School Rugga TV: Profiling Pollard
1 Jun 2012
GARETH DUNCAN chats to Paarl Gym flyhalf Handre Pollard, the first schoolboy to make the Baby Bok squad.
19 Jun 2013
Jean de Villiers will be given the rest of the week to recover in time to face Samoa in Pretoria. Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer wants his captain to lead the side in the Boks final international of the month. If De Villiers does not recover from the chest injury, Jan Serfontein will start at inside centre. Morne Steyn again starts ahead of Pat Lambie. Willem Alberts will also be given the next 48 hours to prove his fitness. Adriaan Strauss retains the run on No 2 jersey while Bismarck du Plessis is nursed back after nine months out of the game. Boks - 15. Willie le Roux, 14. Bryan ... Read Article1 Jun 2013
The Bulls are South Africa's best team and they proved it in Bloemfontein. The Cheetahs have been outstanding all season and they were as good on Saturday night as they have been at any stage. Still it wasn't good enough to beat the Bulls, who won 30-25 after leading 30-13 with 10 minutes to play. The Cheetahs finished brilliantly and deserved the bonus point, but the Bulls consolidated their top two league placing thanks to an imposing first hour. Pierre Spies was impressive as team and pack leader, Arno Botha was ever present and the No 9, 10, 12 Bulls axis of Francois Hougaard, Morne ... Read Article11 Jun 2013
Brendan Venter's appointment as Sharks Director of Rugby is a good one. But the decision to end John Plumtree's Sharks coaching tenure is not. Former Springbok and Italy coach Nick Mallett turned down an invitation for the role of Sharks Director of Rugby and Venter, formerly the head coach and Director of Rugby at Saracens, will start his job at the outset of the Currie Cup season. Plumtree remains the Super Rugby head coach until the end of this season's tournament but his contract has not been renewed. Plumtree is highly rated in Europe and will in all likelihood link up with a European ... Read Article8 Jun 2013
Rene Ranger was among the few highlights in New Zealand's 23-13 win against France in Auckland. The All Blacks led 17-10 at half time but France dominated field position for most of the match and enjoyed the greater quality in possession. However they couldn't translate the advantage in the set phase and at the breakdown into points. New Zealand defended well in a match of poor quality. France lead early through Wesley Fofana's try and it took Ben Smith's break to start up New Zealand's international season. Smith has been the form New Zealand back in Super Rugby and he looked a class ... Read Article27 May 2013
Kiwi Vern Cotter is Scotland's new head coach. Cotter will only take up the position in a year's time. He will see out his contact with French club Clermont. Cotter's appointment means that New Zealanders will coach Scotland, Ireland (Joe Schmidt) and Wales (Warren Gatland). New Zealander Robbie Deans has been at the helm of Australia for the last five years and current Blues coach John Kirwan coached Italy and Japan. Kiwi coaches have also been at the helm of Samoa and Fiji in recent years. 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 Article1 Jun 2012
GARETH DUNCAN chats to Paarl Gym flyhalf Handre Pollard, the first schoolboy to make the Baby Bok squad.
GarethDuncan has written 2414 articles.
31 Jan 2013
30 Jan 2013
Behind the scenes at SA Rugby magazine's cover shoot with Springbok flank Francois Louw and snippets from the interview. Click...Read More
Francois Louw believes the best way to take the referee out of the equation is to dominate the collisions, reports...Read More
Flip van der Merwe will start in the second row for the Springboks in the quadrangular series decider at Loftus...Read More
The decision to give Flip van der Merwe the No 5 jersey is yet another ploy by Heyneke Meyer to...Read More
Heyneke Meyer's decision to back a host of youngsters in this quadrangular Test series will have long-term benefits for the...Read More
The Bulls are South Africa’s best team and they proved it in Bloemfontein. Read More
Jean de Villiers will be given the rest of the week to recover in time to face Samoa in Pretoria. 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
Kiwi Vern Cotter is Scotland’s new head coach. Read More
Rene Ranger was among the few highlights in New Zealand’s 23-13 win against France in Auckland. Read More

12 Comments
1 Jun 2012, 11:45 am
Looking forward to see how he goes with the u20s.
Must say that I am not a big fan of T. Jantjies… Hope he changes my mind though…
10. Jantjies
11. Jordaan
12. Serfontein
13. Small-Smith
14. Mbovane
15. Schmidt
With Pollard, Lleyds and Howard on the bench
Like the look of the backline… Also bodes well for 2013 u20s with Pollard, Serfontein, Swanepoel and Howard being elible together with a fit Tim Swiel
1 Jun 2012, 13:22 pm
No way will Small-Smith play ahead of Pat Howard at 13, that would be madness
1 Jun 2012, 13:34 pm
Small-Smith has more experience having played SA 7s. Was also the SA Schools captain 2 years ago if I’m not mistaken… I’m a fan of Pat Howard but there’s still alot for him to do
1 Jun 2012, 14:20 pm
Is Duncan and Vrede an item ? Anyways , congrats to Pollard , good future buy for the Bulls
1 Jun 2012, 14:25 pm
@sparticus(sparticus)-4: LoL Gareth is from my hometown Kuila stand up. The mohawk is looking fresh guy! lol we must start playing soccer again, leave this oval ball stuff man!
@sparticus(sparticus)-4: I hope he has the same explosiveness as his cricketing namesake.
1 Jun 2012, 14:59 pm
@Sasuke(Sasuke)-5: http://www.dieburger.com/Sport/Rugby/Jong-Bok-ster-gaan-nie-Bul-word-20120601
He’s not signed with the Bulls. Although the Bulls and Sharks have offered him contracts, he hasn’t signed on yet. A WP signing sounds probable.
1 Jun 2012, 15:09 pm
@Saffex(Saffex)-2: @Gambit25(Gambit25)-3: I hope you’re both wrong and Paul Jordaan plays 13. With Goosen out, he will be our best and most influential backline player. 13 is his best position, and it’s also one that will give him more opportunities and influence than out on the wing.
my prediction
10 Jantjies
11 Ismael
12 Serfontein
13 Jordaan
14 Mbovane
15 Schmidt
1 Jun 2012, 15:18 pm
@Gambit25(Gambit25)-1: jordaan on the wing last year was pants – knocking on and generally nowhere, he got burnt ALL the time – the nippy irish wing blitzed him and he ended up in a hedge face first!
1 Jun 2012, 15:19 pm
@Caper(Caper)-6: Thats great news man!
@sonofgun(sonofgun)-7: You might be right.
1 Jun 2012, 15:22 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-8: That was the funniest moment!
1 Jun 2012, 19:51 pm
Noticeable omissions are locks Jacques du Plessis Ruan Venter and Etienne Oosthuizen
Rudi van rooyen(half back),Neetling(prop),Stephen cotze(hooker) & full back Craig Berry
as for the scrummie & lossie depth is a bit poor
Note: Selection errors was SA downfall last year!!.
As for the fly halfs (Pollard & tony) although they nowhere near Goosen they Are the best available although Tim Swiel of WP could have been tested
well sorry to say but i watched the trails and I dont see how Pollard out played Zeilinga on the night,Zeilinga scored a try kicked well and tackled excellent and his passing was great way better than Pollard ,if one had to make a decision that night who the better player was it was by far Zeilinga ,dont get me wrong Pollard is a great player at school level,Zeilinga played in the Sanix world cup at school and has 2 vodacom cup seasons behind him so pressure and BMT is there he kicks great but a pity the sharks didnt give him the chance he wanted to kick .my personal choice would have been to give pollard a season at a higher level first and go with experience and a person conditioned at vodacom cup level and who playes flyhalf and scrumhalf .Zeilinga to me is even beter than Jantjies currently but hey we all have our own opinion go bokke
4 Jun 2012, 10:02 am
So looking at the latest Keohane scandal I can understand why we haven’t seen a real episode of KeoTV in a while.
I always thought the tiny man seemed a little buzzed on camera. There is an Eric Clapton song that springs to mind…..
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