Player Movements
In a Springbok medical update, it still seems as though some players are still recovering from minor niggles as a result of the last test against the All Blacks.
With the end of year tours just over six weeks away there is some bad news for two of the top centres who would have been looking forward for turning out for their countries against Southern Hemisphere opponents. England’s Manu Tuilagi joins team mate Brad Barritt on the sidelines while Lions and Wales centre Jamie Roberts also looks set to miss out on the action due to injury.
DHL Western Province have probably lost Juan de Jongh for their next two matches after the centre was called up by the Springboks on Sunday, but they should be significantly boosted for Friday’s crucial Absa Currie Cup clash with the Toyota Free State Cheetahs.
WP were set back before their match against the GWK Griquas at Newlands at the start of the weekend by the late withdrawal of big blindside flanker Rynhardt Elstadt.
Lourens Adriaanse has signed a two year deal with the Sharks.
Springbok Coach Heyneke Meyer has recalled two players into the Springbok group for the final two matches of The Rugby Championship against the Wallabies and the All Blacks.
Pieter-Steph du Toit(Sharks) and Juan de Jongh(WP) are the two players who find themselves in the Springbok group for the final stages of The Rugby Championship. Continue reading
Wallaby James O’Connor has now been dropped from the Wallaby squad, indefinately, due to his recent escapade at the Perth airport.
Ruan Pienaar seems to be the latest interest for French side Toulon.
According to reports from France it seems that Toulon is chasing Pienaar’s signiture.
Cheetahs lock Lood de Jager has recovered from a concussion to take his place in the team to face the Sharks in Durban on Saturday.
The young De Jager, who made a big impression in Super Rugby this year, replaces Teboho Mohoje in the only change to the side that beat the Golden Lions last week.
Two more Southern Kings players have decided to make their futures elsewhere, bringing the tally to 10 so far. Cornell du Preez will join Solly (Alan Solomons) in Edinburgh, and Nicolas Vergallo will join French club, Lyon.
The players who have now already left the Southern Kings are: Nicolas Vergallo, Cornell du Preez, Daniel Adongo, Waylon Murray, Bandise Maku, Jacques Engelbrecht, David Bulbring, SP Marais, Wesley Dunlop and Dimetri Catrakilis. Alan Solomons of course has also jumped ship to Edinburgh.
The return of Absa Currie Cup record try scorer Bjorn Basson will boost the Vodacom Blue Bulls ahead of their Absa Currie Cup match against the MTN Golden Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Basson, who holds the record for most Currie Cup tries in a season, has been released by the Springboks for this match and will start on the left wing, where he replaces Sampie Mastriet.
James O’Connor, one of Australia’s most notorious bad boys, may have put his career in jeopardy with another drunken escapade.
The Australian media reported that the Wallaby wing, O’Connor, was ‘escorted’ from the Perth airport just hours after last Saturday’s 14-13 Test win over Argentina.
The Stormers are looking to bolster their second row stocks by signing Argentine lock Manuel Carizza for next year’s Super Rugby competition.
Apparently the Capetonians are busy negotiating a deal with the 29-year-old.
The Barbarians have confirmed that Schalk Burger will join Springbok captain Jean de Villiers in the team to take on Fiji at Twickenham in November.
The World Cup-winning Springbok flank has been sidelined through injury and illness since the start of last year, but it appears he is set to make his return to the international stage in what will be his fourth appearance for the Barbarians.
Western Province flank Michael Rhodes has been suspended for one match for stamping on Blue Bulls captain Jono Ross in their Currie Cup clash on Saturday.
The Springboks will be happy to have the services of scrumhalf Fourie du Preez back for their final two Rugby Championship Tests.
Japan-based Du Preez was not available for the away leg in the competition but will be in the mix for the Tests against Australia at Newlands (September 28) and Ellis Park (October 5).
The recall of Waratahs prop Benn Robinson is one of the main features of a 28-man Wallaby squad for their two-match tour to South Africa and Argentina.
Australia tackle the Springboks in Cape Town on Septemver 28 and the Pumas in Rossario a week later.
Another South African is set to ply his trade at French Top 14 club Toulon, with Sharks hooker Craig Burden reportedly set to leave Durban.
Andrew Hore joined Ma’a Nonu Tuesday as an All Black without a Super Rugby home, fuelling speculation he is on the verge of retirement.
The Highlanders confirmed they have not re-signed Hore for the 2014 season, and said they wished the 79-Test All Blacks hooker well “with whatever future endeavours he undertakes”.
Western Province’s Springbok hooker Tiaan Liebenberg could be out of action for the rest of the Currie Cup season.
Although he announced last Wednesday the five-times capped Bok, who was battling with back spasms, could be out for two or three weeks, WP coach Allister Coetzee said in Cape Town on Monday that latest scans show that Liebenberg may have suffered spinal disc damage.
Western Province flank Michael Rhodes will appear before a SARU judicial committee on Tuesday in Cape Town after receiving a Red Card in their Currie Cup clash against the Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
With the All Blacks having beaten the Springboks over the weekend, in The Rugby Championship, they have extended their lead to four points over the second placed Springboks.
It would however seem that not everything is sunny in the All Black camp though.
Four members of the Springboks’ 30-man Castle Lager Rugby Championship squad have been released to their provinces for Absa Currie Cup duty this weekend.
Australian coach Ewen McKenzie will give regular captain Horwill till Saturday to prove his fitness, ahead of a two-match Rugby Championship tour.
Horwill, who missed the last two Tests with a hamstring strain, is given a good chance of being passed fit for the Tests against South Africa (in Cape Town on September 28) and Argentina (in Rosario a week later).
Springbok hooker Bismarck du Plessis will appear before a SANZAR Duty Judicial Officer after being shown a red card in the defeat to the All Blacks.
Du Plessis received two yellow cards for separate incidents in the 29-15 defeat at Eden Park on Saturday, and will have his case considered in the first instance by SANZAR Duty Judicial Officer Adam Casselden.
The Sharks welcome back Pieter-Steph du Toit to match action where he will line-up for his first start in this year’s Absa Currie Cup campaign for Saturday’s clash with Griquas at GWK Park in Kimberley.
Jean Deysel, who was nursing a few bruises, has been passed fit and will take his place at flank with Jacques Botes retaining the captaincy for this important game.
The All Blacks selectors have named a strong team to play South Africa in The Rugby Championship Freedom Cup Test at Eden Park, Auckland, this Saturday, 14 September 2013, with the starting 15 featuring the return of several regular starters: prop Owen Franks in his 50th Test, Liam Messam at blindside flanker and midfielder Ma’a Nonu.
In other changes, Sam Cane starts at openside flanker replacing injured All Blacks captain Richie McCaw and Dane Coles starts at hooker, with 105-Test veteran Keven Mealamu to provide impact from the bench. With Franks starting, prop Charlie Faumuina moves to the bench, Steven Luatua is also in the reserves covering lock and loose forward along with injury replacement flanker Matt Todd who will cover openside flanker.
Griquas coach Pote Human made three changes to his side for their Currie Cup match up against the Sharks in Kimberley on Saturday.
Most notable is the inclusion of Australian lock Rory Arnold in the starting line-up, after he was cleared of biting Free State Cheetahs’ hooker Ethienne Reynecke.
Lock De Kock Steenkamp will captain Western Province in Saturday’s Currie Cup clash against the Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld (17:05 kick-off).
Steenkamp takes over the captaincy from injured flank Deon Fourie (ribs), with Michael Rhodes shifting to the back row in one of just two changes to the WP line-up this week.
Wallabies scrumhalf Will Genia has been dropped for Australia’s crucial Rugby Championship clash against Argentina here on Saturday with Ben Mowen taking over the captaincy.
Genia is considered to be one of the best No 9s in world rugby but has struggled for consistency and paid the price for last weekend’s 38-12 drubbing at the hands of South Africa in Brisbane.
He drops to the bench for the must-win match against the Pumas in Perth, with Nic White replacing him in the starting line-up.
Schalk Burger has been set to resume training today after a long term injury.
He recently underwent minor tendon surgery which delayed his return.
Griquas lock Rory Arnold won his appeal against a ban for biting and has been cleared to play.
The Australian second row forward, on loan to Griquas for the Currie Cup competition from his Brisbane club, was on Monday found “not guilty” on a biting charge after.
DHL Western Province flank and captain Deon Fourie was cited on Monday for making contact with the face in the eye area of Sharks looseforward Keegan Daniel during their Absa Currie Cup clash in Cape Town on Saturday.
Fourie was cited for contravening Law 10.4(m).
Golden Lions coach Johan Ackerman has announced his side to take on the Toyota Free State Cheetahs in a Currie Cup fixture in Bloemfontein on Friday evening.
The team sees four changes to the starting line up that squeaked past Griquas last weekend, including a completely re-vamped front row that includes former Blue Bull Bees Roux at Tight Head Prop.
Herewith the GLRU media announcement:
Former Wallaby Lote Tuqiri will return to Rugby Union, with Irish province Leinster, after three years playing for Wests Tigers in Australia’s National Rugby League.
The 33-year-old wing was a huge star in League before switching codes to Union and enjoying seven successful years with the Waratahs and the Wallabies, before joining the Tigers in 2010.
This would a be a year the Sharks would like to forget as they have been plagued with injuries and it seems that their injury woes are not over yet.
It would seem the newest victim is 34 year old lock Marco Wentzel, who suffered a shoulder dislocation. There has been no time frame linked with his recovery.