Player Movements
Springboks coach Heyneke Meyer and Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie are both expected to make changes to their starting line ups for this week’s Rugby Championship match.
The All Blacks look set to welcome back star flyhalf Dan Carter from injury as they returned to training ahead of their Rugby Championship clash with the Pumas next weekend.
The bulk of the squad – excluding 10 players who were released for provincial duty – reassembled for their first training session in Hamilton on Sunday following a timely week-long break.
Rugby World Cup winning South African forward Juan Smith has signed a one year deal with Top 14 Rugby club Toulon.
South African international flyhalf Morne Steyn revealed he would only start on the bench for Stade Francais in Friday’s Top 14 clash with Biarritz.
The 29-year-old – capped 47 times – only arrived from Argentina on Monday after helping the Springboks beat the Pumas 22-17 in a Four Nations Test.
Veteran All Black hooker Keven Mealamu has re-signed with the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) and the Blues.
34-year-old Mealamu has so far played 105 Tests for the All Blacks and is New Zealand’s most-capped Super Rugby player with more than 150 games.
Exciting outside back Israel Folau has rebuffed a return to the National Rugby League by signing a two-year deal with the Australian Rugby Union.
The ARU said Thursday that Folau, 24, had committed to the code after a stellar first season with the Waratahs that led to his outstanding Test debut for the Wallabies against the British and Irish Lions.
Hurricanes midfielder Rey Lee-Lo will be moving south to join the Crusaders on a two-year deal next season.
Zane Kirchner and Chiliboy Ralepelle have been selected to travel with the Springboks to Australia and New Zealand for the next two Tests in The Castle Lager Rugby Championship.
The squad of 26 players who returned from Argentina on Monday was retained, with Kirchner (fullback) and Ralepelle (hooker) the only additions.
A host of players have signed with Griquas for the 2014 season, attracted by the lure of Super Rugby. The fact that relatively unknown players such as Lourens Adriaanse and Willie le Roux have experienced meteoric progress and been selected for the Springboks has enhanced the Griquas Union as a gateway to higher honours.
The reports suggesting that flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis has signed a two-year deal with Western Province Rugby, has now officially been confirmed by Western Province Rugby, which will see him remain in the Cape for a further two years after the 2013 Absa Currie Cup tournament.
MTN Golden Lions head coach Johan Ackermann has announced his team to face DHL Western Province, in round four of the 2013 ABSA Currie Cup, at Ellis Park on Friday evening.
There are a handful of changes to the team that thumped the Vodacom Blue Bulls 62-23 last weekend.
Flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis has reportedly signed a two-year deal with Western Province.
Griquas lock Jonathan Adendorf is lucky to be alive, after being attacked at the weekend.
All Black coach Steven Hansen released 10 players from the national team to play for their national provincial championship teams in the next week.
The Springboks’ decision to continue with their overseas-based players had its first impact as the team arrived back in South Africa on Monday with no fewer than six members of the 26-man squad having to fly back to France to represent their clubs this weekend.
DHL Western Province could have the option of three top flyhalves for Friday’s Absa Currie Cup showdown against the MTN Golden Lions in Johannesburg.
Gary van Aswegen, who missed the narrow win over GWK Griquas, was back in training at the HPC in Bellville on Monday and looks likely to return to the side for the match at Ellis Park.
The latest flyhalf injury to hit the All Blacks seems a minor setback for coach Steve Hansen whose major issue appears to be who to cut when all players are fit.
Tom Taylor, New Zealand’s fourth-ranked flyhalf, has been sidelined for three weeks with a rib injury suffered late in Saturday’s 27-16 win over Australia where he made his Test debut with a confident display.
Wallabies and former Melbourne Rebels fullback has agreed to return to New South Wales and play Super Rugby for the Waratahs in 2014.
Twenty-four-year-old Beale has signed a one year contract with his former Super Rugby team the Waratahs and the Australian Rugby Union.
Springbok flank Juan Smith is set to make his return to the rugby field after passing a medical at French club, Toulon.
Smith, 32, earlier this year retired from rugby after an ongoing Achilles injury which plagued him since the start of 2011, but – as reported earlier this week – he left for France on Sunday with the aim of reviving his career.
All Blacks and Hurricanes winger Julian Savea has revealed that the Crusaders are trying to sign him for the 2014 Super Rugby season.
New Zealand suffered a triple blow ahead of their return match against Australia in Wellington on Saturday.
All Black pivot Aaron Cruden and his back-up Beauden Barrett have both been ruled out of the Rugby Championship Round Two clash.
Australia, still reeling from the humiliating 29-47 loss to New Zealand last week, have had injury added to the insult.
Wallaby back row forward Hugh McMeniman will miss the remainder of the Rugby Championship and also the year-end tour after being forced to withdraw with a shoulder injury.
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer said rookie Trevor Nyakane must learn his lesson and come back a better player.
Nyakane was dropped from the South African squad, ahead of the trip to Mendoza and the return match against Argentina, for “repeated breaches of team protocol”.
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) wants Jaque Fourie to again be available for Springbok selection.
Trevor Nyakane has been dropped from the national squad for “repeated breaches of team protocol”.
It was announced on Sunday that Lourens Adriaanse and Piet van Zyl, who made his Test debut in June against Scotland in Nelspruit, have been added to the Springbok squad of 26 players that travelled to Argentina on Sunday.
New Zealand have called four players into their squad as cover for Saturday’s Rugby Championship return match against Australia after suffering a number of injuries in the Sydney opener at the weekend.
The Vodacom Blue Bulls will be without Jean Cook (broken thumb), Frik Kirsten (ankle) and most probably Callie Visagie for Saturday’s Absa Currie Cup match against the MTN Golden Lions.
Springbok Juan de Jongh looks set to make a timely return to the DHL Western Province midfield for Saturday’s Absa Currie Cup match against GWK Griquas in Kimberley.
De Jongh was left out of the Bok squad that flew to Argentina on Sunday as national coach Heyneke Meyer is permitted to only take 26 players on tour.
Bok flank Juan Smith quietly left South Africa via Oliver Tambo Airport yesterday with his agent Stephan Weyers, to attend medical and fitness assessments with French side Toulon.
The Sharks have secured the services of Griquas prop Lourens Adriaanse from next season.
Flyhalf Matt Toomua will make his debut for Australia, while Quade Cooper was named on the bench for Saturday’s opening Rugby Championship match against New Zealand in Sydney.
Toomua was given the starting No.10 assignment ahead of Cooper by new Wallaby coach Ewen McKenzie, for the match doubling up as a Bledisloe Cup encounter.
Blindside flank Liam Messam on Thursday withdrew from the All Black team to face Australia this weekend due to a hamstring strain, forcing coach Steve Hansen to draft in inexperienced Steven Luatua.
Messam pulled up sore at training, preventing him from featuring in the Rugby Championship opener against the Wallabies in Sydney on Saturday.
The Vodacom Blue Bulls had a late change to their team playing Griquas in an Absa Currie Cup match in Pretoria on Friday.
Prop Frik Kirsten has an ankle strain and will be rested for the clash at Loftus Versfeld. His place will be taken by Werner Kruger.
Willie du Plessis, the University of Pretoria flyhalf, could make his Currie Cup debut for the Free State Cheetahs at Newlands on Saturday.
The inclusion the Varsity Cup star on the bench is the only change to the team that will face defending champions Western Province in a Round Two match on Saturday.
The Golden Lions were dealt a cruel blow with the news that talented midfielder Nicolaas “Stokkies” Hanekom will miss at least a month of Currie Cup action.
Lions coach Johan Ackermann confirmed on Tuesday that Hanekom will be sidelined for at least four weeks, maybe longer – with a shoulder injury and also a knee problem.