The Brumbies (one of our picks for the Super 14 this year) are being given some coverage on the Green and Gold rugby blog:
http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/bumbies_2009_super14_preview
There is also a written update on how they performed against the Hurricanes where they won 28-14 in a trial game. Check out the details here...
http://www.super14.com/news/viewarticle.asp?id=17959
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Canterbury SA placed into liquidation
A combination of the financial crisis and some serious financial irregularities have nailed Canterbury in South Africa with the business about to be placed into liquidation.
Canterbury SA is represented by Fifth Element Marketing (Pty) Ltd - a clothing design and wholesale business which owns fashion and sportswear supplier Canterbury International SA (Pty) Ltd and surf wear and fashion brand, O'Neill SA.
Canterbury supplies a number of the Super 14 Jerseys as well as the Springbok jerseys.
Initial reports are that the Super 14 teams and the Bok jerseys will be supplied for 2009, but hell it is disappointing to read about something like this... Not the way for SA to kick off its rugby season...
We'll keep you up to date with other developments here but in the mean time please check out the business story here.
Canterbury SA is represented by Fifth Element Marketing (Pty) Ltd - a clothing design and wholesale business which owns fashion and sportswear supplier Canterbury International SA (Pty) Ltd and surf wear and fashion brand, O'Neill SA.
Canterbury supplies a number of the Super 14 Jerseys as well as the Springbok jerseys.
Initial reports are that the Super 14 teams and the Bok jerseys will be supplied for 2009, but hell it is disappointing to read about something like this... Not the way for SA to kick off its rugby season...
We'll keep you up to date with other developments here but in the mean time please check out the business story here.
Doping in sport seminar
Andreea Răducan, a world renowned Romanian gymnast made headlines in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games when she was stripped of her gold medal shortly after the Olympics concluded. It was later revealed that she tested positive for pseudo-ephedrine.
Austell Laboratories will be hosting a series of seminars to discuss the topic of inadverdant doping in sport in South Africa. Find out more information here.
Austell Laboratories will be hosting a series of seminars to discuss the topic of inadverdant doping in sport in South Africa. Find out more information here.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Nick Koster and the positional debate
I see an interesting debate has emerged on Keo.co.za around the management of WP and Stormers loose forward Nick Koster and I thought it might be interesting to get a bit of feedback from other rugby coaches...
The topic is moving a player out of their favoured position to
A) Make space to accommodate their skills
B) Remoulding of a player
For those who don't know, Koster is a highly rated young loose forward. He made a big impact in the limited time he hit the turf for WP in 2008 and a lot is being expected of him in the Super 14 and Currie Cup this year.
The debate now comes up in that Stormers coach Rassie Erasmus has decided to run Koster on the wing during training and people are questioning whether he should be left to mature as a loosie or play a dual role of loose forward and wing.
Kabamba Floors and Ruan Pienaar are two other South African players who have been shuffled around their respective sides with mixed success in the last few years.
Floors played the odd game at wing while being a traditional loose forward while Pienaar was such a good natural ball player that he was shifted around the Sharks (and Springbok) backlines as a wing, scrumhalf, flyhalf and fullback.
The question is - is the player being handicapped by being played out of a position or is he simply a new breed of player being able to move seamlessly between the forward group and the backline?
The topic is moving a player out of their favoured position to
A) Make space to accommodate their skills
B) Remoulding of a player
For those who don't know, Koster is a highly rated young loose forward. He made a big impact in the limited time he hit the turf for WP in 2008 and a lot is being expected of him in the Super 14 and Currie Cup this year.
The debate now comes up in that Stormers coach Rassie Erasmus has decided to run Koster on the wing during training and people are questioning whether he should be left to mature as a loosie or play a dual role of loose forward and wing.
Kabamba Floors and Ruan Pienaar are two other South African players who have been shuffled around their respective sides with mixed success in the last few years.
Floors played the odd game at wing while being a traditional loose forward while Pienaar was such a good natural ball player that he was shifted around the Sharks (and Springbok) backlines as a wing, scrumhalf, flyhalf and fullback.
The question is - is the player being handicapped by being played out of a position or is he simply a new breed of player being able to move seamlessly between the forward group and the backline?
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Fast-tracking the development of young rugby players in the four "esses" - size, strength, speed and skill
Author: Bruce Ross, CEO, MyoQuip Pty Ltd (November 2008)
A two-year program of accelerating the physical and skill development of young players at Sydney University has returned big dividends.
Within days of losing the 2006 First Colts Grand Final due to being out-muscled at the breakdown, University coach Nick Ryan met with his team and together they made a pact to never again be pushed off the ball. The players allowed themselves a mere three weeks break before getting back into training for the 2007 season at a level of intensity not seen before in Sydney club rugby. The off-season training regimen consisted of 4 weights sessions and 3 field sessions per week, switching to 3 weights and 2 to 3 field sessions during the playing season plus regular individual video analysis and field sessions with the coach.
The central ingredient of the training has been the strength and conditioning components devised by Martin Harland and administered by him and his assistant, Tim Leahy. "I guess we have two training tenets" Harland explains, "that is to always train hard and to train hard in the right areas. Thus developing the culture of no short cuts and to attend to the things in a prioritized plan from what we lack the most or what will help us the most on the park." Harland's programs for rugby players place a high degree of emphasis on basic strength development, increased bodyweight and speed. At the same time, given the year-round training commitment, great care is taken to guard against player burnout.
"We are consistently monitoring signs of overtraining," says Leahy. "Our in-season training structure does differ from our pre-season regime. The two key factors that help us guard against overtraining and player burnout is to firstly ensure our players are educated and understand the importance of post-game recovery strategies.
"Secondly a close working relationship with coaching staff to ensure on field and gym volumes are of an optimal load. All variables as well as player’s subjective observation of energy, fatigue levels and contra indicators to injury are taken into account when prescribing volumes."
With a strong strength and fitness foundation laid, Nick Ryan and his team coaches are free to focus on technical proficiency and team cohesion. "The aim of our training sessions," says Ryan "is to up-skill and empower the players, so that when they take the field not only can they read the game and make the right decisions, but then execute and finish off the activity with the help of team mates who are on a similar skill level and wave length." The payoff in terms of enhanced performance from the integration of strength and rugby coaching has been dramatic.
In the 2007 season University First Colts lost just one game out of 25 in winning both Minor and Major Premierships. Seconds and Under-19 Colts also won both Minor and Major awards. The dramatic improvement in the physical development of players can be seen from the Table below. As compared with the 2006 First Colts team, the 2007 forward pack's average bodyweight increased 5kg to 104.3kg; the backs 5.8kg to 86.2kg; and the team as a whole 5.3kg to 95.8kg.
The second year of intensive training produced even more impressive results. In the 2008 season all three Colts grades won both Minor and Major Premierships, with First Colts remaining undefeated throughout their 24-game season. Despite the age limit for Colts having dropped from Under-21 to Under-20, players' bodyweights again increased by 0.2kg for the forwards; 2.8kg for the backs; and 1.5kg overall.
"physical domination ... has enabled us to build a very strong defensive wall and to implement a highly structured game plan which we can maintain for the full 80 minutes."
To put the 2008 figures in perspective the Table also shows the bodyweights of the best professional rugby players in Australia, the current Wallabies squad. They outweigh this club-level Under-20 team by just 6kg per man in the forwards and 4.4kg in the backs. And this team of university students is currently on an unbroken 34-game winning streak! It is almost time for the administrators of Australian rugby to recognise and to take seriously the great experiment that is going on in their own backyard.
Colts coach Nick Ryan has the extraordinary record of taking his team to the Grand Final in each of the 7 years he has coached; with his only loss the 4 point defeat in 2006. He says, " A very important outcome from the intensive training regime of the past 2 years has been our ability to achieve physical domination in matches. This has enabled us to build a very strong defensive wall and to implement a highly structured game plan which we can maintain for the full 80 minutes." As with the weight training, Ryan ensures that the field sessions are short and frequently varied, with the emphasis on having his team peak on Grand Final day in September. He certainly achieved this in 2008 with the winning scoreline 39-5.
In the regular season in 2008 Ryan's team averaged a 40-point winning margin and conceded only 8 points per game. Seconds and Thirds Colts also conceded just 8 and 5 points respectively per game.
A distinctive feature of the Sydney University rugby program has been its reliance on the MyoQuip range of strength building equipment. For the past four years the University gymnasium has been the primary development site for these machines. Not surprisingly MyoQuip's ScrumTruk and Hipnee Thrust* have been extensively used for lower body strength development. Martin Harland says, "These two lower limb extensor machines have been integral to training a wide cross-section of athletes in different sports at the University. In rugby they enable us to reduce the deleterious effects of heavy lower leg extensor exercises and on-field running loads. Traditional heavy squats & deadlifts are great for strength and size but are only moderately compatible with higher running loads for field or court sports. and incompatible with a sizeable subset of your player population for various reasons. To be able to de-load players spines while building hip & knee extensor strength through range of motion means more athletes able to train intensely in the gym and front up for intense speed & fitness work in the same week.” "
The combination of an intensive, well-structured and coordinated training regimen and the use of strength apparatus with high specificity for rugby can be seen to have produced accelerated physical development which has enabled players to perform at a consistently high standard.
*In recent months the University gymnasium has replaced its ScrumTruk and HipneeThrust machines with the more advanced and compact MyoTruk and MyoThrusta models.
For up-to-the-minute information about Myoquip and discussion of strength-related issues visit MyoQuip Blog - strength equipment, rugby football
A two-year program of accelerating the physical and skill development of young players at Sydney University has returned big dividends.
Within days of losing the 2006 First Colts Grand Final due to being out-muscled at the breakdown, University coach Nick Ryan met with his team and together they made a pact to never again be pushed off the ball. The players allowed themselves a mere three weeks break before getting back into training for the 2007 season at a level of intensity not seen before in Sydney club rugby. The off-season training regimen consisted of 4 weights sessions and 3 field sessions per week, switching to 3 weights and 2 to 3 field sessions during the playing season plus regular individual video analysis and field sessions with the coach.
The central ingredient of the training has been the strength and conditioning components devised by Martin Harland and administered by him and his assistant, Tim Leahy. "I guess we have two training tenets" Harland explains, "that is to always train hard and to train hard in the right areas. Thus developing the culture of no short cuts and to attend to the things in a prioritized plan from what we lack the most or what will help us the most on the park." Harland's programs for rugby players place a high degree of emphasis on basic strength development, increased bodyweight and speed. At the same time, given the year-round training commitment, great care is taken to guard against player burnout.
"We are consistently monitoring signs of overtraining," says Leahy. "Our in-season training structure does differ from our pre-season regime. The two key factors that help us guard against overtraining and player burnout is to firstly ensure our players are educated and understand the importance of post-game recovery strategies.
"Secondly a close working relationship with coaching staff to ensure on field and gym volumes are of an optimal load. All variables as well as player’s subjective observation of energy, fatigue levels and contra indicators to injury are taken into account when prescribing volumes."
With a strong strength and fitness foundation laid, Nick Ryan and his team coaches are free to focus on technical proficiency and team cohesion. "The aim of our training sessions," says Ryan "is to up-skill and empower the players, so that when they take the field not only can they read the game and make the right decisions, but then execute and finish off the activity with the help of team mates who are on a similar skill level and wave length." The payoff in terms of enhanced performance from the integration of strength and rugby coaching has been dramatic.
In the 2007 season University First Colts lost just one game out of 25 in winning both Minor and Major Premierships. Seconds and Under-19 Colts also won both Minor and Major awards. The dramatic improvement in the physical development of players can be seen from the Table below. As compared with the 2006 First Colts team, the 2007 forward pack's average bodyweight increased 5kg to 104.3kg; the backs 5.8kg to 86.2kg; and the team as a whole 5.3kg to 95.8kg.
The second year of intensive training produced even more impressive results. In the 2008 season all three Colts grades won both Minor and Major Premierships, with First Colts remaining undefeated throughout their 24-game season. Despite the age limit for Colts having dropped from Under-21 to Under-20, players' bodyweights again increased by 0.2kg for the forwards; 2.8kg for the backs; and 1.5kg overall.
"physical domination ... has enabled us to build a very strong defensive wall and to implement a highly structured game plan which we can maintain for the full 80 minutes."
To put the 2008 figures in perspective the Table also shows the bodyweights of the best professional rugby players in Australia, the current Wallabies squad. They outweigh this club-level Under-20 team by just 6kg per man in the forwards and 4.4kg in the backs. And this team of university students is currently on an unbroken 34-game winning streak! It is almost time for the administrators of Australian rugby to recognise and to take seriously the great experiment that is going on in their own backyard.
Colts coach Nick Ryan has the extraordinary record of taking his team to the Grand Final in each of the 7 years he has coached; with his only loss the 4 point defeat in 2006. He says, " A very important outcome from the intensive training regime of the past 2 years has been our ability to achieve physical domination in matches. This has enabled us to build a very strong defensive wall and to implement a highly structured game plan which we can maintain for the full 80 minutes." As with the weight training, Ryan ensures that the field sessions are short and frequently varied, with the emphasis on having his team peak on Grand Final day in September. He certainly achieved this in 2008 with the winning scoreline 39-5.
In the regular season in 2008 Ryan's team averaged a 40-point winning margin and conceded only 8 points per game. Seconds and Thirds Colts also conceded just 8 and 5 points respectively per game.
A distinctive feature of the Sydney University rugby program has been its reliance on the MyoQuip range of strength building equipment. For the past four years the University gymnasium has been the primary development site for these machines. Not surprisingly MyoQuip's ScrumTruk and Hipnee Thrust* have been extensively used for lower body strength development. Martin Harland says, "These two lower limb extensor machines have been integral to training a wide cross-section of athletes in different sports at the University. In rugby they enable us to reduce the deleterious effects of heavy lower leg extensor exercises and on-field running loads. Traditional heavy squats & deadlifts are great for strength and size but are only moderately compatible with higher running loads for field or court sports. and incompatible with a sizeable subset of your player population for various reasons. To be able to de-load players spines while building hip & knee extensor strength through range of motion means more athletes able to train intensely in the gym and front up for intense speed & fitness work in the same week.” "
The combination of an intensive, well-structured and coordinated training regimen and the use of strength apparatus with high specificity for rugby can be seen to have produced accelerated physical development which has enabled players to perform at a consistently high standard.
*In recent months the University gymnasium has replaced its ScrumTruk and HipneeThrust machines with the more advanced and compact MyoTruk and MyoThrusta models.
For up-to-the-minute information about Myoquip and discussion of strength-related issues visit MyoQuip Blog - strength equipment, rugby football
Super 14 betting
From the Sports Trader blog
I love the Super 14... In all honesty I think it trumps the World Cup for sheer intensity of rugby action.
With that in mind I thought I would have a look at the betting at World Sports Betting and see if there was any value to be had?
Outright winner:
Crusaders - 5/2
Hurricanes - 9/2
Sharks - 6/1
Blues - 7/1
Chiefs - 10/1
Bulls - 12/1
Stormers - 12/1
Waratahs - 12/1
Brumbies - 16/1
Western Force - 50/1
Highlanders - 66/1
Reds - 66/1
Cheetahs - 100/1
Lions - 200/1
The Crusaders can play down the loss of Dan Carter but they've got to be hurting a little. You can't shrug off a key play maker.
I thought the Brumbies at 16/1 would make for some good value and the Stormers at 12/1 are an emotional pick.
The Lions are an interesting one this year... 200/1... If they could sort out their flyhalf issues I reckon they could surprise. The team put a lot of hard graft into their Currie Cup campaign and looked like they were starting to gel in 2008. They're not a team anyone is going to back to win it, but don't be surprised if they make some of their opponents work harder than expected for a win.
Winning nations
New Zealand - 11/20
South Africa - 5/2
Australia - 6/1
If you're following the Brumbies bet then it makes sense to take Aus here as well..
I love the Super 14... In all honesty I think it trumps the World Cup for sheer intensity of rugby action.
With that in mind I thought I would have a look at the betting at World Sports Betting and see if there was any value to be had?
Outright winner:
Crusaders - 5/2
Hurricanes - 9/2
Sharks - 6/1
Blues - 7/1
Chiefs - 10/1
Bulls - 12/1
Stormers - 12/1
Waratahs - 12/1
Brumbies - 16/1
Western Force - 50/1
Highlanders - 66/1
Reds - 66/1
Cheetahs - 100/1
Lions - 200/1
The Crusaders can play down the loss of Dan Carter but they've got to be hurting a little. You can't shrug off a key play maker.
I thought the Brumbies at 16/1 would make for some good value and the Stormers at 12/1 are an emotional pick.
The Lions are an interesting one this year... 200/1... If they could sort out their flyhalf issues I reckon they could surprise. The team put a lot of hard graft into their Currie Cup campaign and looked like they were starting to gel in 2008. They're not a team anyone is going to back to win it, but don't be surprised if they make some of their opponents work harder than expected for a win.
Winning nations
New Zealand - 11/20
South Africa - 5/2
Australia - 6/1
If you're following the Brumbies bet then it makes sense to take Aus here as well..
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Wanted - Australian and New Zealand rugby blogger counterparts!
With the Super14 ahead of us, we're trying to partner with a couple of South African, Australian and New Zealand rugby bloggers to try and make our platforms a little more interactive.
So if you operate a rugby blog in any of these regions and are a passionate supporter of one of the franchises in the competition then let me know and lets try and find ways to work together to boost traffic to eachother sites and have fun allowing readers to interact and chirp a little bit.
Either post your blog details in the comments section or mail me at marc@rival.co.za!
So if you operate a rugby blog in any of these regions and are a passionate supporter of one of the franchises in the competition then let me know and lets try and find ways to work together to boost traffic to eachother sites and have fun allowing readers to interact and chirp a little bit.
Either post your blog details in the comments section or mail me at marc@rival.co.za!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Reds turn to former SA boxing champ for toughness
Former IBF light heavyweight champion Philip "No Deal" Holiday, the nuggety South African who knocked out Australia's Jeff Fenech in 1996 in defence of his title, is now in the QR Reds' corner.
Read the complete article here...
Read the complete article here...
Rassie squad under wraps
Senior Professional Coach Rassie Erasmus is not announcing his squad for the 2009 Vodacom Super 14 until required by SANZAR, early January 2009.
Whilst Erasmus is expected the slowly start cutting the squad of 50 that started their pre-season preparation phase at the team’s High Performance Centre in Bellville on 1 December, loyal Vodacom Stormers fans can’t wait to see who will make the final squad ahead of a gruelling Super 14 season.
The bulk of players selected for the Vodacom Stormers traditionally come from Western Province, with very few Boland players in the mix for the Cape franchise. Erasmus told the media earlier this week that he would select the best players in the region.
The 2009 WP Rugby Contracted Players have been split into two – a Senior group and a group referred to as the Colts. The Colts, 14 talented youngsters who have graduated from the age group ranks, will need to use their opportunities in 2009 to push for higher honours.
Three of the new names amongst the Senior Contracted Players are Duane Vermeulen (pictured), Hilton Lobberts and Paul Bosch.
Vermeulen joins the Vodacom WP set up from the Cheetahs as a looseforward. Lobberts, who was born in Paarl, has played most of his rugby as a looseforward for the Bulls. He has been contracted as a lock. 24 year old centre, Paul Bosch, hails from the Leopards and represented the Pukke at the 2008 Varsity Cup.
Names not on the books for 2009 include Robbie Diack and Tiaan Liebenberg, who were released from their contracts mid way through the Absa Currie Cup to take up offers from clubs abroad. One of the most notable losses for the 2009 season is that of lock Ross Skeate, who opted to join French club Toulon. Prop Eddie Andrews has retired from rugby following a long term injury.
Colts securing contracts after graduating from the Under 21 ranks include prop JC Kritzinger, looseforwards Conraad Britz and Nick Koster, and centre PJ Vermeulen who all made impressive strides playing in the Absa Currie Cup this year.
To view the list of WP Under 21 contracted players for the 2009 season, click here .
The Vodacom Stormers will take on UK based club Saracens in a pre-season friendly match at Newlands on Sunday 25 January 2009 and play Boland the following weekend in Wellington.
Whilst Erasmus is expected the slowly start cutting the squad of 50 that started their pre-season preparation phase at the team’s High Performance Centre in Bellville on 1 December, loyal Vodacom Stormers fans can’t wait to see who will make the final squad ahead of a gruelling Super 14 season.
The bulk of players selected for the Vodacom Stormers traditionally come from Western Province, with very few Boland players in the mix for the Cape franchise. Erasmus told the media earlier this week that he would select the best players in the region.
The 2009 WP Rugby Contracted Players have been split into two – a Senior group and a group referred to as the Colts. The Colts, 14 talented youngsters who have graduated from the age group ranks, will need to use their opportunities in 2009 to push for higher honours.
Three of the new names amongst the Senior Contracted Players are Duane Vermeulen (pictured), Hilton Lobberts and Paul Bosch.
Vermeulen joins the Vodacom WP set up from the Cheetahs as a looseforward. Lobberts, who was born in Paarl, has played most of his rugby as a looseforward for the Bulls. He has been contracted as a lock. 24 year old centre, Paul Bosch, hails from the Leopards and represented the Pukke at the 2008 Varsity Cup.
Names not on the books for 2009 include Robbie Diack and Tiaan Liebenberg, who were released from their contracts mid way through the Absa Currie Cup to take up offers from clubs abroad. One of the most notable losses for the 2009 season is that of lock Ross Skeate, who opted to join French club Toulon. Prop Eddie Andrews has retired from rugby following a long term injury.
Colts securing contracts after graduating from the Under 21 ranks include prop JC Kritzinger, looseforwards Conraad Britz and Nick Koster, and centre PJ Vermeulen who all made impressive strides playing in the Absa Currie Cup this year.
To view the list of WP Under 21 contracted players for the 2009 season, click here .
The Vodacom Stormers will take on UK based club Saracens in a pre-season friendly match at Newlands on Sunday 25 January 2009 and play Boland the following weekend in Wellington.
John McFarland
The Blue Bulls Company Pty (Ltd) and John McFarland are in the process of negotiating his probable return to the Company subject to a few outstanding issues.
The CEO of the Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd, Barend van Graan, said that the Bulls would dearly like to have McFarland back on board and they will go out of their way to accommodate him.
"We value John as the best defence coach in the world and his record speaks for itself."
McFarland said that his personal circumstances and family matters have improved to such an extent that he can now hopefully return to the Blue Bulls.
McFarland added that the past eight years with the Bulls have been marvelous and this is the ideal chance to renew their relationship.
"It will be great to be back at Loftus as I have had eight unbelievable years with the Bulls and I would like to rejoin them for the next couple of years.
"Hopefully I can contribute to another successful Super 14 tournament."
The CEO of the Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd, Barend van Graan, said that the Bulls would dearly like to have McFarland back on board and they will go out of their way to accommodate him.
"We value John as the best defence coach in the world and his record speaks for itself."
McFarland said that his personal circumstances and family matters have improved to such an extent that he can now hopefully return to the Blue Bulls.
McFarland added that the past eight years with the Bulls have been marvelous and this is the ideal chance to renew their relationship.
"It will be great to be back at Loftus as I have had eight unbelievable years with the Bulls and I would like to rejoin them for the next couple of years.
"Hopefully I can contribute to another successful Super 14 tournament."
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