New Zealand Rugby
Handré Pollard
Junior Springbok captain Handré Pollard will be hoping to continue his unbeaten run against the Baby Blacks when they square off in their semifinal on Sunday.
The Bulls flyhalf has not lost to the New Zealand Under-20 side in three previous encounters and will play in his third consecutive semifinal after making his Junior World Championship debut in 2012 on home soil in South Africa. In 2012 he won the JWC title as a schoolboy while last year he was in the exciting Junior Boks team that finished third in France.
The South Africans head into the game with something of a psychological advantage having beaten the Baby Blacks in the pool stage last week, and they will have to repeat that this weekend if they are to progress to the final at Eden Park.
Brett Gosper
IRB chief executive Brett Gosper has revealed that while an IRB committee is working on it a global season is unlikely to happen before 2019.
Super Rugby and Rugby Championship organisers SANZAR have requested that the IRB move the current June Test window to July in order to allow their Super Rugby tournament to run without a break for internationals.
July does not currenly fit in with the European season as the climax of the Northern Hemisphere tournaments take place in May and the June Internationals follow on.
Moving the mid-year internationals to July would therefore not work for Northern Hemisphere teams as the players would not get sufficient rest and the season would have a “dead” month in June.
When Martin Johnson’s England side beat the All Blacks in Wellington in 2003, it was a massive step on their way to becoming world champions later that year.
The timescale is a bit different this time – the World Cup is still 16 months away – but England must be thinking they can put a real marker down once again in New Zealand.
They could, and maybe should, have beaten the world champions in the first Test last week.
And now, with a team strengthened by the arrival of half-a-team’s worth of first-choice players, they will have real belief they can level the series at 1-1 in Dunedin on Saturday.
Simon Hickey injured
New Zealand’s Under 20 side has been dealt a blow with captain Simon Hickey out for the remainder of the Junior World Championship.
The play-maker has been instrumental for the Under 20 host nation along side his Blues Super Rugby team-mate, Tevita Li.
Hickey came off in the second half of New Zealand’s final pool match against Scotland on Tuesday with an ankle pain.
England coach Stuart Lancaster has made five changes to his team’s starting line-up for the second Test against New Zealand in Dunedin on Saturday.
Lancaster called in some backline reinforcements for the must-win encounter at the indoor stadium.
With his entire squad now available, Lancaster selected the backline combination that England used in the Six Nations over the supposedly “second string” line-up that pushed the All Blacks close in a 15-20 defeat in the first Test last week.
He recalled centres Billy Twelvetrees and Luther Burrell, pivot Owen Farrell and scrumhalf Danny Care, as well as naming Tom Wood at blindside flank in place of James Haskell.
Manusamoa Tuilagi switches from the centre to right wing, with Marland Yarde moving to the left wing to accommodate him.
Julian Savea
Wing Julian Savea returns to the New Zealand side for Saturday’s second test against England in Dunedin after fullback Israel Dagg was ruled out through injury.
Savea, who has scored 19 tries in 20 matches for the world champion All Blacks, missed the 20-15 first test victory with a knee complaint, but should add extra firepower to the backline after a sluggish performance in Auckland.
Ben Smith moves to fullback from the wing in Dagg’s absence.
Dan Carter
All Blacks flyhalf Dan Carter will make his comeback to rugby after six months in a minor club match in rural Canterbury province on Saturday.
Carter will play for the Southbridge club, where he began his career, in a local championships match against Glenmark.
Joe Marler
The All Blacks’ aura of invincibility is gone for England prop Joe Marler, who said his team’s fighting loss in Auckland last week had raised their belief that they could match the world champions.
England, the only team to beat top-ranked New Zealand in the past two seasons, lost the series-opener 20-15 last weekend against a rusty All Blacks side many had thought would thrash the tourists at their home Eden Park fortress.
England will have their pick of many of the first-choice players that missed the Auckland match due to the nation’s club final earlier this month and should field a stronger side on paper for the second Test in Dunedin.
England hooker Dylan Hartley said they have had a taste and now want more.
A weakened England side came close to upsetting World Cup holders, the New Zealand All Blacks, in Auckland last Saturday, only to lose the first Test 15-20 through a 78th-minute piece of individual brilliance.
It did not help the England cause that they butchered a number of opportunities through handling errors and poor choices.
All Blacks U20 (21) 54 / 7 (0) Scotland U20 (Final Score)
New Zealand Under 20 and Scotland Under 20 did battle in the Junior World Championship at
ECOLight Stadium, Pukekohe at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 08:35 BST, 07:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
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Kieran Read
The New Zealand media are again speculating about the immediate future of their best player, No 8 Kieran Read.
According to Newstalk ZB Read is again a doubtful starter ahead of the second Test against England in Dunedin this coming Saturday.
Read, the reigning IRB Player of the Year, is still feeling the effects of two concussions which have sidelined him for much of this year’s Super Rugby competition and missed this past weekend’s 20-15 win over England in Auckland.
Aaron Cruden
New Zealand coach Steve Hansen praised the bravery and class of flyhalf Aaron Cruden for producing the match-winning moment in a tight Test.
Cruden was hailed as the hero of the All Blacks’ last gasp 20-15 win over England at the weekend, not for the five penalties he kicked but for the one he turned down.
Cruden not only caught England napping but also his own teammates when he opted to tap and run when the All Blacks won a handy penalty with the score locked at 15-all.
Stuart Lancaster
England coach Stuart Lancaster faced a selection headache Sunday as he rued the missed opportunity of a rare Test win over the All Blacks in New Zealand.
Lancaster said he was mulling whether to give his combative second-stringers another crack after they were eclipsed 20-15 in the first Test, or to unleash many of England’s “quality players” who only arrived in New Zealand last week.
While Conrad Smith’s try in the dying minutes gave the All Blacks victory in Auckland on Saturday, the match statistics were heavily tilted in England’s favour.
All Blacks (9) 20 / 15 (9) England (Final Score)
The New Zealand All Blacks and England did battle in the June Internationals at
Eden Park, Auckland at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 08:35 BST, 07:35 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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Peter Grant
Jason Eaton
Alofa Alofa
Promoted Top 14 side La Rochelle announced on Friday the signing of former All Black Jason Eaton along with Australian Alofa Alofa and ex-Springbok Peter Grant on two-year deals.
Francois Steyn
Tanerau Latimer
Japanese Rugby club Toshiba Brave Lupus have announced that Springbok Frans Steyn and All Black flanker Tanerau Latimer have signed with the club.
The club have won the Japanese Top league four times and already have the likes of Richard Kahui and Cooper Vuna on their books.
We’ve already seen the matches of Round 2 of the 2014 Junior World Championships on TV on Friday 6 June, but Saturdat 7 June sees the proper start of the June Internationals, with 4 of those international Tests broadcast live on TV in South Africa.
These Fixtures will of course also be handled as Live Game Articles right here on your favourite rugby website, Rugby-Talk.
The action is kicked off at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 08:40 BST, 07:35 GMT) between the All Blacks vs England, followed by the Wallabies vs France at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 AEST, 09:40 France Time & GMT).
The Springboks vs the World XV side follows at 17:00 SA Time (15:00 GMT).
At 20:40 SA Time (15:40 ARG Time, 19:40 BST, 18:40 GMT) we see Argentina vs Ireland.
Simon Hickey
New Zealand Under 20 head coach Chris Boyd has made three changes to the starting line-up to face South Africa on Friday.
Boyd said that the match against Samoa proved a good confidence booster for the start of their JWC campaign but there had been areas of their game with which they were not happy.
“We’ve had a good review of that game, and we know what worked well, and what didn’t work as well as it was supposed to,” said Boyd.
Asaeli Tikoirotuma
Fiji’s Aseli Tikoirotuma has signed for Harlequins on a two-tear contract, the English Premiership side announced on Thursday.
“Aseli is one of the most exciting backs in world rugby, and we are delighted that he has signed for us,” said Harlequins rugby director Conor O’Shea.
Steve Hansen
Steve Hansen could never be accused of being a conservative.
The All Blacks coach has struck a balance between future and present in naming three new caps on the reserves bench to play England at Eden Park on Saturday.
Centre Malakai Fekitoa, lock Patrick Tuipulotu and halfback TJ Perenara have all been named in the 23-man squad for the first test of the international season.
England’s forwards will need to maintain the form they discovered in the Six Nations if they want to compete against the All Blacks this weekend, lock Joe Launchbury said on Wednesday.
The tourists will field a weakened side in the opening test in Auckland, with many first-choice players unavailable because they played in the Premiership final between Northampton and Saracens last Saturday.
But Launchbury said the players lining up to face the world champions at Eden Park on Saturday were primed for the challenge, despite being written off by many pundits.
Kieran Read
Sam Cane
All Blacks loose forward Kieran Read has been withdrawn from the New Zealand side for the first Test against England on Saturday due to ongoing concerns over concussion-like symptoms, while Sam Cane has been ruled out of the three-match series with a knee injury.
Bullocking winger Julian Savea is also a doubt for the opening clash at Eden Park with a long-standing knee injury that will require a scan later on Tuesday.
George Whitelock
George Whitelock is expected to join Japanese club Panasonic Wild Knights that recently appointed former Wallabies coach Robbie Deans as its coach.
The club also has Highlanders scrumhalf Fumiaki Tanaka and ex-Wallabies flyhalf Berrick Barnes on its books.
Whitelock, has not started a Super Rugby match since April 19 because Jordan Taufua has been preferred for the No 6 jersey.
The Lions secured their first-ever Vodacom Super Rugby victory over the Vodacom Bulls on Saturday, just before the DHL Stormers won their first away game of the season when they beat the Cell C Sharks in Durban.
On a weekend where the Vodacom Bulls had a superb opportunity to move into the top six, following defeats by the Highlanders, Hurricanes and Chiefs, the men from Pretoria lost for the first time to the spirited Lions at Ellis Park.
The home team deserve a lot of credit for the way in which they never gave up despite being on the back foot from time to time. The visitors let themselves down with bad execution, but that does not take anything away from the Lions’ 32-21 victory.
Shortly after the Lions’ stunning victory, the Cell C Sharks lost their second home game of the season but clung onto the top spot on the log when Jaco Taute slotted an injury-time drop-goal to see the DHL Stormers through by 21-19.
It was the first and only time during the match that the team from Cape Town took the lead for probably their best win of the season.
Vodacom Super Rugby resumes for the five South African franchises in the first weekend of July. All of them have completed 14 matches and have two left before the playoffs start. The Toyota Cheetahs had a bye this week.
Jason Woodward
Jason Woodward will leave the Rebels at season’s end after agreeing terms on a two-year deal to return home and represent the Hurricanes.
Woodward will return to New Zealand, where he will attempt to fulfil his childhood ambition and represent his country as an All Black.
Woodward said although he would be leaving Melbourne with a heavy heart, returning home to be part of the Hurricanes club was an offer he couldn’t turn down.
John Plumtree & Chris Boyd
Chris Boyd and John Plumtree will reunite as Super Rugby coaches in 2015 – this time on home soil.
The pair, who coached the Durban-based Sharks together in 2009 and 2010, have today been announced as the new coaching duo to lead the Hurricanes into next year’s campaign.
Current Wellington Lions coach, Boyd, will take up the head coach role, with Plumtree as his assistant.
Malakai Fekitoa
Patrick Tuipulotu
The All Blacks have called up two new players and recalled two World Cup-winners to the squad to face England.
Highlanders midfielder Malakai Fekitoa and Blues lock Patrick Tuipulotu are the two uncapped players, whilst loose forwards Jerome Kaino and Victor Vito return after extended absences.
The backs – forwards split sees 17 forwards selected (two hookers, five props, four locks and six loose forwards) and 14 backs (three halfbacks, three first five–eighths, four midfielders and four outside backs) and the squad has a combined total of 1,125 Test caps.
England head coach Stuart Lancaster has added 16 players to their New Zealand tour squad after Northampton Saints and Saracens completed their domestic season.
The 16 players have been drawn from Aviva Premiership finalists Northampton Saints and Saracens, along with Bath Rugby’s Anthony Watson and Harlequins’ Kyle Sinckler, will fly to New Zealand on Monday night and arrive in Auckland on Wednesday morning.
England Head Coach Stuart Lancaster said, “We are looking forward to the guys flying in and adding to the group. ”
Blues (15) 37 / 24 (7) Hurricanes (Final Score)
The Blues and Hurricanes did battle in Super Rugby at
Eden Park, Auckland at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 07:35 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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Chiefs (3) 17 / 33 (13) Waratahs (Final Score)
The Chiefs and Waratahs did battle in Super Rugby at
Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth at 06:35 SA Time (16:35 NZ Time, 14:35 AEST, 04:35 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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Zac Guildford
Former All Blacks winger Zac Guildford has had his contract with the New Zealand Rugby Union terminated, freeing him for a move to France.
The 25-year-old Guildford had already said he would be joining Clermont Auvergne at the conclusion of his Super Rugby commitments with the Canterbury Crusaders.
Guildford, however, has not featured this season for the seven-time champions and had been reduced to playing club rugby in Christchurch and his home town of Napier.
Reds (21) 38 / 31 (0) Highlanders (Final Score)
The Reds and Highlanders did battle in Super Rugby at
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 AEST, 21:40 NZ Time, 09:40 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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Crusaders (16) 30 / 7 (0) Force (Final Score)
The Crusaders and Western Force did battle in Super Rugby at
AMI Stadium, Christchurch at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 15:35 AWST, 07:35 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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It is Round 16 of Super Rugby 2014 this weekend, the last Round before the June Test Break! We have 7 games in Round 16, with 2 game on Friday and 5 games on Saturday.
The Toyota Cheetahs have a BYE weekend.
In June / July 2014 the Antipodian teams will catch up in played games with the South African counterparts, when the South African sides sit out for 1 Round.
The Combined Log will therefore be skewed for the majority of the competition and one has to question why individual countries are allowed to start such a long competition ahead of it’s rivals. In 2013 the Australian sides started a week early, but at least they had the excuse that they needed an extra week in the middle of the year to prepare for the British & Irish Lions series, which they lost.
We are now entering the home stretch of the regular season of Super Rugby, and with over 94 matches played, and just 26 regular season fixtures remaining.
There are a maximum of 20 competition points available to eight teams, 15 for six franchises, while the Cheetahs have just two matches and ten points available, meaning they are at risk of claiming the wooden spoon.
With just eight points between the top six teams, 48 points looks to be the minimum qualifying mark.
But that of course could well change in the final month of the regular campaign.