And their travails strengthen the scoundrel hand of the anti-Ramaphosa wing of the ruling party
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers said the deaths of three sporting heroes has united South Africa, as athletes and politicians paid tribute.
Jean de Villiers has recovered from a knee injury is back in the Springbok squad for the Rugby Championship.
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers has been pulled out from several matches due to a knee injury.
Securing a 38-27 win, New Zealand retains the Rugby Championship title in their game at Ellis Park on Saturday evening.
Even if Heyneke Meyer eventually managed to lose his blue-tinted glasses, he has kept his blinkers on.
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers and Adriaan Strauss have been declared fit to go on the end of year tour to Ireland, Wales and England.
England’s inbound tour to South Africa drew to a lacklustre close as the teams drew their third and final test 14-14 in Port Elizabeth.
England’s inbound tour to South Africa drew to a uninspiring close as the teams drew their third and final test 14-14 in Port Elizabeth.
Captain Jean de Villiers says the Boks’ victory over England last week is the first step in the process of being unbeatable on South African soil.
Newly appointed captain Jean de Villiers led from the front to help the Springboks to a 22-17 victory over England in Durban.
Springbok captain Jean de Villiers says they’ve had a fantastic week despite limited preparation time, insisting they are ready for the England Test.
National coach Heneke Meyer has confirmed Jean de Villiers as the new Springbok captain to lead South Africa against England in Durban on Saturday.
The Stormers captain’s quiet authority and top form has boosted the team doing the Super Rugby battle in the antipodes.
Lock Victor Matfield and centre Jean de Villiers’ World Cup dreams are still alive, Springbok team doctor Craig Roberts confirmed on Monday.
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.
Jean de Villiers will quit Munster at the end of the season and return home in an attempt to win a place in South Africa’s 2011 World Cup squad
Ruan Pienaar and Jean de Villiers should be back for SA’s Tri-Nations match against New Zealand on Saturday after injury scares.
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.
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/ 26 November 2008
Springbok centre Jean de Villiers was named South Africa’s rugby player of the year on Tuesday.
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/ 19 November 2008
The Springboks head into their final Test of 2008 seeking a morale-boosting victory against England on Saturday.
South Africa have turned their attention to the breakdown in the week building up to their Tri-Nations match against Australia in Durban on Saturday.
Halfback Ricky Januarie scored a try four minutes from full-time to give a 14-man South African team a 30-28 win over New Zealand on Saturday.
Centre Jean de Villiers scored two tries as South Africa scrapped their way to a 37-21 victory over Wales in the second Test on Saturday.
Percy Montgomery on Wednesday signed a one-year contract with Western Province. Montgomery, who was the leading points scorer at last year’s Rugby World Cup in France, is hardly likely to play for the Province Currie Cup side due the heavy Springbok schedule over the next four months.
JP Pietersen’s lack of form in the Super 14 season has cost him a place in the Springbok squad that was named in Somerset West on Wednesday. The Sharks’ World Cup-winning wing failed to score a try in the 2008 series after he finished the 2007 Super 14 season as the leading try scorer.
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.
It looks like the closely fought endgame of the Super 14 might turn Saturday’s announcement of the 45-man Springbok squad into something of a damp squib. Springbok coach Peter de Villiers will want to avoid disrupting the semifinal preparations of the Sharks and Stormers and will postpone naming players from those squads.
The Canterbury Crusaders wrapped up top spot going into the Super 14 play-offs but the battle for the remaining three berths stayed wide open after the penultimate round over the weekend. With one game to play, six teams hold a mathematical chance of joining the Crusaders in the semifinals.
The Stormers and Waratahs played out a pulsating 13-13 draw in a 12th-round Super 14 match in Cape Town on Saturday. The visitors led 6-5 at the break in pouring rain, which negated any chance of this being an exciting, try-scoring feast. And both captains felt the two points earned for the draw could be costly in their challenge for semifinal berths.