Two quite contrasting acts put the exclamation points on Kieran Read's 50th test and underlined why the next 50 are as inevitable as night following day, or the hard-nosed Cantab putting team goals before individual glory. Read, in just his second home test as skipper of this new generation All Blacks, was, as the French... Continue Reading →

OPINION: Rugby can be relied on for throwing up innocuous sounding terms which soon take on a controversial bent. A couple of years ago you couldn't get through an interview with a union chief executive without at least one "going forward". There was Graham Henry's infamous "rotation" policy ahead of the 2007 World Cup, and... Continue Reading →

Richie McCaw expects his six-month holiday will empower him to once again appreciate the job of being All Blacks captain. McCaw, who yesterday confirmed he will play his first match of 2013 for his Christchurch club in "three or four weeks", said the New Zealand Rugby Union's decision to grant a sabbatical gave him a... Continue Reading →

THE Kings is dead, long live the King, they say when one man’s departure can’t be too heavily lamented because there has to be celebration for the ascendancy of the new ruler, but in terms of the Sharks’ coaching job, that is bull dust. With respect to Brendan Venter, who I have nothing against and... Continue Reading →

The Springbok team to face Scotland in Nelspruit on Saturday shows five changes, three of them on the bench, from the match-23 which beat Italy in the opening round of the Castle Lager Incoming Series last weekend. The two new players in the starting line-up are scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar, who comes in for the injured... Continue Reading →

The Qantas Wallabies squad for the DHL Australia 2013 Lions tour is: Player Position State Age Appearances Ben Alexander Prop Brumbies 28 48 Adam Ashley-Cooper Fullback-Wing-Midfield NSW Waratahs 29 77 Berrick Barnes Flyhalf/Inside Centre/Fullback NSW Waratahs 27 50 Kurtley Beale Fullback/Flyhalf Melbourne Rebels 24 36 Nick Cummins Wing Western Force 25 6 Dave Dennis Loose... Continue Reading →

Any illusions about the legitimacy of France's challenge or the gap left by the All Blacks most senior players ended at Eden Park. The first test of the season was not a classic, but it was a classic contest as France tore into a series that is now poised for a cracking rematch in Christchurch.... Continue Reading →

As the All Blacks coach delivered the news that Dan Carter was out for the first two tests of the French series, Steve Hansen did his best to look solemn and disappointed. But the reality is the Carter's enforced absence fits perfectly with his plan for this three-test series which starts on Saturday night at... Continue Reading →

It is five years since Heyneke Meyer applied for the job of Springbok coach and, despite coming top of the class when the candidates sat examinations for the position, he lost out to Peter de Villiers, who sources that cannot be quoted say was towards the bottom of the rankings. De Villiers got the job... Continue Reading →

Five uncapped players, two of them in the starting line-up, have been selected in the Springbok team to face Italy in the opening round of the Castle Lager Incoming Series at Growthpoint Kings Park in Durban on Saturday afternoon. Willie le Roux (fullback) and Jano Vermaak (scrumhalf) will earn their Springbok debuts in the starting... Continue Reading →

There's a reason the All Blacks are not sweating bullets over the likelihood of Dan Carter missing Saturday's test season opener against the French. His name is Aaron Cruden. The 24-year-old Chiefs first five-eighth is all but a certainty to start in the No 10 jersey on Saturday night at Eden Park, with a no-risk... Continue Reading →