Wallabies flyhalf Quade Cooper is set to start in the Reds’ Super Rugby opener against the Brumbies this weekend despite pain in his neck.
The Brumbies are expected to name Wallabies centre Tevita Kuridrani in their starting line up for Saturday’s Super Rugby opener against the Reds.
The international centre was sent off lifting flanker Peter O’Mahony in the Wallabies Test victory over Ireland and was banned for five matches.
England were dealt a big blow with the news that seasoned prop Dan Cole has been ruled out the rest of the Six Nations tournament.
The England team management said in a statement that Cole will have “a period of rest” to relieve a bulging disc in his neck – which is trapping a nerve.
Cheetahs coach Naka Drotské says their performance against the Lions was the worst by them in three years.
Legendary Australian wing David Campese wasn’t impressed by what the Bulls dished up in their Super Rugby opener against the Cell C Sharks in Durban over the weekend.
“Campo” studied the Super Rugby clash which the Sharks won 31 / 16 to go to the top of the Super Rugby standings.
Three teams remain unbeaten in the FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International, and they will all be on home turf in Round Three on Monday.
FNB NWU-Pukke lead the way after claiming bonus-point victories in both their matches, and they will host a desperate FNB Maties side that have just a single bonus point to show for their efforts so far this season.
The three-time champions are coming off a demoralising defeat to Cape rivals FNB UCT in front of their home crowd in Stellenbosch and now face a tough follow-up assignment against the well-drilled NWU-Pukke outfit in Potchefstroom.
Springbok fullback Jaco Taute has been ruled out of the Stormers fixture against the Lions in Johannesburg next week.
Taute was an 11th hour withdrawal from the Stormers side which went down 29-24 to Boland in Wellington on Saturday.
French champions Castres’ scrumhalf Rory Kockott told Canal Plus on Saturday he had changed his mind over a move to Heineken Cup champions Toulon and wished to remain at his present club.
The 27-year-old South African – the Top 14 player of last season after finishing leading points scorer – said that despite signing a pre-contract with Toulon he had decided it was a move not in the best interests of him or his family.
Delmas Rugbyklub, een van die Valke Platteland rugbyklubs, ‘n ou en gevestigde maar klein rugbyklub, hou weer hierdie jaar ‘n rugbydag, hierdie een die 5de in ‘n ry.
Rugby-Talk tree met trots op as borg en media vennoot van die wonderlinge geleentheid.
Oos Rand Stereo (93.9 FM) en Big Bang Events & Marketing Solutions sal ook by die dag betrokke wees en die nodige kleur aan die geleentheid verskaf.
Die gemeenskap van Delmas het ‘n sterk Afrikaanse inslag en daar is versoek dat Rugby-Talk die geleentheid in Afrikaans sal dek en hanteer, vandaar die feit dat hierdie berig in Afrikaans verskyn. Geen poging word hiermee gemaak om die Engelse en internasionale lesers kwaad te maak of te vervreem nie, tewens, ons nooi julle uit om jou krakerige Afrikaans af te stof vir die dag, en indien jy nie by magte is om dit te doen nie, om in jou beste Engels deel te neem aan die gesprek.
(The community of Delmas and surrounds has a strong Afrikaans component and it was requested that Rugby-Talk cover the event in Afrikaans, thus the fact that this article is largely in Afrikaans. No attempt is made to anger or alienate English and international readers, in fact you are invited to dust off your Shoddy Afrikaans for the day, and if you are not in a position to do so, to take part in the conversations in your best English).
Soos ons almal bewus is, kry rugbyklubs weinig bystand en finansiële steun van hul moeder-unies, van die Suid-Afrikaanse Rugbyraad en van die owerhede.
Spelers by van die klubs speel gereeld met tweedehandse tokse en klubs is van rugbydae soos hierdie afhanklik vir hul enigste inkomste van die jaar.
Vrywilligers en toegewyde rugbyondersteuners maak die bestuur van hierdie klubs op, teen hoegenaamd geen vergoeding nie, inteendeel betaal hierdie ware rugbygeesdriftiges gereeld gelde uit eie sak, sny gras en herstel wat nodig is om die rugbyklubs aan die lewe te hou.
The Boland Cavaliers gave the Stormers plenty to ponder as they beat them 29-24 in a pre-season friendly in Wellington on Saturday.
It may have been a young and experimental Stormers side, which showed plenty of guts, but it would not have been the way coach Allister Coetzee would have wanted to end the pre-season.
Sharks (23) 31 / 16 (9) Bulls (Final Score)
The Cell C Sharks and Vodacom Bulls did battle in Super Rugby at
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, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sFMF09fgi8[/youtube]
Cheetahs (10) 20 / 21 (9) Lions (Final Score)
The Toyota Cheetahs and Lions did battle in Super Rugby at
Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein at 17:05 SA Time (15:05 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84FxGreFTeM[/youtube]
South Africa’s Proteas cricket team and Australia went head to head and toe to toe in the first of 3, Five-Day cricket Tests at SuperSport Park, Centurion from Thursday 12 February. THe match ended more than a full day early, with Australia winning by 281 runs..
The match started at 10:30 SA Time on 12 February 2014.
South Africa won the toss and elected to bowl first.
This was the Live Game Article, where we updated the scores from time to time during the Day’s play and where the cricket supporters amongst us had have the opportunity to discuss the game.
Last year I took a bet with a fellow subscriber on Rugby-Talk and the whole idea of our own Prediction Game was born. We always brag or predict how many games other teams will win or lose. The idea was born to challenge you all to put your great rugby knowledge to test. This competition will eliminate the big mouths first and foremost.
Let me explain more…
This ARTICLE is the only place were you can participate and give your predictions. All Predictions must be in before 15:00 on Saturday 15 February 2014, that is roughly 2 hours before the first South African Super Rugby game of 2014.
This is a ONCE-OFF prediction game, you pick before the cut-off time, after that you just wait and see how far you go over the weeks. Once you have picked, the season will unfold and your wisdom will be tested. Rugby-Talk will compile a spreadsheet and monitor your progress or lack thereof.
Last man standing will be our winner. The prize for the winner, will be a gift voucher of R 1 000.00 from Garden Pavilion Garden Centre. This prize will be sponsored by Appelblaar Road Stall & Nursery in Hoedspruit, but will apply to any of the Garden Pavilion Garden Centres in South Africa.
Herewith a Full Media Guide, detailing ALL Super Rugby 2014 Teams, Players, Management, Staff and Statistics, for all the Super Rugby participating teams, from all 3 countries.
With talks of proposals to shift the current Super Rugby format well underway, news from Australia is that the Waratahs, Reds and Rebels are considering merging to form a unified coastal team.
The Reds were dealt a double blow ahead of the start of the Super Rugby season, with Wallaby vice-captain Quade Cooper the biggest concern.
Cooper was stretchered off Ballymore as the Rebels produced a shock 18 / 13 pre-season upset of the Reds on Friday.
After a round of games played in dreadful conditions during which yet another fixture fell foul of the weather, players and spectators alike must be hoping that Round 14 of the Pro12 fares better.
The round kicks off with two games in the Irish capitals on Friday night, one in Belfast and one in Dublin, both featuring Welsh opposition.
Stormers fullback Jaco Taute’s knee is giving him problems again as they prepare to face Boland in a pre-season friendly in Wellington on Saturday.
The Golden Lions Rugby Union is pleased to welcome Jonsson Workwear, Africa’s leading workwear brand, on board as an official associate sponsor.
The 2014 Super Rugby season kicks off this weekend with an all South African round of action featuring the Cheetahs vs the Lions and the Sharks vs the Bulls.
Here we take a brief look at the South African teams and what could lie ahead for the South African Super Rugby franchises.
The Australian and New Zealand teams start Super Rugby a week later than their South African rivals and the New Zealand teams kick the season off with a match in Christchurch between a former champion, the Crusaders and the current Champions the Chiefs.
Here we take a brief look at the New Zealand teams and what could lie ahead for the New Zealand Super Rugby franchises.
The Australian and New Zealand teams start Super Rugby a week later than their South African rivals and the Australian teams kick the season off with a match in Canberra between two former Champions, the Brumbies and the Reds.
Here we take a brief look at the Australian teams and what could lie ahead for the Australian Super Rugby franchises.
All Blacks Cory Jane, Israel Dagg and Luke Romano have all signed contract extensions keeping them with the national team beyond the 2015 World Cup, the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) said on Friday.
Right wing Johnny McNicholl ran in a hat-trick of tries as the Crusaders beat the Hurricanes 40 / 15 in a Super Rugby pre-season match in Levin on Friday.
The Wellington-based side enjoyed the better of the first 40 minutes and led 15 / 14 at the half-time interval thanks to tries from flyhalf Beauden Barrett, fullback Marty Banks and prop Ben Franks.
Two-time defending Super Rugby champions, the Chiefs, hammered the Blues 43 / 19 (half-time 24 / 12) in a pre-season friendly in Rotorua on Friday.
According to reports, tries went to the home side’s Rhys Marshall, Liam Messam, Sam Cane, Nick Crosswell, James Lowe and Robbie Fruean, while Aaron Cruden converted five tries and added a penalty.
Dumped Australia cricket coach Mickey Arthur on Friday ruled out applying for the vacant England job after being appointed head of the Super Rugby Western Force development programme.
The South African, who was ousted just before the start of the Ashes series in England last year with two years left on his contract, said he was settled in Perth.
Former Treviso coach, Franco Smith has been appointed as Assistant Coach for the Currie Cup. Smith gained a wealth of experience whilst coaching Treviso.
Super Rugby is finally upon us, with Round 1 of the 2014 season starting this weekend. Only 2 games are played in Round 1, and only 4 South African sides are involved in Round 1.
The DHL Stormers have a bye weekend, right at the outset, but of course Bye Points fall away in 2014.
The New Zealand and Australian sides will only join up as from Round 2, as the South African sides will only be hauled in in June when the New Zealand and Australians play a Round where the South African sides sit out.
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.
Cell C Sharks Director of Rugby Jake White has named his team to play the Bulls in Saturday’s opening Vodacom Super Rugby clash against the Bulls at Growthpoint Kings Park.
Getting off to a good start is vital to the team’s tournament aims and there is no discounting the value of winning early to set up a platform for ongoing success. The team he has named includes 11 Springboks in the starting line-up with a further three on the bench as he has been able to name pretty much a full-strength side.
SANZAR has decided to do away with the hugely unpopular system whereby teams get awarded ‘bonus’ points when they have a bye in Super Rugby.
SANZAR CEO Greg Peters said on Thursday they listened to “feedback from the fans” and trust this makes it easier for all to track their team’s log progress throughout the season.
The ABSA Currie Cup will feature an eight-team Premier Division and a new qualification round, following the decision to expand the top flight, the South African Rugby Union (SARU) announced on Thursday.
A Special General Council meeting of the 14 member unions gave the required 75% majority to a resolution to go to an eight-team Premier Division and six-team First Division for the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers on Wednesday became only the sixth player to be named South African Rugby Player of the Year more than once, while Eben Etzebeth was named the Young Player of the Year for 2013 for the second successive season at a glittering ceremony at the Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef City in Johannesburg.
De Villiers led the Springboks to 10 wins in 12 Tests in 2013 and scored five tries in the process following an outstanding Vodacom Super Rugby campaign for the DHL Stormers. His first-class record now stands at 254 matches with 91 tries scored.
Victor Vito has become the latest Hurricanes player to be ruled out their tough South African tour after rupturing his posterior cruciate ligament in training on Wednesday.
Italy prop Michele Rizzo and France front row forward Rabah Slimani have both been banned for two weeks for foul play.
The duo were found guilty of head-butting each other during France’s 30-10 victory over Italy on Sunday at a disciplinary hearing on Wednesday.