Player Movements
The Heineken Cup Final, to be played later today at Twickenham, will be Pedrie Wannenburg’s last game for Ulster, as reported on this site yesterday.
Wallabies and Reds flanker Scott Higginbotham has signed a two year contract with the Melbourne Rebels starting in the 2013 Super Rugby season.
Racing-Metro’s Springbok utility back Frans Steynwill be fit to play the Top 14 playoff tie against Toulon on 26 May after recovering from a thigh injury, his club confirmed on Wednesday.
The Reds have named their team to play the Lions this weekend at Suncorp Stadium with Quade Cooper in the starting lineup for the first time this Super Rugby season.
Saracens eighthman Ernst Joubert could be on his way to Cape Town to help alleviate the Stormers’ loose forward injury crisis.
Stormers head coach Allister Coetzee has confirmed that eighthman Nizaam Carr will miss the rest of the Super Rugby season due to injury.
The Chiefs 42-27 loss to the Reds appears to have come at an extra cost as coach Dave Rennie fears that star centre Richard Kahui will be out for the rest of the Super Rugby season.
Canada’s Jebb Sinclair has been loaned by his Aviva Premiership side London Irish to the Stormers as loose forward cover.
The Cheetahs have acquired the services of Boland Cavaliers pivot Elgar Watts to prevent a possible flyhalf crisis.
Western Province rugby player, Kitshoff, is one of a number of players that have signed with French Top 14 side Bordeaux-Begles for next season.
The Stormers have re-signed fly half Peter Grant for the 2013 Super Rugby season but he will miss the Stormers pre-season warm ups next year.
This weekend sees some big rugby action up north. Firstly there is, as earlier reported on this site, the penultimate tournament of the 2011/2012 IRB Sevens competition in Glasgow. While on the ‘domestic’ front there will be the last round of the league stage of the RaboDirect Pro 12 and the Aviva Premiership.
Six months ago Chris Paterson announced his retirement from International rugby after 109 International caps but now he’s gone a step further and announced his overall retirement from the game, his last game to be played this weekend.
A round-up of the latest news shorts from the weekend’s rugby.
Vodacom Bulls prop Dawie Steyn will earn a first Super Rugby start on Saturday when his new side face the Brumbies at Loftus Versfeld.
The loose head prop will replace Dean Greyling who did not recover from a bruised shoulder.
The Vodacom Bulls is pleased to announce that Bjorn Basson extended his contract with the franchise till October 2014.
Bulls scrumhalf Francois Hougaard has signed a new three year contract with the Bulls keeping him in Pretoria for another three years.
Former Springbok lock Victor Matfield has confirmed that Bok coach Heyneke Meyer approached him about a possible return to rugby but nothing is decided yet.
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer says he regrets Jaque Fourie’s decision not to make himself available for the Springboks while he plays in Japan, but he respects it.
Hendrik Cronje, of the Volksblad reported, that the hottest young flyhalf prospect in SA for years has extended his contract with the Toyota Cheetahs until the end of 2014. This is a major coup for the Cheetahs, and it could have a positive spin-off.
Highlanders half-back Jimmy Cowan has announced that he will leave the Dunedin franchise in order to join English club Gloucester.
Former Springbok and Sharks lock Alistair Hargreaves has agreed to join Saracens from the start of the 2012/13 Aviva Premiership Rugby season.
The New Zealand Rugby Union’s offer to re-sign Chiefs and All Black centre Sonny Bill Williams is on the table.
Veteran Springbok flyhalf Butch James, a member of the Rugby World Cup winning team in 2007, has decided to retire from Test rugby with immediate effect.
Veteran Springbok World Cup winner Juan Smith, who has decided to take the entire year off, will decide in November if he will return to the playing field or retire permanently.
Former Sharks centre, Francois Steyn, is reported to be headed back to South Africa after he chose not to extend his contract with Top 14 Rugby club Racing Metro 92.
Former Bulls center, JP Nel, could play S15 rugby for the injury ravaged Lions.
Vodacom Blue Bulls No 8, Gerrit-Jan Van Velze, has signed to play for the Northampton Saint’s.
English Premiership Rugby club Sale Sharks have announced that 24 year old Melbourne Rebels fly half Danny Cipriani has signed a three year deal with the club.
Former Sharks and Springbok captain John Smit will be returning to Kings Park for one final swansong when he leads a World Invitational XV against his former team, the Sharks.
The latest news on the INJURY front in Super Rugby (apart from those reported already) is as follows:
All Black and Crusaders super star Dan Carter has given his struggling Crusaders team mates a confidence lift for the season by returning to training for the Super Rugby season.
Former England Captain and Rugby World Cup winner Lewis Moody has announced that he is retiring from playing rugby due to a persistent shoulder injury with immediate effect.
Cheetahs tighthead prop WP Nel has signed a three-year contract with Scottish Pro12 outfit Edinburgh and will join the capital club at the end of the Super Rugby season.
Former France international Sebastien Chabal has announced that he will play Super Rugby for an Australian team in the very near future.