grootblousmile
Dawie Theron
The SARU national selectors have named a squad of 37 players for the Junior Springbok training camp in preparation for the 2015 World Rugby Under 20 Championship to be played during June in Italy. The group will assemble in Stellenbosch on Easter Monday.
The revised training squad was confirmed after a 4-day trials camp last week in Stellenbosch.
The group includes several players who are currently busy with Vodacom Super Rugby, Vodacom Cup and Varsity Cup commitments.
These players, such as Thomas du Toit, Dan du Preez (both Cell C Sharks) and Hanro Liebenberg (Vodacom Blue Bulls) will join the training camp at a later stage.
Dawie Theron, the Junior Springbok coach, described last week’s trials camp as a very good exercise.
Mils Muliaina
Former All Black fullback and Rugby World Cup winner Mils Muliaina’s future hangs in the balance after he was arrested by the South Wales Police on suspicion of sexual assault.
Muliaina’s Irish club Connacht confirmed that the former All Black was assisting the Police with enquiries relating to an alleged incident in Cardiff in March of this year.
He was pictured on television being led away by police officers following his Irish club’s 14 / 7 loss at Gloucester in the European Challenge Cup quarter-finals on Friday.
Lions (6) 22 / 18 (9) Bulls (Final Score)
The Emirates Lions and Vodacom Bulls did battle in Super Rugby at
Emirates Airline park, Johannesburg at 17:05 SA Time (15:05 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
*******************
Sharks (3) 10 / 52 (28) Crusaders (Final Score)
The Cell C Sharks and Crusaders did battle in Super Rugby at
Growthpoint Kings Park, Durban at 15:00 SA Time (13:00 GMT, Sunday 02:00 NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
*******************
Brumbies (13) 20 / 3 (3) Cheetahs (Final Score)
The Brumbies and Toyota Cheetahs did battle in Super Rugby at
GIO Stadium, Canberra at 10:40 SA Time (19:40 AEDT, 08:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
*******************
Chiefs (10) 23 / 16 (3) Blues (Final Score)
The Chiefs and Blues did battle in Super Rugby at
waikato Stadium, Hamilton at 08:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 06:36 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
*******************
Vodacom Bulls coach Frans Ludeke made 2 changes to his starting pack for Saturday’s Vodacom Super Rugby match against the Emirates Lions in Johannesburg and also had to replace pivot Handré Pollard, who did not recover in time from a knee contusion.
Jacques-Louis Potgieter will start at No 10 and is the only change to the backline that ran on against the Crusaders last week. Potgieter is returning to action following a hamstring strain that kept him out for 3 weeks.
Grant Hattingh (for Victor Matfield) and Dean Greyling (for Morné Mellett) will start in the pack.
Both played off the bench last weekend.
Hattingh’s spot on the bench will be taken by Roelof Smit and Greyling swops places with Mellett, who will play of the bench. Matfield is rested (as is Jan Serfontein).
Callie Visagie makes his return to the squad following a back injury.
Springboks Marcell Coetzee, Cobus Reinach and Patrick Lambie will all start for the Sharks when they face the Crusaders in Durban on Saturday.
Lambie and Reinach are straight swaps for Frans Steyn and Conrad Hoffmann, with Lambie also taking over the captaincy.
Back-row forward Renaldo Bothma gets a deserved rest after starting all but one match so far this season.
He will take great comfort from his man of the match award against the Force last week and will provide ample firepower off the bench, with Coetzee taking his place after enjoying a week’s rest.
Kyle Cooper continues at hooker in the absence of the suspended Bismarck du Plessis.
Jano Vermaak
3-Times capped Springbok Jano Vermaak is returning home to South Africa with a World Cup dream.
The 30-year-old, who has been a shining star for the revitalised French giants Toulouse in the Top 14, spoke from the city in the southwest of France.
He was quite open about his goals, although there remains some uncertainty about which team he will use as – hopefully – as a springboard to a World Cup spot.
“I am coming back to South Africa with the goal of giving myself a chance of possibly getting into the World Cup squad,” the 30-year-old scrumhalf said.
“At this stage I do not yet know which team I will be playing for in South Africa,” Vermaak said, adding: “I have a few options, but we’ll make that call in the next month or so.”
He said he simply can’t wait to be back in SA and will arrive after the completion of the French Top 14 season in May, or June if Toulouse make the play-offs.
That will give him 3 or 4 weeks of Super Rugby to have a crack at a World Cup spot.
Daryl Gibson
The Waratahs have announced the appointment of Daryl Gibson to the role of head coach on a 3-year contract to commence ahead of the 2016 Super Rugby season.
Gibson has been Assistant Coach of the Waratahs, under current coach Michael Cheika, since his appointment at the end of 2012, and has previously coached at the Glasgow Warriors and the Crusaders.
Waratahs Rugby CEO Greg Harris said the integrity of the selection process was of the highest priority and that Daryl’s appointment would ensure that the transition at the end of the season would be a smooth one.
“Daryl has been an integral part of the creation of a culture which the club is now identified by, and his appointment will ensure that the players can build on the positive foundation which has been established by Michael Cheika.”
Dane Haylett-Petty
Sam Wykes
Western Force fullback Dane Haylett-Petty has extended his stay with the Western Australian franchise for a further 2 seasons – through to the end of 2017.
The 25-year-old Durban-born back returned to the Western Force for the 2014 season, after 3 seasons playing in France and Japan.
He has since re-established himself as a key member of the Western Australian backline.
Haylett-Petty, who started the season at fullback, returned to the Western Force line-up in last weekend’s match against the Cell C Sharks, after being sidelined for 5 matches with a foot injury.
Haylett-Petty’s re-signing coincides with the confirmation that lock Sam Wykes will depart the club at the end of the 2015 season to take up an opportunity in Japan.
Wykes, who made his debut for the Force in 2008, has amassed 81 matches for the Force over 8 seasons.
Will Genia
Australia and Reds scrumhalf Will Genia has signed a 3-year contract to join Top 14 club Stade Francais after this year’s Rugby World Cup.
“We can confirm that Will Genia will be part of our squad after the World Cup (which ends 31 October). It’s a great signing and one which will strengthen our squad in a vital position,” Stade Francais president Thomas Savare said on radio France Bleu 107.1.
The Papua New Guinea-born Wallaby had been linked with a move to Europe for months but Bath were firm favourites to sign the 27-year-old, who even signed a pre-contract with the English Premiership side.
With 3 of the 4 quarterfinals taking place on french soil, and all 3 of those against English opposition it could feel somewhat like the Hundred year war for the Premiership sides.
In the only non Anglo-French encounter, Bath travel to Leinster while the remaining fixtures sees Clermont Auvergne take on Premiership table-toppers Northampton Saints, Racing Metro will play last year’s finalists Saracens, and finally champions Toulon will face Wasps.
The record books show that in 72 quarterfinal encounters in Europe’s top flight, 54 have been won by the home club – a staggering 75% success rate for those sides on home soil.
Premiership clubs make up half the Champions Cup quarterfinalists, although all have to play away from home.
English teams have a 20% success rate away from home in the tournament, winning only 4 times in 20 quarterfinal games to date.
For the 9 away matches against French opposition, the success rate is as low as 11%, with only 1 win – Northampton Saints’ 7 / 6 victory over Biarritz Olympique in San Sebastian in 2007.
The only other English away victories in the last 8 have been Leicester Tigers over Leinster Rugby at Lansdowne Road in 2005, Bath at Leicester in 2006 and Saracens against Ulster at Kingspan Stadium last season.
The 3 French clubs in the Champions Cup quarterfinals have never lost at home in the last 8 of Europe’s top flight.
Toulon and Clermont have won home quarterfinals in the past 2 seasons, while Racing Metro have reached the knockout stage for the 1st time in their history.
The odds are definitely stacked against the English clubs, but that does not mean that any of the French teams will take them lightly.
Mils Muliaina
Italian Rugby club Zebre have signed New Zealand All Blacks Rugby World Cup winner Mils Muliaina for the 2015 / 2016 season from Irish province Connacht.
The 2015 / 2016 Rugby season will be the Italian Northwest franchise’s 4th season in the PRO12 League and the European Cups.
100-Cap All Black Muliaina joined Connacht from Super Rugby side the Chiefs in 2014 having retired from playing international rugby at the end of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Zebre have announced that they will be led by a new coaching team that will be announced later in the year.
SANZAR has amended the kick-off times of 2 matches in Round 11 of this year’s Super Rugby competition.
This was done to accommodate extended pre-game Anzac Centenary remembrance ceremonies.
The Brumbies vs Highlanders and Waratahs vs Melbourne Rebels clashes on 24 and 25 April respectively will now each kick off at 11:55 SA Time – 15 minutes later than the originally scheduled time.
It is Round 8 of Super Rugby 2015 this weekend.
There are 2 games on Friday 3 April and 4 games on Saturday 4 April.
The Western Force, Highlanders & Waratahs have a BYE weekend.
There is 1 South African derby on the weekend, between the Emirates Lions and Vodacom Bulls, with 2 SA sides currently on tour and the Cell C Sharks also play inside South Africa on the weekend.
Only 1 undefeated team still remains prior to the start of the weekend, the Hurricanes, and they will be up against the touring DHL Stormers, at home, in the 1st game of the weekend (08:35 SA Time on Friday 3 April).
The struggling Melbourne Rebels host the struggling Reds in Melbourne, at 10:40 SA Time on Friday.
On Saturday morning the Chiefs host the struggling Blues at 08:35 SA Time, whereafter the Brumbies host the Toyota Cheetahs in their 3rd game on tour, in Canberra, at 10:40 SA Time.
Next up, at 15:00 SA Time, the Cell C Sharks host the Crusaders in their 2nd and last game on South African soil, in Durban. The Sharks have their rested Springboks back, bar Francois Steyn who is suspended from taking part for 5 weeks, after a sucessful SANZAR appeal.
The Emirates Lions, back from a very successful tour of 3 wins out of 4 games, host the Vodacom Bulls at 17:05 SA Time, in Johannesburg in the last game of the Round.
The Hurricanes should encounter strong opposition from the Stormers in the first Friday game and the second Friday game between the Melbourne Rebels and Reds is also a difficult one to pick a winner.
The Chiefs should easily dispense with the Blues early on Saturday, and the Brumbies should have too much to offer against the Toyota Cheetahs.
The Durban game between the Cell C Sharks and Crusaders should be a cracker and the local derby between the Emirates Lions and Vodacom Bulls could easily be the game of the weekend.
Rebels (15) 23 / 15 (15) Reds (Final Score)
The Melbourne Rebels and Reds did battle in Super Rugby at
AAMI Park, Melbourne at 10:40 SA Time (18:40 Queensland Time, 19:40 AEDT, 08:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
*******************
Hurricanes (25) 25 / 20 (3) Stormers (Final Score)
The Hurricanes and DHL Stormers did battle in Super Rugby at
Westpac Stadium, Wellington at 08:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 06:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
*******************
There will be no hiding place at Emirates Airline Park when the high-flying Emirates Lions and Vodacom Bulls clash in a tough Vodacom Super Rugby derby on Saturday afternoon.
The Jukskei Derby is the final match of Round 8, featuring all 5 South African franchises.
The DHL Stormers have a massive task at hand when they take on the unbeaten Hurricanes in Wellington on Friday morning.
On Saturday morning, the Toyota Cheetahs face the Brumbies in their penultimate tour match in Canberra, a replay of their 2013 Qualifier in the Australian capital.
The Cell C Sharks and the 7-time champions from Canterbury, the Crusaders, cross swords in Durban on Saturday afternoon before the 2 sides from Gauteng, both of whom started the season slowly, take each other on.
The Emirates Lions had just returned from their most-successful Vodacom Super Rugby tour yet and the Vodacom Bulls are aiming for their 5th successive victory after losing their 1st 2 matches of the season.
Interestingly, 2 players who made their Springbok debuts together, Siya Kolisi and Piet van Zyl, will be earning their 50th Vodacom Super Rugby caps this weekend.
Both played off the bench in the Boks’ 30 / 17 victory over Scotland in Nelspruit in 2013. Kolisi has played all his rugby for the DHL Stormers, while Van Zyl made 32 appearances for the Toyota Cheetahs and 17 for the Vodacom Bulls.
After finishing 3rd at the previous 3 HSBC Sevens World Series tournaments, South Africa will be out to add another Cup title to their collection so far this season at the Japanese tournament this weekend.
The Springbok Sevens (110 points) are currently enjoying a slender lead of 2 points over Fiji at the top of World Series standings after 6 rounds. After winning the Cup in Dubai and Port Elizabeth, they have could not progress beyond the semi-final stages in Wellington, Las Vegas and Hong Kong.
The 17 points the team collected last weekend in Hong Kong allowed them to stay in 1st place above Fiji and New Zealand. Success in Tokyo on Sunday will thus allow the South Africans to consolidate their lead in the race for the coveted World Series title.
The Top 4 teams at the end of the HSBC Sevens World Series season in May will qualify automatically for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
For now, the focus is very much on the next World Series assignment in Tokyo, where the Springbok Sevens will be hoping to challenge strongly for the Cup. They kick off on Saturday morning against Canada (04:58 SA Time) and their remaining games will be played at 07:46 SA Time against Kenya and 11:58 SA Time versus the USA.
Ma’a Nonu
Hurricanes midfielder Ma’a Nonu will join an elite club of 4 when he runs on against the DHL Stormers at Westpac Stadium this Friday.
The match will be his 150th Super Rugby game, with 114 of those being played as a member of the Hurricanes.
During his time with the ‘Canes from 2003 – 2011, and again this year, he has accumulated 215 points for the team, made up of 43 tries.
The 32-year-old joins Keven Mealamu, Corey Flynn, and Nathan Sharpe in the 150 club.
Toyota Cheetahs coach Naka Drotské has named his team to take on Australian conference leaders the Brumbies in the Super Rugby clash in the Canberra on Saturday.
Drotské has made no less than 8 changes to the starting line-up, as well as positional shifts to his loose forward trio.
Fullback Willie le Roux, centres Johann Sadie and Francois Venter, scrumhalf Tian Meyer, lock Carl Wegner, hooker Torsten van Jaarsveld, and props Coenie Oosthuizen and Danie Minnie are all new faces in the starting team from the one which lost 37 / 27 to the Chiefs in Hamilton last weekend.
It’s PUB NIGHT again…
The heading suggests we talk about the past weekend’s rugby, where 3 South African sides recorded wins in Super Rugby and I think that qualifies as a good weekend of rugby!
Unfortunately the DHL Stormers and Toyota Cheetahs let South Africans down… baaadly, sis on you muppits!
This weekend is Easter Weekend, but the rugby will continue, 2 games on Easter Friday and 4 games on Saturday.
I guess this makes for a few good discussions!
It is time to straddle a bar stool and order a drink or 2.
Let’s focus on the PUB tonight…. the idea with PUB NIGHT is to lighten up our dull Tuesday evenings with music, comedy and fun.
Rugby takes a backseat tonight as the clan and fellow rugby nutters gather and wheel in their old friends…
Read the rules below carefully, or you WILL get burnt!
Just for clarity sake, when someone does not adhere to the Rules of the PUB, EVERYBODY jumps on them and pummels them, right… understood?
Here’s how it works:
Jurie Roux, SARU CEO
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) made a small operating profit – exceeding forecasts – in a very difficult economic environment, the Union announced on Tuesday.
SARU reported a group profit before taxation of R 6.6 million for the year ended 31 December 2014, R 5 million ahead of budget and the 4th successive year of profit. A deferred taxation charge of R 4.7 million resulted in after tax profit declined to R 1.9 million.
Jurie Roux, chief executive officer (CEO) of SARU, said that rugby – like any South African business – remained under continuing financial constraints.
“The consistent theme over recent years has been the extreme financial pressure being felt in all corners of the game,’ he said.
Francois Steyn
The SANZAR Appeal against the Ruling of the Judicial Officer in the Francois Steyn case, was heard on Tuesday and the Appeals Committee, chaired by Terry Willis (Australia) and comprising Nigel Hampton QC (New Zealand) and Robert Stelzner SC (South Africa), has ruled in favour of SANZAR, setting aside the verdict of the judicial hearing which cleared Francois Steyn of a lifting tackle and which expunged the Red Card.
The Appeals Committee unanimously upheld the appeal brought by SANZAR and found that Steyn breached Law 10.4 (j) and that the referee was correct to Red Card the player during the match between the Cell C Sharks and the Chiefs played at Growthpoint Kings Park in Durban on Saturday 21 March 2015.
The Committee determined that the relevant sanction was 4 matches. After taking into consideration the Sharks’ bye in Round 11, Steyn was suspended from all forms of the game up to and including 3 May 2015.
The Emirates Lions were dealt a setback when it was revealed that lock Martin Muller has been ruled out of Saturday’s Vodacom Super Rugby clash with the Vodacom Bulls at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg.
Muller sustained a calf tear during his team’s win over the Reds in Brisbane and will be out of the side for Saturday’s clash.
The news has been tempered with MB Lusaseni’s return to action, while Andries Ferreira is also available.
Also ruled out of the clash is winger Courtnall Skosan, with an ankle injury whilst flyhalf / fullback Jaco van der Walt has a fractured cheekbone.
The unbeaten FNB UFS-Shimlas will host FNB NWU-Pukke in their 1st-ever FNB Varsity Cup final in Bloemfontein.
The Free State side saw off defending champions FNB UCT in their home semi-final, and NWU-Pukke edged table-topping FNB UP-Tuks in Pretoria to book a place in their 2nd consecutive final.
A late try from flyhalf Jonny Welthagen saw NWU-Pukke snatch a dramatic 29 / 28 victory over UP-Tuks to send the 2-time champions crashing out of the competition.
Welthagen had been the villain of NWU-Pukke’s defeat to UCT in last year’s final in Potchefstroom, but he turned to hero in Pretoria as a superb individual effort saw his side through.
NWU-Pukke were the only team to beat UP-Tuks in the round robin phase of the competition, and they made it a season double to set up a final clash against their old rivals in Bloemfontein on Monday 13 April.
UFS-Shimlas proved too strong for the Ikeys in the first semi-final, outscoring the Cape side by 3 tries to 2 to secure a spot in their 1st final which they will play in front of their home crowd thanks to NWU-Pukke’s win against UP-Tuks.
The Injury list as updated on 30 March 2015, accross all Super Rugby franchises looks like this… but it must be noted that some players are close or have just returned to playing again.
Return dates are best estimates and subject to change.
SANZAR has announced the names of the Match Officials appointed for Round 8 of the 2015 Super Rugby season.
The Western Force, Highlanders and Waratahs have BYE weekends.
There are 2 games on Friday and 4 games on Saturday.
The weekend starts off on Friday at 08:35 SA Time, with the clanger between the Hurricanes vs DHL Stormers in Wellington, where Rohan Hoffmann will officiate.
In the other Friday match the 2 lowly ranked Australian sides, the Melbourne Rebels and Reds do battle in Melbourne at 10:40 SA Time, with Matt O’Brian wielding the whistle.
On Saturday the action kicks off with the Chiefs hosting the lowly Blues in Hamilton at 08:35 SA Time, with Mike Fraser at the helm, followed by the Brumbies against the battling Toyota Cheetahs in Canberra at 10:40 SA Time, where Ben O’Keeffe will be in control.
Later on Saturday sees 2 South African games with the Cell C Sharks vs Crusaders in Durban at 15:00 SA Time, blown by Marius van der Westhuizen, followed by the Jukskei derby between the Emirated Lions vs Vodacom Bulls in Johannesburg at 17:05 SA Time, officiated by Stuart Berry.
Jan Serfontein
Victor Matfield
Vodacom Bulls Springboks Victor Matfield and Jan Serfontein will both be rested against the Emirates Lions this week, in accordance with the franchises’ agreement with SARU.
Matfield has started every match for the Bulls this season, bar 1 game where he came off the bench against the Western Force a fortnight ago. Matfield is however nursing a knee injury and might be out for longer than 1 week, maybe even up to a month. Team doctor, Org Strauss confirmed that Victor Matfield is stuggling with the knee, but also said no decision has been made about Matfield’s fitness.
“He has a stiff knee, nothing too serious but we will make a decision later on in the week,” Dr Strauss replied to queries about Matfield’s fitness.
Meanwhile, Serfontein, who was named to play against the Crusaders last week even though he did not train due to a stiff hip flexor, will also earn a ‘rest’.
The Springbok centre failed to pass a late fitness test before the match and was replaced by Burger Odendaal at the 11th hour.
Odendaal was initially set to start his 1st game only for the Vodacom Blue Bulls in the Vodacom Cup after a lengthy injury lay-off for a knee ligament injury, but was thrust straight into Super Rugby in stead.
Odendaal had an impressive return to competitive rugby and it should be expected that he will again take up the No 12 spot, with Serfontein rested.
Meanwhile, another 11th-hour replacement that stepped up to make an indelible impression, Hanro Liebenberg, could again find himself in the starting 15.
Dan Carter
Crusaders and All Black No 10 Dan Carter has returned home from South Africa on paternity leave to await the birth of his 2nd child.
This means Carter will miss the Crusaders’ Super Rugby clash against the Cell C Sharks in Durban this Saturday (15:00 SA Time kick-off).
Eben Etzebeth
Duane Vermeulen
Duane Vermeulen will assume the DHL Stormers captaincy, as well as the No 8 jersey, for Friday’s Vodacom Super Rugby clash against the top of the table – and unbeaten – Hurricanes team in Wellington (kick-off 08:35 SA Time).
The influential No 8 missed last week’s 21 / 39 loss to the Highlanders in Dunedin as part of the SA franchises’ rest agreement with SA Rugby, but he returns this week in 1 of 2 changes to the DHL Stormers 15.
The 2nd change, also up front, sees fellow Springbok hardman Eben Etzebeth take over the No 4 jersey from Jean Kleyn, the latter dropping out of the matchday squad altogether – along with Nizaam Carr, who did duty at No 8 last week.
On the bench, meanwhile, lock Ruan Botha will take over the No 19 jersey vacated by Etzebeth in an otherwise unchanged replacements’ unit.
Carel Greeff
The Toyota Cheetahs have called up loose forward Carel Greeff as they prepare for their Super Rugby tour match against the Brumbies in Canberra on Saturday.
Greeff, who played for Griquas in the Vodacom Cup at the weekend, will replace Jean Cook.
Cook injured his groin in the warm-up prior to last weekend’s 37 / 27 loss to the Chiefs in Hamilton.
Laurie Weeks
Laurie Weeks has avoided surgery after injuring his knee in Friday’s loss to the Hurricanes, however the foundation Rebel will be sidelined for 6 to 8 weeks after scans confirmed a fracture of his left tibial plateau.
The news was bitter-sweet for the club, pleased he had avoided a season-ending injury but also disappointed to lose Laurie for an extended period.
“We call Laurie ‘Mr Rebel’,” Head of Athletic Performance Bryce Cavanagh explained. “He is a wonderful, positive influence on the group, and his experience is invaluable; we’ll miss that on the field.
Jerome Kaino
Inspirational loose forward Jerome Kaino has committed himself for the next 3 years to New Zealand Rugby, the Blues and Auckland Rugby.
Kaino today announced he has re-signed to play his rugby in New Zealand until 2018.
It’s a major announcement for New Zealand Rugby, with Kaino the 1st current All Black to commit through to 2018. The news is also a significant fillip for the Blues following the announcement earlier this year that fellow All Black Charlie Faumuina has re-signed through to the end of 2017.
Kaino, 31, has been a powerhouse loose forward on the international and Super Rugby stage for many years. He was New Zealand Rugby’s Player of the Year and nominee for World Rugby Player in 2011 and played in every game of the All Blacks’ Rugby World Cup victory that year. Kaino played 2 seasons in Japan before returning to play for the Blues last year and regained his place in the All Blacks.