Category: Rugby

Lions back-row Kwagga Smith will leave the Johannesburg-based franchise on a temporary basis after joining Japanese club Yamaha Jubilo.

The 25-year-old, who made his Test debut for the Springboks against Wales last month, signed a short-term contract with the Top League outfit which means he will not be part of the Golden Lions’ Currie Cup campaign later this year.

Smith confirmed the news on Yamaha Jubilo’s official website on Friday.

“I am honoured to be joining the Yamaha family as the next step of my rugby career and am convinced that playing for a team like Yamaha will help me to grow as a player,” he said.

“I have visited Japan, it is a very beautiful country and I am very impressed with the culture. My wife is looking forward to living in Japan.

“I will try my best to make a big contribution to the team and to win the Top League.”

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The Reds have finished the season with back-to-back wins for the first time since Round Five as they overcame the Sunwolves 48-27 in Brisbane.

It is the second successive week the Sunwolves have had to play the majority of the match with 14 men as this time Ed Quirk was given an early bath for his alleged punch of Hamish Stewart on the ground.

This was the deciding factor in the end, as the Reds ran away with it by seven tries to three.

After the Reds won a penalty advantage at an attacking scrum, they got over the advantage line with a series of powerful pick and drives from their forwards before openside flanker Liam Wright crashed over from close range for the first try of the match. Jono Lance added the extras.

The Sunwolves fought back and were rewarded with a two three-pointers for their dominance when the Reds were initially penalised for offside by referee Ben O’Keefe and then pinged at the breakdown with one point separating the sides after 15 minutes.

But the Reds wrested back momentum of the game and after impressive ball retention and patience shown by the home side in which they took possession through 20 phases, Eto Nabuli sauntered through a gap he was put in to by Stewart. Lance converted for a 14-6 lead with 22 minutes gone.

However, five minutes later, the momentum swung back in favour of the Sunwolves when they took the ball through 12 phases before Duncan Paia’aua was yellow-carded for a deliberate knockdown as the last man – conceding a penalty try in the process.

But Lance hit back for the home side, creating something out of nothing when he broke Wimpie van der Walt’s tackle in midfield and ran the 35 metres to the try-line for a 22-13 lead five out from half-time. To add insult to injury, openside flanker Quirk was red-carded for what was deemed a closed fist to the face of Stewart on the ground – a massive moment in the game – as the Sunwolves were permanently reduced to 14 men.

There was still enough time before the break for Taniela Tupou to muscle his way between Willie Britz and Michael Leitch from close range to reach over with a slick one-handed finish. Lance converted as the hosts took a 29-13 lead into the interval.

The Reds were reduced to 14 men shortly after the interval when Caleb Timu smashed into Parker on the floor. But the Sunwolves were unable to capitalise. Instead, having soaked up the pressure, it was the Reds who went up the other end to score when Paiau’aua ripped the ball away from Leitch in the tackle before sprinting 40 metres and getting the offload away superbly for Nabuli to grab his brace.

The Sunwolves were beginning to play with fire trying to run the ball out from the back and going wide at every opportunity. They were duly punished when Kazuki Himeon’s forward pass gifted the Reds an attacking scrum in an excellent position. From the set-piece, the ball was swung left out to the blindside where Timu showed sleight of hand to release Paia’aua in the corner, who didn’t need the man outside him.

Moses Sorovi got the Reds’ seventh when he dummied and went on his own from the ruck, completely fooling the defence and dotting down despite the best efforts of Yoshikazu Fujita to stop him.

However, the visitors did not stop trying and came away with two further tries to make the scoreline a whole lot more respectable. First, centre Ryoto Nakamura went over in the 72nd minute before hooker Jaba Bregvadze brought the crowd to its feet when he went on a barnstorming run over the whitewash as the Sunwolves fell to a 48-27 defeat in the end.

The scorers:

For Reds:
Tries: Wright, Nabuli 2, Lance, Tupou, Paia’aua, Sorovi
Cons: Lance 5
Pen: Lance
Yellow Cards: Paia’aua, Timu

For Sunwolves:
Tries: Nakamura, Bregvadze, Penalty Try
Cons: Parker 2
Pens: Parker 2
Red Card: Quirk

Reds: 15 Jono Lance, 14 Filipo Daugunu, 13 Jordan Petaia, 12 Duncan Paia’aua, 11 Eto Nabuli, 10 Hamish Stewart, 9 Tate McDermott, 8 Scott Higginbotham (c), 7 Liam Wright, 6 Caleb Timu, 5 Lukhan Tui, 4 Izack Rodda, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 JP Smith
Replacements: 16 Alex Mafi, 17 Harry Hoopert, 18 Ruan Smith, 19 Angus Blyth, 20 Angus Scott-Young, 21 Adam Korczyk, 22 Moses Sorovi, 23 Teti Tela

Sunwolves: 15 Jason Emery, 14 Yoshikazu Fujita, 13 Michael Little, 12 Harumichi Tatekawa, 11 Akihito Yamada, 10 Hayden Parker, 9 Yutaka Nagare (c), 8 Willie Britz, 7 Edward Quirk, 6 Michael Leitch, 5 Wimpie van der Walt, 4 James Moore, 3 Takuma Asahara, 2 Yusuke Niwai, 1 Craig Millar
Replacements: 16 Jaba Bregvadze, 17 Keita Inagaki, 18 Hencus van Wyk, 19 Kazuki Himeno, 20 Rahboni Warren-Vosayaco, 21 Fumiaki Tanaka, 22 Rikiya Matsuda, 23 Ryoto Nakamura

Referee: Ben O’Keeffe
Assistant Referees: Damon Murphy, Jordan Way
TMO: Damien Mitchelmore

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The Sharks progressed to the Super Rugby play-offs at the expense of the Rebels as they saw off the Jaguares 20-10 at Kings Park on Saturday.

They will now face the table-topping Crusaders in Christchurch next week thanks to crossings from Akker van der Merwe and Kobus van Wyk.

The Jaguares, who travel to the Lions in their qualifier, scored through Sebastian Cancelliere, with Joaquín Díaz Bonilla kicking five points.

Entertainment was lacking in the opening half in Durban as the wet weather did not help the match as a spectacle. Throw in the Sharks only needing four points and the Jaguares being largely second string and it had all the ingredients of being a sluggish and fragmented contest.

The Sharks went 3-0 up on nine minutes when a huge scrum gave Robert du Preez the chance to strike. He made it 6-0 seven minutes later.

But the hosts were reduced to 14 men on 19 minutes when number eight Dan du Preez was yellow carded for a low, no-arm tackle. Diaz Bonilla made no mistake from in front as the Jaguares cut the lead in half. There was maybe a temptation that they should have chanced their arm.

And being conservative did come back to haunt them two minutes later as Sharks hooker Van der Merwe raced over from close to 40 metres out after popping out of a maul, showing good pace. Fly-half Du Preez added the extras to make it 13-3 which was how it remained going into the interval, after the Jaguares went agonisingly close to reducing the margin when Matias Moroni grounded the ball dead after a chase through.

The Sharks came out for the second-half looking to apply the squeeze and that they did but for no reward. After a series of shots at goal being snubbed Du Preez’s effort from out wide after a strong scrum struck the upright. The hosts, however, did seem likely to strike soon.

That they did on 53 minutes when, from a lovely set-piece move that started on halfway, Andre Esterhuizen put Van Wyk through and he raced over on the right wing for a superb finish. This time Du Preez made no mistake from the kicking tee as the Sharks held a 20-3 advantage.

The Jaguares did not roll over however and finally crossed on 66 minutes when a backline move on halfway led to the ball being kicked back inside for the chasing Cancelliere to gather and ground. Diaz Bonilla added the conversion to make it 20-10 and cause the Sharks to sweat.

They need not have worried though as 20-10 was how the game finished as the Sharks now pack their packs and head to Christchurch next week, consequently ending the Rebels’ season.

The scorers:

For Sharks:
Tries: Van der Merwe, Van Wyk
Cons: R du Preez 2
Pens: R du Preez 2
Yellow Card: D du Preez

For Jaguares:
Try: Cancelliere
Con: Diaz Bonilla
Pen: Diaz Bonilla

Sharks: 15 Curwin Bosch, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Lwazi Mvovo, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Louis Schreuder, 8 Daniel du Preez, 7 Jacques Vermeulen, 6 Philip van der Walt, 5 Ruan Botha (c), 4 Tyler Paul, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 John-Hubert Meyer, 19 Hyron Andrews, 20 Wian Vosloo, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Marius Louw, 23 Makazole Mapimpi

Jaguares: 15 Ramiro Moyano, 14 Bautista Delguy, 13 Matias Moroni, 12 Bautista Ezcurra, 11 Sebastian Cancelliere, 10 Joaquín Díaz Bonilla, 9 Martin Landajo, 8 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 7 Marcos Kremer, 6 Pablo Matera (c), 5 Tomas Lavanini, 4 Matias Alemanno, 3 Santiago Medrano, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Javier Diaz
Replacements: 16 Agustin Creevy, 17 Santiago Garcia Botta, 18 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 19 Guido Petti, 20 Javier Ortega Desio, 21 Gonzalo Bertranou, 22 Nicolas Sanchez, 23 Emiliano Boffelli

Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge
Assistant Referees: Egon Seconds, Archie Sehlako
TMO: Willie Vos

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Watch the highlights from the final regular-season round of Super Rugby.

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Chiefs centre Johnny Faauli has been banned for six weeks for his dangerous tackle on Wes Goosen during their 28-24 victory over the Hurricanes.

The back was red carded and deemed to contravene Law 9.13 having connected with Goosen’s head after failing to wrap his arms around the ‘Canes man.

Faauli will therefore miss the game against the Hurricanes in the quarter-finals, as well as the rest of the Super Rugby season, should they emerge triumphant in Wellington.

In his finding, Nigel Hampton QC ruled the following: “Having conducted a detailed review of all the available evidence, including all camera angles, additional evidence, a statement from the player and submissions from his legal representative, Aaron Lloyd, the Foul Play Review Committee upheld the Red Card under Law 9.13.

“With respect to sanction the Foul Play Review Committee deemed the act of foul play merited a mid range entry point of 6 weeks.

“The Foul Play Review Committee added 2 weeks to the entry point as aggravation for the fact the Player has two previous offences of a similar nature on his Judicial record and as a personal deterrent to combat a pattern of such offending by the Player.

“However, taking into account mitigating factors including the Player’s expressed remorse and his plea of guilty at the earliest possible opportunity, the Foul Play Review Committee reduced the suspension to 6 weeks.”

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Melbourne Rebels number eight Amanaki Mafi has been charged by police in New Zealand after an alleged altercation with team-mate Lopeti Timani.

The incident happened after the Australian outfit’s 43-37 defeat to the Highlanders, a result which cost them their place in the end-of-season play-offs.

Mafi will now appear in Dunedin District Court on Monday charged with injuring with intent to injure.

“The alleged victim, also a 28-year-old man, received moderate injuries following the incident,” a police spokeswoman said.

“He did not require hospitalisation. The pair were known to each other. As the matter is now before the court, police are not in a position to comment further.”

Rugby Australia released a statement saying that they and the Rebels were aware of an incident which took place after their defeat to the Highlanders.

“Both players remain in New Zealand with Mafi currently in police custody following an altercation between the two players,” RA said.

“Rugby Australia understands that no other players were involved in the incident.”

Rebels chief executive Baden Stephenson added: “I am bitterly disappointed that an incident has occurred at the end of a season where we have taken pride in our on and off-field behaviour.

“We will respect the process and won’t be making further comments until all investigations have taken place.”

 

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Samoa have qualified for Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan after winning the second leg of the Oceania/Europe play-off against Germany 42-28 in Heidelberg on Saturday.

The hard-fought victory, combined with the 66-15 first leg win in Apia, confirmed a 108-43 aggregate win and a place in Pool A alongside Ireland, Scotland, Japan and Russia.

Germany, 12 places behind their opponents in the World Rugby Rankings, will take great heart from a spirited performance that will give confidence ahead of their participation in the Repechage in Marseille in November.

In what promises to be a fascinating tournament, Germany will meet Canada, Hong Kong and the Rugby Africa Gold Cup runner-up in a round-robin format contested over three match days on November 11, 17 and 23.

Congratulating Samoa on his twitter account, World Rugby Chairman Bill Beaumont said: “Congratulations to Samoa on Rugby World Cup 2019 qualification and a place in Pool A. Germany will be encouraged by a strong performance as they look ahead to November’s Repechage.”

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The Reds’ Caleb Timu and Sunwolves’ Ed Quirk both received two-week suspensions for incidents occurring during the sides’ encounter in Brisbane on Saturday.

Quirk saw red in the 37rd minute for a closed fist to the head of Hamish Stewart on the ground, while Timu saw yellow for smashing in to Hayden Parker on the floor in the 43rd minute.

Timu has been suspended from all forms of the game for two weeks, up to and including Saturday 28 July 2018. The incident occurred in the 43rd minute of the match between the Reds and Sunwolves played at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on 13 July 2018.

In his finding, Foul Play Review Committee Chairman Nigel Hampton QC ruled the following:

“Having conducted a detailed review of all the available evidence, including all camera angles and additional evidence, as well as a statement from the player and submissions from his legal representative, Mark Martin QC, the Foul Play Review Committee upheld the citing under Law 9.11

“With respect to sanction the Foul Play Review Committee deemed the act of foul play merited a mid-range entry point of 4 weeks given the level of recklessness. However, taking into account mitigating factors including the Player’s excellent Judicial record and guilty plea at his first available opportunity, the Foul Play Review Committee reduced the suspension to two weeks.

“The player is therefore suspended for 2 weeks, up to and including the 28 July 2018.”

Meanwhile, Quirk has been suspended from all forms of the game for two weeks, up to and including 4 August 2018.

The incident occurred in the 36th minute of the match between the Reds and Sunwolves played at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on 13 July 2018.

In his finding, Foul Play Review Committee Chairman Nigel Hampton QC ruled the following:

“Having conducted a detailed review of all the available evidence, including all camera angles and additional evidence, as well as a statement from the player and submissions from his legal representative, Maryjane Crabtree, the Foul Play Review Committee upheld the Red Card under Law 9.12

“With respect to sanction the Foul Play Review Committee deemed the act of foul play merited a mid-range entry point of 4 weeks given the strike to the head of the opposition player. However, taking into account mitigating factors including the Player’s good Judicial record, the fact the opposing Player was uninjured and the Player’s guilty plea at the first available opportunity, the Foul Play Review Committee reduced the suspension to two weeks.

“The player is therefore suspended for 2 weeks, up to and including 4 August 2018.”

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Wales have named their squad for this weekend’s Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco and it will be one last hurrah for captain Adam Thomas.

Wales’ stalwart Thomas will be competing in the Principality Premiership next season. In Luke Morgan they can boast the second deadliest try-scorer in the world this year, scoring only four fewer than hosts USA’s Carlin Isles in the 2017/18 World Rugby Sevens Series.

Bolstering a squad of World Series regulars such as Ethan Davies, Owen Jenkins, Luke Treharne, Ben Roach and Will Talbot-Davies are Cardiff Blues’ Lloyd Williams and Ospreys’ Cory Allen. The duo – capped 23 and six times respectively for Wales in 15s – recently helped Wales to the Exeter Sevens quarter-final as part of their World Cup preparations.

One of the PRO14’s biggest young prospects, the Dragons and former Wales U20 back Jared Rosser, is selected; as is Tom Williams, who has made a strong impact in his final sevens season before returning to Ospreys on a full-time basis next season.

RGC’s Afon Bagshaw and Cai Devine have both captained Wales in Rugby Europe this season, their maturity and development impressing their coaches and cementing their place in the final tournament of the season.

Head coach Gareth Williams said: “This is a great culmination to our season. The World Cup has been an aim of ours for the past 18 months and we’re excited with the squad we have put together.

“We are building nicely towards the opening match versus Zimbabwe, and starting well against their physicality and elusiveness is a key aim of ours.

“The tournament structure is different, but exciting, and we are eager to get out there and get things started.”

Wales Sevens: Luke Treharne, Ethan Davies, Lloyd Williams, Luke Morgan, Owen Jenkins, Tom Williams, Cory Allen, Afon Bagshaw, Adam Thomas, Cai Devine, Jared Rosser, Ben Roach, Will Talbot-Davies

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Wales international Liam Williams is surprised that Saracens team-mate Alex Goode has been constantly overlooked for England selection.

The 30-year-old has performed consistently well for the Londoners but has only picked up 21 caps for the Red Rose since making his debut in 2012.

And Williams, who has featured 48 times for Warren Gatland’s men, told the BBC that Goode was “the best 15 I have ever played with”.

“How he doesn’t get a look-in with England I haven’t a clue. His work rate, his hands, feet and all-round game is tremendous – it’s good to play alongside Alex.

“If he (England head coach Eddie Jones) does not pick him, that’s up to him.”

Williams and Goode will look to help continue the club’s recent success after Mark McCall’s charges won their third Premiership title in four years.

The Welshman joined the English outfit on a two-year deal in 2017 with the option of a third and the 27-year-old says that it is likely he will remain until 2020.

“I have spoken to Saracens and said I am 99% sure I want to take the third year,” he added. “I have just bought a house, we have just won the league, what more do you want? It is a great place.”

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