Month: March 2019

Australia were dealt a blow ahead of Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup clash with New Zealand in Sydney with the news that replacement prop Taniela Tupou has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.

Tupou suffered the injury at Friday’s captain’s run less than 36 hours before kick-off in the Rugby Championship opener, according to a News Corp report on Saturday.

The prop confirmed he would be missing the match via his public Facebook page.

The 22-year-old’s absence would be a major blow for the Wallabies, with Tupou a force for Australia against Ireland in June.

The Wallabies rely heavily on his impact off the bench and Saturday’s match would have been his first chance to go head-to-head with the All Blacks pack.

It is unclear how serious the injury may be, but the Wallabies will be hoping the damaging prop is cleared for the second Test in Auckland next week.

Rebels tighthead Jermaine Ainsley was kitted up as 24th man on Friday and will step into the matchday 23 as Tupou’s replacement.

Tupou’s injury is the second major front-row absence for the Australian side after regular loosehead Scott Sio was ruled out with a shoulder injury.

Australia (revised): 15 Israel Folau, 14 Dane Haylett-Petty, 13 Reece Hodge, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Will Genia, 8 David Pocock, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Lukhan Tui, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Izack Rodda, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Tom Robertson
Replacements: 16 Tolu Latu, 17 Allan Alaalatoa, 18 Jermaine Ainsley, 19 Rob Simmons, 20 Pete Samu, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Matt Toomua, 23 Jack Maddocks

Date: Saturday, August 18
Venue: ANZ Stadium, Sydney
Kick-off: 19:45 local (10:45 BST, 09:45 GMT)
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Wayne Barnes (England), Luke Pearce (England)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)

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Siya Kolisi and his Springbok team are energised, excited and ready for their Rugby Championship opener with Argentina in Durban on Saturday.

Kolisi will skipper the Boks from the side of the scrum following his swap with the experienced Francois Louw in a revamped loose trio, which also includes the returning Warren Whiteley at number eight.

“It’s vital that you start the competition on a good note,” said Kolisi on Friday.

“Winning home games are very important, and we know it’s going to be a huge contest on Saturday against Argentina, who will also be energised by the appointment of their new coach.

“The Jaguares’ performances in Super Rugby will give the Pumas a lot of confidence so we know we will have deliver a quality performance against them here in Durban.”

The Springbok skipper said it was especially good to welcome back Whiteley, Louw, Eben Etzebeth and Malcolm Marx. He was also excited to see the uncapped Marco van Staden and Damian Willemse included in the Springbok matchday 23 for the first time.

According to Kolisi, the Springboks want to build on their success during the June internationals, when they managed a 2-1 win over a very good England side.

“I’m really excited for tomorrow’s match and we are looking to continue to build on what we started in June,” he said.

“Some of us had been in training for up to five weeks in Stellenbosch and we’ve spend a lot of time focussing on areas where we can improve.”

Former Springbok forward and 1995 Rugby World Cup winner Mark Andrews presented the Boks with their matchday jerseys at their team hotel in Durban on Friday afternoon.

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Following a 38-13 victory for New Zealand over Australia in the Rugby Championship opener, here’s our five takeaways from the Sydney clash.

That black spell again: Trailing 6-0 with 39 minutes played, New Zealand then enjoyed one of their purple patches either side of half-time. Following a setback that saw Beauden Barrett miss a penalty, Australia switched off but New Zealand did not as Aaron Smith’s try sent them in 6-5 down. Upon on their return to the field tries from the impressive Jack Goodhue and fly-half Barrett before the 52nd minute put New Zealand 19-6 ahead. From that moment on they rarely looked troubled in terms of the result as that period once again proved profitable.

Wallabies woeful at the set-piece: Michael Cheika will be disappointed at the manner in which his charges were dismantled at the set-piece. The All Blacks held back on a few scrums, but targeted four of five from which they wreaked havoc. Cheika’s men were also guilty of being sloppy at line-out time, losing as many as six of their own throw-ins, four of those coming in the second 40. The absence of a world-class hooker, with Tatafu Polota-Nau nowhere near full match fitness, was a noticeable weakness of the Wallabies, while Taniela Tupou was sorely missed as a replacement prop as his impact in the set-piece and also around the field always a welcome boost for the Wallabies’ forwards.

Brodie shines on Sam’s 100th: Much of the Super Rugby campaign has seen praise lavished on Crusaders second-row duo Sam Whitelock and Scott Barrett. Now the international season is upon us it’s back to partnering up with Brodie Retallick for the former. Both were outstanding in Sydney with Retallick in particular standing out with his work in the set-piece, on the ground and around the field, with reward coming in the shape of a classy try in the second-half. It might have been Whitelock’s 100th Test in the black shirt but Retallick was the star lock.

Concern for Israel Folau but youngster announces himself: The sight of Folau limping from the action on 64 minutes was worrying to say the least for Wallaby fans but what will please them is Jack Maddocks’ performance off the bench. An impressive season for the Rebels saw him force his way into the international make-up and he showed in their warm-up game last week that he’s more than ready for the step up. That came on Saturday and he grabbed his chance with both hands, scoring a try and showing no fear in possession. Is a start now on the cards?

Barrett silences critics: With much of the pre-tournament talk about whether Richie Mo’unga had done enough to usurp Barrett in the number 10 jersey after having been the standout fly-half in Super Rugby this season, the back-to-back World Rugby Player of the Year sent out a statement that he was not willing to leave that throne anytime soon with a classy performance. Barrett scored a magnificent individual try before putting Naholo’s second on a platter with an expertly weighted cross-field kick, while in general he marshalled the attack superbly.

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A superb all-round performance by New Zealand saw them claim a deserved 38-13 win over Australia in Saturday’s Rugby Championship opener in Sydney.

In a tough and uncompromising encounter the Wallabies had the better of the early exchanges but the world champions improved as the match progressed and eventually outscored their hosts by six tries to one.

If the truth be told, the All Blacks were far from their best during the opening half as they delivered a lethargic showing which was littered with numerous unforced errors. But they were a completely different side after half-time and totally dominated the second half.

Australia made the brighter start and opened the scoring in the 10th minute courtesy of a Reece Hodge penalty after Kieran Read infringed at a ruck.

New Zealand were dealt a further blow three minutes later when Ryan Crotty was forced off the field after a clash of heads with his centre partner Jack Goodhue, with Anton Lienert-Brown coming on to replace Crotty.

And midway through the half, Bernard Foley made it 6-0 to the Wallabies when he added a three-pointer off the kicking tee after Liam Squire slowed the ball down illegally inside his 22.

The rest of the half was an attritional affair as both sides tried to gain the ascendancy and although the Wallabies held the upper-hand over the next 15 minutes, they did not trouble the scoreboard during that period.

On the stroke of half-time, the All Blacks came alive, however, and they did this in style thanks to a superb try from Aaron Smith. This, after Ben Smith did brilliantly to beat a couple of defenders just inside the Wallabies’ half and the ball was subsequently handled by Goodhue, Waisake Naholo and Read before the captain offloaded to his scrum-half, who crossed for a deserved try.

Beauden Barrett was off target with the conversion attempt and although the Wallabies led 6-5 as the teams changed sides at the interval, the momentum had swung in the world champions’ favour.

And four minutes into the second half, the All Blacks showed why they are the world’s best team with a try against the run of play which seemed to catch the Wallabies by surprise.

Australia were initially on the attack inside New Zealand’s 22 but Naholo did well to rip the ball from Marika Koroibete’s grasp and the world champions quickly shifted ball to Rieko Ioane, who found himself in space out wide. He still had work to do but did well to get an inside pass out to Goodhue, who outpaced the cover defence before crossing for his first Test try.

That score was a shot in the arm for the All Blacks and they received another confidence booster when Beauden Barrett pounced on a knock on from Dane Haylett-Petty just inside the Wallabies’ half in the 52nd minute. Barrett was fastest to react and booted the ball ahead before regathering and diving over the try-line.

The All Blacks were now running the ball from all areas of the field and it didn’t help the Wallabies’ cause when star full-back Israel Folau was forced to leave the fray with what looked like a serious ankle injury.

Shortly afterwards, Brodie Retallick found himself in space just outside Australia’s 22 before selling Foley a cheeky dummy on his way over the try-line.

To their credit, the Wallabies did not surrender and five minutes later replacement Jack Maddocks crossed for a try on his Test debut after Foley and Kurtley Beale combined brilliantly in the build-up.

But the All Blacks were far from done and finished the match stronger with Naholo crossing for two tries during the game’s closing stages. First, he collected an inch-perfect cross-field from fly-half Barrett before crossing untouched in the 73rd minute.

And four minutes before the end, he gathered a loose pass before beating a couple of defenders to add the final nail in the Wallabies’ coffin.

The scorers:

For Australia:
Try: Maddocks
Con: Foley
Pens: Hodge, Foley

For New Zealand:
Tries: A Smith, Goodhue, B Barrett, Retallick, Naholo 2
Cons: B Barrett 4

Australia: 15 Israel Folau, 14 Dane Haylett-Petty, 13 Reece Hodge, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Will Genia, 8 David Pocock, 7 Michael Hooper (c), 6 Lukhan Tui, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Izack Rodda, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Tom Robertson
Replacements: 16 Tolu Latu, 17 Allan Alaalatoa, 18 Jermaine Ainsley, 19 Rob Simmons, 20 Pete Samu, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Matt Toomua, 23 Jack Maddocks

New Zealand: 15 Ben Smith, 14 Waisake Naholo, 13 Jack Goodhue, 12 Ryan Crotty, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Liam Squire, 5 Samuel Whitelock, 4 Brodie Retallick, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Joe Moody
Replacements: 16 Nathan Harris, 17 Karl Tu’inukuafe, 18 Tim Perry, 19 Scott Barrett, 20 Ardie Savea, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown

Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Wayne Barnes (England), Luke Pearce (England)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)

by David Skippers

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Highlights from New Zealand’s 38-13 win over Australia in Sydney on Saturday.

Video credit: SANZAAR

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All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen praised his side’s second-half display in their 38-13 Rugby Championship win over the Wallabies in Sydney on Saturday.

Down 6-5 at half-time, the All Blacks came out after the half-time break and blitzed the Australians to get one hand on the Cup for another year.

Hansen said the All Blacks management were not too concerned at the break.

“We thought the first half was like a prizefight, both teams were testing each other out,” he told SkySport.

“They [Australia] probably had their moments in the first 20 minutes and made us make a lot of tackles. Then it was our turn to have our moments and whilst we didn’t capitalise like we would have liked to have in that 20 minutes we certainly made them work hard.

“We managed one just before halftime and then after halftime we came out and hit the boards running and that was the hard work we had put in over the last 20 minutes of the first half.”

Part of the reason for the All Blacks success was down to the forward dominance, especially at line-outs.

Hansen said they knew the line-out was a big area of Australia’s play and that if they could hurt them there it would have the effect of nullifying some of their back play.

“It was something we wanted to do and the plan worked well so the boys should be congratulated for that,” he said.

Hansen added that lock Brodie Retallick had shown what the All Blacks missed when they didn’t have him.

“He’s an amazing footballer and when you can cast a shadow on a guy like Sam Whitelock, who I think is an amazing footballer as well, to have two of them in one team at the same time is pretty special,” he said.

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Following a 34-21 victory for South Africa over Argentina in their Rugby Championship game, here’s our five takeaways from the Durban clash.

Etzebeth comeback impressive: A significant lack of game time during 2018 due to injury makes this performance from Etzebeth all the more impressive. The abrasive second-row was a rock around the field and threw in a line-out steal and strong shift at the scrum. All in all it was a showing that will have delighted player, team mates, coach Rassie Erasmus and the Springbok supporters. Etzebeth is back with a bang.

September 15 ringed: After Round One of the Rugby Championship it’s looking like being the game in Round Four between New Zealand and South Africa which could prove decisive in where the trophy is heading. With home games against the Wallabies and Pumas coming before that showdown at Westpac Stadium, New Zealand could be on the verge of another title. South Africa look like having something to say about that though as if they can back up this effort in Mendoza and then Australia (away), they will be full of confidence in Wellington.

Argentina still well behind: Precious ball for the Pumas in the first-half in particular and while they crossed three times in Durban, they were all smash and grab scores. Of course this is the first game of what Argentina fans will hope is a long and fruitful tenure for Mario Ledesma but they cannot win Test matches with these flaws and a set-piece going backwards. Improvements are needed and fast if they’re to avoid another whitewash.

De Klerk and back three shine: He’s been a real catalyst for the Springboks since his inclusion in June, with De Klerk’s dynamism and smart rugby brain giving his side that X-factor they have desperately needed in recent seasons. The scrum-half was at his dangerous best again on Saturday and that meant chances for finishers such as Makazole Mapimpi and Aphiwe Dyantyi, who need no invitation to cross. It’s some trio.

Bok pack get job done: From 1-8 and 16, 17, 18 and 20, South Africa’s forwards all contributed to the victory. Up front the starting front-row and locks were outstanding in the set-piece and in general play while Francois Louw, Siya Kolisi and Warren Whiteley complimented each other well. It was then the turn of replacements Bongi Mbonambi, Steven Kitshoff, Thomas du Toit and Marco van Staden to impress, with the prop duo having become real impact men this year who will strike fear into all rivals. Van Staden meanwhile proved a nuisance at the ruck.

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Australia have been dealt a major blow ahead of next weekend’s Rugby Championship clash with New Zealand after Israel Folau was ruled out injured.

The full-back suffered an ankle injury in the second-half of Australia’s 38-13 defeat in Sydney, with Michael Cheika confirming his absence.

“He got a small tear in a muscle, right down low. Quite rare, really, but it is actually not a long-term injury at all,” the coach told reporters.

“It’s just a lot of swelling. We’ll be hopeful he’ll be back for the first game in Brisbane.”

That match in Brisbane is the Wallabies’ Round Three clash against South Africa on September 8. Before that however is a trip to Eden Park where Cheika believes Jack Maddocks or Tom Banks are more than capable of filling in for the injured Folau.

“I thought he did OK out there when he went on,” Cheika said of Maddocks.

“I haven’t had a good look at it but he wouldn’t have been on the bench if we didn’t think he was ready to play.

“He got a few touches and got a try as well so, yeah, I would imagine he would be there.

“We’ve also got Tom Banks, who’s an out-and-out full-back so we’ll see where we end up.”

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The Springboks opened their Rugby Championship account with a 34-21 come-from-behind victory over Argentina at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday.

The Boks have not lost consecutive matches on home soil since a three-match losing run between 2015 and 2016. And after that 25-10 defeat to England in the final Test of the June internationals, they looked as if they just might repeat the feat when trailing 14-10 at the interval after a scrappy first-half performance.

However, Rassie Erasmus’ men clicked into gear in the second-half, scoring 17 unanswered points to complete a thrilling comeback and continue their impressive record under their charismatic new mentor. The former Munster boss will be delighted with his wing duo and inexperienced centre pairing (playing together for the first time) as well as handing Damian Willemse and Marco van Staden their debuts.

The Springboks opened the scoring in the eighth minute when Lukhanyo Am powered his way over after superb interplay between backs and forwards, with Andre Esterhuizen, Frans Malherbe and Faf de Klerk instrumental in the build-up.

Argentina responded seven minutes later. A Nicolas Sanchez up and under was spilled by Willie le Roux as the visitors pounced on the loose ball. Possession was recycled and with the Bok defence scrambling that allowed Sanchez to run in under the posts and convert his own try for a 7-5 lead.

Soon afterwards, los Pumas had the lead. Bok captain Siya Kolisi found himself isolated after a mini break down the right flank, with the Argentine counter-ruck proving successful as wing Ramiro Moyano effected the turnover before running 20 metres and timing the final pass expertly for flank Pablo Matera to dot down for his fourth international try.

However, moments later and ten minutes before the interval, Le Roux saw the space on the outside and produced a pinpoint cross-field kick to find Aphiwe Dyantyi out on the left wing for his second try in a Bok jersey as the hosts to cut the deficit to four at 14-10 at the half-time break.

Two minutes after the resumption, Handre Pollard and Esterhuizen combined to make the mini-break to get the Springboks on the front foot before De Klerk’s kick over the top was gobbled up by Dyantyi, who produced a brilliant one-handed finish to grab his brace. Pollard made no mistake with the conversion this time to give the hosts a 17-14 lead.

The Springboks’ third came six minutes later. It came when Beast Mtawarira got under his opposite number at scrum-time and drove him backwards, thus winning the penalty for the home side. They were rewarded for going for the attacking line-out when De Klerk found Makazole Mapimpi with an over-the-top pass, the winger having all the time in the world to complete the finish.

Moments later, both Bok wings had doubles when Mapimpi finished off a flowing move from the home side that involved slick interplay between backs and forwards once again. Malcolm Marx made a particularly telling carry in the build-up to get his side over the advantage line. Pollard’s conversion made it a 27-14 lead after 53 minutes.

After Eben Etzebeth, who had an impressive return, made a bullocking run downfield, replacement debutant fly-half Willemse threw a wayward pass which eluded fellow debutant Van Staden, with Matias Moroni intercepting and crossing untouched under the posts. Sanchez converted to cut the deficit to six.

But with ten minutes to go, scrum-half De Klerk would put the game beyond doubt when he showed good presence of mind to snipe over after Steven Kitshoff was halted inches short. Pollard added the extras, which would prove to be the final points scored of the game, as the Boks ran out 34-21 winners.

The scorers:

For South Africa:
Tries: Am, Dyantyi 2, Mapimpi 2, De Klerk
Cons: Pollard 2

For Argentina:
Tries: Sanchez, Matera, Moroni
Cons: Sanchez 3

South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Makazole Mapimpi, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 André Esterhuizen, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Siya Kolisi (c), 6 Francois Louw, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Marvin Orie, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Lionel Mapoe, 23 Damian Willemse

Argentina: 15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Bautista Ezcurra, 11 Ramiro Moyano, 10 Nicolas Sanchez, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 8 Javier Ortega Desio, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera, 5 Matias Alemanno, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Juan Figallo, 2 Agustin Creevy (c), 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro
Replacements: 16 Diego Fortuny, 17 Santiago Garcia Botta, 18 Santiago Medrano, 19 Tomas Lavanini, 20 Tomas Lezana, 21 Martin Landajo, 22 Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias, 23 Juan Cruz Mallia

Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Angus Gardner (Australia), Andrew Brace (Ireland)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)

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Highlights from South Africa’s 34-21 win over Argentina in Durban on Saturday.

Video credit: SANZAAR

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