Many people have written off the Crusaders for this years Super 14, but I have not! They say that because Robbie Deans has left to coach Australia, the Crusaders are going to struggle and probably not even finish in the top 4. Fair and fine, I will admit, losing a man such as Robbie Deans will be a big blow to the Crusaders. Deans is arguably the best coach in rugby today and it still baffles me why he was not offered the All Black coaching job. But I will leave that debate for another day. The Crusaders were highly successful under Deans and now that he has gone a new coach has stepped in, Todd Blackadder! Read the rest of this entry »
It dawned upon me yesterday that Valentines Day this year falls on a Saturday and that is also the first weekend of the Super 14! I know we are all lovers of rugby here and chances are high that you also have a loved one out there who is looking forward to Valentines Day. So what will it be come February 14: Time with your loved one or time infront of the TV or at the stadium watching Super Rugby? Not an easy call to make but you have to make one. Mind you, we having been waiting for soooo long to watch rugby again and the day it comes back is Valentines Day! Read the rest of this entry »
I am not too sure if Luke Watson expected the treatment he got at Newlands on Sunday when the Stormers played Saracens in their Super 14 warm-up match. Every time Watson got a hold of the ball during the game, he was booed by the fans, even when he scored a try, boo’s rang around Newlands. You would think the opposition fans would be the ones booing but really, there were not that many Saracens fans to begin with and why would they boo Watson. So instead it were Stormers fans booing Watson who are against his, “I felt like puking on the Bok jersey” statement last year. Read the rest of this entry »
We rolling back the years today as BP reminded me about this great moment in world rugby. The match was in 1994, the Bledisloe Cup game at Sydney Football Stadium. George Gregan (still with hair) nails Jeff Wilson as he is diving for the game winning try and knocks the ball loose. As small as Gregan may have been physically, he always put it critical tackles and non more so important than this one. You can view the video below to relive that moment or if you have never watched it before.
The independent of the UK has released a list of the top 50 rugby union players on the planet. Without wasting too much of your time, here is the list.
1. Richie Mccaw (NZ) 2. Juan Martin Hernandez (ARG) 3. Dan Carter (NZ) 4. Sergio Parisse (ITA) 5. Victor Matfield (SA) 6. Matt Giteau (AUS) 7. Shane Williams (WAL) 8. Bryan Habana (SA) 9. Schalk Burger (SA) 10. Juan Smith (SA) 11. Jean de Villiers (SA) 12. Mike Blair (SCO) 13. Ma’a Nonu (NZ) 14. George Smith (AUS) 15. Pierre Spies (SA) 16. Stirling Mortlock (AUS) 17. Fourie du Preez (SA) 18. Vilimoni Delasau (FIJ) 19. Paul O’Connel (IRE) 20. Luke Mcalister (NZ) 21. Nili Latu (TON) 22. Tony Woodcock (NZ) 23. Brian O’Driscoll (IRE) 24. Nathan Sharpe (AUS) 25. Thierry Dusautoir (FRA) 26. Mario Ledesma (ARG) 27. Jean-Baptiste Elissalde (FRA) 28. Mils Muliaina (NZ) 29. Martyn Williams (WAL) 30. Bakkies Botha (SA) 31. Joe Rokocoko (NZ) 32. Nick Evans (NZ) 33. Sailosi Tagicakibau (SAM) 34. Ryan Jones (WAL) 35. Lote Tuqiri (AUS) 36. Yannick Jauzion (FRA) 37. Sebastian Chabal (FRA) 38. Conrad Smith (NZ) 39. Rodney So’oialo (NZ) 40. Ricky Januarie (SA) 41. Lee Byrne (WAL) 42. Andrew Sheridan (ENG) 43. Patricio Albacete (ARG) 44. Sitiveni Sivivatu (NZ) 45. Felipe Contepomi (ARG) 46. Aurelien Rougerie (FRA) 47. Ali Williams (NZ) 48. Adam Ashley-Cooper (AUS) 49. Euan Murray (SCO) 50. John Smit (SA) Read the rest of this entry »
The 2009 rugby season is just a few weeks away from starting now. First up we have the Super 14 where all five of South Africa’s franchises are out to do well in. Straight after the Super 14 there will be the British Lions tour to South Africa where they will play three tests against the Boks and then straight after that, the Boks take on New Zealand and Australia in the Tri-Nations.
Now looking ahead to the Super 14; South Africa’s best hopes probably lie in the Sharks and Stormers teams. Now both these teams have quite a number of Springboks in them. Now if one or both of them make the semi-finals of the Super 14 that would mean that a large number of Springboks would have already played 14 games of high intensity rugby. The semi-finals of the Super 14 are on May 23 and if somehow a South African team makes the final on 30 May they will obviously have to use their Springbok players if they are still fit and not injured. Read the rest of this entry »
Please please please SA Rugby, do not end the hopes of another one of your greatest talents by playing him in the wrong position! All too often in the past, South Africa has been blessed with a wealth of great young rugby talent. But when these players step up from high school and are now playing provincial rugby, the coaches and administration start to think about playing them out of position. In some circumstances, there are players who can play in multiple positions and thus it is a challenge to find the best position for that player and as a result that ’star’ player turns into a flop all because they could not find his best position. Read the rest of this entry »
We are only a few weeks away from the start of the 2009 rugby season. The Super 14 kicks off February 13 and many in South Africa will be wondering who out of their 5 franchises will be capable of going all the way this year and winning the Super 14. It is no secret that ever since Super Rugby has started, South African teams have not done as well as the New Zealanders or Australians. This year could be different as the Australasia teams are not looking that great, on paper that is, and the New Zealand teams loosing a lot of players to Europe. This may just be the perfect time for South African teams to start making a mark on Super Rugby. Read the rest of this entry »
