For the last few weeks, our main focus has been on the Super 14 season, and what an exciting season that was. But for those of you who are looking for something else, here are the highlights of the rest of the finals played over the past week or so.

2009/2010 Heineken Cup Final – Biarritz vs Toulouse: [WRNrugbynews]

2010 Edinburgh Sevens Final – Australia VS Samoa: [WRNrugbynews]

2010 Top 14 Final – Clermont Auvergne VS Perpignan: [top142009]

Magners League Grand Final – Leinster vs Ospreys: [mleague2009]

Judging from this weeks nuclear refereeing fallout, it would seem as if it’s about time the IRB seek new sponsorship with one of the major cotton wool manufacturers, because at the rate that they keep wrapping their referees in a cotton wool protective cocoon, it might become expensive.

This whole debacle with the state of refereeing in this year’s competition is reaching boiling point after the latest incident involving Steve Walsh’s refereeing display during round 11 of the 2010 Super 14, in the game between the Waratahs and the Brumbies.

For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past few days, the whole issue revolves around the Brumbies being extremely dissatisfied with the way in which Steve Walsh refereed the match between the two Australian franchises, in which the Brumbies lost.

The Brumbies were particularly unhappy about Steve Walsh not awarding a try  to Adam Ashley-Cooper, in which Walsh ruled there was a double movement.

Referees make these types of calls on a game to game basis, sometimes they are questionable, sometimes spot on. In the case of the questionable decisions, sometimes they will be for you, sometimes against. The law of averages might suggest that these for/against calls will balance out in the end and that should be the end of it.

But in a competition as closely contested as this year’s Super 14, where about 10 of the 14 teams still have at least an outside chance of making the playoffs, one questionable decision could mean the end of the season for you.

Adam Ashley-Cooper’s disalowed try: [s14twentyten]

I thought it was clear as daylight, but you be the judge?

One could also take into consideration the substantial financial implications Read More >>

I spent a year in the states during 2003/2004, and found it extremely difficult to find my favourite rugby events on TV. As an avid rugby supporter, you can imagine how important it was to watch premier rugby events such as 2003 IRB rugby World cup and the 2004 Super 14, both of which I missed the bulk of. Devastating to say the least!

I’m not sure what the current situation is in the USA, given the growth of the sport within the last couple of years, but I received this from the Fox Network, and reckon it might come in handy for our USA based readers.

Fox Soccer Plus, a new premium network designed to complement Fox Soccer Channel, will provide loyal rugby fans with 56 live and premiere rugby matches over the next six weeks, totaling 112 hours of coverage.

This week’s slate of 10 rugby matches on Fox Soccer Plus begins with a Magners League showdown on Wednesday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m. (ET) between Connacht and Leinster, and continues with Super 14 action featuring Reds VS Stormers live on Friday, April 23 at 5:30 a.m. (ET).  England’s Guinness Premiership will take center stage on Saturday, April 24 at 2 p.m. ET with the London Wasps battling Bath Rugby.

Magners League and Super 14, as well as Europe’s Heineken Cup, will all climax with one-off finals in late May on Fox Soccer Plus.  The Heineken Cup title match will take place in Paris on May 22, while the Magners League and Super 14 finals are both slated for May 29.  The Guinness Premiership also concludes its season that day.

The premium network will also premiere Rugby World, an exclusive rugby magazine show airing each week beginning Friday, May 14 at 10:30 p.m. (ET) through July, 2010. Expert rugby analysts and commentators Dave Sitton, Brian Vizard, Ray Viers and Matt Brown will host the series of eight half-hour programs, providing context and perspective on all matters rugby. Rugby World will survey the globe to deliver the best highlights from the Heineken Cup, Guinness Premiership, Super 14, Magners League, SANZAR June Tests, Churchill Cup, USA Rugby National Championships, Glendale Raptors and much more each week.

Fox Soccer Plus’ robust arsenal of exclusive rugby properties include Guinness Premiership, Heineken Cup, Magners League, and matches from South Africa, New Zealand and Australia Rugby (SANZAR), encompassing Super 14, Tri-Nations, Currie Cup (South Africa) and ITM Cup (New Zealand).

Scheduled Live and Premiere Rugby Coverage on Fox Soccer Plus: Read More >>

The following excerpts from UR7s: South Africa’s oldest rugby club, Hamiltons, founded in 1875, were the deserved victors at the 127th Melrose Sevens on Saturday. As expected the invited teams dominated proceedings, with Hamilton beating last year’s winners the University of Johannesburg 35-26 in an all-African final.

In a seesaw finale, the 10,000 strong crowd were treated to a high quality match with exciting runners packed on both the Hamiltons and Jo’burg sides.

The students raced into 14 point lead early on with Lola Waka and Derick Badenhorst going over. Hamilton’s Gerhard Vos showed his power to get his side on the board and then the day’s outstanding player Alshaun Bock levelled things up with a scything line.

Earl Lewis’ breathtaking run set up Waka to restore UJ’s lead heading into half-time, but again Hamiltons showed their class with Du Plessis setting up Bock for his second to make it 21-21.

Lewis again proved the catalyst for the students, offloading beautifully for Waka’s hat-trick, with the defending champions looking strong. But Hamilton held their nerve and took their chances. Simple numbers gave Voss a try that was crucially converted by Bock to make it 28-26, with Elric Van Vuuren’s late score sealing the win for the Cape Town outfit.

Hamiltons had been outstanding in their 35-5 semi-final win over the clearly fatigued Army of Scotland. Jacobs, Roussouw, Du Plessis, Vos, Williams all crossing in a one-sided game.

An early Graham Wilson try gave Heriots hope in their semi-final against the Johannesburg students but were undone by a more clinical and drilled outfit, with scores from Swanepoel, Badenhorst, and De Klerk.

Hosts Melrose were controversially denied a last-gasp try against Hamilton in a pulsating quarter-final, losing 14-17 to leave coach Craig Chalmers seething. Cambridge Uni, who finished runners-up at last weekend’s Casablanca University Sevens, were knocked out in the second round by Heriots.

Teams and Results: Read More >>

This weekend, Julien Dupuy was cited for a horrific eye gouge on Ulster player, Stephen Ferris, during the Stade Francais VS Ulster rugby match.

Dupuy blatantly, twice,  attacked the eye area of Ferris in what can only be described as a blatant, deliberate and malicious attack. Below I have posted the video footage of Dupuy’s eye gouge as well as that of Schalk Burger and Sergio Parrisse, both from earlier in the year, for you to make a comparison.

1st up, in order, Schalk Burger:

2nd, Parisse:

3rd, Dupuy:

Burger and Parisse subsequently received eight week bans, respectively, for their actions in the above footage. In a year that has been riddled with erratic (at best) judicial processes, here, here, here (and the list goes on), it will be interesting to see what comes of this latest incident.

Will Dupuy get off easier than Burger and Parisse, or will the double attack result in a full 12 week ban?

Judging from the footage above, what do you think the length of Dupuy’s ban should be?

Get off of me you fly...

In a heavy blow to the Springboks, Pierre Spies has been ruled out of the Springbok end of year tour with a surgery requiring finger injury. Spies apparently injured his finger in the Currie Cup final this past Saturday an had to have surgery on Monday night. Spies’ athleticism will no doubt be missed by many of the Springbok fans, but all is not lost. In a country where we are currently blessed with a whole host of extremely talented loose forwards, as the door closed for Spies last night, it opened for Sharks loose forward, Jean Deysel.

Many rugby fans around the country were disappointed to see Deysel originally left out of the Springbok end of year tour squad, whilst a host of shock selections, some unwarranted, were included. Deysel has been knocking on the door for Springbok selection, or there andthere abouts, for some time now. Diesel Deysel as he is called by many of his fans has what it takes to make the step up an should do us proud in the Green and Gold strip. He is a player who relishes in the physical contact, enjoys running with the ball, and shows good interplay. My only gripe with him is that from time  to time his handling is a bit kak, but I’m sure he will be working on this. All in all, I think it is not a bad call at all.

In other news, Fourie Du Preez has been rewarded for his sublime form this season Read More >>

Kinesio Tex Tape - holding me together one strand at a time

Rugby is primarily a contact sport, which by nature will a times lead to injuries. Don’t get me wrong, rugby is by no means a dangerous sport in my opinion. Usually when a serious injury does occur whilst playing rugby, it is simply due to a freak accident. If players are coached properly and remain fit, nothing too serious should go wrong.

Whilst I no longer play contact rugby due to rugby related injuries over the years, I do play a regular game of touchies down at Hamiltons RFC, whom as most of you already know were recently crowned 2009 SAA National Club Champs.

Anywho, so there I am running with the ball, no one even near me, in the howling South Easter, when all of a sudden there is a loud snapping sound, and down I go like a sack of potatoes. My first thoughts were that I had snapped my ankle, as the pain was excruciating for the 1st few seconds. Luckily, Dr Garth Roberts was at hand to attend to me immediately. In-fact, it was him who had just seconds before passed me the ball. Upon examining my ankle he was able to calm my initial worries that I had snapped my ankle, and diagnosed me on the spot.

Dr Roberts was called out to an emergency today, so he referred me to the Hamies 1st XV physio, Dr Nico Claassen, who practices in conjunction with him here in Seapoint. Upon examining my ankle, Dr Claassen confirmed Dr Roberts’ initial diagnoses, that I had picked up a grade 2 tear in both my ulterior and lateral ankle ligaments. You can visit their website at www.chiropractor.co.za. I think you will find their rates easy on the pocket.

Both Dr Roberts and Dr Claassen promote the use of Kinesio Tape to facilitate rehabilitation in sporting injuries. You may have seen this tape before on various rugby players, most notably the blue tape on Tonderai Chavanga’s susceptible hamstrings.

A brief explanation of what Kinesio Tape does: Read More >>

Over the weekend, two New Zealand high schools added themselves to the growing list of violent rugby incidents. With South African rugby club, Heidelberg receiving a 15 year ban after a mass brawl during their fixture against Mossel Bay Rugby Club, and a punch up in the Wallaby camp (not the first) between youngster, James O’Connor and veteran, Phil Waugh, questions have to start being asked about what is happening within the sport?

The semi-final between Auckland Grammer School and Kelston Boys High erupted into a mass fight over the weekend. It isn’t yet clear what started the fight, but a disciplinary hearing has been held today, the result of which is not yet known.

Footage of the NZ Schools fight and the Heidelberg fight below:

What can be done to stop this growing trend from ruining the sport we all love?

I was cruising around Youtube last night when I stumbled upon these two great clips. They have everything you could possibly ask for in a rugby clip. Amazing tries, big hits, some talent for the boys and a great soundtrack. Enough said, enjoy!

Hammies Clubhouse - big screen, cheap beer

With just under 2 hours remaining until the 1st test between the visiting B&I Lions and the Springboks, the tension and excitement is reaching a pinnacle. Twelve years in the making, twelve years of waiting, twelve years for a chance at revenge. How sweet it will be.

I’ll be watching the game at Hamilton’s RFC, the oldest rugby club in South Africa, founded in 1875, before the 1st B&I Lions (formerly British Isles) tour to Australia and New Zealand in 1888. Hamilton’s aka Hammies has a proud history, with many SA rugby greats representing them over the years. Players such as John Appleton (who was a member at Hamilton’s RFC for over 75 years), Carel and Michael Du Plessis, Frank Mellish and Jan Pickard. Hammies most recently smashed Helderberg Rugby Club 70 – 0 in a one sided affair on their home fields and are sitting 1st on the SUPER LEAGUE A 2009 log, 10 points clear of 2nd place rivals Maties.

Enjoy a brief history of Hammies with Hugh Bladen and Robbie Fleck Read More >>