Category: General

General rugby news and discussion

New Zealand has claimed the top three awards at the 2010 IRB Rugby Awards. Richie McCaw was named the 2010 IRB Player of the Year, The All Blacks were named 2010 IRB Team of the Year, and Graham Henry got the 2010 IRB Coach of the Year award.
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Springbok captain Victor Matfield has been nominated for the 2010 IRB Player of the Year award.

Matfield is joined on the shortlist for the award by last year’s winner, All Blacks’ captain Richie McCaw, his teammate Mills Muliaina, France’s Imanol Harinordoquy and Australians David Pocock and Kurtley Beale.

The winner will be announced on December 1 when the awards for IRB Coach of the Year (Graham Henry) and Team of the Year (New Zealand) will also be made known.

Previous winners: Richie McCaw (2009), Shane Williams (2008), Bryan Habana (2007), Richie McCaw (2006), Dan Carter (2005), Schalk Burger (2004), Jonny Wilkinson (2003), Fabien Galthie (2002), Keith Wood (2001).

The IRB has disgraced itself still further by reducing Keven Mealamu’s ban for headbutting England captain Lewis Moody from 4 weeks to 2 after an appeal by New Zealand. The All Blacks are fast becoming the most hated team in rugby with their cheating tactics on the field and their hypocrisy off the field. The fact that they have Paddy O’Brien of the IRB in their back pocket just adds to the mounting worldwide dislike for this All Blacks team.

Here is the video of ‘Kevvy’ Mealamu blatantly headbutting Moody in front of the referee. Bakkies Botha received a 9 week ban for exactly the same offence (against New Zealand) during this years Tri Nations. Are the IRB biased? What do you think?

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SA Player of the Year 2010 – Gurthro Steenkamp
Victor Matfield: So happy for Gurthro. Real awesome player and great team man. Go tight five.
John Smit: The big G cleaned up and deservedly so! Well done @gurthro I love it when the big boys dominate the girls trophies!!!
Players’ Player – Gio Aplon (WP)
Young Player – Elton Jantjies (Lions)
Super 14 Player – Andries Bekker (Stormers)
Most Out of Place Troupe of Backup Dancers – The ballerinas blocking the view of the big screen
John Smit: A big thank you for our tribute video last night but I must say @VictorMatfield & I chuckled about it being played with ballerinas dancing!
Team of the Year – Bulls
Coach of the Year – Allister Coetzee (WP / Stormers)
Currie Cup Premier Division Player – Bjorn Basson (Griquas)
Currie Cup 1st Division Player – Norman Nelson (EP Kings)
Kakkest Song at the Awards – Kurt Darren (Groter as Groter)
Try of the Year – Jaque Fourie
SA Sevens Player – Kyle Brown
SA u20 Player – Elton Jantjies
Official of the Year – Craig Joubert

The Springbok squad to tour Europe was named after Saturday’s Currie Cup Final. Notwithstanding injuries (Ricky Januarie, Juan de Jongh, Jean de Villiers, Schalk Burger), the following is the squad to contest the Grand Slam:

Backs
Gio Aplon (Western Province)
Bjorn Basson (Blue Bulls)
Adi Jacobs (Sharks)
Jean de Villiers (Western Province)
Francois Hougaard (Blue Bulls)
Bryan Habana (Western Province)
Elton Jantjies (Golden Lions)
Patrick Lambie (Sharks)
Lwazi Mvovo (Sharks)
Ruan Pienaar (Ulster, N Ireland)
Frans Steyn (Racing Metro, France)
Morne Steyn (Blue Bulls)
Zane Kirchener (Blue Bulls)

Forwards (more…)

The SARU 2010 Rugby Player of the Year Awards will be announced at Vodaworld, Midrand in Gauteng on Monday 1 November 2010. Fans can vote this year for the first time HERE.

Player of the Year
Gio Aplon (Western Province)
Schalk Burger (Western Province)
Juan de Jongh (Western Province)
Francois Hougaard (Blue Bulls)
Gurthrö Steenkamp (Blue Bulls)

Other categories (more…)

The Springbok emblem will move to the sleeve of the jersey for next year’s World Cup apparently because the IRB logo has to appear on the right-hand side of all teams’ jerseys at the tournament. The IRB refused to make an exception for the Boks, which means the Protea will be on the left-hand side of the jersey and the Bok emblem on the sleeve. Bye bye Bokkie…