Irish referee Alain Rolland has withdrawn from Saturday’s Rugby Championship Test between the Wallabies and Springboks in Brisbane due to injury and has been replaced by compatriot George Clancy.
Argentina will welcome back a key figure, in one of four changes to the starting fifteen to take on New Zealand in a Rugby Championship Round Three match in Hamilton on Saturday.
Having missed the opening games of the competition captain Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe returns at blindside flank, with Pablo Matera shifting to openside and Juan Manual Leguizamon moving to No.8.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen believes New Zealand’s former head coach, Graham Henry, is having an even greater impact over Argentina this year.
Wallabies wing Lachie Turner has left the Waratahs and signed a two-year deal with the Reds.
After earning 71 Super rugby caps for the Sydney side and 15 Test caps for the Wallabies, Turner heads to Brisbane to further his career.
Cricket Scotland and the Scottish Rugby Union welcomed the Australian cricket team to Edinburgh on Tuesday ahead of the One Day International which is taking place at the Grange today.
England face one of their most condensed home Test series after next year’s schedule for India’s visit was confirmed with five Tests to be held over just 42 days. It will be the first time since 1959 that India will have played five Tests on an England tour while the trip, which runs from June 23 to September 8, also includes five ODIs and one T20.
As the 2013 Rugby Championship enters a defining phase, SANZAR will this week start the process of defining the shape of Super Rugby, post 2015.
They say they want a deal done by Christmas to present to the broadcasters.
The Sharks and Toyota Free State Cheetahs this weekend climbed into the top two spots on the log table in the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division as favourable results pushed them ahead of DHL Western Province on the standings.
In an entertaining round, the Sharks thumped the Vodacom Blue Bulls 34-18 at GrowthPoint Kings Park, the Toyota Free State Cheetahs defeated GWK Griquas 40-20 in Bloemfontein, and the MTN Golden Lions and DHL Western Province played to a 31-31 draw at Ellis Park.
Western Province’s draw forced them two spots down on the log into third place, while the Sharks moved into the top spot for the first time and the Cheetahs moved into second place on points’ difference.
It was a balmy Brisbane which greeted the Springboks on Sunday evening (Australian time) after a trip of more than 20 hours that started in Johannesburg on Saturday afternoon, included a stopover in Sydney and ended at their hotel in the Queensland capital.
The Springboks face Australia in the third round of The Castle Lager Rugby Championship at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday. Although the South Africans have not beaten the hosts at this venue in a Test, they will approach the game with a quiet confidence after two good wins over Argentina last month.
Springboks coach Heyneke Meyer and Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie are both expected to make changes to their starting line ups for this week’s Rugby Championship match.
The All Blacks look set to welcome back star flyhalf Dan Carter from injury as they returned to training ahead of their Rugby Championship clash with the Pumas next weekend.
The bulk of the squad – excluding 10 players who were released for provincial duty – reassembled for their first training session in Hamilton on Sunday following a timely week-long break.
Rugby World Cup winning South African forward Juan Smith has signed a one year deal with Top 14 Rugby club Toulon.
The new season of RaboDirect PRO12 rugby is nearly upon us and despite seeing several top players leave the league and opt to take up a contract in the Top 14, the 12 sides in the Celtic competition have had a busy summer as they look to bolster their resources. Several top internationals have decided to give the PRO12 a shot and we have picked out a selection of eye-catching transfers in the latest Scrum Sevens.
PRO12 chief executive John Feehan has shrugged off the loss of title sponsor RaboDirect and insists the competition is thriving. Dutch banking group RaboDirect announced earlier this month that they would not be extending their support of the Celtic and Italian league beyond this season – their third as the main title sponsor having succeeded Magners in 2010.
Stade Francais marked their return to the refurbished Jean Bouin stadium with a crushing 38-3 victory over Biarritz on Friday, as they provisionally moved to the summit of the fledgling Top 14 table.
Edinburgh Rugby recorded their first win under new coach, Alan Solomons with a 15-5 victory over Newcastle Falcons in their final warm-up game before the 2013/14 RaboDirect PRO12 season gets under way.
Glasgow Warriors have named their team to take on Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park this afternoon (kick off 4.00pm South African Time). Josh Strauss will skipper the Warriors for what is their final pre-season game before opening the PRO12 against Cardiff at Scotstoun next Friday.
There was much annoyance among Springbok fans when it was announced not long before South Africa’s test match against Argentina in the Rugby Championship that the release of Bryan Habana was required by his new club Toulon. This increased even more when it came to light that five of the players in the current Springbok Squad for the Rugby Championship were being ‘released’ to go back to their clubs in France while the rest of the players would return for a break to South Africa.
Sharks (13) 34 / 18 (10) Blue Bulls (Final Score)
The Sharks and Vodacom Blue Bulls did battle in the Currie Cup Premier Division at
Kings Park, Durban 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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FS Cheetahs (22) 40 / 20 (6) Griquas (Final Score)
The Toyota Free State Cheetahs and GWK Griquas did battle in the Currie Cup Premier Division at
Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein at 15:00 SA Time (13:00 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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The Reds have named their squad for the 2014 Super Rugby season and James Horwill retains the captaincy and Will Genia the vice-captaincy.
The Reds have retained the nucleus of the playing group, which has seen the Reds reach three straight Super Rugby Finals series.
Scotland Women’s international squad will have an all-new coaching team as the season prepares to kick off later this week. Taking over the reins as head coach is Jules Maxton who has held a similar position, for the last few seasons, with Scotland Women under-20 while the assistant coaching roles are taken by rugby development officer and specialist skills coach Derek O’Riordan and former Scotland internationalist Roland Reid.
Golden Lions (10) 31 / 31 (25) WP (Final Score)
The MTN Golden Lions and DHL Western Province did battle in the Currie Cup Premier Division at
Ellis Park, Johannesburg 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.
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Argentina will be without the injured Patricio Albacete and suspended Leonardo Senatore for Rugby Championship matches in New Zealand and Australia.
Livewire Bulls blindside flanker Jean Cook has also returned to his roots. The Cheetahs were keen to retain the young star back in 2011, but were unable to do so, due to financial constraints. The Cheetahs on field performances, have positively impacted on their financial resources too, which has enabled the contracting of more players.
The Sharks have announced their side to face the Blue Bulls at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday.
SP Marais shifts to his more familiar position of Fullback and Odwa Ndungane to his more familiar position of Right Wing. At scrumhalf Cobus Reinach gets a start over Charl McLeod who in turn moves down to the bench. Fred Zeilinga retains his starting spot at Flyhalf over veteran Butch James.
A SANZAR judicial officer has found Pumas No 8 Leonardo Senatore guilty of biting Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth and suspended him for nine weeks.
The incident occurred in the 61st minute of the match between Argentina and South Africa at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza.
Bulls captain Pierre Spies says he is in favour of a global rugby season which would see the Super Rugby competition finish earlier in the year.
The subject has been the focus of much speculation with the current SANZAR agreement set to expire in 2015, and Spies added his voice to the calls for the entire season to be restructured.
South African international flyhalf Morne Steyn revealed he would only start on the bench for Stade Francais in Friday’s Top 14 clash with Biarritz.
The 29-year-old – capped 47 times – only arrived from Argentina on Monday after helping the Springboks beat the Pumas 22-17 in a Four Nations Test.
Veteran All Black hooker Keven Mealamu has re-signed with the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) and the Blues.
34-year-old Mealamu has so far played 105 Tests for the All Blacks and is New Zealand’s most-capped Super Rugby player with more than 150 games.
Exciting outside back Israel Folau has rebuffed a return to the National Rugby League by signing a two-year deal with the Australian Rugby Union.
The ARU said Thursday that Folau, 24, had committed to the code after a stellar first season with the Waratahs that led to his outstanding Test debut for the Wallabies against the British and Irish Lions.
Australian rugby boss Bill Pulver has backed a proposal for Australia and New Zealand to form part of a two-conference Super Rugby competition in 2016.
Former Wales and British and Irish Lions flyhalf Cliff Morgan has died at the age of 83, the Welsh Rugby Union announced on Thursday.
Cheetahs coach Naka Drotské made one change to his starting line-up for their Currie Cup encounter against the Griquas at the Free State Stadium on Saturday.
Tighthead prop Rossouw de Klerk will replace Caylib Oosthuizen following the Cheetahs’ 18-15 defeat to the Sharks in Bloemfontein last Friday.
Junior World Cup winning flyhalf Handrè Pollard will make his Absa Currie Cup debut in Durban on Saturday after being named as pivot for the Vodacom Blue Bulls team to play The Sharks.
Pollard replaces injured Tony Jantjies in one of three changes to the backline.
With Francois Venter and Travis Ismaiel also casualties from last weekend’s loss to the MTN Golden Lions, Waylon Murray will start at outside centre and fit-again Akona Ndungane at wing.