SA triumphs in Sevens

The Springbok Sevens side beat England 19-12 to win the first leg of the series in Dubai.

Tries from Robert Ebersohn, Mpho Mbioyozo and then Gio Aplon made a silly pass once he was inside the English goal area to give a try to Ryno Benjamin...

What was he thinking?!

Well done to the SA side though - not a great day for England in general...

England and New Zealand name their lineups

England has named their side to take on the All Blacks and there are a couple of changes to the side that got smashed by the Springboks.

Cipriani (Or Capriati as Peter De Villiers is rumoured to have called him in a press interview) has been dropped to the bench but amazingly Sackey (who was a real liability in the Bok game) managed to keep his place....

England
15 Delon Armitage, 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Jamie Noon, 12 Riki Flutey, 11 Ugo Monye, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Danny Care, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Michael Lipman, 6 James Haskell, 5 Nick Kennedy, 4 Steve Borthwick (c), 3 Phil Vickery, 2 Lee Mears, 1 Tim Payne.

Subs: 16 Dylan Hartley, 17 Matt Stevens, 18 Tom Croft, 19 Tom Rees, 20 Harry Ellis, 21 Danny Cipriani, 22 Danny Hipkiss.


New Zealand have named a side that looks like it could run riot over England if they're given half a chance....

15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma’a Nonu, 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu; 10 Dan Carter, 9 Jimmy Cowan; 8 Rodney So’oialo, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 Jerome Kaino; 5 Ali Williams, 4 Brad Thorn; 3 Neemia Tialata, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.

Subs: 16 Hikawera Elliot, 17 John Afoa, 18 Anthony Boric, 19 Kieran Read, 20 Piri Weepu, 21 Stephen Donald, 22 Isaia Toeava.

2008 SA Rugby awards

SA rugby honoured its players of 2008, at a function in Midrand last night.

Jean De villiers scooped the big awards and I don't think you can argue with Ricky Januarie picking up the try of the year!

The full list of award winners is listed below:



SA Rugby Player of the Year
Winner: Jean de Villiers (Western Province)

Young Player of the Year
Winner: Robert Ebersohn (Free State Cheetahs)

Players’ Player of the Year
Winner: Jean de Villiers (Western Province)

Team of the Year
Winner: Sharks (Vodacom Super 14 team)
Also nominated: Leopards, Sharks (Absa Currie Cup team), Blue Bulls, Stormers.

Coach of the Year
Winner: John Plumtree (Sharks, Absa Currie Cup)

Super 14 Player of the Year
Winner: Ryan Kankowski (Sharks)

Absa Currie Cup Premier Division Player of the Year
Winner: Jean Deysel (Sharks)
Absa Currie Cup First Division Player of the Year
Winner: Kennedy Tsimba (Griffons).

Vodacom Cup Player of the Year
Winner: Burton Francis (Blue Bulls)

SuperSport Try of the Year
Winner: Ricky Januarie (SA v New Zealand, Dunedin)

Sevens Player of the Year
Renfred Deysel

SA Under-20 Player of the Year
Robert Ebersohn (Free State Cheetahs)

Women’s Player of the Year
Lorinda Brown (Eastern Province)

National Club Champs Player of the Tournament
Lola Waka (Pukke)

Refereeing Achievement of the Year
Mark Lawrence

Craven Week Player of the Tournament
Sampie Mastriet (Boland)

Ricky Januarie

With the 'end' of the 2008 rugby season, a lot of rugby pundits have looked back and pointed out that Adrian Jacobs has been the star 'find' of the season and a testament to the coachs' faith in the player.

Somebody who I don't think has received enough credit is Ricky Januarie.

If I look back on 2008, the only try I can remember is his chip and chase effort which sealed the first ever Bok win in the "House of Pain" in New Zealand.

Over the weekend, he was good against the English.

Ricky plays an interesting role in the Springbok side in that he has to play second fiddle to Fourie Du Preez. But to have a backup scrummie of his quality is great.

He is a nuggety player who loves to get stuck in and I reckon he gave Ricki Flutey something of a hard time over the weekend whenever the English scrumhalf tried to get some momentum.

His 'bombers' onto the hapless Paul Sackey were brilliant as well.

Ricky Januarie - Definately the underrated player of the season for me...

Boks trounce England

I don't particularly feel like doing the usual blogger piece rating the South African players but I would like to make some comments on this end of year tour and what the Boks took out of it.

The Springboks comfortably trounced a very average English side 42-6 yesterday at Twickenham yesterday.

Despite the scoreline - I doubt it will ever be remembered as a great Bok result, largely because it was a performance big on heart but hardly a structured game.

I think the highlight of the tour will be the image of lock Bakkies Botha ranging up from the midfield on a flying England fullback (Armitage) and half tackling him when a try looked like a certainty. For a big lock to cover that much ground, you have to appreciate the commitment.

While quite a few guys got to have a bit of a run for 10 - 20 minutes at the end of the tour, I'm not totally sure what we learnt. Here's what I think we take away:

- Jacques Fourie is dangerous from the moment he comes on to the field (Somewhere a space needs to be found)

- Adi Jacobs and Jean DeVilliers are brilliant in midfield

- John Smit can play tighthead

- "The Beast" has an enormous work rate and coud easily be the best number 1 in the game at the moment

But still some issues abound

- Why did Jannie Du Plessis get called up from SA (and start the English test match) when John Smit - the tighthead prop who can also play hooker - ,Brian Mujati and Chilliboy Rallepele were
the first choice players to tour.

- Why - when Earl Rose was identified as the tour number 2 flyhalf (and assuming Butch James is at the end of his career) - did Rose not get any game time?

- Not rotation - starting lineup wise - between Spies and Kankowski?

It was great to see Chilliboy get some game time in the last test match - it is important for SA rugby, but there still seems to be some issues about what exactly the tour achieved for SA rugby beyond running some tired, battered and bruised players through an 'experimental' touring side and then not experiement?

Lions Rugby Tour to SA - dates and venues

The tickets for the Lions rugby tour to SA are now on sale for the 2009 tour.

Below, please find the dates and venues:

May 30 v Highveld XV (Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace, Rustenburg)
June 3 v Golden Lions (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
June 6 v Cheetahs (Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein)
June 10 v Sharks (King’s Park, Durban)
June 13 v Western Province (Newlands, Cape Town)
June 16 v Coastal XV (Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth)
June 20 v South Africa (1st Test, King’s Park, Durban)
June 23 v Emerging Springboks (Newlands, Cape Town)
June 27 v South Africa (2nd test, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
July 4 v South Africa (3rd test, Ellis Park, Johannesburg)

A Lions tour has something special about it. Are you planning to watch the SA teams thump the tourists?

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Book a holiday in South Africa Click Here

WP referees recognise their achievers

he Western Province Rugby Referees’ Society recognised their super achievers for the 2008 season with Provincial Touch Judge Marc van Zyl walking away with the ultimate prize – the Referees’ Referee of the Year trophy, at the annual Awards Dinner on Thursday 30 October.

A representative from the Windmeul Rugby Football Club was on hand to receive the prestigious Referees’ Shield for Sportsmanship. This annual award is made to the club with the best disciplinary track record and Windmeul managed to play the entire season incurring only one yellow card infraction!

Other winners on the night were:

Regional awards
Bellville: Ivan Soloman
Paarl: Johnathan Oosthuizen
Stellenbosch: Francois van Wyk
Langa: Sinethemba Mrulwa
Wynberg: Francois Venter
Helderberg: Nathan Swartz

Most matches: Nathan Swartz

Highest bleep: Riaan Tolken – 13.6

Highest exam mark: Joey Salmans – 85%

League awards
Grade 4: Thembani Mkuku
Grade 3: Riaan Tolken
Grade 2: Nathan Swartz
Grade 1: Daniel Fortuin

Referee of the year: Joey Salmans

Most promising referee: Quinton Immelman

Most improved referee: Francois Groenewald

Referee Merit Award: Nathan Swartz

Referees are the unsung heroes in rugby – without their impartial service the game could not take place. If you’re interested in becoming the man in the middle why not give Ben Theron a call and find out more – go on, give it a try! 021 659 4502

Press release from Blue Bulls

The Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd is willing to negotiate with the Leicester Tigers regarding the future of the Vodacom Blue Bulls' and Vodacom Bulls' defence coach John McFarland.

The Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd confirms that McFarland handed in his resignation on 7 November but he is contracted till the end of 2010. His contract with the Bulls was renewed, on his request, for a further three years in 2007.

The Bulls do not want to lose one of the world's finest defence coaches and they will uphold the validity of the contract if necessary.

With this in mind the Bulls are willing to negotiate with Leicester Tigers, with whom they have a very good business relationship, on the condition that they receive a formal request for McFarland's services.

Until such a request is received McFarland is considered as being employed by the Bulls.

Mthunzi Mabeta

The Vodacom Blue Bulls' young lock Mthunzi "Fudge" Mabeta has been tested positive for the use of cannabis.

He tested positive on 11 October at Loftus Versveld after the under 21 semi-final against the Lions and will know his fate early in December.

Mabeta's legal representative Gerrie Swart said the case is sub judice and they are still negotiating with other parties whether Mabeta's second monster must also be tested.

If Mabeta's second monster is also positive he will have to appear before a disciplinary committee, but fortunately cannabis is not a performance enhancing drug and this will count heavily in the players' favour.

In the past rugby players who have been found guilty for the same offence were banned for three months.

Rugby Factory

The Rugby Factory is a 12 month practical course in the Rugby Industry developed by the Golden Lions and the University of Johannesburg. The course is designed especially for school leavers, students doing a gap year or anybody else serious about making rugby or sport a career.

The talented rugby player will be able to not only improve his physical condition but also his skill level as a result of specialized training sessions presented by well-known, high profile coaches and get a taste of life as a rugby professional.

Students will also acquire several other skills, such as rugby coaching, match officiating, sport event management, game analysis and even first aid or medical assistance. Although several similar programmes are available in South Africa and other countries we have confidence that our product is of a very high standard and very reasonably priced.

For further information visit: http://www.rugbyfactory.co.za/

Golden Lions Rugby coaches 2009

The Golden Lions Rugby Union has announced the appointment of the following coaches for 2009:

Super 14 Coaches:
Eugene Eloff Head Coach
Leon Boshoff Forwards Coach
Timmy Goodwin Coach in Training
Muhammed Moosa Manager

Vodacom Cup Coaches:
Wimpie Vermeulen Head Coach
Kaya Molatana Backline Coach
Marius Hurter Forwards Coach
Egmont Scheepers Manager

Under 21 Coaches:
Timmy Goodwin Head Coach
Kaya Molatana Backline Coach
Marius Hurter Forwards Coach
Egmont Scheepers Manager

Under 19 Coaches:
Hans Coetzee Head Coach
Bafana Mkhelo Backline Coach
Ian Macdonald Forwards Coach

Pretorius leaves the Lions for the Bulls

The Lions Rugby franchise has not been particularly good at talent retention in the last few years and I believe they have made a mistake selling Jaco Pretorius to the Blue Bulls.

(Most recently they sold off Ricky Janaurie and Conrad Jantjes two years back and bought Earl and Jody Rose into their squad).

In Louis Ludik and Jaco Pretorius, the Lions possessed two of the best utility backs in the country - two players that have regularly stood out despite indifferent performances from the rest of their squad.

To lose a player of Pretorius' calibre is going to be a big blow for the franchise in my opinion

Losing patience

I hate to say it but South African rugby fans are losing patience with the performances of the Bok side.

Before anyone starts on the race card - shut it - I'm a PDV fan, but something needs to change in the way the Boks are approaching this tour. Forget blaming the referees - this tour had the hallmark of a disinterested squad from before they left the SA shores.


You make controversial selections like Rose and Ralepele and you bring an exciting prospect like Nokwe through but don't utilise them against the tours weakest opposition?

Makes no sense to me.

I don't need to be told that Ruan Pienaar is a good rugby player - I've seen him play the game at the top level for the last three years and do so well. I DO however need to know that we have a 2nd or 3rd choice flyhalf (depending on what happens with Butch James) - whether it is Peter Grant, Frans Steyn or Earl Rose.

I DO need to know that Chilliboy is going to be the number two hooker and that Pierre Spies is the better choice number 8 than Ryan Kankowski.




Whether the players are interested or not after a long season of rugby is up for debate - especially when you look at the injuries being clocked up. Guthro Steenkamp, Fourie Du Preez and Bismarck Du Plessis are now all carrying knocks.

The players all have long hard Super 14 and Tri-Nations campaigns ahead of them, and if they (players and management) are going to approach this tour in what appears to be a disinterested frame of mind, then maybe the tour wasn't worth doing in the first place?

SA Rugby fans - are you planning a trip to the UK to watch the third and final test at Twickenham?

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Weekend international rugby

Supplied by the Sports Trader blog

It's a rugby filled weekend and while I think the results will probably be pretty predictable it might be interesting to take a look at some of the more exotic bets:

(Odds as supplied by Black Pearl Sports Betting)

England vs Australia (Australia to win)
1st scoring play
- Australia try (4/1)
- England try (9/2)

An Aussie try looks attractive

France vs. the Pacific Islanders
We've got France down to win comfortably and no exotics are offered here, pity we might have gone with a Pacific Islanders to score first though...

Ireland vs New Zealand (All Blacks to win)
First try scorers (Top 3)
Sitiveni Sivivatu - 12/1
Joe Rokocko - 12/1
Brian O'Driscoll - 12/1

Our preference is for All Black centre Conrad Smith quoted at 16/1

First scoring play we're going with a New Zealand try at 22/10

Italy vs. Argentina
I suspect Argentina will carry too much firepower for the Nick Mallett coached Italy, but the Italian side have been on the up since the South African took charge so watch their progress with interest.

The BIG game of the weekend is South Africa vs. Scotland.

Despite the Scots being at home, I can't see any way that the Boks will lose. Scotland are simply going to be outclassed on all fronts.

So I've turned my attention to a first try scorer and quoted some odds below:

Bryan Habana - 12/1
Jean De Villiers - 12/1
Adrian Jacobs - 18/1
Ruan Pienaar - 20/1
Ricky Januarie - 20/1
Pierre Spies - 22/1
Schalk Burger - 25/1
Juan Smith - 25/1
Bismarck du Plessis - 33/1
Beast Mtawarira - 40/1

Despite all the chatter about the backs running the Scots ragged, I'm favouring a try from a set piece / scrum. I think Ricky Januarie at 20/1 is attractive, but my gut is headed for Juan Smith or Beast Mtawarira

South Africans - Planning your rugby viewing for the European Tours, Super 14 and Tri-Nations?

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Planning?

I know that Keo has already touched on the subject so I don't want to replicate too many of their arguments, but I sometimes have to query the lack of planning that goes into the management and selection of players for the year end tour.

This year end tour has pitted the South African team against 5-Nations champions Wales, a very weak Scotland and then a so-so English side.

The 'A' team played against Wales and achieved a battling 20-15 win - the narrowness of which I think has spooked SA coach Pieter Devilliers not to experiment in the Scotland game this weekend.

That means that guys like Earl Rose, Jongi Nokwe and Chilliboy Ralelepele have basically gone on the tour as baggage boys. Yeah they might learn a bit on the tour, but they are not going to get game time, which the tour was actually supposed to provide them with.

Ralepele in particular needs to run on at least once.

Nokwe - we know he is a classy winger and he certainly wouldn't weaken the Bok side in a match up against a relatively weak Scotland.

Rose - well if he was picked as such a controversial selection - then why is he not going to get the game time after being thrust into the spotlight?

Unconvincing performance from the Springboks

The Springboks were less than convincing in putting away the Welsh side 20-15 yesterday afternoon.

A win is a win I guess, especially we were experimenting around our flyhalf, but I would have expected them to be somewhat more clinical in putting the Welsh away, especially after achieving such a big lead....

Gonna have to up our game if we're planning to put England away in the coming weeks...