Player Movements
The Wallabies have brought in two Waratahs forwards to bolster the squad, in the form of Dave Dennis and Sitaleki Timani.
They have been called up as replacements for the injured James Horwill and Jake Schatz, who will be sidelined for six weeks with injuries.
In the NPC match between Southland and Waikato in Invercargill, props from both sides, Jamie Macintosh (Southland) and Ben Tameifuna (Waikato), were cited for stamping, with Judicial hearings on Tuesday.
The Blue Bulls have confirmed that scrumhalf Ruan Snyman has been released with immediate effect to join his new club Racing Metro in France.
The transfer fee has already been paid and Snyman will be able to play as soon as he is selected.
The Springboks emerged from Saturday’s massive 38 / 12 victory over the Wallabies in Brisbane with no worrying injuries to report.
The new week presents new challenges against the New Zealand All Blacks, the number one team in the world but it appears that Heyneke Meyer will be able to name an unchanged side for this important clash.
There is an air of happyness in the Springbok camp, yet a groundedness, knowing the challenge they will face in New Zealand, where wins is almost as scarse as chicken teeth.
With All Black captain Richie McCaw potentially ruled out for the rest of The Rugby Championship, coach Steve Hansen has called up Crusader flanker Matt Todd.
Pat McCabe is looking to make a return to Super Rugby next year and get back on the test radar.
After re-fracturing his C1 vertebra in June and the second time since November last year he has been cleared to start running and will most likely join the Brumbies in their pre-season training.
Western Province coach Allister Coetzee has been forced to make a late change at hooker ahead of Saturday’s Currie Cup clash against the Sharks at Newlands.
Tiaan Liebenberg has been ruled out with a back spasm, meaning Siyabonga Ntubeni will start in the No.2 jersey and young Michael Willemse will warm the bench.
The Western Force have re-signed powerful prop Salesi Manu for the 2014 Super Rugby season as part of their efforts to assemble an increasingly physical forward pack.
Manu will add to a Western Australian forward pack already featuring increased size and physicality in 2014, with the recruitment of Bulls lock Wilhelm Steenkamp and Western Province prop Chris Heiberg.
The Melbourne Rebels have added Highlanders centre Tamati Ellison to their Super Rugby for the 2014 season.
Newcastle Falcons will be keen to prove they are worthy when they get the 2013/14 Premiership season underway against Bath at Kingston Park tonight. While the opening round has a number of intriguing fixtures – London Irish v Saracens, Gloucester v Sale Sharks, Northampton Saints v Exeter Chiefs, London Wasps v Harlequins and Leicester Tigers v Worcester Warriors – it is the Falcons that will hog most of the early limelight.
Some of the best young rugby talent in South Africa – including ten SA Schools players from 2013 – will form part of the Western Province Rugby Institute intake for the 2014 season.
Scrumhalf Will Genia will captain Australia against South Africa in their Rugby Championship match on Saturday, after James Horwill was ruled out through injury.
Regular skipper Horwill will miss Saturday Round Three encounter in this Southern Hemisphere showpiece in Brisbane, after scans revealed he had strained his left hamstring during Tuesday’s training.
Flyhalf Daniel Carter will return to the New Zealand side for Saturday’s Rugby Championship clash against Argentina after recovering from a calf strain, while centre Francis Saili will make his test debut.
The 31-year-old Carter had been expected to play the first Rugby Championship match against Australia in Sydney last month but pulled up with the injury at training and missed the return fixture in Wellington.
Griquas lock Rory Arnold (with the nickname “Big Dog”) has been suspended from all rugby for seven matches for biting Cheetahs hooker Ethienne Reynecke in Bloemfontein.
Griquas coach Pote Human wasted no time in drafting in his latest recruit, Leopards lock Victor Kruger, for the Currie Cup crunch match against the Golden Lions in Kimberley on Saturday.
The 24-year-old PUK (Potchefstroom University) Varsity Cup captain, who is affectionately known as Strand, comes in for Australian import Rory Arnold – who is still awaiting the outcome of his disciplinary hearing, after having been charged with biting in the 20-40 loss to the Free State Cheetahs last week.
The Sharks have named their side to face DHL Western Province away at Newlands, Cape Town on Saturday 7 September at 19:10.
Butch James reclaims the flyhalf starting berth in favour of Fred Zeilinga who had a stellar performance against the Vodacom Blue Bulls last weekend.
Rayno Gerber gets to start at tighthead prop and Wiehahn Herbst is relegated to the bench.
Ahead of the start of the RaboDirect PRO12 season on September 6, we preview the fortunes of each side.
Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth will be given time to recover from illness as the team prepares to face the Wallabies in Brisbane on Saturday.
As anticipated, Butch James will be back at No 10 for the Sharks when the Durban team travels to DHL Newlands on Saturday to play DHL Western Province in the Absa Currie Cup match that represents the halfway point in their respective campaigns.
DHL Western Province may have suffered a blow to their chances of scoring the win they need against the Sharks to go to the top of the Absa Currie Cup log with the news that there is an injury cloud hanging over hooker Tiaan Liebenberg.
Argentina will welcome back a key figure, in one of four changes to the starting fifteen to take on New Zealand in a Rugby Championship Round Three match in Hamilton on Saturday.
Having missed the opening games of the competition captain Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe returns at blindside flank, with Pablo Matera shifting to openside and Juan Manual Leguizamon moving to No.8.
Wallabies wing Lachie Turner has left the Waratahs and signed a two-year deal with the Reds.
After earning 71 Super rugby caps for the Sydney side and 15 Test caps for the Wallabies, Turner heads to Brisbane to further his career.
It was a balmy Brisbane which greeted the Springboks on Sunday evening (Australian time) after a trip of more than 20 hours that started in Johannesburg on Saturday afternoon, included a stopover in Sydney and ended at their hotel in the Queensland capital.
The Springboks face Australia in the third round of The Castle Lager Rugby Championship at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday. Although the South Africans have not beaten the hosts at this venue in a Test, they will approach the game with a quiet confidence after two good wins over Argentina last month.
Springboks coach Heyneke Meyer and Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie are both expected to make changes to their starting line ups for this week’s Rugby Championship match.
The All Blacks look set to welcome back star flyhalf Dan Carter from injury as they returned to training ahead of their Rugby Championship clash with the Pumas next weekend.
The bulk of the squad – excluding 10 players who were released for provincial duty – reassembled for their first training session in Hamilton on Sunday following a timely week-long break.
Rugby World Cup winning South African forward Juan Smith has signed a one year deal with Top 14 Rugby club Toulon.
The new season of RaboDirect PRO12 rugby is nearly upon us and despite seeing several top players leave the league and opt to take up a contract in the Top 14, the 12 sides in the Celtic competition have had a busy summer as they look to bolster their resources. Several top internationals have decided to give the PRO12 a shot and we have picked out a selection of eye-catching transfers in the latest Scrum Sevens.
Stade Francais marked their return to the refurbished Jean Bouin stadium with a crushing 38-3 victory over Biarritz on Friday, as they provisionally moved to the summit of the fledgling Top 14 table.
Glasgow Warriors have named their team to take on Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park this afternoon (kick off 4.00pm South African Time). Josh Strauss will skipper the Warriors for what is their final pre-season game before opening the PRO12 against Cardiff at Scotstoun next Friday.
There was much annoyance among Springbok fans when it was announced not long before South Africa’s test match against Argentina in the Rugby Championship that the release of Bryan Habana was required by his new club Toulon. This increased even more when it came to light that five of the players in the current Springbok Squad for the Rugby Championship were being ‘released’ to go back to their clubs in France while the rest of the players would return for a break to South Africa.
The Reds have named their squad for the 2014 Super Rugby season and James Horwill retains the captaincy and Will Genia the vice-captaincy.
The Reds have retained the nucleus of the playing group, which has seen the Reds reach three straight Super Rugby Finals series.
Argentina will be without the injured Patricio Albacete and suspended Leonardo Senatore for Rugby Championship matches in New Zealand and Australia.
Livewire Bulls blindside flanker Jean Cook has also returned to his roots. The Cheetahs were keen to retain the young star back in 2011, but were unable to do so, due to financial constraints. The Cheetahs on field performances, have positively impacted on their financial resources too, which has enabled the contracting of more players.
A SANZAR judicial officer has found Pumas No 8 Leonardo Senatore guilty of biting Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth and suspended him for nine weeks.
The incident occurred in the 61st minute of the match between Argentina and South Africa at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza.
South African international flyhalf Morne Steyn revealed he would only start on the bench for Stade Francais in Friday’s Top 14 clash with Biarritz.
The 29-year-old – capped 47 times – only arrived from Argentina on Monday after helping the Springboks beat the Pumas 22-17 in a Four Nations Test.