Yearly Archives: 2011
It’s the start of the Currie Cup, the Craven Week u/18 Tournament draws to a close, the ITM Cup in New Zealand is featured and the Big Guns in the Southern Hemisphere start their Internationals for 2011.
The Currie Cup kicks off this weekend and there are some massive clashes in store in Round One of South Africa’s premier provincial competition.
New Brumbies Head Coach Jake White arrived in Canberra on Friday and has already started working on the 2012 Super Rugby season.
England’s Rugby team will wear an All Black rugby kit when they start their 2011 Rugby World Cup campaign against Argentina in New Zealand on September the 10th.
London – New Zealand rugby coach Graham Henry plans to rest several members of his squad ahead of September’s World Cup to guard against the possibility of burnout.
Henry told the BBC in an interview Thursday that several All Blacks stars were “overdone” as the New Zealanders head into an international season which will culminate with the World Cup on home soil.
Allister Coetzee, head coach of DHL WP, today named his team to take on the Griquas at DHL Newlands on Saturday 16 July 2011.
The side is captained by Deon Fourie at hooker.
Auckland 3 / South Africa 6
The third tour match against Auckland at Eden Park was disastrous for many reasons and had in many ways a lasting negative impact on the tour. This match changed the perception the New Zealand public had about the Springboks essentially leaving the kiwis very negative about the touring side. Warwick Roger recalls how -as he walked home after having watched the match as an 11 year old- the realisation dawned on him that the Springboks were not gods at all and how in the ensuing weeks they started kicking each other on the rugby field like the Springboks did against Auckland. An Article in the Star stated on the Monday after the match that: ‘It was a rubbishy, unintelligent game… rugby at its most depressing… exactly the sort of game that makes league fans out of rugby supporters.’
All accounts of this fixture assert to the fact that is was an awful match with both teams being incredibly, humiliatingly bad and more concerned to brawl, kick, punch and shoulder charge than to play rugby.
Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske named a strong team filled with Super Rugby players for their opening Currie Cup clash against the Leopards in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
The Sharks have named their team for the Currie Cup opener against the Blue Bulls with former Cheetahs centre Marius Joubert making his debut for the Sharks.
Vodacom Blue Bulls Currie Cup coach, Pine Pienaar, included three Springboks in his side for Saturday’s opening fixture in Absa’s Currie Cup competition against the Natal Sharks in Durban.
Samoa have named their rugby team to face Australia which includes five players who have played under Wallabies coach Robbie Deans whilst he was coaching the Crusaders.
The New Zealand Rugby Union and All Black Luke McAlister are at loggerheads over a $60,000 payment for his release so that he can move to France to play in the Top14.
At a media function in Johannesburg earlier this afternoon, the Golden Lions announced their Currie Cup squad, as well as the team to play the Pumas in the opening fixture of the 2011 competition on Friday night.
The 2011 edition of the Coca-Cola Craven Week for high schools (Under 18) is currently taking place in Kimberley.
Check here daily for all the results.
Springbok and Sharks captain John Smit has confirmed that he will join Aviva Premiership team Saracens on a two year deal after the rugby world cup this year.
Waratahs and Wallabies prop Benn Robinson has been ruled out of Rugby for the rest of the season ruling him out of the TriNations and the world cup.
The GLRU recently held a meeting with their Sponsors MTN and Discovery Health following the demise of their equity partnership deal with Guma TAC.
Despite a distinct lack of communications to the media over the last week from the GLRU regarding the talks with the sponsors, recent communications indicate that MTN are still on board as an investor in the Johannesburg based Rugby Union.
In 1891, just before the departure of the British Isles Rugby team for South Africa, Sir Donald Currie, owner of the Union Castle Line presented the squad with a golden trophy.
With the trophy came a very clear instruction to present the trophy to the team that gave the most spirited opposition during a tour match.
After a hard fought match Griqualand West became the first ever holders of the trophy that would, over the next century or so become the Holy Grail that South African provincial Rugby Teams would work tirelessly to possess.
Highlanders lock Jarrad Hoeata is the newcomer in the All Blacks squad named for the Tri-Nations.
The squad, which will be captained by All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, is made up of 16 forwards and 14 backs and packs huge experience with 1028 test caps between them.
Veteran back-rower Radike Samo has been reactivated by the Wallabies as one of 15 triumphant Queensland Reds named in Australia’s 40-man Test squad on Sunday.
Fijian-born Samo, who celebrated his 35th birthday with a Super Rugby title, is one of the big selection surprises along with Reds reserve hooker James Hanson and Melbourne Rebels utility back Mark Gerrard.
It was exciting and a close contest and I was as happy as most Aussies with the Reds victory mostly because it moved me up to the top 4% overall on Superbru.
Generally speaking though, I thought it was a rather poor exhibition of how to play finals rugby – by both teams. Not poor rugby but poor finals tactics. Let me explain at hand of the following observations I’ve made while watching the game.
Two match reports. First what New Zealand said and then the Australian view.
The Reds, who were playing for those who suffered because of the Queensland Floods early this year, came out on top.
But one thing is for sure – all of those involved with this Crusaders side should hold their heads high about what they’ve achieved this year.
Reds (6) 18 / Crusaders (7) 13 (Final Score)
The Reds hosted the Crusaders in the Final of Super Rugby 2011 at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 Brisbane Time). This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
In a truly super Super Rugby Final, the Reds emerge as worthy champions.
What a tournament we’ve had!!
Captain John Smit will lead a squad of 27 players drawn from the Springboks’ preliminary Rugby World Cup squad on the away leg of the Castle Tri-Nations Series, it was announced on Friday.
The Blue Bulls Company Pty (Ltd) is pleased to announce that Johann Sadie and JJ Engelbrecht have signed two year contracts (till 31 October 2013) with the Vodacom Bulls.
This is not a spitefull article, nor is it one to show any insensitivity from my side.
We experience so many disasters in the world and in my eyes the biggest one so far in 2011 was the Japannese tragedy. Japan will for years live in doubt about radio-active radiation.
Greg Growden writes: A dream final, and all of Australian Rugby are willing the Queensland Reds to win. But it won’t be easy. The Crusaders were phenomenal against the Stormers in last weekend’s semi-final in Cape Town, with their triumph revolving about an exceptional forward performance, especially at the scrum. And that’s where the Crusaders, despite the trials of jetlag, should again dominate.
The Reds scrum is good, but not as good as the Crusaders. As well, the Crusaders midfield looks far more penetrating than the Reds counterparts, who last weekend worryingly fell off several crucial tackles. The Reds will threaten long and hard, and don’t be surprised if this final is determined in extra time.
Herewith the Super Rugby team sheets for the 2 finalists of Super Rugby 2011.
The Free State Cheetahs are facing a massive fight to keep their Springbok fetcher Heinrich Brüssow in Bloemfontein after it emerged that Western Province have made a massive offer for him.
Brüssow is widely regarded as one of the best fetchers in the world, and is a shoo-in for the World Cup squad, but his contract with the Cheetahs ends at the end of this season and he has become a major target for other sides.
The biggest gift we can give our kids or the next generation of sports men and women, is to remove the fear of failure from their minds.
Compulsary rugby games will be played on Friday. Currie Cup teams must play a game against the “B” division teams. Sharks the current Currie Cup champions take on South Western Districts Eagles, Griquas will play against Border Bulldogs, Blue Bulls will play the Griffons and Free State Cheetahs take on the EP Kings. If more teams are released this post will be updated. If any of these matches will be broadcast Live is not known.
John Smit will lead a decidedly second-string Springbok selection on the away leg of the Tri-Nations series, but coach Peter de Villiers believes the side can still win in Australasia.
Sharks looseforward Jean Deysel has been added to the Springbok training squad in Cape Town because of injuries. Deysel, who made his Test debut against Italy on the 2009 end-of-year tour, joined the group on Wednesday.
I was reading the team of the week selection by Planet rugby the other day and it made me wonder what the depth was in each of the three Tri Nations countries, and also which positions they have sufficient depth.
While the news coming out of the Bok camp seem positive, you have to ask what prompted such drastic changes?