My take on whats going on in the rugby world. It also serves as a tribute to a dear friend who passed away, Bruce 'Judge' Little.Your quirky chirps, sense of humor and rugby passion will be missed.
Finally the 'Boks seemed to show the class that we all know thy have. I just want to know where the hell it has been hiding or who has been suppressing it for so long! Either way, it was out for all to see on Saturday as the South Africans showed some fight and determination as they took it to the large islanders from Fiji.
If there is a player in the 'Bok team that will pester and worry the opposition it is this Bloemfontein flanker. He is well known in the Southern Hemisphere as the live-wire loose forward who could turn the ball over at any opportunity.
Brussow has just recently returned from injury but has shown some great form against Australia and New Zealand in this years Tri-Nations. With only 15 caps for South Africa you would expect him to be around for a long time to come and still annoying the opposition.
A player in close second to watch out for, would be Bismark du Plessis
Name:Heinrich Wilhelm Brussow
Age:25
Position:Flank
Teams:Free State Cheetahs & Springboks
Test Caps:15 (1 Try)
Height:1.8m
Weight:102kg's
Just in case you never recognised him before, this will jog your memory.
The Springboks have escaped a first ever win less Tri Nations by beating the All Blacks at a packed Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth. The match saw only one try from the visitors with Richard Kahui crossing the whitewash in the 35th minute. The rest of the game belonged to SA and more notably Morne Steyn...
'Judge me on the World Cup' is the song that coach Peter de Villiers is singing to the South African public. What is a slight worry is that you don't just pitch up and all falls into place. You need to practice a few combo's and strategies leading into the IRB RWC. So, now that the Kiwi's are here on our home ground (and shamefully for us, it seems like a home game to them), what are we going to give them?
In the quest to get an unbreakable rugby jersey Canterbury have challenged a number of International Players to try and tear/break the new design jersey, This is Jean de Villiers
In the quest to get an unbreakable rugby jersey Canterbury have challenged a number of International Players to try and tear/break the new design jersey, This is Andries Bekker
So, after all this is said and done, we, the supporters, are still stuck in the same place we were the last few years! We can see no clear direction that the Boks are taking and all the promise that there is a plan seems to be just smoke up our asses. There is one game left for us before we play in the World Cup! Surely by now we should be seeing some shape and positiveness! We are clearly going to NZ unprepared and hoping that by some grace of God we can do something. Now we can take a look at what happened in Durban last night as the most experienced Bok team to ever run on got beaten.
In the quest to get an unbreakable rugby jersey Canterbury have challenged a number of International Players to try and tear/break the new design jersey, This is Bryan Habana...
Leading into the Tri Nations and IRB Rugby World Cup all brands involved are trying to maximise their exposure by advertising and capitalising on the excitement. Watch and Enjoy as a few of the Springboks and Canterbury do a shoot.
Win or lose this game it is nice to see a strong Springbok team run out in Durban this Saturday. No matter what has happened over the last few weeks and years these next few games leading up to the IRB RWC will need to show growth and positiveness. If they don't, the shit will truly hit the fan for Springboks, the wrath from the Nation will be felt and I feel that nobody will be spared, whether your a World Cup winning Captain, the best lock pairing the world has seen, an out of form winger or the softly spoken but outrageously controversial Coach .
Can I open my eyes yet? Phew, last weeks game was sad and frustrating, I am however feeling a little better about the fact that its over and done with. Now, all Springbok fans can look forward to seeing what PDivvy is really planning for the World Cup with the last remaining fixtures of the Tri Nations.
After the Boks got there asses handed to them by the Aussies they decided to make some changes to the team. This was expected but they are more on the exciting side...for a change. Will the positional changes and new combo's stop us from getting destroyed again? I think so.
The Tri Nations is finally here and after a fantastic and eventful SupeRugby tourney, its time to see if the International coaches can capitalise on good form and use the correct combo's leading up to the IRB Rugby World Cup.
So, a 47 test veteran for the Springboks with 72% win record but at 29 years of age and looking overweight and unfit, should he really be in the SupeRugby setup let alone the International setup?
His stats are good but the bottom line is why is he being favoured over players that clearly have more to offer, are younger, fitter and more consistent?
There are 5 scrum -halves that have been named in the Springbok provisional squad : Du Preez, Januarie, Hougaard, Pretorius & McLeod. Who would you cut from those five names? In fairness Hougaard has struggled with injury and du Preez hasn't been his best, McLeod has been in sparkling form but Sarel Pretorius, WOW, he has been sensational!
Yes, Hougaard doesn't start but he can fill a utility position in the Squad. Januarie has hardly started for the Stormers in this season SupeRugby Tournament, he has been playing behind a great young talent in Dewaldt Duvenhage.
Peter de Villiers has said in interviews that he is speaking to the player (Januarie) regarding his fitness and weight. Surely, he should not be rewarded for being out of shape with a Springbok call up and surely that is a conversation that Allister Coetzee (Stormers Coach) should be having?
I don't think he should be in the mix when it comes to Springbok selection and possibly SupeRugby selection until he sorts himself out. In this professional era all players have access to dieticians, fitness consultants, training plans just to mention a few perks but the bottom line is, YOUR A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE! Act like one and show the discipline to look after yourself and your physique. The rest will fall into place as he undoubtedly has the talent and skill.
Most of our memories of Januarie of late have been negative but there is one thing we all remember about him and that's his game winning try against the All Blacks!
Schalk Brits is another one of South Africa's best exports. If you want to dive deeper into it you will see that it was almost a no brainer considering he was schooled at Paul Roos Gymnasium and Stellenbosch University.
He left the Stormers/WP at the end of 2009 to play for the English Club Saracens.
Since his move he has notched up more points than caps for the club. The reason being is that as a tight forward (hooker) he plays like a loosie with the skills of a flyhalf. I honestly believe that he is a centre stuck in a hookers body, Wow! Did I just say that?
Truth be told, this reason probably didn't allow him to play more for the Springboks. When the Boks were hunting for a massive and solid tight five they overlooked an extremely mobile and talented player. I hope we get to see more of Brits in the SupeRugby years to come. In the mean time you can watch 5ft 11in running, passing, side-stepping hooker playing in the AVIVA Premiership for Saracens. You won't be disappointed.
We all love shouting for the Beast when he plays. The following clip is of him playing for the Springboks against Australia in Perth. At least, if he doesn't get picked at prop we can play him at wing. Enjoy.
Daan Human has been capped 4 times for the Springboks and 26 times for the Stormers. We mostly remember the name but since he left the South African shores after the 2004 SupeRugby season we have only heard bits and bobs about this 6ft 2in prop.
Since 2004 he has been learning a bit of French and teaching a whole lot about scrummaging at Toulouse in the French Top 14 and Heineken Cup. He has been capped 139 times in the Top14 and 41 times in the Heineken Cup. Alongside team mate Shaun Sowerby, Human is making a mark in European Rugby.
Toulouse face Leinster at the Aviva Stadium in Ireland on April 30 2011, as they both fight it out for a place in the Heineken Cup Final.
ULSTER Squad (v Northampton Saints) -Backs (13): Ruan Pienaar, Paul Marshall, Ian Humphreys, Niall O'Connor, Ian Whitten, Nevin Spence, Paddy Wallace, Darren Cave, Andrew Trimble, Simon Danielli, Craig Gilroy, Jamie Smith, Adam D'Arcy.
Forwards (18): Jerry Cronin, Declan Fitzpatrick, Tom Court, BJ Botha, Paddy McAllister, Bryan Young, Rory Best, Nigel Brady, Andi Kyriacou, Ryan Caldwell, Dan Tuohy, Johann Muller, Tim Barker, Pedrie Wannenburg, Thomas Anderson, Willie Faloon, Chris Henry, Robbie Diack.
52 test Springbok Loose Forward, Joe van Niekerk is well known by South African and international supporters. Little is known on South African shores as to how well he has been doing at French Club Toulon!
Van Niekerk is captaining the club but more importantly, captaining them in this weekends Heineken Cup Quarter Final against fellow French Top 14 competitors Perpignan. See Fixtures here. He has also led the club to the Semi Final of the Top 14 Championship as well as finalist in the Amlin Challenge, both in the 2009/2010 season
He had a magnificent junior rugby career and captained SA Schools (He was schooled at King Edward VII School.), SA u19 and SA u21.
Van Niekerk was moved straight into the Springboks squad from the u21's without playing a Currie Cup or SupeRugby game. Joe van Niekerk represented the Lions in Super 12 and the Stormers in Super 14 before attempting a move to Northampton Saints (contract was terminated before arriving at the Club) and finally settling in Toulon.
Botha is a Durban boy through and through. Born and bread in Durban he was schooled at Durban High School and Kloof High School. All Currie Cup and SupeRugby (Super 14) was played at the Sharks who he represented from 2001-2008.
Botha received a Springbok call up in 2006 and has represented the National team 18 times. He signed for Ulster in 2008 and is currently still playing in Ireland. He faces a tough challenge in Brian Mujati of Northampton Saints in this weekends Heineken Cup Quarter Finals.
