The game sees the return of Brok Harris, Ricky Januarie, Peter Grant and Brian Habana to the run-on 15.
SARU have started a weekly Club Rugby media release.
Herewith this weeks communication.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
SARU Media Release
National Club Rugby Round-up – A weekend of upsets
Lions mentor John Mitchell has made a number of changes to his starting 15, as well on the reserve bench for the match against the Brumbies on Saturday.
Rugby Union will never be able to compete on a global level if it does not embrace a professional work ethic and mindset.
Ireland forwards and ex Springbok forwards coach, Gert Smal, is on the verge on signing Bok front row legend and former Bok scrum coach, Os Du Randt to coach the Irish scrum for the World Cup.
Being a coach is without a doubt one of the hardest but potentially also one of the most rewarding jobs. Looking at the pressure the S15 and national coaches has to endure I have often found myself wondering who on earth would want to be a coach. Sort of; “not for all the money in the world would I want to be a coach”. Continue reading
The Cheetahs’ penchant for all-out attack has the heroic Crusaders worried about this weekend’s Super Rugby assignment in Bloemfontein.
What looked like a match featuring two teams from different spectrums of the championship has suddenly been transformed by the Cheetahs’ results over the last phase of the competition.
Motormouth Springboks coach Peter de Villiers has launched another scathing attack on Crusaders star Sonny Bill Williams, describing his flamboyant offloading style as “nonsense” and a poor example for young rugby players.
By Marc Hinton
Who’s hot and who’s not… and who’s not injured?
Every Tuesday until the All Blacks’ World Cup squad unveiling in late August, Fairfax digital sport editor Dan Gilhooly will assess the status of players in the selection frame.
Who are the certainties to make the cut for coach Graham Henry’s squad of 30? Who are battling for contentious spots and what are their odds of selection?
Blues coach Pat Lam puts a horror injury toll in Super Rugby down to a mix of bad luck and big collisions.
And he has urged the game’s decision-makers to revisit the thorny issue of the length of the off-season as all five New Zealand franchises deal with mounting injuries that are testing the depth of their resources.
With six games left for the Bulls there is no room for another loss. But with so many permutations possible in this last six weeks of the league there might be a lifeline left , even if you lose a 6th game. Is that wishful thinking? Not really. Let me leave the jokes, the Bulls are now in a sudden death playoff.
On Friday the rugby romantic in me was awakened after a long slumber, only to be given a strong sedative a couple of hours later. Continue reading
I am writing this article purely on emotion and frustration. After watching this weekend’s Super 15 matches, a few thoughts came to mind. At certain stages when looking at the Sharks, Cheetahs, Lions and Stormers this weekend, it looked like we are not as bad as people say we are, but then moments later we make the most elimentary mistakes you could imagine. Continue reading
Springbok Sevens newcomers Paul Jordaan and Tshotsho Mbovane were on Friday included in the South Africa Under-20 squad that was announced by the South African Rugby Union (SARU) to compete in next month’s IRB Junior World Championship in Italy.
Allister Coetzee has named his squad for a 4 game tour to Australasia. The team leaves on Sunday and travels to Auckland where they will prepare for their first game against the Chiefs.
Upon arrival back in South Africa, other fixtures include the Vodacom Bulls at DHL Newlands on 11 June and the Cheetahs on 18 June in Bloemfontein.
The Stormers remain top of the Log in the South African Conference, after losing against the Crusaders, but the Sharks have now considerably narrowed the gap on them. The difference is that the Sharks have already toured to Australasia, whereas this Stormers tour will test their real mettle.
In a match where the lead changed sides more often than some presidents change their mind on foreign policy, the Crusaders eventually ran out 20-14 victors over the DHL Stormers at Newlands.
Sharks (6) 34 / Brumbies (16) 16 (Final Score)
The Sharks hosted the Brumbies at Kings Park, Durban at 19:10 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
The Sharks started shockingly and by Halftime had only scored 2 measly penalties for their 6 points, against 16 by the Brumbies.
In the second half, it was a different Sharks team, one wonders what they ate or drank, they eventually scored 28 points in the second half and kept the Brumbies scoreless at the same time, running in 4 converted tries.
Through the night, a sporting legend and the man that inspired a generation of European golfers finally succumbed to the big C.
Severiano Ballesteros passed away at his home in Northern Spain from respiratory problems caused by a brain tumor.
Stormers (11) 14 / Crusaders (10) 20 (Final Score)
The DHL Stormers hosted the Crusaders at Newlands, Cape Town at 17:05 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
This game lived up to it’s hype…. a cracker!
The silky offload skills by Sonny Bill Williams, the speed and hard running by Jaque Fourie, the strong Crusaders scrum, tight defence by the Stormers… classic.
The MTN Lions have announced a 26 man touring squad for the four match tour of Australia and New Zealand starting on Saturday 14th May 2011 against the Brumbies in Canberra.
The MTN Lions hosted the Toyota Cheetahs Friday evening at Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg in their last home game before heading off on an Australasian tour.
In a match that the Lions players, management, staff and I’m sure all of their spectators both at the ground as well as watching on television would in all likelihood want to forget as soon as possible, they were handed a Rugby lesson by their once Super Rugby partners from Bloemfontein.
Waratahs (6) 20 / Force (9) 15 (Final Score)
The Waratahs hosted the Western Force at Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney at 11:40 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
In a hard game with a massive attrition rate, the Waratahs win by 5.
Chiefs (6) 20 / Highlanders (7) 7 (Final Score)
The Chiefs hosted the Highlanders at Waikato Stadium, Hamilton at 09:35 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
The Chiefs gutsed out a win with a good 2nd Half.
MTN Lions (7) 19 / Cheetahs (36) 53 (Final Score)
The MTN Lions hosted the Toyota Cheetahs at Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg at 19:10 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
There was only one team on the filed, the Cheetahs…. there were 16 other individuals on the filed at the same time, a referee and 15 players in red.
Rebels (8) 18 / Reds (26) 33 (Final Score)
The Melbourne Rebels hosted the Reds at AAMI Stadium, Melbourne at 11:40 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
The Reds bagged 4 tries for their bonus point win.
Hurricanes (3) 11 / Blues (9) 17 (Final Score)
The Hurricanes hosted the Blues at Westpac Stadium, Wellington at 09:35 SA Time. This was the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, SHD and CSN on TV in SA.
In a bland game where both sides scored a try each, the Blues continued their march towards title hopes.
Herewith ALL the Super Rugby team sheets as they were announced for week 12 of Super Rugby 2011.
John Plumtree has named his team to face the ACT Brumbies on Saturday evening in Durban at the Stadium Mr Kingspark.
Leadership groups in sport is important, but when does a leadership group turn into a clique? Continue reading
In a landmark judgment in the Western Cape High Court yesterday, a former school rugby player won his case against an opposing player who injured him so severely during a scrum that it left him with a broken neck.
The ruling could serve as a legal precedent for civil claims against players of any sport found to have deliberately injured a player during a game.
Decision-making and discipline will be crucial differences when the Stormers meet the Crusaders in a warmly-anticipated Investec Super Rugby clash in Cape Town on Saturday, 17:05. Match shown live on Supersports various channels.
Crusaders second five-eighth Sonny Bill Williams will come up against a host of Springboks in the Stormers backline, in a match that could be last year’s newest All Black biggest test of his rugby career.
It’s Super Rugby’s game of the year – make no bones about that.
It’s fitting then that Richie McCaw returns to his familiar No 7 jersey for the first time this season for the Crusaders’ visit to the high-flying Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday . Game starts at 17:05.
Exactly what enables a team of no-hopers or perennial losers to turn things around? Continue reading
The MTN Lions will be playing the Toyota Cheetahs this Friday, 6 May 2011 at Coca-Cola Park. Kick off is at 7:10pm. The team was announced this afternoon and is: