This weekend all rugby roads lead to......SA!

[PaarlBok]

Three games lined up starting on friday night 19h00 with a game you cant call other then a Springbok trail match in Windhoek. For some reason it dont look like this game will be televised which is a pitty. Would have been great to see the combinations playing in this match. Hats of to Snor for trying things in this match and see the way it pan out. The players in both teams will try to impress the very last time for a Springbok jumper. Would love to see the Kankowski, Brussouw, Deysel combination going.

The SA XV team is:


15. Earl Rose 14. Jongi Nokwe 13. Morgan Newman 12. Meyer Bosman 11. Odwa Ndungane 10. Peter Grant 9. Ricky Januarie 8. Ryan Kankowski 7. Jean Deysel 6. Heinrich Brüssow 5. Andries Bekker 4. Johann Muller 3. John Smit (captain) 2. Bismarck du Plessis 1. Tendai Mtawarira

Replacements:
16. Adriaan Strauss 17. Wian du Preez 18. Steven Sykes 19. Juan Smith 20. Schalk Burger 21. Jano Vermaak
22. Jean de Villiers 23. Adi Jacobs 24. JP Pietersen

Namibian Invitation XV: 15 Jaco van der Westhuizen, 14 Tonderai Chavhanga, 13 Frikkie Welsh, 12 ?, 11 Llewellyn Winckler, 10 Derick Hougaard, 9 Rory Kockott, 8 Jacques Burger, 7 Duane Vermeulen, 6 Jacques Nieuwenhuis, 5 Nico Breedt, 4 David de Villiers, 3 Kobus Calldo, 3 Richardt Strauss, 1 Kees Lensing (captain).

Replacements: 16 Hugo Horn, 17 Johnny Redelinghuys, 18 Ruan Vermeulen, 19 Anton van Zyl, 20 Wayne Julies, 21 Jurie van Tonder, 22 Chrysander Botha.

Kick off SA 19h00

Next game will be saturday afternoon , the Irish & British Lions opener. Haven watch to much NH rugby to have any feel at the moment for this volksvreemde names, just know one think, will have to watch the game with darkies to support my eyes for the BleekBene. All big names and on paper it should be a killer for them. One thing will be sure, that Boputo Botswana XV will give it their all. They playing for pride and for a S14 2010 contract.

Royal XV vs. British & Irish Lions: Russell Jeacocks; Egon Seconds, Deon van Rensburg, Hanno Coetzee, Bjorn Basson; Naas Olivier, Sarel Pretorius; Jonothan Mokuena, Devon Raubenheimer, Wilhelm Koch ©, Jacques Lombard, Rudi Mathee, Bees Roux, Rayno Barnes, Albertus Buckle. Reserves: Pellow van der Westhuizen, Stef Roberts, Ligtoring Landman, RW Kember, Jacques Coetzee, Riaan Viljoen, Jovan Bowles.

British & Irish Lions v Royal XV
15. Lee Byrne (Ospreys/Wales) 14. Tommy Bowe (Ospreys/Wales) 13. Keith Earls (Munster/Ireland) 12. Jamie Roberts (Cardiff Blues/Wales) 11. Shane Williams (Ospreys/Wales) 10. Ronan O’Gara (Munster/Ireland) 9. Mike Blair (Edinburgh/Scotland) 8. Andy Powell (Cardiff Blues/Wales) 7. Martyn Williams (Cardiff Blues/Wales) 6. Joe Worsley (London Wasps/England) 5. Paul O’Connell (Munster/Ireland) captain 4. Simon Shaw (London Wasps/England) 3. Adam Jones (Ospreys/Wales) 2. Matthew Rees (Scarlets/Wales) 1. Andrew Sheridan (Sales Sharks/England)

Replacements
16. Lee Mears (Bath/England) 17. Phil Vickery (London Wasps/England) 18. Alun-Wyn Jones (Ospreys/Wales)
19. Stephen Ferris (Ulster/Ireland) 20. Mike Phillips (Ospreys/Wales) 21. Stephen Jones (Scarlets/Wales) 22. Riki Flutey (London Wasps/England)

then rolls on the BIG one, the S14 final between the Brutes & Chiefs. Myself think the Brutes will be to experienced for the Chiefs lot. Not that I underestimate them but experience in this big ones will do the trick for them. I love the Chiefs and sure is my favourate Non SA franchise by a mile but this one just one bridge to far.

Chiefs:
1. Sona Taumalolo2. Aled de Malmanche3. James McGougan 4. Craig Clarke5. Kevin O’Neill 6. Liam Messam7. Tanerau Latimer8. Sione Lauaki9. Toby Morland10. Stephen Donald11. Dwayne Sweeney12. Callum Bruce13. Richard Kahui14. Lelia Masaga15. Mils Muliaina (captain)

Reserves:
16. Hika Elliot17. Joe Savage18. Toby Lynn19. Serge Lilo20. David Bason21. Mike Delany22. Sosene Anesi

Brutes:
15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 Jaco Pretorius/Marius Delport , 12 Wynand Olivier/Jaco Pretorius, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Dewald Potgieter, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Victor Matfield (captain), 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Derick Kuün, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.

Reserves: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Rayno Gerber, 18 Danie Rossouw, 19 Pedrie Wannenburg, 20 Heini Adams, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Marius Delport/Gerhard van den Heever.

Come weekend, come!

 

[PaarlBok]

Jessie look like no one share may weekend excitement. OK then I'll do it the picture way and hopefull ONE Xpat will get going then!

Meaning I give the Bulls Horns!

 

[Biffo]

Yes, exciting in RSA but not quite all roads lead there. Ingerland hosts the Barbarians tomorrow.

 

[PaarlBok]

Yes, exciting in RSA but not quite all roads lead there. Ingerland hosts the Barbarians tomorrow.

You mean Poms second XV vs Has Beens! :lmao:

The 7s is the exciting one tho in Skotland, our lot needing 1 point!

 

[PaarlBok]

First match report
Superrugby

Namibians make SA XV fight

If the South African XV thought they were going to have an easy work-out in their warm-up match in Windhoek on Friday night they were quickly shocked out of their complacency by a Namibian XV that fought every inch of the way before going down 36-7.

That scoreline might sound like it was a one-sided game, but it was anything but that. The SA XV led only 8-7 at half-time, and for some time into the second half before eventually the addition of first choice substitutes saw the shadow Boks find their range and run away with it.

However, the Namibians butchered a couple of excellent scoring opportunities which would have put them into the lead near the 50 minute mark and it might have been a different finish to the game had they gone ahead.

The turning point of the game came with the second try to wing Odwa Ndungane, which came from a breakaway sparked by an intercept near the South African line, with Ryan Kankowski running much of the length of the field. The Namibians had been pushing on the line for along period, and seeing their lead slip from one point to eight points in such fashion was the killer psychological blow for the invitation team.

But while the Boks did well to play the big point of the game with a winning hand, any British and Irish Lions supporter who saw this game would have walked away from the stadium in a confident mood.

While their enthusiasm should be tempered with the knowledge that this was some way short of being the best Springbok team, or even second best, the game failed to answer any of the nagging questions that have been bugging Bok supporters.

Earl Rose did not put a foot wrong at fullback, but he was not spectacular either, and it would probably be fair to say that he looked far more the part when he moved to flyhalf later in the game. Indeed, along with the second Ndungane against the run of play try, the switch of Rose to flyhalf was one of the turning points.

Rose, apart from his attacking skills, which he showed to good effect as he weaved his way in and out of defenders not long after moving to flyhalf, is a much better and longer kicker of the ball than the man he replaced, Peter Grant.

It was in the territory game that the Boks came distinctly second in this match, where Grant just never had the firepower to deal with the distance attained by Derick Hougaard, the Namibian flyhalf. Jaco van der Weshuyzen is also back from his travels, and between them the two former Boks ensured that the latest incumbents spent much of the game getting acquainted with the wrong side of halfway.

That did change a around a bit when Rose moved to pivot, but admittedly the Boks had also been injected by the arrival on the field of Jean de Villiers and Juan Smith. Both scored tries in the time remaining as they galvanised their teammates.

And in some key areas, there are still far more questions than answers, with this game leaving the way clear for Zane Kirchner and Morne Steyn to erase some of those doubts at Loftus later today.

The final score might make it look like it was a one-sided game, but the Namibians were the better team in the first half and for some considerable time after the turn. Indeed, two missed dropped goals in the first part of the second half, and a couple of other missed opportunities attacking from close range, might have set up an embarrassing situation for the Boks had the Namibians just had a bit more luck.

The Namibians were robbed of some of the big beef that was supposed to play for them when the top provinces withdrew their players earlier in the week. But the Blue Bull Vodacom Cup side came to the rescue to fill in the holes, and it was unsurprising that they played something that bore a close relation to traditional old fashioned Blue Bulls rugby.

An area where the Namibians gave the Boks something to consider was the set-scrums.

SCORERS:

South Africa XV – Tries: Odwa Ndungane 2, Juan Smith, Johann Muller and Jean de Villiers; Conversions: Peter Grant and Earl Rose 3; Penalty: Peter Grant.

Namibia XV – Try: Kees Lensing, Conversion: Derick Hougaard.

 

[Lee Grant]

PB

Thanks for the photo - looks like a nice ride.

 

[rustycruiser]

PB

Thanks for the photo - looks like a nice ride.

Which one?

 

[PaarlBok]

Rusty, Rusty, Rusty! :lmao:

 

[Blue]

PB

Thanks for the photo - looks like a nice ride.

Which one?

The one with some Blue.