The new face of Super Rugby
20 Dec 2010
Find out everything you need to know about the expanded competition in the bumper 156-page issue of SA Rugby magazine.
We kick off our Super Rugby preview section with an idiot’s guide to the new format (if you still don’t know how it works after reading this, we can’t help you). That’s followed by three pages on each South African team (how they are shaping up, player signings/losses, fixtures, previous log finishes, numbers that matter etc) and one page on each of the Kiwi and Aussie sides.
Also in the new issue:
– The Springboks failed to make any progress on their end-of-year tour
– Is Victor Matfield too conservative to be Bok captain?
– The All Blacks capped off an outstanding 2010 with their third Grand Slam in five years
– The Wallabies were frustratingly inconsistent on their end-of-year tour
– If England are to seriously challenge for the World Cup, they will have to stand up to the big beasts of the game
– Behind the swagger lies a secret diary that is driving England wing Chris Ashton to new heights
– Why the Barbarians are still relevant in the professional era
– Yet again the World Cup schedule helps the big nations and hinders the smaller ones. Why can’t the IRB make rugby’s showpiece event fair to all?
– Plus: Why Stuart Abbott is back in SA, Tim Noakes on the Boks ‘doping’ controversy, Heinrich Brussow’s injury battle, SA players in Europe
Click here to subscribe to print edition
Click here to subscribe to digital edition
2,264 Comments
Pages: « 1 2 3 [4] 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 … 46 » Show All
20 Dec 2010, 20:13 pm
@gunther :
Damn straight!
20 Dec 2010, 20:22 pm
@PissAnt :
good santa.
i belive barney is in great nick.
20 Dec 2010, 21:23 pm
@grant10 :
Unless he’s lost a bit of weight and picked up a heck of a lot of form, he’s on borrowed time.
Provincially there’s no place for him unless he doesn’t mind playing second fiddle to Bismarck.
20 Dec 2010, 21:54 pm
@PissAnt : How plonkerish is poor old Noaksie in that limp riposte? (And, no, he — or you — won’t find “plonkerish” in the dictionary either. But there’s just no mistaking the meaning and the appropriateness of this adjective in qualifying old Boris Burn-outski and Harry his ancient hobby-horse, is there?)
20 Dec 2010, 21:56 pm
@Mighty Horua : Botha’s a chucker.
20 Dec 2010, 22:01 pm
@Yetirat : You’re dreaming, pilgrim. Noaksie’s nutty burnout theories have been proven wrong yet again by the triumphant yet unrested and not-terribly-rotated All Blacks.
Noaksie’s just an intellectually-lazy fraud who has trundled out the same unscientific nostrum for 25 years. He’s a legend in his own lunchtime.
20 Dec 2010, 22:06 pm
@TheTackler :
You’re embarrassing yourself. I’m even embarrassed for you.
20 Dec 2010, 22:30 pm
a quiet toast to one of the great gentlemen of mankind. Salute Jinxie. I dedicate my copy of Astral Weeks to your memory old boeta. aux riv ous
20 Dec 2010, 22:34 pm
@Simon :
Just as long as they’re Sharks faces.
20 Dec 2010, 22:34 pm
@TheTackler : You had your @ss handed to you before and you’re back for more?
20 Dec 2010, 22:40 pm
@Slappes :
tickles loves punishment.
why else would he be here?
20 Dec 2010, 23:28 pm
@Simon : #12
“Expect more new faces in 2011.”
Does that mean that Elton Jantjies (young player/newcomer of the year), Bjorn Basson (record try scorer), Conrad Jantjes (come back of the year in 2011?), Ricky January (most talked about player of the year in 2010) will be featured on the front page or at least in the mag
@Mighty Horua : 39
I remember Avril Williams outplaying kobud during the trials for the right wing spot against England in ’84.
My best memory of Kobus was when he ran over J.J. van der Walt of the Blou Bulle to score a try. That and of course the fact that he was the brother of the original “Klein Schalk Burger”
@Transformation : #40
@PissAnt : #41
On the other hand, I think if you feel the need to defend yourself on an open forum like Keo, against a person hiding behind a pseudo, there must be something more than meets the eye.
20 Dec 2010, 23:39 pm
@gunther : To hand out punishment.
20 Dec 2010, 23:40 pm
@Great White Shark : Harden up.
21 Dec 2010, 00:12 am
@wp_boytjie : 82
Gogga was the best we had after isolation.
@gunther : 83
Symcox only kept his place because he could bat and of course the fact that he could give it back verbally. Other than that, he was a kak spin bowler.
Could talk the talk but when it came to the walk…?
@Bill Reyts : 87
Tahir will only become a SA citizen in the next few months as I understand it. Our law prohibits a player from presenting SA unless he is a citizen. Remember all the hoolahoo with Beast when he was still a Zim citizen?
@subliminal verses : 143
Adrian Kuiper, boet. At least get his name right.
The only guy who took transformation in cricket seriously enough to go and play for a “Coloured” club after unity was achieved.
Exept for Bob Woolmer (RIP) of course who was doing that almost ten years before that.
@PissAnt : 145
At least tell us who you are quoting here or is this your own words?
You know that JS is a “divisive” subject on this site.
I know where you stand wrt the JS conundrum and I’m with you on that.
21 Dec 2010, 01:13 am
SLAPPES…….I know your sensitive about your weight ,you fat plank.Some advice, put your ridiculously tight rugby shorts on,get of keo and go for a jog,sitting there sucking on biltong and playing with yourself isn’t helping your problem
21 Dec 2010, 01:23 am
@gunther : 83
“symcox was ten times the spinner harris is.”
You should think about this statement again.
Symcox: 37 wickets in 20 test matches compared at an ave of 43 compared to:
Harris with 101 in 35 test matches at an ave of 37?
As I said in my p. 165, Symcox was in the team because we wanted a long tail. He was never good enough to be an international spinner.
21 Dec 2010, 01:25 am
@nama1 :
“did not want a long batting tail”
21 Dec 2010, 02:00 am
My predictions for covers of SA Rugby mag for 2011:
Jan: F du Preez… I can’t wait to play.
Feb: Vic Matfield… Why I think we’ll be S15 champs.
March: Morne Steyn… The 85% man.
April: Ruan Pienaar… Why Pdv should select him.
May: John Smit…I’m ready!
June: F. Steyn… I want to play in the WC.
July: Morne Steyn… What went wrong in the S15.
Aug: John Smit…Captain Courages.
Sept: F. du Preez… The reason why we’ll be WC champs.
Aug: Lambie…The future of SA rugby.
Sept: PdV… No…yes… thanks… goodbye.
Oct: F. du Preez… Japan is waiting.
Nov… Vic Matfield… Thank you, big guy.
Dec: John Smit… It had to end
21 Dec 2010, 02:14 am
let me have an unemotional ,objective look at the smit saga….
Firstly, in my opinion, the fallacy of needing smit in the bok team for his captaincy has been exposed for the drivel that it is. 5 out of 6 ti nations losses, a disatrous 2009 eoyt, all under smits so called magic leadership! The sharks operated like a machine without the vaunted skipper. Matfield has his detractors, i am not 1 of them. 3 super 14 titles, a win in Dunedin, a 3 out of 4 in europe 2010,countless CC s? The man walks the talk!
Now lets look at where the new Lazurus like comeback kingcan play?
Hooker?? Houston, we have a problem! Bissy is universally acknowledged as the worlds best hooker, almost virtrually unaminously. Even the jake snake has him in the world 15 !So sorry Jonny boy…
Okay, lets do the saffa, sentimental candy floss limp wristed ,knee jerk reaction….lets accomodate smit.
Loosehead….oops…Houston, sommer another problem! Guthro SA player of the year….Beast, part of a much vaunted front row that destroyed the poms at twickenham, the same poms that murdered the aussies and tested the kiwis! The redeeming feature of a poor 2010 was the boks scrumming….so sorry jon…loosehead a no no.
So whats left? Tighthead>??? Come on, keep it real, the man has had a neck op, he even admitted to being scared of playing 3….and i dont blame him. And with Jannie , BJ, CJ…? No sorry jon……..sommer another moer of a problem!
Lets just be realistic ….and less bloody sentimental over the issue. Merit gents, merit!Thats all that should count.
If smit makes a lazurus like comeback the question remains….will he be prepared to play off the bench and hand over the captaincy? Because he doesent make that starting 15 on merit or form…..and i tell you something for nothing,,,,,we want to have a snowballs chance in hell of retaining Bill we better not be candy flossed….
21 Dec 2010, 02:30 am
and the above merit based philosophy applys across the board, certainly to the great Luke Watson as well…..lets give these okes a big welcome home…..and let them do there talking on the field….
All i wish for is that the kak favoritism and the ‘entitlement culture ‘ gets done away ith once and for all…..No fat boys club gravy trainers…please. Let the okes play there hearts out in the knwledge that merit will be the litmus test….not sentiment!
I have said for a while now….boks chosen correctly and with a new backline coah can go on to retain this wc. But there cant be room for rubbish sentiment. Butch , Frans steyn, bj….come home guys, and compete in super 15 so apples can be compared with apples….
choose specialists, stop the players out of position, always use an out and out fetcher, our 10 needs to play ‘ flatter ‘ ….if ms cant, then replace him! But MS cannot sit as deep in the pocket as he has and then expect the backs to fire. Butch still my main man if fit!
21 Dec 2010, 02:58 am
@grant10 :
“certainly to the great Luke Watson as well…..”…….the great?? Luke Watson……what you smoking? If anyone is a gravey trainer you got the name correct at least!
21 Dec 2010, 03:02 am
@bokke baiter :
Talking of playing with yourself, it appears you do that every time you log onto Keo. Saffa’s turn you on you perverted f u k?
21 Dec 2010, 04:31 am
Tackler was fired by Tim Noakes in the eighties and ran away to NZ to recover his mojo
Cool to see all the CT bloggers paying respects to Jinz. Good one!
21 Dec 2010, 04:32 am
sorry, Jinx
21 Dec 2010, 05:33 am
@nama1 :
Paul Harris has become the fastest to 100 wickets (only 6 matches behind the ‘opener’ Morkel) out of all the Japie ‘spinners’ in the modern game and is ranked 14th in the world currently… whether he turns the ball or not… enough said!
21 Dec 2010, 05:59 am
@grant10 :
You’ll never quite understand the 22man 85min game that is test rugby… JS annihilated Tiann Liebenberg en-route to 6 consecutive wins in the S14 and then went on to have to play 75mins each test in the 3N due to the uber-quota on the bench, two of which he had brilliant games despite his team…
Based on that alone he would most definitely deserve a spot if only off the bench in the RWC over all other incumbents (BDP being the starter)… S15 form depending…
22man 85min test rugby.
21 Dec 2010, 06:03 am
@whatever :
Nah Tackler was his English teacher in the 80′s, that said Noakes would never make it as a real scientist due to his poor punctuation and grammar…
21 Dec 2010, 06:32 am
@nama1 : not even one Spies article? You’re dreaming boet
21 Dec 2010, 06:49 am
@bryce_in_oz : John Smit was useless just about the entire season. He had one half decent game for the Boks, the rest of the time you may as well have played Liebenberg, who has been the number 2 hooker in the country. John Smit is the only one that wants to talk to the media. That’s the sole reason for keeping him around. On merit, Luke is more deserving of the Bok captaincy…. just a pity about his mouth. It sounds like he has matured a little now.
21 Dec 2010, 07:23 am
@garth : well said young man…it is only rhe weak sentimentalists who hold onto past glories ….its time to be bold and to embrace merit…..yesterdays heroes will never be forgetten….but its time to usher in a new dynamic into the Bok set up….and it starts with Smit either firing all cylinders and pushing Bissy out the team…on merit….or retiring in the nest interests of the team. After all….he is not bigger than the game….and as Matfield has recently said…..a few players really need to reevaluate there actual contributions….i wonder who he was referring too?
21 Dec 2010, 07:28 am
@garth :
Oh please… there was no way any coach in his right mind was going to drop his 2009 all conquering captain, with BDP out, for another hooker who he dominated in the S14… get real numnuts!
As for whether Liebenberg (or many others) should have been in the 22 over a player that struggled to perform at VC level… that’s a pretty standard answer…
Luke Watson does not even factor into the above discussion over the period!
21 Dec 2010, 07:33 am
@grant10 :
Should a form Smit be in the 22, even if only from the bench in 2011 with BDP in the squad… damn right… and he will!
Either way the Boks can potentially have one of the most mobile/powerful front-row bench options…
I’ll leave the captaincy debate to you numnuts though…
21 Dec 2010, 07:35 am
@bryce_in_oz : is the lad not allowed to share an opinion?
21 Dec 2010, 07:36 am
@bryce_in_oz : why so aggressive?
21 Dec 2010, 07:37 am
@bryce_in_oz :
“I’ll leave the captaincy debate to you numnuts though…”
Although it is extremely straight-forward… Smit on the bench, Victor will be captaining… Smit starting, he’ll be captaining…
Best of both worlds…
Only a numuts would try and complicate that…
21 Dec 2010, 07:41 am
@grant10 :
Not intentional, product of toneless blogs… take out the word ‘numnuts’ if deemed so…
21 Dec 2010, 07:42 am
@nama1 :
You forgot:
Gerhard vd Heever – The revival of the white wing
Deon Helberg – Redemption Time
21 Dec 2010, 07:56 am
@bryce_in_oz : okay.
21 Dec 2010, 07:56 am
@grant10 :
Grant old boy you have been banging this same drum since 2007.
Of course the tune has changed a bit depending on Smit’s position but the meaning the same.
When last did you say something new on the subject? Seriously.
Lets summarise your point of view
Smit the TH – Oh no turbo reverse. nuff said.
Smit the LH – Adequate but there are others better (which there are)
Smit the hooker – Here you have altered your tune where Smit has ranged between No 2 and 5 in your rankings. When Liebenberg got stuffed by Smit you moved him up one.
Smit the captain – Not worth a place in the team if you can’t command your main place
Smit the person – Was meant to retire in 2007 (after his book). Was very mean to your mate (Luke). Note that Luke climbed into Smit and White in 2006 but that got one grudging admission. Smit also too unfit. Smit also kidnapped the Lindbergh baby
Now w/o exaggerating I reckon you must have posted many thousand posts on this subject saying a flavour of the above every time
Saying something over and over again may convince your customers but it is unlikely to convince anyone with half a rugby brain cell. Oh sorry I forgot. We are on keo.
BTW – of course you are entitled to your opinion. Do you have to say it many thousand times.
21 Dec 2010, 07:56 am
@Mighty Horua : good morning Sir…i trust you well?
21 Dec 2010, 07:57 am
@Tacitus : If our teams do well overseas and the Lions and Cheetahs take points off the touring opposition we may well see three S.A teams. You just need a lot of points. Our teams are going to have to go for bonus points every game.
21 Dec 2010, 07:59 am
@garth :
When Liebenberg and Smit played against eachother in the S14 Liebenberg came off 2nd best…. badly.
Actually you have a short memory. Smit played pretty well in the S14. Admittedly he did not play well in the 3Ns (clearly tired). BTW there is a long list of players that played badly in the 3Ns including Matfield
21 Dec 2010, 08:03 am
@Biscuit : you can slice it, you can dice it
You can spin it like a DJ…
But unless smit has Lazurus like qualities he will not make a bok starting 15 on merit.
Bissy is a beast, a machine, a once in a lifetime talent.
If smit allows his own lust for personal glory to cloud his judgement, well lets just say the wc 2011 may be a short bok trip….far less than a month…
That you can bank…..all over rover ,goodnite nirse…
Now i have to be off….enjoy your day you sentimental old candy floss man!
outta here
21 Dec 2010, 08:04 am
@nama1 :
nama…
have you calmed down now that you realise I have not done a “background check” on you
I don’t buy that Harris is a better spinner than Symcox.
You can quote all the averages you want but they played in different teams at different stages of development.
Symcox turned the ball more than Harris and had more control, he also bowled with better flight.
anyway it’s only an opinion.
I shall patiently await the selection of Tahir.
21 Dec 2010, 08:06 am
@Mighty Horua :
I trust you enjoyed the youth festival as part of the keo youth league delegation.
was the sushi to your liking?
21 Dec 2010, 08:09 am
@Biscuit :
The argument is whether Smit should be in the 22… no real argument there from any sane fan…
Some punters would have him simply retire altogether if he’s not the captain… which is rubbish…
Shaun Pollock gave up the captaincy only to continue as one of the Protea’s best ever contributors with both the bat an ball…
Quite frankly… a fit Smit (without his 2010 chronic cervical injury he was carrying) for 50-60mins with FINALLY an impact bench option in BDP, or the other way around is extremely exciting…
“Smit on the bench, Victor will be captaining… Smit starting, he’ll be captaining… win/win!”
Yep… let’s just see what happens in the S15, it’s going to be bruising…
But let’s just see what
21 Dec 2010, 08:13 am
@bryce_in_oz :
‘Quite frankly… a fit Smit (without his 2010 chronic cervical injury he was carrying) for 50-60mins with FINALLY an impact bench option in BDP, or the other way around is extremely exciting…’
Agreed. Bismarck is a better option for super sub than Smit. Thats why Smit to start with Bismarck coming on at 40/50/60 minutes.
21 Dec 2010, 08:16 am
@nama1 :
All mine
21 Dec 2010, 09:37 am
@grant10 :
Hi Grant
Its Christmas so time to be light-hearted
But seriously for one sec – Answer my question.
Have you said anything else in your multi-thousand post on Smit that is different to my short summary?
You are persistent, I may be a bit sentimental.
I never denied that Bissie is the real deal btw. Its your anti-Smit monologue that I have taken issue with over the years
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