Bok coach Peter de Villiers says he had no choice but to include Francois Steyn in the world champions’ midfield for their clash against Wales.
Struggling South Africa have made two backline changes for a Tri-Nations Test against Australia at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Jon Smit said it is up to the Springboks to turn around their poor start to their Tri-Nations defence after their third straight defeat on the road.
Springbok Jaque Fourie has been banned for four weeks for a dangerous tackle in Saturday’s 30-13 defeat to Australia.
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/ 5 November 2009
Seems the word "loophole" is becoming as much a part of rugby jargon as the words "lineout", "who, me ref?" and "Aussies can’t scrum".
SA have made two enforced changes to the team that clinched a series against the British and Irish Lions for a Tri-Nations clash with NZ on Saturday.
Irish rugby side Munster announced on Monday that Springbok centre Jean de Villiers has accepted their terms and is likely to join them in September.
Fourie du Preez and Jaque Fourie have followed up their glory-filled run as first choice World Cup-winning Springboks by not doing much.
World Cup winners Fourie du Preez and Jaque Fourie returned to a 30-man South African squad on Monday for next month’s Test against Argentina.
The nature of Test rugby is that it tends to run in four-year cycles, centred on the mammoth spectacle of the World Cup. The Springboks face the next three-and-a-half years as World Cup defending champions, a lofty pedestal that has proven very difficult to defend in the past.
Isma-eel Dollie as one of a few lesser surprises in the Springbok training squad of 42 members that was named on Saturday night. The new Springbok coach, Peter de Villiers, has included a number of players who are not regulars for their Super 14 franchises or who had limited opportunities because of injury this season.
The Stormers beat the Lions 22-13 after a late rally in a thrilling, if not always good, Super 14 match at Ellis Park on Saturday. However, their inability to score five tries meant that only one of either the Stormers or the Sharks, who were playing the Chiefs later on Saturday, could still make the semifinals.
The Stormers are planning to hit the Lions’ defence hard where it is likely to hurt most in Saturday’s Super 14 clash at Ellis Park. The fragile Lions’ defence have leaked 41 tries this season, and after 12 matches they have conceded a staggering 345 points — almost 29 points per game.
Springbok and Lions centre Jaque Fourie is set to make his comeback after a stomach injury when the Lions meet the Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in a Vodacom Cup quarterfinal next weekend. The South African Rugby Union has given its blessing for Fourie to take part in the Vodacom play-offs.
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/ 29 November 2007
South Africa have made three changes for Saturday’s non-cap international against the Barbarians at Twickenham — Jake White’s last match as coach of the world champions. Bismarck du Plesis takes the place of World Cup-winning captain John Smit after the hooker’s French club, Clermont Auvergne, refused to release him for this fixture.
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/ 25 November 2007
Departing South Africa coach Jake White insisted he wouldn’t miss the demands of international rugby after seeing his last Test in charge of the Springboks end in a 34-12 win for the world champions over Wales in Cardiff at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday. ”I am not going to get bored at all,” White said.
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/ 24 November 2007
Jake White’s final Test as South Africa coach ended with a win as the world champions beat Wales 34-12 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday. JP Pietersen was in superb form, the wing scoring one of South Africa’s five tries and setting up two for centre Jaque Fourie.
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/ 21 November 2007
South Africa captain John Smit and star wing Bryan Habana are among nine members of the Springboks’ victorious World Cup final starting XV named to face Wales in Saturday’s one-off rugby union international at the Millennium Stadium. Although several players are missing from the two-match tour, the side still contains plenty of experienced campaigners.
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/ 13 November 2007
Forwards Danie Rossouw, Wickus van Heerden and Gurthro Steenkamp withdrew injured on Monday from South Africa’s short rugby tour of Britain. Star scrumhalf Fourie du Preez also looks like staying home and missing the Test against Wales at Cardiff and the celebration match with the Barbarians at Twickenham on December 1.
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/ 20 October 2007
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In this most weird and wonderful Rugby World Cup, England is making it seem like anything is possible. That includes winning the final against South Africa on Saturday at Stade de France, a prospect that was utterly absurd little more than a month ago.
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/ 18 October 2007
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Unbeaten South Africa face defending champions England in a mouth-watering Rugby World Cup final at the Stade de France on Saturday, a re-match of the pool match the Springboks won with consummate ease. But both sides have been quick to play down the significance of that record 36-0 rout, achieved when England were without talismanic flyhalf Jonny Wilkinson.
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/ 17 October 2007
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Francois Steyn will become the second-youngest player in a World Cup final on Saturday, hoping he doesn’t suffer the same fate as All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu who was a loser against the South Africans in 1995. Steyn, who is 20 years and five months old, has been one of Springbok coach Jake White’s young lions.
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/ 12 October 2007
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South Africa prop CJ van der Linde will start against Argentina in the World Cup semifinal at the Stade France in Paris on Sunday after recovering from a knee injury. The 27-year-old tighthead prop is the only change to the starting XV that beat Fiji in last Sunday’s quarterfinal — Jannie du Plessis drops to the bench as the Springboks attempt to reach their second final.
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There’s no disguising this one. South Africa against Fiji should be a mismatch of a Rugby World Cup quarterfinal. Fiji would have to produce the perfect game to upset South Africa and advance to the semifinals. So that’s what coach Ilie Tabua is asking his squad to do. Fiji qualified for their first World Cup quarterfinal since the inaugural edition in 1987 with a 38-34 upset over Wales.
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South Africa play Fiji in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals in Marseilles on Sunday with a game plan based around a return to basics in a bid to nullify the Pacific Islanders’ flair and raw talent. The Springboks are sure to dominate the set-piece, Fiji having suffered in the scrum throughout their pool games against Japan (35-31), Canada (29-16), Australia (lost 55-12) and Wales (38-34).
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/ 30 September 2007
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Tournament heavyweights South Africa lost flying winger Bryan Habana with a gashed cheek as they went on a try-scoring spree against the United States on Sunday. Habana’s injury and prop BJ Botha’s retirement with a knee injury were injury concerns ahead of the quarterfinal with the Fijians in Marseille.
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/ 30 September 2007
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After pacing the sidelines for two weeks, Schalk Burger gets another chance to wreak havoc for South Africa at the World Cup. The bustling blonde backrower was switched from the flank to number eight in a strong Springboks lineup unveiled by coach Jake White for Sunday’s match against the winless United States in Montpellier.
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/ 28 September 2007
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South Africa are not planning to cruise into the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals. The Springboks have already won Group A and want to keep the momentum going into the knock-out stages of the tournament, so coach Jake White on Friday announced a strong starting line-up to face the United States Eagles in Montpellier on Sunday.
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/ 14 September 2007
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South Africa humiliated world champions England in Paris on Friday as they inflicted a record World Cup defeat on them winning 36-0 to avenge their 2003 World Cup loss to the English. Two tries to JP Pietersen (taking his total to three), one from Juan Smith and 18 points from Percy Montgomery handed England defeat.
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/ 13 September 2007
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South Africa and England have quite a Rugby World Cup history and their clash at the Stade de France on Friday promises to be yet another enthralling chapter. It was here eight years ago that the Springboks — then the defending champions — ended England hopes of landing the William Webb Ellis trophy and ridiculed Clive Woodward’s statement of ”judge me on the World Cup”.
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/ 9 September 2007
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Veteran South Africa full-back Percy Montgomery made up for missing the 2003 World Cup through suspension as he inspired his side to a 59-7 victory over a valiant Samoa in Paris on Sunday in their World Cup clash at the Parc des Princes as he scored 29 points.