Jonathan Kaplan who will be retiring after the Currie Cup will go out in style as he has been announced as the referee for the Currie Cup final between The Sharks and DHL Western Province on Saturday.
Bismarck du Plessis has been cleared of his stamping charges and would in all likelyhood be included in The Sharks team to face Western Province in the Currie Cup final on Saturday.
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and the Blues have confirmed that All Blacks midfielder Ma’a Nonu has signed with NZR and the Blues for 2014 and 2015.
South African scrumhalf Conrad Hoffmann has signed two-year contract with the Brumbies.
Argentina coach Santiago Phelan has announced his resignation with immediate effect, leaving the Pumas looking for a coach for their upcoming European tour.
The Waratahs have revealed that they will play their first Super Rugby warm up match for the 2014 season against the Melbourne Rebels.
Waratahs new recruits Kurtley Beale and Nick Phipps, along with defensive coach Nathan Grey, will take on their old club the Melbourne Rebels in their first trial match for 2014.
Western Province’s in-form flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis has earned the ultimate compliment for his ability to dictate play.
No less a personality than Naas Botha, the former Springbok string-puller in the position, suggested at the weekend that the 24-year-old “might have the best tactical kicking game of all (South African) fly-halves”.
Another South African is making his way accross to Australia to play Super Rugby! The Twitterverse reports that MTN Lions utility backline player, Lionel Cronjé, has signed and is is off to Canberra to join the Brumbies for next year’s Super Rugby competition.
Deon Fourie may not get the opportunity to lift the Absa Currie Cup for a second consecutive time at Newlands on Saturday.
DHL Western Province coach Allister Coetzee confirmed at an early Monday morning press conference at the High Performance Centre in Bellville that his talismanic skipper, who led the team to victory as underdogs in last year’s decider in Durban, may be a doubtful starter for the final against the Sharks. There is also an element of doubt over lock De Kock Steenkamp.
Springbok Sevens assistant coach Vuyo Zangqa will not renew his contract and will be stepping down from his current position with the South African team.
Zangqa was offered an extension on his contract, but has decided to pursue other career opportunities once his contract expires at the end of the month.
Western Province hooker Scarra Ntubeni has avoided further punishment after he was yellow-carded for a dangerous tackle in their Currie Cup semi-final win over the Golden Lions at the weekend.
Ntubeni was sent to the sin-bin in the 73rd minute of the match at Newlands after he tip-tackled the Lions’ Robert de Bruyn.
Only 5 days remain before the Currie Cup final where we will see DHL Western Province take on The Sharks.
There has been quite a debate going on since Saturday and everyone has their views and thoughts on who the victor will be.
Put your skills to the test here to predict who will eventually walk away with glory and the bragging rights in the competition for 2013. Voting is open to Guests and Members of Rugby-Talk.
[poll id=”5″]
Voting for the Poll will close at 17:15 on Saturday 26 October 2013.
As we approach the final of the Currie Cup this weekend, all is not well in the Sharks camp.
There is the possibility that Bismarck du Plessis will miss the final due to a citing for stamping and in addition there is a couple of injuries to key players, which does not make things any easier.
Perpignan’s strong second-half showing overwhelmed Heineken Cup opponents Edinburgh at Stade Aimé Giral. Tim Visser’s converted try helped the visitors into a deserved 7-3 lead at the interval. But they were undone by two tries early in the second half as Joffrey Michel and Wandile Mjekevu crossed.
DHL Western Province and The Sharks on Saturday booked their places in the Absa Currie Cup final in Cape Town next week following well-deserved victories in their semifinals against the MTN Golden Lions and Toyota Free State Cheetahs respectively.
Defending champions, Western Province, automatically earned a home final with their 33-16 victory against the Lions at DHL Newlands after finishing the round-robin stages as the top team, while the Sharks defeated the Cheetahs 33-22 at Growthpoint Kings Park in Durban.
Next week’s match-up will mark the second successive showdown between the teams in the Absa Currie Cup final, while it will also mark the Sharks’ fourth successive final appearance.
There are four new All Blacks in New Zealand’s squad for their year-end tour to Japan and Europe.
Crusaders forwards Joe Moody, Dominic Bird and Luke Whitelock along with Blues wing Frank Halai will all go on their first international tour, although all have spent time within the All Blacks environment this year.
Lions coach Johan Ackermann says that unless someone gives them a lot of money he will not be doing any recruiting ahead of Super Rugby.
After being knocked out of the Currie Cup in their semifinal defeat to the unbeaten Western Province at Newlands, focus for the Johannesburg franchise now shifts to their re-entry into Super Rugby.
Sharks (16) 33 / 22 (7) FS Cheetahs (Final Score)
The Sharks and the Toyota Free State Cheetahs did battle in the Currie Cup Premier Division at
Growthpoint Kings Park 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.
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WP (18) 33 / 16 (9) Golden Lions (Final Score)
DHL Western Province and the MTN Golden Lions did battle in a Currie Cup Premier Division Semi-final at
Newlands, Cape Town at 14:30 SA Time (12:30 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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All Blacks (30) 41 / 33 (19) Wallabies (Final Score)
The New Zealand All Blacks and Australian Wallabies did battle in the Bledisloe Cup at
Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin at 08:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 06:35 GMT, 17:35 AEST).
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 just before the Semi-Finals of the Currie Cup Premier Division competition of 2013 in South Africa.
Only 4 teams are still in it to win the competition.
Put your skills to the test here to predict who will eventually walk away with glory and the bragging rights in the competition for 2013. Voting is open to Readers and Registered Subscribers of Rugby-Talk.
[poll id=”4″]
Voting for the Poll will close just prior to the advent of the 1st Semi-Final, on Saturday 19 October 2013.
Griquas (0) 21 / 19 (13) Pumas (Final Score)
GWK Griquas and the Steval Pumas did battle in the 1st of 2 Currie Cup Promotion / Relegation games at
GWK Park, Kimberley at 19:10 SA Time (17:10 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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All Blacks captain Richie McCaw and winger Cory Jane have both been sidelined due to injury from the third and final Bledisloe Cup clash against the Wallabies in Dunedin (Otago Regional Stadium) on Saturday, both having picked up late injuries at training, the All Blacks said.
One more Super Rugby door closed on All Blacks centre Ma’a Nonu on Friday when the Waikato Chiefs confirmed fullback Mils Muliaina and centre Robbie Fruean would be joining them for next year.
Nonu’s final chance of securing a Super Rugby contract in New Zealand now lies with the Auckland Blues after the Otago Highlanders, Canterbury Crusaders and Wellington Hurricanes all passed up the chance to sign him.
Local media reports this week said the Blues were talking to Nonu, although a decision is not expected until after the third Bledisloe Cup test against Australia in Dunedin on Saturday.
South African lock Etienne Oosthuizen has been released from the final year of his Super Rugby contract with the Brumbies to be closer to his family, the club said Friday.
Not only were WP Rugby’s professional players awarded individual trophies based on their performances throughout the 2013 season, but the Western Province Rugby Football Union also recognised all club, junior, female and referees’ performances within the union this past year.
The event was well attended on the night with the DHL WP Absa Currie Cup team present – ahead of this weekend’s semifinal against the Golden Lions – along with other key sponsors, players (seniors, juniors and club players), administrators and the local rugby media.
Saturday will be a special occasion for Waratahs wing Peter Betham, as he makes his Test debut for Australia against New Zealand.
His inclusion in the No.11 jersey is one of the four changes made to the starting line-up for this dead rubber – the third in the three-Test Bledisloe Cup series, with the All Blacks holding an unassailable 2-0 lead.
Rugby World Cup winning All Black prop Tony Woodcock has agreed to re-join his former Super Rugby team the Blues for the 2014 season.
Former Springbok centre Gcobani Bobo has been appointed as backline coach of the University of Johannesburg (UJ).
What a breathtaking start to this year’s Heineken Cup competition! In case you missed it, here are the results from last weekends Round 1 opener.
So, we find ourselves close to the end of yet another great Currie Cup season, but don’t get sad because there are still 5 big Currie Cup clashes left – 2 Promotion / Relegation matches, 2 semi-finals and the BIG Currie Cup final.
Our starter for the weekend will be a Promotion / Relegation match on Friday evening between GWK Griquas and Steval Pumas in Kimberley. This will be followed by two main courses on Saturday. The one course will be served Newlands style with a side of “big hits”, whilst the second course will be served Kings Park style with a side of “open and running rugby”. Desert will be a choice between pure bliss or extreme sadness, depending on main course selection.
MTN Golden Lions head coach Johan Ackermann has announced his side to take on DHL Western Province in the 2013 Absa Currie Cup semi-final at Newlands on Saturday afternoon.
The All Blacks have tweaked their backline for the Bledisloe Cup clash against the Wallabies at Forsyth Barr Stadium on Saturday.
The starting XV features the return of 43-Test All Black Cory Jane who is back in the national side after recovering from a serious knee injury.
Clermont scrum-half Morgan Parra will miss France’s opening November test against world champions New Zealand after he was handed a four-week ban by the French League on Wednesday.
Parra was punished for having punched Bordeaux-Begles’s Gautier Gibouin several times during a Top 14 league match on September 29.
Jean de Villiers will start at outside centre for defending champions DHL Western Province in Saturday’s Absa Currie Cup semifinal meeting with the MTN Golden Lions at DHL Newlands (kick-off 14:30).
National captain De Villiers replaces Michael van der Spuy in the only change to the WP line-up that defeated the Sharks by 17-13 in Durban last Saturday – a result which sealed a top-of-the-log finish for the reigning champions.