One man that can tame the physical Samoans, Namibian captain Jacques Burger.

Cape Town – Namibia’s Welwitschias have pulled out of this year’s Vodacom Cup competition due to financial constraints.

SARU’s head of communication, Andy Colquhoun, confirmed to the Volksblad newspaper that Namibia pulled out of the competition.

Their absence will, however, not disrupt the schedule negatively. Teams will now instead receive byes where they would have played against the Welwitschias.

(Volksblad)

The Kit Aid initiative gives unwanted rugby kit to underprivileged children in the UK and overseas to provide those of all abilities and backgrounds the chance to participate in rugby. The project also promotes social inclusion and helps protect the environment through recycling.

The WRU is delighted to back the campaign which improves participation levels throughout rugby and has worked closely with Wales’ national teams and SWALEC League clubs this season to ensure that any unwanted kit goes to some of the world’s most disadvantaged areas.

Graham Price, the Ambassador for LV=SOS Kit Aid in Wales, collected Welsh rugby’s generous offering from the home of Welsh Sport today, where preparations are well underway for Wales’ clash with Australia in the Dove Men Challenge on Saturday (kick off 16:30 CAT).

“I am incredibly grateful to the WRU and their clubs for once again making a substantial contribution to the LV=SOS Kit Aid,” he said. “This is a wonderful project and I’m proud and honoured to support the chance to spread rugby to youngsters from emerging nations so they too can have an opportunity to take part in our great game.”

Jason Lewis, WRU National Rugby Development Manager, said: “Developing the game of rugby across all ages and abilities is at the heart of our vision for Wales and it is with pleasure that I represent our national teams and member clubs to share their generosity with other nations driving the game of rugby in their own communities.”

The WRU first launched their support for the project, which has sent £2m worth of recycled kit to 19 emerging countries in Africa and Eastern Europe, in 2007.

Anyone wanting to donate their kit should go to the official website: lvsoskitaid.com and click “I want to donate” at the top of the page to find out more.

The decision relates to the allegation that France centre Aurelien Rougerie made contact with the eye or eye area of New Zealand captain Richie McCaw. Video of the incident, released three days after the All Blacks’ 8-7 win, appears to show Rougerie raking his hand across McCaw’s eyes, although the flanker’s only subsequent comment on the matter was to say he “got a poke in the eye”.

Scott Nowland, the independent citing commissioner, initially determined there had been no acts of foul play after watching camera angles provided by the host broadcaster Sky NZ. But a few days later new footage emerged, which an IRB statement says “indicated a possible act of foul play involving contact with the eye or eye area had taken place” – yet Nowland could not cite the player as the 36-hour window had elapsed.

He was also unable to bring the matter within the ‘exceptional circumstances’ provision of tournament regulations, which mainly deal with cases of mistaken identity and whether further time is needed to identify a player who may be guilty of foul play.

As a result the IRB will now consider extending the citing period, or altering the definition of what constitutes an exceptional circumstance.

The IRB statement read: “The International Rugby Board can confirm that no action can be taken to initiate a citing case following an alleged act of foul play during the Rugby World Cup 2011 Final on 23 October.

“Mr Nowland has determined that he cannot cite the alleged act of foul play as the footage emerged outside the citing period and he is unable to bring the matter within the exceptional circumstances provisions contained in the Tournament Disciplinary Rules, which deal principally with mistaken identity and where further time is required to identify a player who may have committed an act of foul play.

“Both unions have been advised of the outcome.

“The IRB and Rugby World Cup Limited take all acts of foul play seriously. The ongoing review of Regulation 17 governing the disciplinary process will give consideration to Tournament Rules and IRB Regulations to consider either extending the citing periods or widening the remit of the exceptional circumstance provisions to deal with the emergence of evidential materials following the elapse of the citing period.”

 -UKPA

Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales

Welsh rugby returns to home soil in more ways than one this week as the Millennium Stadium welcomes a brand new pitch ahead of the Wales match against Australia on Saturday, 3 December.

Just as the Wales squad have returned to the green, green grass of home after the 2011 Rugby World Cup, another top team has assembled at the stadium to receive the 7,412 soil pallets which provide the all-important platform for the hallowed turf at the home of Welsh sport.

A pack of 125 giant trucks are expected to arrive in Cardiff’s city centre this week before Millennium Stadium staff can tackle the 120m x 79m turf jigsaw and score the perfect pitch for the December clash between two of the greatest rugby nations.

And Head Groundsman Lee Evans reported for duties with gusto in the early hours of yesterday morning following the Michael Forever Tribute Concert and Wake Up for Wales which welcomed over 125,000 visitors to Europe’s largest indoor arena over three consecutive weekends.

“The stadium welcomed a phenomenal amount of passion for Welsh rugby to the arena for Wake Up for Wales (live rugby screenings) and there is no doubt that the Welsh fans will be looking to give the squad a special welcome when they face Australia at home,” said Lee.

“This prevailing excitement around Welsh rugby is a massive boost for me and my team as we work especially hard over the coming weeks to ensure that the pitch is ready for a thrilling and fast-paced game of rugby in December.

“While the turf arriving this week has been classified as excellent by experts, we must continue to work hard to maintain that condition. Pitch management comes with round-the-clock responsibilities and when the weather is constantly changing we have to rely on various systems and practises such as additional lighting on the pitch and our fully-retractable roof to ensure the highest standards of pitch quality will remain all season.”

All Welsh rugby fans, including over 78,000 rugby fans who watched Wales at the Millennium Stadium for free when the iconic venue opened its doors to the public for Wales’ Rugby World Cup semi-final and Bronze Medal fixtures, will be thrilled with the news that limited tickets are still available for Wales versus Australia.

Tickets can be purchased from the WRU website, by calling the ticket hotlines 08442 777 888 or 02920 230130 and at the WRU Store, 8 Westgate Street, Cardiff. Tickets are also available at a range of local Tesco stores priced at £50.

For hospitality packages starting from £219 for Wales v Australia, visit the Millennium Stadium website.

All Blacks Coach Graham Henry and his Assistant Coaches Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith have today announced the All Blacks team for the 2011 Rugby World Cup Final against France at Eden Park, Auckland, on Sunday October 23, naming an unchanged starting XV from the side that beat Australia 20– 6 in last weekend’s Semifinal.

Starting XV:

1.         Tony Woodcock (82)

2.         Keven Mealamu (91)

3.         Owen Franks (30)

4.         Brad Thorn (58)

5.         Samuel Whitelock (24)

6.         Jerome Kaino (47)

7.         Richie McCaw – captain (102)

8.         Kieran Read (35)

9.         Piri Weepu (55)

10.       Aaron Cruden (8)

11.       Richard Kahui (16)

12.       Ma’a Nonu (65)

13.       Conrad Smith (54)

14.       Cory Jane (30)

15.       Israel Dagg (11)

Reserves: 

16.       Andrew Hore (61)

17.       Ben Franks (15)

18.       Ali Williams (72)

19.       Adam Thomson (24)

20.       Andy Ellis (25)

21.       Stephen Donald (22)

22.       Sonny Bill Williams (13)

Number of Test caps in brackets

The All Blacks will again field a hugely experienced team, with 708 caps in the starting XV, with the side again captained by flanker Richie McCaw in his 103rd Test.  The only change on the bench sees Adam Thomson, who has recovered from his high ankle strain, replace Victor Vito.  

Graham Henry said: “This is the biggest game of the players’ lives and there is obvious excitement and anticipation at what lies ahead. To be playing in the Final of the Rugby World Cup in front of our home crowd is going to be massive and a very special occasion for the team as well as our fans. The support the team has received from New Zealanders throughout the Tournament has been incredibly humbling and we know the country will be right behind us on Sunday night.” 

Meanwhile, a number of milestones will be achieved by various All Blacks this weekend.

McCaw and fellow loose forwards Jerome Kaino and Kieran Read will become the most-capped loose forward trio in All Blacks history, playing their 21st Test together, one more than the trio of McCaw, Rodney So’oialo and Jerry Collins.  

Keven Mealamu will play in his 92nd Test joining All Blacks great Sean Fitzpatrick as the most capped All Blacks hooker of all time and the joint third most capped All Black behind McCaw and Mils Muliaina. 

Meanwhile, at the other end of the scale, Aaron Cruden will be playing in his ninth Test for the All Blacks compared, interestingly, with Grant Fox who was playing in just his seventh Test match in the 1987 Rugby World Cup Final, while it was Andrew Mehrtens’ sixth Test match in the 1995 Final. 

The All Blacks have played France 50 times since 1906, with 37 wins to the All Blacks, 12 to France and the one draw. The teams have played five times at the Rugby World Cup, with the 37- 17 Pool Play win to the All Blacks in this year’s Tournament the last match. The All Blacks beat France in the 1987 Final and in the 3rd /4th playoff match in 2003 with France scoring significant victories over the All Blacks in the 1999 Semifinal and 2007 Quarterfinal. 

********

The All Blacks:  With a history extending more than a century, New Zealand’s national rugby team, the All Blacks, is the most successful international rugby team of all time and one of the most successful teams in world sport, with a winning Test record of 75 percent. The All Blacks won the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 and play Australia and South Africa annually in the Investec Tri Nations tournament, which New Zealand has won 10 times in 15 years, including from 2005-2008 and in 2010. The All Blacks have also secured four Grand Slams against the Home Nations, in 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010. Coach Graham Henry and his assistants Wayne Smith and Steve Hansen have coached the All Blacks since 2004 and have extended the team’s winning record in that time to 86 percent. In 2010, the All Blacks were again named IRB Team of the Year and Henry won his fourth IRB Coach of the Year Award. 

All Blacks 2011 Rugby World Cup notes:

• The All Blacks have scored 293 points so far in Rugby World Cup 2011, with 39 tries, 25 conversions, 14 penalties and two dropped goals. 

• Piri Weepu’s seven penalties against Argentina in the Quarterfinal is a record for a single match at Rugby World Cup 2011. Weepu also topped 100 points for the All Blacks with his second penalty kick against Australia in last week’s Semifinal.

• Israel Dagg is second equal on the 2011 tournament’s try-scoring lists with five tries, one behind France’s Vincent Clerc and England’s Chris Ashton.  Sonny Bill Williams, Zac Guildford, Richard Kahui and Jerome Kaino are third equal with four tries. Guildford’s scored all his four tries against Canada, putting him top of the list for tries scored in a single match alongside Fiji’s Verenki Goneva who scored his four tries against Namibia. 

• Colin Slade and France’s Morgan Parra hold the records for points scored in a single Test scoring 23 against Japan and Canada respectively. Slade and Australia’s James O’ Connor also hold the record for most successful conversions in a single match with nine against Japan and Russia respectively.

Morgan Piek

A week on from the 2011 IRB Rugby World Cup quarter-finals, the semis were played this past weekend and the finalists have been decided. The hosts, New Zealand as expected made the last round of the tournament, along with the total outsiders, France.

When the quarter-finalists were decided no one could have possibly imagined France would be there. On www.sportsbet.co.za, France was the second least likely nation after Argentina to make the Final.  

One thing we’ve learnt over the ages is that history has this uncanny ability to repeat itself. A prime example of this is in 1812, Napoleon invaded Russia. The Russian winter was Napoleons’ Achilles Heel and he suffered a heavy defeat with unimaginable and uncountable losses. In 1941 Adolf Hitler’s’ Nazi Germany invaded Russia.  Again the Russian winter struck and, again the invaders suffered a crippling defeat.

Having said that, the similarities between the 1987 and 2011 IRB Rugby World Cups are quite staggering. One would be a fool not to keep in mind the lessons learnt from the ’87 World Cup. First and foremost; both tournaments took place in New Zealand.

No team that has lost a pool game has ever won the Final. Australia, Wales and France all lost pool games. In fact, the French became the first side ever to lose two pool games and qualify for the Final. The All Blacks are still the only undefeated team left in the competition.

The exact same four nations made the semi-finals in ’87. The only difference is, France played the Wallabies instead of the Welsh. The Wallabies lost that game in Sydney, Australia 24 – 30. That game will forever be remembered for ‘That try’ the French captain, Serge Blanco scored in the left corner. This specific try is still considered by many to be the greatest World Cup try of all time. * View the try : Serge Blanco sends France to the ’87 IRB World Cup Final.

 The following day, the mighty All Blacks crushed the Welsh 49 – 6 in Brisbane, Australia to book themselves the last spot in the ‘87 Final.

Amazingly enough, in ’87 Huw Richards of Wales, received a red in the semi-final. Richards was red-carded, for punching New Zealand’s Gary Whetton. On Saturday, the Welsh skipper Sam Warburton, received his marching order in the 19^th minute against the French. This time however, it was not for a punch, it was for a terrible a ‘tip tackle’ on Vincent Clerc.

This coming Friday, we see the Welsh facing the Wallabies for in the 3rd-and-4th place play-off at Eden Park in Auckland. In 87’ this very fixture was played Rotorua, New Zealand. The Welsh won on the day by narrowest of margins, taking the game 22-21.

Sunday is the big one, the Final. In ’87 it was played and the exact same venue as Sunday’s upcoming game. The All Blacks won it in 29 – 9 in ’87, thus becoming the first holders of the converted Webb Ellis Cup. It was the first and last time the All Blacks won the title.

It’s the first time since 1995 that the All Blacks are playing in a Final. Going by what the history books tell us. I think it’s a pretty safe bet to say the All Blacks will be crowned the new World Champions on Sunday. It will see them becoming the third nation to be crowned two-time Champions. The Springboks and the Wallabies are the only other nations to achieve this feat.

If they do win the Final on Sunday it will be one the most well deserved Final victories in the history of the game. With the devastating earthquakes in Christchurch at beginning of the SuperXV this year, being able to overcome all the odds and still host a stunning World Cup the Kiwis thoroughly deserved it.

May the best team win come Sunday 23 October.

Deans named his strongest possible team with star-players like Kurtley Beale, Digby Ioane and Pat McCabe all returning for the all-important knockout match in Wellington on Sunday. Radike Samo also returns to the back of the scrum after he did duty on the wing in Australia’s final pool match against Russia.

Australia:

15. Kurtley Beale
14. James O’Connor
13. Adam Ashley-Cooper
12. Pat McCabe
11. Digby Ioane
10. Quade Cooper
9. Will Genia
8. Radike Samo
7. David Pocock
6. Rocky Elsom
5. James Horwill (Capt)
4. Dan Vickerman
3. Ben Alexander
2. Stephen Moore
1. Sekope Kepu

Replacements:
16. Tatafu Polota Nau
17. James Slipper
18. Nathan Sharpe
19. Ben McCalman
20. Luke Burgess
21. Berrick Barnes
22. Anthony Fainga’a

—–

South Africa: 

15. Pat Lambie, 14. JP Pietersen, 13. Jaque Fourie, 12. Jean de Villiers, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Morné Steyn, 9. Fourie du Preez, 8. Pierre Spies, 7. Schalk Burger, 6. Heinrich Brüssow, 5. Victor Matfield, 4. Danie Rossouw, 3. Jannie du Plessis, 2. John Smit (Capt), 1. Gurthro Steenkamp

Replacements: 16. Bismarck du Plessis, 17. CJ van der Linde, 18. Willem Alberts, 19. Francois Louw, 20. Francois Hougaard, 21. Butch James, 22. Gio Aplon

The match kicks off Sunday morning at 07h00 CAT . Follow Live Scores on our Twitter account @RugbyFifteen or via our mobile update site www.rugbychirps.mobi

All Blacks Coach Graham Henry and his Assistant Coaches Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith have today announced the All Blacks team for their Quarterfinal match of the 2011 Rugby World Cup against Argentina at Eden Park, Auckland, on Sunday October 9.

Sunday, 9 October at Wellington Regional Stadium

Below is a statistical preview of the Rugby World Cup quarterfinal match between South Africa and Australia in Wellington on Sunday.

South Africa’s first match in a RWC tournament was against Australia in the opening match of the 1995 tournament held in South Africa. The match was played at Newlands, Cape Town and was won by the Springboks 27-18. At the end of that tournament, South Africa were crowned Champions.

Four years later, the two sides met again in the 1999 RWC tournament. This time it was in the semifinal at Twickenham, London. On this occasion, Australia triumphed after extra time, 27-21, and they went on to reclaim the William Webb Ellis trophy. They became the first team to win the Rugby World Cup twice.

In 2007 South Africa became the second team to be crowned RWC Champions for a second time. On Sunday these two teams will meet for a third time in RWC history, this time for a place in the Semi-final.

THE TEAM

• ·         The oldest player is Victor Matfield (34 Years)
• ·         The youngest player is Pat Lambie (20 Years)
• ·         The heaviest player is CJ van der Linde (123 kg)
• ·         The lightest player is Geo Aplon (78 kg)
• ·         The tallest player is Victor Matfield (2.01 m)
• ·         The shortest player is Geo Aplon (1.75 m)
• ·         The average weight of the forwards is 115 kg
• ·         The average weight of the backs is 93 kg

TEAM MILESTONES AND RECORDS

• ·         The starting lineup has 836 combined caps. This is the most experienced Springbok side of all time, with 21 more caps than the team that played against Wales in South Africa’s opening game in this tournament.
• ·         This will be South Africa’s 30^th test match in RWC tournaments. Of the previous 29 tests, only three were lost, for a winning percentage of 89.7%, the best of any participant in this tournament.
• ·         South Africa have scored 115 tries in Rugby World Cup tournaments and 1 000 points.
• ·         The first test that was played by South Africa on a Sunday was against Italy in Rome on 12 November 1995. Since then the Springboks have played in 13 tests on a Sunday. They have won them all.

PLAYERS’ MILESTONES & RECORDS

• ·         John Smit will captain the Springboks for a world record 83^rd time, in his 111^th Test and 17^th RWC match, both Springbok records. All 17 tests have been consecutive, placing him alongside Brian Lima of Samoa and one match behind record holder Martin Johnson of England who played in 18 consecutive RWC Matches. Smit is the only captain in RWC history to have captained his team in three RWC tournaments.
• ·         Victor Matfield will play in his 110^th test for the Springboks. He is the most capped lock forward in Rugby Union and has scored 7 test tries in his Springbok career.
• ·         Bryan Habana extended his Springbok career try-scoring record in tests for South Africa to 40 tries in 73 tests against Samoa. His 10 RWC tries are also a Springbok record.
• ·         Jaque Fourie is the most capped Springbok centre (57) and leading centre try scorer (28). Fourie and Jean de Villiers will extend their Springbok record as a centre pairing to 26 tests on Sunday.
• ·         Morne Steyn passed the 400-points mark in Springbok rugby during the test against Samoa. He is currently the top point scorer in this tournament with 53 points. He will also play in his 22^nd consecutive test match.
• ·         Pierre Spies is South Africa’s top try scorer in tests as a No 8 with 7 tries.
• ·         Schalk Burger is South Africa’s most capped flank forward with 65 tests and shares the Springbok try-scoring record for a flank with Juan Smith with 11 tries each.
• ·         Danie Rossouw has scored six tries in RWC tournaments, a Springbok record for a forward.
• ·         Gurthrö Steenkamp is South Africa’s top try scorer as a prop in tests with 6 tries. Three of his six tries were scored against Australia.
• ·         Jannie and Bismarck du Plessis will play together as brothers in their 20^th test should Bismarck be used from the bench.
• ·         Butch James is South Africa’s most capped flyhalf with 37 tests. Butch played in 6 tests in RWC 2007, but only once as a substitute against Wales in this tournament.
• ·         Francois Hougaard is South Africa’s top try scorer in this tournament together with Frans Steyn with 3 tries each.
• ·         CJ van der Linde will play in his 35^th test as a substitute should he be used off the bench.

HEAD TO HEAD

LAST FIVE MEETINGS

24/07/2010         Australia won 30-13 in Brisbane.

28/08/2010         South Africa won 44-31 in Pretoria.

04/09/2010         Australia won 41-39 in Bloemfontein.

23/07/2011         Australia won 39-20 in Sydney.

13/08/2011         Australia won 14-9 in Durban.               

OVERALL

PLAYER CAREER RECORDS

THE COACHES

Peter de Villiers made his International Coaching debut in June 2008 against Wales in Bloemfontein. His match record is as follows: 47 test matches of which 30 were won with 17 losses for a win percentage of 63.8%.

Robbie Deans is a former All Black who played in five test matches for New Zealand. Following a  successful career with the Canterbury Crusaders (under his guidance the Crusaders played in seven Super Rugby Finals of which his team won five), he was appointed as Head Coach of the Australian Wallabies in 2008. He made his International Coaching debut in June 2008 against Ireland in Melbourne. His match record since then is: 52 test matches of which 30 were won, 21 lost with one drawn for a win percentage of 57.7%.

WELLINGTON REGIONAL STADIUM

South Africa have played seven Tests at the venue: Five were lost – all against the All Blacks – while two have been won during this tournament, against Wales and Fiji.

THE REFEREE

Bryce Lawrence of New Zealand made his Test debut in 2008 in a Tri-Nations test between Australia and South Africa. The test was played in Perth and was won by Australia 16-9.

Sunday’s match will be his 20^th Test appearance and his seventh involving the Springboks. Of the previous six tests South Africa won 4 and lost two. Both losses were against Australia, the most recent, earlier this year in Durban when the Springboks lost 14-9.

The lock leaves New Zealand on Friday to become the second Springbok player in a week to be forced out. Centre Frans Steyn departed on Tuesday because of a shoulder injury.

A decision on a replacement has been postponed pending the outcome of Sunday’s quarterfinal against Australia in Wellington.

Botha, 32, said that it had been an emotional decision to admit his World Cup was over, but that he still intended to return to Springbok team.

“I am a person who normally keeps my emotions out of sight but it was emotional to talk to the team this morning and tell them I would be going home,” he said. “I told the team to cherish every moment of their time in the green and gold because you never know when it is going to be your last.

“I’m very disappointed – after all the hard work that has been put in over the past few months – but it’s not about me, it’s about the team now and there’s still a big job to do. I’ll be sitting at home with my family on Sunday with a tear on my cheek as the team takes on the Wallabies.

“But we can’t stop here – there are still three games left to play.”

Botha said he would see a specialist on his return in order to determine what course of action was required so he could be ready to take up his three-year contract with Toulon in France on November 1.

“This is definitely not the end of my Test career as far as I am concerned,” he said. “I’ll be aiming to give 100% to Toulon to help them get into the Heineken Cup and I’ll still be available for South Africa next year.

“I still have the desire to play for my country and that will be there for as long as I play. It’s a special thing to pull on this jersey and that hunger has not left me.”

Botha made his Test debut against France in 2002 and was appearing at his third Rugby World Cup – having collected a winner’s medal at the 2007 tournament. He played in the Pool D wins over Fiji and Namibia in this tournament but separate Achilles and hamstring injuries kept him out of the matches against Wales and Samoa.

The latest Achilles tendon injury was a new injury, he said, affecting the opposite ankle. “I knew straight away that something wasn’t right,” he said. “I knew I wasn’t going to be 100 percent and with great players like Victor [Matfield], Danie [Rossouw] and Johann [Muller]all fit there was no need for me to hang around and be a distraction to the team.”

Meanwhile winger JP Pietersen successfully completed a fitness test on his injured knee at Thursday’s training run and was declared fit to take his place on the right wing.