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Eat your heart out, all you STATS CRAZY freaks, here’s some of the End Of Year Tours stats:
We give some statistical totals for the three-week period when the International Board. Test window was open. There may be some easy ones – most tries scored and fewest tries, most penalties conceded and fewest penalties, most penalties scored and most penalty attempts missed, line-out throws and failures. And you can see who the most penalised player is.
The international between the Barbarians and South Africa will go ahead as scheduled at Twickenham on Saturday, despite the current cold weather.
With a host of domestic club games, scheduled for this weekend, already called off because of the frosty conditions and heavy snowfall, there were fears the Twickenham encounter may also fall foul of the weather.
Earl Rose’s chances of returning to Super Rugby next year suffered a major setback when he wasn’t included in the Cheetahs preliminary 42-man training squad.
The versatile players has joined Griquas following his fall from grace at the Lions, which makes him available for the Cheetahs in the Super 15.
English players who opt to play for foreign clubs after the 2011 World Cup will no longer be selectable for the national team, the Rugby Football Union announced Thursday.
The RFU’s move is designed to give England the best chance of winning the World Cup when it is staged on home soil in 2015.
Lionel Mapoe’s run of bad luck continues after he was ruled out of any action at this year’s Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens with an ankle injury.
For a player who was more in the headlines off the field following a contractual tussle between the Cheetahs and Sharks over his services, Mapoe was to use the return to the field as a boost after not playing since March.
All Blacks and Crusaders captain Richie McCaw has been named the International Rugby Board Player of the Year for the third time.
The 29-year-old flanker is the first player to receive the prestigious accolade three times, as well as in consecutive years, cementing his position as one of the greats of the Game.
The accolade completes a hat-trick of IRB Awards for New Zealand announced , with the All Blacks named IRB Team of the Year 2010 and Graham Henry unveiled as IRB Coach of the Year for a record fourth time.
First Andries Strauss, Sharks centre, and now Werner Kruger, Bulls tight head prop, answered the Springbok S.O.S. call to join the Springboks in the UK for the last match of the season against the Barbarians at Twickenham, this Saturday.
Wallaby playmaker Matt Giteau will get the chance to show his class when he captains a star-studded Barbarians against the Springboks at Twickenham on Saturday.
Giteau will feature at flyhalf in his third appearance for the BaaBaas and will want to make a strong impression having been dropped from the Australian starting line-up on their European tour by coach Robbie Deans.
In London to cover the last two games of the Springbok tour to the UK, it seems I am part of an ever shrinking group of people that not only believe in, but love the Barbarians concept.
In this professional era it seems we are happy (or forced) to let the once legendary traditions of rugby past just to slide into ignominy…
A new points system is expected to be launched when the Super 14 expands to a Super 15 Rugby tournament in February next year.
The Barbarians squad to take on the Springboks at Twickenham on Saturday is the following:
Is former All Blacks prop Kees Meeuws heading for Port Elizabeth to end his rugby career with the Eastern Province Kings?
Despite a Bok victory on Saturday against England atTwickenham, Springbok coach Peter de Villiers will probably see a considerably clipping of his wings in the coming week.
England and Leicester Tiger Tom Croft has been discharged from Charing Cross hospital where scans revealed evidence of a fracture to his right scapula (shoulder blade).
Cheetahs flanker Juan Smith has been named as captain of the Springbok squad for Saturday’s season-ending finale against the Barbarians at Twickenham.
France (13) 16 / Wallabies (13) 59 (Final Score)
France hosted the Wallabies at Stade de France at 21:45 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
With the halftime score still indicating 13 / 13 and the Wallabies scrum in trouble in the first half, the Wallabies opened the taps and put a sorry French side to the sword in the second half, raining in the tries and giving the French their biggest ever defeat against the Wallabies, with a 43 point winning margin.
Fianl score Wallabies 59 / 16.
The Wallabies scored 7 tries against one penalty try.
Wales (9) 25 / All Blacks (13) 37 (Final Score)
Walas hosted the All Blacks at the Millennium Stadium at 19:15 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
The All Blacks scored 5 tries before conceding a lone Wales try when the clock was already past 80 min.
The All blacks achieve their Grand Slam AGAIN, beating Wales by 37 / 25
England (6) 11 / Springboks (6) 21 (Final Score)
England hosted the Springboks at Twickenham at 16:30 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SuperSport HD & M-Net on TV in SA.
The Springboks came out firing in the forwards, dominating the forwards battle and scored 2 tries in the process, one a wonderful break by Lwazi Mvovo who gets his first international try.
The Springboks showed some guts and grit and determination and deserved their win, well done Bokke.
The handing out of Springbok jerseys, a pre-matchday tradition in the South African team, has a new member in their club.
Fikile Mbalula, the minister for Sport and Recreation, presented the team with their match jerseys in London on Friday – ahead of the Boks’ encounter with England at Twickenham on Saturday.
Dawie Theron, the new SA Under-20 coach, on Thursday said he was looking forward to work with SARU in an attempt to further develop South Africa’s rugby talent.
After two Springboks had two players tested positive for banned substances in Chiliboy Ralapelle and Bjorn Basson the Six Nations Rugby Limited increased the normal number of two players tested to six.
Springbok coach Peter de Villiers has made just two changes to his side to face England, as Pierre Spies and Ruan Pienaar return to the starting line-up for the final Test match of the tour.
France (9) 15 / Argentina (3) 9 (Final Score)
France hosted Argentina at Stade de la Mosson, Montpellier at 21:45 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
On a muddy field, fireworks is not expected, so in a hard and physical battle, the boot decided the outcome, not a single try scored.
France ground out a win, winning by 15 / 9.
Ireland (13) 18 / All Blacks (19) 38 (Final Score)
Ireland hosted the All Blacks at Landsdowne Road, Dublin at 19:30 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
The Irish came with a dogged and determined approach and initially traded penalties with the All Blacks, but the black machine changed a couple of gears late in the first half, scored a try and in the first part of the second half really punished the Irish.
Ireland was not done yet and threw everything at the All Blacks.
Final score was All Blacks 38 / 18, with Dan Carter only missing the last conversion when time was already up.
Scotland (12) 21 / Springboks (9) 17 (Final Score)
Scotland hosted the Springboks at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh at 16:30 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
In a scrappy game a brave Scotland held out to beat the Springboks and shatter their Grand Slam hopes.
Worst Springbok performance in a very long time.
3 Matches are played simultaneously this afternoon.
Scotland vs Springboks 16:30 SA Time
Italy vs Wallabies 16:00 SA Time
England vs Samoa 16:30 SA Time
Wales (6) 16 / Fiji (13) 16 (Final Score)
Wales hosted Fiji at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff at 21:30 Sa Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
Fiji salvaged a draw with a converted penalty after time was up, final score 16 / 16.
Now the All Blacks wait for the embattled Wales team…. it’s going to be murder on a grand scale.
For this time of year there is a lot of rugby to be seen on TV in SA This weekend.
The importance of the Varsity Cup has been underlined once again by several SA rugby heavyweights joining various coaching staffs.
Heyneke Meyer, the Blue Bulls director of rugby, Herkie Kruger, Lions flyhalf, and David de Villiers, Cheetahs lock, have all joined Varsity Cup coaching staffs.
The plot to assasinate Deon Helberg has thickened, it now reads like a Hollywood story… or a true television soapie.
All Rugby Unions have received the following Letter from BokSmart, notifying them of the requirements for next year.
A bit longwinded but interesting.
Western Province Rugby and DHL, the world’s leading logistics company, today announced the signing of a 3 year umbrella sponsorship agreement encompassing all representative WP Rugby teams, the Stormers and Newlands Rugby Stadium, effective 1 January 2011.
Wallaby coach Robbie Deans has dropped Matt Giteau from the starting line up to face Italy after he was shown a yellow card in last weekend’s loss to England.
A 47-year-old woman was arrested on Thursday for allegedly conspiring to murder Blue Bulls rugby player Deon Helberg, police said.
Coach Peter de Villiers on Thursday called up three replacements to the Springbok squad for the final two matches of the team’s end-of-year tour against England and the Barbarians – both matches at Twickenham.