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With Wellington now but a distant memory, the Sydney leg of the Sevens World Series took place this weekend, with new significance.
There had been 3 different champions in the 3 tournaments prior to this weekend – Fiji in Dubai, South Africa in Cape Town and New Zealand in Wellington.
South Africa started the weekend with a 2-point advantage over Fiji on top of the World Rugby Sevens Series Log standings.
New Zealand won the Final of the Sydney Sevens, beating hosts Australia by 27 / 24, again in the dying seconds of the game, to take the Title and earn back to back wins in the World Rugby Sevens Series.
Three teams are now equal on the Points Log for the World Rugby Sevens Series 2015 – 2016, namely South Africa, Fiji and New Zealand, all on 69 Log Points. In 4th and 5th places on the Log are Australia and Argentina, both on 54 Log Points.
With only 6 Series tournaments left before the teams head to the Olympic Games, a lot of talk, understandably, are on Rio.
Ireland (13) 16 / 16 (10) Wales (Final Score)
Ireland and Wales did battle in the RBS 6 Nations 2016 at
Aviva Stadium, Dublin, at 17:00 SA Time (15:00 UK Time & GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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Scotland (3) 9 / 15 (7) England (Final Score)
Scotland and England did battle in the RBS 6 Nations 2016 at
Murrayfield, Edinburgh, at 18:50 SA Time (16:50 UK Time & GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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France (10) 23 / 21 (8) Italy (Final Score)
France and Italy did battle in the RBS 6 Nations 2016 at
Stade de France, Paris, at 16:25 SA Time (15:25 French Time & 14:25 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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Toulon (0) 21 / 29 (17) Sharks (Final Score)
Toulon and the Cell C Sharks did battle in a Super Rugby 2016 warm-up match at
Stade Mayol, Toulon, France at 21:45 SA Time (20:45 French Time, 19:45 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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As the RBS 6 Nations takes centre stage in the coming weeks, fans of the elite European Rugby Champions Cup game will be able to look forward to even more world-class action in April when the European Rugby Champions Cup and Challenge Cup quarterfinals get underway.
The knockout stages of the tournaments mark the beginning of the end of the journey to the 2016 finals in May when the 2 showcase matches will be staged at the state-of-the-art 59 000-capacity Grand Stade de Lyon.
The Champions Cup quarterfinals kick off on Saturday 9 April with Wasps, the last Aviva Premiership club to win the coveted title in 2007, taking on the Exeter Chiefs at the Ricoh Arena.
That clash of the 2-time champions against the 1st-timers in the knockout stage will be followed by the meeting of No 1 seeds Saracens, who have reached the last 8 for the 5th season in a row, and Northampton Saints at Allianz Park.
On Sunday 10 April, Leicester Tigers host Stade Francais at Welford Road in what promises to be another classic Anglo-French contest. The Tigers have booked their ticket to the quarterfinals for the 13th time – 2 behind the record held jointly by Toulouse and Munster – while Stade are appearing in the last 8 for the 1st time since 2010.
The road to Lyon will be clearer when Racing 92 and reigning champions, RC Toulon, meet at Stade Yves-du-Manoir in an all-French confrontation which could see recent World Cup winners, Dan Carter and Ma’a Nonu going head-to-head.
A major weekend of knockout rugby will commence with the 1st of the Challenge Cup quarterfinals between Sale Sharks and Montpellier at the AJ Bell Stadium on Friday 8 April, with holders Gloucester, who are on a record run of 15 victories in the tournament, up against the Newport Gwent Dragons at Kingsholm the following day.
All 8 quarterfinals will be broadcast live with the coverage shared by BT Sport, Sky Sports, beIN Sports and France Télévisions.
Heyneke Meyer
Frans Ludeke
Die Afrikaanse Naweekpers het verskeie rugbyartikels geplaas en ons bespreek so klompie daarvan onder EEN Artikel.
(To our Non-Afrikaans readership, our apologies that you won’t be able to understand this article, however a very large contingent of our readers are Afrikaans, so we unashamedly accommodate them in this article. The News basically relates to Heyneke Meyer and Frans Ludeke possibly heading to Japan for coaching positions, Francois Hougaard being made available for Super Rugby duties at the Bulls during March to May and suggestions of Referee favouratism and blunders against the Blitzbokke in the Final at the Wellington Sevens Tournament this weekend).
Die nuutste aanduidings is dat beide Heyneke Meyer en die voormalige Vodacom Bulls afrigter, Frans Ludeke, nou in lyn is vir afrigtersposte in Japan.
Verder blyk dit ‘n feitlik uitgemaakte saak dat Francois Hougaard gedurende Maart tot Mei nie deel van die Blitzbokke groep sal uitmaak nie maar ‘n bedeling met die Vodacom Bulls gesluit het wat hom vir ongeveer 8 Super Rugby wedstryde gedurende Maart tot Mei beskikbaar sal stel.
Die laaste aspek wat bespreek word is aantuigings dat die Skeidsregter in die Finaal van die Wellington Sewestoernooi in Nieu-Seeland, seker blatante en ooglopende foute begaan het, om sodoende die Blitzbokke te laat verloor ten gunste van Nieu Seeland, wie op tuisbodem die kroon gevat het in die naweek se toernooi.
Just how the revised Super Rugby format will go down with the South African rugby public is unclear, but we won’t have to wait long to find out.
The new-look tournament gets underway in less than a month, with the Blues and the Highlanders kicking things off in Auckland on Friday 26 February 2016.
From a South African perspective, the road ahead looks a tough one and if local bookmakers are to be believed there is no standout side from within these borders that looks set to challenge for the title.
Outside of the tournament changes, the majority of the South African franchises have also undergone major alterations with only 2wo sides – the Cell C Sharks and Emirates Lions – heading into 2016 with the same coaches that did the business in 2015.
The Southern Kings, obviously, were not a part of the 2015 competition but they also have a new man at the helm.
Here, we look at the 6 men tasked with bringing success to their respective franchises:
Jurie Roux
On Thursday reports started surfacing that renewed questions are being asked why Jurie Roux, CEO of SA Rugby (SARU), is still ensconsed in the position as CEO of SA Rugby.
Of course, this is not new news to Rugby-Talk.com as we have featured a number of articles, over a number of years, relating to the allegations against Jurie Roux, by the University of Stellenbosh, where Roux was employed prior to his appointment as CEO of SA Rugby and the matter has been discussed at lenght in our comments section on various news aricles.
A lot of “Tap-dancing” is now being done by SARU and SARU President Oregan Hoskins regarding the matter, the latest of which claims that SARU was never aware of investigations against Jurie Roux, at the time of his employment in 2010 and that they also did not even interview Mr Roux at the time of his employment as CEO, as that was supposedly handled by an outsourced entity.
To put it mildly, it is my considered opinion that the matter of the investigations against Jurie Roux has been in the public domain for years, and SARU President Hoskins’ blanket denials about being aware of the investigations simply does not wash… in fact in the past Oregan Hoskins has come out in open and positive support for Jurie Roux, regarding these claims and investigations.
Now that the heat is turned up about the matter, we see this ludicrous distancing from Mr Roux and his appointment and suddenly “Discussing the Matter by the SARU Exco” is envisaged to take place.
The stern question now remains, how can SA Rugby ever have allowed and now still allow Jurie Roux to act in the position of CEO of SA Rugby?
The 3rd leg of the 2015 / 2016 season (1st tournament of 2016) took place in Wellington, New Zealand on 30 & 31 January 2016.
Defending champions New Zealand won the Final, once again against South Africa’s Blitzbokke, by 24 / 21 after trailing till deep into the dying seconds of the match.
It was an epic Final, with New Zealand’s never say die attitude, winning it in the end for them. It was the 2nd time on the weekend that South Africa could not close out a game against New Zealand where they were well in front and deservingly so, near the end.
Day 1:
Hosts and defending champions New Zeland won all 3 of their matches on Day 1 of the HSBC Wellington Sevens to march into the quarterfinals after dramatically beating South Africa’s Blitzbokke 19 / 14 in the last match of the day.
HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series leaders Fiji and Australia also maintained 100% records with impressive displays at the Westpac Stadium, as the 3rd Round of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series continued to entertain.
Ricardo Laubscher
Former Springbok backline coach Ricardo Loubscher is set to pursue his career further overseas this season.
Loubscher, who served as the Springbok backline coach between 2012 and 2015, ended his association with the South African Rugby Union when his contract expired at the end of last year.
Since then there has been no communication on any future possible plans for him from SARU’s side and without any coaching alternative currently at his disposal, Loubscher has been forced to look outside South Africa for employment.
Coca-Cola South Africa will remain the title sponsor of SA Rugby’s highly successful Youth Week tournaments and an associate sponsor of the Vodacom Super Rugby competition until 2018.
It was announced on Wednesday that Coca-Cola South Africa, who 1st became involved with SA Rugby as a sponsor in 1997, have extend their partnership with the organisation for a further 3 years, which will stretch their association with rugby in South Africa to 21 years.
As part of the SA Rugby Youth Weeks sponsorship, Coca-Cola South Africa will also continue to fund the Coca-Cola Schools of Excellence programme, which aims to develop skilled rugby players from schools in previously disadvantaged communities across the country.
Cheeky Watson
Embattled Eastern Province Rugby Union President Cheeky Watson has had the first set of legal documents served on him.
The players organisation, MyPlayers, confirmed that an Application for Liquidation was brought – through their trade union SARPA – against the EP Rugby (Pty) Ltd.
This move comes after lengthy consultations with the various stakeholders concerned as well as the exploration of all legal options available.
It follows in the wake of confirmation that EP Rugby last week reached an agreement with 18 players (who did not receive Super Rugby contracts) over outstanding salaries.
EP Rugby needs to come up with 5 Million Rand by Sunday 31 January, or they will also face a Liquidation Application from the lawyer of the aforementioned players – Craig Jessop, a labour lawyer working for the firm Brown Braude and Vlok.
This move forced MyPlayers and SARPA’s hand.
Franco Smith
The Toyota Cheetahs know they have an uphill battle in this year’s Vodacom Super Rucompetition, but they have approached their mammoth task with a renewed amount of energy and are hoping they will reap the rewards for their efforts.
Since Franco Smith took over the team in the last 2 games of last season the side has shown some exceptional touches on attack, but their defence at times and their set piece play has often let them down, ensuring that a lot of the good work they do on the field is reduced because of poor defence.
Smith has worked hard on this with the team through the off-season and believes it is one of the biggest priorities for the team to address before the season gets under way.
While he admits the team is still a work-in-progress, the former Springbok playmaker is hopeful that strides made in physical conditioning and the work the management have put in with the side in the off-season will begin to bear fruit when the serious games begin next month.
DHL Stormers Head Coach Robbie Fleck has named a 30-man squad for their pre-season friendly against the South Western Districts Eagles in George on Saturday.
Following their successful pre-season match against the Eagles at Outeniqua Park in 2015, Fleck said that the team are keen to return to George where they always enjoy good support.
“We are really looking forward to the game, there was a huge crowd there last year and the people were fantastic. We have always enjoyed playing in George, especially as there are a lot of Stormers fans there.
Warren Whiteley
Warren Whiteley will be captaining the Emirates Lions for the 3rd consecutive Super Rugby season when he again takes the reigns for 2016.
The experienced Whiteley welcomed the responsibility of the captaincy bestowed upon him. “It is a big honour to again lead the Lions in the Super Rugby competition. I take the task very seriously while I also enjoy making decisions on and off the field.
“While I think nothing has changed it becomes easier. Also because we’ve got such a great core of leaders around me,” Whitely said.
As the Vodacom Bulls preparations for Super Rugby 2016 gains momentum we focus on some team news.
Rudy Paige has been named as Vice-Captain for the season.
Handré Pollard’s shoulder injury has been confirmed and he will miss the opening weeks of Super Rugby.
Deon Stegmann needs to undergo an operation due to an ankle injury and projections are that he will be out for 9 weeks.
In addition it is believed that Derick Hougaard, also affectionately known as “Liefling”, is going to attempt to make the Bulls team, after years in the wilderness, but he is not in the current Bulls Super Rugby plans… yet.
Philip du Preez
Former South African Schools lock Philip du Preez is 1 of 3 new signings by the Southern Kings.
The Southern Kings, who will return to Super Rugby next month after a 3-year absence, confirmed the singing of the young up and coming lock, Philip du Preez (22), versatile backline player Jurgen Visser (26) and seasoned hooker Martin Bezuidenhout (26).
Kings Chief Operating Officer Charl Crous also confirmed that Sharks player Jaco van Tonder (24) has joined the team on trial this week.
SANZAR is about to introduce a radical new bonus point system to this year’s Super Rugby competition, with teams no longer getting the bonus point for scoring 4 tries.
The radical proposal, which mirrors a system being used in the French top 14, will now see teams needing to score at least 3 more tries than the opposition to score a bonus point.
The change, which is set to be announced on Thursday in Australia, is a tweak to still encourage teams to play attractive rugby in lopsided contests, and give both sides something to play for, while not taking their foot off the pedal if they have established a good lead in their respective games.
Thus if a team scores 4 tries, they will need to limit the opposition to 1 try if they want the bonus point. If the opposition scores twice, then the team will need to score 5 tries in order to claim the bonus point in the competition.
One of the exciting announcements to emerge from the launch of the 2016 season of the Varsity Cup on Monday was that in 2017 3 universities will join the existing 13 universities currently taking part in Varsity Rugby.
“When Varsity Cup began in 2008, 8 universities were competing,” said Varsity Cup chairperson, Jurie Roux.
“Then in 2011 we added the Varsity Shield and it grew by 5. Next year there will be 16 universities taking part in Varsity Rugby. The competition is becoming more and more inclusive and to have increased the university participation by 100% in under 10 years is phenomenal.”
The Varsity Cup and Varsity Shield competitions are managed by a board of members who will hold a meeting in May 2016 to decide upon a qualification process, whereafter the three additional universities will be announced.
The 3 new teams will join the Varsity Shield, while 1 Varsity Shield team will be promoted to the Varsity Cup, joining the 8 existing teams.
“We are extremely excited about this next chapter of Varsity Rugby,” said Varsity Cup CEO Duitser Bosman.
“The inclusion of 9 teams in Varsity Cup will allow each team to play 4 home and 4 away matches. In addition to that, each team can look forward to 1 bye week in the competition – a luxury they weren’t afforded in the past.”
Previously the teams’ 7 matches were split between 4 home matches and 3 away, or 3 home matches and 4 away – alternating from season to season.
The inclusion of 7 Varsity Shield teams in 2017 will allow each team to play 6 matches.
Promotion and relegation matches will be played again in 2018 for the 2019 season.
The 2016 Varsity Rugby season kicks off on 1 February 2016 with the 1st Round of Varsity Shield matches taking place.
Sport24
Rugby World Cup-winning former Springbok captain Francois Pienaar explained the new Varsity Cup innovations is an attempt at getting the coaches to change their mindset and take more risks.
Speaking at the launch of the 2016 Varsity Cup and Shield competitions, Pienaar gave an insight into the reasoning behind the bonus point system, which could lead to a maximum of 9 points being awarded for a try.
Richie Gray, new Scotland defensive contact specialist coach
Scotland head coach Vern Cotter has appointed defensive contact specialist Richie Gray on a consultancy basis for the forthcoming RBS 6 Nations Championship.
Gray joins the Scotland set-up following a 3-season spell as South Africa’s specialist breakdown coach during Heyneke Meyer’s tenure, which culminated in their bronze medal finish at 2015 World Cup.
Gray’s contract with the South African Rugby Union was not renewed after Meyer’s resignation late last year.
Gray also assisted the Springbok Sevens side.
Dylan Hartley has been appointed England captain and will lead the team during their Six Nations campaign despite having one of the worst disciplinary records in English rugby.
Hartley has spent a total of 54 weeks on sidelines through suspension over the years. Some of the offences he served suspensions for include eye-gouging, biting, punching and head-butting.
Despite these blemishes, England head coach Eddie Jones said he has faith in Hartley’s abilities as a leader.
Local rugby supporters finally have a reason to smile.
The plan by the SA Rugby Union (SARU) to stem the enormous exodus of top players heading overseas, by way of joint contracts with its unions is gaining some momentum.
Rugby World Cup tough guys Damian de Allende, Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth and Frans Malherbe are among the list of about 20 players with whom SARU has already signed contracts.
The full list of names has not been made available, but it was confirmed that Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira, Trevor Nyakane, Adriaan Strauss, Coenie Oosthuizen, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Marcell Coetzee, Siya Kolisi, Handré Pollard, Pat Lambie and Jan Serfontein had also been contracted and could look forward to competitive salaries in line with those of Springboks playing overseas.
Argentina’s new Super Rugby franchise will be called Los Jaguares (Jaguars).
The team will play be in the 2nd African conference, alongside the Cell C Sharks, Emirates Lions and Southern Kings.
To play Test rugby for Argentina, players have to be contracted by the UAR and be available to play Super Rugby.
The Jaguars’ 1st match will be against the Toyota Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Friday 26 February 2016.
Heyneke Meyer
South Africa’s provincial rugby unions are reportedly at loggerheads over whether Heyneke Meyer should remain as Springbok coach.
Meyer’s position has been a hot talking point in recent weeks after the Springboks’ failure to win the Rugby World Cup in England.
Initial media reports indicated that Meyer would remain in his position until the next Rugby World Cup in 2019, but more recently it was reported that he could face the axe.
Meyer’s fate will be decided at a SARU general council meeting in Cape Town on 11 December.
The 29 members of SARU’s general council consist of the 14 provincial union Presidents and CEOs, as well as SARU president Oregan Hoskins.
Adriaan Strauss
Springbok hooker Adriaan Strauss has been named as captain of the Vodacom Bulls for the 2016 Vodacom Super Rugby season, the team annnounced on Monday. Another international star, Springbok flyhalf Handré Pollard, will be vice-captain for the season.
Strauss, a Super Rugby centurion (118 appearances) is no stranger to a leadership role at this level, having captained the Toyota Cheetahs for a number of seasons and according to the Vodacom Bulls Super Rugby coach, Nollis Marais, is a perfect fit for his team.
“Adriaan ticks all the boxes. He has vast experience at Super Rugby level, has played 54 Tests for the Springboks, where he is part of the leadership group and represents what we stand for as Bulls. His leadership style is great, as is his ability to rally players around him. He is also one of the top hookers in world rugby and even opponents will look up to his presence on the field,” Marais explained.
All Black greats united to pay tribute to Jonah Lomu with a powerful haka, as thousands of fans packed a memorial service at New Zealand rugby’s spiritual home, Eden Park.
A grim-faced Buck Shelford led more than 20 former internationals in a “Ka Mate” haka while the legendary wing’s casket was carried into a hearse.
Former teammates including Tana Umaga, Justin Marshall and John Kirwan joined the emotional tribute on the same turf that Lomu once dominated as a player.
“Jonah, you were a freak on the field and a gentle, caring giant off it,” former All Blacks coach John Hart said.
Robert du Preez (snr)
Cell C Sharks director of rugby, Gary Gold, believes Robert du Preez (snr) will give his team an extra edge on attack in next year’s Super Rugby competition.
Former Springbok scrumhalf Du Preez is no stranger to Sharks rugby, having been a key member during the successes of the famous ‘Team of the 90s’ and he not only brings new ideas and experience, but the passion for the team, having represented the Sharks in 63 matches between 1992 and 1998 – during which 3 Currie Cup titles were won.
He will share the skills and attack coaching duties with Sean Everitt.
Nemani Nadolo
New Zealand’s Super Rugby franchise the Crusaders have confirmed that Fijian Rugby World Cup winger Nemani Nadolo will not be extending his contract with the Christchurch team next season.
Nadolo has agreed to play his rugby in France for French club Montpellier after the 2016 Super Rugby season.
Fijian winger Nadolo was raised in Brisbane Australia and has had playing stints in the UK, France, Australia and Japan but his career only really took off when he joined the Crusaders.
Nadolo is now 1 of the hottest wingers in World Rugby but it was not long ago that he was with the Waratahs and was unable to make the match day team.
The winger left Sydney and played for Bourgoin between 2010 and 2011 before joining Japan’s NEC Green Rocket where he was brought to the attention of Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder.
Ayumu Goromaru
Japan is looking to cash in on the rugby fever that swept the nation in recent weeks by unveiling a life-size bronze statue of Rugby World Cup star Ayumu Goromaru.
However, fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the golden-coloured figure – crouching with its fingers clasped together in the player’s trademark kick routine – will have to be quick.
After being unveiled by Goromaru himself on Monday it will be part of the decorations for Tokyo’s Christmas illuminations for a month only and be removed again afterwards.
Craig Burden
South African hooker Craig Burden has joined Stade Francais as an injury replacement, the Paris club said on Friday.
The 30-year-old from Durban spent 2 seasons at Toulon before a short spell with Montpellier this year.
Cheeky Watson
Eastern Province rugby clubs plan to call a special general meeting to pass a motion of no-confidence in EPRU president Cheeky Watson.
According to reports, Watson was set to be served a motion of no confidence at the union’s annual general meeting last Friday, but the meeting was controversially postponed.
One club’s president said that in order to pass the motion of no confidence in Watson, 36 of the union’s clubs (20%) need to sign up.
He said that target would be easy to achieve and they would push to have the meeting as soon as possible.
Eddie Jones
England’s new rugby coach Eddie Jones has been hired as an adviser by Goldman Sachs in Japan in the hope he can reproduce the Midas touch he showed at the Rugby World Cup.
The 55-year-old Australian, who recently led Japan’s Brave Blossoms to 3 victories in 4 games at the Rugby World Cup, will join a 9-member advisory board at the start of next year, a spokesman said Friday.
“(Jones) has achieved the impossible by bringing the Japanese team to a level on par with the best in world rugby,” Goldman Sachs Japan president Masanori Mochida said in a statement.
“Goldman Sachs will benefit from his unrivalled leadership and his ability to bring together a multi-cultural team, set clear goals and pull an entire team toward a shared vision.”
Tim Agaba
Frankie Horne will captain the SARU Sevens Academy team at the Dubai International tournament, which also includes 2 new Sevens recruits in Tim Agaba and Siviwe ‘Shakes’ Soyizwapi, formerly of the EP Kings.
Agaba and Soyizwapi this week became the latest Sevens recruits when they each agreed to terms with SARU to play Sevens for the next 2 years. Agaba is a talented No 8 while speedster Soyizwapi has already played for the Academy side in Singapore in September.
SARU on Friday announced the 12-man squad for the Dubai tournament, which takes place on 4 & 5 December and will run concurrently with the opening Round of the new HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
Apart from Horne, the Academy side – known as the Samurai Internationals – also includes Springbok Sevens internationals Ruhan Nel, Rosko Specman and Stephan Dippenaar.