John Smit, the new Sharks CEO, has succeeded in luring English giants Saracens to Durban for an exhibition match.
The Word Cup-winning former Springbok captain, Smit, played for Sarries after he retired from international competition after the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat against South Africa. After a 30-minute delay due to a wet outfield, Dinesh Chandimal chose to bat in cloudy Colombo at the R Premadasa Stadium.
Rain interrupted play again with the Sri Lankan score on 223 / 9 after 49.2 overs.
South Africa eventually came in to bat, with the game reduced to 29 overs and needing 176 to win.
From about 11 overs gone, South Africa started falling behind the par score in terms of a Duckworth / Lewis calculation and eventually the rain stopped play again after 21 overs, with the covers coming on.
All further play was called off and Sri Lanka was declared the winner by 17 runs.
It was impossible not to admire the clinical way Todd Blackadder’s Crusaders destroyed the Reds in their Super Rugby showdown over the weekend.
The IRB in conjunction with the SARU’s Referees Departmant have translated Laws of the Game – Rugby Union 2013 into Afrikaans and Xhosa and it is now available for download, in an effort to extend the reach and understanding of the game. Various other languages are also available.
Die Vodacom Bulls se spandokter, Org Strauss, het Maandag bevestig dat die Bulls op verskeie staatmakers kan reken as die span Saterdag in Pretoria teen die Brumbies in die halfeindstryd van die Vodacom Super Rugby-reeks speel.
SANZAR has announced the names of the match officials for the 2 games in the Semi-Final Round of Super Rugby 2013. The 2 games are both played on Saturday 27 July 2013.
The Chiefs will host the Crusaders in Hamilton with Steve Walsh in charge of that match and the Bulls will host the Brumbies with Craig Joubert taking charge.
The Toyota Cheetahs’ fairytale season came to an agonising end as they lost their maiden Vodacom Super Rugby play-off match against the Brumbies in Canberra Stadium on Sunday morning (SA time).
Despite being outscored by two tries to nil, the Brumbies’ nail-biting 15-13 victory in the second Qualifier in Australia’s capital means they now have to travel to Pretoria to take on the Vodacom Bulls in one of the two semi-finals, on Saturday at Loftus Versfeld.
Australia took on England at the home of cricket, Lords, in the 2nd of 5 Test matches. England won the first Test and therefore were 1 / 0 up in the series at the start of the game.
England demolished the Australians in the 2nd Test, winning by 347 runs, one full day early.
The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) has confirmed it will have to borrow €25 million to fund the professional game over the next six years.
Brumbies (6) 15 / 13 (5) Cheetahs (Final Score)
The Brumbies and Toyota Cheetahs did battle in Super Rugby at Canberra Stadium, Canberra at 08:10 SA Time (16:10 AEST, 06:10 GMT) on Sunday.
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
*******************
Sri Lanka and South Africa’s Proteas met at the R Premadasa Stadium in Columbo for a Day / Night match.
South Africa won the toss and elected to field.
Sri Lanka and Kumar Sangakkara specifically (169) batted well and amassed a total of 320 in their 50 overs. South Africa was bowled out after 31.5 overs, for 140.
Sri Lanka wins by 180 runs.
Crusaders (21) 38 / 9 (6) Reds (Final Score)
The Crusaders and Reds did battle in Super Rugby at AMI Stadium, Christchurch at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 07:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
*******************
The Sharks announced on Friday that Pieter-Steph du Toit has reaffirmed his commitment to the team by re-signing for a further two years.
The announcement brings to an end weeks of speculation about the 20-year-old’s future – with both the Bulls and Stormers having shown interest in his services.
The Southern Kings suffered a crippling blow ahead of their Super Rugby promotion-relegation series against the Lions.
Wales and British and Irish Lions captain Sam Warburton will miss the next four month of rugby because of his left hamstring injury.
Here are the Super Rugby team sheets for teams 3 to 6 on the Combined Super Rugby Log, who have to compete in the Play Off weekend of Super Rugby 2013, as they were announded.
South Africa 17 / 6 Bay of plenty-Thames Valley-Counties
It was the last midweek match of the tour with only the 4th test remaining. The opposition was a combination of 3 relatively weak sides namely Bay of Plenty (who won only 1 of 5 matches played in the 1956 season); Thames Valley (who won only 3 of 8) and Counties (a team founded as South Auckland in 1926 and who won only 2 of 13 season games in 1956). These three teams combined for the first time in 1956 and played 2 warm-up games namely against Auckland (7th of August 1956 losing 6-7) and Waikato (11th of August 1956 losing 6-24) in preparation for the Springboks.
Rumours doing the rounds that the Cheetahs are set to lose some of their stars have been correct. Star centre, Robert Ebersohn has signed with French Club Montpellier. He will reportedly still play in this year’s Currie Cup, before furthering his career overseas.
The DHL Stormers continue to be trend-setters under the now three-year-old conference system for economy in try-concession in Super Rugby.
Brad Macleod-Henderson was on Tuesday confirmed as Sharks coach for the upcoming Currie Cup season.
Stormers flank Don Armand has become the latest player to leave the Cape side after he confirmed a move to English Premiership club Exeter Chiefs.
Loftus Versveld and Waikato Stadium in Hamilton will be the venues for the two Super Rugby semifinals after details were confirmed by SANZAR.
The Stormers plan to lodge a complaint with Super Rugby organisers SANZAR about the provisional 2014 Super Rugby draw.
A provisional list of Super Rugby fixtures have been released to the Stormers for 2014 and revealed a a tour from hell for the Stormers.
The Vodacom Bulls will be able to use Jan Serfontein, Francois Hougaard and Flip van der Merwe for their Vodacom Super Rugby semi-final in two weeks’ time.
Toyota Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske has a firm message for all of those writing off his team’s hopes in this year’s Vodacom Super Rugby finals series – we are not done.
Drotske and his team arrived in their plush Coogee Beach base in Sydney, where they will be until Friday before heading south to Canberra by bus as they prepare to take on Jake White’s Brumbies side in their playoff match.
SANZAR have warned coaches that taking unnecessary pot-shots at referees could land them in hot water.
New Zealand referee Chris Pollock has been axed from the Super Rugby play-offs, because of poor form.
Richie McCaw’s likely return to Super Rugby via the Crusaders bench adds spice to Saturday’s playoffs opener with the Reds, a match offering a sneak preview of Australia’s looming Rugby Championship date with New Zealand.
The World Cup-winning captain made a low-key return to rugby on Saturday after a long sabbatical, playing a full match for Christchurch in a regional club competition.
The Vodacom Bulls were officially crowned South African Conference winners in Cape Town on Saturday evening, but The Sharks and the DHL Stormers took the spoils in the final round of Vodacom Super Rugby league action for 2013.
Although these two coastal sides, semi-finalists in 2012, missed out on the Finals Series this year, they recorded solid final round victories to end a disappointing season on a high note.
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) on Saturday announced the 28-man Coca-Cola SA Schools squad that will feature in an Under-18 International series in August.
The squad was chosen by a panel featuring national selectors Peter Jooste and Ian McIntosh, the SA Schools selectors led by convener Henkie Green, and SA under-20 coach Dawie Theron following the conclusion of the 50th Coca-Cola Craven Week in Polokwane.
Following the completion of the regular season in Super Rugby the top 6 teams have been determined and the 4 teams that will play in the qualifiers next weekend.
By finishing the season as the competition’s two highest-ranked conference winners, the Chiefs (66 points, 12 wins) and the Bulls (63 points, 12 wins) have earned the week off and progress straight to the Super Rugby Semi Finals where they await the winners of the qualifying matches.
The match officials for the 2 games have also been decided.
The anticipation was building among the purists ahead of the eagerly awaited 2013 Ashes which started on Wednesday. The first Test of five in the Investec Ashes series between England and Australia was played at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. Full Scorecard here.
Stormers (23) 30 / 13 (13) Bulls (Final Score)
The DHL Stormers and Vodacom Bulls did battle in Super Rugby at Newlands, Cape Town at 19:10 SA Time.
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
*******************
The Coca-Cola Craven Week for Schools Under 18 Rugby takes place in Polokwane in Limpopo Province from 8 July 2013.
Sharks (26) 58 / 13 (13) Kings (Final Score)
The Sharks and Southern Kings did battle in Super Rugby 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.
*******************
Force (14) 21 / 15 (3) Brumbies (Final Score)
The Western Force and Brumbies did battle in Super Rugby at NIB Stadium, Perth at 13:45 SA Time (19:45 WAST, 11:45 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
*******************