Yearly Archives: 2011
Second test – 14 August 1993 – Ballymore, Brisbane
This Test was probably the Test that made the biggest impression on me of all the Test matches I’ve seen in my life mostly because of the way Australia played and won the Test. The tactics they employed and the extraordinary precision of execution impressed me immensely.
Crusaders Israel Dagg, Adam Whitelock and Sean Maitland are not expected to play any further part in this year’s Super Rugby season due to injury.
The Cheetahs have paid a price for their 33-20 victory over the Crusaders as two core players have ruled out due to injury.
SANZAR have released the match officials for the fourteenth Round of the 2011 Super Rugby tournament and Steve Walsh has been replaced.
The Crusaders blew a chance to go top of the New Zealand conference when they lost 33-20 to an Ashley Johnson-inspired Cheetahs for their second consecutive defeat in Bloemfontein this morning.
Richie McCaw’s men dominated territory and possession but Johnson, who scored the match-clinching try, and his fellow forwards produced a Herculean defensive effort to put the Crusaders under pressure and force them into costly errors.
I found this website on News24 and all Peter de Villiers fans are invited to listen to this interview with Peter. Take your time , it is in three parts and is 31 minutes long.
Listen to Peter when he is calm and not under pressure.
All the overawed Sonny Bill Williams fans Peter, has a point! Watch these videos with an open mind.
Cheetahs (16) 33 / Crusaders (17) 20 (Final Score)
The Cheetahs hosted the Crusaders at Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, at 19:10 SA 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.
The Cheetahs recorded a masterful win over serious title contenders, the Crusaders…. and on top of it all kept the Crusaders from recording a single Log poin advance, well done Cheetahs!
Bulls (40) 47 / Rebels (3) 10 (Final Score)
The Bulls hosted the Melbourne Rebels at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, at 17:05 SA 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.
The Bulls blitzed the Melbourne Rebels in the first half, scoring 6 tries to none, but the second half was a dour affair with lots of replacements disrupting all rythm in the game and therefor the second half only produced 7 points for each of the 2 sides.
Job done and mission accomplished by the Bulls, 5 Log points in the bag.
Brumbies (10) 20 / MTN Lions (12) 29 (Final Score)
The Brumbies hosted the MTN Lions at Canberra Stadium, Canberra, at 11:40 SA 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.
For once the MTN Lions played clever and constuctive rugby, doing the right things at te right time! Better defence, good and solid all round performance by the Lions.
Chiefs (3) 30 / Stormers (20) 23 (Final Score)
The Chiefs hosted the Stormers at Waikato Stadium, Hamilton, at 09:35 SA 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 game of two different halves, the Stormers raced to a 20 / 3 Halftime lead, only to let the Chiefs score 27 points to 3 in the Second half.
It is with much less fear and a lot more anticipation that we line-up for the second match of the year. We’ve worked on a couple of things during the week but are acutely aware that we haven’t spend enough time integrating the forwards and backs (team runs). Continue reading
Reds (27) 37/Blues (14) 31 (Final Score)
The Reds host the Blues at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane at 11:40 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match is broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD en CSN on TV in SA.
Pampas XV (8) 14 / Blue Bulls (0) 9 (Final Score)
The Pampas XV, the only undefeated team in this year’s Vodacom Cup, will be hoping for one more victory in 2011 when they host the defending champions, the Vodacom Blue Bulls, at Profert Olën Park in Potchefstroom on Friday at 19h00.
Highlanders (10) 13 / Huricannes (3) 6 (Final Score)
The Highlanders hosted the Hurricanes at Rugby Park, Invercargill. They won the game with brilliant discipline in defense. One try was scored just before half time after a brilliant cross kick by Jimmy Cowan to Ben Smith.
Herewith ALL the Super Rugby team sheets as they were announced for week 13 of Super Rugby 2011.
Former Springbok rugby captain Joost van der Westhuizen is fighting for his health after being diagnosed with a motor-neuron muscle disease.
The disease, which is apparently similar to the one that put one of his teammates, Springbok flank André Venter in a wheelchair a few years ago, has been diagnosed as very serious and could have drastic implications for his health.
The game sees the return of Brok Harris, Ricky Januarie, Peter Grant and Brian Habana to the run-on 15.
SARU have started a weekly Club Rugby media release.
Herewith this weeks communication.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
SARU Media Release
National Club Rugby Round-up – A weekend of upsets
Lions mentor John Mitchell has made a number of changes to his starting 15, as well on the reserve bench for the match against the Brumbies on Saturday.
Rugby Union will never be able to compete on a global level if it does not embrace a professional work ethic and mindset.
Ireland forwards and ex Springbok forwards coach, Gert Smal, is on the verge on signing Bok front row legend and former Bok scrum coach, Os Du Randt to coach the Irish scrum for the World Cup.
Being a coach is without a doubt one of the hardest but potentially also one of the most rewarding jobs. Looking at the pressure the S15 and national coaches has to endure I have often found myself wondering who on earth would want to be a coach. Sort of; “not for all the money in the world would I want to be a coach”. Continue reading
The Cheetahs’ penchant for all-out attack has the heroic Crusaders worried about this weekend’s Super Rugby assignment in Bloemfontein.
What looked like a match featuring two teams from different spectrums of the championship has suddenly been transformed by the Cheetahs’ results over the last phase of the competition.
Motormouth Springboks coach Peter de Villiers has launched another scathing attack on Crusaders star Sonny Bill Williams, describing his flamboyant offloading style as “nonsense” and a poor example for young rugby players.
By Marc Hinton
Who’s hot and who’s not… and who’s not injured?
Every Tuesday until the All Blacks’ World Cup squad unveiling in late August, Fairfax digital sport editor Dan Gilhooly will assess the status of players in the selection frame.
Who are the certainties to make the cut for coach Graham Henry’s squad of 30? Who are battling for contentious spots and what are their odds of selection?
Blues coach Pat Lam puts a horror injury toll in Super Rugby down to a mix of bad luck and big collisions.
And he has urged the game’s decision-makers to revisit the thorny issue of the length of the off-season as all five New Zealand franchises deal with mounting injuries that are testing the depth of their resources.
With six games left for the Bulls there is no room for another loss. But with so many permutations possible in this last six weeks of the league there might be a lifeline left , even if you lose a 6th game. Is that wishful thinking? Not really. Let me leave the jokes, the Bulls are now in a sudden death playoff.
On Friday the rugby romantic in me was awakened after a long slumber, only to be given a strong sedative a couple of hours later. Continue reading
I am writing this article purely on emotion and frustration. After watching this weekend’s Super 15 matches, a few thoughts came to mind. At certain stages when looking at the Sharks, Cheetahs, Lions and Stormers this weekend, it looked like we are not as bad as people say we are, but then moments later we make the most elimentary mistakes you could imagine. Continue reading
Springbok Sevens newcomers Paul Jordaan and Tshotsho Mbovane were on Friday included in the South Africa Under-20 squad that was announced by the South African Rugby Union (SARU) to compete in next month’s IRB Junior World Championship in Italy.
Allister Coetzee has named his squad for a 4 game tour to Australasia. The team leaves on Sunday and travels to Auckland where they will prepare for their first game against the Chiefs.
Upon arrival back in South Africa, other fixtures include the Vodacom Bulls at DHL Newlands on 11 June and the Cheetahs on 18 June in Bloemfontein.
The Stormers remain top of the Log in the South African Conference, after losing against the Crusaders, but the Sharks have now considerably narrowed the gap on them. The difference is that the Sharks have already toured to Australasia, whereas this Stormers tour will test their real mettle.
In a match where the lead changed sides more often than some presidents change their mind on foreign policy, the Crusaders eventually ran out 20-14 victors over the DHL Stormers at Newlands.
Sharks (6) 34 / Brumbies (16) 16 (Final Score)
The Sharks hosted the Brumbies at Kings Park, Durban at 19:10 SA 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.
The Sharks started shockingly and by Halftime had only scored 2 measly penalties for their 6 points, against 16 by the Brumbies.
In the second half, it was a different Sharks team, one wonders what they ate or drank, they eventually scored 28 points in the second half and kept the Brumbies scoreless at the same time, running in 4 converted tries.
Through the night, a sporting legend and the man that inspired a generation of European golfers finally succumbed to the big C.
Severiano Ballesteros passed away at his home in Northern Spain from respiratory problems caused by a brain tumor.
Stormers (11) 14 / Crusaders (10) 20 (Final Score)
The DHL Stormers hosted the Crusaders at Newlands, Cape Town at 17:05 SA 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.
This game lived up to it’s hype…. a cracker!
The silky offload skills by Sonny Bill Williams, the speed and hard running by Jaque Fourie, the strong Crusaders scrum, tight defence by the Stormers… classic.