SA Rugby
DHL Western Province head coach John Dobson has named an unchanged starting line-up for Saturday’s ABSA Currie Cup clash against the Toyota Free State Cheetahs at DHL Newlands.
Dobson has rightly kept faith with the starting line-up that did duty against ORC Griquas last weekend, but lock Jan de Klerk and back Kobus van Wyk come onto the bench against the Cheetahs.
De Klerk replaces Chris van Zyl in a rotational switch, whilst Van Wyk comes in for Johnny Kotze, who took a bang to his head at training on Monday.
Zane Kirchner
Victor Matfield will captain the Springboks against Los Pumas on Saturday, with Zane Kirchner, Lwazi Mvovo, Pat Lambie, Willem Alberts, Marcel van der Merwe, Adriaan Strauss and Trevor Nyakane all getting their 1st starts of the season.
Jan Serfontein and Schalk Brits have also been included in the match-23 for the 1st time this season.
A total of 28 players will travel to South America on Wednesday to play the Pumas at the Vélez Sarsfield on Saturday evening (SA Time). The match-23 shows numerous changes from the side that lost to Argentina last weekend, many of them injury-enforced.
Kirchner takes over at fullback from the injured Willie le Roux, Jesse Kriel moves from wing to centre for Jean de Villiers, with Lwazi Mvovo getting his 3rd run of the season, in the No 14-jersey. Willem Alberts replaces the injured Marcell Coetzee in what will be his 1st Test in more than a year.
Jean Deysel
Paul Jordaan
The Cell C Sharks will welcome the return of centre Paul Jordaan to their matchday-22 for Saturday’s clash with the Eastern Province Kings.
Jordaan, who is on the bench for the Currie Cup Round 2 encounter, has been plagued by injuries since his arrival at the Sharks but has shown glimpses of brilliance when he has strung some games together.
Jean Deysel is also back in the starting line-up after being sidelined with injury – replacing Jean-Luc Du Preez who copped a blow against the Pumas last week.
Elsewhere in the forwards, Juan Schoeman, having impressed off the bench last week, is handed a starting berth for the injured Lourens Adriaanse.
Brother of Jean-Luc, Daniel du Preez, replaces Khaya Majola at flank who is also out injured.
In the backline, Sibusiso Sithole is suffering from injury and is replaced on the wing by the experienced Odwa Ndungane who is himself back from a training ground knock.
Andre Esterhuizen shifts from right wing to left wing while the midfield partnership of Wandile Mjekevu and Heimar Williams remains the same.
Francois Hougaard
Vodacom Blue Bulls halfback Francois Hougaard is fighting back the only way he knows how – with his game.
The tattooed utility back, whose inspired run at wing during the Vodacom Super Rugby season was the reason he lost his place in the Springbok side, bounced back with a vengeance in Bloemfontein last weekend to grab the man of the match award after an inspired performance at halfback.
It is true Hougaard could have left for Japan earlier like former skipper Pierre Spies, but he decided to stay, with one hope of winning the domestic trophy and another of making amends for his perceived wrongs during the Super Rugby season.
The debate has raged ever since he burst onto the scene, and showed he can be equally dangerous at wing or behind the scrum, but a period of instability, where his basic instincts let him down more often than not, served him badly during the last year and has all but ripped his World Cup dream away from him.
Hougaard is a fighter, that is true, and despite his detractors, knows all too well what he needs to do to catch the national selectors’ eyes again. Simply keep knocking on the door.
Tony Ehrenreich
AfriForum has accused Tony Ehrenreich, Secretary of Cosatu in the Western Cape, of being an opportunist, using South African rugby on the eve of the Rugby World Cup as political playball in an attempt to promote his own race-obsessed agenda.
Kallie Kriel, CEO of AfriForum, is of the view that Ehrenreich – if he is serious about the development of rugby’s player base among all communities – should rather find the fault in the failure of the governing alliance – of which he is part – in promoting sport in dysfunctional schools.
Heyneke Meyer
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) has reportedly agreed to extend Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer’s contract.
Local media reports on Wednesday indicated that Meyer’s contract has already been extended by another 4 years until after the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
When these reports surfaced, SARU responded with the following statement:
“It is SARU policy to only make announcements on the contractual arrangements of key employees when there is something to announce. The contractual position of the Springbok coach is unchanged,” said a SARU spokesperson.
Meyer was also reluctant to comment when probed on the matter after naming his team for this weekend’s Test against Los Pumas.
“I said I want to serve and make a difference. If you ask every single guy on the street they would say I make a difference but in a negative way. The only thing I worry about is not the next 4 years, it’s the next 4 minutes,” he said at a press conference in Durban on Wednesday.
Toyota Free State Cheetahs coach Franco Smith has named his team for their Currie Cup clash against DHL Western Province at Newlands on Saturday (15:00 SA Time kick-off).
Smith made 5 changes to his starting team from the one which lost 57 / 19 to the Vodacom Blue Bulls in Bloemfontein last weekend.
Fred Zeilinga, who was recently recruited from the Cell C Sharks, will start at flyhalf in place of Niel Marais, while AJ Coertzen replaces Coenie van Wyk at fullback.
Up front, Neil Jordaan will start at No 8, sending Gerhard Olivier to the bench.
Armandt Koster also replaces Willem Serfontein at lock, while Jacques du Toit comes in for Niel Raubenheimer at hooker.
Meanwhile, Elandre Hugget, Tertius Kruger and Sias Ebersohn are newcomers on the bench.
Ebersohn is back in Bloemfontein having spent the last few years at Australian franchise, the Western Force.
Vodacom Blue Bulls coach Nollis Marais on Wednesday named the same run-on side that played in Bloemfontein last weekend for Friday’s Absa Currie Cup clash against ORC Griquas at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
Marais only made one change on the bench, where a fit-again Dayan van der Westhuizen will replace Nqoba Mxoli, who will return to the Under-21 side.
Even though the side will have the benefit of a solid performance against the Toyota Free State Cheetahs behind them, Marais will be keen to see more improvement in their first home match of the competition.
Steval Pumas coach MJ Mentz has named an unchanged side to face the Xerox Golden Lions on Saturday in Round 2 of the Currie Cup at Emirates Airline Park.
Mentz has stuck with his troops that pulled off a 33 / 24 victory over the Cell C Sharks in Nelspruit last weekend.
In last year’s fixture between the 2 sides the Golden Lions defeated the Pumas 29 / 15 in Johannesburg.
Lock Rudi Mathee was a late withdrawal ahead of last week’s match against the Sharks after suffering a shoulder injury, which will keep him sidelined for 3 weeks.
Jaco Bouwer slots onto the bench as cover in the loose forward and lock area.
Eastern Province Kings coach Brent Janse van Rensburg has kept the changes to a minimum as his team prepare for their second Currie Cup game against the Cell C Sharks in Durban on Saturday.
The EP Kings went down 51 / 14 to the Lions in Port Elizabeth on Saturday but Janse van Rensburg said on Tuesday he did not think it would be appropriate to make wholesale changes at this stage.
The only change in the team sees Siyanda Grey, who was on the bench last week, replacing Sylvian Mahuza. Janse van Rensburg has also included prop Lizo Gqoboka on the bench in going for a five-two split.
We desperately try to stay clear of political content here on Rugby-Talk.com, however this week, after the loss by the Springboks to Los Pumas in Durban, it appears that another mini-storm has been brewing regarding the inclusion or non-inclusion of non-white players (such an ugly term in a new and supposedly democratic South Africa) in the Springboks.
Firstly it was reported that 5 Black Springboks (yet another unfortunate term in the new South Africa) have apporached trade union Cosatu about being sidelined in Test matches for the Springboks.
Then of course Cosatu, as we have come to know their standard methodology, responded about the supposedly racist choices of SA Rugby, condemning it and shouting from the rooftops.
Then there was the logical retort from SARU… not that it cleared matters up at all.
The Minister of Sport & Recreation, Fikile Mbalula, also jumped on board this discussion and seemed to be “the voice of reason” in this rather unfortunate circumstance, saying that South Africans must be patient with the pace of transformation in rugby in South Africa. From my side a small thank you to the Minister – good on you!
These political shannanigans always build on the discourse in South African traditional politics and fuel the devide, in stead of bringing harmony to this nation with so many possibilities.
I guess what I am asking myself, through all of this, is which other logical first choice Black Springboks merited 1st choice selection above their not so black peers?
Do we want the best team out there or do we want transformation tokens in our Springbok side?
To me it’s simple… do the transformation thing, but for goodness sakes, allow the Springbok coach to select the best Springbok squad out there, based on merit and merit alone, whether that squad only consists of White Springboks or only of Black Springboks or of a smattering of one and the other… the rest is immaterial to me!
Xerox Golden Lions head coach Johan Ackermann has named his side to face the Steval Pumas this Friday at Emirates Airline Park.
Ackermann has made just 1 change to the match day side, which beat the EP Kings 51 / 14 last Saturday. The single change sees Sampie Mastriet bracketed with Anthony Volmink at left wing.
The match will get under way at 19:10 SA Time.
Daniel Hourcade
Los Pumas have retained the squad that stunned the Springboks at the weekend, except for injured centre Jerónimo De la Fuente.
They have also added 6 players for the Test rematch in Buenos Aires on Saturday.
A rib injury rules De la Fuente out of a game which offers the Pumas a chance to prove that a historic 37 / 25 Rugby Championship triumph in Durban 3 days ago was not a fluke.
It was the 1st Pumas victory in 20 Tests against the Springboks from South Africa and their 1st away win in the Southern Hemisphere championship after 10 losses since debuting 3 seasons ago.
Argentina took 26 players to South Africa last week and coach Daniel Hourcade has expanded the squad to 31 for the rematch with the Springboks at the 50 000-capacity Estadio Jose Amalfitani.
The 6 additions are fullback Santiago Cordero, centre Matias Moroni, flyhalf Nicolas Sanchez and loose forwards Javier Ortega Desio, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe and Facundo Isa.
SA Schools coach Hein Kriek and his SA Schools A counterpart Lance Sendin on Monday made wholesale changes to their starting line-ups for the 2nd Round of the Under 18 International Series at Outeniqua Park in George on Tuesday.
The SA Schools team will take on France at 17:00 SA Time and the SA Schools A team will go up against England at 13:00 SA Time.
In the other clash Wales will take on Italy at 15:00 SA Time.
Kriek made 7 changes to his team, which sees 2014 Coca-Cola Craven Week player of the year Curwin Bosch move from flyhalf to fullback, while flyhalf Damian Willemse will join forces with scrumhalf Embrose Papier in a new halfback combination.
The other changes in the backline were on the left wing where Wandisile Similane replaces Manie Libbok and centre Heino Bezuidenhout is selected alongside Stedman Gans, who scored 2 tries in their opening fixture against Wales.
Up-front Kriek retained the flanker combination of Cobus Wiese and captain Ersnt van Rhyn, while Hacjivah Dayimani has been selected at No 8. In the engine room lock Ruben van Heerden will start alongside Ruben de Villiers.
Ashwyn Adams, meanwhile, will start at loosehead prop in a strong front row with tighthead prop Carlu Sadie and hooker Johan Grobbelaar.
Ireland are now the 2nd best team in the world according to the World Rugby rankings, with newly-crowned Rugby Championship champions Australia moving up to 3rd.
According to World Rugby, Ireland have moved up to 2nd place in the World Rugby rankings for the 1st time since they were introduced in 2003.
Saturday’s 35 / 21 win over Wales at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff earned them 1.13 ratings points, putting them a fraction ahead of Australia who jumped 2 places to 3rd on the back of their Rugby Champions / Bledisloe Cup triumph against the All Blacks on the weekend.
The Nic White-inspired Wallabies gained 1.61 points to move on to 86.84 points, 0.05 behind the Irish and 1.44 in front of England, the only Top 6 side not in action at the weekend, who remain in 4th spot.
For New Zealand it was their 1st defeat since they lost to South Africa a year ago and a disappointing way to mark Richie McCaw’s record-equalling 141st test appearance. It also saw their lead at the Top of the rankings cut to 5.83 points.
Meanwhile, hat-trick hero Juan Imhoff helped Argentina to an historic 37 / 25 win over South Africa at Growthpoint Kings Park, Durban and they a gain of 2 full rankings points. Los Pumas are now within touching distance of France in 7th place, the gap between the 2 nations now down to 0.57 of a point.
With a drop of 3 places from 2nd to 5th, South Africa were the weekend’s biggest losers from a rankings perspective. 3 Consecutive Rugby Championship defeats have seen their rankings points total reduced to 84.37 points – 1.43 more than 6th-placed Wales.
Jean-Luc du Preez
Thomas du Toit
Lourens Adriaanse
The Cell C Sharks are sweating over the availability of 3 players who were injured in their Currie Cup loss to the Steval Pumas in Nelspruit last Friday.
Props Lourens Adriaanse and Thomas du Toit and loose forward Jean-Luc du Preez sustained blows during the Sharks’ 33 / 24 defeat and could be sidelined for some time.
The EP Kings have suffered 2 new injuries after their hapless display against the Xerox Golden Lions in their Currie Cup opener on the weekend.
A burst of 4 converted tries in the 1st 16 minutes of the match set the Lions up for a decisive 51 / 14 win over the EP Kings at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in the opening weekend of the tournament.
2 Of the Kings’ cavalry have come away with fresh injuries after the defeat, the team doctor confirmed on Tuesday.
Prop Lizo Gqoboka has a pectoral muscle strain and his time on the sideline is still to be confirmed, while flank Paul Schoeman is setback with a knee injury which is under investigation this week.
Defending ABSA Currie Cup champions, DHL Western Province, the Vodacom Blue Bulls and the Xerox Golden Lions all scored impressive wins in the opening Round of South Africa’s premier provincial competition over the weekend.
The 1st Round of the famous competition saw a number of outstanding individual performance as the teams got their new campaign underway. 6 Of the 8 teams started with new coaches at the helm, while several of the line-ups included numerous Junior Springboks and also a few Springbok Sevens stalwarts.
Springbok scrumhalf Francois Hougaard gave a masterclass performance for the Vodacom Blue Bulls, who scored 6 tries in total in their comprehensive 57 / 19 win over the Toyota Free State Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
In the other match played on Saturday afternoon, Junior Springbok flank Kwagga Smith was equally impressive for the Xerox Golden Lions in Port Elizabeth where he scored a hattrick of tries in their 51 / 14 demolition of the Eastern Province Kings.
Champions Western Province kicked off their campaign in perfect fashion on Friday afternoon with a 6-try victory over the ORC Griquas in Kimberley. Springbok Sevens flyer Seabelo Senatla scored 2 tries to demonstrate his deadly finishing abilities.
Meanwhile, history repeated itself in the late match on Friday when the Steval Pumas beat the Cell C Sharks 33 / 24 in the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit. The score was almost identical to the 32 / 22 shock win of the Pumas over the Sharks in the opening Round fixture of last year at the same venue.
Pumas live-wire flank Marnus Schoeman scored 2 tries and was denied a 3rd by a desperate Thomas du Toit tackle just as he was about to launch himself over the try line.
The Vodacom Blue Bulls currently sit on Top of the Log, thanks to their bonus point win and better points’ difference and they are followed by the Xerox Golden Lions, DHL Western Province (both also on 5 points) and the Steval Pumas (4 points).
Los Pumas celebrate the win against the Springboks
A hat-trick from Juan Imhoff helped the Argentinian Pumas record their 1st ever win over the Springboks in a 37 / 25 Rugby Championship victory in Durban on Saturday.
It’s taken 20 attempts but the Pumas finally got a positive result against the Springboks after 2 close calls last year. Using their domination at scrum time as a platform, Argentina created the biggest upset in the history of The Rugby Championship on the day that they commemorated 50 years since their 1st tour of South Africa.
The result means the Springboks have now lost 4 consecutive Tests to different countries for the 1st time since 1965.
While the Pumas produced their best game of the year, tackling their hearts out, their disjointed hosts were a pale shadow of the side that troubled the All Blacks 2 weeks prior as they made countless unforced errors and offered very little on attack.
Los Pumas led 27 / 13 at halftime thanks to 3 excellent tries, including 2 for Juan Imhoff, who also helped set up the opening try for Marcelo Bosch.
The Springboks hit back via a try from lock Lood de Jager, but the visitors were well worth their lead against an error-prone Springbok outfit.
Imhoff bagged his hat-trick in controversial circumstances soon after the break and although the Springboks hit back via tries from Willie le Roux and Bryan Habana, they fell well short of saving the result.
Jean de Villiers
Marcell Coetzee
Willie le Roux
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers, Marcell Coetzee and Willie le Roux have all been ruled out of the return match against Los Pumas in Buenos Aires next weekend, because of injuries.
Jean de Villiers fractured his jaw in The Rugby Championship defeat against the Pumas at Growthpoint Kings Park in Durban on Saturday, which will rule him out for 4 to 6 weeks. The Springbok captain will be able to continue with the bulk of the training sessions during this time.
Marcell Coetzee suffered a medial collateral ligament injury to his left knee, which will rule him out for approximately 6 weeks. The injury is unrelated to the knee injury he suffered a few weeks ago in Brisbane.
Willie le Roux sprained his ankle early in the match against Los Pumas and will not be considered for the trip to Buenos Aires. He will undergo scans early in the week to determine the exact nature of the injury.
Springbok team doctor Craig Roberts said that players possibly returning from injury, such as Victor Matfield, Fourie du Preez and JP Pietersen, will be assessed on Monday before a decision on their availability for next weekend will be taken.
Agustín Creevy
Argentinian Pumas skipper Agustin Creevy said the presence of former Pumas in Durban helped inspire a stunning and historic 37 / 25 Rugby Championship triumph over the Springboks on Saturday.
“The presence of these rugby heroes of our nation was a major factor in the success,” the 30-year-old hooker said.
Survivors of the 1965 Pumas – the 1st Argentine rugby team to play in South Africa – celebrated the 50th anniversary of the pioneering trip by watching the Test at the Growthpoint Kings Park stadium.
And when the final whistle blew and the Pumas triumphed for the 1st time against the Springboks after 19 failed attempts and also won away in The Rugby Championship for the 1st time, they moved toward the ‘golden oldies’ and clapped.
The gesture was returned as the group of smartly attired ex-national team players, wearing dark suits, blue ties and white shirts, stood to acknowledge a great day for Argentine rugby.
Springboks (13) 25 / 37 (27) Los Pumas (Final Score)
The South African Springboks and Argentinian Pumas did battle in Round 3 of The Rugby Championship at
Growthpoint Kings Park, Durban at 17:05 SA Time (12:05 ARG Time, 15:05 GMT, Sunday 01:05 AEST, Sunday 03:05 NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
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FS Cheetahs (7) 19 / 57 (27) Blue Bulls (Final Score)
The Toyota Free State Cheetahs and Vodacom Blue Bulls did battle in the ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division at
Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein at 14:15 SA Time (12:15 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Jean de Villiers, Hashim Amla & Heyneke Meyer
Hashim Amla, captain of the South African Test cricket team, inspired the Springboks on the eve of their final Test on home soil for 2015, in the build-up to the Rugby World Cup, when he handed out the jerseys for the match against Los Pumas on Saturday.
Amla, who boasts batting averages of more than 50 in both Test and ODI cricket and is ranked in the top-4 in the world in both forms of cricket, wished the Springboks well for their next 2 Tests before the team departs for England next month.
“My blood is green and so is everyone else’s in the Protea team,” said Amla.
“We know exactly how hard and tough the world of international sport is – we know how it goes when you do well and when you lose. My Protea team-mates are extremely envious of me for being able to spend time with you.
“But I’d like to let you know that we’re behind you 100% and we’d like to wish you well for the rest of the season. You guys play for the best rugby team in the world and you inspire the Protea fire.”
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers thanked Amla for his time and the kind words and presented him with a signed Springbok jersey.
Stedman Gans – SA Scools
The SA Schools and SA Schools A teams on Friday started the Under 18 International Series on a high note at the City Park Stadium in Crawford, Cape Town, as they registered encouraging victories against Wales and Italy respectively to make their presence felt early on.
The SA Schools team delivered a solid performance on attack and defence against Wales for a 42 / 11 victory, while the SA Schools A side overcame a closely-fought 1st half against Italy for 29 / 14 win.
In the other clash England defeated France 15 / 7.
The teams will battle it out in the 2nd Round in George on Tuesday before returning to the City Park Stadium on Saturday 15 August for the closing Round of the Series.
It is the 3rd and final Round of the abbreviated Rugby Championship of 2015 (Only 1 Round of matches against each side in 2015 as opposed to a double Round of matches against all sides – home and away in non Rugby World Cup years).
The last 2 games are both on Saturday 8 August.
The Action of the Round is kicked off in Sydney, Australia where the Wallabies and All Blacks dual it out for tournament honours and The Rugby Championship of 2015 concludes with the match between the Springboks against Los Pumas in Durban.
On Saturday at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney at 12:05 SA Time (20:05 AEST, 22:05 NZ Time, 10:05 GMT) referee Wayne Barnes of England is in charge in the Wallabies vs All Blacks game.
On Saturday at Growthpoint Kings Park in Durban at 17:05 SA Time (12:05 ARG Time, 10:05 GMT, Sunday 01:05 AEST, Sunday 03:05 NZ Time) referee Romain Poite of France is in charge of the Springboks vs Los Pumas game.
The game between the Wallabies and All Blacks has all to play for and should be a thriller of note. It is hard to imagine the Wallabies pipping the All Blacks though. All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has opted for a rather large number of changes to the All Blacks side, but the run-on side is a vastly experienced unit… with the return of Julian Savea, Sonny Bill Williams, Dan Carter, Aaron Smith all in the backline alone. The Wallabies see some old hands like Drew Mitchell, Matt Giteau & James Horwill return to the run-on side and also sees the pair of openside flankers of David Pocock and Michael Hooper in the looseforwards to try and dominate the ground ball situations against the All Blacks.
Both the Springboks and Los Pumas have made a number of changes to their run-on sides.
For the Springboks we see a return of Captain Jean de Villiers at No 13, with Jesse Kriel moving 1 wide to the right wing berth. Vincent Koch comes in for injured Jannie du Plessis at tighthead prop and Marcell Coetzee takes over at blindside flank from the injured Francois Louw. On the bench we see the return of Pieter-Steph du Toit from injury, as well as the return of Marcel van der Merwe, Siya Kolisi and Lwazi Mvovo.
The game between the Springboks should logically only go 1 way and that is with a comfortable win against Los Pumas.
Pumas (27) 33 / 24 (7) Sharks (Final Score)
The Steval Pumas and Cell C Sharks did battle in the ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division at
Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit at 18:00 SA Time (16:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
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Griquas (7) 19 / 43 (24) WP (Final Score)
The ORC Giquas and DHL Western Province did battle in the ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division at
GWK Park, Kimberley at 15:30 SA Time (13:30 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
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A remarkable feature this season’s ABSA Currie Cup is that 6 of the 8 teams who will battle it out for the historic trophy on offer in South Africa’s oldest provincial competition, will do so with new coaches at the helm. Xerox Golden Lions coach, Johan Ackermann, and Hawies Fourie (ORC Griquas) are the only surviving coaches from last year.
The 6 new coaches in this year’s competition are: Nollis Marais (Vodacom Blue Bulls), Gary Gold (Cell C Sharks), John Dobson (DHL Western Province), Franco Smith (Toyota Free State Cheetahs), MJ Mentz (Steval Pumas) and Brent Janse van Rensburg (Eastern Province Kings).
Rugby World Cup duty and the departure of several former stalwarts to overseas club-rugby arenas, resulted in several household names not playing this year in their well-known provincial colours. However, that opens the door for a new generation of young and promising stars to make their mark in the competition.
The 2015 edition of the ABSA Currie Cup will be characterised as the changing of the guard in many respects. The influence of the new coaches, coupled with several Springbok Sevens stars who were released for provincial duty and the emergence of a number of Junior Springboks in the senior ranks, should make for an interesting campaign.
Springbok Sevens stars who will be in action this coming weekend include Seabelo Senatla (DHL Western Province), Ruhan Nel (ORC Griquas), Kwagga Smith (Xerox Golden Lions) and Warrick Gelant (Vodacom Blue Bulls). Meanwhile, Hanro Liebenberg (Vodacom Blue Bulls), Jean-Luc and Dan du Preez (Cell C Sharks) and Wilco Louw (WP) are some of the promising Junior Springboks who will make their competition debuts.
Defending champions, DHL Western Province, kick off the competition on Friday afternoon in Kimberley against the ORC Griquas. The Griquas secured their spot in the Top flight via a tough Qualifying campaign and they will be out to resume their status as giant-killers when they host Province in the opening match which starts at 15:30 SA Time on Friday. This fixture will be followed by the Steval Pumas encounter against the Cell C Sharks in the impressive Mbombela stadium in Nelspruit at 18:00 SA Time.
Saturday’s action sees 2015 finalists, the Xerox Lions, travel to Port Elizabeth to face the Eastern Province Kings at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, while a bruising encounter is expected between the Toyota Free State Cheetahs and the Vodacom Blue Bulls in Bloemfontein. Both clashes start at 14:15 SA Time and all the ABSA Currie Cup action will again be televised live on SuperSport.
Jean de Villiers
There has been so much hype surrounding Jean de Villiers’ return to the Springbok line-up that it almost slipped past everyone that this Saturday’s clash against the Pumas has the potential to be his final Test on South African soil.
And after Friday’s captain’s press conference in Umhlanga, it was confirmed that it would be.
De Villiers initially steered clear of confirming that he would be retiring at the end of the year, but by the end of his explanation he had said what any knowledgeable rugby fan already knew.
“Every game you play might be your last and that’s exactly what I realised with this injury,” De Villiers said.
“You’ve got to play as if it’s your last and you’ve got to make the most of it.
“But the reality is that it will be my last Test match in South Africa. I can’t see myself playing international rugby next year.”
Morné Steyn
Flyhalf Morné Steyn has been ruled out of the Springboks’ trip to Argentina next week, as his wife is due to give birth.
The Springboks will play the Pumas in a non-championship Test at the Estadio Jose Amalfitani in Buenos Aires on Saturday 15 August at 21:40 SA time.
The Test will also be the Springboks’ final run-out ahead of the Rugby World Cup starting on 18 September.
The fact that Steyn won’t be available means that he will not have played any Test rugby in 2015, giving coach Heyneke Meyer something of a headache.
Heyneke Meyer
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer has admitted that a combination of injuries and the 2 narrow defeats in the opening part of The Rugby Championship have changed his plans slightly, but he is still committed to making conditioning the priority after this week’s clash with Los Pumas at Growthpoint Kings Park.
Meyer said after announcing his team for the match that several 1st choice players will stay behind in Durban when the playing squad travels to Buenos Aires next week for what has the status of a return ‘friendly’ international against the Pumas. However, because he is coaching the South African national team and knows how important winning is to the nation, he’s not going to make changes to quite the extent that he intended to when he did his planning for the Rugby World Cup build-up.
“I’ve always said that I haven’t been happy with the fitness and conditioning and the last 2 matches when we lost in the last few minutes proved that we still have a lot of work to do in that regard,” said Meyer.
“My plan has always been to implement a very intense 3 week conditioning programme after The Rugby Championship is completed and that will mean that some of the top players will be staying behind in Durban next week rather than going to Argentina. If we are going to win the World Cup it is imperative that we get our conditioning right and the players can look forward to a really tough camp.
“The players who do travel to Argentina will slot into that fitness camp after they return. We are going to make an all-out effort to get the conditioning right. It is something that has improved gradually over the past few years, but we need the 3 week conditioning top up that is planned in order to get it totally right.”
Victor Matfield
Those thinking Springbok lock Victor Matfield will retire for the 2nd time may well be disappointed – it seems the legendary Springbok lock is set for another swansong at English club Bath.
The 38-year old Rugby World Cup winning lock should actually retire from playing after the Rugby World Cup and is contracted to take up a coaching position with the Vodacom Bulls next season, but it seems this may not be the case as he seeks a final payday before turning to coaching.
There have been rumours that since the axing of Frans Ludeke as Bulls coach – the Super Rugby franchise has not found a replacement – that Matfield may not be keen to go into coaching just yet, especially as Ludeke’s proposal to move to Director of coaching with Matfield and Fourie du Preez taking over the coaching reigns, was rejected with the Bulls bad run of results earlier this year.
According to sources close to the Bulls, Matfield was also told that the Bulls would not stand in his way if he decided he didn’t want to take up the coaching contract after the Rugby World Cup.
With this in mind, the news that Bath may want to sign him on a short term deal – a season in England to cap off a long and illustrious career – may well suit the Springbok captain very well, especially with the Pound very strong against the Rand at the moment.
Craig Joubert
Jaco Peyper
Rasta Rasivhenge
3 Of South Africa’s leading referees have renewed their contracts with the South African Rugby Union (SARU) for a further 4 years, the organisation announced on Thursday.
Craig Joubert and Jaco Peyper, who will officiate at the Rugby World Cup in September and October, have signed contract extensions for a further 4 years, while Rasta Rasivhenge recently returned to South Africa from his sabbatical in Australia and has also signed on until 2019.
Plans to extend the contracts of a number of other leading referees are currently being examined.
Jean de Villiers
Jean de Villiers will captain a Springbok side also featuring the return of Pieter-Steph du Toit and Siya Kolisi in the match-23 for the 1st time since 2013, when the Springboks host Los Pumas at Growthpoint Kings Park in Durban on Saturday.
De Villiers will continue his remarkable recovery from the terrible knee injury he suffered last November in Cardiff and will start his 1st Test of the season. He will lead the team against the Pumas from outside centre, with Schalk Burger taking over the vice-captaincy.
As a result of De Villiers’ inclusion for the final Test in The Rugby Championship, Jesse Kriel will move to right wing.
“Jean’s comeback is truly remarkable and very inspirational and I can’t wait to see what he can offer playing next to exciting youngsters such as Handré Pollard, Damian and Jesse,” said Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer.
“Jean now has 160 minutes of rugby behind him since his comeback a month ago and I’m very satisfied that he will be able to make his mark as player and captain.
“Jesse is a very versatile player – he has played at wing before and spent almost the entire Vodacom Super Rugby season at fullback. His aerial skills and work-rate, as well as tactical kicking will be valuable and hopefully he will be given even more space to attack in.”
The forwards on the bench are again rotated due to injuries and players recovering from injuries, which sees the return of Siya Kolisi and and Pieter-Steph du Toit, both of whom made their last Test appearance as replacements in the 19 / 10 victory over France in Paris on 23 November, 2013.