Official Super Rugby 2016 Thread

[Fulcrum29]

http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/a...s/news-story/5f869160c5c5c4d40c356a14094b7f56

All Black Liam Messam returns to Chiefs to give club super boost ahead of play-offs

LIAM Messam is grateful to the Chiefs and his Japanese club for being given a lifeline back to Super Rugby.

The All Blacks flanker had his Olympic hopes wrecked when he missed out on the 12-strong New Zealand squad named on Sunday to contest the rugby sevens at Rio.

Messam, 32, had given away Super Rugby in 2016 to pursue Olympic selection but the injury-plagued Chiefs have called him in as a replacement player following his setback.

Maybe they can do with his experience, but the team has done well against the Crusaders with their available depth. Their ‘backup’ props have also matured in the scrums. Maybe the Wales game gave these guys the believe they had sought to play at their optimum.

So… Leitch may not return.

 

[OrbitalDawn]

http://www.foxsports.com.au/rugby/a...s/news-story/5f869160c5c5c4d40c356a14094b7f56



Maybe they can do with his experience, but the team has done well against the Crusaders with their available depth. Their ‘backup’ props have also matured in the scrums. Maybe the Wales game gave these guys the believe they had sought to play at their optimum.

So… Leitch may not return.

That would be a great loss. He's been a monster.

 

[DanDango]

Can I just say, as one of the folk here who have always shouted for the red and white, how odd it is to read stories about Bok players possibly moving TO Joburg.
Also, could we rather have PSDT?

With Mostert leaving the Lions might be short of experience lock. Next year first choice no.4 Andries Ferreira and no.5 Lourens Erasmus is quality but the rest of the lock is not super rugby level. Martin Muller and MB Lusaseni good players but injury prone. So maybe Lood at the Lions will work.

 

[Fulcrum29]

Agree,

Coles criticises Super Rugby format

Wellington - Hurricanes captain Dane Coles has criticised Super Rugby's new format saying it's unfair that New Zealand teams have to play each other twice.

The All Blacks hooker said playing in a New Zealand derby was similar to a Test and it wasn't fair that they have to play in eight matches like that during a campaign.

"Playing against New Zealand teams twice in one year is pretty tough," Coles told Newstalk ZB.

"Moving forward, if we want to see New Zealand teams win the competition, then playing the Kiwi teams once will be enough."

Coles said he understands that Sanzaar want to create a global product, but feels it's better to have a tougher competition than a larger one.

 

[Fulcrum29]

With Mostert leaving the Lions might be short of experience lock. Next year first choice no.4 Andries Ferreira and no.5 Lourens Erasmus is quality but the rest of the lock is not super rugby level. Martin Muller and MB Lusaseni good players but injury prone. So maybe Lood at the Lions will work.

Between the two options, the Lions is the obvious best option. Why entertain the Bulls when they have an MASSIVE pool, Boland, Border, Pumas… they need to work with these relationships.

 

[Fulcrum29]

Eye scare for Bulls flank

Cape Town - The Bulls on Monday reported three new injury concerns following their 29-11 defeat to the Jaguares in Buenos Aires at the weekend.

Flank Roelof Smit sustained an eye injury, which required surgery.

“Firstly we’ve got Roelof Smit, who gave us quite a scare,” team doctor Herman Rossouw said on Monday. “He sustained a laceration in his eye and had to undergo immediate surgery. Luckily the results were quite positive and he will only miss one week. He should be available to play next week again.”

According to Rossouw, prop Lizo Gqoboka and centre Burger Odendaal were also injured.

More bodies to add...

 

[DWPTA]

With Mostert leaving the Lions might be short of experience lock. Next year first choice no.4 Andries Ferreira and no.5 Lourens Erasmus is quality but the rest of the lock is not super rugby level. Martin Muller and MB Lusaseni good players but injury prone. So maybe Lood at the Lions will work.

It looks like the Lions are fighting hard to keep Mostert, if anything is to go by media articles.

 

[OrbitalDawn]

Bulls win race to sign De Jager

The Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd on Tuesday confirmed that Lodewyk (Lood) de Jager has agreed terms with them and will join the Vodacom Bulls on November 1st, 2016 on a 12-month contract.

 

[Fulcrum29]

Bulls win race to sign De Jager

Ugh… The Bulls could had sourced a good lock within their Super Rugby partnership with the Pumas, Boland and Border, why have these relationships? Then they cry about player development… Oh well.

 

[Fulcrum29]

Just need to leave this here,

In an in interview with Netwerk24, De Jager said he would like to go to a franchise capable of winning trophies.

 

[SlowInternet]

Haha,he is very optimistic. I think he made the wrong choice.

 

[Fulcrum29]

Haha,he is very optimistic. I think he made the wrong choice.

What I do not understand is that the Bulls has talented young locks and depth, why need Lood?

 

[SlowInternet]

What I do not understand is that the Bulls has talented young locks and depth, why need Lood?

I fully agree with you, they have some good locks at the moment.

 

[Fulcrum29]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/...to-japan-unsure-if-hell-return-to-super-rugby

Chiefs utility Andrew Horrell heading to Japan, unsure if he'll return to Super Rugby

Chiefs utility Andrew Horrell has signed a two-year contract to play in Japan, and doesn't know if he will make a return to Super Rugby.

Horrell, who turns 28 this month, will join the Coca-Cola Red Sparks in Fukoka later this year, as the appeal of the yen, the shorter season, and the excitement of a new country and culture became too great to turn down.

Having joined the Chiefs in 2012 in the same year as coach Dave Rennie, Horrell has played 54 games for the franchise, filling multiple spots across the backline and becoming the team's Mr Fix It when injuries struck.

Being with the union since Dave Rennie took charge, Horrell has been a great contribution to the union. Though he never made the All Blacks, having the opportunity to go to the 2015 Rugby World Cup he never quite made the cut thanks to his poor kicking success rate.

So this had me thinking,

The NZRU has a policy to draw All Blacks playing within the NZRU representative territories. The reason why players like Sonny Bill Williams has returned to the 2017 Super Rugby to be selectable in the 2019 Rugby World Cup squad.

Australia has taken up a similar approach, but having many Wallabies playing in England and France, Michael Cheika has recommended a ARU law or policy, Giteau's Law, which was introduced in 2015 to retain as much quality as possible within the Wallabies squad.

The law is simple,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giteau's_law

Previously, players could only play for the Australian national rugby union team if they played for an Australian team in the Super Rugby competition.

Head coach Michael Cheika devised Giteau's Law to enable key overseas players to be eligible for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. In April 2015, the Australian Rugby Union announced this new arrangement.

The criteria to be selected for the national team under this law are:

• Minimum 60 Test caps for Australia; and
• Minimum 7 seasons at Super rugby level

The rule also allows players to return to Test duty immediately if they have signed with a Super Rugby club for the following two years.

Read this article,

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spo...y/news-story/e2bbe7a389cf19ba5e84c7bfecd1365a

now, will such an rugby law not be viable within our own SARU rugby structure, than alienating our rugby talent?

 

[Fulcrum29]

One of the greatest finals in Craven Week history saw Free State take on a Western Province that boasted four future Springboks and a Protea, namely Corné Krige, Dave von Hoesslin, Louis Koen, Percy Montgomery and Herschelle Gibbs. Marius Goosen is another notable name from this group, enjoying a successful stint at the the Bulls, representing the Emerging Springboks and the Barbarians along the way.

[video=youtube;3PRfPM2o4VU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PRfPM2o4VU[/video]

 

[DanDango]

Log position: Africa2: 1 | SA Group: 1 | Overall: 1
Wins: 10 from 13

Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Rohan Janse Van Rensburg, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Francois de Klerk, 8 Ruan Ackermann, 7 Warwick Tecklenburg, 6 Jaco Kriel (captain), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Andries Ferreira, 3 Julian Redelinghuys, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Dylan Smith.
Replacements: 16 Armand van der Merwe, 17 Corne Fourie, 18 Jacques van Rooyen, 19 Lourens Erasmus, 20 Cyle Brink, 21 Ross Cronje, 22 Howard Mnisi, 23 Sylvian Mahuza

Log position: Africa2: 4 | SA Group: 7 | Overall: 17
Wins: 2 from 13

Kings: 15 Malcolm Jaer, 14 Lukhanyo Am, 13 Stefan Watermeyer, 12 Shane Gates (vice-captain), 11 Wandile Mjekevu, 10 Louis Fouche, 9 James Hall, 8 Aidon Davis, 7 Stefan Willemse, 6 Andisa Ntsila, 5 JC Astle, 4 Schalk Oelofse, 3 Jacobie Adriaanse, 2 Edgar Marutlulle (captain), 1 Sti Sithole.
Substitutes: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 Schalk Ferreira, 18 Tom Botha, 19 Sintu Manjezi, 20 Jacques Engelbrecht, 21 Ntando Kebe, 22 Dewald Human, 23 Jeremy Ward

 

[DanDango]

http://www.supersport.com/rugby/super-rugby/news/160706/Ackermann_warns_of_complacency

“We will always back ourselves at our home stadium but I’ve been taught a lot of hard lessons in my playing days where you have a big victory and the next weekend you really struggle and you grind out a win or you sometimes lose purely because you’re not there in your right mental state,” Ackermann warned.

“In your mind you haven’t prepared as well as you should have. That’s the challenge for the players – put everything aside, respect the Kings, respect that we wear the jersey and we have to do it with pride and go our and make the supporters proud.

“First of all the victory is the one thing we are after, if the bonus point comes then it is great. Most of the games of the Kings they were in the running until late- there was the odd game where they lost it earlier but in most of the games they were competitive.

“You don’t want to get behind and chase the game so ideally we want to start well and play well.”

Ackermann said he had also addressed his senior players about their responsibility and the fact they cannot rest on their laurels at this stage of the season. He warned them the challenge would come, and come hard for the players as every opponent would be out to challenge them from now on.

“I told the players when they became Springboks that it is great, but they must understand that comes with a responsibility,” he explained.

“They need to realise that players will no longer see you as just a player, but they see you now as a Springbok and they will measure themselves against you. That is part of why we play the game, when you were not a Springbok you wanted to play against the Springboks to measure youself. To see where you are and measure yourself, to gain that confidence and self-belief.

“There is no need for motivation for the Kings side and that makes them a dangerous side. The only thing their coach needs to say is boys, go out there and play against the leading side and show that we can play at this level and there is your motivation talk. A side that is in the corner like them can just gain by coming out and proving to everyone they can play.

“For us, I’m quite serious about the game in the sense that we need to be at our best, otherwise we will get unstuck.”

 

[Fulcrum29]

Japan media has reported today that the JRFU has started to sign players to play in the 2017 Super Rugby season. Also mentioning 3 year deals… it also looks like they are targeting their Olympics Seven stars, one name being Lomano Lemeki to sign with the Sunwolves.

Video on Lomano Lemeki Olympic dream,

[video=youtube;bkFKTE9GxAA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkFKTE9GxAA[/video]

I do not know whether Yamada will continue with the Sunwolves, as he had stated that he wants to move on to greater opportunities. I get the idea that many Japanese players are in Goromaru’s shadow, wishing to gain his heroic status in Japan. Eddie Jones had interesting things to say about this…

Now when do they sign Amanaki??? As I understand Jamie Joseph has an input in the 2017 Super Rugby’s signings.

 

[Fulcrum29]

http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/SuperRugby/bok-skipper-back-to-lead-bulls-20160706

Bulls: 15 Jesse Kriel, 14 Travis Ismaiel, 13 Burger Odendaal, 12 Dries Swanepoel, 11 Jamba Ulengo, 10 Francois Brummer, 9 Piet van Zyl, 8 Renaldo Bothma, 7 Jannes Kirsten, 6 Pieter Labuschagne, 5 Jason Jenkins, 4 Marvin Orie, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Adriaan Strauss (captain), 1 Pierre Schoeman.

Replacements: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Nqoba Mxoli, 18 Marcel van der Merwe, 19 Hanro Liebenberg, 20 Grant Hattingh, 21 Arno Botha, 22 Rudy Paige, 23 Tian Schoeman.

Date: Saturday, June 9

Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Kick-off: 17.05 (15.05 GMT; 00.05, Sunday, July 10 Japan time)
Referee: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Jaco van Heerden (South Africa), AJ Jacobs (South Africa)
TMO: Willie Vos (South Africa)

I really want an unbiased rugby game between the Bulls and the Sunwolves. Where are the Aussies and Kiwis? This is not a home derby, and the Jaguares and the Sunwolves has been against these odds previously in the season.

 

[Fulcrum29]

OT:

http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/craven-week-rugby-player-dies-20160706

Cape Town - The Valke’s Under-18 rugby team received a shock ahead of the 53rd Craven Week when lock Jean-Jireh Yamwimbi passed away.

According to Netwerk24, the 16-year-old lock passed away on Tuesday night due to bleeding on the brain.

It is believed that Yamwimbi sustained concussion playing in a match for his school, Rhodesfield.