Canan Moodie and Jean Kleyn were not selected for the Boks’ crucial first WC game on Sunday due to niggles. Rienaber has reverted to De Allende at inside centre, Cheslin Kolbe switches 11 and Jasper Wiese starts at 8. Clearly the plan is to have the old heads of Duane Vermeulen and Willie le Roux on the bench to help close the game out.
(more…)Jake White does have plans to shift to Canan Moodie to outside centre for the Bulls, but Rienaber will pre-empt Jake by using the warmup against the All Blacks to blood Moodie in the 13 jersey.
(more…)Siya Kolisi, Jaden Hendrikse and Ox Nche (from the bench) will play their first game for the Boks in 2023 in the warmup against Wales. RG Snyman will be running the line out partnered by the hard working Jean Kleyn. Siya will be joined by PSDT and Jasper Wiese in the back row.
(more…)Handre Pollard (long term injury), Lukhanyo Am (aggravated the knee injury he just recovered from) and Lood de Jager (struggling with an undisclosed illness) have been left out of the World Cup squad. Am’s misfortune opens the door for Andre Esterhuizen. Very stoked that Grant Williams made the cut and I feel for Thomas du Toit who lost out.
(more…)Coach Rienaber is giving a number of his fringe players a chance to stake a claim for the WC squad. Hopefully this group will manage to put up a better effort than the abysmal showing by the more first choice players at Ellis Park.
(more…)Coach Rienaber has selected Malcolm Marx to start with the out of sorts Bongi Mbonambi set to make an impact from the bench. However he has left RG Snyman on the bench with Marvin Orie (who played pretty well against the Ozzies but not in the same league) getting another start. Trevor Nyakane will get a chance later in the game to make his case to be the utility prop in the squad.
Manie Libbok is back at 10 (just much more comfortable than Damian Willemse) and is partnered by Grant Williams (really stoked for Grant as it means his chances of making the World Cup squad is looking better by the day).
(more…)Coach Nienaber has selected 10 players of the group sent ahead to New Zealand, with the rest made up from players that featured against the Wobblies. Having Grant Williams on the bench (can play at wing) allows him to go with another 6-2 split on the bench.
(more…)The Sharks will start the URC with four games in Europe = the first two games against top Irish sides Munster and Leinster.
The Sharks will be without most of their current Boks (due to the RWC). So will the Irish sides be stripped of Irish internationals, but their second tier players fit more seamlessly into their teams and playing style while there is a huge difference in the Sharks with Boks and without.
(more…)Coach Nienaber has split his squad for the Rugby Championship with 14 players leaving for New Zealand this week and the remainder staying behind for the test against the Wallabies at Loftus.
Jean Kleyn will make his debut for the Boks partnering with Marvin Orie with RG Snyman on the bench.
(more…)The Cell C Shark will be going for a third consecutive victory against the defending Currie Cup champions Airlink Pumas. To try and achieve this the Sharks coach reverted to mostly tried and tested Currie Cup players.
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