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World No 3 Lee Westwood of England retained his Nedbank Golf Challenge title on Sunday despite shooting a one-over-par 73 in the final round.
I received this via mail from a fellow blogger… not the actual letter… the mail, I mean!
The Wider Training Groups for the Blues, Chiefs, Hurricanes, Crusaders and Highlanders Super Rugby squads have been confirmed for the 2012 season.
President of the Free State Cheetahs, Harold Verster, says it is unlikely that the Cheetahs and the Southern Kings will merge at the start of the 2013 Super Rugby season.
Rugby World Cup winner Mike Tindall has effectively won his appeal to have his fine from the RFU reduced and to be reinstated to the England Elite player squad.
Nick Mallett has revealed that he will not come in for England as an immediate replacement for Martin Johnson but that he will consider the job after the Six Nations.
The New Season kicked off for the HSBC Sevens World Series, with the first of the tournaments held at the Gold Coast, Australia on 25 and 26 November 2011.
Seeing as the times are at ‘unusual hours’ in South African terms, starting at the ungodly hour of 04:30 SA Time, was only have a lively general Discussion Article and not a Live Article with Score Updates as the games proceed.
This is exactly that, the Discussion Article, here you will find all the scores.
Vodacom Bulls vice-captain for the 2012 season Wynand Olivier is encouraging his troops from the side lines at the moment.
Western Force flanker David Pocock has been named as Wallabies captain for Australia’s match against the Barbarians at Twickenham Stadium in London.
England Attack coach Brian Smith has resigned from his position with the Rugby Football Union as the fall out begins from the leaked reports.
All Blacks and Crusaders captain Richie McCaw has undergone surgery on the injured foot that hampered him during the Rugby World Cup and has begun a rehabilitation which takes him out of the start of next season’s Super 15 Rugby tournament.
IRB Sevens player of the year Cecil Afrika has been included in the final squad of 12 Springbok Sevens players for the first round of the Sevens World Series at the Gold Coast in Australia this weekend.
England Rugby Upside Down
Leaked reports into England’s rugby World Cup debacle paint a picture of a squad in meltdown and expose schisms and leadership failings greater than even their dismal performance had suggested.
A trio of reviews by the Rugby Football Union’s director of elite rugby Rob Andrew; the players’ union; and professional clubs, had not been intended to be seen by the public, but were obtained by the Times newspaper.
Some of our esteemed readers here might find value in the Rules of Rugby, properly explained.
Here it is, on video… somewhat tongue in cheek of course
Sonny Bill Williams has withdrawn from the Baa-Baas and is replaced by Richard Kahui.
Drew Mitchel is injured again and expected to miss the opening Rounds of Super Rugby.
Conrad Smith is named as Hurricanes Captain for 2012.
Derick Hougaard could be back at the Bulls.
Bolla Conradie, Elgar Watts & Clemen Lewis, all from Boland, as well as Burton Francis are included in Stormers plans for 2012.
Graham Henry rules out England coaching job.
With Rugby news now a bit scrappy and few and far between for Southern Hemisphere Rugby interests, at least we can look forward to some Rugby participation by the Southern Hemisphere this weekend.
There is the HSBC Sevens World Series Gold Coast Tournament, the first IRB Sevens Tournament for the 2011 – 2012 Season, on Friday and Saturday as well as the Wallabies vs Barbarians game on Saturday, where Springbok legend Victor Matfield bids his final farewell in any form of competative rugby, finally retiring after a wonderful playing career.
It is Round 2 of the Heineken Cup and today 3 games are broadcast live on TV in SA.
They are:
- Benetton Treviso vs Ospreys (SS6 & CSN)
- Castres Olympique vs Munster (SS6 & CSN)
- Leicester Tigers vs Ulster Rugby (SS6 & CSN)
This is the general discussion thread for these 3 Games, only the first 2 will be updated live.
With SA Ruby (SARU) in the throngs of considering the appointment of a new Rugby coach for the Springboks, when Peter de Villiers’ contract concludes in December 2011, it might be prudent to look at results in the last 4 years.
The first thing which emerges is that there has been a steady decline in winning percentages over the last 4 years.
During the first 2 years of the reign of Peter de Villiers the winning percentage was an average of 68 % but during the last 2 years of his reign it has dropped to an average of 56.5 % for those 2 years.
It has to be noted that Peter de Villiers inherited a World Cup winning squad, which has now slipped to No 4 in the IRB rankings, below France.
The Varsity Cup Rugby competition will – once again – lend itself to experimentation, with the importance of tries being the major focus ahead of the 2012 tournaments.
Varsity Cup Rugby, which now consists of the FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International, the Varsity Shield, the Varsity Young Guns and the Steinhoff Koshuisrugby Championships (four ‘properties’ in all), will be trialing a new points-scoring system in 2012 – an experiment which could revolutionalise rugby union.
Thanks to a special dispensation from the International Rugby Board, the Varsity Cup Rugby organisers have changed around the value of points for the four 2012 Varsity Cup Rugby competitions – conversions will be worth three points and penalties and drop-goals will be worth just two points.
Saracens have been forced to cancel their plans to take a Heineken Cup match to Cape Town South Africa and moved the match back to London due to a spat in Cape Town itself over the stadium.
Saracens hooker Schalk Brits has been given a three week suspension for a dangerous tackle on a Treviso winger in the Heineken Cup.
The Springboks will return to Soweto for the final home Test of 2012 when they take on newly-crowned world champions New Zealand in the final encounter of the new Rugby Championship which replaced the Tri-Nations.
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) will approach a shortlist of preferred candidates in the process to appoint a Springbok coach, the Executive Council of SARU announced on Thursday.
Nick Mallett, front-runner for the position, has withdrawn his availability to coach England, whereas Eddie Jones has stepped up and declared his interests in the position.
The RFU put money behind the bar for England players on their controversial Rugby World Cup night out in Queenstown, New Zealand.
Saracens have been forced to move their Heineken Cup match against Biarritz in Cape Town from the new Cape Town Stadium to Newlands which is home to Western Province Rugby.
Fresh allegations from a drunken binge by All Blacks World Cup winger Zac Guildford have emerged involving a triathlete in the Cook Islands.
South African prop Eugene Van Staden returned to French club rugby for a second spell on Tuesday when Top 14 tailenders Biarritz signed him as a replacement for the retired Eduard Coetzee.
Sanzar will move to close the “Stormers loophole” in Vodacom Super Rugby’s regulations that allowed Schalk Britz to fly in from the United Kingdom and play in the Super Rugby semi for the Stormers earlier this year.
Secret plans to transform European domestic rugby union are being considered by French and English sides keen to put the professional club game on a firmer financial footing. One leading official from a Premiership club is warning of a possible “violent breakaway” by wealthier European clubs, with teams in South Africa understood to be monitoring the situation.
The Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd is pleased to announce that after successful negotiations with the Sharks, utility forward Daniel Adongo will join the Vodacom Bulls with immediate effect and till October 2013. He was contracted at the Sharks till the end of 2011.
Springbok captain John Smit made the perfect debut for Saracens when he scored Saracens fifth try in their 42-17 hammering of Treviso in Pool 5 of the Heineken Cup at Vicarage Road.
All Blacks Rugby World Cup winning winger Zac Guildford has been accused of staggering naked, drunk and bleeding into a bar where he allegedly assaulted two people.
Springbok and Sharks backrow forward Willem Alberts has undergone shoulder surgery while rugby takes a break in South Africa but he should be ready for the Super Rugby season.
It is Heineken Cup time and today 3 games were broadcast live on TV in SA.
They are:
- Montpellier vs Leinster
- Ulster Rugby vs Asm Clemont Auvergne
- Munster vs Northampton Saints
This was the general discussion thread for these 3 Games.