Super Rugby
Reports that Sharks and Springbok utility back Frans Steyn is set to play in Japan after this year’s Super Rugby competition should be seen as a win-win situation.
Local media and even a pay-TV station speculated about the reported move on Friday, but the facts appear to be fuzzy and even squishy.
The Rebels may be able to call upon the services of prop Toby Smith against the Hurricanes this week, but will be without scrumhalf Nic Stirzaker.
Reds prop James Slipper and Highlanders hooker Brayden Mitchell were both handed three-week bans for spear tackles at the weekend.
Kane Douglas is understood to have agreed to a two-year deal with Leinster that would rule him out of contention for the 2015 World Cup.
The 14-Test cap Wallaby locks omission from the World Cup squad due to the Australian’s policy to not pick foreign based players would be a massive blow according to his Warartahs team mates.
The Blues have suffered a double blow in their midfield as both Francis Saili and Jackson Willison have been sidelined for extended periods of time.
Bulls (9) 26 / 21 (18) Cheetahs (Final Score)
The Vodacom Bulls and Toyota Cheetahs did battle in Super Rugby at
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria at 17:05 SA Time (15:05 GMT).
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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Stormers (19) 29 / 28 (14) Highlanders (Final Score)
The DHL Stormers and Highlanders did battle in Super Rugby at
Newlands, Cape Town at 15:00 SA Time (13:00 GMT, 01:00 Sunday NZ 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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Waratahs (24) 39 / 30 (24) Hurricanes (Final Score)
The Waratahs and Hurricanes did battle in Super Rugby at
Allianz Stadium, Sydney at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 AEST, 21:40 NZ Time, 09:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
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Chiefs (19) 38 / 8 (3) Lions (Final Score)
The Chiefs and Lions did battle in Super Rugby at
Waikato Stadium, Hamilton at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 07:35 GMT).
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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Crusaders (22) 40 / 20 (6) Brumbies (Final Score)
The Crusaders and Brumbies did battle in Super Rugby at
AMI Stadium, Christchurch at 06:35 SA Time (16:35 NZ Time, 14:35 AEST, 04:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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Rebels (6) 16 / 22 (15) Sharks (Final Score)
The Melbourne Rebels and Cell C Sharks did battle in Super Rugby at
AAMI Park, Melbourne at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 AEST, 09:40 GMT).
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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Blues (20) 44 / 14 (0) Reds (Final Score)
The Blues and Reds did battle in Super Rugby at
Eden Park, Auckland at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 17:35 AEST, 07:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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With the announcement of the re-shaping of the Super Rugby, the competition looks likely to expand outside the Southern Hemisphere and could potentially lay the groundwork for a global competition.
The new format already includes a team from Argentina, but there is also talk of including a team from Asia, Europe or even North America in a bid to expand the competition globally.
The reaction from the South African camp is seemingly positive with South African Rugby Union CEO Jurie Roux saying the evolution of the competition ‘ticks all the boxes.’
It is Round 12 of Super Rugby 2014 this weekend! We have 7 games in Round 12, with 2 games on Friday and 5 games on Saturday.
The Western Force have a bye weekend.
In June / July 2014 the Antipodian teams will catch up in played games with the South African counterparts, when the South African sides sit out for 1 Round.
The Combined Log will therefore be skewed for the majority of the competition and one has to question why individual countries are allowed to start such a long competition ahead of it’s rivals. In 2013 the Australian sides started a week early, but at least they had the excuse that they needed an extra week in the middle of the year to prepare for the British & Irish Lions series, which they lost.
Two players are set to clock up 50 matches for the Hurricanes when the team takes on the Waratahs in Sydney on Saturday.
James Broadhurst and Julian Savea will achieve the milestone when they both run on in the Hurricanes’ starting line-up in this Round 12 Super Rugby encounter.
The Brumbies have made just one change to the matchday squad ahead of the Super Rugby crunch encounter with the Crusaders.
Ruaidhri Murphy comes onto the bench for JP Smith ahead of Saturday’s trip to Christchurch.
All Black captain Richie McCaw will make his long-awaited return to the playing field against the Brumbies in Christchurch on Saturday.
Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder named a team that shows five changes to the starting fifteen that beat the Chiefs two weeks ago.
McCaw has recovered from his fractured thumb to return to the starting line-up.
The Chiefs made 14 changes (9 to the starting 15) to their team to play the Lions at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton on Saturday.
All Blacks prop Owen Franks has signed on to stay with New Zealand beyond next year’s Rugby World Cup and through to the 2017 British and Irish Lions tour, officials said on Thursday.
London Irish have signed flyhalf Chris Noakes from Super Rugby franchise, the Blues, on a two-year contract, the English Premiership side announced Thursday.
The 28-year-old, who has also appeared for the Highlanders, is eligible to play for England.
The Queensland Reds have rushed Liam Gill back into the starting side for Friday’s Super Rugby clash against the Blues after five trying weeks without the talented Wallabies flanker.
The Reds’ play-offs hopes were all but extinguished by the Hurricanes on Saturday, but a win at Eden Park would see the 2011 champions restore some badly needed credibility and ease the pressure on under-fire coach Richard Graham.
Cheetahs coach Naka Drotské has included two Springboks on his replacement bench in an otherwise unchanged line up for his side’s Super Rugby encounter against the Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday.
Springbok flyhalf Johan Goosen and Bok prop Coenie Oosthuizen have both been cleared to play after recovering from injuries. Goosen was sidelined for a couple of weeks with concussion, while Oosthuizen has finally recovered from a lengthy neck injury he sustained during the Cheetahs’ overseas tour to Australasia.
Vodacom Bulls coach Frans Ludeke tweaked his backline with a new midfield combination for their Vodacom Super Rugby match against the Toyota Cheetahs and changed his front row, but stuck with almost the same match 23 that came up short against the Force in Perth last weekend.
Ludeke included Junior World Cup winning players William Small-Smith and Handre Pollard in the starting team for the first time this season and also gave prop Marcel van der Merwe a first start for the match at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Jake White has announced his team to take on the Melbourne Rebels on their 1st game of their Antipodian tour.
Frans Steyn is selected at flyhalf, with Fred Zeilinga on the bench and Tim Swiel falling out of the match-day 23.
DHL Stormers head coach Allister Coetzee has made four changes ahead of Saturday afternoon’s Vodacom Super Rugby home clash against the Highlanders.
Super Rugby is poised to move forward with a four-conference model in 2016 – with two based in South Africa.
Australian Rugby Union boss Bill Pulver has revealed the announcement of an expanded and restructured model to take to broadcasters is only a fortnight away.
Lions Head Coach Johann Ackermann has anounced a side that includes a plethora of backline changes from that defeated by the Stormers to take on the Chiefs this weekend.
Elton Jantjies returns at the expense of the tounaments leading points scorer, Marnitz Boshoff, who drops to the bench and in the forwards Warren Whiteley returns to captain the side.
The Waratahs have named a team with several changes to the one that lost to the Blues in Auckland for this week’s Super Rugby match against the Hurricanes.
The Waratahs host the Hurricanes who are Super Rugby’s form team currently as they have won their last four matches and now top the New Zealand Conference.
Inspirational No 8 Wycliff Palu returns for the match at Allianz Stadium this Saturday in which the Waratahs say that they are determined to keep their 100% Allianz Stadium 2014 record alive and record their first win over the Hurricanes since 2010.
“We are aiming for consistency every week and will be looking to fix up our handling errors and our commitment to detail in finishing off the chances we make,” said assistant coach Nathan Grey.
SANZAR has released the names of the Match Officials for Round 12 of Super Rugby 2014.
Nick Briant starts the weekend action on Friday in Auckland when the Blues host the Reds.
This weekend sees 7 matches, with 2 on Friday and 5 on Saturday.
The Western Force have a BYE weekend, ahead of their tour of South Africa.
The Toyota Cheetahs delivered their best performance of the Vodacom Super Rugby season when they won comfortably against the DHL Stormers in an exciting local derby, but the Vodacom Bulls and Cell C Sharks were kept try-less as they ended up on the losing side in Round 11.
The team from Central South Africa and the Capetonians were involved in an thrilling derby where the most tries were scored this season. The Toyota Cheetahs won this encounter in Bloemfontein on Saturday afternoon by 35-22, outscoring the visitors by five tries to three.
It was the most tries scored against the DHL Stormers in a local derby since the Cell C Sharks and Vodacom Bulls put five and seven respectively past them in 2007.
Earlier on Saturday, the Vodacom Bulls had to battle the elements and Sias Ebersohn’s boot in Perth. The Force beat the visitors from Pretoria by 15-9 in a kick-fest where no tries were scored.
Gareth Anscombe has become hot property recently with coaches from Wales and New Zealand hinting that they would like to secure the play-makers signature.
Anscombe, who is currently contracted to the Chiefs for Super Rugby – but only until the end of the season – is on the Blues, Cardiff Blues, New Zealand and Wales international team’s wish list.
Rebels lock Hugh Pyle says his side must muscle-up and top the Sharks’ physicality if they are to emerge victorious when they meet in Melbourne on Friday.
The Sharks are recognised for having one of the most physical forward packs in Super Rugby, and Pyle knows that the Rebels need to bring the physicality when they take on the combined conference leaders.
Waratahs Head Coach Michael Cheika has pleaded guilty to Misconduct relating to an incident that occurred during the Sharks v Waratahs match played at Growthpoint KINGS PARK on 29 March 2014.
In a hearing conducted by SANZAR Judicial Officer Nigel Hampton QC (New Zealand), Mr Cheika was found to have breached Section 8.3 (i) of the SANZAR Code of Conduct by verbally abusing a cameraman.
“All persons shall not use crude, insulting or abusive language or gestures towards Match Officials, spectators or any other persons involved with the running of a Match.”
The Judicial Officer suspended Mr Cheika from involvement of any kind in all forms of rugby at any level for a period of 6 months, suspended until 31 August 2015, a ban that would be triggered by a subsequent proven breach of the applicable Code of Conduct.
Sharks coach Jake White believes 4 wins from 4 on their Australasian tour is a realistic goal to aim for.
White’s charges will be eager to get back to winning ways when they face the Melbourne Rebels on Friday, especially after coming badly unstuck in their last game – a 34-18 home loss to the Highlanders.
Versatile Stormers forward Deon Fourie could further his career at French club Lyon.