Australia suffered another blow ahead of their Castle Rugby Championship match against the Springboks at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday with reserve loose forward Scott Higginbotham set to be ruled out of the game.
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) is moving offices after 17 years at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa in Newlands, Cape Town.
In the wake of Nevin Spence’s death alongside his brother and father, Ulster’s players now just want to return to action. They will do so on Friday night when they face Cardiff Blues in the RaboDirect PRO12 at the Arms Park.
This weekend sees the fifth round of the 2012/13 Pro12 competition, with four games taking place on Friday night and the remaining two fixtures in the round scheduled for Saturday.
First-choice flyhalf Dan Carter has been cleared to start in his 90th Test, when New Zealand play Argentina in a Rugby Championship match at Estadio Ciudad de La Plata in La Plata on Saturday.
Kurtley Beale will start his first Test at flyhalf on Saturday after Australia coach Robbie Deans chose the fullback to replace the injured Quade Cooper for the Rugby Championship clash with South Africa.
Speculation in the Free State Media would have us believe that Springbok and Free State Cheetahs flank, Juan Smith, looks likely to make his return to the rugby field in France in 2013.
The Australian Rugby Union broke their silence over the public rants of controversial flyhalf Quade Cooper, confirming they have placed the volatile player on notice.
Glasgow Warriors are gunning for their second home RaboDirect PRO12 victory in seven days when they face Zebre at Scotstoun Stadium on Friday (kick-off 7.35pm British Summer Time). The Warriors have made several changes to their match day squad of 23 for this game. In arguably the most notable change, former Golden Lions eighthman and captain Josh Strauss will be starting at eightman.
Herewith a team by team breakdown of the selected sides for this weekend’s Currie Cup Premier Division matches.
Continue reading
Argentina have named their side to face the All Blacks in this weekend’s Rugby Championship fixture on Saturday in La Plata, retaining the same starting side that put Australia under pressure a fortnight ago.
One of the foremost coaches in world rugby is to visit Scotland next month to spend time with the country’s two pro-clubs and to outline his philosophies to senior club and school coaches.
There was a buzz at Loftus today as thousands gathered to watch the afternoon open practice session on Loftus main field. Fathers, mothers and heaps and heaps of children attended to watch Heyneke Meyer’s squad of 30 go through their paces. My son, BonzaiGBS, was our resident photographer and took hundreds of photographs.
There’s some good news and some bad news, I’m wondering which you want to hear first….
Four players have been called up to the Springbok squad of 30 for the final two Tests of The Rugby Championship, in South Africa against Australia and New Zealand. Continue reading
All Blacks and Crusaders captain Richie McCaw will sit out the majority of the 2013 Super Rugby season, it has been confirmed.
Lions (6) 28 / 22 (16) Sharks (Final Score)
The MTN Golden Lions and The Sharks did battle in the Currie Cup, Premier Division at Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg 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.
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Blue Bulls (17) 34 / 30 (9) Cheetahs (Final Score)
The Vodacom Blue Bulls and Toyota Free State Cheetahs did battle in the Currie Cup, Premier Division at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria at 17:05 SA Time.
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 (31) 45 / 21 (7) Griquas (Final Score)
DHL Western province and GWK Griquas did battle in the Currie Cup, Premier Division at Newlands, Cape Town at 15:00 SA Time.
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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New Zealand’s All Blacks have named their team to travel to Argentina and South Africa for their last two Rugby Championship matches against the Pumas and Springboks.
Rassie Erasmus says Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer is tweaking his game plan ahead of next weekend’s Rugby Championship clash with the Wallabies in Pretoria.
SANZAR has made known the full game schedule for Super Rugby in 2013. Take critical note of the fact that the Australian sides will feature a week earlier than the New Zealand and South African sides, as they feature alone in Round 1 – 15 & 16 February and in the middle of the year, Round 17 – June 7 & 9, the Australian sides will feature alone as well, whilst in Round 18 & Round 19 the New Zealand and South African sides will feature without the Australian sides.
This accomodation is done to assist Australia who hosts the British and Irish Lions touring party in the middle of 2013.
Accordingly the Super Rugby Combined Log will be skewed from the start, then become even more skewed after Round 17 (The Australian sides having played 2 games more by then) and that the Combined Log will only appear realistic and normal after the conclusion of Round 19.
As Round Four of the PRO12 opens, a Welsh Region still tops the table, however it is not last season’s winners, Ospreys, but their opponents on Friday night, Scarlets, setting the pace.
As the Premiership starts gaining momentum, the spotlight will shine much brighter on newcomers London Welsh, who opened their account with a fine win last week.
Pumas coach Santiago Phelan has named a 27-man strong squad for Argentina’s home matches against the All Blacks and the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship.
The revival of club rugby in South Africa received a major boost on Thursday with the announcement that a new televised national tournament for non-university clubs would kick off in 2013.
Alan Solomons, the Southern Kings Super Rugby coach, has indicated that controvertial looseforward Luke Watson will be the captain when the team makes their Super Rugby debut in 2013.
Herewith a team by team breakdown of the selected sides for this weekend’s Currie Cup Premier Division matches.
Continue reading
The Wallabies have named uncapped Waratahs prop Paddy Ryan and Western Force winger Nick Cummins in their 28-man Wallabies squad for The Rugby Championship away leg.
Lions stalwart Wikus van Heerden will retire after Saturday’s Absa Currie Cup match against the Sharks at Coca-Cola Park in Johannesburg.
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) has named a Springbok Sevens squad of 16 players for the warm-up tournament in Middelburg, which gets underway on Friday. The event will be the only pre-season tournament where the Blitzbokke will be in action before they leave for Australia to kick-off the HSBC Sevens World Series at the Gold Coast Sevens.
Springbok utility back Patrick Lambie’s unavailability for Currie Cup duty this week has left Sharks coach John Plumtree a frustrated man.
Springbok Rugby coaches have released five players back to their Currie Cup squads from the squad that returned from New Zealand.
French clubs have revealed that they have no intention of leaving European Rugby tournaments the Heineken Cup and the Challenge Cup and playing with just English clubs in a new tournament.
Wallabies flyhalf Quade Cooper has been ruled out of the remainder of The Rugby Championship after scans revealed an articular cartilage chip to his right knee.
Western Province loose forwards Jebb Sinclair and Tyrone Holmes have almost completely escaped further punishment for the punches they threw at Kings Park on Saturday.