The Rugby thread

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Doesn’t look like it.
Schools rugby gets bigger crowds.
That's part of the "problem" with Ellis Park. It's so big that even with 20000 people there it still looks empty.

*I don't know what today's attendance is, just mentioning the principle.
 
Wow the lions sure know how to loose finals with game finishing penalty kicks.

Well at least they where trying to win the cup, unlike the sharks.
 
Great Cup final and well done the Griquas, they deserved the win. I feel gutted for my Lions, losing 2 finals on home ground in the final minutes.
Crowd attendance very disappointing.
Anyway, into the URC we go, starting this week.
 
75 55 years since Griquas won the Currie Cup, they say. Well done! Great to see a small union do it. Although a very watered-down competition but you can only beat who is in front of you. Lions are snakebit the 2nd time in a row. But the penalty they gave away was numbskull, knocking the ball out of the scrumhalf's hand in front of the posts, with George Whitehead in the Griqua's team. Even worse than Griquas handing them a chance to go ahead with a weak offside penalty only minutes before.

George Whitehead can kick! He's had a good career and I am very happy to see him win the Currie Cup!
 
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Honestly, I gotta give Rassie respect here if what is stated about support staff is true.
 
75 years since Griquas won the Currie Cup, they say. Well done! Great to see a small union do it. Although a very watered-down competition but you can only beat who is in front of you. Lions are snakebit the 2nd time in a row. But the penalty they gave away was numbskull, knocking the ball out of the scrumhalf's hand in front of the posts, with George Whitehead in the Griqua's team. Even worse than Griquas handing them a chance to go ahead with a weak offside penalty only minutes before.

George Whitehead can kick! He's had a good career and I am very happy to see him win the Currie Cup!
They won it in 1970, so 55 years.
 
Wellington full game

An interesting point that has come to my attention about Wellington 2nd half.

After the injuries caused a bunch of switches to back line at Wellington, we ended up with the same centre pairing demolishing AB's in the 2nd half that did the job in 2023 at Twickenham's WC warm up game, which it would appear (I could've missed something), we haven't had on the field again since that match at Twickenham.

Esterhuizen + Moodie.
 
Tuesday, 23 September 2025

Erasmus opts for consistency in selection against Pumas in Durban

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus opted for consistency in selection for their penultimate Castle Lager Rugby Championship match, against Argentina at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban on Saturday, making minimal changes to the side that secured a record 43-10 victory against the All Blacks in Wellington less than two weeks ago.

Erasmus made only two personnel changes to his starting XV – which will be led by Siya Kolisi in what will mark his 97th Test – with the experienced Eben Etzebeth and Damian Willemse taking over from the injured Lood de Jager and Aphelele Fassi at lock and fullback. As a result, Damian de Allende returns at inside centre alongside Canan Moodie in an exciting midfield combination.

The three changes on the replacements bench, which again feature five forwards and three backs, are the inclusion of Boan Venter at prop, which sees Jan-Hendrik Wessels serve as the replacement hooker, while scrumhalf Morne van den Berg takes over from Grant Williams, who is nursing a niggle.

“We were very pleased with the way the team rose to the challenge against the All Blacks in Wellington, and looking at the Pumas team and their strengths, we believe this would be the best team for this specific match,” said Erasmus.

“The make-up of this team not only allows us consistency in selection, but we’ll also have the vast experience of Eben and Damian de Allende in the starting team, who are excited to get back on the field again.

“On the bench, Jan-Hendrik covers prop and hooker equally efficiently, so Boan gets another chance along with Morne.”

Erasmus expected a monumental battle against the Pumas (9 pts), who trail the top-placed Wallabies (11 pts) on the Castle Lager Rugby Championship standings by only two points, while the Springboks are in second place and the All Blacks third, tied on 10 points.

“This is a vital match for both us and the Pumas, and if one takes into consideration that they beat New Zealand and Australia in the first four rounds of the competition, as well as the British & Irish Lions earlier in the season, there’s no doubt we’ll treat them the respect they deserve,” said Erasmus.

“They’ve made big strides in the last few seasons, and have an astute coach in Felipe Contepomi, so we know they are going to throw everything at us. Adding to that, they boast a strong forward pack and extremely talented backs, so they pose threats all around.”

The Bok coach, however, said the Boks were geared up for the challenge: “We’ve had a good few training sessions since assembling last Thursday, and the players know what they’ll be up against.

“Similarly to us, Argentina are a tremendously proud and passionate team, and they give everything for their country. They know that two good results could place them in a decent position to win the competition, so it’s going to be a hard grind of a match.

“As things stand, any team could win the title, so we need to capitalise on the point-scoring chances we create and play for the full 80 minutes if we want to get the desired result.

“Over and above that, we’ve faced them in Durban three times, and they’ve beaten us once, and that, combined with their self-belief, means the historical results between the teams will have no significance going into the clash.

“They are also ranked sixth in the world ahead of the Wallabies, so we do not underestimate them.”

The match kicks off at 17h10 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

Springbok team to face Argentina in Durban:

15 Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 43 caps, 66 points (6t, 9c, 4p, 2 dg)
14 Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath) – 44 caps, 121 points (20t, 3c, 5p)
13 Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls) – 18 caps, 40 pts (8t)
12 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 91 caps, 55 points (11t)
11 Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 3 caps, 0 points
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 13 caps, 58 points (17c, 8p)
9 Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers) – 44 caps, 75 pts (15t)
8 Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 37 caps, 10 points (2t)
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 91 caps, 60 pts (12t)
6 Siya Kolisi (captain, Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 96 caps, 65 points (13t)
5 Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls) – 11 caps, 0 pts
4 Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 136 caps, 35 points (7t)
3 Thomas du Toit (Bath) – 28 caps, 5 pts (1t)
2 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 82 caps, 120 pts (24t)
1 Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 45 caps, 0 pts

Replacements:

16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls) – 7 caps, 10 pts (2t)
17 Boan Venter (Edinburgh) – 4 caps, 5 pts (1t)
18 Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 22 caps, 0 pts
19 RG Snyman (Leinster) – 44 caps, 15 points (3t)
20 Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 57 caps, 55 points (11t)
21 Morne van den Berg (Lions) – 3 caps, 10 points (2t)
22 Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners) – 22 caps, 128 pts (1t, 42c, 13p)
23 Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 23 caps, 10 pts (2t)

Springbok record against Argentina
Played 38; Won 33; Lost 4; Drawn 1; Points for: 1 315, Points against: 727; Tries scored 155, Tries conceded 70; Highest score 73-13; Biggest winning margin 60 points. Win % 86.8%.
 
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