Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2024 i SA RUGBY

You don’t need me to tell you that ‘Springboks versus All Blacks’ is rugby’s greatest rivalry. What makes the Ellis Park clash at the end of August so special is it marks the first time both these teams will be coached by former players of the professional era. Rassie Erasmus won 35 Springbok Test caps between 1997 and 2001, while Scott ‘Razor’ Robertson represented the All Blacks 23 times between 1998 and 2002. They have experienced this great conflict as professional rugby players, duellists in three Tests, and are sure to enhance the rivalry as coaches. Jake White coached the Springboks to glory at the 2007 Rugby World Cup and in June came within one win of guiding the Bulls to the 2023-24 United Rugby Championship title, a dream that…

What was the highlight of your short on-loan stint with the Ospreys in Wales? Definitely when I made my debut against the Scarlets [in November last year]. It was a late kick-off and quite tough to play in those wet conditions. It was also great getting to know the Welsh culture and the massive rivalry between the Ospreys and Scarlets. What music do you listen to while working out? I enjoy a wide variety of music, but I listen more to hip-hop and R&B when I’m working out. What’s your earliest rugby memory? When I was seven, we went on a winter school tour to Kroonstad. We played barefoot on those small fields and it was cold. We barely knew how the game of rugby worked. We just caught the…

Jake White’s post-URC final interview was hard to watch. Ashen-faced and with bloodshot eyes, the Bulls coach bemoaned the lost opportunity and refused to take any consolation from their season as a whole. I was gutted for White. But I was also thrilled for Glasgow Warriors coach Franco Smith, who had fulfilled what seemed to be Mission Impossible by beating the Bulls at altitude in Pretoria in front of 52 000 fans, a week after dethroning Munster in Limerick. In August 2022, the former Springbok flyhalf took over a Glasgow team that had suffered a humiliating 76-14 defeat to Leinster in their URC quarter-final, having failed to qualify for the Champions Cup for the first time in 16 years. Smith’s appointment was described as ‘underwhelming’ by local media and met…

www.youtube.com/@RugbyCoachWeekly SET PIECE Technical excellence for your lifters and jumpers Former Wallabies forwards coach Andrew Blades examines the keys to successful lineouts, starting with techniques for jumpers and lifters. All the players need good core strength to be able to lift and jump quickly. However, I want to concentrate on the key techniques. THE LIFTERS Before the lift, the lifters mustn’t get too low too early as knees bent too much in a static position will weaken their position and slow their upward drive on the lift. The knees will need to be bent, but not so much that they cannot explode quickly. The lifter needs to move quickly to position himself close to the jumper as he sets to jump. This close proximity to the jumper allows the lifter…

CLUB FOCUS Newly-crowned URC champions, the Glasgow Warriors have further entrenched their position as Scotland’s most successful professional club. Under the guidance of South African head coach Franco Smith, Glasgow claimed their second major title by upsetting the odds when they beat the Bulls in the URC final at a sold-out Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. The Warriors were one of the big entertainers of the 2023-24 season, ranked among the top three for tries (80) and points (546) scored as Smith successfully established an attacking brand of rugby, having taken over from Danny Wilson in 2022. While Glasgow finished fourth overall on the table, they produced two big results by dethroning defending champions Munster at Thomond Park in Limerick, before going on to conquer Loftus. Originally founded as a district…

It is accepted in professional rugby that the ultimate prize is the winning of the World Cup. There have been 10 World Cup tournaments, played every four years, and each time the tournament gets bigger, better and more commercially lucrative. The only throwback to those amateur glory days of big teams doing big tours is the British & Irish Lions, who every four years tour one of South Africa, New Zealand or Australia. Now the richest, in tradition and intensity, rugby rivalry between two nations will again be reinforced and consolidated with the All Blacks touring South Africa in 2026 and the Springboks playing eight matches against the All Blacks in New Zealand in 2030, including a three-Test series. South Africa have only won one three-Test series in New Zealand,…

FAF DE KLERK ‘50 up for this yster. Congrats my friend! I’m very proud of you.’ - The Springbok scrumhalf with long-time teammate Vincent Koch, who celebrated his milestone 50th cap against Wales at Twickenham. SACHA FEINBERG-MNGOMEZULU ‘Blessings on blessing. #937.’ - The Springbok rookie with veteran Eben Etzebeth, after making his Test debut. JESSE KRIEL ‘Test match rugby,’ - The Springbok centre with fellow midfielders André Esterhuizen and Damian de Allende at Twickenham. MORNÉ VAN DEN BERG ‘Proud of you my friend.’ - The Lions scrumhalf congratulated teammate Edwill van der Merwe after the wing received the Man of the Match award on his Bok debut. JEAN SMITH ‘Ready for the big one.’ - The former Junior Springbok flyhalf alongside his grandfather and father Franco, before the URC final…

‘WHEN YOU GET A SPRINGBOK JERSEY WITH YOUR NAME ON IT … IT’S WHAT YOU LITERALLY DREAM OF. AN OUT-OF-BODY EXPERIENCE’ SACHA FEINBERG-MNGOMEZULU AFTER HIS TEST DEBUT AGAINST WALES AT TWICKENHAM ‘THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST WINS I’VE EVER HAD AS A COACH’ BULLS COACH JAKE WHITE AFTER THEIR URC SEMI-FINAL VICTORY AGAINST LEINSTER AT LOFTUS ‘WE WILL MOUNT A BETTER CAMPAIGN [NEXT SEASON]. WE WON’T TOUR AS POORLY AS WE DID THIS SEASON. I AM VERY CONFIDENT ABOUT THE FUTURE’ STORMERS COACH JOHN DOBSON AFTER THEIR URC QUARTERFINAL LOSS TO THE GLASGOW WARRIORS AT SCOTSTOUN STADIUM ‘WE HAD SOME BAD MONTHS, YES, BUT THE COMEBACK IS NOW COMPLETE’ COACH PHILIP SNYMAN AFTER THE BLITZBOKS QUALIFIED FOR THE 2024 PARIS OLYMPICS BY WINNING THE SEVENS REPECHAGE EVENT ‘HE PUT…

As the rugby world prepares for the latest chapter in the storied rivalry between the Springboks and All Blacks, anticipation is reaching fever pitch. This time, the narrative is enriched by the coaching duel between Johan ‘Rassie’ Erasmus and Scott ‘Razor’ Robertson, both of whom have experienced this fierce competition as players and bring their strategic brilliance to the coaches box. Having guided the Springboks to successive World Cup titles, Erasmus has already cemented his legacy in South African rugby. Known for his strategic acumen and ability to inspire, Erasmus has transformed the Boks into a dominant force, overseeing a rise to the pinnacle of international rugby. Robertson, meanwhile, is a coaching mastermind who has redefined success in franchise rugby with the Crusaders. His tenure with the Christchurch-based giants brought…

WHICH TEAM WILL POWER TO GLORY IN THE 2024 RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP? VS DYLAN JACK SAYS SPRINGBOKS Having successfully defended their World Cup title in France last year, the Springboks now have the opportunity to enforce their status as the world’s best Test team. The one big question hanging over Rassie Erasmus’ tenure has been South Africa’s performances in between World Cups, as Erasmus has sacrificed mid-cycle success for the greater good of building a team to win the biggest prize. However, with New Zealand, Australia and Argentina all under new management, the Boks have a golden opportunity to win a full Rugby Championship for the first time. Erasmus did coach the team to the 2019 title, but that was when the tournament was truncated due to the World Cup, with…

Wayne Lardner First half a disaster. Second half with the changes, spot on. Hendrik Hanekom The Bomb Squad made a huge difference. Fassi was excellent under the high ball. Edwill van der Merwe is a player for the future, what a debut! Tom Priestley Many have said this is the worst Wales team in history. I feel sorry for their rugby, it has slipped so far. Congratulations to the Boks, you can only play those in front of you. Justin Armstrong As a Lions fan, I am so proud of Edwili! Jordan not good enough, I’m afraid, Sacha was way better. But lekker that they both got points in the jersey. Delmonica Scheepers Give Jordan a break. It was his first game and he will definitely get better. Well done,…

Despite the heartbreak of losing to the Glasgow Warriors in the United Rugby Championship showpiece, the Bulls stood out as the most consistent South African team of the 2023-24 season, writes Devin Hermanus. With World Cup-winning coach Jake White at the helm, the Pretoria-based outfit overcame last season’s quarter-final exit to host their first-ever URC final at Loftus Versfeld after finishing second in the regular season and securing the SA Shield conference title for the first time. The Bulls showcased an impressive balance of physical dominance and attacking flair, dispelling the myth of being a one-dimensional side. They emerged as the URC’s top tryscorers in the regular season (85) and set a new competition record with 639 points, surpassing Leinster’s previous mark. Captain Ruan Nortjé led with maturity, supported by…

There was plenty of excitement when it was announced that John Plumtree would be returning to the Springbok-filled Sharks team ahead of the 2023-24 season, writes Dylan Jack. However, with most of their stars at the World Cup, the Sharks endured an awful two-win URC campaign, following up a five-loss start with a mid-season slump of eight defeats. With their hopes of securing a URC playoff already in tatters by March, Plumtree wisely opted to devote full focus to the Challenge Cup, as winning the tournament would offer an alternate route into the Champions Cup. Having welcomed the likes of Eben Etzebeth, Ox Nché, Bongi Mbonambi, Vincent Koch and Makazole Mapimpi back from World Cup duty, the Sharks finished the season strongly, winning seven of their 11 remaining fixtures. This…