Super Rugby rookies to debut in Perth

Updated September 21, 2012 16:32:40

An all-Australian opening round will kick off the 2013 Super Rugby competition which includes a new team from South Africa.

The Port Elizabeth-based Kings franchise has replaced the 2012 wooden-spooners, the Lions from Johannesburg, following several years of political lobbying for a team in the south.

The 2013 draw was unveiled on Friday with the Kings scheduled to make their debut against the Western Force in round two at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on February 23.

Due to the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, the home-and-away season extends to 20 weeks which will include two weekends of Australian derbies and two other rounds only involving South African and Kiwi sides.

The Melbourne Rebels will host the Force in the season-opener on February 15 while the Brumbies will be at home to the Queensland Reds the following night.

The NSW Waratahs have a first-round bye before meeting arch-rivals Queensland in round two at Lang Park in Brisbane.

The Waratahs, keen for more day-time matches at Allianz Stadium, will host the Blues and Force in back-to-back Sunday afternoon encounters in round six and seven.

The Force will be early-season travellers and must wait until round six before their first home game against the Cheetahs on March 23.

All five Australian sides will play against the touring Lions before the Wallabies three-Test series, which isn't aligned with the All Blacks and Springboks internationals.

It makes for staggered rest periods and a disrupted draw with the Australian sides breaking from Super Rugby when the Wallabies-Lions clash from June 22 to July 6.

"The Lions tour to Australia presented some unique challenges in preparing the 2013 Super Rugby draw," SANZAR chief executive Greg Peters said.

"The 2012 Super Rugby season was the most watched season of Super Rugby ever, both in terms of those attending matches live and also viewing on television. The 2013 draw will hopefully see us grow those numbers again."

The defending champion Chiefs begin their campaign in Dunedin against the Highlanders in round two while the Bulls and Stormers kick off the season for the South African conference.

The six-team finals series starts on July 19 with the final scheduled for August 3.

AAP

Tags: super-rugby, rugby-union, sport, perth-6000, australia, wa

First posted September 21, 2012 16:00:53

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Vermeulen handed Boks debut

Updated September 05, 2012 17:01:22

South Africa number eight Duane Vermeulen will make his Test debut in Saturday's Rugby Championship clash with Australia in Perth.

Under-fire Springboks coach Heyneke Meyer has brought in three new players and made two positional changes to the side that was held to a 16-16 draw away to Argentina in their last outing.

In addition to the powerful Vermeulen, Meyer has named Ruan Pienaar at half-back, while Juandre Kruger replaces the dropped Andries Bekker at lock.

Pacy back Francois Hougaard goes out to the wing to allow Pienaar to start at half-back, while Willem Alberts moves to flanker to make room for Vermeulen at the back of the scrum.

With Morne Steyn retaining the fly half spot and no specialist openside flanker in the starting XV, there is no indication the Springboks will change their tactics of trying to outmuscle the opposition up front and kick for territory.

Meyer has given himself options on the bench, however, where 20-year-old livewire fly half Johan Goosen will be itching to get on to the pitch for his Test debut.

Ball-poaching flanker Francois Louw was also named among the reserves having been called up from English club Bath for the tour of Australia and New Zealand.

The Springboks will be looking to end a run of four defeats against the Wallabies, which includes the quarter-final loss at last year's World Cup in New Zealand.

Springboks squad:

Zane Kirchner, Bryan Habana, Jean de Villiers (captain), Francois Steyn, Francois Hougaard, Morne Steyn, Ruan Pienaar, Duane Vermeulen, Willem Alberts, Marcell Coetzee, Juandre Kruger, Eben Etzebeth, Jannie du Plessis, Adriaan Strauss, Tendai Mtawarira

Reserves: Tiaan Liebenberg, Pat Cilliers, Flip van der Merwe, Francois Louw, Johan Goosen, Patrick Lambie, Lwazi Mvovo

Reuters

Tags: rugby-union, sport, perth-6000, south-africa

First posted September 05, 2012 16:48:43

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Mortlock to miss Rebels recruits' debut

Updated February 02, 2012 17:52:00

Skipper Stirling Mortlock will be a surprise spectator when star recruits James O'Connor and Kurtley Beale make their Melbourne Rebels debuts in Geelong on Friday night.

Mortlock is a late withdrawal from the Rebels backline where he was set to partner O'Connor in the centres for part of the opening pre-season trial against the Waikato-based Chiefs.

The former Wallabies captain will be sidelined with a minor knee injury which has failed to improve following a training knock a week ago.

Mortlock's absence hampers plans to gel new combinations with O'Connor running at inside centre and Beale at full-back together in the second quarter among what appears a full-strength backline.

But new coach Damien Hill is unfazed by the need to take a cautious approach by resting the 80-Test centre.

"It's nothing serious but you don't want to rush these things," he said.

It gives former Wallabies and Reds centre Lloyd Johansson more of a chance to shine at outside centre in his return to Australian rugby.

Controversial English import Danny Cipriani has been named at five-eighth for the first half and most interest will be on his combination with O'Connor in the second quarter.

Beale has defied his lingering hamstring problem to line up at Kardinia Park but Hill is not putting any pressure on his two Wallabies recruits.

"It's a combination of just getting a little bit of game fitness for the both of them and more importantly getting combinations overall," he said.

Hill stressed he had no pre-conceived ideas over who to play at number 10 when the Super Rugby competition kicks off but had been impressed by Cipriani's work ethic.

"If his training performances are any indication he's in a good spot at the moment so we can't really ask more of him."

Utility back Richard Kingi has been an impressive pre-season performer and can throw down a challenge to Wallabies back-up half-back Nick Phipps when he plays the first half at number nine.

The Chiefs will feature All Blacks five-eighth and former Hurricane Aaron Cruden in his first match since the World Cup final when he hyperextended his right knee.

Sonny Bill Williams was left out of the visitors' 29-man squad due to his New Zealand heavyweight title bout against Clarence Tillman III in Hamilton next Wednesday.

AAP

Tags: super-14, rugby-union, sport, melbourne-3000, vic, australia

First posted February 02, 2012 17:52:00

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Mason exposed in rugby debut

Posted May 30, 2011 13:38:00

Willie Mason was spot on.

He said he was taking himself out of his comfort zone by agreeing to start his switch to rugby union in the Barbarians' match against England at Twickenham, and that proved the case.

The 31-year-old has not played a rugby union match since his school days and his technical shortcomings were exposed in his 15-minute cameo against an inexperienced England line-up.

Mason enjoyed a winning return to the 15-a-side game in a last-gasp 38-32 victory, but his quarter of an hour on the field showed he has a long way to go to make his code switch a success.

The former NRL star came off the bench in the 65th minute to play alongside the likes of Wallabies great George Smith, Springboks star Ruan Pienaar and mercurial French playmaker Frederic Michalak.

The former Kangaroo, who recently signed a deal with cashed-up French club Toulon, was clearly eager to get involved as much as he could after slotting in at inside centre.

Mason, who recently parted ways with Super League club Hull KR, barked out orders to his new team-mates but his lack of awareness cost his side in the 72nd minute.

The former Bulldogs, Sydney Roosters and North Queensland enforcer needlessly committed himself to a breakdown near his team's line, his decision allowing room for England back rower Tom Johnson to loop around and cross for a try.

Mason had a couple of runs with the English defence enjoying his upright running style, forcing a turnover from him in the 77th minute.

Mason, who flirted with swapping codes on several occasions during his NRL career, signed a one-year deal at Toulon this month with an option for another.

It is believed the French rugby giants signed him up to play in the centres and make a similar impact as his former NRL team-mate Sonny Bill Williams.

However such expectations would appear to be grossly unfair on Mason.

He is five years older and not nearly as dynamic an athlete as the richly-gifted Williams.

-AAP

Tags: sport, rugby-union, australia, united-kingdom, england

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Mason set for Twickenham debut

Posted May 24, 2011 21:14:00

Rugby league convert Willie Mason is set to make his rugby union debut playing for the Barbarians against England at Twickenham on Sunday.

The 31-year-old forward made six appearances for Hull KR in England before his failure to obtain a Tongan passport led to him being de-registered.

He has since agreed to join big-spending French club Toulon for the 2011/12 season.

- AFP

Tags: sport, rugby-league, rugby-union, united-kingdom, england

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Elsom hopeful of 2011 debut

Updated May 17, 2011 18:52:00

Wallabies captain Rocky Elsom is set to make his long-awaited 2011 Super Rugby debut for the Brumbies against Western Force in Perth on Saturday night.

The back rower's absence has been a factor in the Brumbies' poor showing this season, but Elsom has revealed he is ready to play for the first time in more than six months.

A troublesome hamstring injury has kept Elsom on the sidelines since the Wallabies' 59-16 rout of France in Paris last November.

"I've probably had enough time off," Elsom said.

"I don't think there are any problems on that front (hamstring).

"It is just a matter of picking the team for the game against the Force and I would like to be in it."

Elsom says he missed the blast from coach Tony Rea following the side's 29-20 loss to the bottom-placed Lions last weekend.

Rea said his side lacked fight and their effort had been a "charade" to mask their lack of ticker this season.

The Brumbies are third-last with two wins and nine losses, a record number of defeats in a season for the two-time Super Rugby champions.

"I wasn't there for it," Elsom said. "No-one's happy with the way the game went.

"I can't imagine anyone is going to be feeling good about the weekend."

The 28-year-old says he is yet to re-negotiate a contract for 2012, where his first discussions would be with the national body, the Australian Rugby Union (ARU).

"Going to your province first is not the most efficient way I would say," Elsom said.

"I have to sort the deal out with the ARU and then I will go from there."

Elsom says he is yet to meet incoming coach Jake White, who arrived in Canberra on Monday night.

White, the 2007 Rugby World Cup-winning coach, was appointed in April for four years as Brumbies head coach from next season.

The South African is expected to change several of his assistants to revive the Brumbies' fortunes in 2012.

Joining the departure of incumbent Rea at the end of the season will be forwards coaches Marco Caputo and Justin Harrison.

Former Brumbies coach Laurie Fisher is set to become forwards coach, while Stephen Larkham is likely to remain as attack coach.

Fisher's contract as forwards coach at Irish provincial side Munster finished this European season and he returns to the city where he was head coach of the side between 2005-08.

Former Wallabies and Brisbane Broncos conditioning coach Dean Benton is also expected to be appointed.

- AAP

Tags: sport, rugby-union, super-14, australia, act, canberra-2600

First posted May 17, 2011 18:53:00

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