (20) / (3) 13 Russia (Final Score)
The Lions and Russian Bears did battle in the first game of the MTN Lions Challenge at Ellis Park, Johannesburg at 19:00 SA Time.
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD4 & CSN on TV in SA.
The Lions proved to be too strong for a game Russia side who never stopped trying. The Lions ran in 5 tries, and were awarded a further 2 penalty tries on a cold and damp Highveld evening.. The Lions still have a way to go before any possible promotion / relegation games for Super Rugby 2014, but after a display like this to build on, coach Johan Ackermann will feel they have started on the right path.
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Lions coach Johan Ackermann has named five debutants in the starting line-up to face the Russian Bears at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Lock Franco Mostert, flank Warwick Tecklenburg, flyhalf Lionel Cronje and centres Harold Vorster and Stokkies Hanekom will all make their first appearance for the Johannesburg side in the first match of the Lions Challenge series.