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Fans are mourning New Zealand rugby’s cherished air of mystery of invincibility, however the tougher reality is it is able to in no way come returned. New Zealand rugby’s tipping point appears nigh. Alarmist? Maybe. Yet as the fissures deepen whilst the All Blacks embark on a defining South African tour, New Zealand grows an increasing number of impatient for signs of resuscitation of its revered rugby subculture.  NZ vs SA Rugby 2022 Two weeks ago the All Blacks ignited mass venting after losing against Ireland in Wellington – a result that consigned Ian Foster’s extensively derided All Blacks to their first home series defeat in 27 years, their first ever against the Irish, and their fourth defeat in five Tests. Cue outrage. Such a sharp plateau cuts via New Zealand’s societal and political divides to shape unified condemnation. Six days of silence followed as the All Blacks and New Zealand Rugby held excessive-powered meetings in the back of closed doorways. The statistics vacuu...

Willie le Roux says the Springboks are ready for a massive onslaught from the All Blacks in the Republic when the old rivals clash over the coming weeks in the Rugby Championship. The world champion Boks face the embattled All Blacks at the Mbombela Stadium on Saturday, and then again at Ellis Park a week later. Jacques Nienaber’s men, who arrived in Nelspruit on Friday, will enter the competition with a series victory against Wales under their belt, while Ian Foster and the All Blacks have touched down in South Africa off the back of a shock 2-1 defeat to Ireland in New Zealand. The perception is that the two Tests against the struggling Kiwis could serve as the ideal opportunity for the Boks to kick off the tournament with a bang, before travelling to Australia and Argentina, and then returning home to face Los Pumas in Durban. Le Roux, though, has warned that the All Blacks pose a dangerous threat for the Boks, even on home soil. “I wouldn’t say it [the Boks’ Rugby Championshi...

Paarl Boys’ High held on for a thrilling Interschools victory over Paarl Gimnasium, while Grey College and Johannesburg’s KES also tasted derby victories in an action-packed Saturday of schools rugby. Having taken a 9-3 lead into the break thanks to the boot of flyhalf Thurlon Williams, Paarl Boys’ claimed a 26-24 win after time ran out on Paarl Gim’s late comeback attempt. SA Schools centre Shah-Jehaan de Jongh and No 8 Hugo-Ben Horn both scored second-half tries for Boishaai, while Williams added a drop goal for an individual haul of 16 points. Horn’s decisive try will be heavily debated over the years as replays, which were not available to the match officials, showed that he had knocked on while attempting to score after collecting his charge down of a kick from Gim captain PA van Niekerk. Gim kept themselves in the contest as lock Danio Botha powered over the tryline before scrumhalf Emrique Liedeman finished off a brilliantly worked team try. With just seconds left on the cl...

Malcolm Marx and Kurt-Lee Arendse are set to start for the Springboks in the Rugby Championship opener against the All Blacks in Nelspruit on Saturday. According to Sunday newspaper  Rapport ,  Marx will rotate with Bongi Mbonambi as the starting hooker for the first of two home Tests against New Zealand. Marx will make his 50th Test appearance on Saturday and the Springbok coaches are happy to let him celebrate the milestone by starting at the Mbombela Stadium in place of Mbonambi, who celebrated his 50th in the third Test against Wales in Cape Town. CLASSIC CLASHES: Stransky boots Boks to glory Marx’s inclusion will be the only change to the pack that claimed a series victory over Wales, as veteran Duane Vermeulen is not yet ready for Test action, allowing Jasper Wiese to retain the No 8 jersey. Another big call will, however, see Kurt-Lee Arendse given the nod to start on the right wing in place of the injured Cheslin Kolbe. Arendse produced a solid performance in hi...

Former Springbok hooker Tiaan Liebenberg picks a dream team made up of those he played with and against during his 13-year career. 15 RICO GEAR The best fullback I played against. An all-round brilliant player. 14 LOTE TUQIRI He was great with ball in hand, had fantastic aerial skills and was a good defender. 13 JAQUE FOURIE Jaque was a massive team player, brilliant on attack and defence. 12 JEAN DE VILLIERS A great leader and probably the most gifted player I played with. 11 BRYAN HABANA The best at everything he does and a very humble person. 10 JONNY WILKINSON (c) A superb all-round flyhalf and leader. 9 GEORGE GREGAN A brilliant scrumhalf who always made good decisions around the ruck. 8 DUANE VERMEULEN A hard-working player with a never-say-die attitude. He is very physical and brilliant on defence and at the breakdown. He is also a great lineout option. 7 JUAN SMITH Big and physical, Juan was almost impossible to stop when carrying the ball. He was also good a...

All Blacks greats Stephen Donald and Mils Muliaina have backed New Zealand to embrace the challenge of starting the Rugby Championship with back-to-back Tests against the Springboks in the South Africa. Donald and Muliaina were both part of Graham Henry’s rebuilding All Blacks team which lost both Tri-Nations Tests to the Boks in the Republic in 2009. It would be a low point for that particular Kiwi group, who would go on to win the World Cup in 2011. The current All Blacks team has travelled to South Africa in a similarly pressured position, after a first home series loss to Ireland which has put head coach Ian Foster under the pump and cost assistant coaches John Plumtree and Brad Mooar their jobs. Ex-flyhalf Donald, who was in the 2009 squad due to the injury-enforced absence of Dan Carter, says he respects the challenge posed by the Boks but told Stuff.co.nz  that there is an upside to the embattled All Blacks facing the world champions on their home turf. MORE: Marx, Kur...

The Springboks and All Blacks will renew hostilities when they clash in the Rugby Championship this week, but here we rewind to 1995 when a Joel Stransky drop goal won South Africa the Rugby World Cup. Undoubtedly one of the finest sporting moments in the history of the country, the Boks’ World Cup triumph over the All Blacks at Ellis Park will forever be etched into the folklore of this fixture. With the score 9-9 at full time, Andrew Mehrtens put New Zealand in front early in the first half of extra time with a 55m penalty, but Stransky made it 12-12 before half time. Then, two minutes into the second half of extra time, Joost van der Westhuizen sent the ball back to Stransky, who slotted the drop goal that wrote his name into rugby history. Springboks – 15 Andre Joubert, 14 James Small, 13 Japie Mulder, 12 Hennie le Roux, 11 Chester Williams, 10 Joel Stransky, 9 Joost van der Westhuizen, 8 Mark Andrews, 7 Ruben Kruger, 6 Francois Pienaar (c), 5 Hannes Strydom, 4 Kobus Wiese,...

The Blitzboks produced a scintillating performance to thrash Canada and progress to the semi-finals of the Commonwealth Games Sevens in Birmingham on Saturday night. The South Africa were in firm control of the quarter-final as they beat Canada 33-0 to advance into the top four, where they will meet Australia at 2pm on Sunday afternoon. However, the Blitzboks will be without Siviwe Soyizwapi as the SA captain’s tournament was cut short after a head clash with a teammate during the 34-0 win against Scotland earlier on Saturday. Three first-half tries against Canada by Ronald Brown, Christie Grobbelaar and Angelo Davids set up SA’s 21-0 lead at the break, with Davids’ intercept-try from 80m out – while Brown was in the sin-bin for a high tackle – summing up the Blitzboks’ dominance. The Canadians were stifled by defensive pressure and made a number of unforced errors which the Blitzboks pounced on with gratitude. Brown got his second try not long after returning to the field ...

World Cup-winning Springbok skipper John Smit smashes All Blacks hardman Brad Thorn in this compilation of bone-crunching ‘revenge’ tackles. WATCH: Props are more than just a piece of meat! Photo: Duif du Toit/Getty Images The post Watch: Smit gets payback on All Blacks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine . The post Watch: Smit gets payback on All Blacks appeared first on NZ vs SA Rugby 2022 . source https://nzsarugby.com/watch-smit-gets-payback-on-all-blacks/

With the Springboks and All Blacks champing at the bit for the start of the 2022 Rugby Championship, here’s a look back to 1999 when an opportunistic Breyton Paulse try helped South Africa claim World Cup bronze in Cardiff.   In a repeat of the epic 1995 final at Ellis Park, South Africa and New Zealand met again in the 1999 World Cup, only this time after the disappointment of crashing out of the semi-finals. It was the Boks who seemed to want third place more, with Paulse brilliantly dotting down in the first half for the only try of the match, while Percy Montgomery scored a long-range drop goal early on – one of two for the fullback on the night – which bounced over off the crossbar.  Andrew Mehrtens’ boot kept the Kiwis within touching distance throughout, but Henry Honiball was just as deadly from the kicking tee and, in the end, the Boks triumphed to make it two wins in as many World Cup matches against the All Blacks. Springboks – 15 Percy Montgomery, 14 Br...

With one week to go before the Springboks and All Blacks clash at Mbombela Stadium, DYLAN JACK previews the looming battle of the tight fives. BOKS VS ALL BLACKS: Battle of the back row Lood de Jager and Eben Etzebeth vs Sam Whitelock and Scott Barrett Springbok lock pair De Jager and Etzebeth were the driving force in South Africa’s 2019 World Cup and 2021 Lions Series victories. While De Jager has had his share of injury setbacks, he found a purple patch of form during the series victory over Wales in July. Etzebeth earned his 100th Test cap for the Springboks in the third Test of the series in Cape Town, marking the occasion with a man-of-the-match performance. One of the most experienced members of the Bok team, Etzebeth has faced the All Blacks 17 times in his career and will be eager to add to his tally of three wins against the old rivals. Lood de Jager pic.twitter.com/K4FMDyzhsj — Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) July 4, 2022 The youngest @Springboks centurion Eben E...

Coach Neil Powell and skipper Siviwe Soyizwapi say the unbeaten Blitzboks must lift their game against Scotland on Saturday when the teams clash in the pool B decider at the Commonwealth Games. The South African men’s sevens side have already qualified for the Games quarter-finals after beating Tonga (36-5) and Malaysia (46-0) in Birmingham on Friday. The final pool game between SA and Scotland is at 1:18pm on Saturday. The Blitzboks were in control for most of both their games on Friday and did what was needed to progress to the knockout phase of the competition, scoring 14 tries in total on the opening day, and conceded only one try. Powell said: “We had a slow start in the first game against Malaysia, and we asked the guys to make a step up against Tonga, especially in terms of physicality, and I think they did that really well. ALSO: Unbeaten Blitzboks march on “Unfortunately, we conceded the one try, which was disappointing because we pride ourselves on our defence, but I th...

South Africa qualified for the sevens quarter-finals at the Commonwealth Games after a convincing win against Tonga in Birmingham on Friday. The South Africans led 17-5 at the break after a good first-half performance, two tries by Christie Grobbelaar and one by skipper Siviwe Soyizwapi putting the men in green and gold in control, while Tonga hit back with a five-pointer on the stroke of half time. JC Pretorius and Sako Makata added tries in the first three minutes of the second half to stretch SA’s lead to 29-5, but they then lost Mfundo Ndhlovu to a dangerous tackle by Tonga’s John Ika, who was red carded. After Ndhlovu was stretchered off the field, Dewald Human had the final say with a try, which he converted himself to seal the deal for Neil Powell’s men. Earlier, Angelo Davids scored a hat-trick as the Blitzboks ran in eight unanswered tries in a 46-0 win over Malaysia. SA face undefeated Scotland on Saturday (1:18pm) to decide the winners of pool B. ICYMI – Blitzboks bla...

Former Stormers centre Huw Jones recounts his unconventional route to playing Test rugby, when he played club rugby and Varsity Cup in the Cape before his call-up to the Scotland national team. New URC schedule: Stormers, Bulls start at home MORE: Bok lock ready to make long-awaited return “I can’t wait for the reunion” On the day he officially becomes a Warrior once more, hear from @HRFJones as he looks ahead to running out at Scotstoun once more pic.twitter.com/MtmRMyQ5Lc — Glasgow Warriors (@GlasgowWarriors) July 1, 2022 Photo: EPA/Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix The post Watch: How SA rugby made Jones’ career appeared first on SA Rugby magazine . The post Watch: How SA rugby made Jones’ career appeared first on NZ vs SA Rugby 2022 . source https://nzsarugby.com/watch-how-sa-rugby-made-jones-career/

New Zealand Rugby chief executive Mark Robinson is facing calls to resign from one of his predecessors as the All Blacks jetted off to South Africa for the start of the Rugby Championship campaign. Former All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen on Thursday took aim at the New Zealand Rugby board for “not doing their job” and failing to publicly back under-pressure coach Ian Foster. MORE: Ex-All Blacks coach backs Foster, slams NZ board On Friday, former NZ Rugby boss David Moffett chimed in on the criticism, but took it a step further in calling for Robinson to resign. Robinson replaced Steve Tew in 2019 and among his first acts in his role was to appoint Foster as Hansen’s successor, before pushing for a purely Australasian Super Rugby, without the South African teams. Moffett, who served as NZR CEO from 1996 to 2000, was asked during a radio interview whether Robinson was still the right man for the job. “No, I don’t think so,” he told Today FM . “That’s where I would disagree ...

With the Springboks and All Blacks set to clash next week in the 2022 Rugby Championship, here’s a look back to 2013 when Beauden Barrett helped New Zealand win a 65-point thriller in Johannesburg. The Springboks went into the final fixture of the tournament needing a bonus-point victory, while also denying New Zealand any points, in order to claim the Rugby Championship title. In an ominous start to the match, Ben Smith scored his record eighth try of the tournament, but the Boks hit back through Bryan Habana’s brace before Liam Messam’s double gave New Zealand a 21-15 lead at the break. CLASSIC CLASHES: Lambie ends New Zealand’s winning streak South Africa edged ahead at the start of the second half through wing Willie le Roux’s converted try and captain Jean de Villiers flattened Barrett on his way to the tryline to get the bonus point and give the Boks a glimmer of hope. However, Barrett got his revenge as he stepped his way through the backline to all but seal the title for Ne...

As anticipation mounts for the opening clash of the 2022 Rugby Championship between the Springboks and All Blacks, DEVIN HERMANUS previews the loose-forward showdown. Jasper Wiese vs Ardie Savea Wiese cemented his place at the back of the scrum for the Boks during the Wales series with a strong and matured showing, and in the face of a rising challenge from Evan Roos and Elrigh Louw. The 26-year-old delivered a Man of the Match performance in the first Test after taking over from the injured Duane Vermeulen, who is in a race against time to face the Kiwis. Man of the Match, Jasper Wiese v Wales 80 Minutes 10/10 Tackles made 1 Pass 17 Carries 1 Offload 6 Defenders beaten 57 Running metres pic.twitter.com/MeJbOG1JGX — Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) July 4, 2022 Savea, who crossed twice in the All Blacks’ only win of a shock series defeat by Ireland in New Zealand, has the ability to get over the advantage line with ball in hand while is also tough to combat at the breakdow...

An action-packed weekend of schools rugby derbies across the country is highlighted by the ever-popular Interschools match between Paarl Boys’ High and Paarl Gimnasium on Saturday. Paarl Gim and Paarl Boys’ High resume their rivalry this Saturday in a Premier Interschools clash. The 104th match between the two schools is set to kick off at 4pm and take place at the Faure Street Stadium in Paarl. The competitive nature of the derby is reflected in the average winning margin between the two schools which is only five points in over 100 games played. There have been 11 draws between them and three of those ended 0-0, the last one coming in 1986. Both teams will have to fight for victory and Paarl bragging rights. However, the Paarl Interschools is not the only big derby taking place on Saturday, with Grey High set to host Grey College, while DHS take on Northwood, Affies face Waterkloof and KES clash with Jeppe. Western Cape Bishops vs Durbanville Boland Landbou vs Stellenberg Mi...

Former All Blacks boss Steve Hansen hit out at New Zealand Rugby bosses on Thursday for “not doing their job” and failing to publicly back under-pressure coach Ian Foster. After a recent home series defeat by Ireland, New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson branded the team’s performance “unacceptable” over the three Tests as Foster’s performance as head coach came under review. MORE: Rugby Champs to continue with 20-minute red card Despite pundits calling for him to resign, Foster held on to his job for the Rugby Championship, which starts next month, but his assistants John Plumtree and Brad Mooar were sacked. Hansen slammed the country’s media for their treatment of Foster before launching a scathing attack on New Zealand Rugby. “There have been a lot of reviews done recently – when did New Zealand Rugby last do a review of itself?” he told broadcaster Today FM . “I didn’t see much of them protecting Ian Foster. “They have come out and aired all their dirty washing in the fron...

Ryan O’Connor rides shotgun as Springbok centurion John Smit takes a Ford Mustang for a spin down memory lane. Watch: Lions legend prowls in Jaguar The post Watch: John Smit powers up Ford Mustang appeared first on SA Rugby magazine . The post Watch: John Smit powers up Ford Mustang appeared first on NZ vs SA Rugby 2022 . source https://nzsarugby.com/watch-john-smit-powers-up-ford-mustang/

The Springboks have received a boost as Munster confirmed that second rower RG Snyman is ready for team training after two injury-ridden years. Snyman joined the Irish province in 2020, but his career at Munster is yet to take flight as he has been plagued by a series of injuries since his arrival in Limerick. MORE: Why Boks must whitewash All Blacks Just seven minutes into his debut in 2020, he ruptured his ACL and had played only a handful of minutes last season before suffering a repeat of the same injury. To go with his knee ligament injuries, the 27-year-old also suffered burn wounds sustained during a fire-pit accident involving Munster teammates Damian de Allende and CJ Stander. As a result, Snyman has not featured for South Africa since the World Cup final in 2019. However, Munster posted positive news about the experienced lock’s latest comeback on Wednesday. MORE: Rugby Championship to continue with 20-minute red card “There is good news on the injury front as we star...

It’s crunching tackles and breathtaking tries like these from Muller du Plessis and Selvyn Davids that makes Team SA serious contenders at the 2021 Commonwealth Games. @rugby_center_ Blitzbokke #blitzboks #blitzbokkedubaiwin #blitzbokke #springboks #sevens #rugby #dubaisevens #dubai # @springboks.rugby ♬ son original – Tik Toker Photo: @Blitzboks/Twitter The post Watch: Blitzboks the gold standard appeared first on SA Rugby magazine . The post Watch: Blitzboks the gold standard appeared first on NZ vs SA Rugby 2022 . source https://nzsarugby.com/watch-blitzboks-the-gold-standard/

As we wait for the opening clash of the 2022 Rugby Championship between the Springboks and All Blacks, look back to 2014 when Pat Lambie held his cool to slot a long-range winner at Ellis Park. Despite New Zealand having secured the 2014 Rugby Championship title a week earlier in Argentina, the showdown in Johannesburg would be historic. Far from treating it like a ‘dead rubber’, the Springboks raced into a 21-13 half-time lead thanks to Handre Pollard’s brace to go with one of the tries of the year finished off by Francois Hougaard. The All Blacks produced a comeback attempt in the second half and thought that Dane Coles’ first Test try had done enough, as it gave the visitors a one-point lead going into the final minutes of the match. However, a high tackle from Liam Messam on Schalk Burger – spotted by the TMO – gave replacement Lambie a chance to win it with a penalty from more than 50 metres, and he nailed it to give the Springboks their first win against the All Blacks since 2...

Sanzaar has confirmed that it will be reintroducing the 20-minute red card law trial for the 2022 Rugby Championship, in which a red-carded player can be replaced after 20 minutes. The controversial law trial, which has been criticised for not being enough of a deterrent against deliberate foul play, allows a player to be replaced 20 minutes after he has been red-carded. ALSO READ: Why Boks must whitewash All Blacks The law was implemented on a trial basis throughout Super Rugby competitions in 2020, 2021 and 2022 as well as the Rugby Championship in 2021. However, it was not part of the European club competitions, including the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, and World Rugby opted against allowing it for the recently concluded July internationals. According to a statement from Sanzaar, the red-card law trail was supported by all four national unions. ” As a group we firmly believe the integrity of international matches is very important and that wherever possible matches mus...

In the buildup to next week’s Rugby Championship clash between the Springboks and All Blacks at Mbombela Stadium, DYLAN JACK  previews the battle of the halfbacks. Handre Pollard vs Beauden Barrett After a difficult final season with French giants Montpellier, Pollard made a successful return to the Bok No 10 jersey, scoring a try and enjoying a perfect game off the kicking tee in Cape Town to steer South Africa to a series win over Wales. Pollard has been the first-choice flyhalf in the Erasmus-Nienaber era and, with a couple of games under his belt, the World Cup winner should be back to his best against New Zealand. “Kalika kulondawo” Handre Pollard goes over for the first try of the match and converts. 10-0 Stream #RSAvWAL live: https://t.co/0BMWdennut pic.twitter.com/FnpT9RlwRs — SuperSport (@SuperSportTV) July 16, 2022 Handre Pollard has been steering the ship from @JuniorBoks to @Springboks The fly-half will be looking to make it two from two when South Africa ...

New Zealand super coach Scott Robertson has revealed that he wants to win the World Cup – with or without the All Blacks. Robertson is tipped as an obvious choice to replace Ian Foster as All Blacks coach if New Zealand fail to improve during the forthcoming Rugby Championship after losing four of their past five internationals. OPINION: ‘Unkown factor’ makes All Blacks dangerous Robertson recently met up with England coach Eddie Jones during their tour of Australia, but insisted it was just a “chat” and not “anything to do with the job”. The 47-year-old missed out to Foster when the pair applied to coach the All Blacks after the 2019 Rugby World Cup. “I want to win the World Cup, but I want to win it with two different countries. I haven’t said it publicly before, but it would transcend,” Robertson told ‘The Big Jim Show’, a podcast hosted by former Scotland lock Jim Hamilton. “It would be great to win a World Cup with your own country, which I want to do. “That is the foremos...

The All Blacks are in South Africa preparing to face the world champions, with New Zealand’s head coach Ian Foster under intense pressure to end their dire run of form after four defeats in their last five matches. AFP looks at five things the All Blacks must fix in their opening Rugby Championship fixture against the Springboks on August 7 in Mbombela. Stop opposing drives The All Blacks’ new forwards coach Jason Ryan saw how the home side was out-muscled by the Irish pack in this month’s home series defeat and admitted what he witnessed “dented” New Zealand’s pride. The Irish scored a key early try off a driving maul in winning the decisive third test in Wellington, which Ryan says must not be repeated in South Africa. “We’ve got to stop mauls and also improve our contact area,” Ryan told reporters in Wellington before the All Blacks flew to South Africa. “The All Black pack has been dented and we talked about it in the forwards meeting, we didn’t hide anything and were reall...

Sergio Parisse tra i “nonni” del prossimo Top 14 (Photo by Christophe SIMON / AFP) Al via del prossimo Top 14 2022-23, Sergio Parisse sarà il giocatore più anziano in campo. La testata francese  Le Rugbynistère  ha infatti inserito l’ex capitano azzurro tra quelli che – bonariamente – ha definito “i nonni” della prossima stagione. Dopo aver concluso l’ultima stagione con Tolone sfiorando la Challenge Cup, persa in finale contro Lione, Parisse continuerà a giocare in Top 14, mentre “sua moglie sta ancora aspettando con impazienza che vada in pensione”, fa notare la testata francese. L’attesa dovrebbe durare ancora poco, in ogni caso: a giugno il terza linea italiano aveva già dichiarato che il prossimo anno sarebbe stato l’ultimo della sua carriera . Insieme a Parisse, ci sarà una nutrita pattuglia di over 35 che non hanno alcuna intenzione di appendere le scarpette al chiodo. Il pilone argentino Francisco Gomez Kodela e il flanker franco-algerino Saïd Hireche saranno anc...