We are just a few days away from the 6th annual Nokia Cape Town Tens, which will be kicking off at Hamilton’s in Green Point this weekend, and as promised, the 2014 event is set to be one for the books!
With over 100 rugby teams, 30 netball teams and a selection of Rugby Legends competing throughout the weekend there is of course non-stop sporting action and excitement. But as most know, Tens is not only about sports!
Former Baby Boks, Lions and Boland coach Eugene “Loffie” Eloff will coach the Border Bulldogs in this year’s Vodacom Cup.
England head coach Stuart Lancaster has on Tuesday announced an unchanged 23-man squad for his side’s second Six Nations fixture against Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday.
Lancaster has kept faith with the same players who were narrowly beaten 26 / 24 by France in their opening match in Paris last weekend.
The Vodacom Bulls have dismissed worries about the quality of their scrum ahead of this year’s Vodacom Super Rugby series.
Eyebrows were raised after Saturday’s pre-season loss to the Stormers, and while the team have pronounced themselves happy with their performance in the 26 / 19 loss, a question mark still hangs over the set piece.
The DHL Stormers have announced that Juan de Jongh has injured his knee and will miss 6 weeks of rugby.
In addition, Schalk Burger makes double news, being named the Captain of the side who will take on the Southern Kings on the weekend and with the further news that he wants to stay put in the Cape, at least till after the next World Cup.
A somewhat changed Southern Kings team will take to the field against the DHL Stormers under the leadership of Steven Sykes on Friday evening, says caretaker coach, Robbie Kempson.
Announcing the team at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Kempson said Sykes would take the role of captain this week, following an injury to Darron Nell’s elbow that has resulted in him being excluded from selection.
Cheetahs defence guru Michael Horak is convinced their defence will stand them in good stead in this year’s Super Rugby competition.
With only three tries conceded in 200 minutes during their pre-season games – against Shimlas, Kings and Pumas – Horak believes they are ready for the coming season.
The Cell C Sharks, through their very vocal Director of Rugby / Coach, Jake White, certainly bombards us with news on their endeavours!
It is reported that Tonderai Chavanga now trains with the Sharks squad, in an attempt to revive his Super Rugby aspirations.
In other news, Jake White describes Ryan Kankowski (Kanko) as a player with X-Factor.
Whilst the Cell C Sharks take on the Lions in a double-header of clashes at Ellis Park on Friday, the Sharks website have declared that the Cell C Sharks are ready for the season of Super Rugby.
The Highlanders, Crusaders and Blues have named their squads for this weekend’s warm-up games in preparation for Super Rugby 2014.
The Highlanders have added Clarke Dermody to boost their prop stocks.
The Crusaders coach, Todd Blackadder, has named a new-look 30-=man squad to face the Highlanders on the weekend, including some players who have never played Super Rugby.
Sir John Kirwan has named his squad to face the Waratahs, once again Benji Marshall gets the nod at flyhalf.
Western Force head coach Michael Foley has named a 34-man squad to play Samoa A in their first Super Rugby warm up fixture at Lark Hill Sports Complex in Rockingham on Friday.
Matt Hodgson will lead the side that features both of the club’s Wallaby representatives from last year’s Spring Tour in winger Nick Cummins and No.8 Ben McCalman.
South African forward Gerrit-Jan van Velze is to join Worcester from rival English Premiership side Northampton in the European off-season.
Africa’s top rugby administrators gathered in Cape Town on Tuesday for a three-day rugby conference, hosted by the South African Rugby Union (SARU), with the objective of ensuring effective rugby structures and growing the game across the continent.
Kenya will add an international flavour to the Vodacom Cup this year when they compete in this 17th annual edition of this national competition for the first time.
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) on Wednesday confirmed that Kenya will form part of the Vodacom Cup in the place of Argentina’s Pampas XV, Vodacom Cup champions in 2011.
Sam Warburton will lead Wales against Ireland in Saturday’s Six Nations match in Dublin. The Cardiff Blues flanker is named at open-side, with Ospreys’ Justin Tipuric dropping to the bench.
Kevin Pietersen’s England career is over after he was told he is no longer part of the national team’s plans.
The 33-year-old batsman, England’s all-time leading run-scorer across all formats, was given the news by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Scottish Rugby is making the biggest single investment in its Murrayfield home since the stadium was reconstructed in 1994.
A new hybrid grass pitch will be installed later this year to be ready for the start of the 2014-15 season, it was announced today.
Following the pre-season hit-out against Saracens on 25 January, the next challenge on the Cell C Sharks schedule is a double-header set of matches against the Lions at Ellis Park next Friday night.
Their preparations for Vodacom Super Rugby – aside from what they do on the training pitch and in the gym – involve just two warm-up games before the competition gets going. Their first match will be against the Bulls at Growthpoint KINGS PARK in two weeks’ time, and by the time the match kicks off, they would have had the two warm-ups to prepare.
Auckland teenager Akira Ioane is set to make his international debut in the Wellington leg of the IRB Sevens World Series this weekend.
Maori lock Hayden Triggs has been called into the Blues squad to replace the injured Culum Retallick.
The Southern Kings will have to appoint a new captain for the game on Friday when they take on the DHL Stormers (in a pre-season Super Rugby warm-up game for the Stormers) at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
Round 2 of the RBS Six Nations tournament follows this weekend, after an eventfull Round 1 this past weekend.
Out of the England camp, it appears that winger Jonny May, who broke his nose against France hs been passed fit to play on the weekend.
France news is that Antoine Burban will miss Sunday’s Test against Italy with a hamstring injury and is replaced in the squad by Ibrahim Diarra.
Scotland’s Sean Maitland will miss the clash against England, suffering from concussion and a right leg injury.
Ireland’s inspirational captain, Paul O’Connell, is set to return against Wales after he withdrew from the team last weekend due to a chest infection.
Four Varsity Cup matches were played on Monday 3 February in Round 1 of the 2014 season.
We were entertained by some good and interesting rugby, some surprise results and of course we had a chance to see some new innovations in action, the double referee-system, grip patches on prop jerseys and the Free Catch Rule.
The biggest upset of the day was the big loss by 2013 finalists, Maties… or should I say the big win by a spirited Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU Madibaz), by 45 / 29.
Defending champions, Tuks (University of Pretoria), were also lucky to escape with a 18 / 18 draw against UJ (University of Johannesburg).
In the 2 non-televised matches, Pukke (North-West University), comfortably dealt with UCT (University of Cape Town), beating them by 47 / 24, whilst in Bloemfontein Shimlas (University of the Free State) cruised past Wits and beating them 31 / 15.
Double Super Rugby champions the Chiefs have announced that they will continue to use a co-captaincy system in 2014 with Liam Messam and Aaron Cruden acting as co-captains.
Tuks (18) 18 / 18 (18) UJ (Final Score)
The University of Pretoria (FNB Tuks) and University of Johannesburg (FNB UJ)
did battle in the Varsity Cup at Tuks Stadium, Pretoria at 19:00 SA Time (17:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
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Victor Matfield has revealed his ambitions to coach the Springboks in future.
Crusaders’ coach Todd Blackadder gave his team a pass mark after their internal Super Rugby warm up against a development team at Rugby Park on Saturday.
The Crusaders played their Knights’ development team in game made up of three 20-minute intervals and won the match 67-5.
Southern Kings stand-in coach Robbie Kempson feels his charges require a major “mind-shift” or they won’t convert close defeats into victories.
The Kings have been “competitive” in back-to-back outings against Super Rugby franchises – losing 21-36 to the Cheetahs last week, before running the Lions even closer (a 12-19 loss) this past weekend.
KFC today announced its sponsorship of the five New Zealand Super Rugby teams in this year’s Investec Super Rugby competition, which kicks off on 15 February.
The Vodacom Bulls loose forward Arno Botha has been ruled out of rugby for at least six months after picking up an ACL injury against the DHL Stormers in Saturday’s season opening friendly in Polokwane, team doctor Org Strauss confirmed on Monday.
The injury, which will see Botha miss most of the 2014 Vodacom Super Rugby season, came in his first match back after injuring the same knee in June last year, which ruled him out of the rest of the 2013 season.
NMMU (21) 45 / 29 (0) Maties (Final Score)
The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (FNB NMMU) and University of Stellenbosch (FNB Maties)
did battle in the Varsity Cup at NMMU Stadium, Port Elizabeth at 16:45 SA Time (14:45 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
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Lions coach Johan Ackermann will be sweating over the fitness of two key players, following his team’s 19-12 win over the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth at the weekend.
With their final pre-season outing, before their return to Super Rugby in a fortnight, against the Sharks at Ellis Park on Friday, the last thing Ackermann needed was serious injuries.
However, both fullback Andries Coetzee and lock Rudi Matthee looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Ireland (11) 28 / 6 (3) Scotland (Final Score)
Ireland and Scotland did battle in the Six Nations tournament at
Aviva Stadium, Dublin at 17:00 SA Time (15:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
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Victor Matfield made his return to the playing field, but it was not enough to prevent the Stormers recording an impressive 26-19 win at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday.
The Super Rugby pre-season outing in Polokwane was a double blow for the Bulls, who will also be concerned about another knee injury suffered by star loose forward Arno Botha, the extent of which is knot known at this juncture, although it seemed a serious injury.
It was a strong second half performance and a late try that secured the win for the Stormers, who outscored the Bulls by four tries to three.
The Toyota Cheetahs finally hit their stride, after a couple of pre-season wobbles.
The men from Bloemfontein recorded a comfortable 31-6 win over the Pumas in their final Super Rugby warm-up match in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
The Lions continued their build-up to their Super Rugby return with a 19-12 win over the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
Flanks Jaco Kriel and Derick Minnie crossed for tries in the first 15 minutes to set up the victory for a Lions team that has now beaten the Kings three times in four meetings in the past year.