Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2021 i SA RUGBY

BULLS 26 SHARKS 19 LOFTUS VERSFELD, 30 JANUARY 2021 LEE WARREN/GALLO IMAGES Such scenes of jubilation were understandable after the Bulls overturned a 10-point deficit to claim a thrilling extra-time win over the Sharks in the Currie Cup final. The Bulls clinched the domestic title for the first time since 2009, completing their rise to the top of South African rugby after they won Super Rugby Unlocked at the end of last year. BULLS 26 SHARKS 19 LOFTUS VERSFELD, 30 JANUARY 2021 LEE WARREN/GALLO IMAGES Sharks wing Sbu Nkosi produced a standout moment in the Currie Cup final when, after a superb set-piece move, he received the ball out wide, wrong-footed covering defender Cornal Hendricks and then displayed an electric turn of pace to score in the comer with an…

‘OUT OF 42 CONTRACTED PLAYERS, EVERYONE HAS PLAYED SOME MINUTES. THAT MAKES IT SPECIAL BECAUSE WHEN YOU GO INTO THE CHANGE ROOM THERE ISN’T SOMEONE THINKING THEY HAVEN’T CONTRIBUTED OR THAT THIS ISN’T THEIR CURRIE CUP’ - Bulls coach jake White after the Currie Cup final. ‘We’re very disappointed, the players are gutted and I’m gutted for them. They fought hard for 100 minutes’ -Sharks coach Sean Everlt reacts to the agonising defeat in the final. 3 THE NUMBER OF MATCHES THE BULLS LOST ALL SEASON. ‘WE WANT TO PLAY GOOD, EFFECTIVE RUGBY. AND EFFECTIVE RUGBY IS GETTING THE BALL TO THE OTHER END OF THE FIELD AND SCORING POINTS. THAT IS THE CURRENCY WE PLAY BY’ - Eddie Jones simplifies England’s approach for the 2021 Six Nations. ‘I will be able to jump up…

Jake White’s biggest signing at the Bulls was Henning Gericke. The “head doctor”, who in 2007 was ahead of his time in South African rugby, was perfectly on time when the Bulls won the Currie Cup for the 24th time and for the first time in more than a decade. Gericke was a magnificent middle-distance athlete, who in 1977 set a youth world record of 3:45.30 in the 1 500m and on one remarkable day, won the 800m, 1 500m and 3 000m at the South African Junior Championships. Gericke, with 10 sub-four-minute miles. could run and in 1984 he qualified in the 1 500m for the Los Angeles Olympics. But South Africa’s sporting isolation meant he would never make it to those Games. ‘THE JAKE OF 2021 IS CONTENT…

If actions can back up the assured talk emanating from the American consortium that has bought a controlling interest in the Sharks, rugby might never be the same again in South Africa. The Sharks were the trailblazers in this country when rugby went professional in 1996 with the creation of the Sharks brand after more than 100 years of being the Banana Boys. It is looking probable that they will again be trendsetters with their amalgamation with American investors and the pizzazz of international marketing giants Roc Nation, who have on their books such entertainment icons as Rihanna, Shakira and their founder, Jay Z. In months to come, with Covid-19 having emptied the coffers of sporting franchises across the globe, will Western Province be ruing the day they spumed the…

OVERVIEW What a difference a year can make in rugby. Between February and March 2020, the Bulls looked anything but title challengers as they won just one of their six opening Super Rugby fixtures. What’s more, the Pretoriabased team were 18 points adrift of the then table-topping Sharks and were only two points ahead of the Sunwolves. Enter Jake White. There was plenty of scepticism surrounding the appointment of the former Springbok boss as the Bulls’ new director of rugby and head coach. The concern was mostly that they would revert to a ‘route one’ gameplan and do away with the ambitious plans to revolutionise the Bulls culture that was instilled under John Mitchell. How wrong those concerns turned out to be. Under White, the Bulls set about overhauling their…

OVERVIEW The Lions blew hot and cold throughout the season. A quick glance at the combined Super Rugby Unlocked and Currie Cup log will show them finishing in the top four of the standings after accumulating six wins, two draws (due to Covid-19 related cancellations) and four defeats, before losing by just five points against the Bulls in their Currie Cup semi-final. Closer inspection and reviews of the team’s performance in the two tournaments are needed to best illustrate how the Lions had a season of mixed fortunes. In the scheduled six Super Rugby Unlocked games, the Lions’ only win came in the fourth round when they thrashed Griquas 61-31. Their matches against the Cheetahs and Pumas were called off and they lost to the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers. The…

Apart from television work, three pursuits occupy Burger’s time post-rugby. He’s enjoying time with his family (wife Michele and two sons Nicol and Schalk Jnr) and often heads to the trails with his wife. While he hops on to his mountain bike, Michele is a walker and the two will often head out to the mountains or the gorge. Unlike many of his rugby contemporaries, he has no ambition to do racing, but loves the social aspect of cycling. Occasionally he will join his wife on her walks. For all that. Burger’s favourite leisure pursuit remains golf, while the state of his knee means running as a pastime is out for him. ’But at least it’s not as bad as Jean de Villiers.’ he quips. Burger has also moved into…

A new era is dawning. After years of Super Rugby, South Africa’s best domestic rugby teams will no longer be taking on their counterparts within their own hemisphere. From this year onwards, the Sharks, Stormers, Bulls and Lions will be squaring up against clubs from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy. Of course, this is not wholly new territory. When the Cheetahs and Kings were booted out of Super Rugby, they competed in the Prol4 for three seasons from 2017 to 2020. But even the most ardent fans could not claim that their stint was a happy one. The Cheetahs won 26 of their 56 games for a win percentage of 46. In their debut campaign they reached the quarter-finals, only to be hammered by Scarlets 43-8 in Llanelli and they…

Former Springbok prop and 2019 World Cup winner Tendai Mtawarira has expressed an interest in making an appearance In World Wrestling Entertainment. Mtawarira was talking in a 16-minute Instagram Live chat to Ghana-born superstar Kofi Kingston, who was one of a few African stars to compete in the WWE. The pair spoke about the WWE and Mtawarira expressed his love for the industry, having been a WWE fan since he was young, looking up to the likes of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Hulk Hogan. Kingston said that many of his fellow WWE superstars had started playing rugby before they made the move to wrestling and asked if Beast would be interested in stepping into the ring as his body type and moniker would make him perfect for the industry.…

You must be very proud of how your team hung in there in the final? It’s incredible when you consider the challenges. No crowds, Covid, lightning and thunder causing the first half to be interrupted. With everything, we had to adapt all the time. It’s definitely going to be a final that everyone will remember for different reasons. I am proud of the way we stuck in there. It was incredible. On reflection, the one thing I really enjoyed was the way our bench came on and handled the pressure. Having touched on the role of the substitutes, can you elaborate on their impact? The bench players were composed when they came on, but they get that because they have been on the field many times this season. They get…

WELL SAID Reffing in his record-equalling fifth Currie Cup final, Jaco Peyper was full of quips. None, however, stood out as much as his putdown to young Sharks scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse. After getting in the ear of the referee one too many times, Peyper chirped: ‘You have plenty of advice for someone playing their first Currie Cup final.’ This left commentators and fans in stitches and Hendrikse lost for words. Later in the game, Peyper was it again, this time putting Bulls captain Duane Vermeulen in his place: ‘Duane, you know from playing for the Springboks... you used to hate it when New Zealand did that!’ THE LION KING Nevers wing Josaia Raisuqe recently made headlines when he was sent off at the end of his match against Beziers in…

Veteran Springboks Duane Vermuelen and Morne Steyn were instrumental in the Bulls’ successful Super Rugby Unlocked and Currie Cup campaigns. But it was the most unheralded Springbok, Comal Hendricks, who added individual romance to the rugby story of the Bulls resurgence. Hendricks, who scored five tries in 12 Tests, was told in 2015 that he would never play rugby again because of a heart problem. He launched his own foundation in his native Boland and refused to give up on rugby. If he couldn’t play, he was going to inspire the next generation of potential Springboks. Only he wasn’t convinced his playing days were over. No province In South Africa would sign him. Overseas clubs refused to risk the medical consequence of signing him. But the Bulls, pre-White and Rathbone,…

Marco Masotti, the driving force behind the MVM Holdings group that has bought into the Sharks, counts Hillary Clinton among his friends, has discussed sport with Muhammad All and took a year off from his New York law firm to work for Justice Albie Sachs at the South African Constitutional Court. After graduating with a law degree from the University of Natal in 1991, he won a scholarship to the University of Virginia In the US, where he completed his Masters degree. He studied with the son of Bobby Kennedy, Max, which fuelled an interest In the Democratic Party, culminating In him being a fundraiser for Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016. When he joined the law firm Paul Weiss and Associates in New York, one of his colleagues was John…

Just a few short years ago, Comal Hendricks was in a dark space. For all intents and purposes, his career looked to be over as a result of a serious heart ailment. To truly contextualise what he went through, this is how he described the bombshell news of his heart condition in a YouTube video: ‘I’d just bought my first house, I’d also signed a deal with the Springboks and the Stormers. It was quite a big contract. I was so happy to move in and start at the Stormers, but then all of a sudden I lost my house, the sponsored car, everything, and had to go live with my mom to recover financially.’ FROM A CAREER THAT WAS ALL BUT OVER, HENDRICKS HAS FOUND AWAY TO AGAIN CARVE…

If the collapse of the proposed equity deal between Western Province Rugby and the US-based consortium MVM Holdings has taught us anything, it is how little understanding the general public has of what it takes to acquire a South African rugby franchise. While Province’s administration took a flogging in the media for the kind of seemingly deliberate leaden footedness in negotiations that left their would-be investors with no other option but to call off the talks, there was a section of the public that supported its stance on the grounds that the Americans’ initial outlay of $6-million for a 51% stake was a pittance. But the Sharks forwarding their bank details to the very same MVM Holdings, for the same amount and shareholding, only served to further emphasise the conflicting…

OVERVIEW In the days leading up to the Currie Cup final, Sharks coach Sean Everitt and CEO Eduard Coetzee suggested the 2020-21 season would be regarded as a success regardless of the outcome against the Bulls. Having said that, the defeat in the title decider would have still been a particularly painful experience after the Sharks had established a commanding 10-point lead heading into the final quarter of regular time. Yet, as fatigue and errors crept in, so the Sharks relinquished their advantage, before conceding a late try in the second half of extra time that settled the result in favour of the home side. Even in the wake of defeat, though, Coetzee took to social media to magnanimously suggest it was a ‘fair result while reiterating his view that…

OVERVIEW CHEETAHS During an unprecedented year in which the Cheetahs competed in the Prol4, Super Rugby Unlocked and the Currie Cup, the side from Bloemfontein produced a mixed bag of results. In summary, they finished the season as a mid-table team, who were never really in the race for any title. Hawies Fourie took over from Franco Smith in June 2019 and made an immediate impact as the Cheetahs claimed the Currie Cup honours in his first full campaign as head coach. Having seen them achieve that, many fans hoped the Cheetahs would go on to higher honours. But it wasn’t to be. In Super Rugby Unlocked, they played five of their six scheduled games with their match against the Lions called off due to Covid-19 protocols. The Cheetahs started…

Ospreys: The Liberty Stadium (above) is a £27-million modern stadium in Swansea that comfortably packs 21 088 fans. Ospreys share the field with the local football club Swansea City. It was here in 2006 that Ospreys recorded a historic 24–16 win over Australia, becoming the first Welsh club to host, and then beat, an international team. Leinster Although the Aviva Stadium is occasionally used, Leinster’s primary home is the RDS Arena in the affluent Dublin suburb of Ballsbridge. With a capacity of 18 500 it is hardly a behemoth, but 2 000 ‘seats’ are reserved for standing fans, occupied by its most partisan supporters. Opened in 1868, this venue was primarily used as a home for equestrian sports. Glasgow: What the Scotstoun Stadium loses with an athletics track running round…

The Olympic Games in Tokyo loom large for the Blitzboks in a year that will also see the Springbok Women travel to New Zealand for the World Cup. The Springbok Sevens team has not been in action since the early months of 2020, but they are set to play in a couple of warm-up tournaments in Spain in February. The two tournaments will be played on consecutive weekends — from 19-21 and 26-28 — at the Campo UCM Central in Madrid, and will be the first arranged by World Rugby to prepare teams that qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. Despite the lack of game time together as a team in the past year, a number of Blitzboks players managed to keep themselves match ready by finding new homes with the…

HOT Although the Sharks were unfortunate to lose the Currie Cup final in a close-fought game against the Bulls, the past year has been a successful one for the Durban-based franchise. Much of that success has been down to the hard work of CEO Eduard Coetzee, who has helped foster an inclusive culture at the Durban franchise through ambitious initiatives such as the ‘I See Colour’ campaign. The Sharks have embraced diversity which is reflected by them being by far the most transformed South African union. On the business front, Coetzee helped to negotiate a multimillion rand investment with key partners MVM Holdings. The deal is the first of its kind in South African rugby and will go a long way to promoting the Sharks brand and cultivating sustained long-term…

After the unceremonious, but not unexpected jettisoning of the Bulls, Sharks, Lions and Stormers from Super Rugby, South Africa’s ‘Big Four’ were left to find a new home. That home has first come in the form of the Rainbow Cup competition involving teams from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy. The Cup, set to be contested from April to June, will function as the dress rehearsal for an expanded Prol6 tournament. South Africa’s migration to Europe may have been a long time coming but has nevertheless been met with consternation and, at times, indignation. It is therefore worth trying to unpack the reasons behind the shift and some of the ways South African rugby may benefit from it. » 1. FINANCIALLY In an era of professionalism. South Africa’s move northwards is…

Jesse Kriel holds himself to a higher standard. Speak to his teammates and coaches and they will tell you that the 27-year-old centre — who has played 46 Tests for South Africa — works harder than most. Handre Pollard has played alongside Kriel at the Junior Boks, the Bulls and the Springboks. ‘He’s a machine,’ the Bok flyhalf says. ‘I don’t know anyone with a stronger work ethic.’ Lood de Jager, another close friend and teammate, offers a prediction. ‘I can see him playing through to the 2027 World Cup. He looks after his body so well. It isn’t an exaggeration to suggest that Jesse will compete at the highest level for a long time yet.’ Kriel considers these endorsements carefully before offering a response. After what transpired in 2020,…

Mention Damian Willemse and Corwin Bosch and the response you’re likely to get is binary, as in whatever rugby fan you talk to is likely to classify themselves as either a Willemse or a Bosch person – and hardly ever both. The patent differences between the two players are pronounced, which makes the contrast in the prisms through which they are seen understandable. At 1.87m and 91kg Willemse is visibly bigger than Bosch (1.80m, 83kg); the Stormers man – as explosive as he is agile – exudes thoroughbred athleticism, while his Sharks counterpart’s qualities are deceptive until he kicks the brown stuff out of the ball The former is all instinct, the latter tactically astute; and Willemse uses his size as licence to throw his weight around, while Bosch can…

OVERVIEW In their final season at Newlands, the Stormers and Western Province managed to finish second on the combined Super Rugby Unlocked and Currie Cup log, but that was scant consolation when their campaign ended with a whimper in the semi-final against the Sharks towards the end of January. This result came amid much boardroom drama surrounding Western Province Rugby, the uncertainty about the future of some of its most senior players and the much-publicised loss of an investment deal with American consortium MVM Holdings. That’s not to say that there weren’t some on-field highlights. There were wins against the Cheetahs in Cape Town in Super Rugby Unlocked, in Bloemfontein in the Currie Cup and against the Lions at home. However, when WP suffered back-to-back defeats to the Bulls and…

‘I had been playing at flyhalf for the past two years in Australia, but I started playing fullback again when I moved to the Lions. I played at flyhalf for most of my life, actually. To get the opportunity to play at fullback and watch Elton play at 10 is part of the learning curve on how to play at flyhalf. It’s also a growing process for me at fullback, to get the best out of me. Elton and I have a good relationship. He knows I can kick and that I am also a playmaker, like him. He and I understand each other very well on the field. Sharing the kicking duties helps take the pressure off each other. If he wants to give a message to the team,…

It’s like the Superman transformation in reverse. After years of seeing his Triple H persona slam, sledgehammer and roar for in-ring rivals to ‘suck it!’, it feels surreal to hear Paul Levesque calmly discuss strategies to win over new markets. This is one of wrestling’s living legends and he’s talking about rugby. ‘People take us for a combat sport, where everybody’s competing against each other, but we’re much more in the vein of where rugby actually is,’ says Levesque, WWE’s executive vice-president for global talent strategy and development. “You have five core values and it’s the same for us. I can look across those, of ‘teamwork’, ‘respect, ‘enjoyment, ‘discipline’ and ‘sportsmanship’, and that all resonates in our world too. You are only as good as the person in the ring…