Two words: Kak Funny!

The blokes from the Rugby channel have speculated as to the probable All Black team for this weekend’s match-up against the Springboks in round 2 of the 2010 Tri Nations.

The official team announcement is only due to be released on Thursday 15 July 2010. [tonytai2017]

• Do you think they’ve got it right? Who do you think will run out come Saturday?

No longer the centre of attention...?

It seems as if the Springbok coaching staff have learnt nothing from this previous weekend’s encounter against the All Blacks, and have announced their squad for the next match-up, with minimal changes, and persisting with playing Jean De Villiers, an out and out #12, on the wing.

In a complete reversal of last week’s events, it is the All Blacks who have now been forced to delay the naming of their squad.

The following from SARU: The Springboks have made three changes to their match 22 for the second Vodacom Tri-Nations Test against the All Blacks in Wellington on Saturday.

There are two enforced changes to the starting XV with lock Danie Rossouw promoted from the bench to replace the suspended Bakkies Botha and prop CJ van der Linde replacing injured tighthead Jannie du Plessis.

Botha was suspended for nine weeks after being found guilty of foul play in the first Test whilst du Plessis suffered a calf strain in Auckland and has been ruled out.

Rossouw will be making his 50^th Test appearance at the Westpac Stadium.

The third change is on the bench where loose forward Ryan Kankowski fills the place vacated by Rossouw.

Van der Linde and Kankowski return after being in the match 22 in the first Test against Italy in Witbank on 19 June.

The Boks lost the first Test against the All Blacks 12-32 at Eden Park.

Asked if he had been tempted to make more changes after the defeat, coach Peter de Villiers said: “No. We trust the abilities of our players and we know what they are capable of when they are on song. They let themselves down last week and the All Blacks were very good in Auckland.

“I am sure we will be much better on Saturday and show that we are able to stand up from the loss. You don’t become a bad team overnight,” he said.

Captain John Smit said that he was confident the Springboks could bounce back at the weekend.

“We have to return to basics and make sure we play to our strengths. We have a great team ethic and our discipline was good when you consider the amount of penalties we gave away compared to the percentage of ball we had,” Smit said.

Springbok team to face All Blacks: Wellington – 17 July 2010

Springboks: 15. Zane Kirchner, 14. Jean de Villiers, 13. Jaque Fourie, 12. Wynand Oliver, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Morne Steyn, 9. Ricky Januarie, 8. Pierre Spies, 7. Francois Louw, 6. Schalk Burger, 5. Victor Matfield, 4. Danie Rossouw, 3. CJ van der Linde, 2. John Smit (capt), 1. Gurthrö Steenkamp.

Reserves: 16. Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17. BJ Botha, 18. Andries Bekker, 19. Ryan Kankowski, 20. Ruan Pienaar, 21. Butch James, 22. Gio Aplon.

• What do you think of this squad? Should Jean be playing wing? Let us know your thoughts.

Please don't let that be my last game....

Game 1 of the 2010 Tri Nations Series got underway on the weekend, with what looked as if it was set to be a strong start from the Springboks, who charged down an early clearance kick by the All Black #9, Jimmy Cowan.

Just moments later though, things fell apart, when Springbok lock, Bakkies Botha, still angry at the fact that Cowan had held him back after the charge down, had an absolute brain explosion, and headbutted Cowan after the tackle.

The incident was missed by the referee, as well as his assistants, but the cameras caught Bakkies red handed, and the screens around the stadium showed it over and over again.

Later, the citing commissioner handed out a, deserved, 9 week ban to the Springbok lock, who will not be allowed to play any rugby until September.

Botha was, just minutes later, without warning, in what can only be described as the referee trying to make up for missing the headbutt, yellow carded for slowing down the All Black ball, 5m out from his own line

From that moment on, it seemed as if the Springboks were at 6’s and 7’s, confused, and somewhat afraid to get stuck in.
The All Blacks dominated every facet of the match. cutting the Springbok inside centre (#12) channel a number of times, where, as predicted, Wynand Olivier struggled to defend.

In fact, the All Blacks dominated the Springboks in every facet of play, except for the high amount of unforced errors by the All Blacks, which they will surely correct by the next match up.

Most shocking of all, the amount of missed tackles by the Springboks, 30 missed out of 128 made, giving the Springboks are dismal 23.5% miss rate.

The Highlights will tell the rest of the tale.

My two cents worth:

• Although Bakkies Botha was an idiot, and deserves the consequent ban, for him to have been yellow carded, after the fact, for a first infringement, was utter bullshit. That is not how refereeing works. It undermines the whole point of having a referee on the field. The All Blacks were guilty of the exact same infringement, minutes later, yet only received a penalty. If not consistency then what do we have?
• The Springboks were dismal. Hopefully they will regroup and realise that nothing is relative until tested in the Tri Nations, the true yard stick.
• Dick Muir needs to be fired with immediate effect. He proved in the Super 14, with the Lions, that he can’t coach if his life depended on it. The Springbok backline were almost non existent on the night, making it seem as if the All Blacks had 3 extra players on the outside.
• Which brings me to this point: Jean De Villiers may not be playing well, but you can’t judge his game from the wing. He is a #12 through and through. He is not a wing, he is not as quick as an international wing, nor does he turn like a wing should. He is a centre, a quality one, play him at #12, and then make a judgement.
• Which sort of brings me to this point: Jean De Villiers has been a defensive general for the Springboks in the past. Although Jaque Fourie has been superb in Super 14, one cannot have your defense organised from as far out as #13 in international rugby, and Wynand Olivier clearly can’t hack it in that role.
• The Springbok loose trio, and their forwards in general, were dominated by the All blacks on the day. I don’t however think it’s time to ring any alarm bells. This should pick up by the next outing.
• The All Blacks, although good on the day, should not read too much into this game. They were made to look much better by a, bad on the day, Springbok outfit.
• The Springbok coaching staff need to get their heads out of their asses, fast. Especially regarding the substitutions. What a joke. Enough is enough now!
• When a player who fulfills the role of the enforcer/fetcher etc. is yellow carded, they should be replaced directly thereafter, as they cannot further fulfill their role in that game, for fear of a subsequent red card. Simple really!

All Blacks VS Springboks 2010 Tri Nations: Game 1 – 10 July 2010 [WRNRugbyNews]

Substitutions:

All Blacks:

• 54:24 Min (Cowan off, Weepuon)
• 58:27 Min (Rokocoko off, Kahui on)
• 63:52 Min (O.Franks off, B.Franks on)
• 71:58 Min (Donnelly off, Whitelock on)
• 71:58 Min (Kaino off, Messam on)
• 78:35 Min (Mealamu off, Flynn on)

Springboks:

• 51:38 Min (Bakkies Botha off, Bekker on)
• 51:38 Min (Louw off, Rossouw on)
• 58:27 Min (du Plessis off, BJ Botha on)
• 70:18 Min (Steyn off, James on)
• 71:58 Min (Olivier off, Aplon on)
• 71:58 Min (Smit off, Ralepelle on)
• 78:35 Min (Januarie off, Pienaar on)

Scorecard:

All Blacks:

• Tries: Smith (19th min), Nonu (35th min), Read (57th min), Woodcock (80th min)
• Conversions: 3/4 (75%) Carter (3)
• Penalties: Carter (2)

Springboks:

• Penalties: Steyn (4)

The following from SANZAR: South African lock Bakkies Botha has been suspended for nine weeks after he was cited for dangerous play during the Tri Nations Series opener, All Blacks v South Africa at Eden Park, in Auckland on Saturday.

Botha appeared before SANZAR Judicial Officer Dennis Wheelahan QC in Auckland on Sunday, after he was cited for striking with the head, following a tackle on All Blacks halfback Jimmy Cowan, in the opening minute of the Test match.  The All Blacks won the Test 32 – 12.

Mr Wheelahan said Botha admitted the charge, expressed remorse and had apologised to Cowan.

After considering video evidence, and hearing submissions from the player and his representatives, Mr Wheelahan deemed the offence to be in the middle range of seriousness, but he also took into account Botha’s record for previous offending.

In assessing the penalty, Mr Wheelahan took into account the fact that the proposed suspension would effectively rule Botha out of the remaining matches of the 2010 Tri Nations Series.

Botha has been suspended from all rugby up to and including 4 September 2010.

Bakkies Botha headbutts Jimmy Cowan: [ruggerdump]

Bakkies Botha has since expressed remorse:

Botha said he was devastated but accepted that he had acted outside the Laws of the Game, following his lengthy suspension,

“I sincerely regret the incident,” Botha said. “I have let my team, my country and family down and I have done an injustice to the Springbok jersey and what is stands for.

“I apologise to Jimmy Cowan and the New Zealand rugby public for what happened. Rugby is a physical sport but it has to be played within the boundaries and spirit of the law. I truly regret my actions and will make sure that I put the extended time away from the game to positive use and return to playing with the right attitude”.

SARU’s Manager of National Teams, Andy Marinos, expressed the organisation’s disappointment.

“SARU views any incident of foul play in a very serious light. Bakkies remains an important player in Springbok rugby and I have discussed with him the extent of his actions and the implications it could have on the team, himself personally and his family,” Marinos said.

Botha has been suspended from all rugby up to and including 4 September 2010 and will return to South Africa today.

I’ve previously stated that I’m not the hugest fan of the SuperBru set up, purely because I don’t tend to do well at guessing the scores.

I do better with “pick the player” type of fantasy leagues, but non the less, I decided to take on a few of the Twitter guys. Namely, Tank Lanning from Front Row Grunt, Gareth Rosslee from SARugby.com.

Here are my picks for Round 1. How do you think they’ll match up?

My 2010 Round 1 SuperBru picks:

Do you think I’ll end up buying the beers?

There has been a lot of talk happening this week regarding the opening test of the 2010 Tri Nations, to be played between the All Blacks and the Springboks, and rightfully so. But what has got me thinking at the moment, is where the Wallabies stand, in terms of their chances, in the 2010 Tri Nations Series?

One or two of their teams performed quite well in the 2010 Super 14, bringing forward a string of new, youthful players, but then didn’t perform too well in the June internationals.

I think everyone knows that the Tri Nations is a totally different affair though. Where do you think the Wallabies will finish in 2010?

All Blacks VS Springboks

10 July 2010 19h35 [GMT +10]

New Zealand: 15. Mils Muliaina, 14. Cory Jane, 13. Conrad Smith, 12. Ma’a Nonu, 11. Joe Rokocoko, 10. Daniel Carter, 9. Jimmy Cowan, 8. Kieran Read, 7. Richie McCaw (capt), 6. Jerome Kaino, 5. Tom Donnelly, 4. Brad Thorn, 3. Owen Franks, 2. Keven Mealamu, 1. Tony Woodcock.

Replacements: 16. Corey Flynn, 17. Ben Franks, 18. Samuel Whitelock, 19. Liam Messam, 20. Piri Weepu, 21. Aaron Cruden, 22. Richard Kahui.

South Africa: 15. Zane Kirchner, 14. Jean de Villiers, 13. Jaque Fourie, 12. Wynand Olivier, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Morné Steyn, 9. Ricky Januarie, 8. Pierre Spies, 7. Francois Louw, 6. Schalk Burger, 5. Victor Matfield, 4. Bakkies Botha, 3. Jannie du Plessis, 2. John Smit (capt), 1. Gurthro Steenkamp.

Replacements: 16. Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17. BJ Botha, 18. Andries Bekker, 19. Danie Rossouw, 20. Ruan Pienaar, 21. Butch James, 22. Gio Aplon.

• Date: Saturday 10 July 2010
• Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
• Kick-off: 19h35 [GMT +10] [09h35 SA time] for the dummies out there
• Referee: Alan Lewis (Ireland) 
• Assistant referees: Alain Rolland (Ireland), Stuart Dickinson (Australia)
• TMO: TBC (New Zealand)

Ouch!

The following from the ARU: The selection of four new caps, and the return of the experienced front rowers Stephen Moore and Benn Robinson, highlights the Qantas Wallabies squad that has been unveiled today ahead of this year’s Bundaberg Red Tri Nations Series.

Just 28 of the 30 scheduled names have been released, with the coaching panel of Robbie Deans, Jim Williams and Richard Graham, and selector David Nucifora, opting to play a waiting game on the final two spots before confirming the final playing roster.

“We still have some decisions to make, and would like to see a little bit more club rugby before settling on the final two positions,” Qantas Wallabies head coach Robbie Deans says.

“Given the difficulties that we have experienced this year, in terms of our injury circumstance, we feel that it is prudent to allow ourselves a little bit more time in this instance to cover off any other requirements we feel that we will need.”

Injury has played a part in today’s selection, with prop Ben Alexander (knee) and No 8 Stephen Hoiles (Achilles) both added to the unavailable list from the original squad of 30 for the June Tests due to recent operations.

Hooker Tatafu Polota Nau has also not been considered as he awaits an operation on his ankle later this month that will have him ready to return in time for Australia’s Spring Tour.

Wingers Drew Mitchell and Lachie Turner, halfback Josh Valentine, props Pek Cowan and Laurie Weeks and hooker Huia Edmonds have all also missed out, after featuring in June’s squad for the Bundaberg Red Rugby Series.

In their place comes Queensland Reds forwards, prop James Slipper, loose forward Scott Higginbotham and lock Rob Simmons, inside centre Anthony Faingaa and Western Force loose forward Ben McCalman.

Slipper, last year’s Australian Under-20 Player of the Year, made his debut against England at Perth last month, and featured off the bench in three of the four June Tests after being promoted out of the Australian Barbarians squad when injury removed Alexander.

Faingaa and McCalman both impressed as part of the Barbarians squad during the two-match midweek series against England last month.

Simmons also featured in that series, returning from a month off due to a facial fracture in the second game, while Higginbotham was unavailable for the June squad due to a foot injury that was sustained in Queensland’s final Super 14 outing of the season.

“Anthony and Ben have both been rewarded for their performance against England, in terms of what they brought to those games, and what we feel they can add to our mix,” Deans says.

“They are both uncompromising players who are very direct, and showed playing for the Australian Barbarians that they have the ability to step up to the next level.”

Simmons and Higginbotham are in a similar category, Deans says.

“We included Rob in the original Barbarians squad as much for the experience as anything else, to get him up to date with our methods and familiar with our environment,” Deans says.

“He was coming off an injury break and we felt that background was important for him looking at the bigger picture. Being able to reintroduce him to the game during the second Barbarians outing was an added bonus, but the experience of the two weeks training with us offers him a good foundation for what is coming.”

While Higginbotham wasn’t available for the June series due to injury, Deans says he had always figured in the Wallabies plans, and was in a not dis-similar situation to that which surrounded halfback Will Genia last season.

Genia was injured late in the Reds’ 2009 Super 14 campaign and was unable to be introduced to the Wallabies in June, instead making his debut during the Tri Nations.

“If Scott can work out as well as Will has, we’ll be pretty happy and Australian rugby will be the better for it,” Deans says.

Higginbotham’s rise for Queensland this year has been timely with injury having sidelined both Australian Barbarians captain Hoiles, and the Qantas Wallabies regular No 8 Wycliff Palu, who is not due back until next season.

Genia (hand) and centre/wing Digby Ioane (shoulder) have been included, with both expected to be ready to go at some point during the early stages of the competition as they complete the rehabilitation from their recent injuries.

Just two hookers and two halfbacks have been named at this stage, although Deans says the involvement of 40 players through the June series means that the Wallabies do have players with recent background inside of the group to call on, should any reinforcement be required.

The returns of Moore and Robinson, who are both likely to play club rugby before Australia’s participation in the Tri Nations begins, adds experience to the squad.

“Having Stephen and Benn back on board is significant, both in terms of the expertise they bring in their respective positions, but also the knowledge and skill they will add to the whole group,” Deans says.

“The Tri Nations is the toughest rugby in the world, and their knowledge of the tournament from past experience will be of benefit to the whole group.”

This year sees the 15^th edition of the annual three-nation tournament, which South Africa won last year.

The action begins on Saturday night in Auckland when the All Blacks host the Springboks in the first leg of a double-header on New Zealand soil, with the second match to be played in Wellington on Saturday week.

Australia, which has previously captured the title in 2000 and 2001, opens its campaign in Brisbane on 24 July when the Qantas Wallabies tackle the Springboks at Suncorp Stadium.

The corresponding match at the ground last year saw the Wallabies score a 21-6 victory over the reigning Rugby World Cup and eventual Tri Nations champions.

Australia and South Africa compete for the Mandela Trophy across their three matches in the Tri Nations. South Africa won the Trophy last year after Australia had been successful in 2008.

The Brisbane Test match is the first of three that the Wallabies play on successive weekends, with Australia hosting New Zealand in Melbourne the following Saturday, before the two teams fly to Christchurch for their second clash of the season at AMI Stadium.

The match in Melbourne heralds the start of the annual Bledisloe Cup rivalry, which for a third consecutive year will stretch beyond the Tri-Nations tournament, concluding with a return to Hong Kong on 30 October.

Australia and New Zealand first met in Hong Kong two years ago, with the All Blacks coming from behind at halftime to prevail 19-14.

Last year, the Bledisloe Cup rivalry was introduced to another Asian port when the teams played in Tokyo en-route to Europe for their respective Spring Tours.

The Wallabies must win three of the four Tests against the All Blacks to relieve the New Zealanders of the trophy, which Australia hasn’t held since it was surrendered to an All Black team co-coached by the current Qantas Wallabies mentor in 2003.

The Bledisloe Cup was first contested by Australia and New Zealand in 1931.

The second part of Australia’s Tri Nations programme sees a two-match tour of South Africa, kicking off in Pretoria on 28 August when the Wallabies play the first of two matches at altitude.

Australia has never won a Test at Loftus Versfeld, which is home to the Investec Super 14 champion Bulls, losing on all four previous visits, most recently in 2005.

The focus then switches to Vodacom Park in Bloemfontein where Australia will be bidding for its first win in the city since 1933.

Australia has won just two matches on the high veldt in the Republic, but has yet to record a success at altitude since South Africa returned from sporting isolation in 1992.

Australia’s sole wins on the high veldt came during its maiden appearance at Bloemfontein in 1933 and at Ellis Park in Johannesburg 30 years later.

After consecutive Tests in the Republic, the Wallabies return home for the final Tri Nations match against New Zealand at ANZ Stadium in Sydney.

The Olympic venue has witnessed some tight contests between the two traditional rivals, including last year’s edition when just one point separated the sides, with New Zealand coming from behind at halftime to win 19-18.

Two years ago, Australia won a thrilling spectacle 34-19 at the ground.

This year’s Tri Nations finale will be the 11^th match between the Qantas Wallabies and the All Blacks at ANZ Stadium, with Australia holding a six-wins-to-four advantage from the previous matches.

The Qantas Wallabies squad for the Bundaberg Red Tri Nations Series assembles in Sydney on Monday.

The Qantas Wallabies Squad for the 2010 Bundaberg Red Tri Nations Rugby Series is:

Australia: Adam Ashley-Cooper, Berrick Barnes, Kurtley Beale, Richard Brown, Luke Burgess, Mark Chisholm, Quade Cooper, Ben Daley, Rocky Elsom (capt), Anthony Faingaa, Saia Faingaa, Will Genia, Matt Giteau, Scott Higginbotham, Matt Hodgson, Rob Horne, Peter Hynes, Digby Ioane, Ben McCalman, Salesi Ma’afu, Stephen Moore, Dean Mumm, James O’Connor, David Pocock, Benn Robinson, Nathan Sharpe, Rob Simmons, James Slipper

• Two more players to be added to squad.

The following from SARU: Locks Bakkies Botha and Danie Rossouw have both been declared fit and included in the Springbok match 22 to face the All Blacks in the opening fixture of the 2010 Vodacom Tri-Nations at Eden Park in New Zealand on Saturday.

Botha, who is in the starting XV, has recovered from a hamstring strain whilst Rossouw, who is amongst the reserves, is over the hip flexor injury that kept him out of the previous Test against Italy in East London almost two weeks ago.

The starting XV for Saturday’s clash shows three changes from the one that started the second Test against Italy. Zane Kirchner returns at fullback in place of Gio Aplon, Wynand Olivier replaces Juan de Jongh at inside centre and Victor Matfield resumes his familiar role in place of Andries Bekker after being rested.

Aplon and Bekker move to the bench with Bekker replacing Flip van der Merwe and Rossouw preferred to Dewald Potgieter. Four bench players from East London have been retained – Chiliboy Ralepelle, BJ Botha, Ruan Pienaar and Butch James. De Jongh falls out of the match 22.

Coach Peter de Villiers said it had been a difficult selection to make.

“All of the players in the group are fit and available so there we some tough choices to make but we are putting a very strong team out there”.

De Villiers told a press conference at the team hotel today that his team was looking ahead and that last year’s results over the All Blacks did not matter. The Boks beat their traditional foe three times during the 2009 competition.

“If you look backwards you will go backwards. Last year’s results are in the past and we face a new challenge on Saturday. It will be tough but we expect it to be as it always is against the All Blacks”.

The Springboks’ perceived psychological edge over their opponents in the lineouts has received prominent coverage in the media in New Zealand this week and vice-captain Victor Matfield was asked for an opinion during the media session.

“It is always an area that we will target against any opponent but we will be looking to contest and get a few steals early on to maybe sow a bit of doubt in their minds. The lineout is one of our strengths but we have to be good in all departments against the All Blacks because they are a great team. You don’t just pitch up here and expect a win, you have to work for it and I am looking forward to a fantastic contest,” Matfield said.

The selection sees Jean de Villiers retained on the wing with Wynand Olivier partnering Jaque Fourie in midfield. Asked about the combination, Fourie said he was looking forward to playing with Olivier.

“He is a great player and had a great Super 14 and I think we will go well. It is not only about the midfield partnership though but about how we can bring the wings and the fullback into play too,” Fourie said.

Number eight Pierre Spies said he expected a tough battle amongst the loose forwards. He added the new Springbok combination including Schalk Burger and Francois Louw was developing well.

“We are fortunate in South Africa that we do not have a shortage of good loose forwards. Francois has come into the side and has done well and the three of us are working well together,” Spies said.

Springboks: 15. Zane Kirchner, 14. Jean de Villiers, 13. Jaque Fourie, 12. Wynand Olivier, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Morné Steyn, 9. Ricky Januarie, 8. Pierre Spies, 7. Francois Louw, 6. Schalk Burger, 5. Victor Matfield, 4. Bakkies Botha, 3. Jannie du Plessis, 2. John Smit (capt) 1. Gurthrö Steenkamp.

Reserves: 16. Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17. BJ Botha, 18. Andries Bekker, 19. Danie Rossouw, 20. Ruan Pienaar, 21. Butch James, 22. Gio Aplon.