Boks, Pumas to open ‘Rugby Championship’
8 Nov 2011
The Springboks will play Argentina in their first game of next year’s Rugby Championship, the four-team southern-hemisphere tournament replacing the existing Tri-Nations.
An agreement confirming Argentina’s participation was signed in Auckland recently by the Sanzar Joint Venture partners after several months of negotiations with the Unión Argentina de Rugby (UAR) and the International Rugby Board (IRB).
The new-look tournament has been given a new name and a new fixture line-up with two Tests on each match day. Each participant plays home and away matches against each of the other three participants.
The Boks open their campaign against the Pumas in South Africa on 18 August before taking part in the first Rugby Championship match on the South American continent a week later. The match venues will be announced in due course.
‘The regular participation of Argentina at a higher level is long overdue and we are excited about their inclusion in The Rugby Championship,’ said Sanzar CEO Greg Peters, ‘Playing in the Championship will have significant benefits for Argentinian rugby as a whole and will bring new energy to the jewel in the crown of Sanzar.
‘The Pumas, as they showed at the recent Rugby World Cup, play an exciting and different brand of rugby to the other three teams, which will definitely add a new dimension.’
According to a statement by Sanzar, the new name of the Rugby Championship reflects its claim to be the ultimate contest, featuring teams that are currently ranked first, second, fourth and seventh in the world.
‘The Rugby Championship is an annual contest between the ‘best-of-the-best’ in world rugby – nations who have won six of the seven Rugby World Cups,’ said Peters.
Saru CEO Jurie Roux said he hopes these changes will result in a more balanced tournament. In the past, South Africa has suffered because of travel.
‘This is a significant moment in the history of Southern Hemisphere rugby and marks the launching pad to a dramatically changed landscape. It will add a new flavour and dimension to Sanzar rugby and offers the prospect of promoting rugby in other South American nations.
‘It also ensures a more logical and balanced Championship with fixtures and travel evened out across the region.’
The 2012 Championship will kick-off on 18 August 2012 and conclude on 6 October 2012. A Sanzar delegation will travel to Argentina in November on a fact-finding visit during which it will conduct venue inspections and hold discussions with the UAR, host broadcasters, sponsors and other key stakeholders to ensure the smooth transition from Tri-Nations to The Rugby Championship.
The Rugby Championship fixtures:
18 August 2012: Australia vs New Zealand, South Africa vs Argentina
25 August 2012: New Zealand vs Australia, Argentina vs South Africa
1 September 2012: Travel Bye
8 September 2012: Australia vs South Africa, New Zealand vs Argentina
15 September 2012: Australia vs Argentina, New Zealand vs South Africa
22 September 2012: Travel Bye
29 September 2012: South Africa vs Australia, Argentina vs New Zealand
6 October 2012: South Africa vs New Zealand, Argentina vs Australia
391 Comments
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9 Nov 2011, 08:39 am
The key with purchasing players in the future IMO is to get very good players who are not on the Springbok radar for the immediate future. This way you actually get to play them in your team.
Look at Butch, he’s been with the Lions for pretty much the season but hasn’t made any impact on the team whatsoever. He’s been away mostly and when he’s been available he’s struggled to break into the existing structures, something that should take any player at least 2 or 3 games to get up to speed with, so no real fault of his.
So either Deon or WP would be good buys with that in mind.
9 Nov 2011, 08:42 am
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-348:
couldn’t agree with you more bud…
it’s always put onto the props… but scrumming is an 8-man action…
we did hold our own last year and only got drilled when andries and elstadt were carrying injuries and couldn’t push effectively…
but we do need a couple of props and back-up locks for sure…
9 Nov 2011, 08:42 am
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-332:
Hurricane…
This is disappointing… even from you…
I was at this game and the amount of off-the-ball filth dished up by the Samoans was even worse than the filth dished in this latest world cup… a lot of it was apparent on the broadcast but not all… but it was very apparent at the match… you could see the samoans lining up bok players for big hits which were high, no-arms, late and extremely dangerous… to their credit the boks still played and took the hits even though they knew they were going to come…
and to come after the match and allege ‘bites’… not one of which was caught on camera is just the same old bitter bile that we have come to expect of the samoans blaming everything and everyone… including their own management, racism, the IRB, scheduling etc etc for their losses…
fact is… samoa are the worst sportsmen in world rugby… they wanna play with the big boys but when they get klapped they cry like little b!tchy girls… they have no concept of losing with grace and dignity…
we also had a tongan in the 07 world cup claiming frans steyn bit him which proved to be false and made up just to try and get him banned from the knock-out stages…
samoa have always been dirty and (very disappointingly but understandably) cheered on by the big brother new zealand public in a nudge nudge wink wink go-get-em-little-brother kinda way… they have no hope of beating us but will do their best to beat up our players to negatively influence our performance in the knockout stages…
and you conveniently ignore all the dirty stuff put out by samoa in this latest game and just pick on williams red card… which again was illegal… imagine if it had been bakkies putting his hand in danny boy’s face…? you’d have cried like a stuck pig…
you know i don’t moan and *****… and sincerely congratulate you guys when you win…
but it is so disappointing that you guys continue to support samoa in their dirty tactics and ignore their incidents when you compile your ‘lists’ such as this…
if for once, little brother decided to stick it to big brother and did to the abs what they always do to the boks… or if they did it to the aussies… in the same pre-planned dirty manner… then i’d love to hear your comments… if richie or dan were injured by illegal tackles or hits etc what would you guys say… would it still be a private little in-the-family joke…? i doubt it…
seriously hurricane… to ignore this is to lose credibility…
and don’t divert attention by listing your same old favorite anti-bok diatribe… i have often admitted and criticized and condemned the boks for foul play and do not condone it… ever…
but when are you ab supporters going to be honest enough to condemn samoa’s thuggery…?
i won’t hold my breath…
9 Nov 2011, 08:42 am
@Roar my Lions …. Currie Cup Champions 2011(RL)-349: We have 3 good hookers, Tiaan, Deon and also the youngster Siya Ntubeni, who shows a lot of promise. He’ll come through nicely with time.
9 Nov 2011, 08:44 am
@ufo(ufo)-352: Morning fella!
I’d like to see another good scrummaging lock signed, the guys like De Kock Steenkamp and co just haven’t lived up to their initial potential.
A real shame about losing Anton Van Zyl. he would have been the perfect guy to compliment the other 2 IMO.
9 Nov 2011, 08:45 am
@stew(stew)-350:
how can being viciously arrse ffucked with a wooden spoon year in and year out in way be good for argentine rugby?
9 Nov 2011, 08:49 am
@President_of_the_Sharks_rugby_experts(sharks_lover)-345: I like the fact he can play 1 and 3….i rate him better as a 1 though.
WP Nel would also add some grunt@Roar my Lions …. Currie Cup Champions 2011(RL)-349:
LOL
Fark me mate….we sign Plod I will never set my foot in Newlands again…..that is a promise…..as long as he plays of course…
9 Nov 2011, 08:50 am
@ufo(ufo)-353:
” also had a tongan in the 07 world cup claiming frans steyn bit him which proved to be false and made up just to try and get him banned from the knock-out stages…
No quite true ufo,
The bite was real enough,
But you are correct, it was not Young Fronken Steyn.
He was acused wrongly. The actual culprit was Bakkies.
9 Nov 2011, 08:53 am
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-356:
You have a way with words bakkies.
8)
9 Nov 2011, 08:53 am
@grant10(grant10)-357: Smittie for next Stormers coach !
9 Nov 2011, 08:56 am
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-355:
and morning to you bud…!
yeah… anton van zyl was a big loss for us… not only as a scrummaging lock but as a leader on the field too… i was really shocked when he was allowed to leave…
9 Nov 2011, 09:00 am
@The Gloater – formerly cane(cane)-359:
9 Nov 2011, 09:00 am
@ufo(ufo)-353:
At most WC’s there is usually one nasty unseemly match.
And it usually involves SA.
!995, SA/Canada.
2007, SA/Tonga.
2011, SA/Samoa.
9 Nov 2011, 09:01 am
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-332:
What and no mention of the faked moon landings?
Good luck in looking for your missing report.
Its probably buried amongst your UFO sightings.
Meanwhile the Moan thuggery, stretching over 4 world cups, is there for all to see.
9 Nov 2011, 09:02 am
Diary of an AB Fan.
Week 3 of my team being world champions feels a lot like the first two weeks.
Must temper celebrations for the moment, will be meeting the man responsible today, quite nervous really, am so looking forward to his recollections and the tales of his intense and total preparation that culminated in the good guys winning on October 23rd 2011.
Have never been in the presence of greatness before, not sure what protocols are expected.
do I call him Mr Lawrence or just Bryce?
9 Nov 2011, 09:04 am
@The Gloater – formerly cane(cane)-358:
“The actual culprit was Bakkies.” and your proof is…???
that’s my point… you guys go on about stuff the boks do whether there’s proof or not…
but ignore the clear incidents of samoan players…
9 Nov 2011, 09:08 am
@ufo(ufo)-366:
shhh….
wait until caner hits his second bottle of johnnie.
then he will tell you who killed JFK.
and whether Julius Malema really is Princess Margaret’s secret love-child.
9 Nov 2011, 09:09 am
@The Gloater – formerly cane(cane)-363:
as i said…
instead of trying to dredge up all your bok-hating favourites… why don’t you condemn samoa’s thuggery…???
can’t/won’t…?
nuff said…
9 Nov 2011, 09:12 am
the boks arent thugs, they just systematically and routinely have lil brain explosions.. it is a physical game after all…
9 Nov 2011, 09:12 am
@Gunther(gunther)-367:
hehehe…
okay gunther… will hang on for the big reveal…
9 Nov 2011, 09:15 am
Well it’s dissapointing to hear that Jeff Wilson, a player I have long admired chose to blame his lack of BMT/Nerves/Babalas/Weak Stomach on some chick called Suzie.
Sour Grapes all round.
9 Nov 2011, 09:16 am
speaking of routine “lil” brain explosions…..
bonjour poep.
9 Nov 2011, 09:18 am
@Gunther(gunther)-372: French Gunther?
you visiting HG at the moment?
9 Nov 2011, 09:21 am
@ufo(ufo)-366:
As reportered here on Keo.
Jake left young Steyn to carry the can, knowing he would get off.
If however the truth emerged, Bakkies was a goner. And this Jake feared would upset his Grand Plan.
9 Nov 2011, 09:21 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-373:
poep
why would I visit HG when I have Chateau Gunther in Provence dedicated to mine own amusement?
9 Nov 2011, 09:30 am
@Gunther(gunther)-375: dedicated to your own amusement?
didnt know you could be famous for that
9 Nov 2011, 09:33 am
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-356: Hey well it is better them than you guys – lol
9 Nov 2011, 09:34 am
@The Gloater – formerly cane(cane)-374:
so keo is gospel all of a sudden…?
i’ll remind you of that in future…
9 Nov 2011, 09:38 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-376:
I am famously amusing.
as you have found out at great expense
9 Nov 2011, 09:41 am
@poppa69(poppa69)-376:
“dedicated to your own amusement?”
At school, this was called self abuse.
In latter life it was referred to as wan king.
9 Nov 2011, 09:42 am
Ooooops,
I forgot the smilie.
9 Nov 2011, 09:55 am
@The Gloater – formerly cane(cane)-380:
I never had you down for an onanist.
I should have paid more attention to your scribblings.
each to their own.
9 Nov 2011, 10:28 am
@ufo(ufo)-353:
UFO, Not in my post did i say that i support what Samoa do.
If you took it that way then i apologise for the confusion.
What i was attempting to prove is that Samoa wasnt the only team according the link i found that was doing illegal tactics. Now its up to everybody to say it was the truth or lies, who really cares but i dont like how some people on here talk about the Samoans yet there own players have proven they are able to play the thug game as well.
9 Nov 2011, 10:32 am
@Gunther(gunther)-364:
YOu mean the moon landings were fake??
Suppose Bakkies head butt on Cowan was also staged….. what is the world coming to!!!
9 Nov 2011, 11:37 am
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-383:
cool bud… accepted…
and as i’ve said many times in the past… i do and will condemn dirty play by the boks…
9 Nov 2011, 22:54 pm
@ufo(ufo)-353:
wow thats rich. the giant nation of samoa (pop aprox 150,000) picking on southAfrica. poor Boks always getting bullied or cheated by the refs
samoa’s thuggery is in direct retaliation to the boks tactics. u dont see big bad samoa picking on any other teams. in the australia game (preWC) there wasnt any dirty tactics. all the other pool games there were no controversies about thuggery.
Its only ever with the boks. so now when a team stands up to the boks, the biggest thugs in world rugby, and uses their own bully boy tactics against them its an issue. think u need to look into the mirror. rich.
dont get me wrong, I’m a fan of having a bit of mongrel in the game. southAfrica have a lot to teach NZ about winning the game at all cost. AB’s are awesome but they have this goody too shoes image thats upheld by the sponsors and NZRFU. I’d much prefer the AB’s to be inline with Boks, England, French and allegedly Samoa’s tactics of thuggery.
if we were going to condemn thuggery then i think it would have to start with southAfrica. classic, Boks victims of thuggery, a little hypocritical?. LMAO
10 Nov 2011, 08:25 am
@man1a(man1a)-386:
are you a half-wit…? or just a lazy bugger…?
or just a one-eyed fan who saw a comment and got so feverishly hyped he just had to respond NOW before reading back and finding out the context…?
what is rich is your post making assumptions because you’re too lazy to read through the thread… and then making comments which have been addressed in previous posts…
but by all means… make a fool of yourself…
10 Nov 2011, 21:09 pm
@ufo(ufo)-387: just lazy
and laughing at your stance. big bad samoans picking on boks. hypocritical much? i dont want to rant and I’m not belittling you. i can understand where you would get your view point but i’d just like to pint out where you have erred in your logic/opinion.
i’m blown away bout how you think Samoa are dirty players. yes they’re physical and tend to be a bit high with some tackles. but Samoa arent dirty players,… usually. its only when they play the Boks and this is in direct retaliation for the Boks past and present tactics.
what gets me about your statement is how over simplified you’ve catorgorised Samoa. you’ve obviously only ever watched Samoa play the Boks and your statements is based on that. yeah Samoa step up the physicality when playing the Boks but you have to. the boks (despite PDV) are a quality physical side. Samoa maybe guilty of stepping up the physicality but never never never have they been done for down right dirty uncalled for sht off the ball. have Samoa ever been cited for head butting, biting, eye gouging? have southAfrica?
you call them thugs and blame them for it (while ignoring all the evidence of boks past transgressions. Boks biting ? honestly? how old are they 5?). look a bit closer at your own team when they play and dont be surprised when other teams start seeing through the Boks facade of invulnerability and start giving them back what the Boks dish out.
its the only way to beat the Boks. first you have to stand up to them and take away the effectiveness of their intimidation, and the Boks would have to be the most intimidating team in the world. AB’s maybe the best but even they would feel apprehension of playing a firing physical Boks side and the affects they know they will leave on their bodies.
i have heaps of respect for the boks (or any quality side) but in this case Boks asked for the treatment they get from big bad Samoa. sure Samoa may lower themselves to Boks tactics when playing southAfrica but never do they truly use real low down tactics like biting, headbutting and/or eye gouging. those teams that do are the real dirty players.
11 Nov 2011, 07:58 am
yeah right…
boks are the spawn of the devil…
until you use both eyes there’s no point wasting time on you…
what a condescending dishonest little ponce you are…
13 Nov 2011, 20:31 pm
@ufo(ufo)-389: typical. stick to your blind opinion despite solid evidence in your face telling you otherwise. u stik to disillusioned squeaky clean boks side and we’ll just cast samoa as your evil adversary’s.
20 Dec 2011, 14:42 pm
Hello, I’m from Argentina, I put a link to some photos of the stadium where Pumas-Boks will play the match in Buenos Aires. You are welcome to visit it.
http://www.canchallena.com/1350887-la-reinauguracion-del-estadio-ciudad-de-la-plata-en-imagenes
Thanks.
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