SA Rugby
Now that the league phase of the Super Rugby tournament is finished, I have posted a SA team of the tournament article. The team is based on the form players during the tournament, with overseas based players obviously not considered.
The South African teams had a very disappointing tournament by any standards, with injuries, poor form and bad reffing decisions making life hard for the critical rugby public, but in an attempt to find a silver lining here is this author’s team of the tournament (other contenders mentioned where appropriate):
It was a weekend of high drama in the final Open Round of Super Rugby, with a number of upsets and quite a few emotional good-byes as the regular season came to an end.
On Saturday afternoon, the Toyota Cheetahs gave their new coach, Franco Smith, something to smile about at the end of a tough season when they won for the 1st time ever in Pretoria as they beat the Vodacom Bulls by 42 / 29.
Shortly after the match, the Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd and the Blue Bulls Company Board of Directors confirmed that Frans Ludeke had stepped down from his position as Super Rugby and ABSA Currie Cup head coach with immediate effect.
The DHL Stormers were crowned champions of the South African Conference despite going down by 34 / 10 to the Cell C Sharks in Durban, as the KwaZulu-Natalians bid farewell to a number of Springbok stalwarts.
The Capetonians will host the Brumbies at DHL Newlands in the 2nd Qualifier next Saturday afternoon, at 17:05 SA Time. The 1st Qualifier is an all-New Zealand affair between the Highlanders and the Chiefs in Dunedin (09:35 SA Time), also on Saturday.
Tickets for the DHL Stormers’ match against the Brumbies match go on sale from Monday 15 June at 12:00 SA Time. Prices range from R 80.00 to R 350.00 and DHL Newlands season tickets are valid for this match. For more information or to book tickets, visit www.wprugby.computicket.com.
DHL Newlands Box Office ticket sales open on Tuesday 16 June. Tickets can also be bought at Computicket outlets and Shoprite / Checkers stores nationwide.
The Hurricanes and Waratahs finished in the Top 2 Combined Log positions and will enjoy a BYE next weekend before hosting semi-finals the week thereafter.
The Leopards and Boland Cavaliers took an early lead in the ABSA Currie Cup Qualifiers this weekend as they both secured bonus-point victories in the opening round.
The Qualifiers features 7 teams battling it out for the last remaining spot in the ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division. The remaining 6 teams will participate in the ABSA Currie Cup First Division.
The Leopards defeated the SWD Eagles 45 / 17 at Outeniqua Park in George on Friday thanks to an impressive 6 tries, while the Boland Cavaliers were guaranteed of their bonus-point for 4 tries in the 1st half against the Down Touch Griffons on Saturday, which set them up for a 32 / 22 victory in Malmesbury.
In the other match the Border Bulldogs surprised the ORC Griquas with a 20 / 13 victory at the BCM stadium in East London following a closely contested 1st half.
The Hino Valke, meanwhile, had a BYE.
Junior Springbok coach Dawie Theron made 2 changes to his match-23 for the World Rugby Under 20 Championship semi-final against defending champions England on Monday evening in Calvisano, Italy.
DHL Western Province flank Rikus Bothma takes over the No 6 jersey from his provincial team mate Jacques Vermeulen, while Malcolm Jaer (EP Kings) replaces Grant Hermanus (DHL WP) on the bench.
The rest of the match squad who defeated Australia in Calvisano last Wednesday, were kept unchanged.
Theron said the changes are part of the team’s rotational policy.
Johann Sadie
Newly-promoted French Top 14 team, Agen, have signed South African centre Johann Sadie as they continue to build ahead of next season.
The 26-year-old arrives from Super Rugby side the Toyota Cheetahs and has signed a 2-year deal, the club confirmed.
Sadie started his career with Western Province before spells with the DHL Stormers, Vodacom Bulls and then the Toyota Cheetahs. In 2014, he started playing for the NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes in Japan but was allowed to return to Bloemfontein during the Super Rugby season.
Frans Ludeke
Nollis Marais
Barend van Graan
The Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd and the Blue Bulls Company Board of Directors on Saturday 13 June 2015 confirmed the following:
- Frans Ludeke to step down from his position as Super Rugby and ABSA Currie Cup Head Coach with immediate effect.
- Appointment of Nollis Marais as new head coach of the Vodacom Blue Bulls for the 2015 ABSA Currie Cup season.
- Process to appoint a new Vodacom Bulls Head Coach for Super Rugby 2016 ongoing.
- Extension of CEO, Barend van Graan’s contract until January 2019 (from February 2015).
The Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd and the Blue Bulls Company Board of Directors in a statement on Saturday 13 June 2015 confirmed a number of coaching changes to the Vodacom Bulls and Vodacom Blue Bulls structures with regards to the ABSA Currie Cup 2015 season and the Vodacom Super Rugby season in 2016.
The Board of Directors indicated that Frans Ludeke will step down from his position as Super Rugby and Currie Cup Head Coach with immediate effect. Discussions with Ludeke about his future is ongoing as well as the process to appoint a new Head Coach for Super Rugby 2016. An announcement will be made as soon as this has been finalized.
Sharks (13) 34 / 12 (9) Stormers (Final Score)
The Cell C Sharks and DHL Stormers did battle in Super Rugby at
Growthpoint Kings Park, Durban at 19:10 SA Time (17:10 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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Bulls (10) 29 / 42 (28) Cheetahs (Final Score)
The Vodacom Bulls and Toyota Cheetahs did battle in Super Rugby at
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria at 17:05 SA Time (15:05 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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The Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd on Friday expressed their sincere gratitude and thanks to a number of stalwarts who will part ways with the Vodacom Bulls at the completion of the 2015 Vodacom Super Rugby tournament.
Barend van Graan, CEO of the BBC, confirmed the departures of Pierre Spies, Jacques du Plessis, Flip van der Merwe, Jacques-Louis Potgieter, Victor Matfield, Akona Ndungane and Francois Hougaard to French and Japanese clubs and retirement.
Spies (via Japan) and Du Plessis will join French club Montpellier, Van der Merwe moves to Clermont-Avergne and Potgieter to Lyon. Matfield will retire after the Rugby World Cup and Ndungane hangs up his boots this weekend as his contract was only extended for this year’s Super Rugby competition.
Hougaard leaves for Japan later this year and depending on a number of factors, will make a call on whether to return to Loftus Versfeld, at a later stage.
It is Round 18, the Final Open Round of Super Rugby 2015 this weekend.
There are 2 games on Friday 12 June and 5 games on Saturday 13 June.
The Emirates Lions have a BYE weekend.
The action is kicked off by the Blues and Highlanders who do battle in Auckland at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 17:35 AEST, 07:35 GMT). The next game is between the Melbourne Rebels and Western Force in Melbourne on Friday at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 AEST, 21:40 NZ Time, 09:40 GMT).
On Saturday early, at 07:30 SA Time (15:30 AEST, 17:30 NZ Time, 05:30 GMT), the Brumbies host the Crsaders in Canberra, whereafter the Chiefs host the Hurricanes in New Plymouth at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 17:35 AEST, 07:35 GMT), whereafter the Waratahs host the Reds in Sydney at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 AEST, 21:40 NZ Time, 09:40 GMT).
There are 2 South African derbies on the weekend, the one between the Vodacom Bulls vs Toyota Cheetahs in Pretoria at 17:05 SA Time (15:05 GMT, Sunday 01:05 AEST, Sunday 03:05 NZ Time) and the last game of the Open Rounds between the Cell C Sharks vs DHL Stormers in Durban at 19:10 SA Time (17:10 GMT, Sunday 03:10 AEST, Sunday 05:10 NZ Time).
There should logically be only 1 winner between the Blues vs Highlanders… and that is the Highlanders, but they have had many injuries lately, so it should be a close affair. In the next game, the Melbourne Rebels should have too much in the tank for the Western Force in Melbourne.
The match between the Brumbies and Crusaders should be a cracker, with the Crusaders playing for pride and the Brumbies playing for 2nd Spot on the Combined Log. The Chiefs will still be hurting after the right pumping they took against the Hurricanes in their previous encounter of the season, but this time they are at home and celebrate the return of some star players… guess the high-flyiing Hurricanes will still be too strong for the Chiefs though!
The Waratahs will also be playing for a possible 2nd Spot on the Combined Log when they face the Reds, and I make the Waratahs overwhelming favourites to take the game, quite well.
At Loftus, a decidedly ‘B’-looking-Team of the Bulls take on the struggling Toyota Cheetahs under their new coach, Franco Smith and if the Cheetahs 1st game under Smith last weekend is anything to go by, they will play spectacular rugby but also leak tries like there is no tomorrow. Whether the largely impotent Bulls would be able to exploit the Cheetahs total lack of defensive awareness is another story… Bulls by a whisker and a whimper.
The last game of the weekend and of the Open Rounds at Durban between the Cell C Sharks and the DHL Stormers ‘B’ Team will be interesting and with a few Sharks players playing their farewell game for the Sharks, I expect them to be all fired up and beat the Stormers… but not by a landslide, mind you!
After being crowned South African Conference winners last weekend, the DHL Stormers can still qualify in the Top 2 for the Super Rugby Finals Series, but they will need a couple of results to go their way.
The Capetonians will finish the regular season with a highly-anticipated derby against the Cell C Sharks in Durban on Saturday evening, by which time they will know if they still have a chance to make it to 2nd position.
The other match featuring South African teams this weekend is on Saturday afternoon, when the Vodacom Bulls host the Toyota Cheetahs in Pretoria. The Emirates Lions have a BYE this weekend.
After Saturday, 4 of the South African teams will have concluded their participation in Vodacom Super Rugby for the season, while the DHL Stormers will be getting ready to fly the Republic’s flag in the coming weeks.
The South African Conference winners are currently 3rd on the overall standings on 45 points, 2 adrift of the Waratahs and the Brumbies, 1 of which can still end up in 2nd spot.
For the DHL Stormers to take that coveted spot on the Log, behind the Hurricanes, the 2 Aussie teams have to lose their matches earlier on Saturday, and Allister Coetzee’s team will have to beat the Cell C Sharks.
If either the Waratahs or Brumbies beat the Reds or Crusaders respectively, the match in Durban effectively becomes a dead rubber in terms of final Log standings.
Nizaam Carr
Nizaam Carr will lead the DHL Stormers into action for the 1st time, as the 2015 SA Conference winners face up to the Cell C Sharks in both teams’ final Vodacom Super Rugby league match of the season in Durban on Saturday.
Carr will line up at No 8 in a much-changed DHL Stormers team from last weekend, the new skipper the only surviving starting player from his team’s 19 / 19 draw against the Lions at DHL Newlands.
There are 3 DHL Stormers debutants in the matchday 23, with Robert du Preez starting at No 15 in his 1st taste of Super Rugby action and flanker Sikhumbuzo Notshe and hooker Michael Willemse making their 1st starts at this level.
Lock Jan de Klerk and scrumhalf Godlen Masimla will be looking to earn their 1st caps from the bench, whilst vice-captain Jaco Taute (inside centre – in his 50th overall Super Rugby appearance), Michael Rhodes (No 7) and Kobus van Wyk (on the bench) are back in the mix following their injury lay-offs.
Vodacom Bulls coach Frans Ludeke made 4 changes to his starting team that will face the Toyota Cheetahs in a Vodacom Super Rugby clash at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
The coach’s hand was forced through injury and the SARU rest agreement, which ruled all of Jan Serfontein, Handré Pollard, Deon Stegmann, Dean Greyling, Victor Matfield and Lappies Labuschagne out of contention for the final match of the tournament.
Matfield will be replaced by Grant Hattingh and Labuschagne by Arno Botha at flank, while Greyling’s place will be taken by Morné Mellett. Adriaan Strauss, who was rested last weekend against the Rebels, is back at hooker, with Callie Visagie moving to the bench.
Ludeke also called Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg and Roelof Smit into the squad again to cover for Deon Stegmann and Hattingh.
The backline remain unchanged from last week.
Although it may not be the last time we see the likes of Bismarck and Jannie du Plessis at Growthpoint KINGS PARK, Saturday’s match against the Stormers may well be their last in the colours of the Cell C Sharks.
Whilst hinting that ‘you never know what might happen in the future’, Bismarck du Plessis has paid a tribute to the team where he has played all his professional rugby, and will, on Saturday, run out together with brother Jannie and their Sharks’ brother Beast Mtawarira in their final hurrah as one of world rugby’s most formidable front rows.
It will also be the last time to see ‘The Bone Collector’ – Willem Alberts – who will also feature in his last match for the Durban side.
Loathe to make this match about himself, Bismarck this week spoke of avoiding the limelight, explaining, “I don’t play for any accolades, I just play for my teammates and the respect I have for the guys who play with me.
“This is going to be a very sad day to be leaving The Sharks, I guess I never thought this day would arrive. I’m a Sharks boy through and through, I love the Sharks with all my heart.”
Sanzar are investigating a new concept – a so-called “referees bunker” – to be implemented in Vodacom Super Rugby in the near future to try and cut down on television match official decisions that are both controversial and cause an unnecessary delay in the game.
Sanzar refereeing boss Lyndon Bray confirmed that he was investigating the use of such a system – which has been implemented in Australia’s NRL Rugby League system, whereby the television match official was not at the game. He would rather be in a “bunker” where he would have access to at least nine different angles of play, and able to control which angles to look at if a decision was to be taken. The bunker would be situated off site, and connected via technology, taking away the emotion of fans in front of the TMO box.
After the shocking TMO decision that robbed the Vodacom Bulls of a try last weekend against the Rebels, and several other controversial decisions over the past few months, the sport’s guardians are looking for new and innovative ways to use technology better to aid the game and make a positive contribution.
“We all know that in today’s sport, technology is a critical aspect of the game & is going to remain so. None of us want to see errors when we use technology in sport & we all continue to work on the best technology to support the right decisions,” Bray said.
“Recently, I have been investigating options for how the TMO & / or referee receive the camera angles, in order to enhance the pictures they see & make decisions from. At the moment, we are fully under the control of the Broadcast feed & we are exploring options to help us “control the camera angles”. This can be done in a couple of different ways, but of course also comes at a potentially significant cost.
The battle for the last available position in the ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division will begin on Friday as 6 of the 7 teams participating in the in the ABSA Currie Cup Qualifiers go-head to-head over the weekend.
The top team on the Log table at the end of the Qualifiers, which feature 7 Rounds of matches, will gain automatic entry into the ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division, while the remaining 6 teams will battle it out in the ABSA Currie Cup First Division.
It will be between GWK Griquas, who participated in the ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division last season, the Down Touch Griffons, champions of the First Division in 2014, as well as the Boland Cavaliers, Border Bulldogs, Leopards, SWD Eagles and the Hino Valke in the competition.
In Friday’s opening matches, the SWD Eagles will host the Leopards at Outeniqua Park in George and Border takes on GWK Griquas at the BCM Stadium in East London. In the only match on Saturday, Boland meet the Down Touch Griffons at the Malmesbury Sports Grounds.
The clash between the SWD Eagles and Leopards is expected to be tight as the teams were closely matched in terms of their attack in the recent Vodacom Cup competition. SWD, however, are expected to bank on their more effective defence as 1 of the areas which could give them an edge.
GWK Griquas, meanwhile, will enter their clash against Border as favourites after showing good form in the 1st half of the season. They will also draw on their experience gained in last year’s ABSA Currie Cup Premier Division as they look to make their presence felt. Border, however, will enter the match with confidence after registering a morale-boosting victory against Boland in their final Vodacom Cup match.
In Malmesbury the battle between Boland and the Down Touch Griffons could also come down to the wire as both teams look to make up for their slow start to the season. The visitors, in particular, will be inspired by their successful ABSA Currie Cup First Division season last year, but they may have to work hard for an invaluable away-win.
The Hino Valke, meanwhile, have a bye.
Victor Matfield
Springbok lock Victor Matfield may have 1 eye on the Rugby World Cup, but he has made it clear he wants to coach the Vodacom Bulls at some stage.
With coach Frans Ludeke’s job coming under the spotlight at a Board of Directors’ meeting on Friday, Matfield’s role in the Bulls setup will also be under the microscope after another disappointing season where the Bulls missed out on the playoffs of the Vodacom Super Rugby tournament.
There was a proposal put to the Board before the Bulls went on tour that Ludeke become Director of Rugby and that Matfield and 1 other take over the coaching role for 2016, but results on the tour have put a lot of pressure, with calls for change coming from fans and ex-Bulls legends like Naas Botha.
Matfield already runs the attack for the Bulls, and has a dual player-coaching role for the team at the moment, and has been signed to take over as coach after the Rugby World Cup later this year.
But Friday’s meeting could change all that, especially with the unhappiness that on the tour the Bulls dropped from 2nd overall and topping the South African conference to 9th and 3rd in the SA conference. Their losing streak overseas stretches to 11 games now and it is the 2nd consecutive season they missed out on the playoffs. On top of this the last time they won any trophy was in 2010.
Sikhumbuzo Notshe
Stormers and Western Province loose forward Sikhumbuzo Notshe has opted to extend his stay in Cape Town for a further 2 seasons.
The promising 22-year-old has signed a deal to stay at WP until the end of the 2017 season.
Notshe was a star for WP in the Vodacom Cup this year, while also impressing when he got opportunities for the Stormers in Super Rugby.
The Vodacom Blue Bulls will warm-up for their ABSA Currie Cup campaign with a week-long tour in Japan before facing the best of their domestic competitors.
The Blue Bulls will head to the land of the Rising Sun for a friendly match against the Canon Eagles to round off their preparations for this year’s Currie Cup.
The match, set for 31 July, will give the Blue Bulls a chance to test some of their younger players ahead of a gruelling Currie Cup season where they hope to pick up their 1st trophy since 2009 when they beat the Free State Cheetahs in the final.
Canon Eagles have recently been in the news with the signing of Springboks Willie le Roux and Francois Hougaard, who will join them after the World Cup before Le Roux heads back to the Cell C Sharks. Hougaard’s future after the Japanese season is still uncertain with both English and French clubs chasing his signature.
Dean Grant
Flyhalf Dean Grant is the latest South African to secure a move to play club rugby in France, having been released from his contract at Griquas.
Dean’s main focus this year was on balancing his professional rugby career in Kimberley and completing his Honours in B.Com Investments at the University of Cape Town.
6 Months later, and Grant can celebrate his impressive qualification, and a new chapter in his rugby career.
After spending the past 2 seasons in Kimberley, the 26-year-old has secured a deal with French club Chambery, based in the south-eastern region of France.
Chambery play in Federale 1 (3rd Division), having nearly qualified for the Pro D2 during the 2014 / 2015 season.
“I want to thank Griquas for accommodating my career over the past 2 years by allowing me to balance my studies and my rugby commitments,” said Grant.
Brent Janse van Rensburg
Brent Janse van Rensburg has been appointed as head coach of the EP Kings for the upcoming Currie Cup season.
This follows after an attempt to lure Lions assistant coach Swys de Bruin to Port Elizabeth proved unsuccessful.
Janse van Rensburg, who up until now was the Kings’ defence coach, has been made head coach for the upcoming Currie Cup, while Carlos Spencer – who was head coach in last year’s Currie Cup – will stay on as backline and skills coach.
The Kings performed poorly in last year’s Currie Cup under the guidance of Spencer and there were already rumours then that the former All Black flyhalf would not be retained as head coach.
Nizaam Carr
Nizaam Carr will captain the DHL Stormers in their Super Rugby clash in Durban on Saturday against the Cell C Sharks.
Kick-off is at 19:10 SA Time (17:10 GMT).
It has been reliably learnt that the Springbok loose forward will lead a Stormers ‘B’ team in their final Super Rugby league fixture against the men from Durban before they tackle the playoffs the following weekend.
Stormers coach Allister Coetzee said he has looked at the situation and described his sides chances of ending up in 2nd position on the overall Super Rugby standings as “highly unlikely.”
A 2nd place finish would have secured a home semi-final spot for the Cape franchise – a week’s rest during the “quarter-finals”.
Coetzee will however use the game against the Sharks to bring back a few players who have been sidelined with injuries for a while. Players like Jaco Taute, Kobus van Wyk and Michael Rhodes will be in the starting line-up. It will also be a golden opportunity to test the depth of his squad.
“I am not even worried about the outcome of the games between the Waratahs and Reds as well as the Brumbies and Crusaders,” said Coetzee.
Lappies Labuschagne
Lappies Labuschagne will be out of action for at least a month and will undergo surgery on his larynx on Thursday to repair damage to his vocal chords.
Labuschagne has been struggling since the Vodacom Bulls’ defeat against the Chiefs on tour, 3 weeks ago, but chose to continue playing to try and help the Bulls make the Super Rugby playoffs.
After that hope disappeared after their loss to the Melbourne Rebels last weekend, the Bulls flanker decided to follow medical advice and go under the knife.
According to team doctor Org Strauss, he will be out for at least a month as he recovers but should be ready to play in the ABSA Currie Cup series at the end of July.
The Bulls were further hit by bad news with the withdrawal of flanker Deon Stegmann with bruised ribs, ruling himself out of contention for the game this weekend against the Toyota Cheetahs and joining a number of stalwarts on the sidelines.
The Bulls will name their side on Thursday, but chances are it will be a relatively young and inexperienced team to face the Cheetahs, with coach Frans Ludeke resting several players.
Willie le Roux
Willie le Roux will start at fullback for the Toyota Cheetahs in his last ever game for the Free-State franchise as they take on the Vodacom Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
25-year-old Springbok fullback, Le Roux, will depart Bloemfontein after 3 years and 56 Super Rugby games with the franchise. At the conclusion of his Springbok obligations after the World Cup he will head to Japan for 3 months, after which he will join the Cell C Sharks.
Le Roux gets the nod ahead of Coenie van Wyk who drops down to the bench. The 2nd backline change sees Clayton Blommetjies start at right wing with Sergeal Petersen shifting to the left wing, replacing Cornal Hendricks.
In the forwards, Henco Venter will start at flank for Tienie Burger who drops out of the matchday squad.
The Cheetahs will welcome the return of Teboho Mohoje to the bench after he was sidelined for 3 months with a groin injury. Renier Botha also comes onto the bench in place of Shaun Venter.
Jnr Springboks (20) 46 / 13 (3) Australia U 20 (Final Score)
The South African Junior Springboks and Australia Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under 20
Championship at Stadio San Michele, Calvisano at 20:30 SA Time (20:30 Italy Time, 18:30 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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SANZAR has announced the names of the Match Officials for Round 18 of the 2015 Super Rugby season.
It is the last Round of the League Phases of Super Rugby in 2015.
This weekend sees 7 matches, 2 on Friday 12 June and 5 on Saturday 13 June 2015.
The weekend’s action is kicked off in Auckland on Friday at 09:35 SA Time, when Angus Gardner will referee the match between the Blues and Highlanders. Thereafter, also on Friday at 11:40 SA Time, the Melbourne Rebels host the Western Force in Melbourne, where Andrew Lees will be in charge of proceedings.
On Saturday the action starts early again, at 07:30 SA Time, when the Brumbies host the Crusaders in Canberra, with Jaco Peyper the referee in charge. We hop over to New Zealand again, to New Plymouth, where the Chiefs meet the Hurricanes at 09:35 SA Time, with Chris Pollock in control of the whistle.
Back over the pond to Australia, where the Waratahs host the Reds in Sydney at 11:40 SA Time, with Nick Briant the man in the middle.
Over to South Africa, where the Vodacom Bulls host the Toyota Cheetahs at 17:05 SA Time in Pretoria, with Craig Joubert to officiate the game. The last match of the weekend takes place in Durban at 19:10 SA Time, where Glen Jackson will officiate in the derby between the Cell C Sharks and DHL Stormers.
Johan Goosen
John Plumtree
With the current DHL Stormers coach, Allister Coetzee already having confirmed his departure to Japan at the end of 2015 and with Demetri Catrakilis already having signed for Jake White’s Montpellier, the rumour mill is starting to get into full gear regarding replacements for these vital Stormers positions.
Current Hurricanes forwards coach and former Sharks head coach, John Plumtree is touted to be a favourite for the Stormers head coach position.
Johan Goosen, 2nd choice flyhalf at Racing Metro, has also been linked to a move to Cape Town, to join DHL Western Province.
John Plumtree:
Former Sharks coach John Plumtree is being linked with a move to coach the DHL Stormers in next year’s Super Rugby competition.
Plumtree is currently the assistant coach of Super Rugby log-leaders, the Hurricanes, but the New Zealander has been in connection with Western Province Director of Rugby, Gert Smal, about a possible move to Cape Town.
Allister Coetzee, the current Stormers coach, will leave the team after this year’s competition to take charge of the Kobe Kobelco Steelers in Japan.
Jan Serfontein
Vodacom Bulls midfielder Jan Serfontein has not recovered sufficiently from a knee strain and will miss his team’s last Vodacom Super Rugby clash of the season against the Toyota Cheetahs in Pretoria on Saturday.
Serfontein returned home from Australia two weeks ago due to the MCL strain and will not make it onto the field on Saturday, Vodacom Bulls team doctor Org Strauss confirmed.
Deon Stegmann, who missed the Rebels match due to bruised ribs, will be given till Thursday to prove his fitness, but JJ Engelbrecht (elbow), Burger Odendaal (hamstring), Jacques du Plessis (back) and Jesse Kriel (quad) were all back on the field on Tuesday.
Fourie du Preez
Springbok talisman Fourie du Preez will have at least 1 competitive game before he joins the Springbok side again – for his Japanese club Suntory Goliath.
Du Preez said he will head back to Japan in the next 2 weeks to rejoin the pre-season training camp for the club and has requested that he play at least 1 competitive game before heading to the Springbok camp next month.
The veteran scrumhalf, who is still rated as 1 of the best in the world, has not played for the past 3 months since the Japanese season ended and his club were ousted in the Cup competition.
He has had discussions with the Springbok management on the issue and they are happy for him to follow the route, the same one he has over the last 2 seasons before donning the green and gold again.
On both occasions Du Preez returned sharp and in form, and made a significant difference to the Bok set-up with his experience and vision on the field.
Frans Ludeke
Heyneke Meyer
Could Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer possibly return to the Vodacom Bulls after this year’s Rugby World Cup?
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) has not yet offered Meyer an extension of his contract beyond the current Rugby World Cup.
While talks are ongoing at SARU about Meyer’s future, it is understood the Vodacom Bulls would be happy to return him and his management team to Loftus Versfeld if he doesn’t continue as Springbok coach.
The future of current Bulls coach, Frans Ludeke, appears uncertain after the men from Pretoria again failed to reach the Super Rugby playoffs.
Ludeke has a contract with the Bulls until October 2016, but there are rumours he could be relieved of his coaching duties, while there is also talk of Ludeke being promoted to Director of Rugby.
Bismarck du Plessis
Jannie du Plessis
Willem Alberts
The Cell C Sharks officially confirm the departure of Bismarck and Jannie du Plessis as well as Willem Alberts, who will be playing their final match for the Cell C Sharks this Saturday.
Bismarck’s career at the Cell C Sharks is now in its 11th year, having made his senior rugby debut when he joined the Durban franchise in 2005. To date he is the most capped Sharks player ever at Super Rugby level, with 129 appearances. He has also accumulated 39 ABSA Currie Cup caps, the number reflective of his Springbok duties where he has represented South Africa 70 times.
Jannie joined The Sharks in 2008 after representing the Cheetahs between 2004 and 2007. He has appeared 117 times for the Cell C Sharks at Super Rugby level and has 62 Test match appearances behind him.
They both played in 2 Rugby World Cups – in 2007 and 2011 – and together share the record (42) for most Springbok Tests as brothers.
Willem made his debut for the Cell C Sharks in 2010 after moving to Durban from the Lions and has accumulated a total of 91 appearances (72 in Super Rugby and 19 in the ABSA Currie Cup competition) as well as 32 Springbok caps.
These 3 players have been an influential and valued part of the Cell C Sharks set-up and despite Management’s best efforts; we have been unable to re-secure their services moving forward.
Bakkies Botha
Springbok lock Bakkies Botha, who announced his retirement from international rugby late last year, will head up a strong group of Test icons for the match between South Africa and a World XV at DHL Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday 11 July 2015.
Botha is 1 of 9 Toulon players who will line up against the Springboks. The giants from the south of France recently won their 3rd consecutive European club title.
Toulon coach Bernard Laporte, who was previously in charge of the French national team, will assist former Wallaby and Crusaders coach Robbie Deans with the World XV.
Botha’s Toulon team-mates who have been confirmed for the World XV are Delon Armitage (fullback), David Smith (wing), Rudi Wulf (centre), Maxime Mermoz (centre), Steffon Armitage (loose forward), Ali Williams (lock), Craig Burden (hooker) and Alexandre Menini (prop).
Added to this list are Springbok and Vodacom Bulls centre JJ Engelbrecht, Wallaby scrumhalf Luke Burgess and France scrumhalf Maxime Machenaud. The World XV will be captained by Louis-Benoit Madaule, who plays on the flank for French club Bordeaux Begles.
DHL Western Province centre EW Viljoen will earn a 1st starting berth for the Junior Springboks against Australia on Wednesday evening in the World Rugby Under 20 Championship Pool B decider in Calvisano, Italy.
He replaces Vodacom Blue Bulls centre JT Jackson, who played in the previous Championship outings against Italy and Samoa. Jackson drops out of the match-23.
Viljoen, who will anchor the midfield with provincial partner Daniel du Plessis, is 1 of 2 backline changes to the team that faced Samoa.
His WP team-mate Khanyo Ngcukana, who played against Italy in the opening match, reclaims his place in the starting-15 in place of Grant Hermanus on the right wing.
WP flank Jacques Vermeulen, who started 4 matches for the Junior Springboks in New Zealand last year and who came off the bench last Saturday, will start in the No 6 jersey. He switches places with Dan du Preez, who has been named among the replacements.
Dawie Theron, the Junior Springbok coach, said his team is well-prepared for the game.
The chances have greatly increased that the DHL Stormers will need to defy statistical history to win the 2015 overall Super Rugby crown from here.
Signs point all too strongly to their being elbowed into a 3rd-placed finish after ordinary season, even though they are already safely installed as SA conference champions after the engrossing, full-blooded 19 / 19 Newlands result (inconvenient 1st draw competition-wide this year) against the now-eliminated Emirates Lions.
To still get a highly desirable home semi-final, 3 results will need to work in their favour in the weekend’s last Round ahead of the 6-team playoffs.
Allister Coetzee’s charges, apart from having to beat the Cell C Sharks themselves in Durban on Saturday (19:10 SA Time kick-off), will have needed 2 earlier matches on the day to have gone the way of the away teams to avoid South Africa being the only 1 of the participating countries for a 2nd year running not to stage a semi.
They seek a Crusaders victory over the Brumbies in their trip to Canberra, plus a Reds win in the Australian derby against the Waratahs in Sydney.
Neither outcome can be completely ruled out, but a considerably better bet is that at least 1 of the Waratahs or Brumbies will have done the business, thus leaving the Stormers automatic 3rd-placed tenants regardless of how their Durban date goes.
Duane Vermeulen
DHL Stormers No 8 and captain Duane Vermeulen consulted a neurosurgeon on Monday, after he was withdrawn from the past weekend’s Vodacom Super Rugby clash against the Lions with a severe neck spasm.
Vermeulen suffered an intense spasm in his neck after last Friday’s captain’s run, with an MRI showing a bulging disc at a C5 level.
However, the DHL Stormers and Springbok star consulted a neurosurgeon on Monday and the prognosis was positive ahead of the upcoming Vodacom Super Rugby play-offs, with the DHL Stormers set to host either a quarter- or semifinal in the coming weeks.