The Sharks will be biting their nails about the fitness of steamrolling loose forward Willem Alberts for the next few days.
It seems Utility Back Conrad Hoffmann of Western province is heading to warmer waters. The Sharks are hoping to offer the young WP versatile player a new home at the tank in Durban.
A New Zealand view of the SARU spat with SANZAR
Once again South African rugby officials are spouting off and causing further cracks in an already strained relationship with the Australian and New Zealand Unions.
Springbok captain John Smit is as fit as he has ever been and he is not overweight. Those are the views of conditioning coach Neels Liebel, ahead of Saturday’s Test against the All Blacks.
Free State Cheetahs winger Lionel Mapoe faces an uncertain future after failing to return to Bloemfontein after losing his contractual dispute with his provincial team.
3 Of the Bulls Bokke contingent in the current Springbok squad are injured. Zane Kirchner, Dewald Potgieter and Danie Rossouw did not take part in general training today.
The Cheetahs have snapped up the signature of Emerging Springbok lock Wilhelm Steenkamp from the Blue Bulls.
The Vodacom Blue Bulls will need to find a new captain this week ahead of their tough encounter against Griqualand West in Friday night’s Absa Currie Cup action after Gary Botha was ruled out for four weeks with a medial knee ligament tear.
Saturday’s Tri-Nations Test at FNB Stadium will be the biggest rugby production in SuperSport history.
A New24 article
If rumours are to be believed, Rory Kockott will be playing for the Stormers / WP in 2011. Continue reading
Both Gary Botha and Derick Kuün are on the injury list after Saturday’s momentous clash against WP. Dewald Potgieter and Zane Kirshner are also injured in addition to being with the Springbok squad.
The Western Force has landed one of rugby’s most exciting young playmakers with New Zealand Maoris representative Willie Ripia heading to Western Australia for the next two Super rugby seasons.
Sydney – Australian dual rugby international Mat Rogers said on Monday he will retire at the end of the National Rugby League season after a 16-year playing career.
South African rugby is exploring the possibility of breaking away from their alliance with New Zealand and Australia as the SANZAR relationship is too strained.
Quade Cooper is to be offered a record deal to leave Rugby Union by NRL club Parramatta but it will mean that he will miss the 2011 Rugby World cup.
Cooper would also miss the upcoming Super 15 if he takes NRL offer.
Over the last month or so, a common discussion around pubs, braais and common folk have been the perceived rise of Stormers rugby and I thought a little investigation should give some perspective on whether this is a storm in a teacup, or the real deal. Continue reading
Springbok squad of 24 players has gathered in Johannesburg to prepare for the Vodacom Tri-Nations Test against New Zealand at FNB Stadium on Saturday.
Peter de Villiers will announce his team on Tuesday. In the meantime lets see who can get it closest. Pick your team and state in the post that that is YOUR FINAL team. I will sort the respective teams and see who understands Peter de Villiers’s thinking the most.
With his 100thTest looming on Saturday for John Smit i found this article by Mike Greenaway. What a place to reach this milestone. In front of the biggest Rugby crowd this century in South Africa. FNB Stadium will witness the Worlds most capped captain reaching his century.
For those who want Heynecke Meyer as Springbok coach , here is a article by Simnikiwe Xabanisa where Meyer reveals some of his rugby knowledge and thoughts.
No this question is not for Frans Steyn. It is for teams like the Crusaders and it might even apply to others right here in South Africa.
Has the New Zealand Rugby Union opened a can of worms with its Super 15 selection policy, and are the Crusaders getting greedy?
“Ek sal op die veld vir Suid-Afrika sterf.” 
Continue reading
Wallabies great Nick Farr-Jones believes the current All Blacks side is one of the best he’s ever seen.
Western Province retained their unbeaten Currie Cup record thanks to the unerring boot of flyhalf Willem de Waal who only just shaded his opposite number, Jacques-Louis Potgieter, as the Cape side ran out 15-12 victors at Newlands on Saturday evening. Continue reading
Article from the Sunday Times Live by SIMNIKIWE XABANISA
WP (6) 15 / Blue Bulls (3) 12 (Final Score)
Vodacom WP hosted the Blue Bulls at Newlands, Cape Town at 17:05 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the game. The match was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 on DSTV in SA.
In a very hard match, only penalties at goal decided the game, 5 by Willem de Waal and 4 by Jacques-Louis Potgieter.
Wp win by 15 / 12.
Rugby-Talk’s comments section is still open for ALL Visitors and Guests to comment… so go ahead, do your thing!
Commenting will revert back to Registered bloggers only tonight after the WP / Bulls match.
Lions (13) 30 / Cheetahs (9) 26 (Final Score)
The Xerox Lions hosted the Vodacom Free State Cheetahs at Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg at 15:00 SA Time. This is the match thread for discussion of the Game. The game was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 on DSTV in SA.
The Lions fought back hard, from behind, and scored with 2 minutes to go, to take a 4-point lead and win the match by 30 / 26.
Well done Lions.
Despite four crushing wins over the world’s second and third-best sides in the Tri-Nations, New Zealand will hold off tinkering with their squad until after their trip to South Africa, coach Graham Henry has said.
The weather was muggy, heavy and oppressive the mood in the Springbok camp morbid, heavy and oppressive and the two hour bus ride to Wanganui felt murderously long and oppressively uncomfortable. Unexpected and naughty humor from Hannes Marais lightened the day whose post test melancholy –worsened by hangovers of varying degrees of profundity- was deepened by the frigidity of the weather all over New Zealand. Continue reading
Match Report from News24
After suffering a 47-point loss to Western Province a week ago, Griquas got their campaign back on track.
Leopards (6) 6 / Sharks (32) 51 (Final Score)
The Platinum Leopards hosted the Sharks at Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg at 19:10 SA Time. This is the match htread for discussion of the game. The game was broadcast live on SuperSport 1 on DSTV in SA.
The Sharks won handsomely as expected, scoring 7 tries in the process and keeping the Leopards tryless.
One has to admire the Leopards though, they never lie down.
The Final Score is Sharks 51 / Leopards 6.
Ok, so on request of grootblousmile here is a thread where we ask you to submit your funniest jokes as a part of Rugby-Talk’s 1st B-Day. Continue reading
Hello friends,
A full year has passed since we started blogging on our home, www.rugby-talk.com
The year flew fast indeed.