Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2021 i SA RUGBY

CHEETAHS 29 WESTERN PROVINCE 31 TOYOTA STADIUM, 2 JANUARY 2021 It looked as if Province were headed for a comfortable victory in the penultimate round of the Currie Cup pool stages when they led 23-9 after 55 minutes. However, two quickfire tries from the Cheetahs and the superb goal-kicking of Frans Steyn reignited the home team’s never-say-die spirit, and heading into the dramatic final minutes, the Free State side held a one-point lead. But throughout this game, WP flyhalf Tim Swiel had kicked superbly at goal, and when it mattered most he stepped up to slot an angled penalty and secure a thrilling victory. GLOUCESTER 19 SALE SHARKS 22 KINGSHOLM STADIUM, 2 JANUARY 2021 The Sale Sharks celebrate the decisive try during the English Premiership clash against Gloucester. The comeback…

FAF DE KLERK ‘Merry Christmas everyone!! Let’s not forget today is about giving! Have a blessed day,’ said the Springbok scrumhalf on Christmas Day. SIYA KOLISI ‘We are ready and dressed, ndicela iChristmas,’ smiled the Bok captain in a snazzy outfit. CHESLIN KOLBE ‘Blessings from me and my girls,’ said the Springbok superstar as his family got in the festive spirit. VICTOR MATFIELD ‘Getting ready for 2021,’ commented the Bok legend alongside a couple of familiar faces. BONGI MBONAMBI Whoever did this, jou ma se Koeksister. I’m so done. Why mara!?,’ the World Cup-winning hooker laughed as he posted a split screen with him and Mike Tyson. DAMIAN DE ALLENDE Baby Doogz coming to you live next year,’ stated the Bok centre in celebration of a new family member’s arrival…

When Jordan came off the bench to score two tries to help New Zealand thrash Argentina 38-0 at the end of November, many were left wondering why the All Blacks had not used the youngster more prolifically during the Tri-Nations. The Crusaders star was a standout in last year’s Super Rugby Aotearoa, leading the competition in tries (six), clean breaks (15), defenders beaten (39), and metres carried (724), while also featuring In the top 10 in carries, offloads, and points. There’s no doubt that the 22-year-old has a long and illustrious Test career ahead of him, and Is certainly one of the players who Is quickly becoming a household name in rugby-loving circles.…

On the face of it, Bulls scrumhalves Ivan van Zyl and Embrose Papier couldn’t be more different. Apart from the black-and-white-guy thing, Van Zyl’s game is low on mercury, with its heavy reliance on basics, while Papier has so much X factor one isn’t sure he knows what he’ll do next. Off the field, the understated Van Zyl appears to be a salesman of the short-back- and-sides approach to life, and Papier – to quote the kids – is all about the sleeve tattoos and that Instagram life. The one thing they have in common, other than being the human Jack Russells that are scrumhalves, is that in 2018 they both laboured under the misapprehension they were in the running to make Rassie Erasmus’ Rugby World Cup squad, spending that…

You were in top form before Super Rugby was suspended, then suffered a serious shoulder Injury. How do you reflect on the ups and downs of 2020? It was an interesting year for me, going to New Zealand and Australia, playing top teams over there and feeling so comfortable in the way I could express myself and put my name out there. It really felt good. And when we came back, we played the Jaguares, and that was also a fantastic outcome for us. But when the virus hit us and rugby had to be suspended it felt like something had been taken away from you and you could do nothing about it; it’s something you have no control over. Post-lockdown, when I got injured, was another very frustrating time.…

You could make a claim for any number of players to be the standout South African performer in the Covid-19 disrupted 2020-21 rugby season, throughout Super Rugby, the so-called ‘Unlocked’ competition and the Currie Cup. Few would be a match for Marco van Staden, whose uncomplicated, no-nonsense style has endeared him not just to the Bulls fan base, but also to the general public who were only too keen for a fix of sporting excellence after more than six months of deprivation. In the two local competitions staged after lockdown, Van Staden has certainly been the most consistent, displaying the type of form that alerted the national selectors in 2018, and that would make it difficult for them to ignore him when the Bok squad is finalised for the incoming…

‘You can’t look too far ahead,’ Jannes Kirsten says. ‘I’ve learned that over the course of my career. You just never know what kind of opportunity or challenge is waiting for you around the corner. You have to put your head down and work as hard as you can,’ The powerful lock-cum-flank plays for Exeter, who won the 2019-20 Premiership and Champions Cup tournaments. The Chiefs have carried that form through to the early stages of the 2020-21 season, and already there is talk of them ‘doubling the double’. Kirsten admits that his rugby journey has not panned out as expected. A long time ago, Kirsten and his brother Frik would watch the Premiership and Heineken Cup on TV with a sense of wonder. Both boys, however, grew up with…

Four years ago, equipped with a single camera and resourced by the goodwill of a handful of volunteers, Dan Leo set out to make a film. The former Samoa captain was driven by a single question: ‘Why, despite providing nearly a quarter of the world’s professional rugby players, do the Pacific Island nations of Samoa, Tonga and Fiji struggle to compete?’ Oceans Apart (available on Prime Video and Vimeo) is the answer to that question. A striking piece of filmmaking that seamlessly flows between investigative journalism, storytelling and activism. Viewers join Leo as he traverses the island nations interviewing players, administrators and politicians in his search for answers. What he uncovers is a story of greed and betrayal that goes to the heart of rugby. Though not a monolith, the…

SIN BIN Veteran referee Nigel Owens has become well-known for his sharp sense of humour throughout his illustrious career. Yet on New Year’s Day he found himself in a comical situation when he attempted to show Dragons lock Matthew Screech a yellow card during a Prol4 match. Reaching for his pocket, Owens suddenly realised he didn’t have his cards with him, and was left with no option but to walk up to Screech and simply point him in the direction of the sin bin. The commentary box was in hysterics as a colleague had to bring on the yellow card for Owens to belatedly brandish with a slightly bashful look on his face. FAIR PLAY Many Ulster supporters were Lett aggrieved when it was confirmed by the Bulls over the…

Call him Mr Dancing Feet. Having settled at the Lions after a lockdown period when it appeared that a move to the Sharks or Western Province could be on the cards, the 22-year-old just got better and better as the domestic season went on. In a memorable clash against the Sharks just before Christmas, he displayed this formidable form once again as he glided past attempted tackles from S’bu Nkosi and Manie Libbok, beat Lukhanyo Am with a devastating step off his left foot before accelerating into space and delivering a perfectly-timed try-scoring pass. Full of smiles and celebratory dance moves, Simelane has been playing with swagger and confidence. As a player of national interest, Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber are sure to also be smiling about the signs of…

The prominent insurance company whose name is emblazoned all over the match day kit of South African rugby officials has taken to running adverts of referees trying their hand at other lines of work – often with disastrous results. If I get the insurer’s message right, the point is that were you ever to encounter gross incompetence, they’ll be there to pick up the pieces. If only that cover extended to the referees’ current litany of howlers at their day job... While they are usually the first people to catch flak from all comers, as a professional critic I’ve always found it difficult to have a go at referees. This is because anyone who has ever met them can attest to how they are usually the most well-adjusted people in…

Twenty-year-old Andre Esterhuizen sat in Jake White’s office as the world champion coach peered over his spectacles and delivered a stern ultimatum. At nearly 6ft 5ins and 115kg, Esterhuizen was already a midfield juggernaut. ‘Andre the Giant’, as he would soon be christened. Yet even in South Africa, where brawn reigns, even under White, famed for the brutality of his rugby, it was not merely enough to be a broadsword in the Sharks backline. White didn’t rate him as a footballer. His handling wasn’t crisp enough; his understanding of space too poor. The options were stark: join the back row or leave the franchise. ‘Moving to flank was Jake White’s great idea... yeah, obviously I’m not a massive fan,’ Esterhuizen recalls. ‘He actually gave me my first shot against Saracens…

Ask Andries Ferreira about his driving force in life, the source of his hunger and the fuel for a career that has propelled him through five nations and seven clubs, and he takes you back to the little town of Despatch in the Eastern Cape. Over the past decade, the hulking lock has played as far south as Wellington and as far north as Edinburgh, where he recently signed a one-year contract. But he will never forget the roots of his toil, seeds sown by tragedy and love. Ferreira was nine when his mother died in a car crash. His parents were separated by then. Father Kiewiet worked brutal hours on the Despatch railways for a modest purse. He gave everything he had to Ferreira and his sister, before he…

The Test debut against the Wallabies is still fresh in Anton Lienert-Brown’s mind. Trotting out as an All Black for the first time, there was something surprisingly serene about the whole experience. ‘The legs were pumping under the water and on top I probably looked quite calm/ the centre says of that day in 2016. ‘For sure, there were a lot of nerves but for some reason, when I ran out, there was a sense of calm. 'In a way, I felt as though I was chucked in the deep end a little bit, because we had so many injuries. I thought I’d be an injury replacement at best and it turns out I started, in a pretty big match. ‘But I’d been in the same situation as an 18-year-old,…

The recent sale of 51% of the Sharks franchise to the US investment group MVM Holdings, is a move designed to bolster the Sharks’ ambitions of becoming a global force in rugby. The current shareholders, the KwaZulu-Natal Rugby Union and SuperSport International, will retain the remaining 49% of the franchise. MVM, headed by Marco Masotti, turned to the Sharks as a viable alternative after the purported $6-million deal with WP Rugby amounted to nothing. The financial terms of the transaction with the Sharks are confidential, but they are believed to be in a similar ballpark. The response from Sharks CEO Eduard Coetzee was incredible,’ Masotti said in an interview. The deal was concluded very quickly. What impressed us is that the Sharks are open-minded and hungry to embrace change and…

Springbok prop Steven Kitshoff was the first rugby player to twig the cult status of a nickname he barely knew existed. He came perilously close to breaking the internet last year by acknowledging the moniker given him by SuperSport’s isiXhosa commentators. Until then, the term of endearment for the Stormers player was the relatively unobtrusive 'Kitsie’. But then he found out about the name – inspired by his being the most famous red head in rugby – by which the black rugby community knew him and embraced it. ‘Iplamu yesipayisi, aka Spicy Plum coming at you like...’ he captioned a picture of him on the charge on Twitter on the eve of last year’s World Cup. He followed that up with, ‘Just a pair of Spicy Plums’ when snapped having…

France have incredible depth right now – the fact their team with 60-odd caps came within a minute of beating an England side with 700-plus in the Autumn Nations Cup Is evidence of that. ‘It was not a French farce but a French force,’ said Woki after that game – and he was central to that force. The 22-year-old’s ability to disrupt the England lineout and deny them clean ball was a standout and he also got stuck in at the breakdown. One of France’s 2018 U20 World Cup winners – he scored a try in the final – he’s set to move closer to the RWC 2023 squad over the next 12 months. Fabien Galthie has myriad back-raw options at his disposal but the 6ft 5 Woki, who plays…

It’s going to be a demanding and immense season for South African rugby. The four franchises will feature In a northern ‘Rainbow Cup’ from April. Three of the franchises will play against the British & Irish Lions in July. From October, all four teams are expected to join the Pro16 tournament from the outset. How far along are you with your preparations for these events? JOHN DOBSON (Stormers): We approached Super Rugby Unlocked and the Currie Cup with the intent to win. That said, we’ve worked hard to develop our gameplan with the middle and long term in mind. IVAN VAN ROOYEN (Lions): Last year was challenging on a number of fronts. There have been a lot of moving parts and delays, and even as late as December we were…

In your newly released book, you speak of the importance of ‘vision’ as a coach. How did that define your early years as a coach at the Bulls? The bigger the vision, the more the energy. That’s not just rugby, that’s any endeavour in life. I usually say it’s like a magnifying glass. If you take a magnifying glass and there’s no focus, there’s no energy. But if you focus on on one specific area you know where you’re going, and that energy can be strong enough to start a veldfire. So, the vision was always to be one of the best teams in the world – or the best team with the Bulls. I always said to the guys, if you look at an old school photo, the first…

If most people were glad to see the back of 2020, Jaco van der Walt has cause to remember it more fondly than most. The Edinburgh flyhalf did not entirely escape the fallout from Covid-19 – he had to postpone his wedding because of the restrictions, and then isolate for a fortnight on his return from the rescheduled event in November. But belatedly tying the knot and winning a first Test cap for Scotland four weeks later brought a warm end-of-year glow to his personal and professional life. Two days after kicking Edinburgh to their first win of the new Pro14 season against the Scarlets in Llanelli, Van der Walt swapped rain-lashed west Wales for the warmer climes of South Africa to marry fiancee Siobhan in a ceremony near Johannesburg…

15. WILLIE LE ROUX (TOYOTA VERBLITZ) Le Roux is one of a host of Japan-based South Africans who were able to play only a handful of games before the 2020 Top League season was suspended in February and cancelled in March. Nevertheless, the Springbok fullback made the most of his game time and was omnipresent at fullback for Toyota Verblitz, impressing as the team’s creative force. With the Top League set to get underway again in January, the Springbok coaches will be hoping Le Roux can quickly find his form again, especially given the long-term knee injury to Warrick Gelant. Honourable mentions: Dillyn Leyds (La Rochelle). ★Leyds has predominantly played on the wing, but is more than comfortable at fullback. 14 CHESLIN KOLBE (TOULOUSE) Who else? Kolbe’s form in 2020…

Funniest? Angus Ta’avao is that guy. I don’t know how to explain it: he has funny written all over him. Smartest? I reckon Brad Weber is very smart. Or Michael Allardice at the Chiefs. Cheapest? Ha, it’s Damian McKenzie I’d say! Biggest appetite? I reckon Scott ‘Scooter’ Barrett. He is full-on ripped but he’s one of those guys who I never see him stop eating. He’s just got that metabolism, while he can keep on eating all the time. Best dressed? Ardie Savea, I reckon. Some others might disagree with what he wears, but for current style he is right up there. Best singer? Caleb Clarke, probably – I heard him the other day and he can sing. Worst singer? There are plenty. I will go with Jordie Barrett, though.…