Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer’s priority will always be to pick local players first, but the South African Rugby Union may have conceded the fight to keep top Springboks in South Africa in the near future.
New Cheetahs prop Caylib Oosthuizen says the prospect of being coached by his childhood hero, Os du Randt, played a big role in his move to Bloemfontein.
As reported earlier, the gravely sick former WP and Stormers prop, has died of cancer.
Harlequins, Clermont Auvergne, Ulster and Toulon have all qualified for the quarterfinals of the European Cup, but who will join them in the last eight?
Unbeaten English champions Harlequins are the only ones so far guaranteed home advantage in the quarterfinals, so with plenty to play for in Round Six here is the state of the Pools going into the final weekend of group games.
Scottish Rugby has today (Wednesday) secured a new three year sponsorship package with The Famous Grouse, Scotland’s favourite whisky. The six figure deal marks 23 years of the brand’s support for rugby in Scotland, and will see the whisky’s latest product, the Ginger Grouse, become the Official Spirit of Scottish Rugby.
Junior Springboks coach Dawie Theron on Thursday named a strong starting line-up for the South African Under 20 training squad’s match against the University of the Western Cape, to be played on Friday afternoon at the Markötter Sports Field in Stellenbosch.
SARU CEO Jurie Roux believes that club rugby is on the brink of a new era with the inaugural Community Cup set for kick-off next month.
Johan Goosen and Coenie Oosthuizen have given the Cheetahs a boost with news that the Springbok duo will be fit for the start of the Super Rugby season.
Schalk Burger has been confirmed by Stormers management as the Captain for 2013.
For eight standout 18-year-old rugby players a new chapter in their lives is about to begin. Every year the Sharks only contract between 8 and 12 players. These players are carefully picked based on two criteria, the players’ individual rugby ability and the future needs of the Union. Yes, the Sharks don’t necessarily go after the best players on the board, they actually try to work out where their future senior team positional needs will lie and plan succession on this basis.
On Tuesday the Lions announced a 35-man squad that will take part in the Lions Challenge series that kicks off against Russia this Saturday at Ellis Park.
Ten uncapped players have been named in interim head coach Scott Johnson’s first Scotland squad. The 35-strong squad will convene in Glasgow next Sunday for a three-day training camp ahead of the RBS 6 Nations Championship.
It seems as if the Bulls and Springbok flyhalf has made a deal to leave South Africa after Super Rugby to continue his career in France.
The Sharks beat the Dolphins at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead, in the Pick n Pay T20 match in aid of charity, “and charity won big at the end of the day”.
Let me be the first to say that we were treated to a festival of cricket and fun with both team’s players doing their utmost to give time to fans and at the same time try put up a spectacle worthy of these high class sportsmen, and so they did.
DISCUSSION: 
South Africa and New Zealand did battle in the 2nd 5-Day Test at St George’s Park, Port Elizabeth which started at 10:30 SA Time on Friday 11 January 2013 and which was due to only finish on Tuesday 15 January 2013.
This was the Live Game Article for the match.
South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first. They posted a mammoth First Innings total of 525 runs for 8 wickets, when they declared the First Innings closed.
New Zealand went in to bat and the South Africans demolished them by bowling them out for a measly 121 runs, forcing New Zealand for follow on with their Second Innings. New Zealand battled on a bit more resolutely in the Second Innings but the last 5 wickets fell rapidly at the end, causing New Zealand to be all out for 211, still 193 runs short.
South Africa won by an Innings and 193 runs, before Lunch on Day 4, also winning the Series with a clean sweep of 2 / 0.
Doubts surrounding the availability of Tiaan Liebenberg and Scarra Ntubeni has forced the Stormers management to urgently search for a back-up to Deon Fourie for the start of the Super Rugby campaign.
Naka Drotske has reason to smile, as it is reported that Springboks Coenie Oosthuizen (back) and Johan Goosen (knee) are progressing well. Willie le Roux (groin), Phillip van der Walt (knee), Lappies Labuschagne (ankle) and Springbok Heinrich Brüssow (shoulder) are all on track for early participation in this years Super Rugby Competition.
A Welsh rugby star has had to pull out of an important match in France after his puppy chewed up his passport. Jason Tovey, 23, was all packed and ready to go to the airport to fly to Toulon to play for Cardiff Blues when he found his ruined passport. He said he was dreading telling his coach that he could not play in the Heineken Cup game on Saturday.
Undefeated Harlequins and Clermont can book European Cup quarterfinals this weekend with Toulon also close to securing their spot in the last eight. English champions Harlequins, bidding to make the knock-out stages for just the fifth time, already have 19 points from four Pool Three wins and on Saturday tackle Connacht where just a losing bonus point will be enough to see them through.
Referees will now be able to ask Television Match Official (TMO) to review up to two phases prior to the ball being grounded as part of a new worldwide TMO Protocol trial announced by the International Rugby Board (IRB).
The IRB and its Member Unions have underscored their ongoing commitment to consistent and accurate match officiating by approving a global trial to extend the powers of the television match official (TMO).
Following on our series of articles about the player pedigrees, it was suggested we do the same for the coaching teams. To do the entire spectrum of a Super Rugby Coaching personnel would be too encompassing (the research was hard enough), so I am going to focus only on the people responsible for the main portfolios of Head, Backline, Forwards and Defence coaches.
We all have our predictions and gut feelings, this is what the International top betting sites have to say:
Bellville – Stormers Coach Alistair Coetzee has named a 36 man training squad for for next week’s pre-season camp in Hermanus.
Allister Coetzee
DHL Stormers coach Allister Coetzee wore a broad smile on his face after the second day of training at the squad’s High Performance Centre base in Bellville on Tuesday.
Schalk Burger looks to be the likely Stormers Captain this year despite Jean deVilliers being the current Springbok Captain.
First match: 15 May 1956 – Canberra
South Africa 41 / Australian Capital Territory (ACT) 6
Promoting rugby union was paramount in Australia when the Springboks arrived in 1956. Consequently -soon after arrival- at a civic reception at the Sydney Town Hall Danie Craven and Basie Viviers promised to play open attractive rugby to help rugby union in their battle for player volume against rugby league.
The team travelled to Canberra for the first match against an Australian Capital Territory team. This match was not part of the original tour itinerary and was arranged as a tribute to the resolute efforts of local administrators to gain footing for union rugby in an area with a population basis slightly bigger than Paarl in Cape Province, South Africa.
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans is keen to stay in the job until the 2015 World Cup, but Australia’s new rugby chief says he will have to reapply when his contract runs out.
Italy coach Jacques Brunel has named his 30-man squad for the upcoming Six Nations and called on his players to build on their promising November test campaign.
Lock Pascal Pape will stay as captain of France for the Six Nations tournament despite the return to the squad of Thierry Dusautoir, L’Equipe newspaper reported on Thursday.
Super Rugby News is now starting to come thick and fast!
Below you can read about the Super Rugby HALFTIME BREAKS being extended to 12 minutes, about Ben Mowen who remains Brumbies Captain, about the Super Rugby Draw for 2013, about Bismarck du Plessis’ injury and Frans Steyn gearing up for the 2013 season and about Wynand Olivier who is still in Japan. Tamati Ellison will miss the majority of the Competition for the Highlanders, due to injury.
And then, if a sub-standard squad was not enough, the Southern Kings lose two key forwards due to injury.
Australia flyhalf Quade Cooper was on Thursday pitted against Muay Thai veteran Barry Dunnett for his professional boxing debut scheduled in Brisbane next month.
The 8th Article in the set discussing the Southern Kings.
In this Article we look at the contenders for BACK THREE (Wings & Fullbacks) in the Southern Kings 2013 Super Rugby group, and what their worth will be in Super Rugby terms.
The 8th and last Article in the set discussing the Vodacom Bulls.
In this Article we look at the contenders for the BACK THREE (Wings & Fullbacks) in the Vodacom Bulls 2013 Super Rugby group, and what their worth will be in Super Rugby terms.
It has officially been confirmed that Bryan Habana penned the deal with the French side in the last few days.