Bok Weekly S14 Barometer

[PaarlBok]

Some interesting qoutes from superrugby
Superrugby

Super XV for week four:
Adam Ashley-Cooper (Brumbies); Lelia Masaga (Chiefs), Robert Fruean (Crusaders), Ryan Crotty (Crusaders), Bryan Habana (Stormers); Dan Carter (Crusaders), Will Genia (Reds); Viliami Ma’afu (Blues), Juan Smith (Cheetahs), Schalk Burger (Stormers), Andries Bekker (Stormers), Van Humphries (Reds), Owen Franks (Crusaders), Deon Fourie (Stormers), Benn Alexander (Brumbies)

Bok Barometer for week four:
Hennie Daniller (Cheetahs); Lionel Mapoe (Cheetahs), Adrian Jacobs (Sharks), Meyer Bosman (Cheetahs), Bryan Habana (Stormers); Naas Olivier (Cheetahs), Dewald Duvenhage (Stormers), Frans Viljoen (Cheetahs), Juan Smith (Cheetahs), Schalk Burger (Stormers), Andries Bekker (Stormers), Anton van Zyl (Stormers), WP Nel (Cheetahs), Deon Fourie (Stormers), Wian du Preez (Cheetahs).

Match of the week:
With so many games looking a bit below par this week, the only standout clash was the Crusaders-Blues game where the rugby was once again top notch.

Local derbies always seem to bring the best out of quality players and the Blues were good value in the first half before the Crusaders put their foot down to pull away late in the game. Again the tries were good, positional play exceptional and an all-round entertainment feast of rugby highlighted the match in Christchurch.

Try of the week:
We considered Tatafu Polota-Nau’s effort against the Sharks, or Kabamba Floors try for the Cheetahs, but in the end the superb handoff from youngster Robert Fruean gets this week’s award.

Tackle of the week:
In a game where the Stormers defence excelled and so many good tackles were put in by the home side, Bryan Habana gets the nod for this superb effort in running over Jimmy Cowan.

Bone-cruncher:
Few can argue that the hardest tackle of the week was this effort by Sona Taumalolo on Quade Cooper. It was everything a tackle should not be, yet amazingly the prop got off scott free.

Newcomer of the week
Named by the IRB as young player of the year two years ago, Robert Fruean certainly showed why he is so highly rated with an exceptional game for the Crusaders and a monster try.

Schlepper of the week:
Undoubtedly the award must go to Australian referee Paul Marks for his interesting and somewhat dubious calls against the Sharks in their match against the Waratahs.

Marks was mediocre at best, but his two massive calls in the dying minutes –--coming on the back of a number of strange decisions -- certainly would have had any Sharks supporter fuming.

By first not awarding a penalty try for Kurtley Beale’s deliberate knock-on, which prevented Ryan Kankowski scoring a winning try, and then the strange decision for obstruction in the lineout, Marks certainly was playing to his own set of rules.

The Super 14 has been reffed in a wonderfully high standard so far, and the competition, not to mention the teams involved, deserved a lot better on the night.

Congratulations to:
JP Pietersen (Sharks) and Wian du Preez (Cheetahs), who both played their 50th Super 14 game for their respective franchises. Du Preez also has two caps for the Sharks.

Points machine
Dan Carter of the Crusaders moved up to 980 Super rugby career points with the 18 he scored against the Blues. The only two players ahead of him are Stirling Mortlock (1019) and Andrew Mehrtens (990). With Matt Giteau kicking for the Brumbies, the chances are good Carter can claim the record in the next two weeks.

Bulls flyhalf Morné Steyn has already scored 77 points in three Super 14 games this year. The fastest century in Super rugby history was scored in 1997 by Gavin Lawless for Natal in four games and with a decent performance against the Highlanders this weekend, Steyn can equal this record.

Can I borrow your boots bro?
Mils Muliana revealed he trained with his old club Te Rapa for the first time in nine years ahead of last weekend’s return to Super 14 action. Mils found out very quickly that amateur rugby is a bit different to the professional setup.

"Going to training on Tuesday certainly brought back a few memories of how club rugby works and the different things about it like having to remember to take your own training kit."

Swan Lake
The Crusaders well-publicised training session with eight members of New Zealand’s Royal Ballet company produced a number of interesting remarks, not the least from Crusaders prop Wyatt Crockett

"It's a nice change lifting them in a lineout to some of the big lumps I normally have to hoist," Crockett smiled.

A cheeky rumour doing the rounds in New Zealand is that the ballet dancers were so impressed with burly lock Brad Thorn that they offered him a small part in The Nutcracker.

What's in a name
The Western Force’s new flyhalf recruit, veteran former All Black David Hill, was taken back when he arrived for his first training session with the team.

Apparently one of the team’s young stars Ryan Cross had no idea who he was. A sheepish Cross was seen walking away after asking Hill: “Excuse me, are you one of the sponsors?”

We wonder how many hospital passes he will receive for that remark.

Are you not entertained?
Former Wallaby Brendan Cannon gave an interesting answer to the age-old question about his likeness for Hollywood star Russell Crowe in an internet Q and A session this week.

Asked for his views on the likeness, Cannon wrote: “At my command unleash hell. If I looked anything like Russell my bank balance would be a lot healthier than it is. Regards Maximus.”

Quote of the Week I
“Sleeping with the Stormers is like waiting for an orgasm without the "oh!" -- Kevin McCallum’s assessment in The Star of Stormers supporters

Quote of the Week II
“He is the owner of the only combover in Super 14 rugby” -- Australian commentator Greg Martin on Andy Goode’s hairstyle

Quote of the Week III
“There’s 25 minutes left, he’s 35 years old. He never wants to play more than his age.” -- Rod Kafer on Justin Harrison as a substitute.

 

[MajorlyRagerly]

Nice read that PB, enjoyed. Which website published this? Might have to start taking a look.

AM guessing SA as it seems to pander to the SA journo tongue in cheek stereotypes of NZ being backward and self depreciating, and Aussie not really knowing whats going on!

 

[rustycruiser]

http://www.supersport.com/rugby/article.aspx?headline=The Good, the Bad and the Ugly&id=335881

 

[PaarlBok]

Round 5

Superrugby

Super XV for Week Five:
15. Israel Dagg (Highlanders), 14. Drew Mitchell (Waratahs),13. Jaque Fourie (Stormers), 12. Wynand Olivier (Bulls), 11. Zac Guildford (Crusaders), 10. Quade Cooper (Reds), 9. Will Genia (Reds), 8. Pierre Spies (Bulls), 7. Scott Higginbotham (Reds) 6. Schalk Burger (Stormers), 5. Andries Bekker (Stormers), 4. Dean Mumm (Waratahs), 3. Salesi Ma`afu (Brumbies), 2. Gary Botha (Bulls), 1. Ben Alexander (Brumbies).

Bok Barometer for Week Five:
15. Joe Pietersen (Stormers), 14. Gerhard van den Heever (Bulls), 13. Jaque Fourie (Stormers), 12. Wynand Olivier (Bulls) 11. Francois Hougaard (Bulls), 10. Morne Steyn (Bulls), 9. Ruan Pienaar (Sharks), 8. Pierre Spies (Bulls) 7. Francois Louw (Stormers), 6. Schalk Burger (Stormers), 5. Andries bekker (Stormers), 4. Anton van Zyl (Stormers), 3. Kevin Buys (Lions), 2. Gary Botha (Bulls), 1. Werner Kruger* (Bulls).

*Kruger started at tighthead but showed his versatility when he moved to loosehead early in the match after an injury to Gurthro Steenkamp.

Match of the week:
The Reds, the Waratahs, the Bulls and the Stormers all impressed as they completely dominated their opposition over the weekend, but all these matches were too one-sided to go down as classics. Instead it was the tussle between New Zealand's top two franchises in Hamilton that really caught the eye. Both the Crusaders and the Chiefs approached the match positively and referee Mark Lawrence allowed the game to flow. Only the weather dampened procedures somewhat in the second half, but not enough to stop the clash from being named the SuperWrap's match of the week.

Try of the week:
Hugh Bladen called it the individual try of the season, and we concur. Take a bow Gerhard van den Heever.

Bone-cruncher of the week:
Ma`a Nonu escaped punishment from a Sanzar judicial officer for this WWE-style stiff-arm on Stormers flyhalf Peter Grant.

We have to wonder, would Mr Rob Stelzner’s verdict have been the same if it was Butch James or JP Nel in the hot seat?

Honourable mentions go to Wynand Olivier for his in-goal face-plant of Sean Romans and to Sireli Naqelevuki whose downing of Corey Jane would have walked the award if it even resembled a tackle.

The Jorrie goes to:
Carlos Spencer for this howler that lead to Waratahs lock Dean Mumm scoring the softest of tries.

Newcomer of the week:
Bulls reserve prop Rossouw de Klerk had to take his place at tighthead after an early injury to Gurthro Steenkamp on Saturday. It is not often that you see a 20 year old stand up that effectively to one of the stronger scrumming outfits in the competition. With South African rugby's lack of depth in the tighthead position, it was a very welcome sight indeed.

Schlepper of the week:
This week's schlepper goes to the refereeing panel that appointed the controversial Paul Marks as assistant referee in the Brumbies/Sharks match. You didn't need a crystal ball to predict that both Marks and the Sharks would have preferred not to see much of each other for the rest of the season, and so it proved to be. A flag out, a bad decision and a "Was that a Paul Marks call?" by a well-known captain later, and gone is the notion of referee impartiality.

Do unto others…:
"Just at the weekend, my yellow card [against the Cheetahs] – some say I deserved it and others not. But rugby is a contact sport and these rules are taking out the big hits South Africans and New Zealanders love to do on each other,” All Black centre Ma`a Nonu told a Cape Town newspaper last week. "You do a high shoulder and you get penalised. It's getting a bit boring."

The SuperWrap team was a bit perplexed at Nonu's inclusive approach. Nowhere in the historical records could we find a single instance of a South African high tackle being described by a New Zealander as entertaining.

Nevertheless, while Nonu stopped short of describing the modern game as ballet, we're sure his thoughts would have been read with a fair amount of sympathy in certain parts of the Mother City.

Milestones:
Carlos Spencer earned his 100th super rugby cap against the Waratahs this weekend. (96 for the Blues and four for the Lions) Jano Vermaak and Berrick Barnes played in their 50th Super Rugby matches. John Smit and Victor Matfield captained their super rugby franchises for the 50th time. Dan Carter (996) overtook Andrew Mehrtens (990) and is now in second place on all-time super rugby points-scoring list behind Stirling Mortlock on 1 019. Drew Mitchell became the ninth player in Super Rugby history to score four tries in a match. No player has ever managed to score five. He shares the record with:

Joe Roff (ACT Brumbies) vs Natal: Canberra - 1996
Gavin Lawless (Sharks) vs Otago Highlanders: Durban - 1997
Stefan Terblanché (Sharks) vs Waikato Chiefs: Port Elizabeth - 1998
Joeli Vidiri (Auckland Blues) vs Northern Bulls: Auckland - 2000
Doug Howlett (Auckland Blues) vs Wellington Hurricanes: Wellington - 2002
Mils Muliaina (Auckland Blues) vs Bulls: Auckland - 2002
Caleb Ralph (Canterbury Crusaders) vs Waratahs: Christchurch - 2002
Sitiveni Sivivatu (Chiefs) vs Blues: Hamiton - 2009

Quote of the week I:
“It's the goalkicker's creep.” - Grant Nisbett on Stephen Donald stealing a metre or two. It's also called cheating by opposition forwards.

Quote of the week II:
“A bit of Benny Hill music wouldn't be out of place.” – Greg Martin on the Lions' comedy of errors in Sydney.

Quotes of the week III:
“Blades was in the first rifle squad for the Boer War” – Phil Kearns informs viewers about the age of SuperSport's Hugh Bladen.
“Blades was one of the original pupils for King Edward School in the 1880s, he then fought the Boer War” – Greg Martin feels it necessary to throw in a school name.

The SuperWrap judges have it as 2-0 to the Australian commentary team on the unofficial scorecard. Can we expect a comeback?

 

[Ruggo]

Pissed myself laughing when Kearnsy made that comment. If it wasn't for him, I would watch with the volume down.

 

[PaarlBok]

They slipped it a week or two, the new one
Superrugby

Bok to the future

The remarkable wins recorded by the Bulls and the Stormers on New Zealand soil in week nine of the 2010 Vodacom Super 14 not only confirmed the semifinal contender status of both outfits, but brought about the abrupt eruption of a theme that has calmly been simmering in the Kiwi media over the last few weeks: South Africa has replaced New Zealand as the rugby world’s top innovators.

For those of you who haven’t had the chance to read through a stack of your favourite New Zealand papers lately, here are a few clippings:
“With a couple of notable exceptions (Danie Craven springs to mind), effective yet dour old-fashioned, forward-oriented play was South Africa's lot: 'was' being the operative word, as their rugby now reeks of innovation and progressive thinking,” wrote Greg Ford in the Sunday Star Times.

“Only the most optimistic Kiwi rugby fan would argue this current state of affairs is merely a cycle with South Africa enjoying a (brief) moment in the sun. A power shift has taken place. The question is, how did it happen and how do we stop it?” Ford asks.

Then there is stuff.co.nz ‘s Marc Hinton praising the Bulls: “Clinical. Cooly calculated. Doing what they have to when they have to, and understanding that this game is as much about pragmatism as it is magnetism.”

Those are gracious sentiments expressed by our Kiwi brethren. Beautiful bits of prose with a ring of truth satisfying enough to get the average long-suffering Bok fan to consider cracking a smile.

So what are we to make of these claims? Are they true? Has South African rugby emerged from the dark ages of dim-witted dinosaur plodding to carry the torch of inventiveness and 'forwards thinking'?

The answer, as in those Castrol advertisements of yesteryear, is a well-considered Ja-nee, swaer.

Yes, South African teams - at provincial level as well as in International competition - have rid themselves of the stubborn one-size-fits-all mindsets that so often used to be their undoing. The Bulls can run now, the Stormers can scrum, the Sharks won a home game and in the Green-and-Gold the guys have shown the ability to take the best aspects of all that and combine it into a winning combination.

And no, nothing that has been put on display by a South African team in the last three years can be considered novel. Not the defensive approach that won the Boks the 2007 World Cup final in Paris (basically a carbon copy of the ’95 effort). Not the all-out attacking approach that saw the Bulls romp to a 61-17 win in last year’s Super 14 final (see what they did to the Stormers in 2005). The kick-and-chase game that proved the undoing of the dreaded ELVs is as old as the hills, as is the rolling maul that suddenly has coaches breaking out in cold sweat down under.

The only thing that has changed in recent years is that teams in the southern-hemisphere have had a new set of laws or interpretations forced on them at the start of pretty much every season, sometimes even for different tournaments inside one season.

In South Africa this had the effect of pushing teams outside their comfort zones. They now have to consider and re-consider their approach every season. They are obliged to regularly look at their own strengths and weaknesses as well as that of the opposition and come up with a strategy - within an ever-changing set of circumstances - that will give them a competitive advantage.

The lawmakers may enrage many followers of the game by constantly fiddling with the book, but here in the Republic we should be thankful. They forced our teams to regularly take a critical look at themselves, giving us the key to re-invention. They forced our teams to constantly look for new strengths, ridding us of our biggest weakness: inflexibility.

So, from all of us here at the SuperWrap desk, thank you to our friends in the New Zealand media for those kind words. But also, thank you to the restless lawmakers whose incessant tinkering enabled us to accept a Kiwi compliment and not expect a Candid Camera crew accompanying it.

With that, let’s move on this week’s team and awards.

Super XV for week nine:
15. Peter Hynes (Reds) 14. Rod Davies (Reds) 13. Jaque Fourie (Stormers) 12. Matt Giteau (Brumbies) 11. Cameron Shepherd (Western Force) 10. Quade Cooper (Reds) 9.Will Genia (Reds) 8. Pierre Spies (Bulls) 7. David Pocock (Western Force) 6. Phil Waugh (Waratahs) 5. Andries Bekker (Stormers) 4. Brad Thorn (Crusaders) 3. Al Baxter (Waratahs) 2. Saia Fainga'a (Reds) 1. Ben Alexander (Brumbies).

Bok Barometer for week nine:
15. Gio Aplon (Stormers) 14. Gerhard van den Heever (Bulls)13. Jaque Fourie (Stormers) 12. Wynand Olivier (Bulls) 11. Bryan Habana (Stormers) 10. Peter Grant (Stormers) 9. Fourie du Preez (Bulls) 8. Pierre Spies (Bulls) 7. Francois Louw (Stormers) 6. Schalk Burger (Stormers) 5. Andries Bekker (Stormers) 4. Danie Rossouw (Bulls) 3. Werner Kruger (Bulls) 2. Adriaan Strauss (Cheetahs) 1. Gurthro Steenkamp (Bulls).

Match of the week:
The Bulls spent most of last week licking their wounds after a receiving a good bashing in their loss to the Blues the previous week. On Friday the Chiefs seemed to have learned a thing or two from the Aucklanders as they matched the defending champions blow for blow for the first three quarters of the match. The last quarter saw the Bulls up the ante in the physical stakes to run out comfortable 31-16 winners, scoring a four-try bonus-point in the process. This wasn’t quite as spectacular as last year’s final, but still good enough to be named this week’s match of the week.



Try of the week:
Goes to Gerhard van den Heever. We're stil not sure if that tap-pass from Steyn was planned or not.

Tackle of the week:

Goes to Phil Waugh for preventing a certain try.

“I knew I hadn't got it. They did quite well and I came up a bit short and rolled over on my back," McCaw admitted after the match. "And I tried to roll again and Phil did a pretty good job in ripping it out.

"I thought I may have got there but I didn't. He did well. It was a pretty good two-man tackle and I was pretty disappointed about it, to be honest."



Schlepper of the week:
Assistant Referee Kane McBride, who disallowed Fourie du Preez’s intercept try for an incident that happened two minutes, and six phases earlier. The incident took place right in front of referee Jonathan Kaplan, and if it had such a big influence on the run of play, we’re sure the world’s best referee would have blown it at the time.

Congratulations to:
- Dan Carter, who became the highest points scorer in Super Rugby (Super Rugby) history. He currently stands on 1022 points, three more than Stirling Mortlock.
- Kieran Read, Doppies la Grange, Heinke van der Merwe, Chris King and Pierre Spies who all played in their 50th Super Rugby match.
- Victor Matfield who is now the sole SA record holder after captaining his franchise for the 54th time.
- The Reds, who brought up the quickest bonus point of the year, scoring their fourth try in the 16th minute of the match against the Lions.

Fullback or full toss?
The Highlanders’ standout fullback Israel Dagg is a versatile fellow – and could have made it in cricket as a pace bowler.

Dagg has quite a pedigree in the gentleman’s game, being a former junior representative cricketer who in 2004 won a nationwide fast bowling competition for secondary school students. For the record, he registered a speed of 143km/h - faster than most current Black Caps can currently bowl.

No wonder he accepted the challenge from Highlanders captain Jimmy Cowan to try and bowl him out in six balls. It took just three for the stumps to rattle and Dagg to be $100 richer.

Fair weather fans:
Lions flanker Wikus van Heerden revealed to the Superwrap team the main reason for returning home earlier than planned from English club Saracens.

“The weather. Definitely the weather,” he said, “At least here you can go outside. I’ve got two little boys and there were times we were climbing the walls in our place just wanting to escape.”



All he needs now is for that dark cloud hanging over Coca-Cola Park to lift.

Speaking of which…

Has anyone seen the horse?
The same Union whose coach told confidently told media “We’ve got all the personnel we need,” after their first loss of the season had a headline on its website reading: “Defence coach a priority as A&G Lions lose to Reds” this week.

Is it wrong of us to say “told you so”?

Man’s best friend
Melbourne Rebels new recruit Danny Cipriani has revealed he won’t be heading down under alone – he’s arranged for “Rocky”, his faithful Pug, to go along as well.

Rocky the dog has had his jabs, a month's quarantine in Australia has been booked and he is going with his master. "He's a nice little pug," Cipriani says. "I like him because he's low maintenance. Ten minutes' walk and he's happy."

We’re nodding our heads in agreement, not that any of us has ever dated a top British model like Kelly Brook.

Home leg
Reds scrumhalf Will Genia found an interesting theory on why South African sides are so hard to beat at home. ''It's always tough playing in South Africa, as they [the opponents] always grow a third leg when they're playing at home,'' Genia said.

Genia wasn’t asked to elaborate.

Quote of the week I:
“He says its a surfski accident, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone clobbered him,” – Joel Stransky on assistant referee Stuart Berry’s stitched-up, clean-shaven head.

Quote of the week II:
“It was disgraceful” – Lions coach Dick Muir on his team’s defence.

Quote of the week III:
“There's probably more chance of Tiger Woods being voted Husband of the Year than the Canes going perfect through this run” – New Zealand rugby writer Mark Hinton ponders the Hurricanes’ semifinal hopes.

 

[Hawko]

Man this site makes the SMH lookm sick for journalism quality.

 

[MajorlyRagerly]

What wrong with it? Kiwi journo's have slated the SA approach to rugby for years - now that the shoe is on the other foot, can't blame them for piping up and enjoying it

I think their team of the week shows exactly how much the last few weeks have been shitty for NZ rugby.

 

[Scotty]

They managed to pick 11 Oz players in their team of the week, including Saia Fa'ainga and 4 other Reds players. Some are justified, but all 11? Surely not.

 

[RugbyReg]

and Baxter got mullered!

An all Aussie front row. When was the last time SAF media did that?

 

[fatprop]

and Baxter got mullered!

An all Aussie front row. When was the last time SAF media did that?

Yeah, never seen Baxter popped like that and stand up (very Bok style), he usually collapses ..............

 

[Ash]

I still enjoy those articles, they are interesting to read. The only concern in the Bok camp is really the performance of the Lions and Cheetahs. At least the Cheetahs have an excuse with Brussouw and Smith being missing a lot.

 

[Blue]

I still enjoy those articles, they are interesting to read. The only concern in the Bok camp is really the performance of the Lions and Cheetahs. At least the Cheetahs have an excuse with Brussouw and Smith being missing a lot.

It really isn't a concern. It's a simple fact we know will repeat itself each year. If those two players were still playing the Cheetahs would likely have pulled off another couple of wins but without them they are clueless.

The Lions need to be dumped out of this competition and the Spears / Kings whatever given a chance. The Lions have a culture of being useless losers in every aspect including coaching, selection, playing, driving in the bus to the ground, carrying their bags, eating breakfast, going to the potty and there seems to be no way this ever will change. Put the useless fuckers out of their misery and dump them.

 

[DPK]

I still enjoy those articles, they are interesting to read. The only concern in the Bok camp is really the performance of the Lions and Cheetahs. At least the Cheetahs have an excuse with Brussouw and Smith being missing a lot.

It really isn't a concern. It's a simple fact we know will repeat itself each year. If those two players were still playing the Cheetahs would likely have pulled off another couple of wins but without them they are clueless.

The Lions need to be dumped out of this competition and the Spears / Kings whatever given a chance. The Lions have a culture of being useless losers in every aspect including coaching, selection, playing, driving in the bus to the ground, carrying their bags, eating breakfast, going to the potty and there seems to be no way this ever will change. Put the useless fuckers out of their misery and dump them.

If you dump the franchise, wont many of the players just become part of the new team that's brought in?

 

[Blue]

If you dump the franchise, wont many of the players just become part of the new team that's brought in?

Yes but I think they will be given a fresh start, in a much better environment (Johannesburg is a spectacularly horrible place to be). They will find themselves in that nice new Stadium in PE by the coast (great ground), train in picturesque George from time to time etc.

The Lions have such a deeply rooted culture of being losers I just can't see how they can be turned around. The management is in constant turmoil so I canlt see things getting better.

 

[PaarlBok]

Saw last night on the news the Kings will be in from 2012, will put it up later

 

[DPK]

If you dump the franchise, wont many of the players just become part of the new team that's brought in?

Yes but I think they will be given a fresh start, in a much better environment (Johannesburg is a spectacularly horrible place to be). They will find themselves in that nice new Stadium in PE by the coast (great ground), train in picturesque George from time to time etc.

The Lions have such a deeply rooted culture of being losers I just can't see how they can be turned around. The management is in constant turmoil so I canlt see things getting better.

See I thought the same about the Red's last year, but probably not as severly. One new, good change of coaching staff and the whole team is turned around and slowly it looks like the managment is changing too.

But, maybe the culture is too deeply rooted, as you seem to think (and you have a better local knowledge... I hope ).

 

[Blue]

Saw last night on the news the Kings will be in from 2012, will put it up later

Wow. Please do.

 

[PaarlBok]

Saw last night on the news the Kings will be in from 2012, will put it up later

Wow. Please do.

Pretty sure they discussed it with Saru's announcement yesterday regarding the Megapro sponsorship and the Italy test in East Londen
SARugby.net

SPRINGBOK TEST TICKETS ON SALE FOR R150 Posted: 13 April 2010

Springbok supporters will have the opportunity to see their team play for as little as R150 when Test match rugby returns to East London in June. Match tickets for the second Test between the Springboks and Italy go on sale on May 1 priced between R150 and R250.
“This is a fantastic opportunity not only to see the Springboks in East London but at a price that really is less than half the normal price at one of the bigger venues,” said Mr Oregan Hoskins, president of the South African Rugby Union.

“The passion for rugby in the Border runs very deep but the capacity of the venues has been a challenge in the past. However the combination of an increased capacity and the unavailability of other venues because of the soccer World Cup have created this opportunity.

“The previous two Tests at the venue are both well remembered for the atmosphere and the occasion and we’re looking forward to a repeat when we host Italy.”

Border are applying a differential pricing structure for the fixture to make the game widely accessible. Tickets behind the poles will cost R150; the open stand costs R200 and the main stand R250. Public can contact the Border Rugby Union on 043 743 5998 for general ticket enquiries.

“We are increasing the capacity of the Buffalo City Stadium to 15 000 for the match but we expect the tickets to be snapped up very quickly,” said Mr Buntu Ondala, president of the Border Rugby Union.

“This is the first time East London will have hosted a Test match featuring a Six Nations opponent and only the third Test hosted by Border – it is a very special occasion.

“There will be Italian soccer fans in the country at the same time and we’re hoping they will also take the opportunity to see their national rugby team take on the World Champions.”

Springbok captain John Smit made his debut in the first Springbok Test to be held in the city when he came on as a replacement in the 51-18 victory over Canada in 2000. The Springboks were coincidentally coached by current Italy coach, Nick Mallet.

The Springboks returned to the venue in 2005 to post a 134-3 victory over Uruguay featuring a Springbok record six tries from wing Tonderai Chavhanga. “The first two Springbok Tests here were memorable events and we’re expecting another such occasion,” said Mr Ondala.

“You can already feel the excitement in the region about the return of the Springboks and we’re expecting the ‘sold out’ signs to go up very quickly.”

The Border president qouted that they are busy in the region preparing the Kings to be ready to join the S15 at this very moment.

 

[PaarlBok]

If you dump the franchise, wont many of the players just become part of the new team that's brought in?

Yes but I think they will be given a fresh start, in a much better environment (Johannesburg is a spectacularly horrible place to be). They will find themselves in that nice new Stadium in PE by the coast (great ground), train in picturesque George from time to time etc.

The Lions have such a deeply rooted culture of being losers I just can't see how they can be turned around. The management is in constant turmoil so I canlt see things getting better.

Yes it pretty disappointing. Blues is probably right, myself more disappointed with the Tin Ears effort and more worried about them. Its obvious Naka is a dushbag as a coach, cant understand his pickings , retire old toppies and sitting with a wealth of talent like Johan Wessels, not even now in their Vodacom side or Johnson. They seem to lost the plot completely now.

The Lions however is something different and I am sure Muir started with a cycle right at the bottom. They fired Loffie, then make Hans CC coach and then Dick, who still cant find a decent first XV. Also see they have appoint Ray Mordt as defensive coach, should have happened at the start.

Thought the Lions will get some backing from your parts to slam the Sharks this weekend? Dont be surprise.