Tag: Rugby

Take a look at the team line-ups ahead of Round One of the Rugby Championship.

Saturday

Australia v New Zealand
ANZ Stadium, Sydney

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 Taniela Tupou, 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 Ofa Tuungafasi, 19 Scott Barrett, 20 Ardie Savea, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown

South Africa v Argentina
Kings Park, Durban

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

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All Black replacement prop Ofa Tuungafasi has been ruled out of the Bledisloe opener against the Wallabies on Saturday with a rib injury.

Tuungafasi’s place on the replacements bench has been taken by the Crusaders’ Tim Perry, with Tuungafasi returning home.

Hurricanes prop Jeffery Toomaga-Allen has been drafted in to the squad as cover.

New Zealand (revised): 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

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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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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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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Australia captain Michael Hooper says that they are looking for a fast start against the All Blacks in the opening Rugby Championship game.

Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup encounter marks the flanker’s return from injury having missed the end of the Waratahs’ Super Rugby campaign.

Hooper is a crucial component of the Wallabies team and the skipper is looking to make up for lost time when he takes to the field in Sydney.

“I’m going to come out all guns blazing,” the flanker told reporters. “We’re ready, we’re good to go…bring it on. I feel really ready and can’t wait for Saturday’s match.”

Hooper is renowned for his energy around the field, but sometimes that has led to the flanker and his team-mates feeling the wrath of the referee’s whistle.

The 26-year-old therefore admits that they need to improve their discipline and find the right moment to disrupt opposition ball.

He said: “The line is hard to pick. You’ve got to feel it off your gut sometimes. It’s something that certainly the leaders in our team are constantly working on to try and pick that line.

“You want to be fired up and ready to get off the line and disrupt, but when things don’t go your way – against quality teams sometimes they don’t – you’ve got to try and drag that momentum back. Not losing your head, keeping your cool and sticking to your game plan is important.

“That is very much what we’re going to do this week: stick to our stuff, bring ourselves back and play our game. Our game is ready to go for tomorrow night against these guys.

“It comes down to speed at the ruck, it’s so important at Test level…being able to retain our ball and slow their ball up.

“We’re fully capable of scoring points, we showed that in June and at other times. Back-row has a fair bit to do with the ruck attacking and defence. Getting that area sorted is paramount.”

Should Australia beat the world champions then it would see them claim successive victories over the All Blacks having defeated Steve Hansen’s men 23-18 in Brisbane last year.

However, that triumph followed seven consecutive losses to New Zealand and Hooper knows the challenge that they will face on Saturday.

“There’s no easy way around this thing. It’s going to be hard, and that’s why different teams and different players have struggled over the course of however many years,” Hooper added.

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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.

Ledesma took over from Daniel Hourcade, who was dismissed after that record 44-15 defeat to Scotland in June, spelling the end of a torrid 18 months, which included his side failing to register a single win in last year’s Rugby Championship.

Indeed, Los Pumas’ overall tournament record makes for grim reading. Of 33 matches played, they have won just three and drawn one since joining the Tri-Nations in 2012.

But in Ledesma, they may have just the man capable of turning around the fortunes of the national side, who have won two of its last 17 matches in all competitions.

Having cut his teeth in France as a forwards coach and then with the Wallabies, Ledesma excelled in his first season as head coach with the Jaguares, taking them to the quarter-finals for the first time in their Super Rugby history.

With Gonzalo Quesada taking over at the franchise, it is a different job for Ledesma, but with the same group of players, who will be buoyed to still have their mentor around at national level.

Ledesma’s request to call on European-based players has opened the door for Juan Figallo as the only non-Jaguares player to start on Saturday and is a move that could significantly alter the fortunes of the national team if more are drafted in.

Rassie Erasmus, whose Springboks host Los Pumas on the opening weekend, is aware that this is an Argentina side on the rise.

“Mario is definitely going to give this Argentina side new energy,” he said. “With the Jaguares, he went five or six games on the trot unbeaten under difficult circumstances in New Zealand and Australia and then beat all of our franchises.

“They have beaten us here before and they will be sitting back and enjoying the underdog tag but luckily we know that they are formidable, and we have seen what they have done to our Super Rugby teams and the New Zealand and Australian teams.”

After all, the Springboks themselves were experiencing dark days not too long ago but thanks to two consecutive series victories under their belt, they can afford to breathe a lot easier.

Under Rassie Erasmus, they should now be confident that they can go one better than their third-placed finish in last year’s tournament after a convincing 2-1 series triumph over England in the June internationals.

But the fine form of the Jaguares and the appointment of Ledesma will give the visitors plenty of confidence and they could cause an upset or two over the coming weeks.

Players to watch:

For South Africa: Stormers forward Pieter-Steph du Toit has become a senior member of this Springbok side and yet is still only 25 years of age. Whether it is on the blindside flank or at lock, Du Toit has been a rock in the Bok jersey since making his debut in 2013. Du Toit made the most carries of any tier one player during the June tests (42).

For Argentina: Jaguares captain Pablo Matera has had another impressive Super Rugby season. Matera was one of just three players to average more than 10 carries and 10 tackles per game, while he also won 13 turnovers. The former Argentina Sevens and Leicester Tigers man will offer another leadership option on the park besides Agustin Creevy.

Head-to-head: Arguably the world’s two best hookers are set for a collision course this weekend. Malcolm Marx is in the form of his life having scored 12 tries in Super Rugby this season and will be chomping at the bit, after missing the England series with a hamstring injury. The Lions number two will front up against Agustin Creevy, who is integral to his side’s cause as the leader and talisman, setting the example with high work rate and physicality in the loose and set-piece.

Previous results:

2017: South Africa won 41-23 in Mendoza
2017: South Africa won 37-15 in Port Elizabeth
2016: Argentina won 26-24 in Salta
2016: South Africa won 30-23 in Nelspruit
2015: South Africa won 24-13 in London
2015: South Africa won 26-12 in Buenos Aires
2015: Argentina won 37-25 in Durban
2014: South Africa won 33-31 in Salta
2014: South Africa won 13-6 in Pretoria

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

The teams:

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

Date: Saturday, August 18
Venue: Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 17:05 local (16:05 BST, 15:05 GMT)
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Angus Gardner (Australia), Andrew Brace (Ireland)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)

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

This fixture also doubles up as a Bledisloe Cup clash and for the first time in years Australia head into this trans-Tasman encounter with a semblance of confidence after claiming a 23-18 victory over the world champions when these sides met in their previous Bledisloe match, in Brisbane last year.

That success means Australia will fancy their chances of beating New Zealand, although the All Blacks are a formidable force wherever they play in the world.

That was best illustrated in last year’s corresponding fixture when the world champions blew the Wallabies away in the first half in Sydney before eventually securing a 54-34 victory, which paved the way for further Bledisloe Cup success after a 35-29 win in Dunedin.

However, the victory in the third Bledisloe game was an important one for Australia as it ended a seven-match losing streak against New Zealand which stretched back to 2015. If the Wallabies want to be victorious again, they can’t afford a repeat of that first half performance in Sydney last year when the All Blacks led 40-6 at half-time.

It is easier said than done but much will depend on senior players like Michael Hooper, David Pocock, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Israel Folau, Bernard Foley, Will Genia and Kurtley Beale, who all have to be at their best to give the All Blacks a run for their money.

Folau is a real danger on attack and has scored six tries in 15 games against New Zealand. Just four players have scored more tries against the All Blacks – Adam Ashley-Cooper (9), David Campese (8), Bryan Habana (8) and Matt Burke (7).

Meanwhile, New Zealand are boosted by the return of experienced campaigners in captain Kieran Read and lock Brodie Retallick, who both missed their team’s 3-0 series whitewash of France in June.

This match will be a momentous one for Retallick’s fellow second-row Sam Whitelock, who will become just the eighth All Black to play 100 Tests when he takes to the field in Sydney.

It is fitting that Whitelock will be partnered by Retallick as they will be starting their 47th Test as a locking partnership – only Robin Brooke and Ian Jones have combined for more Tests for the All Blacks.

Head coach Steve Hansen highlighted the importance of this fixture to his side and expects another tough challenge from Australia.

“We’re all excited at what is shaping up to be another classic Bledisloe Cup encounter here in Sydney on Saturday night,” he said.

“We know that we have to earn the right to perform by preparing well and taking each moment that arises, and that mindset has been reflected in our preparation this week, which has been very good.

“The Bledisloe means a lot to this team and we have the opportunity to show just how much on Saturday night. As far as we’re concerned, neither team currently has possession of the cup and if we want it, we’ve got to front up and take it.”

Players to watch:

For Australia: Wallabies captain Michael Hooper is one player who will be determined to hit the ground running after missing the latter part of the Waratahs’ campaign due to a hamstring injury. The 26-year-old has been rushed into his country’s run-on side for this encounter and, apart from his role as the team’s leader, Hooper will also pose a huge threat on the ground as his partnership with David Pocock at the breakdown is sure to have a big influence on this match. Hooper made headlines last week when he became the first Australian to sign a new five-year contract since 2007 which highlights how highly he is rated in his country.

For New Zealand: Two-time World Rugby Player of the Year Beauden Barrett will be keen to impress and determined to prove that he is still the All Blacks’ premier fly-half. The emergence of Richie Mo’unga as a player with big match temperament during the Crusaders’ successful Super Rugby run has led to calls for him to be elevated to the run-on side at Barrett’s expense, but All Blacks coach Steve Hansen still believes the incumbent pivot is the right man to wear the number 10 jersey. A commanding display from Barrett will keep his detractors at bay and justify Hansen’s faith in him.

Head-to-head: In Reece Hodge and Jack Goodhue, Australia and New Zealand have two promising centres who are both trying to cement their places in their countries’ run-on sides. Both are aged 23 but Hodge is the more experienced of the two and has already played in various positions in the Wallabies’ backline. Hodge stole the show in the last Bledisloe Cup encounter in Brisbane last year when he landed a monster 53-metre kick which helped the Wallabies beat the All Blacks and he will be hoping to repeat those heroics this weekend. Meanwhile, Goodhue’s superb performances for the Crusaders earned him a spot in the world champions’ starting XV and he will be keen to replicate that form in this encounter.

Previous results:

2017: Australia won 23-18 in Brisbane
2017: New Zealand won 35-29 in Dunedin
2017: New Zealand won 54-34 in Sydney
2016: New Zealand won 37-10 in Auckland
2016: New Zealand won 29-9 in Wellington
2016: New Zealand won 42-8 in Sydney
2015: New Zealand won 34-17 at Twickenham (RWC Final)
2015: New Zealand won 41-13 in Auckland
2015: Australia won 27-19 in Sydney

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.

The teams:

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 Taniela Tupou, 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

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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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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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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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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