Referees
Lions coach John Mitchell attributed his team’s 24-20 home defeat by the Bulls on Saturday to a lack of team work at crucial stages in the game.
An estimated Fourty five thousand spectators arrived at Coca-Cola Park on Friday evening to watch the first Super Rugby match to be played in Gauteng in 2011.
Fears that the inclement weather would keep the spectators away was unfounded, despite the fact that the game started in a slight drizzle.
Reds (6) 21 / Force (12) 20 (Final Score)
THE Reds broke out of jail in a scrappy Super Rugby opener against the Western Force, thanks to a late try by hooker James Hanson.
A game played at 100 miles an hour showed the difference in fitness levels. The Lions were much better prepared and in far greater match fit condition than the Bulls yesterday. Only the experience of the Bulls helped them to hang on and win their first game.
At a rainy Kings Park, the Sharks opened their Super Rugby season with a workmanlike 24-9 win over the Cheetahs on Saturday evening.
Continue reading
Lions (5) 20 / Bulls (24) 24 (Final Score)
The Lions hosted the Bulls at Coca Cola Park, Johannesburg at 19:10 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
In the first half it was all Bulls and they built up a 19 point lead by halftime.
In the second half it was all Lions as they clawed their way back to lose only by 3 points.
The Lions look extremely fit…. and better under Mitchell.
Sharks (8) 24 / Cheetahs (3) 9 (Final Score)
The Sharks hosted the Cheetahs at Mr Price Kings Park, Durban at 17:00 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
Brumbies (18) 28 / Chiefs (3) 20 (Final Score)
The Brumbies hosted the Chiefs at Canberra Stadium, Canberra at 19:40 (10:40 SA Time). This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
Bonus point-less win for the Brumbies and the Chiefs get no bonus point as the last kick of the match, an attemted conversion, hits the upright and bounces away.
Brumbies win by 28 / 20.
Blues (6) 24 / Crusaders (19) 22 (Final Score)
The Blues hosted the Crusaders at Eden Park, Auckland at 19:35 NZ Time (08:35 SA Time). This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
Enthrawling game, high intensity and high pace, attacking space well!
After trailing most of the match, the Blues put in a fantastic effort to come from behind and beat the Crusaders.
The only blemish on the match was some wayward goal kicking on both sides.
Hello Rugby-Talkers,
We have now Upgraded our SuperBru Pool for Rugby-Talk to include added benefits and enhancements. We have our own SuperBru URL and our Rugby-Talk Logo Appears on the Pool site.
Rebels (0) 0 / Waratahs (10) 43 (Final Score)
The Melbourne Rebels, the debutant team of the Super Rugby Series, hosted the Waratahs at AAMI Park, Melbourne at 19:40 AEDT (10:40 SA Time). This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
After a slow start by the Waratahs they just got better and better… or is it that the Rebels fell away more and more…. resulting in a scoreless sheet for the Rebels against 7 tries by the Waratahs.
Not a good debut for the Rebels at all.
Hurricanes (6) 9 / Highlanders (11) 14 (Final Score)
The Hurricanes hosted the Highlanders at the Westpac Stadium, Wellington in the FIRST Super Rugby game of the year at 19:35 NZ Time (08:35 SA Time) on Friday 18 February 2011. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, CSN & SHD on TV in SA.
If this is the quality and game attendance we can expect from Super rugby, then I’m afraid that Super Rugby is doomed!
There was a plethera of penalties, too many missed kicks at goal to mention, a yellow and then a red card for Ma’a Nonu…. and some of the worst handling ever.
This was not good rugby, siss on you Hurricanes… it’s a home loss against a team who made many errors, but just less than the Hurricanes.
Basically the Highlanders ground out a gritty win in an ugly match.
The Crusaders have named their team for the 2011 Super rugby opener against the Blues in Auckland on Saturday which includes three Whitelock brothers.
Stormers coach Allister Coetzee had reason to smile as his team returned to training at the High Performance Centre after the short break they were given to coincide with their first bye week in the 2011 Super Rugby competition.
Former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga will make an early comeback to Super Rugby after being named in the Waikato Chiefs’ starting line-up for Saturday’s Super 15 match against the ACT Brumbies.
As expected Toyota have been revealed as the new sponsors of the Cheetahs. Continue reading
Sanzar made an announcement today to say some forced changes had to be made to the Referee line-ups for some of the First Round games
There is no guarantee that Os du Randt will be the Springboks’ scrum coach during this year’s World Cup in New Zealand.
Vodacom Bulls scrumhalf, Fourie du Preez, describes his pending achievement of 100 Super Rugby matches for the Bulls as a ‘massive honour and milestone”.
Du Preez will become the fourth Bulls centurion in Super Rugby – and their first backline player – when he runs on the field for the Bulls against the Lions on Saturday.
There are many reasons why I will keep a very close eye on the Lions this year, and their on-field results won’t be one of them. Continue reading
The arch enemy or the nemesis of South African rugby has always been the All Blacks. The All Black/Springbok rugby rivalry is in my mind the fiercest sporting rivalry on the planet. It is a rivalry that started in 1921 and which it still going 90 years later.
Watch the video below for a summary of this 90 years of Springbok / All Black rivalry. Continue reading
We have introduced a totally new Mobile version of our web site. Kindly Check it out and help Test-Rrun it by reporting whether it is better than before and whether there are some real issues to attend to.
The Sharks have named their 30-man squad for the 2011 Super Rugby tournament with the first match this coming weekend against the Cheetahs to be played at the Mr Price KINGS PARK,
With the Stormers just one week out from their opening match against the Lions, Allister Coetzee needs to pick his flyhalf now, and stick with him. Continue reading
Less than a week until Super Rugby 2011 kick off in it’s new expanded format.
Although our friends in the Cape will argue that the traditional “North v South” game is the Stormers v Bulls, for many Rugby Lovers in Gauteng, the North v South refers to the Jukskei River, and the rivalry between the teams from the country’s Administrative Capital city, and the African continent’s economic “Capital” city.
The Cheetahs have unveiled their new PUMA kit which they will wear during the Vodacom Super Rugby, Vodacom Cup and Currie Cup tournaments.
The contract with PUMA runs beyond 2014 and includes PUMA providing full technical kit for the team. The deal marks PUMA’s first appearance as a kit sponsor in Super Rugby.
The PUMA kit will be worn by the Cheetahs, as well as all affiliated teams and unions of the Free State Rugby Union.
“We are indeed very happy and proud to be associated with a top brand like PUMA,” says Harold Verster, managing director of the Cheetahs.
Here is what Gabriel David wrote about Dirk when he played for Western Transvaal against the 1970 All Blacks:
…. the little-fancied Western Transvaal side this afternoon was the toughest game of the tour so far. Superbly coached by the national selector Mr. Johan Claassen, Western Transvaal played some magnificent rugby and actually took the All Blacks on at their own game – driving in the forwards and putting the ball behind the tourists with skilful tactical kicking.
Western Transvaal played some inspired rugby at times with the springbok halfback, Dirk de Vos, in brilliant kicking mood as he placed the ball in the exact position he wanted. Continue reading
Yet another of the Springboks of yesteryear, Dirk de Vos who represented South Africa in the 1960’s and 70’s has passed away.
Johan Prinsloo has been appointed as the acting Chief Executive Officer of the South Western District Eagles, at the province’s request, it was confirmed by the South African Rugby Union on Wednesday.
South Africa wins the USA 7’s – Fiji 14-24 South Africa
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The Assupol Super Club Series, which pits 20 Rugby Clubs from 6 provincial unions kicked off this weekend.
This years competition includes top clubs from the Blue Bulls (7), Limpopo (1) Pumas (2 ), Falcons (5), Leopards (3) and Lions (2). Continue reading
For those interested. I’ve created my own webpage; the McLook rugby collection.
It will ultimately contain everything I’ve written so far on tours (1965, 1970 and 1976 tours). I’ll add all the other tours over time with all my rugby picures, video and rugby tapes containing commentary of matches. The video’s and rugby commentary will be only snippets of tries. Continue reading
Simnikiwe Xabanisa said in his article in Sunday Times a Lot of teams, players and coaches have much to prove in this year’s Super rugby season. He picked the 15 he feels who have the most to play for. Go ahead name your players.
Forty years ago, Syd Nomis’s intercept try against Brian Lochore’s All Blacks swept him into Springbok folklore. As Afrikaans radio broadcaster Gerhard Viviers shouted breathlessly “Sydie … Sydie … Sydie!”, Nomis sprinted for the line, securing a 17-6 victory for the Boks.