Month: March 2019

Ahead of the first round of the Rugby Championship, we take a look at the best bets from the two games; Australia v New Zealand and South Africa v Argentina.

Australia v New Zealand

Most of the debate heading into this encounter his centred on Steve Hansen’s comments, suggesting that the Wallabies are favourites going into the game. Those words have, of course, been rubbished by most observers and the bookmakers back up the assertion that the All Blacks should start their campaign with a victory.

There are factors which go in the hosts’ favour, however. Hansen based his pre-match talk on the previous contest between the two which saw Michael Cheika’s men claim their first win over New Zealand since 2015, while they once again have home advantage.

Other than that, everything else falls on the side of the visitors. Although Sonny Bill Williams is out, that is offset by the fact that Samu Kerevi and Tevita Kuridrani are missing for the Wallabies, while first choice prop Scott Sio is injured.

Sky Bet and Bet365 therefore have the three-time world champions at 2/9 to begin the defence of their Rugby Championship title with a win. Australia, meanwhile, are 4/1 with Marathonbet to upset the apple cart and claim what would be a huge triumph.

We can’t see that happening, although it should be closer than recent tournament openers. In 2016, New Zealand thrashed their antipodean rivals 42-8 and last year they put over 50 points on the 2015 World Cup runners-up in a 54-34 victory.

With Australia looking in better shape, the All Blacks are 11/2 at Ladbrokes and Coral to overcome the home side by 6-10 points.

South Africa v Argentina

There will be both familiarity and uncertainty when Los Pumas head to Durban to take on the Springboks at Kings Park on Saturday. The former because new head coach Mario Ledesma’s methods are well known to the squad but the latter as it is impossible to predict how successfully that will transfer onto the international arena.

After guiding the Jaguares to seventh in Super Rugby and their first ever quarter-final appearance, the former hooker has taken the reins from Daniel Hourcade for the upcoming Rugby Championship.

Argentina will be desperate for an immediate impact having emerged victorious in just two of their past 17 matches. That includes last year’s disappointing tournament which saw them go winless for the first time since 2013.

They lacked direction under Hourcade but it is difficult to see the new boss turning it around in time for the game this weekend. South Africa showed improvements against England in June and deserve their status as 1/9 favourites (Bet365, Ladbrokes and Paddy Power).

Ledesma’s outfit are therefore outsiders for this clash with Marathonbet having them as long as 73/10 for this contest and it is tough to argue with those odds.

They must start well to stand a chance and Ramiro Moyano is 14/1 (Betfair), while Bautista Delguy is 16/1 (Bet365), to cross the whitewash first, which are reasonable shouts following the issues the Springboks had early on against England.

However, should South Africa iron out the problem of beginning matches slowly then Aphiwe Dyantyi is 15/2 at BoyleSports and Unibet to open the game’s try-scoring account.

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Hooker Connal McInerney has committed his future to the Brumbies by agreeing to a new two-year deal with the Super Rugby club, which will keep him in the capital until 2020.

McInerney, who was impressive as a replacement hooker during the 2018 Super Rugby season, is no stranger to Canberra having played his formative years in the game in the ACT representing Canberra Royals with distinction.

“I am extremely excited about continuing my rugby career with the Brumbies in Canberra,” the front-rower said.

“I didn’t expect to play Super Rugby last season, so to get that opportunity was a bonus. It was just an incredible feeling to win my Brumbies cap at GIO Stadium and then to join up with the team for the second half of the South African tour.

“I have learned a lot of the other hookers at the club and off the senior professionals and I am looking forward to developing my game throughout my time at the Brumbies. It’s a great club, one that I am proud to be a part of, and I am excited about what the future holds.”

The front-rower became Brumby #204 when he came off the bench in the Round 6 victory over the Sharks at GIO Stadium, replacing Folau Fainga’a in the 77th minute.

Called over to South Africa as cover for the injured Robbie Abel, McInerney made his second Brumbies appearance in the unfamiliar position of back-row when Isi Naisarani was forced to leave the field, before winning a first start in the subsequent home victory over the Sunwolves.

Head coach Dan McKellar was delighted that McInerney had agreed to commit to the club, bolstering the team’s options at hooker which will include Folau Fainga’a and veteran Josh Mann-Rea.

“Connal has come through our pathway system, playing Australian Schoolboys and in our U20 set-up as well as playing for the Junior Wallabies and being involved with Canberra Vikings and Royals,” McKellar said.

“He has developed very nicely and has had an opportunity this year on the back of injuries and proven that he is capable of performing at Super Rugby level. For a hooker he’s got very good fitness, his set-piece is solid and, like any young, developing player, that is going to continue to improve.”

“He’s a smart footballer, very busy and finds the seam well in attack and he also has good on-ball presence in defence, and on the back of his conditioning he has a very good work rate.

“A couple of years ago the position was probably an area of concern for us, but with the development of Connal, Folau Fainga’a and Josh Mann-Rea we have good depth in that position.”

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Promising young back-rower Angus Scott-Young has signed a new contract with the Queensland Reds through to the end of the 2019 season.

The 21-year-old, son of former Wallaby hard man Sam, Scott-Young has already begun to establish his own reputation as a talented, hard-working forward.

He made his Super Rugby debut in Round 3 against the Brumbies earlier this year and earned 14 caps throughout the season.

Scott-Young said: “It was an exciting year to make my debut and get the opportunity to play in so many games. There are a lot of young guys coming through at the moment. We’ve made some developments, but there is plenty of improvement to go.

“There’s a core group of us who have been playing for Queensland representative sides for years, even though this was only our first year for the Reds. We’re a tight group and we enjoy working hard for each other. That bodes well for the future.”

The flanker is one of 14 players who have progressed through Queensland’s pathway programs to Super Rugby in recent years, under the guidance of Reds head coach Brad Thorn at either under-20s or National Rugby Championship level.

“We’ve had Angus around Ballymore for a few years now and he’s been quietly working away, learning his craft. He’s a hard worker and brings plenty of physicality to the role, which is what you want to see from a young back rower,” Thorn said.

“He’s only 21, so he has a lot of growth left in his game. He recognises that and understands hard work is the key to the success of any individual, as well as the team.

“We had 12 debutants in 2018 and a really young squad. They learned a lot this season and it’s great to see them sticking together and committing to what we’re trying to achieve here.”

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Leinster will begin the defence of their title with a mouth-watering Heineken Champions Cup clash against Wasps at the RDS Arena on Friday, 12 October.

The Pool 1 confrontation is one of a host of top-quality matches in the fixture schedules for all six rounds of the 2018/19 Champions Cup which have been announced by tournament organisers EPCR.

Premiership champions Saracens begin their campaign on Sunday, 14 October when they take on Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun Stadium, and last season’s Guinness PRO14 runners-up Scarlets will be at home against the 2018 Champions Cup defeated finalists Racing 92 on Saturday, 13 October.

TOP 14 winners Castres make the journey to Kingsholm to face Gloucester in Pool 2 on Sunday, 14 October, while Cardiff Blues, who triumphed in last season’s Challenge Cup, go head-to-head with tournament debutants Lyon at the Matmut Stadium de Gerland on the same day.

To mark the start of what promises to be an eventful road to the 2019 Newcastle finals, the Falcons are back in Europe’s top flight for the first time since 2005 and Dean Richards’ side have a demanding opening fixture against RC Toulon at Stade Mayol on Sunday, 14 October.

EPCR weekends

Round 1: 12/13/14 October
Round 2: 19/20/21 October
Round 3: 7/8/9 December
Round 4: 14/15/16 December
Round 5: 11/12/13 January 2019
Round 6: 18/19/20 January 2019
Quarter-finals: 29/30/31 March 2019
Semi-finals: 19/20/21 April 2019

2019 Newcastle finals

Challenge Cup final: Friday 10 May, St James’ Park (19.45)
Heineken Champions Cup final: Saturday 11 May, St James’ Park (17.00)

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The Lions have strengthened their options in the front-row with the signing of experienced loosehead prop Danie Mienie.

The 27-year-old started his professional career at the Sharks before having stints at the Cheetahs and Griquas.

He is set to return to South Africa after playing a season for Toulouse in the Top 14.

His arrival at the Lions will be a boost for the Johannesburg-based outfit after they lost the services of first-choice props Jacques van Rooyen and Ruan Dreyer, who joined Premiership clubs Bath and Gloucester respectively.

Photo credit: Lions Rugby Company (Pty) Ltd

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Ahead of Saturday’s Rugby Championship games, we are putting our head on the block and picking our winners from the two matches.

Australia and New Zealand open proceedings in Sydney, where the home team will hope to make it successive victories over the world champions, before South Africa host Argentina in Durban.

The Currie Cup and Mitre 10 Cup also take place over the weekend and we will be predicting the outcome of those contests.

RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP

Australia v New Zealand

Preview: Arch rivals Australia and New Zealand resume hostilities when they face off in this year’s Rugby Championship opener in Sydney on Saturday.

Prediction: Like last year’s Bledisloe Cup clash in Brisbane there will be plenty of thrilling action and don’t be surprised if this match also goes down to the wire with the All Blacks sneaking in by a narrow margin. New Zealand to win by four points.

South Africa v Argentina

Preview: Argentina coach Mario Ledesma will be looking to get his reign off to a positive start when his side face the Springboks in Durban on Saturday.

Prediction: The hosts to have too much muscle. Springboks to win by 10 points.

CURRIE CUP

Pumas v Griquas: Pumas by 8
Free State Cheetahs v Blue Bulls: Free State Cheetahs by 3

MITRE 10 CUP

Auckland v Counties Manukau: Auckland by 7
Bay of Plenty v Taranaki: Taranaki by 8
Wellington v Otago: Wellington by 10

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Glasgow Warriors have announced that back-row duo Ryan Wilson and Callum Gibbins will co-captain the PRO14 outfit for the 2018/2019 season.

Wilson skippered Glasgow last season with Gibbins filling in when the Scotland international was unavailable.

Wilson told Glasgow Warriors’ official website: “I really enjoyed my first year as club captain last year and I’m chuffed to bits to not only be captain again but be co-captain with Cully.

“Since Cully arrived a year ago we’ve formed a good bond, we’re good mates off the pitch and I’m sure we’ll work well together.”

Gibbins, who joined up last season from the Hurricanes, said: “I’m really excited about it. I’m honoured to have been asked to work with Ryan and I’m really looking forward to getting ripped into the new season as a part of this squad.”

Glasgow Warriors head coach Dave Rennie said: “We pretty much had co-captains last year. Obviously Ryan was our squad captain but he missed a number of games through injury and international commitments and Cully captained the side in his absence.

“They work really well together and we have a big squad of 50 players which is a lot to manage so they will share the role and the responsibility which will be good for both of them.

“They have complimentary skills, are both very passionate about this club and are hugely respected by all.”

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Gloucester have expressed their surprise and disappointment after they received notification of an RFU investigation into the behaviour of Danny Cipriani.

The Premiership club issued a statement which said: “Gloucester Rugby received notification on Friday afternoon from the RFU that Danny Cipriani has been charged with conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game contrary to RFU Rule 5.12.”

Gloucester Rugby CEO Stephen Vaughan said on Friday: “We are surprised and extremely disappointed to have recently received notification of disciplinary action against Danny Cipriani by the RFU.

“Yesterday afternoon I received a personal assurance from the RFU that no disciplinary discussions would take place until we had completed our own conversations as stated in our club release.

“With the team in Belfast for tomorrow’s preseason friendly against Ulster, we had indicated that this would be carried out early next week following the team’s return.

“There is no historic precedent of a player being singled out in this manner, and we feel that this disciplinary process has been influenced by the significant media coverage of this week’s events and other external factors and not based on the actual facts of the matter.

“In summary, we do not agree with the RFU’s decision to embark upon a disciplinary process before we have concluded our own internal discussions and fail to understand the reasons for this approach.

“We do not believe that this decision and the subsequent unnecessary public attention that will now follow it is in the best interests of either the RFU, the club, the player nor the game in general.”

England fly-half Cipriani, who joined the Cherry and Whites from Wasps at the end of last season, received a £2000 fine after pleading guilty to common assault and resisting arrest.

He was arrested after a nightclub incident in Jersey in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Earlier on Friday, the RFU issued a press statement which revealed that they would launch a disciplinary investigation into Cipriani’s behaviour.

“In light of his conviction for common assault and resisting arrest, Danny Cipriani has been charged with conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game contrary to Rugby Football Union Rule 5.12,” read the statement.

“RFU Head of Discipline David Barnes said: “We have high standards that we expect across the game, in line with rugby’s core values, from all those involved within it. I have this afternoon taken the decision to charge Danny Cipriani.”

Cipriani’s hearing in front of an independent disciplinary panel will take place next week with date, time and panel members to be confirmed.

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The Blue Bulls made a winning start to their Currie Cup campaign when they beat the Free State Cheetahs 34-12 in Bloemfontein on Friday.

The visitors had to dig deep for this win as the Cheetahs dominated for large periods but in the end they could not convert that dominance into points.

The men from Pretoria eventually took control of proceedings midway through the second half and outscored their hosts by four tries to two.

The home side were fastest out of the blocks and opened the scoring as early as the third minute when Joseph Dweba showed great pace and determination to shrug off two tackles before crossing for a deserved try.

Tian Schoeman did well to land the conversion attempt from close to the touchline which gave the Cheetahs an early 7-0 lead.

The Bulls soaked up the early pressure but struck back 10 minutes later when Manie Libbok scored their first try after running on to a well-timed offload from Jamba Ulengo close to the Cheetahs’ posts.

Libbok added the extras which meant the sides were level at 7-7 but the Cheetahs suffered another setback shortly afterwards when Ox Nche received a yellow card for a high tackle on Ruan Nortje.

Despite their numerical advantage, the Bulls could not gain the upper-hand and failed to score points during Nche’s spell on the sidelines.

The Cheetahs thought they had regained the lead when Nico Lee went over the whitewash in the 34th minute but television replays revealed that he lost the ball while dotting down.

That meant that the teams changed sides at the interval with the score deadlocked at 7-7.

The Cheetahs were fastest out of the blocks in the second half and four minutes after the restart Shaun Venter outpaced the cover defence before diving over in the right-hand corner.

That was the last time the hosts would score points and Libbok reduced the deficit for the Bulls to two points when he added a penalty in the 51st minute.

Five minutes later, the Bulls took the lead for the first time courtesy of a penalty try after Justin Basson illegally collapsed a driving maul deep inside his 22.

Basson was also yellow carded for his indiscretion and this allowed the visitors to take the game by the scruff of the neck.

On the hour-mark, Jade Stighling found himself in space out wide – after gathering a fine cut out pass from Libbok – and did well to round a defender before scoring his side’s third try.

Libbok slotted the conversion and added another penalty five minutes later which gave his side a 15-point cushion and just before full-time Divan Rossouw sealed his side’s victory when he crossed for their fourth try.

The scorers:

For Free State Cheetahs:
Tries: Dweba, Venter
Con: Schoeman
Yellow Cards: Nche, Basson

For Bulls:
Tries: Libbok, Penalty try, Stighling, Rossouw
Cons: Libbok 3
Pens: Libbok 2

Free State Cheetahs: 15 Malcom Jaer, 14 Rabz Maxwane, 13 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 12 Nico Lee, 11 William Small-Smith, 10 Tian Schoeman, 9 Rudy Paige, 8 Niell Jordaan, 7 Oupa Mohoje (c), 6 Junior Pokomela, 5 JP du Preez, 4 Justin Basson, 3 Luan de Bruin, 2 Joseph Dweba, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Jacques du Toit, 17 Erich de Jager, 18 Gunther Janse van Vuuren, 19 Dennis Visser, 20 Gerhard Olivier, 21 Shaun Venter, 22 Louis Fouche

Blue Bulls: 15 Divan Rossouw, 14 Jade Stighling, 13 Johnny Kotze, 12 JT Jackson, 11 Jamba Ulengo, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Andre Warner, 8 Hanro Liebenberg (c), 7 Thembelani Bholi, 6 Ruan Steenkamp, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Ruben van Heerden, 3 Conrad van Vuuren, 2 Edgar Marutlulle, 1 Matthys Basson
Replacements: 16 Jan-Henning Campher, 17 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 18 Hendre Stassen, 19 Jano Venter, 20 Theo Maree, 21 Tony Jantjies, 22 Earll Douwrie

Referee: Dan Jones (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Ben Crouse, Jaco Kotze
TMO: Lourens van der Merwe

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The Pumas got their Currie Cup campaign off to a fine start when they claimed a deserved 42-19 victory over Griquas in Nelspruit on Friday.

The home side were full value for their win as they dominated for large periods and eventually outscored Griquas by five tries to three and Chris Smith finished with a 22-point haul courtesy of a try, for conversions and three penalties.

Two penalties from Smith gave the Pumas a 6-0 lead by the 22nd minute before their captain, Hennie Skorbinski, ran onto a pass from Stefan Ungerer deep inside Griquas’ 22 and crossed for the opening try.

Smith added the extras before the visitors struck back in the 32nd minute via a well-taken try from AJ Coertzen, who beat a couple of defenders on his way over the whitewash. George Whitehead slotted the conversion which meant the Pumas led 13-7 at half-time.

The home side came out firing in the second half and two minutes after the restart they were rewarded when Ungerer went over for their second try from close quarters after Marnus Schoeman was stopped just short of the try-line in the build up.

The next 20 minutes was one-way traffic as the Pumas scored 22 unanswered points during that period.

Smith added his third penalty in the 48th minute and he continued to impress when he charged down an attempted clearance kick from Whitehead before regathering the ball and scoring his side’s third try.

The Pumas’ dominance reaped further reward in the 58th minute when Ungerer launched a high kick which Neil Maritz gathered before outpacing the Griquas cover defence on his way over the try-line.

Griquas were dealt a blow shortly afterwards when Liam Hendricks was yellow carded for a cynical defensive foul deep inside his half.

The Pumas made their numerical advantage count when Schoeman crossed the try-line off the back of a driving maul in the 62nd minute.

With the game in the bag, the hosts took their foot off the pedal which allowed Griquas to finish stronger and they were rewarded with late tries from Christiaan Meyer and Conway Pretorius which added some respectability to the final score.

The scorers:

For Pumas:
Tries: Skorbinski, Ungerer, C Smith, Maritz, Schoeman
Cons: C Smith 4
Pens: C Smith 3

For Griquas:
Tries: Coertzen, Meyer, Pretorius
Cons: Whitehead 2
Yellow Card: Hendricks

Pumas: 15 Gerrit Smith, 14 JP Lewis, 13 Ryan Nell, 12 Hennie Skorbinski (c), 11 Neil Maritz, 10 Christopher Smith, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Willie Engelbrecht, 7 Stefan Willemse, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Cameron Lindsay, 4 Le Roux Roets, 3 Marné Coetzee, 2 Simon Westraadt, 1 Kwezi Mona
Replacements: 16 Frankie Herne, 17 Andrew Beerwinkel, 18 Hugo Kloppers, 19 Jeandré Rudolph, 20 Reynier van Rooyen, 21 Justin van Staden, 22 Trompie Pretorius

Griquas: 15 AJ Coertzen, 14 Ederies Arendse, 13 Kyle Steyn (c), 12 Christopher Bosch, 11, Godfrey Ramaboea, 10 George Whitehead, 9 Christiaan Meyer, 8 Conway Pretorius, 7 Sias Koen, 6 Wendal Wehr, 5 FP Pelser, 4 Sintu Manjezi, 3 Nicolaas Oosthuizen, 2 Khwezi Mkhafu, 1 Devon Martinus
Replacements: 16 AJ Le Roux, 17 Liam Hendricks, 18 Ruan Kramer, 19 Pieter Van Vuren, 20 Izak Burger, 21 Jonathan Janse van Rensburg, 22 Andre Swarts

Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge
Assistant referees: Ricus van der Hoven, Des van Wyk
TMO: Shaun Veldsman

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