Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2022 i SA RUGBY

The late Liberace was known for tickling the ivories and garish opulence, and when it comes to South Africa’s rugby riches there’s nothing that shamelessly flaunts this wealth more than twin piano-movers Dan and Jean-Luc du Preez being overlooked for regular Springbok duty. But Jacques Nienaber must surely be considering a key change based on the ease with which the Kearsney giants have stomped on their European rivals in recent months. Lionel Mapoe and Deon Fourie have returned from their European quests and, in addition to performing at a high level on the field, each of the veterans have flipped open a treasure chest of experience to share with South Africa’s next generation of stars. Among these stars is Siya Masuku, the best local flyhalf you’ve never heard of, and…

SA RUGBY MAGAZINE HAS OVER 430 000 FACEBOOK FOLLOWERS. HERE’S HOW THEY RESPONDED TO SIX OF OUR BIGGEST POSTS LAST MONTH SA Rugby magazine The Sharks have confirmed that Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth will be joining them after he was granted an early exit from his contract with Toulon. Mikaeel Frenchman Great for South African rugby that Springboks are coming back home to play and boost our local franchise rugby. Dale Monk The Sharks, the Man City of rugby. Carol Udeman I will have to start supporting the Sharks as all the Stormers players are moving there. Charlton Adrian Williams The Sharks should just buy the Stormers already. Cedric Elton Where Siya goes, Eben goes. Worst kept secret. Sela Malesela With Eben Etzebeth returning to South Africa, I think it…

Mettle is a traditional feature of Springbok packs. Whether locking horns in the front row, soaring high in the lineout or competing at the breakdown, there’s a bold fearlessness common to every forward in the green and gold. At the peak of their powers, South Africa’s forwards are about as subtle as a thunderstorm, and in the case of twin brothers Jean-Luc and Dan du Preez, lightning strikes twice. The twins have been a revelation in the English Premiership but when the Kearsney College duo joined Manchester’s Sale Sharks in 2018, they were raw talents. For SA Schools they stood head and shoulders above their competitors, literally and metaphorically, and successful careers in professional rugby were seen as a foregone conclusion. After a breakthrough season at the Sharks, an international…

Siya Masuku stole the spotlight in the opening rounds of the 2022 Currie Cup, personifying the adage ‘hard work pays off. The 25-year-old flyhalf steered the Cheetahs to wins over Griquas, the Bulls and Pumas, but it was his performance at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria that really caught the eye. Behind a dominant pack, Masuku looked like a true general in a backline that included veteran Springboks Ruan Pienaar and Frans Steyn. After the match, Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie did not hold back in his assessment of the quality of the player they have on their hands. ‘Siya is a great player and I predict a big future for him. He has a cool head and the skill set you want from a 10. He can attack, defend, he has…

Which team is the greatest in the history of Super Rugby? Was it the 2009 Bulls powered by Victor Matfield and Fourie du Preez, the all-star Stormers side that contested the 2010 final, the Sharks outfit that coasted into the 2007 decider or the 2017 Lions who tripped at the final hurdle? Or how about Joeli Vidiri’s Auckland Blues of the mid-1990s, Sam Whitelock’s 2018 Crusaders or the masterful 2011 Reds steered by halfbacks Will Genia and Quade Cooper? The envy of northern hemsiphere rugby for the better part of two decades after the game turned professional, Super Rugby produced most of the talent that went on to win a World Cup between 1996 and 2019. SARugbymag.co.za readers have tackled the opportunity to participate in a unique 32-team knockout tournament…

PUSHING A pushing move is anything that involves pushing a weight out in front of you or overhead. Your muscles really kick into action and are contracting in an effort to push the weight away from you. Examples of pushing moves are chest presses, push-ups and squats. PULLING A pulling move is any exercise that involves moving a weight towards your body. The complete opposite of pushing moves, your muscles contract when weight is being pulled towards your body. Examples of pulling moves are bent-over rows, bicep curls and pull-ups.…

Late last year, Duane Vermeulen stunned the South African and European rugby communities when he signed a deal with Irish club Ulster before the 2021-22 Champions Cup campaign. Vermeulen had been courted by top clubs in England, France and Japan before settling for a wide-ranging role with the third-biggest club in Ireland. The World Cup-winning No 8 also revealed that he was still available for Springbok selection and that he intended to represent the national side at the 2023 World Cup. The 35-year-old believed that playing for Ulster in physically demanding competitions such as the Champions Cup and the United Rugby Championship would take his game to another level – and that he would travel to the World Cup in France as a more complete player and leader. In short,…

Lionel Mapoe has returned to the Bulls as a wiser and re-energised player after a challenging period in France, where he considered retiring from the game. Having joined the Bulls in June 2021, Mapoe is again loving his rugby. The 33-year-old is playing with the zest of someone 10 years younger and looks like the player who helped the Lions make three successive Super Rugby finals. ‘I have found that love and enjoyment of rugby again. That fun side of it,’ he says. ‘Obviously, there is always pressure at the top level, but I’m just having fun. You can see it on the field that I’m enjoying my rugby. The guys here make it so much easier for me to do that.’ It has been a difficult road for the…

Six Nations Rugby recently said it’s ‘not entertaining any discussion nor developing any plans to add or replace any participating union’ to the annual European championship, but the Springboks’ inclusion in the near future still seems inevitable. That’s because money talks, and the driving force behind getting the Boks involved from 2025 is equity fund CVC Capital Partners, which last year bought a 14.3% stake, worth £365-milion, in the tournament. It also has stakes in the English Premiership and the United Rugby Championship, and is keen to acquire a share of SA Rugby. CVC says its objective is ‘to enhance the sporting spectacle of all the tournaments, teams and brands; and to build broader commercial capabilities to support these ambitious plans’. Which is where the Boks come in. The three-time…

Q We either send too many or too few forwards into rucks. How do we get a balance? A Upskill your players’ understanding of their roles at the ruck so they know when to compete for the ball and when to stay out of the ruck. To go or not to go to the next ruck is a constant question most forwards face. Too many players and the ball is slowed down by the mass of bodies and the next breakdown is not well supported. However, more often, forwards hang back and you lack numbers. Either the ball is lost or slowed down because your forwards are simply driving back defenders. This is not just a problem for forwards. All players need to support at rucks and that means backs…

Whether scrumming at hooker or breaking from the back row, Deon Fourie was a regular fixture in every Stormers match preview I read as a youngster, when brought along to Highbury Media and SA Rugby magazine’s suite at Newlands. A decade later and the subject matter remains the same; the context very different. This time, I got the opportunity to speak to Fourie, who after a successful seven years in France has found his way back to the stripes of Western Province and the Stormers. ‘THE SCHALKS AND THE FLOS ARENT AROUND ANY MORE, BUT WHAT YOU DO HAVE IS A GROUP OF VERY ENERGETIC YOUNG GUYS’ Fourie, at 35 years old, has the apparent energy of the Fourie who scored 35 tries for Western Province and the Stormers in…

A kitten stalks across the keyboard as Raffi Quirke Zooms in, giving a whole new meaning to the phrase nine lives. But this is where the Sale Sharks and England scrumhalf is most comfortable – with his family and other animals in Chorlton. There cannot be many tier-one internationals still living at home. However, given how the nine has buzzed through the elite game for Sale and England, it is easy to forget that 20-year-old Quirke is still so new to all this. So new in fact that he is saving up for a place of his own (though you’d bet dollars to doner kebabs that Chorlton’s estate agents will be the first contacted). If you haven’t avidly tracked Sale through the English Premiership over the past few seasons, your…

DEALING WITH THE OLYMPIC GAMES DISAPPOINTMENT ‘It’s the toughest thing I have had to face in my career. I wanted to be in the Olympic Games in 2016, but missed out on that opportunity. Last year was another opportunity which I wanted to take. I wanted to go all the way and get that gold medal, but that didn’t happen. But it’s not about me. That’s the big thing about the team. I wouldn’t say it didn’t hurt me. There is also so much backlash on the leadership too. There is criticism and negativity around that. But we have got such great leaders in the squad, a psychologist and leadership specialist. Those are the guys who contribute to our psyche as a group. The sessions we had with them helped…

I like the way Jean-Luc and Dan du Preez play their rugby. I like their versatility in being able to play lock, flank and No 8. They have thrived at the Sale Sharks, just like they did from debut at the Sharks in SA. They are bloody good rugby players, and they are a combination that has always commanded a presence and a place in any starting lineup, with the Springboks being that one exception on what is a very good playing CV for both brothers. THEIR PERFORMANCES HAVE BEEN SO CONSISTENT AND IMPRESSIVE THAT THEY SIMPLY CAN’T BE IGNORED Rugby is in the twins’ DNA, with their father Robert du Preez Snr a fantastic scrumhalf for Northern Transvaal (now the Bulls) and the Springboks in the 1980s and early…