Player Movements
This weekend’s match against the Brumbies will be the first time Sharks coach John Plumtree will be making enforced changes to his team with the loss of one, possibly two players, and the possible return of one.
Ex-London Welsh team manager Mike Scott has been banned for life from rugby union for falsifying documents to make it appear a player was English.
The club were deducted five points and fined £15,000 on Thursday for fielding an ineligible player after selecting New Zealander Tyson Keats this season.
Vodacom Bulls coach Frans Ludeke made seven changes to his starting side to play the Blues in Auckland on Sunday in the first of their four match tour.
The starting team shows changes at wing, centre, scrumhalf, loose forward, prop and hooker from the one that had the bonus point win over the Western Force last weekend, with injuries and the return to fitness the main reasons for that.
Bulls and Springbok flyhalf Morne Steyn has agreed to leave the Pretoria Super Rugby franchise and join Stade Francais.
Rebels and Wallabies fullback Kurtley Beale has been ruled out of Super Rugby for up to a month due to a hand injury.
Ireland have named a 32-man training squad for their Six Nations Championship match against France at the Aviva Stadium with Ronan O’Gara being left out of the group.
The Australian Rugby Union has announced that the Wallabies will have a dedicated three-week window to prepare for their once in a lifetime opportunity against the British & Irish Lions.
Here are the Super Rugby Team Sheets for Round 2 of Super Rugby 2013.
The Toyota Cheetahs have received a timely boost with the news that both Springboks Coenie Oosthuizen and Johan Goosen will be ready for their Vodacom Super Rugby opener against the Sharks in Bloemfontein.
Hurricanes openside flanker Ardie Savea has been suspended for four weeks following a judicial hearing but he will be out of Super Rugby until the end of March.
The last time these teams met the Chiefs secured their place in the playoff’s beating the Highlanders on their own paddock. The men from Otago will be looking for revenge, as usual. Shame, they’re always looking for revenge having won just 2 of their previous 10 encounters with the warriors from Waikato. They’ll be hoping this time things will be different.
The Sharks squad to play in this year’s Vodacom Super Rugby tournament shows no great surprises, with two players drafted in from outside, a couple of new faces that have been in the system and the familiar faces we all know.
The Sharks are again being hampered by numerous injury setbacks before the Super Rugby season officially kicks off, no less than seven stars out for anything between 4 weeks and 8 weeks.
All Black and Chiefs midfielder has announced he will leave New Zealand rugby to play rugby in Japan after the current Super Rugby season.
All Blacks and Hurricanes winger Cory Jane says that he is resigned to missing the entires 2013 Super Rugby season and he could also miss New Zealand’s end-of-year tour due to a ligament injury.
Hy het die afgelope twee jaar ondanks vier operasies moedig vir sy ondersteuners probeer terugveg.
Maar die Springbok-flank Juan Smith het Maandag weens ’n hakseningbesering geen ander keuse gehad as om finaal die gordyn oor sy suksesvolle rugbyloopbaan te laat sak nie.
The Sharks scored 11 tries on their way to beating the Leopards 71-8 in a Super Rugby warm up match at Woodburn Stadium in Pietermaritzburg on Friday.
The Sharks ooutscored the Leopards by 11 tries to one but the victory may have come at a cost as captain Keegan Daniel injured his knee while Tim Whitehead has a suspected broken arm.
His brief was just to complete his 30 minutes of rugby and walk off the field uninjured. However his time on the field showed why his return has been so keenly anticipated, not only by the Cheetahs fans but by most rugby lovers. He hardly looked as if he had been away from the game for two years.
Die baljagter-flank Deon Stegmann lei Saterdag die Vodacom Bulls in hul voorseisoense wedstryd teen die MTN Lions in die Orlando Stadium in Soweto.
England have suffered another injury blow ahead of their Six Nations Championship opener as centre Manu Tuilagi will miss the match due to an ankle injury.
New wing signing Michael Killian has been ruled out of the Southern Kings opening Super Rugby match against the Western Force in Port Elizabeth.
The Vodacom Bulls could unleash a new dream midfield pairing ahead of their Gauteng Challenge game against the MTN Lions in Soweto on Saturday as they begin their preparations for a tough Vodacom Super Rugby season ahead.
Veteran Springbok flank Juan Smith could be the bolter in the Cheetahs team when they face the Stormers in a pre-season match in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Promising Junior Springbok and Sharks Under 21 tighthead prop, Nick Schonert was advised by Springbok Jannie du Plessis to get as much game time as possible at tighthead, in order to develop his potential. This influenced his decision to move to Bloemfontein, and join the Shimlas. The fact that Kwazulu Natal only have a side in the Varsity Shield probably added impetus to his decision to move.
It is being speculated that John Smit is being considered as possible cover at hooker for the start to the Stormers season.
It is reported that Peter Grant may be available for the Stormers as early as 5 February.
Springbok and Bulls flyhalf Morné Steyn says he has not received a formal offer from Top 14 club Stade Francais.
Springbok utility back Gio Aplon believes the arrival of Elton Jantjies and Jaco Taute will give the star-studded Stormers backline a newfound attacking zest in this year’s Super Rugby tournament.
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer’s priority will always be to pick local players first, but the South African Rugby Union may have conceded the fight to keep top Springboks in South Africa in the near future.
New Cheetahs prop Caylib Oosthuizen says the prospect of being coached by his childhood hero, Os du Randt, played a big role in his move to Bloemfontein.
Johan Goosen and Coenie Oosthuizen have given the Cheetahs a boost with news that the Springbok duo will be fit for the start of the Super Rugby season.
For eight standout 18-year-old rugby players a new chapter in their lives is about to begin. Every year the Sharks only contract between 8 and 12 players. These players are carefully picked based on two criteria, the players’ individual rugby ability and the future needs of the Union. Yes, the Sharks don’t necessarily go after the best players on the board, they actually try to work out where their future senior team positional needs will lie and plan succession on this basis.
It seems as if the Bulls and Springbok flyhalf has made a deal to leave South Africa after Super Rugby to continue his career in France.
Doubts surrounding the availability of Tiaan Liebenberg and Scarra Ntubeni has forced the Stormers management to urgently search for a back-up to Deon Fourie for the start of the Super Rugby campaign.
Schalk Burger looks to be the likely Stormers Captain this year despite Jean deVilliers being the current Springbok Captain.