Michael Paterson
England on Friday called in Michael Paterson as second row cover for the last week of their New Zealand tour.
The 29-year-old Sale lock was a member of the England training squad last month and started in the pre-tour match against the Barbarians.
When Martin Johnson’s England side beat the All Blacks in Wellington in 2003, it was a massive step on their way to becoming world champions later that year.
The timescale is a bit different this time – the World Cup is still 16 months away – but England must be thinking they can put a real marker down once again in New Zealand.
They could, and maybe should, have beaten the world champions in the first Test last week.
And now, with a team strengthened by the arrival of half-a-team’s worth of first-choice players, they will have real belief they can level the series at 1-1 in Dunedin on Saturday.
Wow, strange feeling for me to write about the Round Ball Game called POOFBALL… errr sorry I mean FOOTBALL, or SOCCER as it is more properly known in South Africa.
The world’s biggest sport, today starts it’s biggest tournament, the FIFA WORLD CUP 2014 in Brazil.
Being a Sports lover, I suppose is what it’s all about, so here goes with a SPECIAL ARTICLE on the world spectacle!
Gooooooooooo Bafana Bafana…. errr sorry, they’re not there, right?
Hahaha
Excuse the ignorance, me maties… but at the same time enjoy yourselves!
Here’s more about the tournament of Oscar-Driven stars on Tik:
Brazil kicks off the World Cup on Thursday hoping to unite the football-mad country after a chaotic seven-year build-up plagued by violent protests.
The 32-team extravaganza gets under way in the teeming mega-city of Sao Paulo, where the host nation’s beloved ‘Selecao’ faces Croatia at 17:00 Brazil Time (22:00 SA Time) in front of 61 600 supporters and a worldwide television audience of several hundred million.
Thursday’s Group A match signals the start of a month-long football fiesta taking place against backdrops which showcase Brazil’s breathtaking diversity, from the picture postcard beauty of Rio de Janeiro to fading colonial grandeur of Manaus, deep in the Amazon.
After years of apathy and simmering resentment at the tournament’s record $11-billion price tag, Brazilians were grudgingly embracing World Cup fever in the final hours before the big kick-off.
Peter Horne will make his first Scotland start in Saturday’s Test against Canada in Toronto.
The Glasgow centre replaces the injured Duncan Taylor in one of four changes to the side that beat USA 24-6.
Grant Gilchrist takes Jim Hamilton’s place in the second row, while prop Moray Low is in for Geoff Cross.
Kelly Brown returns to the back row for his 64th cap, with scrum-half Greig Laidlaw retaining the captaincy and Finn Russell staying at fly-half.
Russell, 21, enjoyed a promising debut in Texas along with Glasgow team-mate Gordon Reid, who also keeps his place in the front row. Brown’s inclusion means Blair Cowan drops to the bench after winning his first cap.
Francois Steyn
The SA Rugby Union (Saru) has denied reports that it had reneged on a contractual promise made to Springbok fullback Frans Steyn which led to his sudden withdrawal from the national squad on Tuesday evening.
“I can confirm that there was a dispute over mechanisms by which one element of Frans’s Springbok remuneration was to be paid,” Saru chief executive Jurie Roux said in a statement on Thursday.
“That issue was addressed. Some minor details remain to be sorted out, but they are not of such a scale as to be a cause for a major upheaval.”
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) today unveiled the official free Springbok smartphone app for android.
The simply-titled Springbok app is the first mobile product devoted solely to our rugby heroes, and is available for free on all Android smartphone and tablet devices immediately.
An IOS version will be made available next week.
To download the app please copy here: http://www.immedia.co.za/apps/springbok.html
Adam Jones
Adam Jones will make his 100th International appearance in the game at Growthpoint Kings Park in Durban, in a match that will be his 95th cap for Wales (five appearances for the British and Irish Lions).
Gatland has named two uncapped players in his match day squad with Scarlets scrum-half Gareth Davies and Ospreys’ Matthew Morgan, who both impressed in recent outings, named as replacements.
Simon Hickey injured
New Zealand’s Under 20 side has been dealt a blow with captain Simon Hickey out for the remainder of the Junior World Championship.
The play-maker has been instrumental for the Under 20 host nation along side his Blues Super Rugby team-mate, Tevita Li.
Hickey came off in the second half of New Zealand’s final pool match against Scotland on Tuesday with an ankle pain.
Brett Gosper
International Rugby Board Chief Executive Brett Gosper urged international unions to play their star names at the Rio Olympics Sevens to maximise the sport’s opportunity on the world stage.
Gosper said that while the value of having regular Sevens players must be properly respected, Rugby Union’s chances of becoming a permanent Olympic sport may rely on an injection of star power from the traditional, more high-profile 15-a-side game.
“In 2017, straight after Rio, they’ll decide if Rugby continues to be a core sport at the Olympics. We will be in Japan in 2020 as well, but that may be it,” Gosper told reporters in Sydney.
England coach Stuart Lancaster has made five changes to his team’s starting line-up for the second Test against New Zealand in Dunedin on Saturday.
Lancaster called in some backline reinforcements for the must-win encounter at the indoor stadium.
With his entire squad now available, Lancaster selected the backline combination that England used in the Six Nations over the supposedly “second string” line-up that pushed the All Blacks close in a 15-20 defeat in the first Test last week.
He recalled centres Billy Twelvetrees and Luther Burrell, pivot Owen Farrell and scrumhalf Danny Care, as well as naming Tom Wood at blindside flank in place of James Haskell.
Manusamoa Tuilagi switches from the centre to right wing, with Marland Yarde moving to the left wing to accommodate him.
Heyneke Meyer
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer says he has faced some of his toughest days in the job recently, leading up to the announcement of his team to play Wales in the first of two Tests in Durban on Saturday.
“It’s definitely been the toughest few weeks for me,” Meyer said in Durban on Wednesday.
“You plan for five months, you can’t wait to get going and then suddenly you get curve balls from all over.”
“It’s been tough … losing some quality centres within the space of a week or a week and half.”
The South African camp was hit by the news of Francois Steyn’s withdrawal from the squad late on Tuesday.
Lood de Jager
The value of having veteran Bakkies Botha in the Springbok squad could be measured by how much time it takes new cap Lood de Jager to settle and become comfortable at international level.
The influence that the likes of Botha and now Victor Matfield could have on the development of the young players in the squad has often been referred to as one of the main reasons for having them in the mix.
It was when he saw the awe with which the youngsters regarded Botha when he joined the Boks in Wales last year that coach Heyneke Meyer made the decision to get the one half of the legendary “Blood Brother” combination into the mix more regularly.
But there is nothing quite like hearing it direct from the horse’s mouth, and De Jager left little doubt after his announcement in the match day 23 for Saturday’s first test against Wales here in Durban on Saturday that the presence of both Botha and Matfield has added even greater impetus to what has already been a special time for him.
Gurthrö Steenkamp
South Africa’s Player of the Year in 2010, Gurthrö Steenkamp, will make his 50th Test appearance for the Springboks when they take on Wales at Growthpoint Kings Park in Durban on Saturday (kick-off 17:00 SA Time, 15:00 GMT).
Steenkamp has been included in the starting line-up for the first Welsh Test in one of six changes to the match-day squad from the team which comprehensively beat the World XV last weekend in Cape Town, four of which are positional shifts.
Cornal Hendricks, who shone for the Springboks last weekend at DHL Newlands, will make his Test debut on Saturday, while his provincial team mate from the Toyota Free State Cheetahs, the uncapped Lood de Jager, has been selected on the bench.
The two changes in the backline are at inside centre, where Jan Serfontein will earn his first Test start for South Africa, and scrumhalf, where Fourie du Preez will start with Ruan Pienaar on the bench alongside Tendai Mtawarira, who has swapped places with Steenkamp.
Luke Watson
Luke Watson is eyeing a return to rugby when the Kings tackle the Bulls in a friendly in Port Elizabeth next Saturday.
The 30-year-old loose forward has been beset by injuries in the last year, and hasn’t played any competitive rugby since last year’s Super Rugby competition.
Watson’s injury woes started when he fractured a bone in his ankle towards the latter part of the 2012 season. He returned to play for the Kings in their debut Super Rugby season last year, but was immediately sidelined after taking a blow to the throat in their first game against the Western Force.
Nathan Charles
Wallaby hooker Nathan Charles says he wants to be judged on his performance rather than a genetic disease he has defied to make the national team.
Charles, who is poised to make his Test debut when he starts on the replacements bench against France in Melbourne on Saturday, is a cystic fibrosis sufferer.
He is believed to be the only athlete with the condition in the world who is playing a professional contact sport.
Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening genetic disease that primarily affects the lungs and digestive system.
Julian Savea
Wing Julian Savea returns to the New Zealand side for Saturday’s second test against England in Dunedin after fullback Israel Dagg was ruled out through injury.
Savea, who has scored 19 tries in 20 matches for the world champion All Blacks, missed the 20-15 first test victory with a knee complaint, but should add extra firepower to the backline after a sluggish performance in Auckland.
Ben Smith moves to fullback from the wing in Dagg’s absence.
Bryan Habana
Schalk Brits
Cornal Hendricks
Cheslin Kolbe
Warren Whiteley
Springboks Bryan Habana and Schalk Brits have been included in the South African sevens rugby squad for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Regular Blitzbokke coach Neill Powell will take charge of the squad, which features several household names in South African rugby.
Apart from Habana and Brits, experienced sevens campaigner Cornal Hendricks was also included. He made his Springbok debut in the 15-man code against the World XV last week.
Philippe Saint-Andre
True to tradition, French coach Philippe Saint-Andre has wielded a very heavy axe ahead of his team’s second Test against Australia, in Melbourne on Saturday.
Saint-Andre made 10 changes, including the return of inspirational skipper Thierry Dusautoir, to try to save the series against the Wallabies – following a hammering in the first Test.
France lost 23-50 in Brisbane last week and Saint-Andre said he expected a lot more in Melbourne on Saturday, speaking even of being “ashamed”.
Dan Carter
All Blacks flyhalf Dan Carter will make his comeback to rugby after six months in a minor club match in rural Canterbury province on Saturday.
Carter will play for the Southbridge club, where he began his career, in a local championships match against Glenmark.
Joe Marler
The All Blacks’ aura of invincibility is gone for England prop Joe Marler, who said his team’s fighting loss in Auckland last week had raised their belief that they could match the world champions.
England, the only team to beat top-ranked New Zealand in the past two seasons, lost the series-opener 20-15 last weekend against a rusty All Blacks side many had thought would thrash the tourists at their home Eden Park fortress.
England will have their pick of many of the first-choice players that missed the Auckland match due to the nation’s club final earlier this month and should field a stronger side on paper for the second Test in Dunedin.
DHL Western Province and the Vodacom Blue Bulls have both announced that they will be playing against Saracens, at Allianz Park, London, England.
In the case of WP, they will play Saracens at the end of the Currie Cup season in 2014, whereas the Blue Bulls will play Saracens late January 2015.
Jacques-Louis Potgieter
The Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd is pleased to confirm that flyhalf Jacques-Louis Potgieter has signed an extension to his contract till 2016.
Potgieter joined the Vodacom Bulls earlier in the season from France following stints with Bayonne and Dax and immediately proved to be a valuable asset to the squad.
He has started in 10 of 12 matches since his arrival and scored 142 points at an average of 11.8 points per match. This included a try, 13 conversions, 34 penalties and three dropped goals.
Rod Davies
Biarritz have completed the double signing of Reds finisher Rod Davies and former All Black lock Bryn Evans.
Now in the Pro D2 league, Biarritz, coached by Eddie O’Sullivan, are already recruiting as they look to bounce back to the top flight at the first attempt.
29-Year-old Evans joins on a one-year contract while 25-year-old Davies has put pen to paper on a two-year deal at the struggling southern side.
Quin Roux
The Irish Rugby Football Union, Connacht and Leinster have agreed a loan deal that will see two high-profile players swap provinces.
Scrumhalf John Cooney and lock Quinn Roux will play at Connacht next season.
Roux will move to Connacht on an initial deal until December 31 and will link up with coach Pat Lam’s squad next month for the beginning of the pre-season period.
Meanwhile, Cooney, whose terms have been agreed for the full 2014/15 season, will continue his shoulder rehab with Leinster during the off-season before departing for Galway.
EP Kings (0) 12 / 34 (17) Wales (Final Score)
Eastern Province Kings and Wales did battle in a mid-week game during the June Internationals at
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth at 19:00 SA Time (18:00 BST, 17:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
*******************
Dawie Theron
The Junior Springboks finished top of pool C at the IRB Junior World Championship in New Zealand on Tuesday, beating a spirited Samoa 21-8 in Pukekohe. Samoa had a 8-7 lead at the break.
The South Africans scored three tries, two of them in the second half, as they battled poor playing conditions and a very committed Samoan team to finish as the top qualifier at the tournament.
It was a frustrating evening for the Junior Boks, who lacked the sharpness and edge that highlighted their play against New Zealand on Friday. They could not execute on a number of occasions, but finished strongly.
The South Africans were held over the line on three occasions, lost the ball over the line twice and had two penalties to the poles drifted wide.
Francois Steyn
Frans Steyn was released from the Springbok squad at his own request on Tuesday and will not appear in Saturday’s match against Wales at Growthpoint Kings Park, Durban.
The player advised SARU officials that that he did not wish to be considered for the Castle Lager Incoming series. “The environment in the Springbok squad is fantastic and I would like to state categorically that my relationship with Heyneke Meyer, the rest of the management and my team-mates is very good,” said Steyn.
Steyn – who is expected to take up a contract in Japan at the end of Vodacom Super Rugby Series – said that he wished for time to reflect on his Springbok future.
European Rugby Champions Cup pool stages draw
The draw for the inaugural European Rugby Champions Cup has taken at the Stade de la Maladière in Neuchatel, Switzerland with many fancied teams facing tricky paths to the knockout stages.
Pool 1 appears to be the toughest with Heineken Cup finalists drawn against Munster, Clermont Auvergne and Sale Sharks, while Ulster will face reigning European champions Toulon, Leicester Tigers and Scarlets in Pool 3.
PRO12 champions Leinster will be bidding to return to the top of European rugby when they take on Castres, Harlequins and London Wasps in Pool 2.
Glasgow Warriors, who were beaten in the PRO12 final by Leinster, face Montpellier, Bath Rugby and Toulouse in Pool 4, while Aviva Premiership champions Northampton saints have been drawn with Racing Metro in Pool 5 alongside Ospreys and Benetton Treviso.
James Horwill, set for his 50th Cap
Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie has made three injury-enforced changes to his starting XV for Saturday’s second Test against ‘desperate’ France, when Michael Hooper will become one his country’s youngest ever captains.
Veteran hooker Stephen Moore (knee), lock Sam Carter (ankle) and back-row forward Wycliff Palu (ankle) have all been ruled out after Australia dominated the opening game in Brisbane 50 / 23.
Waratahs powerhouse Tatafu Polota-Nau replaces Moore, big lock James Horwill comes in for Carter for his 50th game for Australia and Western Force workhorse Ben McCalman will wear the No 8 jersey.
England hooker Dylan Hartley said they have had a taste and now want more.
A weakened England side came close to upsetting World Cup holders, the New Zealand All Blacks, in Auckland last Saturday, only to lose the first Test 15-20 through a 78th-minute piece of individual brilliance.
It did not help the England cause that they butchered a number of opportunities through handling errors and poor choices.
Romain Poite, Carding Bismarck du Plessis in 2013 against the All Blacks
The Springboks have no problems with the appointment of the man who may have cost them the chance of winning last year’s Castle Lager Rugby Championship for Saturday’s test against Wales in Durban.
French referee Romain Poite was almost as big a talking point at one stage of 2013 as New Zealand match official Bryce Lawrence was towards the end of 2011. Poite’s decision to first yellow card Bismarck du Plessis during the opening half for a dangerous tackle on All Black flyhalf Dan Carter was followed by a red when Du Plessis was found guilty of another offence at the start of the second.
Elton Jantjies
Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies is set to head to Japan and won’t be available for the Currie Cup later this year.
According to reports, the 23-year-old Springbok has signed a deal with the NTT Shining Arcs.
Referee: Marais van Zyl
A referee from the Blue Bulls referees association is recovering in hospital after allegedly being assaulted following a club game in Gardens, Pretoria.
Marais van Zyl was hit over the head by a crash helmet and is recovering in the Montana hospital in Pretoria.
It is believed he was attacked by two supporters who were upset with his performance during the game.
Craig Joubert
Craig Joubert, is only 36 years old but on Saturday he became the seventh referee in the history of rugby union football to referee 50 Tests, the third one to do so this year.
It’s a long way from the days when the most capped referee had 11 Tests in a seven-year international career. Now with Tests from February to December there are many more chances.
Joubert is the second South African to reach 50, after Jonathan Kaplan who was the first in rugby history to do so. After Kaplan came Chris White of England, Alain Rolland of Ireland and Steve Walsh of New Zealand and then Australia. Then came the 2014 trio – Wayne Barnes of England, Nigel Owens of Wales and Craig Paul Joubert of South Africa.
The Springboks completed a successful first match of their season on Saturday against Nick Mallet’s World XV at Newlands but the first proper international action for them starts this weekend as the Castle Lager Incoming Series gets underway with a Test against Wales in Durban on Saturday.
There often is debate and criticism about the make up of squads that Northern Hemisphere countries send on these mid-year tours which take place after their taxing domestic seasons. This year though the two teams due to play against South Africa have got good reason to be fielding teams which are going to be under strength in certain areas. The Test against Scotland falls outside the international window and so their players who ply their trade outside Scotland will not be making the trip over. The tour for Wales has been made much harder due to numerous injuries, no least to inspirational captain Sam Warburton.