SA Rugby
Senior Springboks Jean de Villiers and Schalk Burger will head up the Stormers’ leadership group in the 2014 Vodacom Super Rugby season.
De Villiers, who has led the Springboks with such success in 2012 and 2013, will again captain the Stormers this season, while Burger, back to full health and fitness, will serve as his vice-captain.
The Lions Super Rugby pre-season preparations are in full swing and head coach Johan Ackermann says he is happy with the squad’s progress so far.
This is the 7th in the series of Stormers Squad Contenders for Super Rugby 2014. We do 2 articles per week per South African Super Rugby participating franchise.
We discuss the players IN the Super Rugby Group, and not all the options beyond that.
In this Article we look at the contenders for MIDFIELD in the DHL Stormers 2014 Super Rugby group, and whether they could force their way into Bok contention.
This is the 7th in the series of Cheetahs Squad Contenders for Super Rugby 2014. We do 2 articles per week per South African Super Rugby participating franchise.
We discuss the players IN the Super Rugby Group, and not all the options beyond that.
In this Article we look at the contenders for MIDFIELD in the Toyota Cheetahs 2014 Super Rugby group, and whether they could force their way into Bok contention.
The Toyota Cheetahs will have to do without Heinrich Brüssow for the opening 6 rounds of their 2014 Super Rugby season after the loose forward tore a ligament in his toe.
The Springbok flank, who was due to return to the Cheetahs to take part in this year’s Super Rugby competition, sustained the injury while playing his first season for Japanese club Docomo Red Hurricanes.
Springbok and Stormers winger Gio Aplon is set to become the next high-profile South African to head to France after it was revealed he was “close to signing” a contract with French club Grenoble.
After seven lean years, in which their highest finish was 10th, the Cheetahs finally made the 2013 Super Rugby play-offs. Now they are ready to raise the bar once more.
Cheetahs assistant coach Hawies Fourie is confident they have the squad to improve on last year’s sixth-place finish – when they were knocked out in the quarterfinal stage by the Brumbies.
Joe van Niekerk, Juan Smith, Bakkies Botha and Craig Burden were part of a dominant Toulon pack that created three penalty tries in the European champions’ win over Cardiff Blues.
Seven South African players were involved in Sunday’s match between Toulouse and Saracens, with Jano Vermaak, Chiliboy Ralepelle and Schalk Ferreira starting for the victorious French side who had Gurthrö Steenkamp on the bench. Neil de Kock, Alistair Hargreaves, Schalk Brits and Ernst Joubert were all on the losing side for the visitors.
With little over a month to go until the start of the 2014 Vodacom Super Rugby tournament, it’s fun fact time!
The Vodacom Bulls will head into this year’s Vodacom Super Rugby series with only one warm-up game under their belts.
The Bulls, who will face the Stormers in their pre-season friendly in Polokwane on 1 February, have decided that this will be their only warm-up game to prepare for the Southern Hemisphere tournament.
The oldest man to wear a Springbok jersey in the modern era, Johan Ackermann, has given Victor Matfield’s comeback his seal of approval.
Super Rugby teams will step up their preparations for the upcoming season and shake off some rust in pre-season friendlies in the coming weeks.
Preparing for the gruelling Super Rugby tournament, which gets underway on 15 February and culminates on 2 August, is not an exact science.
Samurai beat giant-killers the Unlimited Titans 33-17 in the Cup Final on Sunday to secure back-to-back George Premier League Sevens titles.
Samurai were in a league of their own and stormed through the competition unbeaten to retain their crown and pick up the R1-million cheque.
This is the 6th in the series of Stormers Squad Contenders for Super Rugby 2014. We do 2 articles per week per South African Super Rugby participating franchise.
We discuss the players IN the Super Rugby Group, and not all the options beyond that.
In this Article we look at the contenders for FLYHALVES in the DHL Stormers 2014 Super Rugby group, and whether they could force their way into Bok contention.
This is the 6th in the series of Cheetahs Squad Contenders for Super Rugby 2014. We do 2 articles per week per South African Super Rugby participating franchise.
We discuss the players IN the Super Rugby Group, and not all the options beyond that.
In this Article we look at the contenders for FLYHALVES in the Toyota Cheetahs 2014 Super Rugby group, and whether they could force their way into Bok contention.
This is the 6th article in the series of Bulls Squad Contenders for Super Rugby 2014. We do 2 articles per week per South African Super Rugby participating franchise.
We discuss the players IN the Super Rugby Group, and not all the options beyond that.
In this Article we look at the contenders for FLYHALVES in the Vodacom Bulls 2014 Super Rugby group, and whether they could force their way into Bok contention.
This is the 6th article in the series of Cell C Sharks Squad Contenders for Super Rugby 2014. We do 2 articles per week per South African Super Rugby participating franchise.
We discuss the players IN the Super Rugby Group, and not all the options beyond that.
In this Article we look at the contenders for FLYHALVES in the Cell C Sharks 2014 Super Rugby group, and whether they could force their way into Bok contention.
This is the 6th in the series of the Lions Squad Contenders for Super Rugby 2014. We do 2 articles per week per South African Super Rugby participating franchise.
We discuss the players IN the Super Rugby Group, and not all the options beyond that.
In this Article we look at the contenders for FLYHALVES in the Lions 2014 Super Rugby group, and whether they could force their way into Bok contention.
Former Springbok lock Victor Matfield will make his return to the playing field for the Bulls in this year’s Super Rugby competition, a report indicates.
Die Burger newspaper was reliably informed by three credible sources that Matfield will play for the Bulls.
The Bulls have completed their first week of training in 2014 with a virtually injury-free squad to pick from, according to reports.
Players like Pierre Spies, Arno Botha, Francois Hougaard and Deon Stegmann took full part in training on Thursday as the Bulls concluded their first week back.
The world’s best hooker, Bismarck du Plessis, is among 12 Springboks named in a provisional Sharks squad to play Saracens at Allianz Park on Saturday, January 25.
The reigning Currie Cup champions will play the current Premiership leaders, a unique clash between north and south, between the Heineken Cup in European Cup and Super Rugby.
The Cheetahs will head off the beaten track during their pre-season build-up, as they look to improve on last year’s sixth-place finish in Super Rugby.
Cheetahs assistant coach Hawies Fourie confirmed to this website that one of their pre-season games – against the new Currie Cup team, the Pumas, on February 1 – will be played in the Free State town of Parys, a town situated on the banks of the Vaal River in the Free State province.
The Eastern Province Kings may be keen, but they are a long way off from securing the services of Gary Gold.
Media reports on Friday suggested the former Springbok assistant coach could be heading to Port Elizabeth – to fill the void left by the departure of another former Bok assistant, Alan Solomons, and New Zealander Matt Sexton.
Ixias versatile prop and the Griffons Vodacom Cup Forward Player of the Year for 2013, Danie van der Merwe has been called up to train with the Toyota Cheetahs.
The Lions have half-a-dozen players on their doubtful list, just more than a month away from their return to Super Rugby.
Lions coach Johan Ackermann, in an interview with this website as his team returned to the training field this week, revealed that Springbok flyhalf Elton Jantjies tops the list of injured players.
Kenya will replace the Pampas XV in this year’s Vodacom Cup competition, a report indicates.
Luke Watson looks set to stay at the Kings despite interest shown in him by Sharks coach Jake White.
White shocked the rugby fraternity when he phoned Watson last month over the possibility of him representing the Sharks in this year’s Super Rugby competition.
The 1994 Springbok team is regarded as the worst Springbok side visiting New Zealand. They were unable to win a single test –losing the first two and drawing the 3rd test- and losing one provincial match out of 11 against Otago (12-19).
In total they lost 3 matches and drew one out of 14 matches. Compared to the 1965 Springboks probably a better overall result; excluding the fact that they couldn’t win a test match. It was nonetheless a disappointing result considering the fact that this team also completed tours -with the same coach, Ian McIntosh- through Australia and Argentina in 1993. They won one test in Australia and both test matches in Argentina with reasonable good margins. In addition they played two test matches against England at the start of the 1994 season losing the first one 15-32 at Loftus Versfeld and winning the second one 27-9 at Newlands in Cape Town. From that backdrop there was understandingly an expectation that SA rugby and particular the Springboks will shed the impact of the isolation years and begin to adjust to the requirements of the international rugby if not win test matches.
Saracens have named a powerful 23-man squad for the historic north-south clash against the Sharks of South Africa at Allianz Park on Saturday, January 25.
The squad – to be captained by Steve Borthwick – includes several South Africans, including former Sharks centre Brad Barritt and Sharks lock Alistair Hargreaves.
Three members of the Springbok Sevens team that won the Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens tournament in December have been included in the SA Sevens Academy team for the George 7sPL tournament this weekend.
The George 7sPL will be played at Outeniqua Park on January 11-12.
World Cup-winning Springbok Johann Muller will decide soon whether to hang up his boots or continue playing.
The 34-year-old lock is pondering a possible contract extension with Irish province Ulster, but admitted he is also considering putting an end to his career and return home to South Africa.
John Mitchell, head coach of Varsity Shield side, UKZN Impi, has attained the services of former Springbok flyhalf Butch James.
According to the Varsity Cup website, the 35-year-old James will be the backline and kicking coach in 2014.
This is the 6th article in the series of Bulls Squad Contenders for Super Rugby 2014. We do 2 articles per week per South African Super Rugby participating franchise.
We discuss the players IN the Super Rugby Group, and not all the options beyond that.
In this Article we look at the contenders for SCRUMHALVES in the Vodacom Bulls 2014 Super Rugby group, and whether they could force their way into Bok contention.
This is the 6th article in the series of Cell C Sharks Squad Contenders for Super Rugby 2014. We do 2 articles per week per South African Super Rugby participating franchise.
We discuss the players IN the Super Rugby Group, and not all the options beyond that.
In this Article we look at the contenders for SCRUMHALVES in the Cell C Sharks 2014 Super Rugby group, and whether they could force their way into Bok contention.
This is the fifth in the series of Cheetahs Squad Contenders for Super Rugby 2014. We do 2 articles per week per South African Super Rugby participating franchise.
We discuss the players IN the Super Rugby Group, and not all the options beyond that.
In this Article we look at the contenders for SCRUMHALVES in the Toyota Cheetahs 2014 Super Rugby group, and whether they could force their way into Bok contention.