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All Blacks Gear Up for Bulls Challenge
The All Blacks have named a strong side for Saturday’s Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry clash against the Vodacom Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
READ: Bulls Name Formidable Side for All Blacks Showdown at Loftus
Taylor returns from injury to captain the All Blacks for the first time in his 110th All Blacks match and first match of the tour. Props Xavier Numia and Tyrel Lomax will also play their first match of the tour. djcc.club
Six players from the All Blacks team who beat the Sharks 54-0 on Tuesday back up for the Bulls match: lock Josh Lord, loose forward Wallace Sititi, halfbacks Kyle Preston and Cortez Ratima (who are both playing their third game of the tour), midfielder Timoci Tavatavanawai, and outside back Emoni Narawa.
A total of 14 players named in the 23 to take on the Vodacom Bulls played in the opening match against the DHL Stormers.
“The Bulls have consistently been South Africa’s best franchise side, making the United Rugby Championship finals in four of the last five years,” said Rennie.
“Loftus Versfeld is one of the most formidable rugby grounds in the world, so we are aware of the challenge in front of us and excited at what lies ahead.
“This is also our final hit out before the first Test match against the Springboks, so it is an important game for us. There is healthy competition for Test spots so this is another opportunity for players to put their hands up for selection.
“Huge congratulations to Codie on his first All Blacks captaincy. He is a top man and has done a great job leading this tour group. This is a proud moment for an All Blacks centurion who has made a massive contribution to this team as a player and a leader.”
All Blacks team:
1 Xavier Numia
2 Codie Taylor (captain)
3 Tyrel Lomax
4 Fabian Holland
5 Patrick Tuipulotu
6 Simon Parker
7 Anton Segner
8 Peter Lakai
9 Cortez Ratima
10 Josh Jacomb
11 Josh Moorby
12 Anton Lienert-Brown
13 Rieko Ioane
14 Leroy Carter
15 Beauden Barrett
Replacements:
16 Samisoni Taukei’aho
17 George Bower
18 Siale Lauaki
19 Josh Lord
20 Wallace Sititi
21 Kyle Preston
22 Timoci Tavatavanawai
23 Emoni Narawa
The post All Blacks Gear Up for Bulls Challenge appeared first on SportsClub.
Refreshed Boks ready to knock out All Blacks
Springbok boss Rassie Erasmus is pleased the world champions are well recovered and poised to give everything they got in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
Erasmus and his charges concluded two days of training on Saturday, with the objective to get the entire squad aligned with an eye on the four Tests starting next Saturday against the All Blacks in Joburg.
The Argentina travelling squad, which included 26 players, returned to South Africa in two groups on Monday and Tuesday, and spent most of the week recuperating after last week’s 17-10 win over Los Pumas.
KRONFELD: Springboks on another level
The squad returned to the training field on Friday and had another field session on Saturday before having the next day and a half off.
The four back-to-back Tests kick off at Ellis Park, before moving to Cape Town Stadium (29 August), FNB Stadium (5 September) and concluding at the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore (12 September).
Bok hooker Johan Grobbelaar and utility forward Elrigh Louw, who have been released to play for the Vodacom Bulls against the All Blacks on Saturday evening, will rejoin the national squad on Sunday.
“It was important to manage the players who travelled to Argentina well and afford them sufficient time to recover from the match and switch back into the domestic time zone, which is why we only started training as a full group late in the week,” said Erasmus.
ALSO: Another All Black heading home
“But we are pleased that the players are well recovered and ready to give everything for the forthcoming Tests against the All Blacks.
“It will undoubtedly be a very challenging series, but we are looking forward to it as a collective.
“This series is almost like playing the knockout stages of a World Cup because we are facing one of the world’s best week in and week out, and we all understand the magnitude of the series.
“It’s a new and exciting challenge, and we have been putting in a lot of work behind the scenes, especially the group of coaches and players who remained behind in South Africa in the last two weeks.
“We will fine-tune the areas of our game, which we would like to improve next week as we get ready to take the field.”
Photo: Juan Jose Gasparini/Gallo Images
The post Refreshed Boks ready to knock out All Blacks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Ouaddou Calls for Patience Over Pedersen’s Pirates Debut
Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has called for patience over Sebastian Pedersen’s debut, insisting the club will not rush the new striker into action.
The Norwegian striker arrives at Pirates from Sogndal after signing a two-year contract, with an option to extend his stay by a further year.
However, Pedersen is yet to make his debut for the Betway Premiership champions.
Ouaddou says the Norwegian forward must first be deemed fully ready psychologically, mentally and physically before the technical and performance teams give the green light for his introduction.
“I think they will have to be a little bit patient because, as I said, we don’t have to rush the process,” Ouaddou told SABC Sport.
“Of course, everybody wants to see the new players in the team, but as a coach, together with our performance and medical departments, we have to be cautious and make sure he is fully prepared before bringing him into the game.
“When you start games, you have to be ready psychologically, mentally and physically.
“We don’t want to risk any of those factors.
“When he is on the pitch, it will mean we have received the green light from the performance department.”
The post Ouaddou Calls for Patience Over Pedersen’s Pirates Debut appeared first on SportsClub.
Throwback: AB de Villiers’ 31-ball ODI century
In January 2015, AB de Villiers produced an innings that redefined what was thought possible in one-day cricket, reaching a century off just 31 balls against West Indies at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.
De Villiers finished unbeaten on 149 from 44 deliveries, striking 16 sixes and nine fours at a strike rate of 339, a record for any ODI innings of 50 runs or more.
Along the way he also broke Sanath Jayasuriya’s 19-year-old record for the fastest ODI fifty, getting there in just 16 balls.
His hundred came five balls quicker than the previous record of 36, set by New Zealand’s Corey Anderson against the same opposition a year earlier.
The innings was built on a second-wicket stand of 192 off 68 balls with Hashim Amla, who finished unbeaten on 153, while Rilee Rossouw also brought up a century as South Africa piled up 439 for 2, their highest ODI total at the time.
West Indies finished on 291-7 in reply, as South Africa completed a 148-run win to move 2-0 up in the series. More than a decade on, the record still stands.
Photo: Duif du Toit/Gallo Images/Getty Images
The post Throwback: AB de Villiers’ 31-ball ODI century appeared first on SA Cricket Mag.