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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8 Nov 2011, 17:47 pm
@Bod(bod)-299:
8 Nov 2011, 17:48 pm
@gr8 white(gr8 white)-298:
I cant stand that supercillious grin on Katmans face at the best of times … now its just plain unbearable
8 Nov 2011, 17:52 pm
curry cup?! quite possibly the greatest trophy in world rugby today. lekker.
8 Nov 2011, 17:53 pm
@Bod(bod)-299: does anyone remember when last the brokebacks won a trophy?
8 Nov 2011, 17:53 pm
@Bod(bod)-302: Ja there is alot of chest thumping and trumpeting going on at the moment…just gotta grin and bear it…strange that so many Lions players now should not be overlooked for national selection..hehehe…going home now …check you later!
8 Nov 2011, 17:54 pm
@gr8 white(gr8 white)-300: but if he plays with deysel/alberts – 7, kanko – 8, then he is redundant because kanko is faster and gains more metres than him, so what is he adding as he is not even a monster in contact?
8 Nov 2011, 17:55 pm
@Roar my Lions …. Currie Cup Champions 2011(RL)-304:
What is a brokeback?
8 Nov 2011, 18:00 pm
@Bod(bod)-307:
I must admit I started that whole brokeback thing a few years ago …. go and check the archives. Some province supporter was going on and on and on about the Table Mountain hey and the ocean hey and the mountain again hey saying just how nice it was in the kaap ……………………………………….. that is when the whole brokeback mountain thing started which evolved into brokeback who lived near the mountain ……………………………. so if you support the WP and can see the mountain hey then you are a brokeback and your team is the brokebacks!
8 Nov 2011, 18:03 pm
@Roar my Lions …. Currie Cup Champions 2011(RL)-308:
Why brokeback… what is that
8 Nov 2011, 18:04 pm
@gr8 white(gr8 white)-305: Back in the days it was first the WP who were the bad guys …………. then the shakievarkies took over that role. Now as a sharkievarkie you will just have to bend over and let me give you 6 of the best.
Cause sharks are evil.
8 Nov 2011, 18:04 pm
@Bod(bod)-309: really?
8 Nov 2011, 18:05 pm
Was 37 here today pussycat, so was covered in pee
8 Nov 2011, 18:05 pm
Hey Bod. The Currie Cup is beautiful. I know this. You know this. And it burns you to know that you had no hope at securing it this year.
Grin.
8 Nov 2011, 18:06 pm
@Bod(bod)-309:
check it out …… just substitute the word cowboy for rugby player.
8 Nov 2011, 18:07 pm
@Bod(bod)-309: ooops I forgot the link
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388795/
hehehehe
8 Nov 2011, 18:08 pm
@Treehugger(Treehugger)-312:
8 Nov 2011, 18:13 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-284:
I see fukkele is complaining that the burst condom episode and subsequent, ahem, fallout has been engineered by rogue elements in the nations intelligence structures.
Who the twat are these guys and who do they think they are kidding?
Honestly that old goat fuckadilly talks more sense.
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-285:
Bullshit.
Fact is your are talking kak.
The Currie Cup has evolved from being a trophy awarded for the most attractive rugby.
Things change.
By the way when were the boks introduced to the CC last year?
Or the year before that?
Now put your toys back before I take them away.
8 Nov 2011, 18:15 pm
@Roar my Lions …. Currie Cup Champions 2011(RL)-314:
Enjoy the movie??
8 Nov 2011, 18:16 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-313: What cup?
8 Nov 2011, 18:34 pm
I must be a technology moron – the keo mobile site disappeared from me one day and i can’t get it back. Is there some mobile url i should follow? The normal site is driving me mad!
8 Nov 2011, 18:39 pm
@Gunther(gunther)-317: he must first tell us who were the people who “threatened him” after he announced on the inquiry into the csa bonus extravaganza.
siyaya eMangaung!
8 Nov 2011, 18:56 pm
Ja Bod, I don’t blame you for asking. When did you lot last see it?
8 Nov 2011, 19:08 pm
@gr8 white(gr8 white)-279: It wasn’t just NZ in 2007, the English felt hard done by in the final with a disallowed try.
And in 2011 the French can hardly complain considering they got away with an eye gouge and the Welsh red cardee recently said it was fair. No other calls had a major effect on the tournament so it’s just RSA left to whine.
8 Nov 2011, 19:22 pm
Yawn
8 Nov 2011, 19:26 pm
Right-sizing Lions lost a year
Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:25
Call it a repair job or a healing process, but part of the painful procedure of administrative restoration within the Golden Lions Rugby Union means making tough decisions.
GLRU President Kevin de Klerk has another name for the painful process of the past two years – right-sizing.
And he is intimately familiar with the pain that goes with it, having just watched as long-time friend Manie Reyneke walked out after four years in office as GLRU CEO – one of the many by-products of the ‘right-sizing’.
In this, Part Three of his exclusive and all-encompassing interview with rugby365.com, De Klerk speaks about the numerous administrative changes and controversies during his time in office – which, of course, has just seen the Lions claim their first Currie Cup title since 1999.
Amidst all the player upheavals and coaching changes in the early stages of his time in office, the administrative issues often seemed to slip into the background.
However, as the last five months proved, they demanded as much attention and often caused more unwanted headlines than the onfield dramas.
There was the much-publicised public spat with equity partner Guma TAC, which resulted in negotiations around the completion of the shareholders agreement being terminated in June.
The outcome of that was the announcement last month of a new equity deal with Altmann Allers, the union’s vice-President and owner of Glasfit.
But the biggest indication that there are some dramatic administrative changes taking place at GLRU headquarters in Doornfontein was when Reyneke announced last month that he would be leaving the services of the GLRU after four years.
As De Klerk told this website: “There were plenty of painful experiences [in the past two years].”
The departure of the CEO was one of the most painful of those, with De Klerk adding: “Manie [Reyneke]… I saw him grow up and we’ve been friends for 30 years and we will remain friends for at least another 30 years. I am happy he has secured another job in a similar field.
“But we had to right-size, but in certain aspects we fell well short… in the commercial and financial fields. We are busy fixing that up.”
The other, very painful and unpleasant, experience was the public fall-out with Guma Chairman Robert Gumede, who accused the GLRU of being “stuck in the past” and “putting a veneer on transformation”.
“What really hit us – Manie, the union and myself – was the engagement with the previous equity partner,” De Klerk said.
“We lost an entire year. We had to [continue to] pay salaries and we had the usual expenses, but the money just didn’t come in.”
De Klerk did have a message for the Guma boss, Gumede, after some of the nasty things said in public.
“He [Gumede] said, on national television, that he shudders to think what would happen with the Lions now that he wasn’t there… he’s been left with egg on his face,” De Klerk said of a union that has not just found another, equally powerful equity partner, but has also won two national titles recently – the Currie Cup and the Under-19 championship.
Asked about the reasons behind the right-sizing, De Klerk said they could not afford to live beyond their means.
“I would like to explain it this way: If you have just R100 to spend and your shopping list costs R120, you have to cut something out.
“We are now going through that process, it is a long-term process. You can’t keep living hand-to-mouth.
“Unions depend on bums on seats, sponsors, those things for their income. We went through 12 lean years [poor attendances due to poor results] and this union really struggled.
“We are busy with that repair job and it is a tough task.”
Another drawn-out saga that was eventually resolved last month – ironically the same month in which the Lions ended a 12-year Currie Cup drought – was the decision to decline an offer from Stadium Management South Africa to host future Lions matches at the Soccer City Complex in Soweto.
“We had good offers from Soccer City and it is a great venue, but we could not get to a specific figure where we could say that is what we will make [in terms of income],” De Klerk told this website.
“There were just too many misnomers… such as the possibility of setbacks from suite holders, season-ticket holders and life members. We also had to consider how our sponsors would have reacted.
“We just did not get the right messages back in this regard. Add in all the current changers, the right-sizing and new equity partners, it was not the right time to make that move now.
“On the basis of that we showed faith in our current stadium [Ellis Park, or Coca-Cola Park], where we have a lease for another 80 years.
“The ground belongs to the municipality, but we own all the buildings,” he explained.
“At Soccer City the maximum [period] they could offer us was eight or 10 years. That was a shaky offer, because our destiny was not in our own hands – there were simply to many unknown factors for us to take the leap.”
The Lions may still play some fixtures in Soweto and there is the fact that the Springboks’ Tri-Nations Test against the All Blacks next year will most likely be staged in Soweto too.
“That is not impossible,” De Klerk said, when asked about the Lions playing in Soweto in the future, adding: “As we know SARU are considering playing the All Blacks Test there [again].
“We will also consider playing a game at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto, but that will depend on the schedule of those stadiums. It will depend on many factors, but that is one of the options we will consider.”
The GLRU will also have to look at how they manage the Ellis Park precinct more effectively, in terms of how they get “maximum value” out of the two stadiums at their disposal – the main rugby stadium, Ellis Park, and neighbouring Johannesburg Stadium.
The other aspect is the decline of the Doornfontein precinct, like the rest of Johannesburg central in the last decade.
“We are working very hard on that and the Johannesburg City council also have a responsibility to improve the inner city,” he said, when asked about making visits to Ellis Park a more pleasant and safe experience for spectators.
Asked if he felt the administration has improved sufficiently, his answer was brutally frank: “What is enough?
“What was important for me was to steer the ship to calm waters and then we can take it from there.
“We have a good team and we have an agreement with a new equity partner.
“They brought some of their officials, accountants and other administrators, to come help us… to help us solve the issues.”
The GLRU has also announced that it has started the process of appointing a new CEO.
In the interim, Ruben Moggee – from equity partner Glasfit – will be the acting CEO of the Lions. Moggee will be assisted by the Board of Directors
8 Nov 2011, 20:06 pm
So now I have 2 teams in the Championship. Leeds & the Boks.
But Leeds will be in the Premiership next year.
8 Nov 2011, 20:19 pm
Grrrrrr
8 Nov 2011, 20:37 pm
The Currie Cup is dead.
Long live the Currie Cup.
8 Nov 2011, 21:14 pm
“Match venues for South Africa and Argentina still have to be confirmed and will be announced later by SANZAR.
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.”
8 Nov 2011, 21:35 pm
looking forward to the 4nations this year. was getting so boring for so long and all they did to improve it was add another round, then the marketing genuises the following year came up with a brilliant idea to liven it up by creatively adding another round.
at least now theres a team which potentially has a lot to offer.
hopefully next round of creativity wont be to add another round.
8 Nov 2011, 21:46 pm
Rumour has it WP Nel joining stormers next year…
8 Nov 2011, 22:03 pm
@Gunther(gunther)-194:
I think you might be surprised at what actually happned in the Samona game in 1995.
I found the report of that game a couple of months ago but cant find it. But i did fond this. It has a little bit of the biting that the boks did on the Samoan team in 1995. Oh and for you a little bit about Suzie.
If you thought Samoa was hard done by in their clash against South Africa a couple of weeks ago and New Zealand with that forward pass in 2007, have a look at these World Cup injustices, collected from his scrapbook by Gregor Paul.
1 – ABDEL BENAZZI, 1995
It looked at the time as if Abdel Benazzi had grounded the ball over the tryline. It still looked like he had grounded the ball over the tryline on the slow motion action replay. But back in 1995, there was no Television Match Official. Semi-final referee Derek Bevan said the French No 8 was short and that was it ù he blew for fulltime and South Africa were in the final.
The Springboks had gone through 19-15 and Benazzi’s last minute lunge would have made all the difference, had it counted. It had the feel of a slightly harsh call in the hours after the game but took on a more sinister hue after the tournament. At the post-tournament dinner, South African Rugby Union president Louis Luyt thanked Bevan in his appalling speech for “outstanding refereeing”. He then invited the Welshman on stage to accept an expensive gold watch.
Bevan joined the mass walkout, later saying: “It was something I could have done without. It came out of the blue: I have no idea why he singled me out”.
It could be misconstrued and if that is the case, it leaves a bitter taste.”
2 – FIJI v FRANCE, 1999
Fiji had France in real trouble during their pool clash at the 1999 World Cup. A disorganised French team were all over the place and Fiji reigned supreme in the chaos. It was their kind of rugby – no structure, high risks and plenty of mistakes to feed off. They were looking good to pull off the unthinkable and beat the pool favourites and turn the World Cup on its head.
That was until referee Paddy O’Brien intervened by having the worst game of his career and a performance so bad even he said it was a “car crash”.
First he denied Fiji a legitimate try. They had caught the French fullback in a pincer tackle, the ball jolted loose and they hacked on and scored.
O’Brien, though, saw a knock-on no one else in the world did. Then he missed three blatant forward passes in the build-up to a French try and, amazingly, with Fiji under pressure on their own line during a series of scrummages, he awarded a penalty try after French hooker Marc Del Maso popped up.
France won the game 28-19 ùa result they could never have achieved without O’Brien’s help. “I lost the plot,” was the Kiwi official’s honest assessment.
He went on to become the IRB’s referee performance manager – Fiji were dumped out in the curious and never repeated quarter-final playoff round.
3 – ENGLAND v FRANCE, 1991
The last time England met France in a quarter-final, things finished up decidedly ugly both on and off the field.
The game itself was ill-tempered and full of unsavoury incidents that went unpunished. The French, as they are prone to do when they play England, smelled a conspiracy.
They felt the English-speaking New Zealand referee David Bishop was against them so after the final whistle blew to condemn France to an early exit – they had lost 19-10 – captain Daniel Dubroca manhandled the referee in the tunnel. He had him by the throat, pushed him around a bit and screamed in his face that he was a cheat.
Apparently this wasn’t reason for the IRB to take any action and they did their level best to play it down and pretend it never happened.
There was no sanction against the normally sane hooker but he did at least have the decency to resign his post shortly after the World Cup.
4 – SOUTH AFRICA v SAMOA, 1995
It would have spoiled the story, a good book and fairly awful movie. But the South Africans needed to be taken to task for their actions in the 1995 quarter-final against Samoa.
It was only after the Boks had posted a 42-14 win that the extent of their work off the ball became apparent. Some of the Samoans were sporting bite marks on various parts of their bodies and there may have been all kinds of physical abuse inflicted upon them.
But the Samoans were reluctant to snitch ¡¡¡¡¡ù to go public with the accusations, even though there was ample video evidence to confirm that they had been subjected to things no team should ever have to put up with.
Perhaps because of the momentum the Boks had built in unifying the country or perhaps because they had already been in trouble for a nasty brawl that erupted earlier in the tournament against the Canadians, South Africa were never probed about their antics in the quarter-final. They were let off without a stain on their record.
5 – TONGA v THE IRB, 2007
Tonga defied the odds to become the darlings of the tournament.
They so nearly beat South Africa in their opening game, then edged past the US and Samoa to leave themselves in a showdown with England for a quarter-final place. By this point, they had captured the imagination and probably because they were playing England, a number of people wanted to help them with their finances.
One such party was Irish-based bookmaker Paddy Power who tipped in a five-figure donation to help the Pacific Island side. The Tongans in return decided they would all dye their hair green to say thanks.
The IRB got wind of it and threatened them if they did. It didn’t seem to matter that the French had grown beards and dyed their hair blond en masse at the 1995 World Cup or that the French had deliberately darkened their playing kit to enforce a colour clash with the All Blacks in 2007.
The Tongans could be bullied so therefore they were.
6 – ENGLAND WITH 16 MEN, 2003
It is normally a straightforward business putting a replacement on to the rugby field. One player comes off, another takes his place. Simple. Except somehow when England played Samoa in 2003, Dan Luger came on but no one came off.
For nearly one minute, England played with 16 men. Mike Tindall hadn’t made it off the field and Samoa, trailing 35-22, had to endure 34 seconds against an extra man.
It was cheating in anyone’s book and a serious breach at that but England were fined only ú10,000 ù a slap on the wrist, if that.
It was a much more serious infringement than was ever acknowledged and we can only ask what the outcome would have been had Samoa been the ones to transgress. And what if they had won the game? Would they have been hit with such a wet sanction?
7 – ENGLAND v ANDRE WATSON 2003
England just about had the 2003 World Cup final in the bag. They were leading 17-14 and there were only a couple of minutes left.
Australia were desperate but they were struggling to get the ball or break England’s defence. They certainly didn’t look like they were going to score a try and England were proving supremely disciplined ù giving no penalties away to provide the Wallabies with the three points they needed.
The game should have wound down to a natural conclusion and England crowned champions after 80 minutes. But referee Andre Watson had a different view ù he saw a technical infringement in a scrum and despite the fact England were clearly dominant in that area and under no pressure, Watson awarded the Wallabies a penalty which Elton Flatley kicked to force the game into extra time.
England eventually won but they had to endure 20 extra minutes of agony to get there, thanks to Watson.
8 – ALL BLACKS v SUZIE
To this day, no one knows whether there was sabotage involved, or whether it was just seriously unlucky that so many All Blacks were struck down with food poisoning on the eve of the 1995 World Cup final.
The fact the players were sick is not debated. The likes of Craig Dowd and Jeff Wilson were seen vomiting on the side of the field during the game and other All Blacks were clearly not on their game. But was it all down to the mystery tea lady ‘Suzie’?
Unlikely and the injustice of all this was that it has taken some of the shine off the Springbok victory. The All Blacks either needed to declare their illness before the game and ask for a delay or at least let it be known in advance so there was no chance of them looking like sour losers. Or they needed to stay quiet forever.
9 – UNCONSCIOUS WELSHMAN SENT OFF, 1987
Everyone giggles when they remember the incident in the 1987 semifinal that saw Welsh lock Huw Richards sent off.
The All Blacks were giving the Welsh a bit of an old-fashioned doing and there was a fair bit of frustration among the men in red. Some of that boiled over when Richards and Gary Whetton got involved in a scuffle.
It was a real handbag session and perhaps out of embarrassment or perhaps because he wanted to show how things should really be done, All Black No 8 Wayne Shelford entered the fray.
Not one for half measures, ‘Buck’ smacked Richards properly ù knocked him out and really should have been sent off and therefore unavailable for the final the All Blacks were clearly going to make. But referee Kerry Fitzgerald had other ideas. He waited for Richards to regain consciousness, then he showed the Welshman the red card. Buck was off Scot free.
10 – SAMOA v SOUTH AFRICA, 2011
With a quarter-final place on the line, there was plenty of tension in the Samoa versus South Africa clash at North Harbour.
The Samoans were desperate and played superbly to dominate possession and open the Springboks up more than most teams have managed in several attempts combined.
They were trailing 13-5 with 12 minutes to go and looking capable of scoring a try to bring them within striking distance of a famous win.
The crowd could sense it and the Boks were increasingly edgy. At one breakdown, Samoa’s fullback Paul Williams held on to Heinrich Brussow’s jersey.
It was a bit silly and pointless, so Brussow repeatedly punched Williams’ arm in the hope he would release.
There was nothing in it and still not much in it when Williams finally stood up and pushed his open hand into Brussow’s face. The Springbok flanker dropped theatrically and rolled around – leading referee Nigel Owens to reach for a ludicrous red card. It was the softest red card ever and as a sign that Owens knew he had stuffed up, he immediately yellow carded John Smit for a deliberate knock-on that was clearly not deliberate.
8 Nov 2011, 22:44 pm
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-332: nice. that king hit on brussow was funny. brussow was all tough while williams was on the ground but as soon as williams could stand and defend himself brussow went hollywood and hit the ground like a sack of potatoes. brussow gets an academy award for the years best comedy act
that was williams 2nd red card and neither were deserved.
8 Nov 2011, 22:52 pm
Ja only a kiwi knows how to do a real Hollywood on the crowd…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdjQpFNqV8E
No room to talk boyos.
8 Nov 2011, 22:54 pm
Interesting that Bismark Du Plessis appears to have been the skipper talking to the ref in that clip.
8 Nov 2011, 22:55 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-334: no where near as good as brussows
8 Nov 2011, 22:58 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-334:
lol
If Brussow got a hit like that he would have ended up in someones lap in the crowd after the double somesault leading into a backflip
8 Nov 2011, 23:04 pm
@NoRugbyGuru_0_(RugbyGuru_0_)-331: I SAW WP NEL AT THE AIRPORT LEAVING ct THE FRI MORNING BEFORE THE cc FINAL….i WAS WITH jUSTRUGBY LEAVING FOR JOBURG….I WONDERED ABOUT THAT!
Fark…sorry caps
8 Nov 2011, 23:11 pm
it appears Deon Carstens has signed with Stormers as well…
9 Nov 2011, 01:52 am
@Roar my Lions …. Currie Cup Champions 2011(RL)-308:
Geez you must be extremely smitten with yourself… whilst many on here are starting families, creating successful businesses, conquering new lands and generally making a name for themselves… that’s your claim to fame?
9 Nov 2011, 06:27 am
Curry Cup? Is that some trophy they play for in India Bod?
9 Nov 2011, 06:36 am
Carstens who plays both 1 and 3 is about to sign with Province.
9 Nov 2011, 06:57 am
@Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)-341:
hehe
theres three divisions – hot, mild and xtra hot.
9 Nov 2011, 07:37 am
@NoRugbyGuru_0_(RugbyGuru_0_)-331: where did you hear that?
If we get WP Nel and Deon Carstens I will be a happy man…
9 Nov 2011, 07:41 am
@grant10(grant10)-344: eish grant , most of the wp okes in here used to tell us how kak deon carstens is?? now you okes are happy about him??? lmao
9 Nov 2011, 07:44 am
if it happens , it will be a good purchase by the wp
9 Nov 2011, 07:56 am
@President_of_the_Sharks_rugby_experts(sharks_lover)-346:
its almost like the young mens western province association in here…
9 Nov 2011, 08:32 am
Now this is news worth talking about. Carstens or Nel, either will certainly bolster the squad for next year.
Sadly though I feel that the scrumming woes of WP (and let’s be honest, they are better this year than for a long time in the past, but still not a real force to be reconed with) are often put on the shoulders of the front rankers without taking into consideration that we have a no 7 flanker and a 2.08m beanpole scrumming in the second row,
CJ was **** at the Stormers and good for the Lions the same year.
I fear that Deon/WP Nel may suffer the same fate.
i’ve always maintained that whilst not amazing, that the WP front row is not a bad one at all. The problems go further than just that.
But the acquisition of either player will certainly bolster the stocks for what is looking to be a very long schedule/season next year.
9 Nov 2011, 08:33 am
@grant10(grant10)-344: province are lucky to have Saracens as their feeder team along with Boland … never will they struggle to fill a position.
Just look after your hookers and hope they remain fit, you do not want a SOS to go out to Plod.
9 Nov 2011, 08:39 am
Awesome comp – i think this will be great for Southern Hemisphere rugby and i cant wait to go watch rugby in B Aires – it can only help Argentin rugby but will the european clubs allow their players to play in this comp ???
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