Super Rugby 2017

[DanDango]

bad news indeed! Anyone in the wings? Can't expect RJvR to shoulder the inside centre duties for the entire season.

Harold Vorster

[video=youtube;pE6eKs5fH6U]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE6eKs5fH6U[/video]

 

[faniebraai]

bad news indeed! Anyone in the wings? Can't expect RJvR to shoulder the inside centre duties for the entire season.

well Voster is there, but he's also not 100% and just recovered from injury... i would like to see mapoe back at centre alongside Rohan which was our better combination last year. Mnisi was always 'n bietjie suinig with the ball. Rohan fits better on inside centre for me, an inside centre should be BIG, running straight, breaking tackles putting the outside centre into gaps who should have more of a side step than running straight. My choise would be Rohan inside, Mapoe outside

 

[faniebraai]

Harold Vorster

beat me to it while i was busy typing

 

[Agent_Smith]

well Voster is there, but he's also not 100% and just recovered from injury... i would like to see mapoe back at centre alongside Rohan which was our better combination last year. Mnisi was always 'n bietjie suinig with the ball. Rohan fits better on inside centre for me, an inside centre should be BIG, running straight, breaking tackles putting the outside centre into gaps who should have more of a side step than running straight. My choise would be Rohan inside, Mapoe outside

Well this was the combo that served them so well last year. Would be silly to break it up...

 

[Fulcrum29]

http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/SuperRugby/de-jager-out-serfontein-returns-20170228

De Jager out, Serfontein returns

Pretoria - Bulls coach Nollis Marais has had his suspicions confirmed with the news that second rower Lood de Jager will be unavailable for Saturday's Super Rugby clash against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

De Jager, on his Bulls debut, left the field towards the end of the first half against the Stormers at Newlands on Saturday with what was later confirmed as a concussion.

"He is in a stable condition and will follow World Rugby's 'Return to Play' protocol on the sidelines," a statement from the Bulls read.

 

[faniebraai]

Well this was the combo that served them so well last year. Would be silly to break it up...

i think they have more an issue on the wing, and had to find a place for mnisi, and mapoe came from wing... so who's going to cover combrinck now if we use mapoe back on centre??

I guess it all depends on how they want to use Voster, which has lots of potential. Mahusa (sp?) still around?

 

[Fulcrum29]

OT:

http://www.supersport.com/rugby/springboks/news/170227/Senatla_Pollard_in_Bok_training_squad

Senatla, Pollard in Bok training squad

eabelo Senatla, the current World Rugby Sevens player of the year, as well as fit-again Springboks such as Handré Pollard, Siya Kolisi, Frans Malherbe and Jaco Kriel, were all included in an extended Springbok training squad for the first of three camps in Johannesburg.

The camp takes place from March 5-7 and is the first of three preparations camps the Springboks will undertake as part of their plans before the start of the international season in June, when South Africa host France in a three-match Castle Lager Incoming Series.

Also included in the squad are five promising players who are earmarked for possible future Springbok involvement. They are Ox Nche (prop, Toyota Cheetahs), Joseph Dweba (hooker, Toyota Cheetahs), Hanro Liebenberg (No 8, Vodacom Bulls), Warrick Gelant (fullback, Vodacom Bulls) and Wilco Louw (prop, DHL Stormers).

...

SPRINGBOKS TRAINING SQUAD:

1 Nizaam Carr (DHL Stormers), 2 Uzair Cassiem (Toyota Cheetahs), 3 Damian de Allende (DHL Stormers), 4 Lood de Jager (Vodacom Bulls), 5 Faf de Klerk (Emirates Lions), 6 Ruan Dreyer (Emirates Lions), 7 Jean-Luc du Plessis (DHL Stormers), 8 Pieter-Steph du Toit (DHL Stormers), 9 Joseph Dweba* (Toyota Cheetahs), 10 Eben Etzebeth (DHL Stormers), 11 Warrick Gelant* (Vodacom Bulls), 12 Lizo Gqoboka (Vodacom Bulls), 13 Hanro Liebenberg* (Vodacom Bulls), 14 Travis Ismaiel (Vodacom Bulls), 15 Rohan Janse van Rensburg (Emirates Lions), 16 Elton Jantjies (Emirates Lions), 17 Siya Kolisi (DHL Stormers), 18 Jaco Kriel (Emirates Lions), 19 Jesse Kriel (Vodacom Bulls), 20 Wilco Louw* (DHL Stormers), 21 Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers), 22 Lionel Mapoe (Emirates Lions), 23 Malcolm Marx (Emirates Lions), 24 Bongi Mbonambi (DHL Stormers), 25 Teboho Mohoje (Toyota Cheetahs), 26 Franco Mostert (Emirates Lions), 27 Ox Nche* (Toyota Cheetahs),28 Sikhumbuzo Notshe (DHL Stormers), 29 Trevor Nyakane (Vodacom Bulls), 30 Rudy Page (Vodacom Bulls), 31 Sergeal Petersen (Toyota Cheetahs), 32 Handré Pollard (Vodacom Bulls), 33 Raymond Rhule (Toyota Cheetahs), 34 Seabelo Senatla (DHL Stormers), 35 Jan Serfontein (Vodacom Bulls), 36 RG Snyman (Vodacom Bulls), 37Jamba Ulengo (Vodacom Bulls), 38 Armand van der Merwe (Emirates Lions), 39 Piet van Zyl (Vodacom Bulls), 40 Francois Venter (Toyota Cheetahs), 41 Warren Whiteley (Emirates Lions).

*Young guns

Happy to see Travis Ismaiel and Ox Nche.

 

[DanDango]

Mapoe was pick at 14 to cover Rhule. Rhule kill the lions in the Currie cup semi-final. Wing options is Mahuza, Volmink, Koch Marx and Selom Gavor. Alternatively move Andries Coetzee to 14 and pick Jaco van der Walt at Fullback. Hopefully Cronjé starts at 9

 

[faniebraai]

Mapoe was pick at 14 to cover Rhule. Rhule kill the lions in the Currie cup semi-final. Wing options is Mahuza, Volmink, Koch Marx and Selom Gavor. Alternatively move Andries Coetzee to 14 and pick Jaco van der Walt at Fullback. Hopefully Cronjé starts at 9

cronje to start, but i liked the look of mahuza at the back last year

 

[faniebraai]

OT:

http://www.supersport.com/rugby/springboks/news/170227/Senatla_Pollard_in_Bok_training_squad



Happy to see Travis Ismaiel and Ox Nche.

Seabelo Senatla, sommer net so

 

[Fulcrum29]

Seabelo Senatla, sommer net so

He is still to show his worth, again, in Super Rugby which is a mistake in my opinion. They are risking our sevens star, it is also likely his choice as well.

Like I said the last time, it will be a great loss to see him exit the competition early on.

 

[faniebraai]

He is still to show his worth, again, in Super Rugby which is a mistake in my opinion. They are risking our sevens star, it is also likely his choice as well.

Like I said the last time, it will be a great loss to see him exit the competition early on.

exactly. just because he's a 7s star, now he sommer gets an auto-update to springbok camp? Come on... Is it really about his skillz?

 

[Agent_Smith]

Neil Powell is now going to be watching Super Rugby from behind the couch I reckon...

 

[Mephisto_Helix]

Angus Garnder will hold the whistle when the Sharks play the Brumbies in Canberra on Saturday.

Joining the 33 year old will be two other young Australian referees – Assistant Referees Ed Martin and Jordan Way are both members of the ARU national panel, but are both uncapped at Super Rugby level, leading to the potential for some interesting calls, one would think.

Bucking the trend of youth is 53-year-old George Ayoub, who will be the Television Match Official.

Source

Didn't we do away with ALL local officials when playing a home team ...... waddevok

 

[Fulcrum29]

Source

Didn't we do away with ALL local officials when playing a home team ...... waddevok

Formal decision, no. There was a decision made by SANZAAR to neutralise possible bias appointments, but nothing has really been called. New Zealand is still calling on SANZAAR to act.

 

[Fulcrum29]

http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/SuperRugby/venter-not-ready-to-face-bulls-20170301

Venter not ready to face Bulls

Cape Town - Cheetahs captain Francois Venter will not be ready when the men from Bloemfontein host the Bulls in a Super Rugby clash on Saturday.

The Springbok centre underwent an ankle operation in Johannesburg late last year, having injured his ankle in the Currie Cup.

He recovered sufficiently to tour with the Springboks in Europe late last year, but the injury flared up again on the tour.

Reports earlier this year indicated that Venter would only miss the Cheetahs’ Super Rugby opener against the Lions last weekend, but he will now sit out another week.

“The ankle feels good, but at this stage I won’t be able to play this weekend. I’m already doing some running, but I’m not ready yet,” Venter told Netwerk24 on Tuesday.

 

[Fulcrum29]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/...lback-against-crusaders-for-injured-ben-smith

Highlanders fullback Ben Smith 'hasn't even been able to come in to training' after concussion

Highlanders fans crossing their fingers in hope of fullback Ben Smith making a swift recovery from concussion might well be disappointed.

The 30-year-old was knocked out after landing on his head against the Chiefs in Dunedin last Friday, and has been replaced by Richard Buckman for the team's second round game against the Crusaders on Saturday night.

He was always expected to miss at least one game but, given it's the All Blacks co-captain's fourth concussion in the past five years, coach Tony Brown said a cautious approach was needed.

 

[Fulcrum29]

So it starts...

https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/spo...-super-rugby-future-its-our-club-and-business

Waratahs CEO slams SANZAAR for lack of input into Super Rugby future: 'It's our club and our business'

A week before Super Rugby's governing body meets to discuss the future of the competition, the chairman of the New South Wales Waratahs has complained that none of the five Australian teams will have a say in determining which clubs, if any, are cut.

...

But the teams that play in the competition, including the Force, ACT Brumbies, Queensland Reds, Melbourne Rebels, and the Waratahs, will have no direct input into the decision-making process.

"I've got to be honest with you, that the Super clubs are not involved at all in this discussion I find totally perverse," Waratahs chairman Roger Davis said. "It's our clubs and our business, but all the discussions are being handled on our behalf by the national bodies."

Davis admitted it would be unwieldy for all Super Rugby teams to be involved in the meeting, but he argued they could be represented.

"There are a lot of understandably selfish interests going on here." Davis said. "A classic situation would be if you were the Western Force and you were bounced out of the competition. You don't get to participate in the trial, you don't get to hear the arguments, you are tried, judged and whipped off to jail without any real right of appeal."

Davis said the Waratahs would like to see an Asia-Pacific competition involving 10 teams from Australia and New Zealand and possibly Japan, which would increase the number of home games and local derbies.

It is unlikely that the Jaguares and Sunwolves will be compromised in this decision process as their commitment to the Super Rugby competition is in preparation to be ‘more’ world cup ready, that is up to 2019. Then who knows, but SANZAAR is pushing expansion and how it will be done is up to debate. I do see the Super Rugby brand breed other competitions which will introduce relegation/promotion.

Then we have teams like the Rebels which are currently signing long-term Super Rugby contracts with their players, knowing that they and the Western Force are on the chopping block. The Kings, Cheetahs… and the Kiwis holding on to their teams. I do not see the Brumbies, Waratahs or Reds in immediate danger.

I see three teams dropped. Kings, Rebels and Western Force, and there is no way that they will resolve the tiresome travelling routine with the Sunwolves and Jaguares, other compromises will be made.

 

[Fulcrum29]

Early try by the Force, and a good one. Missed the conversion.

 

[Fulcrum29]

This Chance Peni recruit by the Force is quite a player.