Monthly Archives: September 2013
Wallabies scrumhalf Will Genia has been dropped for Australia’s crucial Rugby Championship clash against Argentina here on Saturday with Ben Mowen taking over the captaincy.
Genia is considered to be one of the best No 9s in world rugby but has struggled for consistency and paid the price for last weekend’s 38-12 drubbing at the hands of South Africa in Brisbane.
He drops to the bench for the must-win match against the Pumas in Perth, with Nic White replacing him in the starting line-up.
A star-studded array of national captains as well as the entire Springbok squad will attend the official opening of The Springbok Experience at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town two weeks today (September 24), the South African Rugby Union confirmed on Tuesday.
Coach Heyneke Meyer, captain Jean de Villiers, players and management will be joined by captains representing all rugby’s traditions as well as other VIPs to open the state-of-the-art rugby museum.
Heyneke Meyer, Springbok coach, has named an unchanged Springbok team for Saturday’s Test against the All Blacks from New Zealand.
English and French clubs are threatening to break away from the European Cup.
The ERC board will be meeting on Wednesday to discuss a new deal to ensure the future of the European Cup.
I was idly sitting going through Facebook, amongst others to have a look at how our Rugby-Talk Facebook Page was doing, and came accross this gem posted by one of my school buddies who now live in the Cape.
Thanks Dolf Baard, for giving me one of the biggest rolling laughs I have had in years…
Without further ado, here it is, time for some light relief:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbDB_g5BCeA[/youtube]
How do they say… “Only in Africa…”
Hope in a manner of speaking that the Springboks can cure a few headaches in New Zealand on the weekend!
The media is a buzz with content relating to how happy and positive the Springboks currently are, that there are no injury worries, that the Springboks are grounded and yet want to go up a step or two and continue to improve. Scribes from all over say the All Blacks are on edge and South African supporters seem to be favouring a win for the Springboks in New Zealand on the weekend.
The weather and possible game plan variations are being discussed at lenght, questions are asked whether the Springboks will continue to play more ball in hand rugby or whether this weekend will see a slight shift towards a more conservative approach.
The All Blacks say they will stick to their game plan and they will match the Springbok physicality.
Let’s face it though, it will be tough… it will be war, it will be hard as nails between the two best sides in the world.
With the victory by the Springboks over Australia at the weekend, the gap between the Springboks and the All Blacks on the IRB World Rankings has been closed to only 2.7 points.
At the start of last week the points gap was 4.35 and after the match on Saturday only 2.7.
England and Australia meet on Wednesday at Edgebaston, Birmingham, in the third One Day International (ODI) of the current five match series. The match will be a day night affair with play scheduled to start at 15.00 South African Time.
The desperation in Australia to turn around a four-match losing streak has reached such a dire stage even their best players are now in the firing line.
The Wallabies have failed to fire in three losses since Ewen McKenzie took over as coach, with the team copping plenty of heat following last week’s record 12-38 belting by South Africa in Brisbane.
Scrumhalf Will Genia, who aside from South Africa’s Fourie du Preez is regarded as the game’s foremost No.9, is in the cross hairs of critics looking to find a scapegoat for the team’s dismal run.
Schalk Burger has been set to resume training today after a long term injury.
He recently underwent minor tendon surgery which delayed his return.
Griquas lock Rory Arnold won his appeal against a ban for biting and has been cleared to play.
The Australian second row forward, on loan to Griquas for the Currie Cup competition from his Brisbane club, was on Monday found “not guilty” on a biting charge after.
DHL Western Province flank and captain Deon Fourie was cited on Monday for making contact with the face in the eye area of Sharks looseforward Keegan Daniel during their Absa Currie Cup clash in Cape Town on Saturday.
Fourie was cited for contravening Law 10.4(m).
Golden Lions coach Johan Ackerman has announced his side to take on the Toyota Free State Cheetahs in a Currie Cup fixture in Bloemfontein on Friday evening.
The team sees four changes to the starting line up that squeaked past Griquas last weekend, including a completely re-vamped front row that includes former Blue Bull Bees Roux at Tight Head Prop.
Herewith the GLRU media announcement:
Former Wallaby Lote Tuqiri will return to Rugby Union, with Irish province Leinster, after three years playing for Wests Tigers in Australia’s National Rugby League.
The 33-year-old wing was a huge star in League before switching codes to Union and enjoying seven successful years with the Waratahs and the Wallabies, before joining the Tigers in 2010.
The New Zealand Rugby Union has initiated a misconduct process with Counties Manukau coach Tana Umaga.
This would a be a year the Sharks would like to forget as they have been plagued with injuries and it seems that their injury woes are not over yet.
It would seem the newest victim is 34 year old lock Marco Wentzel, who suffered a shoulder dislocation. There has been no time frame linked with his recovery.
The Wallabies have brought in two Waratahs forwards to bolster the squad, in the form of Dave Dennis and Sitaleki Timani.
They have been called up as replacements for the injured James Horwill and Jake Schatz, who will be sidelined for six weeks with injuries.
In the NPC match between Southland and Waikato in Invercargill, props from both sides, Jamie Macintosh (Southland) and Ben Tameifuna (Waikato), were cited for stamping, with Judicial hearings on Tuesday.
On Saturday the Springbok women’s team booked their place at the 2014 IRB Women’s Rugby World Cup, by beating Uganda 63 / 3 in East London.
By beating Uganda they did not just qualify, they also achieved the biggest victory margin ever by a Sprinbok women’s team.
The Blue Bulls have confirmed that scrumhalf Ruan Snyman has been released with immediate effect to join his new club Racing Metro in France.
The transfer fee has already been paid and Snyman will be able to play as soon as he is selected.
The Springboks emerged from Saturday’s massive 38 / 12 victory over the Wallabies in Brisbane with no worrying injuries to report.
The new week presents new challenges against the New Zealand All Blacks, the number one team in the world but it appears that Heyneke Meyer will be able to name an unchanged side for this important clash.
There is an air of happyness in the Springbok camp, yet a groundedness, knowing the challenge they will face in New Zealand, where wins is almost as scarse as chicken teeth.
DHL Western Province this weekend reclaimed the top spot on the Log in the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division as the competition reached the halfway mark, establishing themselves as one of the favourites in the competition.
But with 5 rounds of matches remaining and only 6 points separating the Cape side from the 5th-placed Blue Bulls on the standings, the competition remained wide open.
Western Province delivered a fine performance to defeat the Sharks 25 / 19 in Cape Town, while the Vodacom Blue Bulls registered a 26 / 10 victory against the Toyota Free State Cheetahs in Pretoria and the MTN Golden Lions beat GWK Griquas 38 / 32 in Kimberley.
After every Tom, Dick & Harry and every Australian journalist really lay into the Wallabies, they are busy regrouping and trying to circle the wagons around themselves.
The Wallabies face the Pumas from Argentina this coming weekend, after the New Zealand All Blacks and South African Springboks face off in the battle of the two best sides on the planet.
Australian players and coaching staff spoke of remaining unified and circling the wagons, as they look to end a four-match losing streak and avoid their worst run in recent years.
On a bright Monday morning, I look back on a weekend where the rugby gods smiled on me and the teams I support.
On Saturday morning at 09:35 SA Time, the New Zealand All Blacks and Argentinian Pumas met at the Waikato Stadium, Hamilton in wether which was never going to suit high-scoring running rugby, with wind and rain pelting down. The All Blacks won a tough encounter against a spirited Pumas side by 28 / 13.
A bit later, at 12:05 SA Time the Australian Wallabies and South African Springboks met in Brisbane, in perfect weather for rugby. By the end of this game the Wallabies would have given anything to rather have played in attrocious weather conditions, because the Springboks hammered, destroyed… and educated the Wallabies, setting up the biggest win against the Wallabies by a Springbok team in Australia of all time, the final score Springboks 38 / 12, a margin of 26 points!
Edenpark Rugby Club have recently moved from the Golden Lions provincial structures, to the Falcons in order to conform with the Provincial sports boundaries as set down by the Gauteng Provincial Government.
As a result of the red tape and hence late registration with the Falcons, Edenpark were not able to compete in the Falcons league structures, and had to make do with only a handfull of friendlies throughout the season.
Heyneke Meyer emotional and animated in the game between Wallabies vs Springboks, 2013
Gesels jy op ’n gewone oggend met Heyneke Meyer sal dit jou dalk opval dat daar onder die goeie maniere en vriendelikheid waarskynlik ’n paar senuwees en ’n bra intense persoonlikheid ook is.
With All Black captain Richie McCaw potentially ruled out for the rest of The Rugby Championship, coach Steve Hansen has called up Crusader flanker Matt Todd.
Last week I lamented about the lack of presence, urgency and innovation in the Springbok team when they played the Pumas in Mendoza. I concluded that on evidence of the lack of presence of the tight five and the slowness of the back row, I can’t see them winning in Brisbane.
The Springboks corrected all those shortcomings this weekend in Brisbane. The result – the greatest ever victory in Australia and the first win in Brisbane in 41 years.
Here is my list of things that really impressed me in this Test followed by a list of things I think they need to work on before they tackle the All Blacks at Edenpark.
The hype building up to this match was big and the result as well especially if you support the Springboks. They dominated from the word go and also built the lead from early on. The match started at a huge tempo and held that most of the match, giving fans a great match to watch. The scoring of the match started slow with the Springboks scoring a early try but the Wallabies stayed in touch with penalties.
The end result of 38 – 12 in favour of the Springboks and a bonus point to boot has moved the Springboks 1 Log point clear at the top of the Log, 1 point ahead of the All Blacks, who they will be facing next weekend.
The All Blacks managed a win as expected over the Pumas, but it was far from convincing. The weather played a big part here as it rained for about 70% of the match. This contributed to the large amount of handling errors and lack of running.
The end result of 28 – 13 for the All Blacks and no bonus points, favoured the Springboks more over this past weekend, as they now top the Log with 1 point more than the All Blacks. Argentina still find themselves in third place ahead of struggling Australia and with their next match in Australia will most probably back themselves for a win.
WP (15) 25 / 19 (0) Sharks (Final Score)
DHL Western Province and the Sharks did battle in the Currie Cup Premier Division at
Newlands, Cape Town at 19:10 SA Time (17:10 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Blue Bulls (3) 26 / 10 (5) FS Cheetahs (Final Score)
The Vodacom Blue Bulls and The Toyota Free State Cheetahs did battle in the Currie Cup Premier Division at
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria at 17:05 SA Time (15:05 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Griquas (19) 32 / 38 (17) Golden Lions (Final Score)
GWK Griquas and the MTN Golden Lions did battle in the Currie Cup Premier Division at
GWK Park, Kimberley at 15:00 SA Time (13:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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It would seem Springbok fans don’t allow too much margin for error when it comes to rugby.
Are Springbok fans putting too much pressure on rugby players to perform at 150%, week in and week out.
Pat McCabe is looking to make a return to Super Rugby next year and get back on the test radar.
After re-fracturing his C1 vertebra in June and the second time since November last year he has been cleared to start running and will most likely join the Brumbies in their pre-season training.