IRB statement following NZ v SA match
…Following an initial review, the IRB confirms that it was incorrect for referee Romain Poite to issue a yellow card to Bismarck du Plessis in the 17th minute of The Rugby Championship match between New Zealand and South Africa in Auckland on Saturday.
DRSU Youth Rugby – Finals
The DRSU Youth League comes to a close this Sunday with the finals of all age groups being played at Northwood Crusaders in Durban North.
In the 8 week club season we have seen no less than 600 players representing 33 teams in the various age groups with the top 110 players being selected to represent the DRSUYCA regional teams that will be touring to Pretoria for an inter provincial tournament at the end of the month.…
u19 Currie Cup: the unstoppa-Bulls
The Bulls are expected to make a press release during September with regards to their 2014 contracted players. Look out for at least 8 SA Schools players to be in that mix. So they will be mounting another serious challenge for top honours come next season. For now though, it’s their powerful 2013 group who are living up to expectations and are currently 7 out of 7 in this year’s Absa under-19 competition. Their lead over the chasing pack is so big coming into this round that even their bye seems to have done little eat into the comfortably on top. …
Sharks Academy not threatened by the UKZN Impis under John Mitchell
This has been in the air for a while: talk that a possibly reason behind the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Varsity Cup campaign struggles to really get off the ground is the Sharks who see the Varsity’s potential rise to prominence as a threat to their own institution, namely the Sharks Academy. In other regions, there appears to be a good working relationship between the rugby unions and the varsities. So I asked the about the Academy’s general feeling towards the UKZN Impis and the appointment of John Mitchell as their new director of coaching and here’s the response I received:
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Schoolboy rugby coaches – overseas opportunities
We focus a lot of the attention on the kids on the field but what about the coaches? Schoolboy rugby isn’t just a stepping stone for the best players which might open the door for them to possibly play at pro level here or abroad, it’s also a good starting point for best young coaches to gain valuable experience before moving onto big things.…
Free State under-19 players for 2014
Under the guidance of under-19 head coach Andre Tredoux, Free State have worked very hard on recruitment this year. Helped by the Cheetahs excellent 2013 Super Rugby season, all the effort put in seems to have paid off. The 2014 group is a strong one, filled with known talent as well as a few wildcards who could just go on to become the next big thing in SA rugby. All-in-all 3 SA Schools players are part of a talented squad that should do very well in the under-19 Currie Cup next season. Apologies, although provided the names of Gunther Janse van Rensburg and WP Eloff were overlooked but have now been added.
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Western Province Rugby Institute players for 2014
The Western Province Rugby Institute (WPRI) has released their list of 43 players that will be at their facility for the best part of 2014. It is possilby their strongest ever assembled squad with 11 SA Schools players and 19 or so other Craven Week players. …
The Witness Newspaper ranks the KZN rugby Top 10 for 2013
Not too long ago the KZN Traditional Schools function was held. Kearsney was awarded the team of the year prize. The organisers however seemed to come up with a pretty messed up ranking that saw Westville and Hilton unfairly done in. One blogger was spot on, it was a case of a bit of credibility lost as a result of the inaccuracies.
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Example of a Super Schools tournament format
Rockspider has provided this example of what a Super Schools tournament might look like.…
SA Schoolboy Rugby Combo Rankings for 2013
For one last time, here’s the exercise of combining the rankings of 5 websites including this one which makes use of the BHP formula driven system. The scoring method is simple 20 points for 1st place down to 1 point for 20th.…
Final BHP South African Top 50 Schoolboy Rugby Rankings for 2013
From BoishaaiPa who graciously compiled and supplied his formula driven Top 50 rankings throughout the season.
Surprise!……
Water polo season underway
The water polo season has begun and it seems like College were first out the blocks to establish themselves as “Numero Due” behind Clifton in KZN.…
Even government schools are private these days
Here is an interesting extract from a Grey High School news letter. It gives one an idea of just how costly it is to run a first class school these days and where the money has to come from.…
A new reason to take concussions seriously
The NFL has just settled litigation relating to a class action by ex-players in respect of post-career illnesses they allege they suffer as a result of concussions suffered during their playing careers. The settlement is for an amount of $765 million.…
2013 Schoolboy Rugby Cup Winners
| WINNERS | RUNNERSUP | DATE | CUP | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paarl Gim | 16 | 10 | Outeniqua | 30/08/2013 | Die Burger Big Schools Final |
| Nico Malan | 14 | 13 | Hermanus | 30/08/2013 | Die Burger Medium Schools Final |
| Noord-Kaap | 17 | 15 | Louis Botha | 30/08/2013 | Shimla-Liga Final |
| EG Jansen | 38 | 17 | Kempton Park | 23/08/2013 | Beeld Trofee Macro Schools final |
| Transvalia | 16 | 12 | Ermelo | 23/08/2013 | Beeld Trofee Big Schools final |
| HTS Middelburg | 19 | 14 | Nelspruit | 11/05/2013 | NuPower-Tuks Final |
KZN Coaches and Selectors for 2014
The KwaZulu-Natal schools youth weeks coaches and selectors for 2014 have been finalised. As a result of changes, Glenwood and Kearsney “appear” to have gained a bigger say in the overall running of the provincial age-group selections for the various national youth weeks.…
Die Burger finals team sheets
The finals of Die Burger’s Rugby Competiton for schools in the Western Province, Boland, SWD and Eastern Province will take place tomorrow in Paarl.
The big clash will be the finals in the Big School’s Division where Paarl Gymnasium (WP) will play against Outeniqua (SWD). The final will be played at Paarl Gym. Kick-off: 12:30 – Paarl Gym A Field;…
u19 & u21 junior provincial rugby reaches the halfway mark
The Junior (under-19 and under-21) Currie Cup seasons have already reached the halfway mark. The Blue Bulls finally seem t o be getting it right at under-19 level. This year’s under-19 team is undefeated and leads the way in their age-group, which the Bulls haven’t won since they implemented their huge recruitment drive under head scout Xander Janse van Rensburg. Much time and money went into compiling the Bulls teams of 2010, 2011 and 2012 and each year they had to settle for second place. Western Province win the title in 2010 and 2012 while the Golden Lions claimed the honours in 2011. …
Durban youth club u18s to play at Ellis Park
For the first time ever, the DRSU U18 team will take to the field at Ellis Park. Having gone through trials, the team has retained the core that played against Montpellier and are looking sharp. …
Star-studded lineups for Die Burger final
The recent returns from injury of Paarl Gim’s lock JD Schickerling and centre Ryan Oosthuizen, two players that haunted Outeniqua during Gimmies 37-25 victory back in April, is bound to have a significant effect on the outcome when the two sides meet again in this year’s Burger Trophy main final. The final will feature the highest number of SA Schools players in a school match this year, not to mention the many other outstanding provincial players that will also be showing off their skills.…
Bashford confirmed as new Northwood rugby coach
Grant Bashford has been reappointed by Northwood. Bashford was one of former Sharks head coach John Plumtree’s right-hand men for the past few years. He now assumes the role of Head of Rugby at Northwood, making him Malcolm Kennedy’s replacement in title, although Bash will be in charge of coaching the 1st XV and therefore in a way replaces former head coach Donald Ngwenya as well. …
BHP Top 50 – week ending 24 August 2013
There is just one more week of SBR left in 2013 and as mentioned before the Outeniqua – Grey College battle for third place is as tight as ever. The Kwaggas play Paarl Gim in a Western Cape season ending Burger Trophy final. It is tough at the top. Nelspruit in the congestion and considered a contender for the national 5th place just a week back, drop out of the Top 10 following their defeat to EG Jansen in the Beeld semi . After a promising start to 2013, Rondebosch drops out of the Top 30 altogether, after their defeat at the hands of Bishops. …
Kearsney is the top rugby school in KZN for 2013
NINTH ANNUAL TRADITIONAL RUGBY SCHOOLS LUNCHEON – by Jos Robson of Juiced
KEARSNEY COLLEGE came away with the top award at the ninth annual Traditional Rugby Schools award held at the Salt Rock Hotel last week. …
Noordvaal Champions League 2013 final standings
The Noordvaal season has come to an end. It was a thrilling year of rugby. What really made it special was that a number of teams came to the party. At the beginning of the year I personally was thinking here we go, Klofies and Monnas all the way as far as the cup combos go. When I found out that Klofies had withdrawn from the NuPower, I honestly thought that trophy had just become second rate. However the likes of HTS Middelburg, Nelspruit, EG Jansen and Garsfontein all stepped up to the plate and hit hit the ball out the park with top class performances. Adding to the excitement is that Klofies and Monnas had their moments as well but just somehow could not sustain their efforts. As a result, match-ups were interesting, outcomes were hard to predict and Noordvaal hasn’t looked back. 2014 is going to find it hard to live up to the hype of this year.…