Archive for January, 2008

50th Birthday of the LEGO Brick

January 31, 2008
Posted by Deon

Thursday evening and time to switch off the rugby abit.
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Posted in Brannasnacht | 97 Comments »

Stormers join Cobras in charity drive

January 31, 2008
Posted by Deon

The Nashua Cape Cobras and Vodacom Stormers will compete to see who will sell the most magazines – the cricketers or the rugby players – in a bid to raise money for The Big Issue vendors in a once-off showdown.
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Posted in General Discussions, Super 14 | 3 Comments »

Slaptjips to help Bulls

January 31, 2008
Posted by Deon

The Bulls management has just released the following media statement.
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Posted in Super 14 | 22 Comments »

Eloff puts Van Niekerk on ice

January 31, 2008
Posted by Deon

Springbok loose forward Joe van Niekerk has been put on ice and will not feature in any of the Lions’ pre-season matches, but he will be available for the opening round of the Super 14 competition.
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Posted in Super 14 | 14 Comments »

Should I stay, or should I go

January 31, 2008
Posted by Morné

I have actually lost track of how many individuals will leave, or have already left our shores.
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Posted in Columnists | 76 Comments »

Bigger field for SARU clown

January 31, 2008
Posted by Deon

The expected two-man race for the presidency of the South African Rugby Union may develop into a bigger field before nominations close on March 8.
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Posted in Rugby Administration | 7 Comments »

Sharks centre can’t wait to get out there

January 31, 2008
Posted by Deon

Sharks centre Bradley Barritt says that the waiting is over and the coastal franchise are raring to get on the park on Friday night when they play their first warm up game of the season against the Central Cheetahs at Vodacom Park in Bloemfontein.
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Posted in Super 14 | 20 Comments »

Hendro & Bevan back in March

January 31, 2008
Posted by Deon

Injured Cheetahs stars Hendro Scholtz (knee) and Bevin Fortuin (hip) are recovering faster than expected and according to coach Naka Drotské should be available for Super 14 selection by March.
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Posted in Super 14 | 8 Comments »

Richie McCaw channels World Cup hurt for Super 14 start

January 31, 2008
Posted by Deon

ALL Blacks captain Richie McCaw has a deep-seated desire to make amends for last year’s early Rugby World Cup exit – starting in Saturday night’s trial against Western Force in Melbourne.
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Posted in Super 14 | 10 Comments »

Support for rugby revamp

January 31, 2008
Posted by Deon

Players and administrators have backed John O’Neill’s call for urgent change to save Australian rugby from collapse, acknowledging the need for “realities” to be addressed in the game.
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Posted in Rugby Administration | 3 Comments »

SA rugby inspiration to the world

January 31, 2008
Posted by Deon

International Rugby Board (IRB) chairperson Bernard Lapasset says South African rugby needs to remain strong for the benefit of the game not only in Africa, but worldwide.
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Posted in Rugby Administration | 8 Comments »

Surprises in SA u/20 squad

January 30, 2008
Posted by Deon

South African Under-20 coach, Eric Sauls, sprung a few surprises in his final training group of 38 for the Under-20 World Championships in Wales in June, with the omission of Bulls Super 14 squad scrumhalf Francois Hougaard, possibly the greatest shock of all.
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Posted in Other Unions / Teams | 4 Comments »

Us, All Blacks ink deal

January 30, 2008
Posted by Deon

USA Rugby and the New Zealand Rugby Union have signed a five-year agreement on Tuesday to promote rugby in America, including the possibility of high profile matches on US soil.
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Posted in International Teams, Rugby Administration | 10 Comments »

De Villiers won’t talk to overseas players yet

January 30, 2008
Posted by Deon

Springboks coach Peter de Villiers insisted on Monday that he will not be talking to any South African players based at European clubs when he undertakes a fact-finding mission to the continent next month.
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Posted in Springbok Team Analysis | 1 Comment »

Bulls must forget Matfield

January 30, 2008
Posted by Deon

Springbok lock forward Victor Matfield is almost certain to play no Super 14 rugby this year.
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Posted in Super 14 | 6 Comments »

Sevens ideal stepping stone

January 30, 2008
Posted by Deon

Following the appointment of Springbok coach Peter de Villiers, the players in the national Sevens squad want to use the International Rugby Board’s Sevens circuit as a platform to later progress to Super 14 rugby and the Springbok 15-man squad.
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Posted in IRB Sevens, Rugby Administration, Springbok Team Analysis | 10 Comments »

O’Neill worried about unhealthy Australian rugby

January 30, 2008
Posted by Deon

Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O’Neill has warned there needed to be significant and radical changes made to the game locally otherwise it ran the risk of falling into a irreversible decline.
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Posted in Rugby Administration | 16 Comments »

No place for Tait

January 30, 2008
Posted by Deon

The inclusion of uncapped number eight Luke Narraway was the big surprise when Brian Ashton named his team to play Wales on Tuesday but it was the absence of Mathew Tait that was the main talking point.
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Posted in International Teams | Comments Off

‘Mankini’s’ not welcome in NZ

January 29, 2008
Posted by Deon

Rugby may be a man’s game, but there is no place for the luminous “mankini” at the stadium, New Zealand police said on Tuesday, provoking howls of protest from fans of the skimpy swimsuit.
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Posted in RuggaWorld Humour | 3 Comments »

One last fling for Ackermann

January 29, 2008
Posted by Deon

Veteran Springbok lock Johan Ackermann confirmed on Tuesday that he would come out of retirement to be on standby at the Sharktank for the opening month of the Super 14 – after giving the matter some serious thought this past week.
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Posted in Super 14 | 3 Comments »

Bok coach visits Sharks

January 29, 2008
Posted by KSA Shark ©

Monday evening the Sharks had a visitor at their practice. Sitting under one of the trees on the Kings Park outer fields shielded from the intermittent drizzle was none other than Springbok coach Pieter de Villiers and SA Rugby manger of teams Andy Marinos, who were both casting their eyes over the Sharks’ training...
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Posted in Rugby Administration, Super 14 | 17 Comments »

Lions Tour 2009: The Time is NOW

January 29, 2008
Posted by KSA Shark ©

Have you ever dreamt of witnessing one of the biggest Rugby events in the world? Well here is your chance.
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Posted in British & Irish Lions Tour 2009 | 5 Comments »

Ferreira denies voting deal

January 29, 2008
Posted by KSA Shark ©

The president of the Golden Lions Rugby Union, Professor Jannie Ferreira, has denied he made a deal regarding a position at SA Rugby during the appointment of the new national rugby coach.
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Posted in Rugby Administration | 1 Comment »

ARU Facing uphill battle

January 29, 2008
Posted by KSA Shark ©

The tight financial constraints under which the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) is currently operating will make it substantially harder for players like Rocky Elsom and Wycliff Palu to stay loyal to their country.
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Posted in General Discussions | Comments Off

Bok coach: Adapt and attack

January 29, 2008
Posted by KSA Shark ©

South African players will have to adapt quickly to the changes in the rugby laws or they will struggle in the Super 14 competition, says new Springbok coach Peter de Villiers.
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Posted in General Discussions | 1 Comment »

Wales confirm Springbok Tests

January 29, 2008
Posted by Rasputin

Wales will play two internationals against world champions South Africa in June, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) announced here on Monday.
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Posted in Incoming Tours | 14 Comments »

Johnson shines in Cheetah trials.

January 29, 2008
Posted by KSA Shark ©

Cheetahs coach Naka Drotské may be no closer to an answer for his fly-half poser, but he may have unearthed a real gem at hooker.
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Posted in Super 14 | 270 Comments »

Deans Happy with experimental laws.

January 29, 2008
Posted by KSA Shark ©

Crusaders and Wallabies coach Robbie Deans is enthusiastic about rugby’s rule changes, but says they weren’t entirely responsible for the high scoring rate in the Crusaders’ 55-33 win over the Hurricanes on Friday.
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Posted in Laws and Technical Issues | 2 Comments »