grootblousmile
Namibia joined Fiji as a nation in doubt for participation at the Rugby world cup later this year due to administrative trouble so bad the IRB has been forced to take over the union.
Stormers (3) 17 / Sharks (10) 16 (Final Score)
The Stormers hosted the Sharks in the last of the Tri-Series warm-up games in preparation for the Super Rugby Tournament at 17:00 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 2 & M-Net on TV in SA.
In an error-ridden game the Sharks took the iniative and controlled most of the game till too many substitutions, to key players, derailed their game and allowed the Stormers to fight back and steal a win near the end.
I would not read too much into this game or the result, except maybe that Patrick Lambie’s goal kicking is still shoddy, that Meyer Bosman and Stefan Terblanche make a fine center combination and that the Stormers do not lie down to be defeated….
France (17) 34 / Scotland (7) 21 (Final Score)
France hosted Scotland at Stade de France, Paris at 19:00 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
For a change a red hot French team pitched to play and they started like a house on fire but the brave Scotland side fought back all the way, till the end.
In the end there was just too much French fire power as reflected in the final score of 34 / 21.
Italy (6) 11 / Ireland (3) 13 (Final Score)
Italy hosted Ireland at the Stadio Flaminio, Rome at 16:30 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN.
Italy nearly upset the apple cart but Ireland scrapes a win with a late Ronan O’Gara drop goal.
A friend of mine sent me this…. well to make a long story short, read the damn thing yourselves!
The Waratahs won their first trial match of the season against the Fiji Warriors 41-13 at the Sydney Football Stadium.
The Reds enjoyed another succesful pre-Super Rugby season victory when they beat the Brumbies by 38 points to 5.
England (13) 26 / Wales (6) 19 (Final Score)
Wales hosted England at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales in the 1st Six Nations encounter of 2011 at 21:45 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
In a hard and brutal encounter and surprisingly fast-paced rugby in the first half, England drew first blood with a converted try and kept that 7-point margin till the end.
Final score was England 26 / 19.
Tonight, Friday 4 February 2011, sees the start of the Six Nations Tournament, featuring the strongest 6 European Nations.
First up is Wales vs England at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales at 21:45 SA Time.
Rugby-Talk will cover this match live tonight.
Sharks coach John Plumtree has scoffed at suggestions that Springbok captain John Smit is no longer a viable option as a prop.
Speaking ahead of the pre-season Tri-Series finale, against the Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday, Plumtree said he will continue to “rotate” the Bok skipper in all three front row positions.
The Blues beat the Hurricanes 33-22 at Kerikeri in a Super Rugby warm up match making it two wins from two in their pre-season.
The Blues beat the Highlanders last weekend in a similar warm up match and have started the year strongly while the Hurricanes beat the Chiefs last week.
Well folks, the serious rugby is upon us again, with the Six Nations kicking off tonight, the HSBC Sevens World Series in Wellington already under way, as well as some Super Rugby warm-up matches to be played.
Here’s the schedule for this weekend:
The HSBC Sevens World Series Tournament concluded in Wellington, New Zealand.
New Zealand won this Tournament at home against England by 29 / 14.
The results were not good for South Africa overall, they won their opening game against Canada and then lost against France of all nations on day one, drew with Fiji on day 1, lost to Australia in the Cup Quarters, won against Wales and lost to Fiji in the Plate final! So it was 2 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses… not good enough!
Springbok coach Peter de Villiers and vice-captain Victor Matfield presented the Proteas, South Africa’s national cricket team, with a special banner to wish them luck for the forthcoming ICC Cricket World Cup, to be held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh between February 19 and April 2.
Wales selectors have announced seven changes to the starting line-up for the Six Nations opener against England on Friday night, having lost six and drawn one of their last seven Tests.
Springbok coach Peter de Villiers will travel to the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on Saturday to cast an eagle eye over some of the World Cup hopefuls.
Adidas today unveiled the new DHL Stormers jersey for the 2011 Vodacom Super Rugby season –signalling a new era for Stormers Rugby, who recently secured DHL as their new premier sponsor.
Allister Coetzee, head coach of the DHL Stormers, today named his team to take on the Sharks in the final game of the Neo Africa Tri-Series on Saturday (17h00) at the DHL Newlands Rugby Stadium.
The Lions impressive win against the Sharks in their warm-up match Tuesday night, did not come without a price to pay.
Andre Pretorius injured a hamstring AGAIN, and this yo-yo-man’s run of bad luck just continues.
The Vodacom Bulls heaved a sigh of relief after their inspirational captain Victor Matfield was cleared to play in the opening game of their defence of their Super Rugby crown against the Lions on February 19.
The misery of being defeated 41-10 by the Lions in their opening Neo Africa fixture has been compounded for the Sharks by an injury that could force Alistair Hargreaves to be out of rugby for some time.
One swallow does not make a summer, but three former Springboks may well help Griquas become Vodacom Cup champions this year.
Griquas have just managed to secure the services of a third former Bok, Ollie le Roux, as consultant for the series. They will use him as a scrum coach.
The Melbourne Rebels have confirmed that former Wallaby captain Stirling Mortlock will skipper the side in its debut year in Super Rugby, supported by vice captain Gareth Delve.
A lighter look at Power Balance arm bands… pity this was sent to me only in Afrikaans…
Wil jy dalk ‘n ponzi of pyramid scheme afpull? Check, baie mense het dit al reggekry, maar hulle is nog elke keer uitgevang omdat daar altyd iemand is wat snuf in die neus gekry het, of beesbollie ‘n myl ver kan ruik. Wat jy nodig het is heavy flippen gullible mense. Mense wat Power Balance armbandjies dra…
Southern Kings (6) 23 / Vodacom Bulls (0) 7 (Final Score)
The Southern Kings hosted the Vodacom Bulls in Port Elizabeth in a warm-up match for the Bulls to prepare them for the upcoming Super Rugby Competition. Similarly this game was the first measure for the Southern Kings to see how they might progress in a Super Rugby Competition from 2013.
This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 and CSN.
This was the 1st live coverage of South African rugby for 2011, this year is going to be busy, so strap yourselves in, kiss the wife a last few times, get the cold ones and snacks ready…. rugby is upon us!
The Tri-Series, one of the pre-curser events leading up to the Super Rugby Competition has kicked off and the first result is in!
The Tri-Series is warm-ups played between the DHL Stormers, The MTN Lions and the Sharks.
The Stormers beat the Lions 15 / 0 in the first encounter, played tonight at Newlands, Cape Town.
The South African Rugby Players Union has escalated the fight for the players in the South Western Districts Union, many of whom are still owed salaries from last year.
Here’s the second Part of the GBS Holiday, enjoy.
Roger Federer will be closely following this year’s Rugby World Cup – just don’t ask him to support the All Blacks.
Mpumalanga’s rugby team, the Pumas, will play all their Currie Cup games at the Mbombela Stadium.
The Crusaders will be wearing specially designed GPS systems in this weekend’s pre-Super 15 Rugby warm up against the Reds.
Lions have released their squad that will compete in the Tri-Series warm-up games in Cape Town.
The Sharks have launched their new look Super Rugby jersey in time for die hard supporters to purchase before the start of the new Vodacom Super Rugby season. The official match jersey will be worn by The Sharks for the first time against the Cheetahs on Saturday 19 February to be played in Durban.
The Cheetahs’ management team will have to wait a week longer before they get to see their Springbok acquisition in action.
Springbok centre Andries Strauss is struggling with a groin injury ahead of the Super Rugby tournament, and will not play in the Cheetahs’ warm-up games on Friday.
London Irish’s South African prop Faan Rautenbach has been cited for stamping on Munster flanker David Wallace.