It’s almost that time of the year again. The 2010 Super 14 Rugby tournament will start on the weekend of the 12th of February 2010. Like previous years, it promises to be a display of the best rugby in Southern Hemisphere. Teams from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand will once again be competing for the Super 14 trophy and the honor of being named the best team in the Southern Hemisphere for 2010. In 2009 a South African team, The Bulls (from my native Pretoria) won the competition (repeating their victory of 2007). The Super 14 will take place of 16 weeks. The final for the competition will be played on the 29th of May 2010.

This is the schedule of matches to be played in the 2010 Super 14 Tournament:

Friday, February 12:
Blues v Hurricanes (Auckland)
Western Force v Brumbies (Perth)
Cheetahs v Bulls (Bloemfontein)

Saturday, February 13:
Crusaders v Highlanders (Christchurch)
Reds v Waratahs (Brisbane)
Lions v Stormers (Johannesburg)
Sharks v Chiefs (Durban)

Friday, February 19:
Highlanders v Blues (Dunedin)
Reds v Crusaders (Brisbane)
Sharks v Cheetahs (Durban)
Lions v Chiefs (Johannesburg)

Saturday, February 20:
Hurricanes v Western Force (Wellington)
Bulls v Brumbies (Pretoria)
Stormers v Waratahs (Cape Town)

Friday, February 26:
Crusaders v Sharks (Christchurch)
Stormers v Brumbies (Cape Town)

Saturday, February 27:
Hurricanes v Lions (Wellington)
Reds v Blues (Brisbane)
Western Force v Chiefs (Perth)
Cheetahs v Highlanders (Bloemfontein)
Bulls v Waratahs (Pretoria)

Friday, March 5:
Chiefs v Reds (Hamilton)
Brumbies v Lions (Canberra)

Saturday, March 6:
Crusaders v Blues (Christchurch)
Waratahs v Sharks (Sydney)
Stormers v Highlanders (Cape Town)
Cheetahs v Hurricanes (Bloemfontein)

Friday, March 12:
Chiefs v Crusaders (Hamilton)
Waratahs v Lions (Sydney)

Saturday, March 13:
Brumbies v Sharks (Canberra)
Bulls v Highlanders (Pretoria)
Stormers v Hurricanes (Cape Town)

Sunday, March 14:
Reds v Western Force (Brisbane)

Friday, March 19:
Blues v Brumbies (Auckland)
Bulls v Hurricanes (Pretoria)

Saturday, March 20:
Crusaders v Lions (Christchurch)
Highlanders v Sharks (Dunedin)
Western Force v Waratahs (Perth)
Stormers v Cheetahs (Cape Town)

Friday, March 26:
Highlanders v Lions (Dunedin)
Brumbies v Chiefs (Canberra)
Cheetahs v Reds (Bloemfontein)

Saturday, March 27:
Hurricanes v Sharks (Wellington)
Waratahs v Blues (Sydney)
Western Force v Bulls (Perth)

Friday, April 2:
Hurricanes v Crusaders (Wellington)
Western Force v Stormers (Perth)

Saturday, April 3:
Blues v Bulls (Auckland)
Chiefs v Highlanders (Mt Maunganui)
Waratahs v Cheetahs (Sydney)
Sharks v Reds (Durban)

Friday, April 9:
Chiefs v Bulls (Hamilton)

Saturday, April 10:
Highlanders v Western Force (Queenstown)
Blues v Stormers (Auckland)
Crusaders v Waratahs (Christchurch)
Brumbies v Cheetahs (Canberra)
Lions v Reds (Johannesburg)

Friday, April 16:
Chiefs v Stormers (Hamilton)
Brumbies v Hurricanes (Canberra)

Saturday, April 17:
Blues v Western Force (Auckland)
Crusaders v Cheetahs (Christchurch)
Reds v Bulls (Brisbane)
Lions v Sharks (Johannesburg)

Friday, April 23:
Chiefs v Cheetahs (Hamilton)
Reds v Stormers (Brisbane)
Western Force v Crusaders (Perth)

Saturday, April 24:
Highlanders v Hurricanes (Dunedin)
Waratahs v Brumbies (Sydney)
Bulls v Lions (Pretoria)
Sharks v Blues (Durban)

Friday, April 30:
Highlanders v Waratahs (Invercargill)
Stormers v Crusaders (Cape Town)

Saturday, May 1:
Hurricanes v Chiefs (Wellington)
Brumbies v Reds (Canberra)
Cheetahs v Blues (Bloemfontein)
Lions v Western Force (Johannesburg)
Bulls v Sharks (Pretoria)

Friday, May 7:
Hurricanes v Reds (Wellington)
Lions v Blues (Johannesburg)

Saturday, May 8:
Chiefs v Waratahs (Hamilton)
Brumbies v Highlanders (Canberra)
Bulls v Crusaders (Pretoria)
Cheetahs v Western Force (Bloemfontein)
Sharks v Stormers (Durban)

Friday, May 14:
Blues v Chiefs (Auckland)
Waratahs v Hurricanes (Sydney)
Sharks v Western Force (Durban)

Saturday, May 15:
Crusaders v Brumbies (Christchurch)
Reds v Highlanders (Brisbane)
Cheetahs v Lions (Kimberley)
Stormers v Bulls (Cape Town)

Friday, May 21 – Semi Final 1
Saturday, May 22 - Semi Final 2

Saturday, May 29 – Final

Related Posts

• October 14, 2009 -- Currie Cup 2009 – Update (0)
• October 9, 2009 -- Currie Cup 2009 – Update (0)
• October 6, 2009 -- Australia win 2009 ICC Champions Trophy (0)
• September 7, 2009 -- Wallabies bring Springboks down to earth in Brisbane (0)
• September 3, 2009 -- Currie Cup 2009 Update (0)
• September 2, 2009 -- ICC Champions Trophy 2009 around the corner (0)
• September 2, 2009 -- Springboks make history in Tri-Nations (0)
• January 18, 2010 -- Proteas pull one back against England (0)
• December 7, 2009 -- World Cup 2010: Groups (0)
• November 2, 2009 -- Bulls are 2009 Currie Cup Champions (0)

The Springboks are currently still on tour in Europe and have lost both their tour matches, the first match against Leicester in the United Kingdom and the second match against France in Toulouse. I hope that they break out of this losing streak. Perhaps it was the poor portrayal of the South African National Anthem before the match by Ras Dumisani that jinxed the performance of the Springboks in the match against the France. Or maybe the Springboks were just completely outplayed by the French on their home ground. Or it could have been the referee (Springbok fans love blaming the referee). It seems that everyone’s looking for a scapegoat to blame for the Springboks’ poor performance on Friday night in Toulouse. The Springboks have not beaten France on their home ground in a game of rugby since 1997 (when Nick Mallet’s Springboks beat the French by 52 points to 10). This may have been in the back of their minds as they started the match on Friday night. Julien Dupuy scored the first points of the game for France in the 6th minute of the first half. The Springboks only managed to reply with a penalty by Morne Steyn in the 20th minute. A few minutes later Morne Steyn kicked over a drop goal for South Africa, followed by a try for South Africa by the captain, John Smit. The Springboks were leading by 13 points to 3, but failed to score in the rest of the match. They had no reply to French try by wing Vincent Clerc and the other points scored by the French. 2 Yellow cards handed out to Kankowski and Morne Steyn didn’t help the Springboks either. In the end France beat the Springboks convincingly by 20 points to 13. The Springboks face Saracens in the UK in a mid week clash this week before facing Italy on the weekend. Let’s hope South Africa have their rugby playing boots on for the rest of their European tour.

This is video of Ras Dumisani performing the SA National Anthem before the match:

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• November 13, 2009 -- Springboks to take on France tonight (0)
• November 16, 2009 -- Proteas have mixed results against England (0)
• November 3, 2009 -- Springbok Squad announced for 2009 European Tour (0)
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• September 23, 2009 -- Sri Lanka crush Proteas in ICC Champions Trophy (0)
• September 14, 2009 -- Springboks clinch 3rd Tri-Nations victory (0)
• September 2, 2009 -- ICC Champions Trophy 2009 around the corner (0)
• September 2, 2009 -- Springboks make history in Tri-Nations (0)
• January 21, 2010 -- Super 14 Fixtures for 2010 (1)
• January 18, 2010 -- Proteas pull one back against England (0)

The Springboks are currently on tour in Europe. Unfortunately they lost their first tour match against Leicester in England last week Friday. Guthro Steenkamp and Chillyboy
Ralepelle were injured in the match and sent home to South Africa. 2 Cheetahs players have been called up to replace these 2 players, Wian du Preez (prop) and Adriaan Strauss (hooker). Tonight’s match against France kicks off at 9:45 PM (South African time) and will be broadcast on Supersport 1 and M-net in South Africa. The match is being played in Toulouse in France, at the Municipal stadium. This promises to be a cracking game of rugby, but I think the Springboks will be victorious at the end of it. The French are a force to be reckoned with on their own soil. Only time will tell if the Springboks will be victorious in this match against France. Hopefully we’ll get to see Bryan Habana score one of his world famous tries (example in the photo below)

French Team: Damien Traille, Vincent Clerc, Yann David, Maxime Mermoz, Cedric Heymans, Francois Trinh-Duc, Julien Dupuy, Louis Picamoles, Imanol Harinordoquy, Theirry Dusautoir (captain), Romain Millo-Chluuski, Lionel Nallett, Nicolas Mas, Willem Servat, Fabien Barcella. Reserves: Dimitri Szarzewzski, Sylvain Marconnet, Sebastien Chabal, Julien Bonnaire, Morgan Parra, David Marty, Maxime Medard.

South Africa: Zane Kirchner, JP Pietersen, Jaque Fourie, Adi Jacobs, Bryan Habana, Morne Steyn, Fourie du Preez, Ryan Kankowski, Schalk Burger, Heinrich Brussow, Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, John Smit (captain), Bismarck du Plessis, Tendai Mtawarira. Reserves: Adriaan Strauss, Wian du Preez, CJ van der Linde, Andries Bekker, Danie Rossouw, Ruan Pienaar, Wynand Olivier.

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• November 16, 2009 -- Proteas have mixed results against England (0)
• November 3, 2009 -- Springbok Squad announced for 2009 European Tour (0)
• September 25, 2009 -- South Africa bounce back in ICC Champions Trophy (0)
• September 23, 2009 -- Sri Lanka crush Proteas in ICC Champions Trophy (0)
• September 14, 2009 -- Springboks clinch 3rd Tri-Nations victory (0)
• September 2, 2009 -- ICC Champions Trophy 2009 around the corner (0)
• September 2, 2009 -- Springboks make history in Tri-Nations (0)
• January 21, 2010 -- Super 14 Fixtures for 2010 (1)
• January 18, 2010 -- Proteas pull one back against England (0)

Jonah Lomu was born on the 12th of May 1975 in Auckland, New Zealand. Many people regard him as the first international superstar of rugby union. He played in 63 tests for the New Zealand All Blacks between 1994 and 2002. He’s also played in 62 provincial matches for North Harbour,
Wellington, Counties Manukau (in New Zealand) and Cardiff (In Wales) and in 59 Super rugby matches for the Blues, Hurricanes and Chiefs. Jonah Lomu underwent a kidney transplant operation in 2004, but did make a comeback afterwards. He retired from International Rugby in 2007 but is currently playing for the Marseille club in France. He holds the record for the most tries scored by an All Black against England (8) and also holds the record for the most tries scored in Rugby World Cup tournaments (15). Jonah Lomu was part of the New Zealand Rugby World Cup squad who toured South Africa in 1995. In the semi-final match against England, he scored 4 tries, but could not score against South Africa in the final match at Ellis Park Stadium (now Coca Cola Park stadium) in Johannesburg. He was also part of the New Zealand 7’s squad between 1994 and 2001. Jonah Lomu was inducted into the Rugby Hall of Fame in 2007. He’s truly one of rugby’s greats and will be spoken about by generations to come.

This is a video featuring some of Jonah Lomu’s best moments:

Related Links:
Jonah Lomu – Facebook Fan Page
Jonah Lomu – Kids World

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• January 21, 2010 -- Super 14 Fixtures for 2010 (1)
• October 6, 2009 -- Australia win 2009 ICC Champions Trophy (0)
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Gareth Edwards was born in Pontardawe, Wales in the United Kingdom in 1947. He’s considered to be one of the best rugby players of all time. “The Prince” played played in 53 rugby tests for Wales (scoring 88 points) and 10 for the British Lions. He also played in 195 games for Cardiff RFC in Wales between 1966 and 1978 (scoring 67 tries). Gareth Edwards was part of the British Lions squad who toured SA in 1974 (a series which the British Lions won). In 1997 he was inducted into the Rugby Hall of Fame (he was one of the first 15 players to be inducted). In 2001 he was voted as the “Greatest Welsh player of all time” at a dinner for the Welsh Rugby Former International Players Association. In 2007 Gareth Edwards was named as a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) for his services to sport. Nowadays Edwards commentates on rugby games for the BBC (in English) and S4C (in his Welsh mother tongue). If you visit St. David’s Centre in Cardiff you will find a statue of Gareth Edwards. He truly is one of the best rugby players of all time and worthy of being named as one of the famous rugby players on this blog.

Gareth Edwards scored a try for the Barbarians in a match against New Zealand. Rugby fans refer to the try as “That Try” and its considered to be the best try ever scored in the sport by many fans.

This is a video clip of “That Try” from Youtube:

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• October 23, 2009 -- World Cup 2010: Teams – Italy (0)
• October 9, 2009 -- Currie Cup 2009 – Update (0)
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• October 6, 2009 -- Australia win 2009 ICC Champions Trophy (0)
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After the Vodacom Bulls beat the Vodacom Cheetahs convincingly in this past Saturday’s Currie Cup final, the Springbok squad was announced for the upcoming 2009 South African tour to Europe. 37 players have been chosen to represent their country. South African rugby is really doing well in 2009, so this promises to be one of the best tours in history. Pierre Spies was selected but has withdrawn from the squad. He’s undergoing surgery one of his fingers (an injury sustained in the Vodacom Bulls Currie Cup campaign). He has been replaced by another player (Jean Deysel from the Sharks). South Africa will face Leicester in on the 6th of November, France on the 13th of November, Saracens on the 17th of November, Italy on the 21st of November and Ireland on the 28th of November.

Here is the list of players who were selected:

Forwards (20):

• John Smit (Sharks) – Captain
• Victor Matfield (Vodacom Bulls) – Vice-Captain
• Andries Bekker (Vodacom Western Province)
• Bakkies Botha (Vodacom Bulls)
• Heinrich Brüssow (Vodacom Cheetahs)
• Schalk Burger (Vodacom Western Province)
• Bismarck du Plessis (Sharks)
• Jannie du Plessis (Sharks)
• Alistair Hargreaves (Sharks)
• Ashley Johnson (Vodacom Cheetahs)
• Ryan Kankowski (Sharks)
• Bandise Maku (Vodacom Bulls)
• Tendai Mtawarira (Sharks)
• Dewald Potgieter (Vodacom Bulls)
• Chiliboy Ralepelle (Vodacom Bulls)
• Davon Raubenheimer (GWK Griquas)
• Danie Rossouw (Vodacom Bulls)
• Gurthrö Steenkamp (Vodacom Bulls)
• Heinke van der Merwe (Xerox Lions)
• Jean Deysel (Sharks)

Backs (17)

• Heini Adams (Vodacom Bulls)
• Meyer Bosman (Vodacom Cheetahs)
• Juan de Jongh (Vodacom Western Province)
• Fourie du Preez (Vodacom Bulls)
• Jaque Fourie (Xerox Lions)
• Bryan Habana (Vodacom Bulls)
• Francois Hougaard (Vodacom Bulls)
• Adi Jacobs (Sharks)
• Zane Kirchner (Vodacom Bulls)
• Odwa Ndungane (Sharks)
• Jongi Nokwe (Vodacom Cheetahs)
• Wynand Olivier (Vodacom Bulls)
• Ruan Pienaar (Sharks)
• JP Pietersen (Sharks)
• Earl Rose (Xerox Lions)
• Morne Steyn (Vodacom Bulls)
• Riaan Viljoen (GWK Griquas)

The selected SA Squad features 9 new caps. 14 Vodacom Bulls players have been selected. 11 Sharks players have been selected. 4 Vodacom Cheetahs players have been selected. 3 Xerox Lions players have been selected. 3 Vodacom Western Province players have been selected. 2 GWK Griquas players have been selected. In all, this promises to be a great Springbok team. I’m sure that all the new players are quite excited to be selected. South Africa has a great opportunity to prove to the world that they’re still the World Champions of Rugby Union.

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I attented the 2009 Currie Cup final at Loftus Versveld Stadium in Pretoria on Saturday. The Bulls and Cheetahs faced eachother for the 3rd time in the last 4 years in South Africa’s premier domestic rugby competition’s final. Me and my dad arrived at the stadium at about 2:30 PM on Saturday. Pretoria is renowned countrywide for build-up before a big game at Loftus Versveld. Bulls supporters were already driving around with flags mounted on their cars and bakkies on Thursday (2 days before the game). Vendors were already selling flags on the streets of Pretoria on Thursday morning. The capital city truly loves the Bulls. It’s one thing Pretoria can be proud of. The match started at 5:30 PM. Pretoria gets way too hit this time of year so that was probably the reason for the match starting that late in the afternoon (kickoff is usually at 5 PM for rugby games in Pretoria). Well-known South African singer, Steve Hofmeyer (one of the biggest Bulls fan in the country) made an appearance just before the game kicked off.

The Bulls and Cheetahs treated the sell-out crowd of 53,000 people to a brilliant game of rugby. An early try by Bulls wing Francois Hougaard (converted by Morne’ Steyn) put the home team on the scoreboard. The Bulls were ahead by 7 points to 0 in the 4th minute. In the 8th minute Free State flyhalf Jacques-Louis Potgieter missed a penalty right in front of the Bulls post. In the 14th minute Bryan Habana (the Bulls and Springbok left wing) sailed over for a try in the corner (also converted by Morne’ Steyn). This put the Bulls ahead by 14 points to 0. Just 3 minutes later Bryan Habana sailed over again (in the same corner) for his 2nd try of the match. Morne’ Steyn converted this try as well. This put the Bulls ahead by 21 points to 0 in the 18th minute (very impressive if you ask me). In the 25th minute flyhalf Morne’ Steyn kicked over his first penalty of the game. The Bulls were leading by 24 points to 0. The Bulls were clearly dominating the game, but not for long. The Cheetahs came back with force. Frans Viljoen scored a try for the visitors in the 31st minute for the visitors, barely stretching over the Bulls tryline. Just 5 minutes later Corne’ Uys sailed over the Bulls line for the Cheetahs second try. Both tries were converted by Potgieter, putting the Cheetahs only 10 points behind the Bulls. In the last minute of the first half, Morne’ Steyn kicked over a drop goal for the home side. The Bulls were leading the game by 27 points to 14.

After a well deserved smoke break (to calm down the nerves) I returned to my seat on the main stand for the 2nd half of the game. At this stage Bulls fans were hoping that the Bulls could extend their lead or at least defend their score. Free State supporters were hoping for a comeback by the Cheetahs. In the 4th minute the Bulls were awarded a penalty (which Morne’ Steyn kicked over), put them ahead by 30 points to 14. The Cheetahs replied with a try by Nico Breedt 1 minute later. The conversion by Jacques-Louis Potgieter put the Cheetahs only 9 points behind. The Bulls were leading by 30 points to 21. 3 minutes later Jacques-Louis Potgieter put the Cheetahs only 6 points behind when he kicked over a drop goal. Bulls fans were sitting on the edge of their seats. In the 54th minute of the game Morne’ Steyn calmed fears by kicking over another penalty putting the Bulls ahead by 33 points to 24. Shortly after this Habana nearly scored his 3rd try of the game, but was denied by great defending by the Cheetahs. However a penalty was reversed by referee Jonathan Kaplan for retaliation by JP Joubert against Habana. Morne’ Steyn missed the attempt to put the Bulls ahead by 9 points again. However, in the 68th minute the Bulls were awarded another penalty which was kicked over by the Bulls flyhalf putting them ahead by 9 points again. In the 75th minute one of the Cheetah’s players was yellow carded for what is described as “verbals” by referee Jonathan Kaplan. The Bulls held out till the end of the match, winning by 36 points to 24. They completed “the double” by beating the Cheetahs. The Bulls are the first team in South African rugby history to win both the Currie Cup and the Super 14 in the same year. Well done to the Bulls!

It truly has been a brilliant year for South African rugby in general. A South African team won the Super 14 trophy. SA won the series against the British & Irish Lions. South Africa also won the 2009 Tri Nations tournament. The Springbok squad for the upcoming tour was announced after the Currie Cup final match on Saturday. I will be covering this in an upcoming post.

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• November 17, 2009 -- France teach Springboks a lesson (0)
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• October 14, 2009 -- Currie Cup 2009 – Update (0)
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Philippe Sella was born in 1962 in Tonneins, France. He played in 111 Rugby Union Matches for his country and scored 125 points in his international career. He played in the centre position for both France and for the French rugby club Agen. After retiring from International Rugby he played for the Saracens rugby club in England (joining Michael Lynagh from Australia) in 1996. Philippe Sella has been inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame and the IRB Hall of Fame. He held the record as the most internationally capped player .He was part of the French squad for the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa. He played against South Africa in that nail biting rainy semi-final match in Durban (which France lost). Philippe Sella was definately one of the best players in International Rugby history. He scored 30 tries in his 111 matches. Sella retired from rugby in 1999 at the age of 36.

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South African rugby fans were treated to 2 very close matches this past weekend. The result is that we’ll see a repeat of the 2005 and 2006 final. The Bulls will face the Cheetahs on their home ground, Loftus Versveld on the 31st of October in the 2009 Currie Cup Final. Both the teams will be out to perform at their best. The 2006 final between the Bulls and Cheetahs ended in a 28 all draw which meant that the 2 teams shared the trophy in that year. I remember watching that game in my local Pretoria pub and the difficulty I had explaining why the 2 teams had to share the 2006 Currie Cup to German & Belgian exchange students. They could not understand why.

This past weekend in Durban, the Sharks played against the Cheetahs in a 2009 Currie Cup Semi Final match. The Sharks lead by 15 points to 3 at half time. Sharks flyhalf Hernades kicked over a penalty early in the 2nd half putting the Sharks ahead by 18 points to 3. The Cheetahs scored 2 unanswered tries (1 by WP Nel in the 45th minute and 1 by Jacques-Louis Potgieter 14 minutes later) resulting in taking the lead in the match (20 – 18). The Sharks managed to get back into the match, kicking over another penalty putting them in the lead again (21 – 20). However, in the dying moments of the match, Jacques-Louis Potgieter kicked over a drop goal ensuring the Cheetahs passage to the 2009 Currie Cup Final. The Cheetahs won the game by 23 points to 21.

At Newlands in Cape Town, Western Province hosted a North / South derby against their age old rivals, the Bulls. 7 penalties by Bulls flyhalf Morne’ Steyn secured the Bulls passage to a home final at Loftus Versveld Stadium in 2 weeks time. Steyn scored all the points for the Bulls. The Bulls led 12 – 6 at half time. Western Province did make a comeback in the 2nd half, Gio Aplon scored the only try of the match for them. At one stage Western Province we’re leading by 16 points to 15, but the Bulls managed a comeback and holding on for the last 3 minutes for a victory. The Bulls narrowly won the game by 21 points to 19.

Only time will tell which team will be victorious at Loftus Versveld on the 31st of October, 2009 in the Currie Cup final. Being a Pretoria boytjie my money is on the Bulls (even though I don’t bet on sports). The Bulls are a hard team to beat on their home ground. Judging by the fighting spirit of both the Bulls and the Cheetahs displayed this past weekend, the final should be a very exciting display of rugby. Bulls fans have already started queing for tickets at the stadium last night. The Loftus ticket offices opened at 8 AM today. Tickets for the final should sell out as it promises to be a humdinger of a match. Hopefully there will be tickets for sale in Bloemfontein for Free State supporters, otherwise Loftus Versveld Stadium will be a sea of Bulls supporters on the 31st of October.

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• October 9, 2009 -- Currie Cup 2009 – Update (0)
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It seems that my predictions in the previous report of the 2009 Currie Cup came true. I predicted that the Bulls, Sharks, Cheetahs and Western Province will be playing in the semi-finals of the 2009 Currie Cup tournament in South Africa.

The Bulls beat the Leopards on Friday night in Rustenburg by 61 points to 24 securing their 3rd place on the 2009 Currie Cup tournament log. On Saturday the Free State Cheetahs beat the team from Boland convincingly by 55 points to 10 ensuring their place in this coming week’s play-offs. The Sharks knocked Griquas out of contention when they faced them on Saturday in Kimberley beating them convincingly by 45 points to 30. The biggest surprise of the weekend was the Gauteng Lions beating Western Province narrowly by 27 points to 25 in Johannesburg at Coca-Cola Park, denying the visitors from the Western Cape the top spot on the 2009 Currie Cup log. A Lions player has been sighted for biting one of allegedly biting one of the Western Province players on his ear.

This coming weekend brings us the 2009 Currie Cup semi-final games on Saturday. The Free State Cheetahs will be taking on the Sharks on their home ground in Durban. The Bulls will be facing Western Province at Newlands in Cape Town in a North vs South derby. Both games promise to be very interesting. All 4 teams play high quality rugby and are the 4 best in the country (in my opinion). Only time will tell which 2 teams make it to the 2009 Currie Cup final.

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• November 2, 2009 -- Bulls are 2009 Currie Cup Champions (0)

The 2009 Currie Cup Rugby Tournament in South Africa is nearing it’s end. This final round of the league matches will be played this weekend. On the 17th of October both Currie Cup Semi Final matches will be played. The semi-final venues are already known. The matches will be played in Cape Town and Durban. The question of “Who’s Playing Who?” will be answered after the 4 remaining 2009 Currie Cup matches this weekend. The Bulls are facing the Leopards at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium near Rustenburg tonight. Bakkies Botha is return to the Bulls squad. It’s expected that the Bulls will probably win this game easily. It’s highly unlikely for the Leopards to cause an upset. Nonetheless, if the Bulls loose the game the Griquas will overtake them on the points table.

Griquas are facing the Sharks in Kimberley at 15:00 tomorrow. Griquas are known to be a formidable side on their home ground. I’m sure that this will probably be an interesting match to watch. The Cheetahs are playing against Boland in Wellington in the Western Cape at 15:00 tomorrow as well. It’s likely that Free State will win this match, but who knows? Boland could cause an upset. At 17:00 tomorrow Western Province will be facing the Lions at Coca Cola Park in Johannesburg. The Lions have nothing to loose, making them pretty dangerous. This match will probably also be worthy of the South African public’s time.

In conclusing Griquas and Free State will be fighting for survival and Western Province and the Sharks will be battling for the top spot on the 2009 Currie Cup log. This weekend promises to be the one of the most interesting in this year’s competition. Currently Western Province is on the top of the Currie Cup log with 49 points. The Sharks are in second position, also with 49 points. The Bulls are in 3rd place with 41 points. The Griquas are in 4th place with 39 points. The Cheetahs are in 5th place with 35 points. There are various scenarios that could play out this weekend but it’s my prediction that Western Province will probably play against the Cheetahs at Newlands next weekend and that the Sharks will face the Bulls in their semi final match in Durban. Only time will tell if this prediction will come true or not.

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• October 14, 2009 -- Currie Cup 2009 – Update (0)
• September 3, 2009 -- Currie Cup 2009 Update (0)
• October 19, 2009 -- Bulls and Cheetahs to play in Currie Cup 2009 Final (0)
• January 21, 2010 -- Super 14 Fixtures for 2010 (1)
• November 2, 2009 -- Bulls are 2009 Currie Cup Champions (0)

This past Saturday, the 12th of September 2009, will go down as one of the greatest days in the history of South African rugby. The Springboks faced the All Blacks for the 3rd time in this year’s Tri-Nations Tournament in Hamilton, New Zealand. Before this match the South African public was not sure whether the Springboks had it in them to beat New Zealand on one of their own grounds. South Africa does not have a good track record against the All Blacks in New Zealand. It turns out that Springbok supporters did not have to worry too much. In a humdinger of a match, South Africa beat New Zealand by 32 points to 29. This was a welcome result after the previous test against Australia in Brisbane did not go so well. A lot was expected from the Springboks, since they won all their tests against Australia and New Zealand in South Africa (In Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg).

The Springboks completely overwhelmed the All Blacks in the first half of the game. The All Blacks only managed to score 12 points (4 penalties kicked by Dan Carter) in this half. Fourie Du Preez scored the first try of the match in the 19th minute of the first half. 3 penalties by full back Frans Steyn (including a 60 metre kick over the posts from South Africa’s 10 metre line) and a 35 metre drop goal by fly half Morne Steyn helped to bring up the Springboks score to 22 points when the half time whistle blew. All of South Africa was pleased with the Springboks’ performance, being 10 points head at half time against the All Blacks on their home ground is quite an achievement.

11 minutes into the 2nd half, Springbok centre Jean de Villiers lived up to his reputation of “interception king”, intercepting a pass from Dan Carter 30 metres from the New Zealand goal line and cruising over the line for a trademark try. After the successful conversion, the Boks were ahead by 29 points to 12. Sitiveni Svivivatu managed to score a try for the All Blacks in the 16th minute after half time, which was converted. At this stage, the Springboks were still ahead by 10 points (29 – 19). Dan Carter kicked over another penalty for New Zealand with 16 minutes left in the match, putting the All Blacks only 7 points behind South Africa. However, fly half Morne Steyn gave the Springboks some breathing room, kicking over a penalty with 10 minutes to go to give his team a 10 point lead. In the dying minutes of the match, Richie Macaw sailed over the try line for a New Zealand. The Springboks defended all All Black onslaughts until the 81st minute of the match, beating New Zealand for the 2nd time in 2 years on their own ground and clinching the 2009 Tri Nations Championship for the 3rd time.

Unfortunately I did not see this match on television, but I did follow the online scoring on Supersport constantly because I was worried that the Springboks might not be able to pull it off. It really has been a brilliant year for South African Rugby. The Springboks are the current World Cup Holders, they won the series against the British Lions and now they are the 2009 Tri Nations Champs. Quite impressive if you ask me. Let’s also not forget that a South African team, the Vodacom Bulls are the current Super 14 Champs. With achievements like these, things can only get better for South African Rugby. Hats off to the All Blacks for being a formidable opponent (like always). Some critics have labeled New Zealand as sore losers after South African centre, Jacque Fourie has been handed a 4 week ban for a dangerous tackle. I tend to disagree, a dangerous tackle is still a dangerous tackle and I think this would’ve happened even if we were out of contention for the Tri Nations title. This years Tri-Nations competition will be remembered as the year that Morne Steyn scored all 31 points against the All Blacks in a test in Durban, the year the Springboks beat Australia in Perth with a record score and the year South Africa won its 3rd ever Trophy.

Argentina has been invited to the join the Tri Nations championship in 2012. Argentina has also been given an opportunity for their best players to be allowed in the Super 14 competition. This could be interesting. This could bring some interesting elements into the competition. This could possibly bring up Argentinian rugby to the level of rugby we’ve come to know from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. Only time will tell whether this will be the case or not. The Springboks are expected to arrive in South Africa after 16:00 on Monday the 14th of September at OR Tambo Airport in Johannesburg. They’re bound to be awaited by some fans who will probably give them a heroes welcome.

Related Links:
A Nation Sceams ‘Yes!’ – Independent Online
Super Boks are Champions – Independent Online
Smit hails Bok heroes – Daily Dispatch
Springboks bask in latest glory – Irish Times
All Blacks have lost ‘aura of invincibility’ – New Zealand Herald
Building a Dynasty – Keo Sport Blog
Argentina to Join Tri-Nations – News 24
De Villiers gives Hamilton a right hook – Supersport Rugby

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• September 25, 2009 -- South Africa bounce back in ICC Champions Trophy (0)
• September 2, 2009 -- ICC Champions Trophy 2009 around the corner (0)
• September 2, 2009 -- Springboks make history in Tri-Nations (0)
• January 21, 2010 -- Super 14 Fixtures for 2010 (1)
• November 17, 2009 -- France teach Springboks a lesson (0)
• November 16, 2009 -- Proteas have mixed results against England (0)
• November 13, 2009 -- Springboks to take on France tonight (0)
• October 6, 2009 -- Australia win 2009 ICC Champions Trophy (0)
• September 23, 2009 -- Sri Lanka crush Proteas in ICC Champions Trophy (0)
• September 7, 2009 -- Wallabies bring Springboks down to earth in Brisbane (0)

Last week I was oozing with patriotism in a post about the Springboks’ performance abroad in the Tri-Nations. I’m glad I didn’t look for a ticket for sale for this past weekend’s game. The South African supporters, yours truly and the Springbok team itself were brought back to reality with an astonishing loss against Australia in Brisbane this past weekend. It just shows you, just when you think that a team (in any sport) is unbeatable, the underdogs or team that you least expect to perform brings them back down to earth or at least reminds them that they’re not unbeatable. The Wallabies crushed the Springboks, beating them convincingly by 21 points to 6 and silencing all the critics. The Springboks trailed by 9 points to 6 at half time. Adam Ashley-Cooper and James O’Connor scored the tries for Australia. Matt Giteau kicked over a conversion, 2 penalties and a drop goal. Flyhalf Morne Steyn scored South Africa’s 6 points, kicking over a penalty and a drop goal.

Maybe the Springbok team had a negative connotation in the back of their minds connected with Brisbane. The Springboks have not won a game in Brisbane since 1971. The concept is almost the one the Springboks had with the infamous “House of Pain” in Christchurch, New Zealand, an obstacle overcome by the Springboks in last year’s Tri-Nations competition when they beat the All Blacks in a test there. Besides the loss at the Suncorp stadium this past week, the Springboks still hold a commanding 9 point lead on the Tri-Nations points log. The Springboks have put themselves under pressure, in my opinion. Then again, they can’t be expected to perform at their peak all the time. All they can do is focus on their game. They face the All Blacks this coming weekend in Hamilton, New Zealand. They have to beat New Zealand on their own soil convincingly (with a bonus point) in order to make sure that they win their third Tri-Nations title. To win the Tri-Nations this year, New Zealand must win both their remaining games, with at least one bonus point, against South Africa next week or Australia in Wellington on the 19th of September. Australia have lost 4 of their 5 matches putting them out of the contest for the Tri-Nations Championship title. This is probably why they beat South Africa this past weekend, they had nothing to lose, making them a very dangerous competitor. Should the Springboks loose to New Zealand this coming weekend, every South African supporter will be praying for an Australian victory in the last test in Wellington (not a common trend in South Africa). If this coming weekend’s test was going to be played in Johannesburg or somewhere else in South Africa, the Springboks would probably be a little less worried than now.

South African captain, John Smit sounded confident about his team’s performance against New Zealand in the upcoming test this weekend “Rest assured the guys will be fired up for the final game in Hamilton.” he said. The performance against Australia this past weekend wasn’t the best we’ve seen by the Springboks this year, hopefully they’ll do a lot better against New Zealand this coming weekend. Come on boys! Bring our 3rd Tri-Nations title home!

Related Posts

• September 2, 2009 -- Springboks make history in Tri-Nations (0)
• January 21, 2010 -- Super 14 Fixtures for 2010 (1)
• October 6, 2009 -- Australia win 2009 ICC Champions Trophy (0)
• September 2, 2009 -- ICC Champions Trophy 2009 around the corner (0)
• September 25, 2009 -- South Africa bounce back in ICC Champions Trophy (0)
• September 14, 2009 -- Springboks clinch 3rd Tri-Nations victory (0)
• January 18, 2010 -- Proteas pull one back against England (0)
• December 7, 2009 -- World Cup 2010: Groups (0)
• November 17, 2009 -- France teach Springboks a lesson (0)
• November 16, 2009 -- Proteas have mixed results against England (0)

It’s already halfway into the Currie Cup Season in South Africa this year. 8 sides are competing for the coveted Currie Cup Trophy. The competition has been running since 1899, making it one of the oldest Rugby competitions in the world. The Currie Cup competition has been held annually since 1968. The Sharks are the team who current hold the Currie Cup Trophy in South Africa. So far, each team in the Currie Cup competition has played 8 games. Currently Western Province are on top of the Currie Cup log with 28 points. The defending champions, The Sharks, are in 2nd place with 27 points. The team from Pretoria, the Bulls (a finalist in last year’s competition) are in 3rd place with 25 points. The boys from Kimberley, the Griquas are in 4th position with 24 points.

Because of the Tri-Nations competition, most of the teams in Currie Cup are currently without their star players since most of them are called up to represent South Africa. For instance, the Bulls are currently playing without Fourie Du Preez, Morne Steyn, Danie Rossouw, Pierre Spies, Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha and Bryan Habana. Despite being 3rd on the Currie Cup log, the Bulls have struggled in this year Currie Cup, narrowly avoiding defeat by the Griquas a few weeks ago. This could change when their players return after the Tri-Nations. The same goes for the Free State, Western Province and the Sharks. We’re bound to see a higher level of commitment and gauranteed quality rugby from that stage onwards. With 6 games to go in the round-robin stage of the Currie Cup, the competition is still wide open. Only time will tell who will be the champions this year. So what are you waiting for? Find some tickets for sale and attend a match this weekend. Support the premier South African domestic competition. Who knows, you might just enjoy yourself extremely in the process and even meet some interesting fans along the way.

Related Links:
SA Rugby – Official Website
Currie Cup Rugby – Rugby Week

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• October 14, 2009 -- Currie Cup 2009 – Update (0)
• October 9, 2009 -- Currie Cup 2009 – Update (0)
• October 19, 2009 -- Bulls and Cheetahs to play in Currie Cup 2009 Final (0)
• January 21, 2010 -- Super 14 Fixtures for 2010 (1)
• January 18, 2010 -- Proteas pull one back against England (0)
• December 7, 2009 -- World Cup 2010: Groups (0)
• November 17, 2009 -- France teach Springboks a lesson (0)
• November 16, 2009 -- Proteas have mixed results against England (0)
• November 13, 2009 -- Springboks to take on France tonight (0)
• November 11, 2009 -- Famous Cricketers: Graeme Pollock (0)

South Africa is demonstrating why they are the current Rugby World Champions in this years Tri-Nations Rugby Competition. The Springboks are well on the way to win their 3rd Tri-Nations title. On the 29th of August, South Africa faced Australia at the Subiaco Oval in Perth. This encounter was the 2nd one between the two rugby rivals in this year’s competition. The Springboks followed up their victory in the 1st encounter against the Wallabies in this year’s competition with a convincing and record breaking victory away from home. The Springboks amassed the biggest score against the Wallabies on Australian soil in history. The expert boot of flyhalf Morne Steyn, 2 tries by wing Bryan Habana, 1 try by scrumhalf Fourie Du Preez and another try by centre Jacque Fourie sealed their victory. After leading by 22 points to 6 at half time and standing up to the challenge by the Wallabies, the Springboks won the game by 32 points to 25. Australia scored 3 tries in the 2nd half, 2 were credited to flyhalf, Matt Giteau and 1 was credited to Lachie Turner.

Only 3 games remain in this year’s Tri-Nations Rugby Tournament. South Africa are currently on top of the table with 17 points. New Zealand is in 2nd place with 8 points. Australia is in last place with only 3 points. The Springboks have played 4 games and won all 4 of them, picking up 1 bonus point along the way. Australia have lost all 4 their matches. All 3 of Australia’s points are bonus points achieved for losing by less than 7 points against another team. South Africa will win the Tri-Nations unless they lose their last 2 matches without getting a bonus point and New Zealand has 2 bonus-point victories in their last 2 matches.

It’s quite pricey to travel, even the tickets will be expensive in the classifieds. I guess I’ll have to wait until next year’s competition if I wanna go watch a Tri-Nations match in a stadium. Luckily there is more than bar with a big screen in my home city, Pretoria. I will not have a problem finding a place to watch 3 remaining matches in the Tri-Nations this year

Related Links:
Trust key to Bok Success – IOL
Major Milestone for Fourie – News24
SA Rugby – Official Website

Related Posts

• September 7, 2009 -- Wallabies bring Springboks down to earth in Brisbane (0)
• September 2, 2009 -- ICC Champions Trophy 2009 around the corner (0)
• January 21, 2010 -- Super 14 Fixtures for 2010 (1)
• October 6, 2009 -- Australia win 2009 ICC Champions Trophy (0)
• September 25, 2009 -- South Africa bounce back in ICC Champions Trophy (0)
• September 14, 2009 -- Springboks clinch 3rd Tri-Nations victory (0)
• November 17, 2009 -- France teach Springboks a lesson (0)
• November 16, 2009 -- Proteas have mixed results against England (0)
• November 13, 2009 -- Springboks to take on France tonight (0)
• September 23, 2009 -- Sri Lanka crush Proteas in ICC Champions Trophy (0)