superBul
Article By Simnikiwe Xabanisa, in The Times Live.
It’s the fifth and final year of the Super 14 and, predictably, the big talking point is another round of tinkering with the laws.
Welcome to day 2 of the Test between India and South Africa. Jacques Kallis has never hit a double ton before. A great opportunity for him today and if he and SA can stretch that total, it should be fun to watch how India respond.
Toss: Smith has won the toss and has chosen to bat. “We have had a warm-up game. We have covered up all our bases and hope to put it in place in the game. We have come here to beat India at home. We have a pretty decent record here in India. Hopefully we can start well today and set a good tone. We just got one change. Paul Harris comes in for Ryan
The Springbok Sevens will face their nemesis Fiji for the third time in a row in the quarterfinals of the Wellington Sevens on Saturday after losing their final match against New Zealand 19-7.
Preview for tomorrows 1st Test against India in Nagpur.
You know you’re getting close to a Super 14 grudge match when the words “physical”, “outmuscle” and forward “war” start getting bandied about.
The flanker was one of the big stars in the Bulls pre-season performance in Polokwane over the weekend and is focused on getting his career very much back on track after a few wayward years.
Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske was smiling from ear to ear with the news that playmaker Meyer Bosman was declared fit for action on Tuesday.
The coach of the Vodacom Bulls, Frans Ludeke, is satisfied with his team’s performance against the Lions in Polokwane and he is delighted that they did not pick up any injuries.
Sanzar referees and assistant referees will be focusing on freeing up the ball and creating clarity around rulings at the tackle area and at scrum-time in this year’s Super 14 competition.
With both sides taking the ball wide from the outset, the Bulls’ Blue team – in effect their A-side – beat a plucky Lions Red team 42-12 on Saturday, scoring five tries to two in a warm-up match ahead of the Super 14 competition.
The Bulls and Lions went head to head in 2 warm-up matches today at Polokwane (Pietersburg). The Bulls Teams won both encounters, the 1st match ending in the Bulls favour at 25 / 3 and the 2nd match between the better sides ending in the Bulls favour at 42 / 12.
I brought this article back for discussion after the first week of warm up games. Did the refereeing change your minds? Give us your opinions. I know we did not see all the games but from reports you can form a good idea how the Referees are blowing this year.
A minute of silence will be observed on Saturday before the kick-off of the Vodacom Super 14 warm-up match between the Vodacom Bulls and the Auto & General Lions in the new Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, in honour of the former Blue Bulls and Springbok player, Ruben Kruger who passed away during the past week.
Former referee Freek Burger was appointed as South African Rugby Union (SARU) only citing officer in this year’s Super14.
Ruben Kruger passed away after a long fight with brain cancer. More details will follow. Ruben Kruger was only 39 years old.
Convenor of selectors Mike Procter, on Wednesday confirmed Cricket South Africa has sacked the Proteas’ selection team.
See what the referees watch, who watches the referees and what happens when they have been watched. It may help to understand refereeing and its systems.
Highlanders vs Chiefs and Blues against Hurricanes played their first games earlier this morning. Although the reports are short here it is. Seems like everyone is playing 4 quarters and no real urgency is showed. Will wait and see how the Stormers approach their game later today.
Habana gave an interview to Supersport’s Gavin Rich. This is the man, Habana, I know. You took one of our best in his prime, WP. Good luck with your health Habs. Let us see what difference you can make there. Respect for not badmouthing your old team. What a difference to the whole argy bargy way the Lion players left their old team. The dirty washing where one name is the common denominator , Lions.
There were smiles all round Loftus Versfeld on Thursday when the injury cloud hanging over the Vodacom Bulls finally started to lift.
Over the last few weeks i followed SARugby.com articles where they anounced a player every day. They had a panel who picked their top 50 Springboks since readmission. We debated some of them earlier. Tomorrow they will announce their number 1 player.
The Sharks will consider loose forward acquisition Willem Alberts for their friendly matches next week and challenge SA Rugby to change the regulation prohibiting this.
Provincial rugby unions and other stakeholders will be asked for input on a comprehensive rest plan that Springbok coach Peter de Villiers is planning for South Africa’s top players.
No-one can wait any longer, the nerves are on a knife’s edge. The camps are going through their preparations. The new recruits are fitting well into the teams. They feel ready. Let the games begin. But there is still 26 days left before the games begin.The fans are getting nervous.
Read what some supporters had to say.
Cape Town – South African referees expect to see fewer re-set scrums as a result of more accurate applications of the scrummaging laws this season said SA Referees manager Andre Watson on Friday.
This year the referees plan a massive crackdown on the breakdown. Over the years this is the most hotly debated and controversial part of Rugby. It boils down to interpretation by the referee. How quick do you blow? How consistent can the Referee be? Expect a lot of penalties early in the season. Eventually we might see less penalties but the first few weeks teams must make sure that their kickers are on form.
With his reputation in rugby assured and his multimillion-dollar business no longer needing his daily attention, Rod Macqueen could afford to start relaxing. But only a fortnight after his 60th birthday – and almost a decade of rebuffing any coaching offer that came his way – the World Cup-winning coach will instead plunge back into coaching for elite rugby’s newest team, the Melbourne Rebels.
The world’s most experienced referee, Jonathan Kaplan, has been awarded the Vodacom Super 14 opener between the Bulls and the Cheetahs on February 11.
England and Europe, in fact the whole Northern hemisphere gripped in the coldest Winter for years left most people indoors.
Carol said Perhaps its just the snow making me restless!!
I am getting cabin fever…………
I WISH IT WAS SUMMER….
Former Bulls winger Bryan Habana is looking forward to the challenge of playing a more central leadership role with the Stormers as they continue their pre-season training in the build up to the 2010 Super 14 competition.
By Zelim Nel
London – Britain’s harshest winter for decades continued to disrupt sports schedules on Thursday as yet more fixtures were postponed because of freezing conditions.
Matfield, who was part of the 2007 World Cup winning squad, reacted to the debate initiated by Sports Science Institute of South Africa Professor, Tim Noakes, that the Springboks were overplayed and exhausted, resulting in their poor results in their European tour in November.
I was working today and almost every Sport bulletin on the Radio asked this question, Will they drop Ntini? The decision according to Smith on News24 is not in his hands. He even describe it as “sensitive”. When does the player become more important than the team. My feeling about Ntini is that he is one of our best players but that his current form is not at Test level.
From Monday we will be flooded by Rugby news. We will hear who is injured , we will hear how well conditioned or not the players are. The debates will start again. Who must be rested. Who did take a long enough break. Light will be shed on how players will be managed. Yes King Rugby will slowly take its rightful place.
But before that, how do we see the England Cricket tour panning out? What can we expect? Is there a way back for the Proteas?