The selection of regular No 8 Radike Samo on the wing is the most notable among a number of changes made to the Wallabies side announced today for Saturday’s historic first ever clash against Russia. Samo finished last week’s 67-5 win over the United States on the wing after a spate of injuries disrupted the... Continue Reading →

Allister Coetzee today released his DHL WP team to take on The Sharks, on Saturday 1 October, at Mr Price Kings Park at 17h05. Heinrich Steyl starts at 15 and Conrad Jantjes who has not trained this week, will play off the bench. Berton Klaasen starts at 13, giving Sadie who will play off the... Continue Reading →

Wallabies Injury Update – Wycliff Palu to return to Australia Wallabies No 8 Wycliff Palu is returning to Australia. The 29 year-old limped out of his 38th Test match last weekend in Wellington after suffering the reoccurrence of a hamstring strain in his left leg. Scans in Christchurch yesterday revealed the extent of the damage.... Continue Reading →

RWC team summaries (from a Kiwi perspective) Pool A Canada Basic Info : This large North American nation of 34..6 million is best known as the smaller (and smarter) brother of the U.S of A. If you meet a Canadian in the street : You may struggle understanding a Canadian in the street. This is... Continue Reading →

Soaring to new heights by Graham Jenkins September 17, 2011 New Zealand captain Richie McCaw is undoubtedly one of the finest talents the game has ever seen. He has led his country more times than any other player, is the most capped All Blacks flanker, is a three-time International Rugby Board Player of the Year... Continue Reading →

Wallabies team to play United States named Will Genia is set to become the 78th Australian Test captain after being appointed as leader of the Wallabies team named today to face the United States at the Rugby World Cup in Wellington on Friday night. The 23-year-old Queensland halfback, who made his Test debut in New... Continue Reading →

Profundity is not usually associated with the gnarled practitioners of the front row underworld, but yesterday we had beefy Bismarck du Plessis uttering: “Show me a player content to sit on the bench and I will show you a liar.” The Springboks have relocated from the busy CBD of the capital city of Wellington to... Continue Reading →

Profundity is not usually associated with the gnarled practitioners of the front row underworld, but yesterday we had beefy Bismarck du Plessis uttering: “Show me a player content to sit on the bench and I will show you a liar.” The Springboks have relocated from the busy CBD of the capital city of Wellington to... Continue Reading →

Spectacular Eden Park Opening Ceremony set to kick-off Tournament Key role for New Zealand sporting legend Fans urged to be in seats by 7pm 4,000 tickets still available NZ broadcasters Petra Bagust and Jeremy Corbett to warm up crowd Tournament Organisers for Rugby World Cup 2011 (RWC 2011) today unveiled some key elements of the... Continue Reading →

In 1995 Kitch Christie first coined the now well-worn phrase “the high road or the low road,” with regards to how a team progresses to the knock-out phases of the World Cup, although he probably drew inspiration from the old Scottish folk song about the contrasting routes to Glasgow. In essence, Christie told his players... Continue Reading →

A French victory over the All Blacks in Auckland on September 24, which would repeat Les Bleus' last-up Test win on New Zealand territory in 2009, would change the entire dynamics of the seven-week tournament. Such a scenario would suddenly have the All Blacks facing a semi-final against the Wallabies instead and put the Springboks... Continue Reading →

THE Rugby World Cup holders board Qantas flight QF 64 this evening in a very different mood to this time four years ago, with captain John Smit describing his troops as “excited but a little daunted” by the weight of responsibility on their collective shoulders. In 2007 the Boks left for Paris hopeful that they... Continue Reading →