Edinburgh Rugby will welcome the return of captain Greig Laidlaw this Sunday as they look to repeat last season’s away success against Cardiff Blues at the Arms Park (6 October, kick-off 3.05pm South African Time). The 27-year-old scrum-half – who kicked the winning drop-goal on that day last year – has recovered from the knee injury that has kept him side-lined since the summer to make his first competitive outing of the season.
Fly-half Duncan Weir returns to the Glasgow Warriors starting line-up for the game against Scarlets at Parc Y Scarlets tomorrow night, after almost six months out through injury.
The 22-year-old, who broke his leg against the Ospreys at Scotstoun last April, is one of ten changes to the team which beat Zebre in Parma last Friday.
Blue Bulls (6) 16 / 18 (9) Sharks (Final Score)
The Vodacom Blue Bulls and The Sharks did battle in the Currie Cup Premier Division at
Loftus Versveld, Pretoria at 19:10 SA Time (17:10 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
*******************
Despite speculation that he is set to be replaced by Jake White, Sharks Director of Rugby Brendan Venter insists that he is intent on leaving a legacy in Durban.
New CEO John Smit invited Venter to play a similar role at the Sharks to the one Smit had, as a player, encountered at Saracens.
Venter is very clear about his goals in Durban as the Sharks look to build an environment that allows them to reach their potential.
World Cup-winning All Blacks blindside flank Jerome Kaino will return to the Blues next year after signing a two-year deal with the Auckland franchise.
The 48-Test All Black has been contracted to play with the Blues and be available for the All Blacks in 2014 and 2015.
This important Test match is turning out to be the final of The Rugby Championship of 2013, however it is not a winner-takes-all final, but rather a terms-and-conditions-apply final.
A draw or a win for the All Blacks and the trophy is theirs. The Springboks on the other hand need to do a lot more. They need 4 tries, they need to prevent the All Blacks from scoring 4 tries and they need to beat the All Blacks by more than 7 points to win the trophy. If the Springboks just win the match without scoring 4 tries they will finish second, 1 Log point behind the All Blacks. All the All Blacks need is 1 solitary Log point, to secure this year’s Rugby Championship.
The Springboks have a great record at Ellis Park, when facing the All Blacks and recorded a massive win here under the coaching of Jake White in 2004 of 40 / 26.
For the Springboks to take the title will be a tall order, but not an impossible one. This could turn out to be the clash of the year.
With the Pumas hosting the Wallabies this weekend it is still all to play for for both sides to avoid the wooden spoon in The Rugby Championship.
These two teams are facing their own demons this season as the Pumas have recorded no wins and the Wallabies only one win in this year’s competition. The Pumas will be backing themselves for a win against a struggling Wallaby team who also aeem to be full of internal politics about pay disputes.
The losing team in this clash will finish at the bottom of the Log. This clash will be an interesting one as both teams want to prove a point.
As we enter Round 9 of the Currie Cup Premier Division of 2013, the Sharks and WP find themselves topping the Log with 28 points each. The closest rival here is the Golden Lions who are on 21 points. With WP and the Sharks playing each other next weekend in the final match before the semi-finals, this weekend is a must win weekend end for both sides at the top.
The Blue Bulls, who are facing the Sharks, is in a must win situation for them if they would like to keep their semi-final hopes alive, as a win for the Free State Cheetahs this weekend could see an end to their Currie Cup season, if they lose.
The Sharks released a statement announcing their new Title Sponsor, Cell C.
The Sharks (PTY) Ltd are proud to announce that Cell C will become our new title sponsor on a new three-year deal, effective from the 1st January 2014.
This sponsorship will see the Cell C brand emblazoned on the playing kit of The Sharks Professional Teams, The KwaZulu-Natal Amateur and Schools teams as well as The Sharks Academy.
Australia scrumhalf Will Genia’s yo-yo season took an upward turn when he was recalled for Saturday’s Rugby Championship Test in Argentina.
Genia comes in for Nic White in the only change to the starting line-up from that beaten 28-8 by South Africa in Cape Town last weekend.
Tasman’s Marty Banks, Auckland’s Hadleigh Parkes, and Mark Abbott from Hawke’s Bay have all signed on to join the Hurricanes in 2014.
Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett said all three had shown great form throughout the NPC, and each would bring different qualities to his strengthening squad.
The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) has reached a mutual agreement to grant James O’Connor an early release from his national contract for 2013 and will not offer him a national contract for 2014.
The decision to grant O’Connor an early release from his national contract follows an ARU integrity investigation into an alleged incident at Perth Airport involving the 23-year-old in the early hours of Sunday, September 15.
World Cup-winning coach Graham Henry, affectionally also known as “Ted”, could find himself in hot water once again for disparaging remarks he has made about match officials.
The former All Blacks boss who is now a technical advisor for the Pumas, had some choice words to say about the standards of refereeing in the Rugby Championship, saying that referees and the judicial panel have been “totally inconsistent” and are “a weakness in the game.”
MTN Golden Lions head coach Johan Ackermann has announced his side to front DHL Western Province in Cape Town on Saturday afternoon.
Ackermann has made several changes to his starting line-up, with the majority of the changes taking place in the backline.
Steve Hansen, the All Blacks coach has made only 2 changes to the All Blacks starting 15 for their important Test match and a fitting finale to The Rugby Championship, against the Springboks of South Africa at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Saturday.
As expected, Richie McCaw returns to captain the side and fill the openside flanker role, with Sam Cane dropping to the bench. Richie will play in his 120th Test match and has never had the opportunity to play in a Test at Ellis Park.
The injured prop, Owen Franks, has failed to recover from a groin strain and has been replaced by Charlie Faumuina at tighthead prop, with Ben Franks coming onto the bench.
Griquas coach Pote Human has made 3 changes to their team and specifically their forwards for the Currie Cup clash with the Free State Cheetahs in Kimberley on Saturday.
Already the moaning has started. The scrums are going down too often. They are ruining the spectacle. Let the scrum-halves just throw the ball into the second row like they do in league. It is all predictably negative and misses the point entirely.
Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira will play in his 50th Test for the Springboks when they take on New Zealand at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Saturday, in the final round of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship.
The 28-year-old Mtawarira, who made his Test debut on 14 June 2008 against Wales in Pretoria, will become the 27th Springbok to reach 50 Test caps, following hot on the heels of his fellow front rankers, Bismarck and Jannie du Plessis, as well as Morné Steyn.
DHL Western Province coach Allister Coetzee has made four changes to his team for Saturday’s Absa Currie Cup meeting with the MTN Golden Lions at DHL Newlands (kick-off 14h00).
Halfbacks Louis Schreuder and Demetri Catrakilis will start in the backline, whilst fit-again flanker Rynhardt Elstadt returns at No.7, which sees Michael Rhodes shift back into the second row where he began the Absa Currie Cup season.
Schreuder and Catrakilis come in for Nic Groom and Kurt Coleman, respectively, with Rhodes replacing youngster Tazz Fuzani in the No.4 jersey. Scrumhalf Groom and flyhalf Coleman will warm the bench this week, but lock Fuzani drops out altogether with loose forwards Schalk Burger and Josh Katzen continuing amongst the replacements.
Toyota Free State Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske has made some subtle changes to his team selections after the loss to DHL Western Province last weekend and ahead of the Round 9 Currie Cup match against GWK Griquas at GWK Park in Kimberley.
Sharks flank Jacques Botes will equal the record for the most Currie Cup matches played when he runs out to face the Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Friday (19:10 kick-off).
Botes was on Wednesday included in the Sharks starting team and will equal former Free State centre Helgard Muller on 142 Currie Cup games.
He has played 115 games for the Sharks and 26 for the Pumas.
Sharks skipper Keegan Daniel will also achieve a milestone by playing in his 100th Currie Cup game for the union.
The recall of veteran midfielder Felipe Contepomi is one of two changes to the Argentina team ahead of their final Rugby Championship match of the year.
The Pumas, still seeking their first win after two years in the competition, will face Australia at the Gigante de Arroyito, in Rosario, on Saturday.
New Zealand’s Super Rugby coaches are pushing for a team of Pacific island players to be included in the Southern Hemisphere competition when it expands in 2016.
The team, based in Auckland, would be part of an 18-team competition under a proposal from the head coaches of New Zealand’s five existing Super Rugby teams, the New Zealand Herald reported.
Rugby-Talk has had a change of clothes, but we’re still the same beast!
Over the weekend, I have made some radical changes to the website, some of which appear at first glance to the naked eye, with a bit of a new look and feel, and some run under the radar to make the site perform as it should and also adding valuable added functionality.
Was it strange to open your favourite rugby wensite, Rugby-Talk, and be confronted with a new look?
Tell us what you think of the new look and feel!
I am virtually speechless, gobb-smacked… I actually touched rugby history today!
Rugby-Talk was invited to the grand opening of the Ellis Park Rugby Museum, which happened this morning.
The museum boasts probably the biggest single collection of rugby memorabilia in South Africa and probably the entire world, with memorabilia from the earliest days of rugby, rugby in South Africa both Provincially and on a Franchise level and of course probably the biggest element being the fantastic Springbok collection.
There are International jerseys, blasers, signed balls, penadants, artworks as well as other visual elements from all over, it is mind-boggling and to do justice to the exhibition one actually needs several hours to see everything properly, let alone study every ehibit.
The collection is owned by Swys Joubert, who played Provincial rugby in SA, and also played rugby in the UK and France.
Firstly, well done Swys, what an awesome experience!
Bjorn Basson will make a welcome return to the Vodacom Blue Bulls side to play The Sharks in an Absa Currie Cup match at Loftus Versfeld on Friday.
The winger, who scored two tries in his only appearance for the Blue Bulls in the competition this year, has been released by the Springboks ahead of their test match against New Zealand in Johannesburg.
Springbok Marcell Coetzee will play for the Sharks this week, but he will only come off the bench against the Bulls in Pretoria on Friday.
Demetri Catrakilis looks set to start at flyhalf for DHL Western Province for the first time since returning to the Absa Currie Cup champions from the Southern Kings.
WP face the MTN Golden Lions at Newlands on Saturday in a match they hope will clinch them their home semifinal spot and, if they win, also set up a log decider against the Sharks in Durban the following weekend.
Injury is likely to rule Golden Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies out for the remainder of the Currie Cup season.
It may come as a surprise to Springbok fans, but coach Heyneke Meyer has lamented the fact that his team has fallen behind the All Blacks in terms of their kicking game, with the Boks being far too wayward in their kicking this season.
While the Boks have made massive strides at the breakdown under consultant Richie Gray and currently lead the Castle Lager Rugby Championship standings for turnovers won in the competition, they have fallen behind in terms of their kicking game – something that has always been a strength.
The All Blacks ex coach, Laurie Mains says Ellis Park is a daunting task for the All Blacks this weekend and leading Sports Scientist Tim Noakes says that the Jet Lag factor could catch up to the All Blacks this weekend.
Australia’s Rugby Championship campaign is being threatened by a pay row involving one of the key players in the team.
Media reports suggest Ben Mowen is considering walking out over a payment dispute with the Australian Rugby Union – just a fortnight after captaining the team against Argentina.
The 28-year-old is understood to be frustrated because he’s not receiving a top-up contract from the ARU, despite being a regular starter for the Wallabies.
Maties lock Reniel Hugo has decided to join the University of Pretoria where he will represent Tuks in next year’s Varsity Cup.
Hugo has decided to enroll for an honours degree in accounting at Tuks and will therefore play his rugby in Pretoria next season, which means he could come into consideration for Blue Bulls honours.
Otago forwards Gareth Evans and Tom Franklin have signed with the Highlanders, and livewire halfback Fumiaki Tanaka has recommitted for the 2014 season.
The Reds have appointed Steve Meehan as their new attack coach as their preparations for the 2014 Super Rugby season continue.