Local is lekker
19 Feb 2013
RICHARD FERGUSON reports that the Kings have kept within the South African rugby rules by only naming 2 foreign players in their match 22.
The team looks similar to the team that went down to Griquas last week, but with an extra week of training behind them, they will be looking for a good start to the season with a win over the already beaten Force.
Luke Watson captains the team from the back of the scrum while Demetri Catrakilis continues to run the backline with Springbok Andries Strauss outside him. The foreigners will both make an impact from the bench, with Daniel Adongo and Hadleigh Parkes named on the wood.
The Kings make their Super Rugby debut against the Force on Saturday evening at the Nelson Mandela Stadium.
Kings: 15 SP Marais, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Ronnie Cooke, 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Marcello Sampson, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Shaun Venter, 8 Luke Watson (captain), 7 Wimpie van der Walt,6 Cornell du Preez, 5 Steven Sykes, 4 David Bulbring, 3 Kevin Buys, 2 Bandise Maku, 1 Schalk Ferreira Substitutes: 16 Edgar Marutlulle, 17 Jaco Engels, 18 Daniel Adongo, 19 Jacques Engelbrecht , 20 Johan Herbst, 21 George Whitehead, 22 Hadleigh Parkes.
52 Comments
19 Feb 2013, 23:25 pm
A baptism of fire for these old Kings dragons. Welcome to the big time starting against the minnows.
Will probably be the 2nd most watched game after the Stormers v Bulls this weekend.
19 Feb 2013, 23:48 pm
Does the fact that the other 3 foreign players are injured make it easier to only select the 2 remaining fit ones?
19 Feb 2013, 23:51 pm
Not a easy game to call.
Was thinking from day one that this is one they can win, but after going down to a Griqua side without their handful of decent players I just don’t think so any more.
20 Feb 2013, 07:16 am
@ 1 IAAS
Most watched game after the Bulls vs Stormers… strange but true indeed.
20 Feb 2013, 07:26 am
Interested to see how the Kings go against the Force. The Force put up a good show last week against the Rebels.
20 Feb 2013, 08:18 am
Rules? The rules state that should have no more than two (2, twee) foreign players in their super rugby squad!
So this week it is the Kenyan and the kiwi, next week it is the Argies. Then how about a frog for week 3.
The vuil baastaard Watson said he was still going to announce his final squad minus the excess the buitenlanders. He has not done so.
To me they settled with the Kenyan and Kiwi – if they shod sneak in another foreign player I expect SARU to take some action.
20 Feb 2013, 08:22 am
Who is Richard Ferguson exactly?
Force by 20+
20 Feb 2013, 08:29 am
Where is Mpho Mboyizo?
Must be injured. He’s been more of a servant to EP rugby than any of the Watsonians.
20 Feb 2013, 08:45 am
@John Galt-8: it is Mbiyozob – and he is out cause they have filled their quota of black wingers + 1 black forward.
20 Feb 2013, 09:02 am
In all honesty it will not be good if the kings take a hiding first up.
20 Feb 2013, 09:11 am
Sh@t another queens story
The Bulls and Strompies are playing Friday for f#ck sakes!
20 Feb 2013, 09:15 am
Some Rugby news
The great north-south derby, the Bulls versus Stormers, equates to a Test match. It may sound cliched, but it is a fact!
For that reason it will be all about discipline and winning the ‘big moments’ when the Bulls host the Stormers at Loftus Versfeld in their Super Rugby season-opener on Friday.
The Bulls, who had no surprises in their team named on Tuesday, will miss only a couple of Springboks – veteran wing Akona Ndungane and loose forward Jacques Potgieter.
Ndungane took a knock in the pre-season encounter with the Cheetahs and haven’t recovered yet, opening the door for Lions loan player Lionel Mapoe – with 28 Super Rugby caps and a Bok tourist last year – to come in on the right wing.
Potgieter is coming back from groin surgery and coach Frans Ludeke felt it was not worth risking him against the men from the Cape.
“It is a long season and we didn’t want to take any chances with Jacques,” Ludeke told this website.
That means the Bulls field a settled team that features 14 Springboks in the starting XV – the exception being rookie prop Morné Mellett.
The Bulls mentor made no secret about what will decide this encounter between the two traditional rivals.
“Whenever we play the Stormers there is very little between the two teams,” Ludeke said, when asked about encounters that have seen only one blow-out in last five years, when Bulls sent their B Team to Cape Town ahead of the 2010 Final.
Other than that the largest margin since 2008 was 10 points, with two three-pointers and a four-pointer in the last three encounters.
“It is about discipline and about one or two the big moments,” Ludeke said, adding: “Both teams are very good in that regard.
“These two teams always bring out the best in each other, so there’s never a shortage of motivation..
“Both teams are filled with world class players, so it is always on par with a Test match.
“That is why it is about discipline, quality set pieces that allow you to get out of your own area and when you are on attack [set pieces] that allow you to set a platform to launch those raids.
“When you get good opportunities you must be able to put points on the board.”
The Bulls coach said he was very happy to be working with a more settled and mature team than last year this time, when they had to start over after the departure of a number of legends from the franchise.
“We had a great pre-season and there was a completely different attitude from the players,” he told this website, adding: “The guys are more focussed and we are well prepared.
“Every season has its own unique challenges, but we feel we have made the right adjustments to how we play.
“Certain aspect of our play, which we worked on in the off-season, went well and we saw that in the warm-up matches that came through well.
“So we are happy with our build-up and looking forward to the occasion.”
20 Feb 2013, 09:20 am
More news. This time about Smith
Springbok legend Juan Smith, who last week announced his retirement on medical advice, could make a dramatic return to the pitch.
The Cheetahs stalwart underwent four surgeries after he ruptured his Achilles tendon in the opening round of the 2011 Super Rugby season in a bid to continue his career.
But Smith last week called time on his career after the injury flared up after cameos in the Cheetahs’ two recent Super Rugby pre-season friendlies against the Stormers and the Bulls.
The 2007 World Cup winner, however, still harbours hopes of making a comeback, and he could come out of retirement if a new procedure, in which clamps are used to further tighten the tendon, proves successful.
Smith said he heard about the procedure after his announcement and planned to undergo the surgery on Wednesday.
“When Johan Kruger, the doctor who initially reattached my Achilles tendon, heard about my retirement he phoned me immediately [and told me about the alternative surgery] and he believes it can be a success,” Smith told Rapport.
“Why wait? I’m 32, and if I get another opportunity I want to play. Even if it is just for one more season, that’s all I’m asking for.”
The pragmatic, tough-as-nails flank told the newspaper that he savoured his final 60 minutes of rugby in the recent warm-up matches following two challenging years which saw him go under the knife four times and rehabilitate the injury 12 times.
“Sixty minutes … at least I had that,” he said. “Thirty in the warm-up game against the Stormers and thirty in the warm-up game against the Bulls. That made all the pain of the past two years worth it.”
Smith said that while he is grateful to have played again, it remains an anticlimatic final chapter to his career and only adds to his hunger to return for one last hurrah.
“It’s not how I wanted to end my career. I wanted to go out on my own terms … I have unfinished business.”
In contrast to players like John Smit, who condemned former Springbok coach Rudolph Straeuli’s infamous Kamp Staaldraad, Smith said the military-style camp was one of the most beneficial experiences of his career.
Smith, who made his debut for the Cheetahs in 2002 and played in 69 Tests for the Springboks, was a greenhorn when he was included in Straeuli’s 2003 World Cup squad, having played just six Tests.
“I was 21 and for me Kamp Staaldraad was the best thing to date. I got to know myself as a person and got respect for my body. It meant a lot to my rugby career,” said Smith.
20 Feb 2013, 09:22 am
I’m pulling Transie on myself
Another copy and paste special
The Stormers may have several key players on the sideline, but coach Allister Coetzee will not risk long-term damage to any of his stars by rushing them back prematurely.
Speaking ahead of their season opener against the Bulls in Pretoria on Friday, Coetzee explained why he is taking a cautious approach with big-name squad members like Springboks Schalk Burger, Juan de Jongh and Eben Etzebeth – despite the massive challenge awaiting them at Loftus Versfeld.
Burger, who underwent knee surgery and missed the entire 2012, has not made sufficient progress on the road to full recovery from a pre-season calf strain.
Coetzee admitted the calf problem is a byproduct of the knee injury, even though Burger has made a full recovery from the surgery he underwent last year.
The result is that Burger will be sidelined for at least the first three matches – against the Bulls this week, then the Sharks in Durban next week and the Chiefs (in Cape Town in Week Four).
Describing it as “one of those unfortunate incidents”, Coetzee said he does not want to put a date on Burger’s return.
“Hopefully when we reassess after the Chiefs game, during the bye week [in Week Five], he’ll be 100 percent to play,” the Stormers mentor said, adding: “I want to make 100 percent sure Schalk will play injury free.
“I don’t want to risk Schalk and push him for the first game and he ends up being sidelined for up to six weeks. I will play Schalk when he is ready, when there is finally no niggle, nothing.
“If there is something, anything, I won’t risk him, I won’t play him.”
Coetzee admitted that it is frustrating, for both the player and coaching staff, but they are not going to rush him back.
“The knee is 100 percent, but once you come off a big injury there is the chance of another niggle.
“You want the calf muscle to not only be medically right, but you want it to be stronger and that is the reasoning behind my approach – he must be able to take a full load on it [the calf].”
Coetzee said he is taking the same cautious approach with Bok midfielder Juan de Jongh, who is in the final stages of his rehabilitation from a hamstring injury.
“If we were to play a semifinal or a Final this weekend, Juan would have played,” the coach said, adding: “He ran pain free, without any hassles.
“The important thing is that I don’t want the recurrence of a hamstring [injury], then he will be out longer – that extra week of rehabilitation and building up the muscle will lower the risk of the injury recurring.”
Coetzee said it is the first game of the season and all the franchises are having injury problems.
“There is hardly a team that is able to field their top side,” he said.
“We have [captain] Keegan Daniel and Bismarck [du Plessis] out for the Sharks, the Reds are without [captain James] Horwill and [scrumhalf [Will] Genia, the Bulls have [Dean] Greyling [sidelined].
“All teams have players out – similar to us. We have Eben [Etzebeth] out, Juan de Jongh and Schalk Burger out.
“It is still long way to go in the competition. You want your players back, for them to play for lengthy stints – not to come back for one game and then have another lengthy lay-off.”
The Stormers mentor said there is no need to rush a player back if there is a risk of losing him for a longer period.
“We have sufficient depth for this game.
“It would be penny wise, pound foolish and that is not a risk I am prepared to take.
“I have always maintained, if you want to do well in this competition, you have to get you players back towards the latter stages of this competition.”
Even without several Boks – like Burger, De Jongh and Etzebeth – the Stormers are able to field a very powerful and capable matchday 22.
“That is a lesson I learnt in the Currie Cup [last year], the focus should be on the guys who are available,” Coetzee said.
“We must make sure they understand the details and know what is coming this weekend.
“It is world class players we missing and we do have four or five players making their debut for the Stormers. However, they are all quality players.
“It is the first time since I have been involved here [at the Stormers] that we have such depth. We have Joe Pietersen on the bench, Gerhard van den Heever and Dewald Duvenhage as backs cover.
“It is a big game for us against a quality [Bulls] outfit at Loftus – it is never going to be easy, but with this team we have covered all our basis and we’ll be up for a massive derby game.”
20 Feb 2013, 09:30 am
And something for the guppies
The Sharks peaked at the right time last year but had left themselves too much to do because of earlier failures in the league phase of Super Rugby, so it’s no surprise that coach John Plumtree is targeting the conference games for a big effort this season.
The time spent in the air during the three weeks of the play-offs eventually bit the Sharks when they played the Chiefs in Hamilton in the 2012 final.
Plumtree knows that, and it’s why the opening sequence of derbies is going to be of crucial importance to his team’s challenge.
Wins over the Cheetahs this coming weekend and then against the Stormers could prevent them from chasing the game in the conference battle as they have in recent seasons.
In both 2011 and 2012 the Sharks found themselves on a final footing from around the halfway mark as they couldn’t afford to lose any more matches.
It is a situation the players tend to respond well to, but the Sharks’ management know greater consistency over the competition is the key to ending the Stormers’ stranglehold on the South African conference trophy.
“What we learned last year is that you need to get off to a good start and maintain some momentum through the competition to avoid the travel factor at the end,” said Plumtree at a press conference in Durban on Tuesday.
“The Stormers have won the conference in the last couple of years and that’s definitely the easiest route to the final. This is a conference game at the weekend and we have placed a huge emphasis on the conference games this year. We want to win every match we play, though we know that is hard in Super Rugby.
“These conference games are hugely important, and I am sure all the South African franchises are talking about that.”
Plumtree has yet to name the team to play the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein, but Springbok flanker Marcell Coetzee has been passed fit to play.
Most of the team appears to pick itself, though Plumtree gave a hint at which way the selections have gone by saying that the importance of the opening game had prompted a stress on experience, particularly in the tight five.
That should mean that all the Springboks available to the forward unit will start, although there is still some debate over whether Plumtree will be prepared to start with Ryan Kankowski when he hasn’t played any rugby since returning from Japan.
Lubalalo Mthembu has played well at No 8 in the warm-up games and could well wear that number on his back, with Kankowski being introduced off the bench.
“The way the Cheetahs play influenced a lot of the selections, they have a lot of speed and genuine threats in their backline,” said Plumtree.
“We’ve picked a side that has the most experience for the occasion. Scrumhalf was a horses for courses selection in terms of the strengths I require for the day.”
The players competing for the No 9 jersey are Charl McLeod and Cobus Reinach, with the latter being one of the young Sharks players who made a statement in last year’s Currie Cup.
He did not have a great final though, so it will be interesting to see if that might count against him, and ditto for Craig Burden, who had a nightmare game at the lineouts in the domestic decider against Western Province.
In Burden’s case he will probably start the season as the front-ranked hooker stand-in for the indisposed Bismarck du Plessis ahead of the challenge of Kyle Cooper, but with Reinach and McLeod the choice is less clear-cut.
One headache that Plumtree is pleased not to have this year is the one surrounding the midfield.
Although Meyer Bosman was lured to Durban from the Cheetahs a few years ago, he has never quite provided the hoped-for solution to a midfield problem that developed with the departure of a few star players, and another Springbok, Marius Joubert, arrived a bit late in his career to make a big impact.
One of those star players is back, however, and Plumtree is confident that Frans Steyn, now that he has matured enough to even slot in as the team captain, will make all the difference.
“We’re lucky this year in that we have Frans back in the midfield to help Pat Lambie out. He’s a big presence and he can get across the advantage line. He’s a running threat and he also has a strong kicking game. If you look at the side, the midfield is probably a bit more balanced compared to a couple of years ago, when we really struggled in that position. Now we have depth.
“I think all round we are better equipped, the side has some nice experience. There are players up front who have matured. Ryan Kankowski is now a 70 or 80-game veteran of Super Rugby, and we have a lot of players like that in our side. Charl McLeod has also played a lot of rugby at No 9.”
20 Feb 2013, 09:31 am
This can’t be our Bakkies!
Toulon second-row Bakkies Botha has been cited for a shoulder charge on Montpellier wing Yoan Audrin.
The former Springbok lock will face an LNR disciplinary committee on March 5 after taking out Audrin without the ball during Toulon’s 51-6 victory over Montpellier at Stade Felix Mayol last weekend.
In a bizarre twist of events, Audrin was shown a yellow card for (involuntarily) clattering into Toulon scrum-half Nicolas Durand in the air after being bumped off course by Botha, whose enormous frame obscured the referee’s view.
The match was just Botha’s second game back after a long lay-off following surgery on a fractured eye socket.
Meanwhile, Perpignan wing Adrien Planté will also appear before the disciplinary committee following his yellow card for a dangerous tackle on Toulouse wing Yves Donguy.
20 Feb 2013, 09:35 am
And last, a Cheaters story
The Toyota Cheetahs have received a timely boost with the news that both Springboks Coenie Oosthuizen and Johan Goosen will be ready for their Vodacom Super Rugby opener against the Sharks in Bloemfontein.
Oosthuizen, who has been suffering with a back and neck injury, took part in live scrums last week and is set to start off the bench when the team is named on Wednesday for the clash.
Goosen was rested for the pre-season games and did have some discomfort in his foot when kicking, but he has overcome this and will start alongside Piet van Zyl at flyhalf for the big clash.
The Cheetahs, who head off on tour in round two, will desperately want the victory to kickstart their campaign which has so often promised so much but delivered so little for their fans.
And while they may have the two stars back, they will not have the services of Heinrich Brussow, as the loose forward has been ruled out for this weekend’s game but will be fit for the tour and will travel with the Cheetahs next week.
The addition of the two Boks will make a massive difference for the Cheetahs, who struggled in their pre-season but have targeted the Sharks game as a must-win before they go on tour.
“It’s a big game for us,” coach Naka Drotske told supersport.com, “We want the victory to make sure we start on a high note. We can use the momentum as we go on tour next week, so it makes it a very important home game for us.”
There is no doubt the Sharks will arrive as favourites, but with the Cheetahs getting their gamebreaking flyhalf back, much is expected of their backline.
Goosen and Van Zyl are likely to be joined in the backline by Robert Ebersohn and Johan Sadie, while Raymond Rhule, Willie le Roux and Hennie Daniller are likely to round out the back three.
In any circles that would be a very expansive backline that can attack from anywhere, but the Cheetahs will need to look to their age-old problem of losing concentration at crucial times if they are to make an impact in the competition.
The team will be announced on Wednesday.
20 Feb 2013, 09:37 am
@Atlas-16: Bakkies shoulder-charging wingers? Noooooit!
Nice copy and pastes above china – you carry on like this you will end up a Senior Journo at Keo
20 Feb 2013, 09:37 am
There you go keo
All the rugby news of the day
Do I get any keo $ for doing your work for you?
20 Feb 2013, 09:38 am
Go KINGS, qha ke!
20 Feb 2013, 09:39 am
@bokfan1-18: Thanks bru
20 Feb 2013, 09:41 am
I’m honestly not sure I want to watch it, but I will.
I hope the Kings acquit themselves well, but I fear the Force taking them apart – they looked weak in forwards against the Lions and lacked structure in scrums and lineouts: one area the Force are of reasonable strength is in the forwards.
Home advantage is always a factor, but in this case, I think experience pretty much cancels that and swings the balance back in favour of the Force.
I’m sure there’s a few (or more) who want to see the Kings get moered every game, but that situation is only going to make the whole scenario even more farcical. Everyone has spent years moaning about the Aussies getting a free bonus point from the Rebels, but I actually don’t want to see a South African equivalent, and while I don’t expect much from the Kings, I’d like to hope they can at least maintain some pride.
20 Feb 2013, 09:48 am
Which Saffa team made way for this new team? I forgot.
20 Feb 2013, 09:58 am
@RL-6: Ooh!!, STFU!!!, Lions had 13yrs to ***** up, can’t the Kings get at least 2 years, besides, they only need to win 1 game and already, they’ll be better than the Lions worst record
20 Feb 2013, 10:10 am
Go the Kings !!!!!!
20 Feb 2013, 10:13 am
@Atlas-17: Thats quite an awesome agterlyn Cheetahs.
Goosen must please not get injured this year! It will be an awesome year for Boks if they have him and Elton as 10s.
Sadie must also have a good year, and get his form back. It will be great for Cheetahs and good for the Boks too, to have some competition in centres.
Players like Frans, De Jongh, Sadie, Engelbrecht, Serfontein, Murray, Mapoe all competing for centre spots, is GOOD (Im only excluding Jean as he is not one of the youngsters
)
20 Feb 2013, 10:17 am
@XhosaKid-24: i was thinking the same yihlo, one win is all that is needed.
20 Feb 2013, 10:19 am
Go Kings! The Force are struggling and this is one of the best fixtures a new team could ask for – a chance to start against a “weaker” side and get a win or at least a good performance in.
I hope the Kings will do very well in this game and this season.
The haters will come around – Saffers love to complain and hate things, then slowly realise, its not so bad, then start to enjoy it.
Look at the Mlungus with Madiba – he was a terrorist going to kill all the whiteys, now he is revered
20 Feb 2013, 10:30 am
@mabu-27: hahahaha yes it is a funny situation.
20 Feb 2013, 11:15 am
Atlas – If this new procedure for Juan smith is a success i do hope he seeks oppurtunities overseas! Why risk himeself in the tuff S15, he deserves some retirement money in Europe or Japan!
20 Feb 2013, 11:25 am
Go Kings!!!
20 Feb 2013, 12:22 pm
From iol website…:”60 percent of all rugby- playing high schools are in the Western and Eastern Cape.” Seems to me a logical conclusion that The Kings are represented at S15 level. Institutionalised racism will continue to hold back SA rugby. Imagine a SA where colour is not an issue and equal opportunities exist for all? When this happens then The Springboks can only be a stronger team.
20 Feb 2013, 12:38 pm
@bokfan1-26: A young back line like yours will be great for the future, but I’m still not sure with FH
@race of tan-30: He said he liked the Cheaters even if the money were k@k, hope he get well soon and agree with you, he then must go to Europe and get some $
20 Feb 2013, 12:47 pm
@XV-32: That is exactly why Natal, Lions, Bulls are not too happy with the Kings being included, they wont get the chance to pillage the EC schools for talent anymore
20 Feb 2013, 12:50 pm
@XhosaKid-34: Trust me we will
Most boys want to play for the Bulls and the like
They don’t want to lose week in and week out
20 Feb 2013, 13:10 pm
Cheetahs backline does look very exciting – when they have the ball. Defensively they very light. Opposition teams are going to use big runners to go at our centre pairing – Ebersohn and Sadie. While I’m happy Sadie has signed and I think it will do his career good I can’t help but think we going to miss a bit of muscle with Strauss gone. Hope Naka has prepared well defensively this season – we can’t afford to keep leaking tries like last season.
20 Feb 2013, 13:13 pm
Force by 50
20 Feb 2013, 13:43 pm
@Atlas-35:
Then they go no farther than the u21, as history suggests…
20 Feb 2013, 13:44 pm
@Atlas-35:
Then they will go no farther than the u21, as history suggests…
20 Feb 2013, 13:45 pm
@Atlas-35: That’s the same arrogance Natal/WP/Lions showed to EP & Border Cricket before the formation of the franchise system in domestic cricket, now the EC Warriors are by far the best franchise compared to any. Ntini, Tsotsobe, Ingram, Theron, Parnell, Prince, Botha, wouldn’t be playing for EC if it wasn’t for the franchise system.
20 Feb 2013, 13:47 pm
@mxhosa-39: Now Serfontein has magically leap frogged Andile Jho, what the pfcuk?
20 Feb 2013, 14:04 pm
@mxhosa-38:
@mxhosa-39:
split tongue I see
20 Feb 2013, 14:06 pm
@XhosaKid-40: This is not cricket
20 Feb 2013, 14:21 pm
@XhosaKid-41:
Serves him right, that arrogant **** said he didn’t wanna play for Kings. Now he finds himself playing in the EP Kings vodacom cup team, instead of the SR…
20 Feb 2013, 15:07 pm
@XhosaKid-40:
not really bud, definitely not from the results. As the only ‘true’ franchise it’s debatable whether the whole warriors sum is the better than the parts of ep and border.
In fact no one from the warriors has played a test for the Proteas in the past year.
20 Feb 2013, 15:16 pm
@shebeen-45:
Robin Peterson… I know he plays for the Cobras now but it is at the Warriors where he made his name.
20 Feb 2013, 15:18 pm
@shebeen-45: Which SA Franchise has represented South Africa more than the Warriors in the “Champions League” of franchises?, that should be the only objective measure for franchise success. Teams need to win or qualify to play in the Champs League, its not by vote or popularity.
@Atlas-43: Duh!!!, bright spark!!
20 Feb 2013, 15:23 pm
@XhosaKid-47: Thanks
20 Feb 2013, 15:42 pm
@Atlas-48: And 1,2,3,4,5 exclamation marks.
Classy……
20 Feb 2013, 22:44 pm
go Kings
21 Feb 2013, 02:18 am
Very happy to see Kings with four wins this season – all derby games! Force were quite unlucky last weekend and will have a big advantage having fired off a clearing round.
21 Feb 2013, 15:59 pm
Everyone has something to say on the Bulls/Stormers match, here’s another one. This site btw does a preview of the weekends top match every week. Well worth looking into or following. http://t.co/yUv1gJEffv
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