Caretaker coach Dale McIntosh says the return to the Cardiff Blues side of hooker Matthew Rees helped inspire their 28-23 Pro12 win over Ulster.
Wales and British and Irish Lions hooker Rees, 33, was diagnosed with testicular cancer in October 2013. But he has undergone successful treatment and was named on the bench.
DHL Stormers coach Allister Coetzee was again left lamenting crucial mistakes after his team’s 17-22 loss to the Reds in Brisbane on Saturday, but he was proud of the effort that his players put into their final tour match.
South Africa and England battled each other in the World T20 Cricket competition at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong (neutral venue) on Saturday 29 March.
This was a Group 1 game.
England won the toss and elected to field.
The score cards were updated at regular intervals here on Rugby-Talk.
South Africa won by 3 runs.
South Africa: 196 / 5 (20 Overs)
England: 193 / 7 (20 Overs)
Sharks (12) 32 / 10 (3) Waratahs (Final Score)
The Cell C Sharks and Waratahs did battle in Super Rugby at
Growthpoint Kings Park, Durban at 17:05 SA Time (15:05 GMT, 02:05 Sunday Eastern Aus Time)).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Bulls (14) 34 / 34 (15) Chiefs (Final Score)
The Vodacom Bulls and Chiefs did battle in Super Rugby at
Loftus Versveld, Pretoria at 15:00 SA Time (13:00 GMT, 02:00 Sunday NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Reds (13) 22 / 17 (10) Stormers (Final Score)
The Reds and DHL Stormers did battle in Super Rugby at
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane at 10:40 SA Time (19:40 Brisbane Time, 08:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Sharks tighthead prop Wiehahn Herbst will join Ulster this summer on a three-year deal, it has been confirmed.
Blues (17) 30 / 12 (9) Highlanders (Final Score)
The Blues and Highlanders did battle in Super Rugby at
Eden Park, Auckland at 08:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 06:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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Former captain Keegan Daniel will depart the Cell C Sharks at the conclusion of the Vodacom Super Rugby tournament to join Kubota in Japan.
Having joined The Sharks Academy in 2004, Keegan went on to make his Sharks debut in 2006 against the Reds. With 199 caps to date for the Cell C Sharks, 59 of those as captain, he led the team to ABSA Currie Cup glory in 2013.
Reds wing Chris Kuridrani will be out for 4 weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to clean up loose cartilage in his ankle.
Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie said on Friday that the attitude of players as much as form will help him decide the makeup of his team as he plots a course towards next year’s Rugby World Cup.
McKenzie said the desire to wear the gold jersey and professionalism would be major factors in weighing up contenders ahead of June’s three-Test home series against France.
The Cheetahs are fighting tooth and nail to retain the services of Springbok flyhalf Johan Goosen, but know they are in a tough tug-o’-war.
Cheetahs backline coach Hawies Fourie, speaking to this website during the team’s bye week, admitted they are aware of reports that Goosen has dashed off to France for talks about his future.
Stormers and Springbok flank Schalk Burger is the proud father of a baby boy.
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) made a small operating profit – as per forecast – in a very difficult economic environment, the union announced at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Cape Town on Friday.
SARU reported a group profit before taxation of R5.1m for the year ended December, 31, 2013, which was boosted to an after-tax profit of R11.1m because of a write back of taxation charges of R6m.
Jurie Roux, chief executive officer (CEO) of SARU, said that the year represented a satisfactory operating result.
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) has announced at its Annual General Meeting in Cape Town on Friday that Oregan Hoskins will continue as SARU president.
Rebels (3) 32 / 24 (10) Brumbies (Final Score)
The Melbourne Rebels and Brumbies did battle in Super Rugby at
AAMI Park, Melbourne at 10:40 SA Time (19:40 Melbourne Time, 08:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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It is Round 7 of Super Rugby 2014 this weekend! We have 6 games in Round 7, with 2 games on Friday and 4 games on Saturday.
The Lions, Toyota Cheetahs & Western Force have bye weekends.
In June / July 2014 the Antipodian teams will catch up in played games with the South African counterparts, when the South African sides sit out for 1 Round.
The Combined Log will therefore be skewed for the majority of the competition and one has to question why individual countries are allowed to start such a long competition ahead of it’s rivals. In 2013 the Australian sides started a week early, but at least they had the excuse that they needed an extra week in the middle of the year to prepare for the British & Irish Lions series, which they lost.
Crusaders (18) 26 / 29 (17) Hurricanes (Final Score)
The Crusaders and Hurricanes did battle in Super Rugby at
AM Park, Christchurch at 08:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 06:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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The Waratahs received a timely boost ahead of their two-match tour of South Africa, with star back Israel Folau cleared to join them.
Folau stayed behind in Sydney, to see specialist – after suffering a throat injury in last Friday’s win over the Melbourne Rebels.
It will raise some eyebrows, but Sharks Director of Rugby Jake White feels his team selection could be a pointer for Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer.
While some will debate the decision to name young Fred Zeilinga at flyhalf, in the starting XV to face the Waratahs in Durban on Saturday, it is the selection of Lwazi Mvovo at fullback that sparked the most interest.
The Bok wing, Mvovo, who has seven Test caps for South Africa, was shifted to No 15 and SP Marais dropped to the bench.
The Chiefs have made eight changes to the team that lost to the Force in Perth for this weekend’s Super Rugby match against the Bulls Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.
The Chiefs are attempting to win their third straight title – a threepeat – and suffered their first loss of the season last week.
The Melbourne Rebels have named their Super Rugby team to play the Brumbies at AAMI Park in Melbourne with Jason Woodward and Nic Stirzaker returning to the starting line up.
Jason Woodward has overcome a bruised knee to return after missing one week and is named to start as fullback, while Tom Kingston will start after a knee injury bought a premature end to Foundation Rebel Lachlan Mitchell’s season.
The Reds have named their Super Rugby team to play the Stormers with flanker Beau Robinson making his first start as one of three changes to the starting line up.
Reds coach Richard Graham has promoted three players who were on the replacements bench against the Lions last week and promoted them into the starting team.
Robinson, James Hanson and Dom Shipperley were on the bench but start at Suncorp Stadium as the Reds look to get back to winning ways.
Highlanders head coach Jamie Joseph has named his team to play the Blues at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday with minimal changes to the one that beat the Hurricanes.
Tevita Kuridrani is back in the Brumbies starting side this Friday, for their Super Rugby showdown with the Rebels.
The Brumbies have made just one change to their staring side which beat the Stormers last weekend, with Tevita Kuridrani named at outside centre after a week off for a family funeral.
Blues and former All Black halfback Piri Weepu has suffered a minor stroke and is being given some time away from the game to get his health right.
Weepu has been suffering from sustained and intense headaches ever since the Blues left for South Africa at the start of March, and finally undertook scans on Monday to determine what was causing the problem.
Initial thoughts had been the problem was migraine related, but the Blues today confirmed Weepu had suffered a minor stroke and that he would not play in Saturday’s Super Rugby clash against the Highlanders at Eden Park.
Springbok and Cheetahs flyhalf Johan Goosen has secretly flown to France to explore possible future career opportunities, the Volksblad website reports.
The Cheetahs have a bye weekend in Super Rugby which enabled the 21-year-old to head abroad.
Free State Rugby Union CEO Harold Verster says the union will next host a Test match in the 2016 season.
Verster wrote a column on the Volksblad website where he explained to fans the situation regarding the union’s hosting of Test matches.
Verster said the union gave up its right to host last year’s Rugby Championship Test between South Africa and Argentina.
The Stormers have a plethora of problems right now … an underperforming and often unexciting team, another nightmarish injury plague, under-fire coaches, inevitable supporters’ dissatisfaction.
Just another, and perhaps one that has slipped beneath the radar given deeper issues, is that they face the real danger of experiencing their least profitable overseas tour in Super Rugby since their formation in 1998: it will become a sad reality if they lose their final game of the four-match roster abroad against the Reds in Brisbane on Saturday (10:40 SA Time) to complete a clean sweep of defeats.
That ’98 campaign was also the year when the new Stormers brand-name at Newlands was marked by that infamous, dog’s breakfast of a kit, containing an array of confusing and ill-designed colours.
The EP Kings have confirmed three new signings ahead of their preparations for the Currie Cup Premier Division.
EP Kings CEO, Charl Crous confirmed that Michael van Vuuren, Tim Whitehead and Hansie Graaff will all be joining the Kings over the coming months, along with Izak van der Westhuizen whose signing has already been announced.
Connacht Loosehead prop Brett Wilkinson has been forced into retirement due to a serious neck injury sustained in the last game he played for the club.
The 30-year-old South African has been with Connacht since 2006 and has played 183 times for the province.
The long-running debate over the future of the European Cup could be resolved by Thursday.
A new competition will involve teams from all of the Six Nations’ countries and will run alongside a challenge cup and a developmental tournament.
Vodacom Bulls coach Frans Ludeke made one change to his team to face defending Vodacom Super Rugby champions, the Chiefs, at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. Akona Ndungane, who missed last week’s win over the Sharks because of compassionate leave, is back in the team in place of Sampie Mastriet and will play in his 101st match of Super Rugby for the franchise.
Mastriet drops out of the match 23 altogether.
Head coach Allister Coetzee has announced a team showing seven changes for the DHL Stormers’ final Vodacom Super Rugby tour match on Saturday – against the Reds in Brisbane (kick-off 10:40 SA Time).
Springbok centre Juan de Jongh has been restored to the starting line-up, following his return from injury via the bench last weekend, whilst WP Under-21 star Jurie van Vuuren will make his first Super Rugby start after being named to partner Michael Rhodes at lock.
The Hurricanes have named midfielder Tim Bateman in their Super Rugby team to play the Crusaders in Christchurch at the AMI Stadium on Friday.
Bateman makes his return to the starting team to partner Conrad Smith after being side-lined with a knee injury for six weeks.