Keo.co.za
13 May 2013
Duane Vermeulen is out of the June Tests. Stormers strong man Duane Vermeulen returned home from the Stormers Super Rugby tour because of injury and conservatively won't play again until July. It could be that he is out for the remainder of the Super Rugby season as well because of knee ligament damage. Stormers loose-forward Rynhardt Elstadt is also out for at least six weeks as the Cape-based franchise's season went from bad to worse in Sydney. Vermeulen, Meyer's first choice No 8, will be nursed back to action for the Rugby Championship in August. His injury means a likely Bok start ... Read Article22 May 2013
Andries Bekker's Stormers career is over - for now. Bekker has been the one highlight in a dismal Stormers season but he hurt his back badly in the loss against the Rebels and is out for between six and eight weeks. He is unlikely to play again before moving to Japan. Bekker is one of several players unavailable for Saturday's showdown with the Reds as the injury list reaches ridiculous proportions. Centre Juan de Jong is also out for a month. Deon Fourie, Scarra Ntubeni, Pat Cilliers and Frans Malherbe are the latest to be ruled out because of injury and they join a lengthy list that ... Read Article25 Apr 2013
Jan Serfontein, the player of last year's under 20 World Championship, will head the baby Boks defence in France. Serfontein and Kings wing Sergeal Petersen are two Super Rugby regulars to make Dawie Theron's squad and brilliant flyhalf Handre Pollard is another to play in a second successive tournament. Theron's squad lost a three-match series 2-1 to Argentina in Argentina. Serfontein, Petersen and Western Province's Cheslin Kolbe did not play in those matches. Bulls loose forward Ruan Steenkamp is captain. Serfontein and Pollard are the only two squad members from last year's ... Read Article14 May 2013
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has selected several uncapped Blues players in his training group. Hansen confirmed 38 names and this included many from the potent Blues backline. The Highlanders, despite only winning one match in this year's Super Rugby competition, have six players in the group. An obvious area of weakness is at hooker where Hansen has selected veterans Andrew Hore and Keven Mealamu and Canes Dane Coles. Options are limited and it certainly is a concern for New Zealanders. No overseas-based players were considered, as it is NZRFU policy. Among the uncapped players ... Read Article15 May 2013
French coach Philipe Saint-Andre has included three South African-born players for the three-Test series against the All Blacks in New Zealand. Racing Metro flank Bernard le Roux and Clermont prop Daniel Kotze join Antonie Claassen in a squad that includes eight new caps. Fijian-born Clermont winger Noa Nakaitaci is among the newcomers. Saint-Andre has rested flyhalf Francois Trinh-Duc, but included Toulon's Frederic Michalak. France play world champions New Zealand on June 8, 15 and 22 in Auckland, Hamilton and New Plymouth respectively. French super club Toulon's foreign dominance ... Read Article5 Mar 2013
MARK KEOHANE writes the Varsity Cup in its first year rocked. Since then it's just another professional tournament. The Varsity Cup may have the innovation of doing a few things differently, but what was supposed to be a celebration of student rugby somehow just seems like another tournament, in which the traditional power houses remain the traditional strengths in the tournament. Much has been made of the Port Elizabeth-based Nelson Mandela University display this season and equally there has been bewilderment at how poor Shimlas have been. But it seems the old one two of Stellenbosch University ... Read Article12 May 2013
Marcus Watson scored in extra time to beat the Blitzbokke in the London World Series Sevens Cup quarter-finals. The teams were level 14-all at full time. Watson's try came four minutes into extra time. England won 19-14. England had the chance to win the match with the last play of the game in normal time. They were awarded a penalty and opted to take a drop kick for goal. It missed. Watson then rounded off a move after England had retained possession for two minutes. South Africa suffered further embarrassment when they lost for a second time in the tournament to the USA and were eliminated ... Read Article8 Jan 2013
Limpopo will play in the Vodacom Cup as a separate side for the first time this year. The region, which is a sub-union of the Blue Bulls Rugby Union, has been granted a place in the tournament in its own rights to help foster rugby in South Africa’s far north. They join the 14 provincial unions as well as the returning Pampas XV from Argentina in the tournament, which kicks off in the second week of March and concludes in mid-May. The Polokwane-based Limpopo team will play in the North Section of the competition, along with the Blue Bulls, Golden Lions, Griffons, Leopards, Pumas, Valke ... Read Article16 Nov 2007
Zimbabwean-born Takudzwa Ngwenya has signed for French giants Biarritz after his great showing in the World Cup.
The USA winger has become famous for the step that left Springbok Bryan Habana for dead. In the Pool A match between the two countries, Ngwenya stood Habana up and then hit the accelerator. It was little surprise the IRB recognised it as Try of the Year.
Ngwenya could his debut against Saracens in the Heineken Cup this Saturday.
JC has written 6311 articles.
31 Jan 2013
31 Jan 2013
Andries Bekker’s Stormers career is over – for now. Read More
Duane Vermeulen is out of the June Tests. Read More
The Rugby Football Union has turned down a proposal from their Welsh counterparts to stage the 2015 World Cup pool match between England and Wales in Cardiff. Read More
Marcus Watson scored in extra time to beat the Blitzbokke in the London World Series Sevens Cup quarter-finals. Read More
French coach Philipe Saint-Andre has included three South African-born players for the three-Test series against the All Blacks in New Zealand. Read More
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has selected several uncapped Blues players in his training group. Read More
38 Comments
16 Nov 2007, 13:16 pm
Congrats Biarritz.
16 Nov 2007, 13:16 pm
this is a first.
16 Nov 2007, 13:18 pm
I thought he ws signed by the Sharks…. Fark!!
16 Nov 2007, 13:18 pm
bugger! at least ngwenya has a chance at a decent career, i wish him all the best.
16 Nov 2007, 13:21 pm
Sure. Good on him. An inspiration to any Zimbabwean.
But really i was hoping my beloved Sharks were going to have some real gas on the wings this year.
16 Nov 2007, 13:25 pm
We all know he can run fast, but can he tackle and take high balls?
16 Nov 2007, 13:33 pm
6: I agree, its a big call to sign a player without actually knowing how good he is.
16 Nov 2007, 13:34 pm
5. they will if they eat enough of your durban bunny chow!
16 Nov 2007, 13:38 pm
#6, if not he will learn very quickly.
Also good to have some raw unpredictability in there too.
What does this mean for Wilimse?
16 Nov 2007, 13:45 pm
Keo….what’s the scoop with Big Joe potentially returning to the Lions?
16 Nov 2007, 13:51 pm
well done biarritz, be interesting to see how this fella develops, one suspects defense needs a bit of work, but what pace to behold.
was it Naas the oracle who said ‘there’s no substitute for pace’ or just ‘on da udder hand darren’?
16 Nov 2007, 13:58 pm
I see him as very much the Gio Aplon type of player. He might possibly make a good club player, pity America don’t play more internationals.
16 Nov 2007, 14:22 pm
Side bet: Willemse to pull an okapi on the Zim youngster?
16 Nov 2007, 14:43 pm
#13 – Zim youngster to run away from Willemse!
16 Nov 2007, 15:01 pm
habana was standing still when he passed him
16 Nov 2007, 15:03 pm
I fear a bit too much is being made of the try against SA. Habs was standing still and had to turn around. But credit to the man for taking the outside gap and staying ahead.
16 Nov 2007, 15:21 pm
bummer. he should have come to the bulls which is a hop and a skip from his native zimbabwe.
16 Nov 2007, 15:27 pm
#16 the cliche goes no substitute for pace, Hab’s showed it – i reckon you can improve all the skills he’ll need but you can’t train a man to run faster
16 Nov 2007, 15:29 pm
Mugabe taught him to run….
Bet there is a few more flyers back in Zim!!
16 Nov 2007, 15:35 pm
Takudzwa started playing rugby in high school after he was pressured by friends to try the game. He made quite a name for himself as an athlete, running the 100m dash in 10.5 seconds and setting a high school record. He played rugby for the Mashonaland Club in Zimbabwe, and once he came to the U.S., he played for the Plano Team in Plano, Texas. He went on to play for the Texas Select Side and the U-19 National Team. Most recently playing on the National Sevens Team that won first place in Bangkok and the 2007 North America 4.
Takudzwa graduated from Vainona High School in Zimbabwe in 2003, where he played rugby, tennis and ran track. He is the oldest of three boys and has been a big fan of the Springbok since he was 12 years old.
Takudzwa is currently attending Brookhaven and is majoring in Radiology.
16 Nov 2007, 15:42 pm
Habana has run the 100m in 10.2 (wiki) so Habana’s slightly faster as i thought, i also think Habana has more quicker acceleration. the reason habana was stood up is cos he had to turn.
what makes this oke so slippery is that he is so slight he has an amazing sidestep and is therefore more manoeverable than Habana.
16 Nov 2007, 15:43 pm
And this is why the so-called Minnows NEED to be part of the World Cup…….end of.
16 Nov 2007, 16:23 pm
Willemse, Jake White’s little black boy.
It will be a cold day in hell if he even competes with Takudzwa.
Even Droopy dog might fancy his chances against Ashes Willemse.
16 Nov 2007, 16:25 pm
16
That try was sensational, one of the best I’ve ever seen.
23
Willemse does the basics a little better and scored last weekend.
16 Nov 2007, 17:24 pm
will he be sending some food home?
16 Nov 2007, 17:47 pm
Having lived and played here State Side as a Seffafrikan…word is he has not been blessed with a good breadbasket.hands have dogged him since he’s stepped up a notch or two.There is no noticeable improvement with this dispite the upgrade in game compitition and improved field conditions.However my sources continue to gush over his out-and-out pace .If he continues to get upgrade/supportive coaching there will be no telling the overall improvement in his game .He has continued to rely on his blistering pace to show his stuff. pace will give you space…but there are other facets of our game that make you a great player .In Texas he is coached by knowledgeable people and truely he has been given a talent that cannot be taught .!! I will continue to follow his progress.
16 Nov 2007, 18:00 pm
thx for that info Durbs2Atlanta
I say he needs to put on a few kilos when he arrives in Euro.
16 Nov 2007, 18:37 pm
Lets hope that he lives up to the talent that he has shown.
16 Nov 2007, 20:47 pm
Good luck to him. He scored a great try, but I doubt that it was worthy of try of the year. Had it been any other player than BH that he ran around, it would have cheered and then forgotten. One swallow does not make a summer. To be considered a top talent, he’ll have to do that kind of thing regularly. Its really great that he is being given a chance though.
#26 Durbs is right that some top coaching will probably make the world of difference to him.
Bryan Habana showed in the RWC Final that he is an asset to the team even if he never sees the ball on attack. He was a defensive giant.
16 Nov 2007, 20:54 pm
#27 Send him over to London for a couple of months and i sure he’ll get hit by the “Heathrow Injection” and he should put on a few kilos
16 Nov 2007, 21:47 pm
6 -lions soutie
Watch the Bok USA game again….he was very impressive,in the tackle too. He really watched Habana well. yes Habs got 2 tries but this was when they were outnumbered on the outside easily after great phase play by Boks.
He did damned well for a team that never won a game.
Did you see his try vs Samoa too ?
Lucky/good thinking biarrits.
So glad Zimbabwe have something and someone to celebrate.
16 Nov 2007, 21:57 pm
Seems to me there is a host of talent ready to quit the Zim.situation ….See BEAST, BRIAN ,TONDERAI,….then some who I don’t even know of..Pity S.A. cannot work out a relationship with them to upgrade the Standard. Introduce a possibility of some form of national side (pesident’s team ) ,shadow side say, to play in the C.C. 2nd Div. Get them regular top end competition. Not only will some nugetts be found but it will produce even higher standard of play.
If anyone has suggestions on how many other Zim. players are lurking around at the club level in S.A. ?? .
16 Nov 2007, 23:08 pm
21,Habana has NEVER run anything close to 10.2.
Wiki is made up of unofficial stats,thats why its free.
Habana would be a 10.6 at best IMO. Chavaga is closer to 10.3/4.
17 Nov 2007, 01:17 am
D2A @32
Yeah there is a lot of talent down in Zim infact rugby is the main sport in group A schools and private schools .
Reason it doesnt go a step further is , it does not pay at all and all that talent you once had at school is wasted .
And there are no adequate resources and sponsorship to facilitate the development of the game .
Another factor is the cricket factor , cricket is the sport of choice if one wants to take sport as a proffession eg Heath Streak .
17 Nov 2007, 08:18 am
Good on him. If he is good enough to play for his country, he deserves to play for a good club.
17 Nov 2007, 09:34 am
Good Morning…
I think that that try he score agains SA in the WC where he rounded Habana, exposed him on the international arena!!!
Good for him!!!
18 Nov 2007, 02:59 am
The new Biarritz speedster’s an AMERICAN now, not a Zimbo. Just like Bobby Skinstad isn’t a Zimbo any more. And Rathbone isn’t a Yarpie any more. And Rokococo isn’t a Fijian any more.
19 Nov 2007, 07:25 am
And Pieterson isnt a saffa etc etc….but is SA born, just like Ngwenya is Zimbabwean born….so what exactly are you getting at tackles??? You really spark me as someone who just wants to say something for the sake of it. Have you ever considered playing in the traffic for fun????
Yes there is talent in Zimbabwe at schools level, but they all disappear after that for obvious reasons. I also dont believe he should have got try of the tournament…any of Habanas tries were just as good, but if anyone saw the Japanese try against (???) where they threw the ball around up the entire length of the field, THAT should have been the try of the tournament!!!
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