Tag: Rugby

Key players Emiliano Boffelli, Bautista Delguy, Bautista Ezcurra and Marcos Kremer have signed new deals with the UAR until 2021.

All four have been a vital part of the Jaguares’ successful Super Rugby season in 2018, while Boffelli and Kremer have also stood out at international level.

The contracts will take them past next year’s World Cup and is a significant boost for a country that have struggled to keep their best individuals within Argentina.

Los Pumas begin their Rugby Championship campaign against South Africa in two weeks under the guidance of Mario Ledesma, who was named as the new head coach on Wednesday.

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Watch the video highlights from the Crusaders’ 37-18 win over the Lions.

Video credit: rugby.com.au

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Leicester Tigers have announced that they will force Tatafu Polota-Nau and Matt Toomua to fly back to England during the upcoming Rugby Championship.

Polota-Nau (hooker) and Toomua (centre) were both named in Wallabies head coach Michael Cheika’s provisional squad for their Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship opener with New Zealand in Sydney on August 18.

However, if Polota-Nau or Toomua are retained by Cheika, they will have to return to their Premiership club during the Rugby Championship’s rest weekends.

Leicester Tigers revealed the news via a statement which said: “If retained in the final squad for the upcoming Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship series, the pair are expected to return to Tigers during the Rugby Championship rest periods, which coincide with rounds 1 and 4 of the Gallagher Premiership.”

Polota-Nau, who qualifies for international selection under Rugby Australia’s overseas player selection policy rules for players with 60 Test appearances or more, has been named after being rested for the Wallabies’ recent series against Ireland in Australia.

Tigers centre Toomua qualifies for selection, despite having only made 33 Test appearances, after it was announced earlier this week that he has agreed terms to return to Australia with the Melbourne Rebels in 2019 at the conclusion of the upcoming Northern Hemisphere season.

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Crusaders head coach Scott Robertson was full of praise for his side’s fly-half Richie Mo’unga after their Super Rugby Final win over the Lions on Saturday.

Mo’unga shone as a playmaker, finishing with a 17-point haul courtesy of three penalties and four conversions and was named man-of-the-match after his side’s 37-18 triumph in Christchurch.

“He beat about 20 defenders, he kicked the majority of his goals, he was tough on defence and he was behind a Rolls Royce pack,” Robertson told Stuff.

Mention of the Crusaders’ Rolls Royce pack is in reference to All Blacks coach Steve Hansen, who said it’s easier for a fly-half to shine behind a powerful “Rolls Royce” pack after Mo’unga outplayed first-choice All Blacks pivot Beauden Barrett when the Crusaders beat the Hurricanes in their Super Rugby semi-final in Christchurch.

Robertson also pointed out that despite Mo’unga’s fine form as a playmaker and goalkicker, he was also prepared to the dirty work for his team.

“What I like about Richie is that he is brave on defence,” he added.

“That is the biggest part of his game. He was probably one of the best touch players in New Zealand, so he had great feet and great hands and could kick clutch penalties and conversions.

“Now he is brave on D, you have to have the whole skill set to play test rugby and he showed he could do that at the highest level in a final of a championship.”

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Namibia inched closer towards qualification for Rugby World Cup 2019 with a 58-28 win over Zimbabwe in their qualifier in Bulawayo on Saturday.

The win means Namibia tightened their grip on top spot in the Rugby Africa Gold Cup 2018 as the tournament got back under way following a four-week break.

The Gold Cup this year doubles as the African qualifying process for Rugby World Cup 2019, and Namibia’s bonus-point defeat of Zimbabwe means they keep their necks in front of second-placed Kenya in the race for the Africa 1 place in Pool B in Japan.

Kenya face Tunisia in Nairobi next weekend and must realistically secure all five points if they are to keep pressure on the southern African side.

Elsewhere, Uganda eased their relegation fears as they secured a first victory of the competition, beating Tunisia 67-12 in Kampala. Full-back Philip Wokorach was the standout performer as he scored a hat-trick of tries and finished the match with 37 points overall.

Uganda’s victory earned them just over ninth tenths of a rating point, enough to lift them one place to 36th in the World Rugby Rankings when they update at 12 noon British Summer Time on Monday and condemn Tunisia to a three-place fall to 43rd. Namibia’s win was worth only seven hundredths so they remain 23rd with Zimbabwe stationary in 45th.

Zimbabwe 28-58 Namibia

Namibia put themselves within 80 minutes of a sixth successive Rugby World Cup appearance with a bonus-point 58-28 victory over Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.

Phil Davies will prepare his side for their final Rugby Africa Gold Cup 2018 match, against Kenya in Windhoek in a fortnight, knowing that victory in that game will book their ticket to Japan 2019.

If it wasn’t already, qualification is now firmly in Namibia’s hands, but they were made to work hard for victory against a spirited Zimbabwean side on Saturday.

Despite taking an early seven-point lead, the Gold Cup pace-setters were pegged back within the first 15 minutes as home back-row Connor Pritchard crashed over to level the scores.

Namibia fly-half Cliven Loubser soon edged the visitors back in front from the kicking tee, though, and following a tight opening 20 minutes they began to show their class.

PJ van Lill showed good pace and power to stride over from the base of a scrum and before the half-hour mark Namibia had scored their third try of the match as replacement winger Johann Greyling produced a fine finish on the right wing.

Loubser converted both scores, and after Zimbabwe fly-half Brandon Mandivenga had missed a penalty attempt, the Namibian playmaker added another three points to give his side a 20-point lead at half-time.

The hosts could feel slightly aggrieved to find themselves so far behind at the break, but as the second period got under way their task got even tougher. Within three minutes of the restart Wian Conradie had been played into space by a brilliant offload from van Lill and the replacement back-row made no mistake, cantering over to score.

Loubser again converted and it looked as though the game was won. What followed was a see-saw 35 minutes in which the two sides traded seven tries.

Following an electric break from hooker David Makanda it was Zimbabwe who scored next, Tafadzwa Chitokwindo spotting a gap and racing through it to give the home fans hope. That feeling lasted less than five minutes, however, as Namibia’s impressive hooker Torsten van Jaarsveld burrowed over from close range.

In fitting fashion for what was becoming a roller-coaster contest, Zimbabwe went straight up the other end and their replacement hooker Mathew Mandioma crossed the try line within three minutes.

A try-less 10 minutes, in which Greyling was sent to the sin-bin, followed before a breathless finish in which the visitors’ superior fitness told. Namibia second-row Tijuee Uaniye and Zimbabwe winger Shayne Makombe traded tries, before Louis van der Westhuizen and Johan Tromp both scored for the visitors in the final five minutes.

Uganda 67-12 Tunisia

Uganda full-back Philip Wokorach scored 37 points, including a hat-trick of tries, as Uganda recovered from a sloppy start to win convincingly in Kampala.

Tunisia had been on the receiving end of a heavy defeat at the Kyadondo Rugby Club last year but began brightly on Satuday.

Jaco Stoumann’s side took advantage of a scrappy start to score the game’s first try, as Hossem Khalfi scythed through a hole in the home defence following a scrum. The full-back missed the conversion, however, and his profligacy from the kicking tee would soon prove costly.

With Tunisia on the front foot, and Uganda hooker Paul Sekate in the sin-bin, Khalfi missed a presentable penalty with 20 minutes gone and from that moment the hosts took control.

Wokorach converted two three-pointers, either side of a yellow card for Tunisia prop Mohamed Yassine Ben Abdallah, to give Uganda the lead for the first time.

Uganda then showed their visitors how to take full advantage of a numerical advantage, scoring three tries in the final five minutes of the opening half – through Pius Ogena, Michael Okorach and captain Asuman Mugerwa – to take a 25-5 lead into the break.

Any hope that Tunisia had of a fight-back was sapped within a minute of the restart as Mugerwa bulldozed his way over, straight from the kick-off.

Tunisia managed to keep Uganda at bay for the next 15 minutes, before Wokorach – Uganda’s stand-out player in Kampala – broke their resolve following a fine pass from Justin Kimono.

It was the start of a wonderful 10 minutes for the Uganda full-back, in which he scored three brilliant tries – the third a fine solo effort finished off with an outrageous side-step to beat Tunisia number eight Yahya Graa.

It was cruel on Graa, who three minutes earlier had combined with Mohamed Achref Dhif to send the scrum-half over in the right corner for Tunisia’s second try. But it would get no better for the visitors as Ugandan replacements Solomon Okia (pictured) and Ian Munyani both crossed the whitewash in the final 12 minutes to add some gloss to the scoreline.

“For the first 20 minutes we were under pressure but we stuck to our game plan,” Uganda captain Mugerwa said afterwards. “Once we got how they played we took them on.”

With thanks to World Rugby

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Following the conclusion of the Super Rugby season which saw the Crusaders win a ninth title, it’s time to dish out Planet Rugby’s awards.

While the red and black machine kept rolling and picked up the prize that matters against the Lions in Christchurch, with fly-half Richie Mo’unga starring in the final, we are looking outside the box here with some serious and some not so much being awarded.

Biggest climber: Waratahs

Daryl Gibson’s team put their disastrous 2017 campaign behind them and were the tournament’s most improved side in 2018. Gibson came close to losing his job after last year’s competition, when his charges finished in 16th position – out of 18 teams – in the overall standings and second last in the Australian Conference. The Sydneysiders put that behind them this year and eventually topped the Australian Conference this year – and third overall – after amassing 44 points from 16 matches played which is a 25-point improvement on their 2017 effort when they notched 19 points from 15 games. The Waratahs went on to beat the Highlanders in their quarter-final before bowing out to the Lions.

Biggest slider: Stormers

By contrast, things have gone pear-shaped for the men from Cape Town, who were amongst the biggest disappointments. Under the guidance of Robbie Fleck there’s been a steady decline in the Stormers’ showings and after finishing in third place on the overall table in 2017 (43 points), they have dropped to 11th in 2018 (29 points). This is also evident in the South African Conference where they were runners-up in 2017 and fourth this year, equal on points with the bottom-placed Bulls, who took the wooden spoon by virtue of a worse points difference.

Fightback of the year: Crusaders v Waratahs

It was a comeback for the ages in a game of truly two halves. The Waratahs raced into a 29-0 lead at the half-time break with tries from Cam Clark, Taqele Naiyaravoro, Israel Folau and Curtis Rona. But the Crusaders showed their class as they fought back with crossings from Joe Moody, Codie Taylor, Seta Tamanivalu and Braydon Ennor completing the remarkable 31-29 comeback victory at AMI Stadium in Christchurch.

Player of the Season: Malcolm Marx

Marx spent six weeks on the sidelines with a leg injury, which ruled him out of the Springboks’ three-Test series against England in South Africa, but came back with a bang in Super Rugby and played a major role in the Lions’ run to the Super Rugby Final. Based on current form, the 24-year-old is arguably the best hooker in the world. Marx crossed the whitewash on 12 occasions from 16 matches played and he is the only forward in the top 10 this year. He’s the prototype of the modern day hooker, who has impressed with his work at the breakdown where he has won numerous turnovers but also shines when doing his core duties, especially his line-outs where he has a 90 percent success rate.

Moment of the year: Hayden Parker drop-goal against Stormers

With the scores tied at 23-all against the Stormers in Hong Kong, Parker came up with a match-winning drop-goal to secure a last-gasp win for the Sunwolves. Parker scored all but five of the Sunwolves’ points in the match as he single-handedly carried his side over the line.

Top try-scorer: Ben Lam

With 16 crossings, the Hurricanes wing edges Taqele Naiyaravoro and George Bridge to the bragging rights after an impressive season. While the majority of his scores came in the early part of the term when his form was at its peak, he most probably suffered during the tail-end of the campaign due to the Hurricanes hitting a sticky patch. The All Blacks have yet to come calling but he can be proud of his campaign.

Opportunist award: TJ Perenara

In Round 17 a brilliant superman try from Hurricanes scrum-half Perenara opened the scoring in Canberra against the Brumbies. Anticipating off the top ball on the hosts’ line, the experienced All Black gambled and duly cashed in, grabbing Joe Powell’s pass mid-air for the try.

Least disciplined side: Rebels

The Melbourne-based side wins this award not for their on-field disciplinary record but rather for some of their players’ off-field antics which was shocking during the latter stages of the campaign. First, Amanaki Mafi and Lopeti Timani were each been given a AUS $15,000 fine by the club following a fight after their loss to the Highlanders in Dunedin with Mafi charged for injuring his team-mate. The Rebels also suspended Hunter Paisami and Pone Faamausili after the pair were involved in a brawl two weeks ago which led to one man being hospitalised.

Special mention award: Franco Mostert

In his final season at the Lions before moving to Gloucester, Mostert certainly emptied the tank for the cause. An incredible 233 tackles to go with 87 line-out takes topped both their respective tables as the hard-working Springbok lock’s game kicked on another gear in 2018.

Unsung hero: Michael Little

The Sunwolves have been fun to watch at times this season and one of the main reasons for that was Michael Little. The centre never really got a look in at the Blues and it is difficult to see why after a superb Super Rugby campaign for the Japanese outfit. Strong, quick and with excellent hands, Little was one of the best backs in the competition. Alongside two other ‘rejects’ from the New Zealand franchises, fly-half Hayden Parker and centre Jason Emery, they formed a pretty potent midfield unit with Little the heartbeat of this Sunwolves side.

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Check out the highlights from the Wallabies’ win over a Super Selection team.

Video credit: rugby.com.au

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Ulster have announced that Australia international wing Henry Speight has agreed to join them on a short-term contract from the Brumbies.

The 30-year-old back three star will move to Kingspan Stadium later this month in a similar deal to that which saw fellow Brumbies player Christian Lealiifano arrive in Belfast last season.

Speight will return to Australia on December 31, in advance of the 2019 Super Rugby season.

The Fijian-born speedster has played over 100 Super Rugby games for the Brumbies and has represented the Wallabies on 19 occasions.

He picked up an ankle injury in the last match of the 2018 season, but has been medically cleared to play before the PRO14 kicks off.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to represent a big club like Ulster. I’ve spoken to Christian (Lealiifano) a lot regarding this move and he had only great things to say about the staff, players, supporters and wider community, which welcomed him with open arms,” said Speight.

“This is a fresh challenge for me and I hope to embrace it by relishing every moment and by adding value to the group as best I can. I can’t wait to arrive in Belfast and get to work with my new teammates.”

Ulster’s Operations Director, Bryn Cunningham was pleased to be able to bolster the squad with such a quality player at this stage of the season.

“With the nature of Henry’s current contractual position, I would like to thank his local agent, the Brumbies and the ARU for facilitating getting this deal across the line,” he said.

“Henry has X factor quality and has consistently proven himself as a top performer at both Super Rugby and International level, with his most recent displays for the Brumbies being eye-catching. We hope he will quickly become be a real fans’ favourite at Kingspan Stadium!

“Henry will act as cover for Louis (Ludik), who sustained a hamstring injury in the final game of last season and is expected to be available for selection by November, and David Busby, who will now miss at least the first half of the season through an injury picked up in pre-season.

“His presence will also support the development of the young back three players within our senior and Academy squads. We saw the significant impact Christian had on Johnny McPhillips last year and we would hope that Henry will provide us with something similar.”

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England head coach Eddie Jones has admitted that he is powerless about the transformation of the English system where clubs retain control over the players.

Unlike the Southern Hemisphere, where provincial teams work in tandem with the governing body, with the national interest in mind, the game is structured differently in the Northern Hemisphere where many European clubs have control over their players which occasionally leads to conflict with the national set-up.

Jones said he is not there to revolutionise a change and said it’s important to work within the current system in England.

“I’m not Alexander the Great,” he told Press Association Sport.

“This structure has been set up for years and you’re expecting a little Aussie like me to break it in three years,” England head coach Jones said.

“Unless you break it there will be no change, but I can’t control it and am happy to work with what we have.

“We can have discussions about what position a player should play, but the coaches get paid to make their clubs win.

“It’s not like the provinces in New Zealand or Australia or South Africa where they have a responsibility to the national team.

“That’s the structure and we work with it. We’ve got a responsibility to work with the clubs and we do that to a large extent. There’s always conflict, but we’ve established good relationships.”

England struggled at the breakdowns during this year’s Six Nations and in their three-Test series against the Springboks in South Africa in June. This was mainly due to the way it was approached and refereed.

Jones admitted that he has little influence in advising clubs on the tactics to use for improvement.

“It’s not my job to influence how the Premiership is played and I don’t think they would welcome it,” he added.

“The only thing I can affect is how the breakdown’s refereed in the international game and there are ongoing discussions with coaches and referees about that.”

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Now that the dust has settled on Super Rugby 2018, it’s time for us to look back over the recent campaign and pick our Team of the Season.

Our side has been selected on previous round picks as we trawl back to the opening round, counting up who performed well until the final game.

There is a healthy mix of teams represented but surprisingly just two players from the champion Crusaders make the cut. Who’d make your XV.

Super Rugby: Team of the Season

15 Israel Folau (Waratahs): With three votes he was tied with Jordie Barrett and David Havili, with Solomon Alaimalo on two. However, Folau edges this jersey after yet another strong campaign in Waratahs colours. Such a threat with ball in hand, his combination with wing Taqele Naiyaravoro was something to behold in 2018, with Folau setting up many of the big man’s 15 tries. Folau meanwhile finished with 11 tries.

14 Ben Lam (Hurricanes): Lam shot to fame this year after a career that, up until 2018, had seemed to be fizzling out. He struggled at the Blues, with Sevens taking priority, but since his move to the Hurricanes he looks rejuvenated. We have switched him to the right wing here due to the fact he finished top of the try-scoring chart on an impressive 16 and was also selected five times in our weekly team line-ups.

13 Jack Goodhue (Crusaders): Another relatively simple decision here as Goodhue made four of our teams this season, seeing off Jesse Kriel, Lukhanyo Am, Curtis Rona and Anton Lienert-Brown with consummate ease. The Crusaders youngster was a rock in defence alongside Ryan Crotty and complimented that with intelligent running and a good skillset in possession. His stock continues to rise after this superb campaign.

12 Kurtley Beale (Waratahs): What a return to Super Rugby from the Wallaby. He was excellent this season and it’s no coincidence the ‘Tahs shot up the table from sixteenth to third position on the overall standings following his arrival. Beale edged out Rieko Ioane, who showed his versatility this year, as the dangerous Wallaby star sparked numerous attacks and helped take the pressure off fly-half Bernard Foley.

11 Taqele Naiyaravoro (Waratahs): A third Waratah makes our backline with four selections this season, seeing off George Bridge who was a consistent performer for the Crusaders. Naiyaravoro though finished with 15 tries, 42 clean breaks, 70 defenders beaten and a huge 1,478 metres ran with ball in hand to be one of the most feared backs in Super Rugby. The Waratahs’ loss is most definitely Northampton’s gain.

10 Richie Mo’unga (Crusaders): Despite missing a chunk of the season due to injury, Mo’unga still managed to cruise to this shirt after a brilliant campaign. Beauden Barrett and Hayden Parker were next in line but some way off the Crusader, who ran the show in 2018. Supreme in possession, with the boot and also solid defensively, he could not have done any more as he looks to push for more All Black minutes.

9 Aaron Smith (Highlanders): New Zealand’s number one number nine was out in front here with four selections as he saw off Bryn Hall, TJ Perenara and Gonzalo Bertranou, who all had more than one pick. Smith, as always, was the general at the base for the Dunedin side but he will have been hugely disappointed with how their season finished at the hands of the ‘Tahs. Leading 23-6, Smith’s team then crumbled in Sydney.

8 Akira Ioane (Blues): The Blues struggled as a team, and eventually finished in 14th position on the overall table, but Ioane was one of their shining lights throughout the season and eventually received four votes. He was a constant threat with ball in hand and got his side over the gain-line with countless carries in which he combined raw power with superb athleticism. Finished the season in joint first place – with Damian McKenzie of the Chiefs – for defenders beaten (74) and beats out Jordan Taufua of the Crusaders and the Rebels’ Amanaki Mafi, who both played huge roles for their respective teams.

7 David Pocock (Brumbies): Only made his long-awaited return to the game in Round Seven but still gets into our team despite a strong challenge from Hurricanes tearaway Ardie Savea, who also shone on a consistent basis. Pocock’s prowess at the breakdown is one of his main strengths and he was dominant in that facet of play throughout this season again. The Wallaby also shone as a ball carrier and on defence with his ability to win turnover ball in the tackle particularly impressive.

6 Luke Jacobson (Chiefs): The surprise package in our side, the 2017 New Zealand U20 captain’s game has come on in leaps and bounds during his rookie season and his selection is no mean feat as he gets the nod ahead of proven internationals in Pablo Matera (Jaguares), Jean-Luc du Preez (Sharks), Liam Squire (Highlanders) and Brad Shields (Hurrcicanes). Jacobson’s physicality as a ball carrier was excellent and he also shone in defence throughout the season.

5 Franco Mostert (Lions): The Springbok lock was one of the Lions’ standout performers and played consistently well throughout 2018. Was at the forefront of the Johannesburg outfit’s onslaught up front and it’s hardly surprising that he finished the campaign as the tournament’s most prolific tackler (234) and line-out jumper (87). Based on those statistics, Mostert deserves his place in our team while Highlanders stalwart Tom Franklin also caught the eye after several superb performances.

4 Brodie Retallick (Chiefs): The All Black enforcer missed some of the Chiefs’ matches due to injury but still makes our team as he was in fine form for the two-time champions when fit. Shone in the line-outs and never shirked his responsibilities at the coalface of his side’s forward effort, but it’s his excellent ball carrying and handling skills which secured his place in our line-up. Retallick’s All Blacks team-mate Scott Barrett of the Crusaders and the Rebels’ Matt Philip were next best.

3 Taniela Tupou (Reds): A much improved player under the guidance of Reds head coach Brad Thorn, the Wallaby has combined his explosive power as a ball carrier with the more traditional characteristics of a tight forward which has had the desired effect on his all-round game. The 22-year-old has become very influential at scrum-time and also puts his body on the line in defence and played with a maturity beyond his years in 2018. Thomas du Toit of the Sharks was next best.

2 Malcolm Marx (Lions): There was little debate about this position as Marx solidified his growing reputation by making our team on six occasions. Performed well in his core duties especially his throw-ins at the line-outs where he finished with a 90 percent success rate, which is the best return by a hooker in the tournament. Marx’s dynamism on attack saw him crossing for 12 tries and he also stood out at the breakdowns where he won countless turnovers. The Crusaders’ Codie Taylor, Armand van der Merwe of the Sharks and Jaguares veteran Agustin Creevy were next best.

1 Jacques van Rooyen (Lions): Marx’s front-row partner from the Lions also makes the team for the second successive year after a string of impressive performances for the Johannesburg-based outfit. Van Rooyen withstood stiff competition from players like Karl Tu’inukuafe (Chiefs), Steven Kitshoff (Stormers), Scott Sio (Brumbies) and JP Smith (Reds) but gets the nod due to his superb scrummaging and ability to gain ground as a ball carrier.

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