Just For Kicks
Durban – Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer has lauded the impact captain Jean de Villiers had in steering the Boks to a win over England at Kings Park here on Saturday.
Tom Johnson and Joe Marler will make their England Test debuts in the first match of the Castle series in Durban on Saturday.
Wales have made four changes to the team that won the Six Nations Grand Slam for the first test against Australia on Saturday with Scott Williams coming at centre.
Declan Kidney has picked three uncapped players for the 1st Test with New Zealand in Auckland, with Simon Zebo and Declan Fitzpatrick both starting and Ronan Loughrey on the bench. Keith Earls faces the unenviable task of stopping Sonny Bill Williams at inside centre, with Dan Tuohy and Donnacha Ryan forming a new look second row partnership. Brian O’Driscoll captains the side.
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans has responded to his side’s shock loss to Scotland, making eight changes to the starting line-up for the first Test against Wales in Brisbane.
Springbok backline coach Ricardo Loubscher feels Pat Lambie’s future in the Springbok team lies in the flyhalf position.
At a media briefing at 12.30 in Durban today, Heyneke Meyer confirmed that Jean de Villiers will lead the Springboks against England in the upcoming series.
Well whoever said rugby was boring. In one fell swoop, the Sharks were left washed up on some beach on the Jukskei, the Bulls were humbled at home, Heyneke Meyer attempts to fark with our heads and Keo is up for a bit of sex and coke. And that is all before the Queen steps onto her barge!
Wales (13) 30 / (14) 21 Barbarians (Final Score)
Wales and the Barbarians did battle at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff at 15:00 SA Time (14:00 UK Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 6 on TV in SA.
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Lions prop CJ van der Linde has been found not guilty of biting Force lock Toby Lynn in the Lions loss to the Force on Saturday in Perth.
Cape Town – The Stormers have recalled versatile loose forward Pieter Louw to help alleviate their current injury crisis in the back row.
Cheetahs flyhalf Sias Ebersohn is the second South African rugby player to have signed with an Australian side in two years, having signed a two year deal with the Western Force.
A tug-of-war over Steven Kitshoff and the Stormers and the Baby Boks has intensified ahead of the Stormers crunch Super Rugby clash at Loftus.
Veteran Ronan O’Gara will captain an Ireland XV that plays a non-cap match against the Barbarians in Gloucester on Tuesday.
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer expressed his excitement at the upcoming international season as the national planning camp concluded in Durban today (Monday), with less than two weeks to go before the first Test of the Castle Incoming Tour 2012 against England,
Cape Town – Three players with Springbok Sevens experience have been named in the SA Barbarians teams to take on England in two mid-week matches during next month’s five match tour, the South African Rugby Union (SARU) announced on Monday.
Continue reading
Regarding the last few weeks 2013 Super Rugby shenanigans, the GLRU have released the following statement.
Brumbies (6) 12 / Reds (10) 13 (Final Score)
The Brumbies and Reds did battle in Super Rugby at Canberra Stadium, Canberra at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 Canberra Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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A proper storm is erupting through the schoolboy rugby world in KwaZulu-Natal, with at least two prominent players found to be drastically over-age for the competitions they’ve been playing in.
The new pink garb is selling like hot cakes in Pretoria at the moment in preparation for next weeks sellout match against the Stormers. Some of the supporters have even been spotted trying out the new strip for size.
Peter de Villiers was smeared, his family were put under intolerable political pressure and his one-time closest friends became his arch-foes, but he doesn’t regret a moment he spent coaching the Springboks.
Sydney – Waratahs skipper Rocky Elsom has been cut from the Wallabies by coach Robbie Deans less than a year after being stripped of the national captaincy.
Wellington – Dumped Samoa captain Mahonri Schwalger has called for the Pacific nation’s prime minister to be replaced as chairperson of the Samoa Rugby Union (SRU) and hit out at “arrogant” rugby administrators.
Louis Koen and Pieter de Villiers were officially added to the Springbok management on Thursday. Continue reading
A new list of the proposed law changes has been released by the IRB. These will be trailed later this year.
The Barbarians Summer Series proper begins this weekend with the Killik Cup against England at Twickenham, and not much has been spoken about it here.
Cape Town – The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Sport was reassured on Tuesday that the Southern Kings would participate in the 2013 Super Rugby competition.
What, you may well ask has the headline got to do with this match. Let me explain.
Stormers (16) 19 / Waratahs (3) 13 (Final Score)
The DHL Stormers and Waratahs did battle in Super Rugby at Newlands, Cape Town at 19:10 SA Time.
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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As much as I hate this clichéd saying that every sports commentator has used with gay abandon since the 1980’s, where the English football hacks had run every overused idiom, including this one into the ground, it is most apt for this game. This really was “a game of two halves”.
Stormers (16) 16 / Cheetahs (0) 14 (Final Score)
The DHL Stormers and Toyota Cheetahs did battle in Super Rugby at Newlands, Cape Town at 19:10 SA Time.
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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A round-up of the latest news shorts from the weekend’s rugby.
Last night Graeme Joffe aired his sportspodcast. I mention this because it has led to a rather acrimonious bitching session and airing of dirty laundry out in the blogosphere. The reason? Yes, you guessed it, it’s that Kings vs Lions thingy again.
Rarely do I find myself doubled over in pain from laughter, but, when I saw this, I wondered what Scrumdown’s house, and in particular, furniture must look like after the trashing it must have received through his frustration. Open the thread to see what I mean.
A round-up of the latest news shorts from the weekend’s rugby.