Guinness PRO14 Championship

[sand_man]

Yeah, just bummed we have to wait until the third round for the first home match.

You need to convince your employer to send you to the UK to cover the games?!! :twisted:

 

[bwana]

You need to convince your employer to send you to the UK to cover the games?!! :twisted:

Fat chance of that!

 

[bigboy529]

Good thing, this will expose SA players and spectators to a different type of rugby broadening horizons.
Bad thing, our Currie Cup will suffer even more, it is already a skeleton of its former self thanks to the extended Super Rugby competition.

 

[bwana]

Guinness PRO14 South Africa launch is on Friday in Cape Town... surely it would make sense having it here in PE or even Bloom?

At least we'll have some more info then.

 

[Sl8er]

Guinness PRO14 South Africa launch is on Friday in Cape Town... surely it would make sense having it here in PE or even Bloom?

At least we'll have some more info then.

Why?
There's like 20 people in the whole of PE -maybe 22.

 

[bwana]

Fixture list: http://www.pro14rugby.org/fixtures/?utm_source=Press&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Fixtures

I count 11 home matches for the Kings and nine for the Cheetahs between now and the end of April '18.

 

[pedruid]

DSTV hasn't shown Pro 12 on a regular basis, only Premiership and French Super 14. Will they now show Pro 12?

 

[sand_man]

DSTV hasn't shown Pro 12 on a regular basis, only Premiership and French Super 14. Will they now show Pro 12?

Believe so yes!! All the games I think! AWESOME!!

 

[pedruid]

Thanks sand-man, it will be nice to see how we fair. I remember when Saracens gave Western Province a hiding at Twickenham a few years back.

 

[McT]

DSTV hasn't shown Pro 12 on a regular basis, only Premiership and French Super 14. Will they now show Pro 12?

Nope. But probably will do the Pro 14. Let the games begin.

 

[bwana]

DSTV hasn't shown Pro 12 on a regular basis, only Premiership and French Super 14. Will they now show Pro 12?

They haven't announced the broadcast partners for SA, or Italy for that matter, yet but that's expected to change soon. According to the press release I received:

The new season opens on the evening of Friday 1st September as Ulster take on Toyota Cheetahs live on BBC Northern Ireland, the game will also be screened live in South Africa with our broadcaster who will be confirmed in the coming days.

 

[DanDango]

Retains Deon Davids as coach

Pro 14 squad:

Props
Schalk Ferreira

Hookers
Tango Balekile

Locks
Bobby de Wee
Stephan Greeff
Giant Mtyanda
Dries van Schalkwyk

Loose Forwards
Lusanda Badiyana
Tienie Burger
Khaya Majola
Victor Sekekete
CJ Velleman

Scrum-halves
Rowan Gouws

Fly-halves
Coyi Banda
Kurt Coleman
Pieter-Steyn de Wet
Oliver Zono

Centres
Berton Klaasen
Jacques Nel
Jarryd Sage

Wingers
Cornal Hendricks
Yaw Penxe
S'bura Sithole

Fullbacks
Ntabeni Dukisa

 

[Agent_Smith]

Cornal Hendricks? Hope he passes his medical with the Kings as the Bulls and Stormers were loathe to re-sign him. Also, Schalk Ferreira is going to have his work cut out in the scrum being the only prop

 

[OrbitalDawn]

Cornal Hendricks? Hope he passes his medical with the Kings as the Bulls and Stormers were loathe to re-sign him. Also, Schalk Ferreira is going to have his work cut out in the scrum being the only prop

Luckily he's a big guy.

 

[DanDango]

 

[DanDango]

Southern Kings tour squad:

Forwards: Tango Balekile, Stephan Coetzee, Rossouw de Klerk, Bobby de Wee, Martin Dreyer, Schalk Ferreira, Khaya Majola, Siyabulela Mdaka, Andisa Ntsila, Luvuyo Pupuma, Victor Sekekete, Entienne Swanepoel, Dries van Schalkwyk, Jurie van Vuuren, Michael Willemse (captain).

Backs: Masixole Banda, Kurt Coleman, Ntabeni Dukisa, Rowan Gouws, Berton Klaasen, Godlen Masimla, Jacques Nel, Yaw Penxe, Sibusiso Sithole, Rudi van Rooyen, Luzuko Vulindlu, Oliver Zono.

 

[DanDango]

Willemse to captain Kings in PRO14
http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/PRO14/willemse-to-captain-kings-in-pro14-20170828

Cape Town - Southern Kings hooker, Michael Willemse, will lead the Port Elizabeth side on their maiden PRO14 tour.

Head coach Deon Davids announced his 27-man touring squad on Monday that will open their Guinness PRO14 season with an encounter against defending champions, the Scarlets, in Wales before travelling to Ireland to take on Connacht. He confirmed the hard-working Willemse as captain for the tour.

In confirming the 24-year-old Willemse as the first Southern Kings captain in the Guinness PRO14 Championship, Davids described the decision to select the hooker as the team leader as a “natural” one.

Willemse, who was part of the Southern Kings’ Super Rugby side earlier in the year, re-joined the Eastern Cape side after having moved to the Golden Lions in July.

“I have decided that Michael Willemse will lead this group on this tour,” Davids said on Monday.

“He re-joined us and has been with us for about a week. Mike is quite familiar with our team culture and the way we play.

“I think he was one of the standout performers for us last season in the Super Rugby competition. He is one of our core group of players that are still part of our setup. He has been a natural choice for me to take up that role as captain.”

 

[DanDango]

Cheetahs’ 28-man squad: Charles Marais, Ox Nche, Joseph Dweba, Jacques du Toit, Torsten van Jaarsveld, Erich de Jager, Aranos Coetzee, Tom Botha, Justin Basson, Armandt Koster, Reniel Hugo, Rynier Bernardo, Paul Schoeman, Henco Venter, Gerhard Olivier, Niell Jordaan, Shaun Venter, Tian Meyer, Zee Mkhabela, Cecil Afrika, Robbie Petzer, Makazole Mapimpi, Ali Mgijima, William Small-Smith, Rayno Benjamin, Rosko Specman, Sergeal Petersen, Clayton Blommetjies

 

[DanDango]

Ulster vs Cheetahs at Kingspan Stadium
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Simon Rees (Wales), Leo Colgan (Ireland)
Television match officials: John Sheehan (Ireland)
Assessor: John Mason (Wales)

Scarlets vs Kings at Parc Y Scarlets, Llanelli
Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Seán Gallagher (Ireland), Wayne Davies (Wales)
Television match officials: Olly Hodges (Ireland)
Assessor: Clayton Thomas (Wales)

 

[McT]

Really hoping that the lads give it horns.