A number of off-field incidents dominated the last three tour matches and turned the NZ public –being very positive, even sympathetic, up to this stage- against the touring Springboks. The most significant of these incidents was a very ill timed announcement by Dr. Verwoerd that Maori’s will not be welcome as part of the envisioned 1967 All Black tour to South Africa.
This was big news and the New Zealand media went ballistic. Danie Craven was in the center of it trying to blow out fires and to calm the emotions; stemming the accumulating negativity towards South African rugby. Continue reading
Blue Bulls (6) 24 / Lions (6) 21 (Final Score)
The Blue Bulls hosted the Lions at Loftus, Pretoria at 17:05 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, M-Net and SuperSport HD in SA.
The Bulls squeeked a win by 3 points whilst Jacques-Louis Potgieter was off with a yellow and the Lions coming back strongly.
Sharks (18) 30 / Cheetahs (9) 16 (Final Score)
The Sharks hosted the Cheetahs at ABSA Stadium, Durban at 15:00 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1, M-Net and SuperSport HD in SA.
The Sharks extended their lead on the Currie Cup Log with this bonus point win, whereas the Cheetahs were prevented from scoring any Log points.
South African Rugby Boss Oregan Hoskins has called for calm amid widespread calls for Springboks coach Peter de Villiers to be sacked.
Griquas left it late, with Riaan Viljoen scoring the second of his tries two minutes from time, to secure his side a fortuitous 29-20 win over the Leopards on Friday.
Western Province have sent out ample confirmation that their three match mid-season slump is now well behind them as they hammered the Pumas 62-10 in a one-sided Absa Currie Cup match at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on Friday night.
Pumas (3) 10 / WP (27) 62 (Final Score)
The Pumas hosted WP at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit at 19:10 SA Time on Friday 17 September. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The game was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 on DSTV in SA.
WP ran in 8 tries, all of which were converted by Willem de Waal (5) and Gary van Aswegen (3)a gainst the solitary try by Elgar Watts of the Pumas.
The Pumas tried hard but came up against a WP side who were doing everything at blistering pace and who were in the mood for blood.
ABSA, one of the South African Rugby Union’s (SARU) biggest sponsors, are upset over several of the predominantly white teams in the Currie Cup.
The Blue Bulls, Lions and Western Province are apparently willing to splash the cash to sign Springbok wing Bjorn Basson from Griquas.
It looks like Joe Rokocoko has sewn up one of the wing spots for next year’s Rugby World Cup, with the Aucklander on Friday committing to stay in New Zealand until the end of next year.
Canterbury Rugby Football Union Chief Executive Hamish Riach has announced that the Canterbury v Wellington ITM Cup match at AMI Stadium next Saturday afternoon will be free admission.
The following matches will be broadcast this weekend:
This weekend we see the following 4 matches:
| 17 | GWK Griquas | v | Platinum Leopards | GWK Park, Kimberley | 19:00 |
| 17 | Pumas | v | Vodacom Western Province | Puma Stadium, Witbank | 19:10 |
| 18 | Sharks | v | Vodacom Free State Cheetahs | The Absa Stadium Durban | 15:00 |
| 18 | Vodacom Blue Bulls | v | Xerox Lions | Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria | 17:05 |
The two most interesting clashes both take place on Saturday 18 September, those between the Sharks and Cheetahs and the Blue Bulls against the Lions.
Xerox Lions coach John Mitchell came out in support of Springbok assistant coach Dick Muir attributing the recent successes of his team to Muir’s planning. Continue reading
Earl and Jody Rose are set to sign for an overseas club because of the lack of interest and opportunities in South Africa.
Here are the team sheets for this weekend’s Currie Cup Premier Division action, all have been announced.
Springbok rugby fans can look forward to a mid-morning World Cup after the International Rugby Board released the kick-off times for next year’s World Cup in New Zealand.
The Boks will need to get used to playing night games, as most of their pool matches have been scheduled for a late (in South African terms) 8:30pm kick-off.
Having had a look at the new look Super 15 schedule for 2011 and reviewing the results of this year’s Tri-Nations and going back all the way to the End Of Year Tour last November it is becoming increasingly clear that our top rugby players are playing way too much rugby. Injuries have also taken it’ s toll on a number of Springboks and a few had to take care of long standing injuries such as Fourie Du Preez with his shoulder. Continue reading
The likely absence of Butch James could open the door to a Springbok return for Peter Grant at flyhalf on the Grand Slam tour at the end of the year.
The fourth Bledisloe Cup Test between New Zealand and Australia will go ahead in Hong Kong next month despite sluggish ticket sales, both teams said on Wednesday.
The Vodacom Bulls and Vodacom Blue Bulls have secured the services of their world class number eight, Pierre Spies, till October 2012.
Vodacom Blue Bulls coach Frans Ludeke named an unchanged side for Saturday’s vital Absa Currie Cup clash against the Lions at Loftus Versfeld.
Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske has announced the team to play the Sharks in a very important match this weekend. Continue reading
Mmmm, where have we heard these lies before?
According to SARU, the Absa Currie Cup remains the top priority for the South African Rugby Union and it will never be allowed to be “watered-down” by any other competition.
This is the message from the chairperson of SARU’s Executive Committee, Dr Jan Marais, who also rejected claims in some quarters that SARU was killing off the Currie Cup in a deal that only favoured Australia.
The bulk of the All Blacks squad have been made available to play in the NPC over the coming weeks, before New Zealand’s end of year tour to Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The Super 15 can be tantamount to a SANZAR suicide if players from South Africa, New Zealand and Australia are not managed carefully to enable them to perform optimally at next year’s World Cup.
A former Loftus Versfeld hero will make his make his return to Currie Cup rugby on the field in a Lions jersey on Saturday.
Former Harlequins physiotherapist who admitted to five instances of faking blood injuries in rugby matches has been stripped of his license.
Here goes, this is how I (Biltongbek) would break up the year. Continue reading
Bath Rugby have confirmed that Butch James has undergone surgery to stabilise his right shoulder, and is expected to be back in November.
Vodacom WP coach Allister Coetzee today announced his team to take on the Pumas at the Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit, on Friday 17 September 2010. Kick-off is at 19h10.
Tue, 14 Sep 2010 8:45 (courtesy of iafrica.com)
Forgotten Springbok Earl Rose could pay dearly for the potentially fatal decision to turn down an offer to play Currie Cup rugby with the Leopards. Continue reading
How do we ensure South African rugby can still put forward a quality domestic competition to guarantee the long term survival of the game in this country? Continue reading
So for all intents and purposes the Currie Cup as we know it will be gone in the near future thanks to the new Super rugby format. Questions will now be asked whether this is a good or bad thing, and whether SA Rugby must now explore alternative options to ensure our feeder systems stay in place. Continue reading
I read this article earlier today on another Rugby website. We haven’t had a similar article yet unless I missed it. Read the awards and comment below if you differ from their views.