All Blacks (15) 37 / 10 (7) Wallabies (Final Score)
The New Zealand All Blacks and Australian Wallabies did battle in the final Bledisloe Cup Test of the 2016 season at
Eden Park, Auckland, at 08:35 SA Time (06:35 GMT, 19:35 NZ Time, 17:35 AEST).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Blue Bulls (16) 36 / 30 (10) Western Province (Final Score)
The Vodacom Blue Bulls and DHL Western Province did battle in the Currie Cup Premier Division 2016 Semi-Finals at
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria at 18:00 SA Time (16:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
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FS Cheetahs (26) 55 / 17 (0) Golden Lions (Final Score)
The Toyota Free State Cheetahs and Xerox Golden Lions did battle in the Currie Cup Premier Division 2016 Semi-Final 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 & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Eben Etzebeth
Saracens are in advanced talks to sign South Africa lock Eben Etzebeth on a short-term deal.
Etzebeth is set to move to England following his international matches in November.
The 24-year-old is contracted to the Stormers and the South African Rugby Union, but last year had a three-month spell in Japan during the southern hemisphere off-season.
South African sources have indicated a similar deal is expected with Saracens.
Etzebeth, who has 53 Springbok caps, is regarded as one of the best forwards in world rugby, and the deal would be one of the biggest signings in Premiership history.
The deal would have to be approved by SA Rugby and, if it is completed, Etzebeth would act as injury dispensation for Saracens’ former club captain Alistair Hargreaves, who was forced to retire this month because of concussion.
Los Pumas (8) 21 / 33 (18) Wallabies (Final Score)
The Argentinian Pumas and Australian Wallabies did battle in The Rugby Championship 2016 at
Twickenham Stadium, London, England, at 20:30 SA Time (18:30 GMT, 15:30 ARG Time, Sunday 05:30 AEST).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
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Springboks (9) 15 / 57 (12) All Blacks (Final Score)
The South African Springboks and New Zealand All Blacks did battle in The Rugby Championship 2016 at
Growthpoint Kings Park, Durban, at 17:05 SA Time (15:05 GMT, Sunday 04:05 NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Faf de Klerk and Damian de Allende were included in Springbok starting line-up to face the All Blacks in Durban on Saturday in the final Test of the 2016 Castle Lager Rugby Championship.
The two personnel changes are both due to injuries – scrumhalf De Klerk comes into the starting team again as a replacement for Rudy Paige, who suffered a concussion in the victory over the Wallabies in Pretoria, while De Allende replaces Jesse Kriel, who was ruled out of action as a result of his groin injury.
In a positional change in midfield, Juan de Jongh moves from inside to outside centre, with De Allende now wearing the No 12 jersey. The two wings, Bryan Habana and Francois Hougaard, will swap jerseys for this Test.
The rest of the match-day squad was kept unchanged from the line-up that defeated the Wallabies by 18-10 last Saturday.
Los Pumas (3) 17 / 36 (29) All Blacks (Final Score)
The Argentinian Los Pumas and New Zealand All Blacks did battle in The Rugby Championship 2016 at
Estadio José Amalfitani, Buenos Aires, at 00:10 SA Time (22:10 GMT, 19:10 ARG Time, Sunday 11:10 NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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Springboks (12) 18 / 10 (10) Wallabies (Final Score)
The South African Springboks and Australian Wallabies did battle in The Rugby Championship 2016 at
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, at 17:05 SA Time (15:05 GMT, Sunday 01:05 AEST).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Rudy Paige will make his starting debut for the Springboks on Saturday at Loftus Versfeld in the team’s penultimate Castle Lager Rugby Championship fixture of the year.
The inclusion of Paige at scrumhalf is one of three changes made to the Springbok line-up that started the match against the All Blacks two weeks ago in Christchurch.
Paige, who has made four Test appearances from the Bok bench, will partner the experienced Morné Steyn in the halfbacks. They take over from Faf de Klerk and Elton Jantjies respectively, both of whom started in the last six Tests of the year.
The only other change to the starting line-up sees Pat Lambie return to the team for the first time since he suffered concussion in the series opener against Ireland in June. Lambie will play fullback, where he is preferred over Johan Goosen. The Cell C Sharks player, who will earn his 52nd Springbok cap, has already scored 137 Test points in the Green and Gold jersey.
The Springbok forward pack that played against the All Blacks in Christchurch was kept unchanged, with hooker Adriaan Strauss again leading out the team after he suffered a knock to the lower back in New Zealand.
Alan Solomons
Langilangi Haupeakui
There were some big news announcements yesterday from both of Scotland’s professional clubs. The one from Edinburgh Rugby was about a departure while the one from Glasgow Warriors was about an arrival. Sticking one’s neck out it would seem that both announcements were seen as positive news by the clubs’ fans.
Edinburgh Rugby announced that Head Coach Alan Solomons was leaving and would be replaced in the interim by Duncan Hodge while Glasgow Warriors announced the acquisition of powerhouse player Langilangi Haupeakui from US PRO Rugby outfit Sacramento Express.
Alan Solomons vacates his post before completing his contract which would have taken him to the end of the current season. His previous contract expired at the end of last season and he had signed to stay on for one more year in Edinburgh.
There has always seemed to a bit of mixed feelings between the Edinburgh fans with some rather more supportive of Solomons than others. He took over at a time were really struggling and for some he has brought stability to the club and a measure of success, taking Edinburgh to a European Cup final, albeit in the second tier of Europe, and claiming back the 1872 Cup from bitter rivals Glasgow Warriors.
His critics feel that he has not done anymore with Edinburgh than a local coach could given the same level of investment and felt that his game plan was far too prescriptive and conservative and stifled his team, now where have we heard that before? It would seem that he didn’t have the copyright on this as far as many South African coaches go in the eyes of the various sets of fans.
Chris Ashton
Saracens and England winger Chris Ashton has been banned for 13 weeks after being found guilty of biting Northampton prop Alex Waller.
After a six-hour hearing, a disciplinary panel found the 29-year-old bit Waller on the arm at a ruck during Saracens’ 27-12 Premiership victory at Allianz Park on Saturday.
The panel looked at two counts of biting but dismissed the second charge.
Ashton, who denied both offences, can play again on 19 December.
Saracens will receive a full written judgment from the disciplinary panel on Thursday, then have 24 hours to decide whether to appeal.
The minimum suspension for a guilty verdict was 12 weeks, with a more serious offence potentially carrying a punishment of up to 208 weeks.
Wallabies (21) 36 / 20 (6) Los Pumas (Final Score)
The Australian Wallabies and Argentinian Los Pumas did battle in The Rugby Championship 2016 at
nib Stadium, Perth, Australia, at 12:05 SA Time (18:05 AWST, 20:05 AEST, 10:05 GMT, 07:05 ARG Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
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All Blacks (15) 41 / 13 (10) Springboks (Final Score)
the New Zealand All Blacks and South African Springboks did battle in The Rugby Championship 2016 at
AMI Stadium, Christchurch, New Zealand, at 09:35 SA Time (07:35 GMT, 19:35 NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Toulouse let Florian Fritz play on in the match after this head knock
“It’s definitely a game of how big can we get them, how quickly, and let’s see if they can cope – otherwise, we’ll move them on.”
Shaun Longstaff, the former Scotland wing turned international rugby agent, might be talking about broiler chickens or beef cattle, livestock and commodities, rather than professional sportsmen.
But this is the ruthless business of modern rugby at the elite end – and the source of Longstaff’s alarm.
Longstaff, 44, has seen the game change, watched players pump themselves bigger and stronger. He’s observed the physical toll – the enforced retirements, the frightening and lingering symptoms of concussion.
He seeks the counsel of surgeons and scientists, and finds himself holding increasingly frank exchanges with his players about their quality of life after rugby.
And he worries about his role in it all, the path his sport is treading, and what might become of those whose careers and well-being he oversees.
Head coach Alan Solomons says criticism of Edinburgh’s playing style is ‘manifestly unfair’.
Solomons watched his team register their first win of the Pro12 season against Scarlets at Murrayfield, but some have criticised the side’s lack of attacking ambition under his stewardship.
“Personally I think the criticism is unfair,” Solomons said. “This talk they are under instruction not to run the ball is nonsense.”
Solomons is adamant that Edinburgh’s attacking prowess has developed under his assistant Duncan Hodge.
“We have worked very hard on our attack, Hodgy is doing a good job and it is a question of playing the conditions correctly and getting the result. It is professional sport and it is about winning.
“No-one has given them any instruction on how to play. They have all the options available to take under our game management plan. That criticism is manifestly unfair.
“We are improving year on year. We are carrying a number of injuries [Al Dickinson, Anton Bresler, Nasi Manu, Jason Tovey, Will Helu and Damien Hoyland are all currently unavailable] and we are not a big budget squad.
“We are not Toulon. We don’t have a massive amount of money but I think we have a good group of players.”
Warren Gatland and John Spencer
The 1971 and 1974 Lions were the greatest touring teams that have departed these shores, but the monopoly they appear to have on key positions in the Four Home Unions is now coming under scrutiny. The appointment of John Spencer, the 1971 Lions and England centre, as manager of the 2017 Lions is a case in point.
Spencer’s installation was not greeted with unanimous approval, and the same was true when Tom Grace, the 1974 Lions and Ireland wing, was appointed as Lions chairman.
The 1971 and 1974 Lions have rightfully had a major influence on the future of the touring side, and that has been recognised with luminaries from those sides being awarded the majority of the management, coaching and administrative roles in the intervening 40 plus years.
However, exactly how appointments are made in Lions rugby has always been shrouded in fog.
Four Home Unions appointments have always had a whiff of the clandestine about them, with vested national interests and horse-trading to the fore. As a result, in the professional era they have been a mixed bag.
Rugby administrators worldwide are nearing an agreement on a new rugby union calendar, which will come into effect after the World Cup in 2019.
It has been learned there will be fewer international matches, with summer tours set to be scrapped at least once per four-year cycle.
The Six Nations will not move from its traditional February to March slot.
The Lions are set to tour in July and August in 2021.
The Xerox Golden Lions team to face the Free State Cheetahs in their Currie Cup clash on Friday evening in Bloemfontein has been announced.
In an enforced change, Andries Ferreira comes in to the second row to replace the injured Lourens Erasmus, and will lock the scrum with the youngster JP du Preez who impressed in his starting debut against Western Province last week.
A rotational change sees Cyle Brink replacing Ruan Ackermann, who drops to the bench in the loose trio.
Among the reserves, Martin Muller comes in as cover at lock, and Pieter Scholtz moves up as the prop cover.
The Xerox Golden Lions will be looking to build on their impressive display last week against Western Province when they travel to the City of Roses to play the high flying Cheetahs who are unbeaten this season, and in so doing push on for a play-off position in defence of the trophy they won last season.
Wallabies (13) 23 / 17 (14) Springboks (Final Score)
The Australian Wallabies and South African Springboks did battle in The Rugby Championship 2016 at
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia, at 12:05 SA Time (10:05 GMT, 20:05 AEST).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
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All Blacks (24) 57 / 22 (19) Los Pumas (Final Score)
The New Zealand All Blacks and Argentinian Los Pumas did battle in The Rugby Championship 2016 at
Waikato Stadium, Hamilton, New Zealand, at 09:35 SA Time (07:35 GMT, 19:35 NZ Time, 04:35 ARG Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
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Gregor Townsend has named his team to play Leinster in the 1st home game of the new season tomorrow afternoon (kick-off 15:00 BST, 14:00 GMT, 16:00 SA Time).
The Warriors will run out on the new artificial pitch at Scotstoun Stadium for the 1st time in front of a crowd in excess of 7 000.
Following last Saturday’s 41 / 5 win over Connacht in Galway, Fraser Brown replaces Pat MacArthur at hooker and Sila Puafisi comes in for Zander Fagerson at tighthead prop.
After his man of the match display last weekend, Stuart Hogg once again starts at fullback, with Leonardo Sarto named on the right wing and Tommy Seymour lining up on the opposite side.
Alex Dunbar and Sam Johnson form the centre partnership, with Peter Horne and co-captain Henry Pyrgos continuing at flyhalf and scrumhalf respectively.
Gordon Reid is once again named at loosehead prop and he’ll pack down in the front row alongside Brown and Puafisi.
Tim Swinson and co-captain Jonny Gray start their 2nd consecutive game together in the engine room.
It’s also the same loose forwards which started in Galway last Saturday, with Rob Harley, Simone Favaro and Ryan Wilson combining.
Alex Allan and Lee Jones come onto the bench, with Ryan Grant and Sean Lamont not involved this weekend. Allan could make his 1irst appearance in a Warriors shirt since February.
Springbok coach Allister Coetzee has included Francois Hougaard, Juan de Jongh and Jesse Kriel in a revamped backline for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship Test against the Wallabies at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday.
In the only change amongst the forwards, tighthead prop Lourens Adriaanse will earn his first start for the Springboks in place of Vincent Koch, while Eben Etzebeth will become the youngest player ever to reach the milestone of 50 Tests for South Africa this weekend.
Coetzee made four changes in total to the back division which featured in the loss to Argentina in Salta two week ago. One of them is because of injury while another is a positional switch.
Hougaard comes into the side as replacement for Ruan Combrinck, who suffered a fractured leg against the Pumas, and he will play on the left wing, meaning the experienced Bryan Habana moves over to the right.
The new centre combination of De Jongh and Jesse Kriel gets a run in the place of Damian de Allende and Lionel Mapoe, who has been included on the replacements bench. De Jongh and Kriel both featured as replacements for South Africa in the first two Tests against Argentina, in Nelspruit and Salta.
Warren Gatland
Warren Gatland has been named British and Irish Lions coach for the 2nd time and will lead them on the 2017 tour of New Zealand.
The Kiwi will step down from his job with Wales and be replaced on a temporary basis by Rob Howley.
“It’s a huge honour when you get offered probably the biggest job in world rugby against the best opposition in world rugby,” said Gatland.
The Lions have not won a series against New Zealand since 1971.
“When I was offered the position, it was definitely a ‘yes’ straightaway,” added Gatland. “To challenge yourself against the best, there is no bigger challenge.”
Howley took over from Gatland the last time the 52-year-old took on the Lions role in 2013, when they went to Australia and claimed a 2-1 series win.
Gatland intends to travel to New Zealand on Thursday with tour manager and former England captain John Spencer to start planning.
The Lions face 10 games on what will be an extremely challenging trip, which includes 3 Tests against the All Blacks – unbeaten on home soil since 2009.
Xerox Golden Lions head coach Johan Ackermann and his team have made wholesale changes to the starting line up that defeated the Boland Cavaliers last weekend and he has totally changed the replacement players on the bench.
Some of the changes are forced through injury, with others part of the rotation policy.
Los Pumas (13) 26 / 24 (3) Springboks (Final Score)
Argentinian Los Pumas and the South African Springboks did battle in The Rugby Championship 2016 at
Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena, Salta, Argentina, at 21:40 SA Time (16:40 ARG Time, 19:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
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All Blacks (15) 29 / 9 (9) Wallabies (Final Score)
The New Zealand All Blacks and Australian Wallabies did battle in The Rugby Championship 2016 at
Westpac Stadium, Wellington, at 09:35 SA Time (07:35 GMT, 19:35 NZ Time, 17:35 AEST).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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Hi,
We have a NEW SuperBru Pool for all to join!
- The Rugby Championship 2016 starts in on Saturday 20 August 2016 (tomorrow), so hurry up and do not delay to register for it!
This year we are doing it a bit differently and opened our Pools up to all readers of Rugby-Talk.com, but we encourage you to register as a subsciber on Rugby-Talk.com anyway, as our banter and commenting about our Pools will mostly take place here on the website and not on the SuperBru banter boards! It is so easy to register and such fun to discuss rugby here.
It was a challenge to keep up with the fast moving events surrounding Scottish rugby last week.
It was announced Gregor Townsend would succeed Vern Cotter as head coach of Scotland and just 24 hours later Dave Rennie was unveiled as the man who will take charge at of the Warriors at the start of next season.
Speaking in the Herald Gregor said: “It all happened very quickly. I was involved in the [Warriors] strip launch, then, one hour later, I was given the Scotland job. I had barely had time to digest that, when I was speaking to Dave Rennie about the succession at Glasgow.
“However, Glasgow will remain my No 1 priority this season. We have a huge season coming up and I want to leave a positive legacy for Dave to work with.
“I have known Dave for four or five years, over which we have kept in touch. I feel there is a great similarity in our approach to coaching, we both look for the same skills sets in players, the clubs have a similar culture in how we want to play rugby and Dave is a good fit for Glasgow.
“We will work together in player recruitment and so on, I expect he will be over here in November once the Super Rugby season is over and we will be working to make the transition as smooth as possible.
“Once it was announced I was leaving, the players opened a sweepstake as to my successor, and one of them guessed. They seem happy at the choice the SRU have made.”
Springboks (10) 30 / 23 (13) Los Pumas (Final Score)
The South African Springboks and Argentinian Los Pumas did battle in The Rugby Championship 2016 at
Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit, South Africa, at 17:00 SA Time (15:00 GMT, 12:00 ARG Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Wallabies (3) 8 / 42 (32) All Blacks (Final Score)
The Australian Wallabies and New Zealand All Blacks did battle in The Rugby Championship 2016 at
ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia, at 12:05 SA Time (10:05 GMT, 20:05 AEST, 22:05 NZ Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
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Julian Redelinghuys will earn his 1st start for the Springboks against Argentina in Nelspruit on Saturday, while Bryan Habana, Johan Goosen, Oupa Mohoje and Lood de Jager all return to the side for the 1st Castle Lager Rugby Championship Test at the Mbombela Stadium. Redelinghuys, capped 4 times, comes in at tighthead as replacement for the injured Frans Malherbe, who is struggling with a neck injury.
Lock De Jager has recovered from the calf injury he sustained against Ireland in June and takes over the No 5 jersey from Pieter-Steph du Toit, who will provide cover from the bench.
The 3rd change in the pack sees the return to the starting line-up of Mohoje as replacement for Siya Kolisi, who recently underwent ankle surgery.
In the back division, Springbok record try scorer Bryan Habana will run out in his 118th Test after he was named as left wing, while he was also confirmed as the Springbok vice-captain.
The versatile Goosen, who is equally at home at flyhalf and centre, has been entrusted with the fullback duties, the same position where he played in his previous outing for the Springboks, in 2014 against Italy.
Former South African Rugby Union president Oregan Hoskins (Photo by Luke Walker/Gallo Images)
Mr Oregan Hoskins announced on Wednesday that he was stepping down as president of the South African Rugby Union (SARU) after a decade of service and achievement.
Mr Hoskins advised the membership of SA Rugby at a meeting of the General Council in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
“I have enjoyed a remarkable ten and a half years in one of the most high-profile roles in South African sport and have enjoyed some incredible highs,” said Mr Hoskins. “It has been a pleasure and a privilege and I want to thank everyone involved in South African rugby for the fantastic journey we have shared.
“There have also been plenty of challenges to confront but I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way – it’s an indication of how much our sport matters in this country.
FS Cheetahs (24) 43 / 20 (10) Blue Bulls (Final Score)
The Toyota Free State Cheetahs and Vodacom Blue Bulls did battle in the Currie Cup Premier Division 2016 at
Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein at 17:10 SA Time (15:10 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Golden Lions (35) 68 / 26 (14) Pumas (Final Score)
The Xerox Golden Lions and Steval Pumas did battle in the Currie Cup Premier Division 2016 at
Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg at 15:00 SA Time (13:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
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