Latest news with #CurrieCup
The Citizen
29 minutes ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Blue Bulls enter Currie Cup tournament with good mix of youth and experience
The Bulls showed that they are serious about winning the Currie Cup this year, when Coach Phiwe Nomlomo named his squad for this tournament, which kicks off this coming weekend. No fewer than six of the players who starred for the Junior Springboks in winning the u.20 World Championship and four Springboks are among those named in Nomlomo's squad for the tournament. The robust health of the union's junior pathways is further reflected in another 10 players being u.21, which signals both ambition and confidence on the part of Nomlomo and his coaching team. Thus, more than 50 percent of the squad (excluding the injured list) is comprised of club and u.21 players. Former SA u.20 player Nama Xaba, a flanker, will captain the side this season. Ahead of this weekend's start against Western Province in Cape Town, Nomlomo hailed South African rugby's oldest competition as a 'great opportunity for the players to go out and do their best for themselves and the jersey'. He said he was excited that incoming Bulls URC coach, Johan Ackermann, would be able to see the Currie Cup squad first hand, and to run the rule over the depth at Loftus Versfeld. 'They've put in the work,' said Nomlomo, who is under no illusions as to the strength of the competition. – Loose head prop Lizo Gqoboka, who is back at Loftus Versfeld after his stint in Cape Town, lock Marvin Orie, wing Aphiwe Dyantyi and veteran flank, Nizaam Carr, are the four Springboks in the group, while Stedman Gans is a sevens Bok. – The 31-year-old flyhalf, Jaco van der Walt, played four tests for Scotland in 2020 and 2021. – The world champion Junior Boks who will wear Blue Bulls colours are Esethu Mnebelele, Jacobus Grobbelaar, Jean Erasmus, JJ Theron, Cheswill Jooste and Demitre Erasmus. The full squad for the Currie Cup season is: Forwards: Abri van der Westhuysen; Cassie Badenhorst; Dylan de Leeuw; Dylan Smith; Esethu Mnebelele; Francois Klopper; Jacobus Grobbelaar; Jean Erasmus; Jeandré Rudolph; JJ Theron; Joe van Zyl; Junior Pokomela; Lizo Gqoboka; Marco Ferreira; Marvin Orie; Nama Xaba (captain); Ruan Swart; Shaun Schurmann and Sintu Manjezi. Backs: Boeta Chamberlain; Brooklyn Newmann; Cheswill Jooste; Chris Barend Smit; Daimon O'Connell; Demitre Erasmus; Henry Immelman; Jaco van der Walt; Katlego Letebele; Liam Koen; PA van Niekerk; Riyaad Bam; Stedman Gans; Steven Nel; Stravino Jacobs and Zak Burger. Injured players: Aphiwe Dyantyi; Celimpilo Gumede; Corné Beets; Cornel Smit; Heinrich Theron; Juann Else; Khutha Mchunu; Nizaam Carr and Simphiwe Matanzima. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
an hour ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Haashim Pead in Lions' Currie Cup squad after dream U20 tournament with Junior Springboks
Scrumhalf Haashim Pead, who starred for the Junior Boks at the World Rugby U20 Championship, has been included in the Lions' Currie Cup squad. Star Junior Springbok scrumhalf Haashim Pead has been included in the Lions' Currie Cup squad following his outstanding performances at the U20 World Championships. Pead won the Player-of-the-Tournament award after the Junior Boks beat their New Zealand counterparts in the final to lift the trophy for the first time since 2012. The speedy No 9 scored six tries and assisted four during the tournament. He also surpassed France star Antoine Dupont's record for running metres by a scrumhalf at the tournament, racking up 232m from 15 carries during the pool stages. On Wednesday, Pead was also invited to the Springboks' training camp ahead of their home Rugby Championship matches against Australia. He will be joined in camp by flank Bathobele Hlekani and outside centre Cheswill Jooste to see first hand how the Boks prepare for a big tournament.
The Citizen
5 hours ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Rassie Erasmus picks 37 Springboks for Australia Tests, invites 3 Junior Boks
Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus has named 37 players to take on Australia in the national team's first two Rugby Championship matches. According to The Citizen, these take place at Ellis Park on August 16 and Cape Town Stadium on August 23. Erasmus said before the 55–10 win over Georgia last weekend that they would select a more tried-and-tested squad to face Australia. This follows experimentation in the first four games of the season, during which seven players also made their debuts. The Bok coach has also invited three young guns – Bathobele Hlekani, Cheswill Jooste and Haashim Pead – who were members of the triumphant Junior Springbok World Rugby U20 Championship squad, to train with the group during a two-week conditioning camp in Johannesburg starting on Sunday. Rassie on selections The five players who earned their first Springbok Test caps in July are Ethan Hooker (utility back), Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Boan Venter (both props), Marnus van der Merwe (hooker) and Cobus Wiese (utility forward). Meanwhile, Bath prop Thomas du Toit has been granted a compulsory two-week rest as agreed with the Premiership, although he is eligible to be called up at any stage should the need arise. No 8 Jasper Wiese is currently serving a four-week suspension, ruling him out of this squad. Several players have been released to their franchises to build up game time in the Currie Cup, although a few of them have been placed on standby for the Wallaby Tests. The standby players are Lukhanyo Am (centre), who missed the July Tests due to a knee niggle, Faf de Klerk (scrumhalf), Makazole Mapimpi (wing), Salmaan Moerat (lock), Evan Roos (No 8), Neethling Fouche (prop) and Vincent Tshituka (flanker). 'It's always challenging to reduce the squad, especially given how the expanded group of players put up their hands during the Incoming Series, but we always said we would select a smaller, more manageable squad,' said Erasmus. 'This group includes several experienced players and a few younger guys who grabbed their chances in the last few Tests, so we are pleased with this squad for the first two matches. We probably have three players who can cover each position, which is important in this competition.' Springboks build squad depth 'One of our key pillars as a team is to build squad depth, and there is no better way to see what some of the younger players are capable of than to expose them to some of the top teams in the world.' On the young guns invited to train with the squad, Erasmus said: 'We are tremendously proud of the Junior Springboks… so we opted to invite three of them to join us to expose them to our structures and the standards required at top international level. We believe this camp will benefit them significantly.' Springbok squad to face Australia Forwards: Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Verblitz), Jean-Luc du Preez (Bordeaux Begles), Eben Etzebeth (Sharks), Vincent Koch (Sharks), Siya Kolisi (Sharks), Wilco Louw (Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi (Sharks), Franco Mostert (Heat), Ox Nche (Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Bulls), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Lions), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), RG Snyman (Leinster), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Marco van Staden (Bulls), Boan Venter (Edinburgh), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls), Cobus Wiese (Bulls). Backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Andre Esterhuizen (Sharks), Aphelele Fassi (Sharks), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers), Ethan Hooker (Sharks), Jesse Kriel (Eagles), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Willie le Roux (Bulls), Manie Libbok (Stormers), Canan Moodie (Bulls), Handre Pollard (Bulls), Cobus Reinach (Stormers), Edwill van der Merwe (Sharks), Morne van den Berg (Lions), Grant Williams (Sharks), Damian Willemse (Stormers).
The Citizen
6 hours ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Rassie names 37 players in squad to take on Australia
'It's always challenging to reduce the squad, especially given how the expanded group of players put up their hands during the Incoming Series," Erasmus said. Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has named a strong squad for the first two games of the Rugby Championship. Picture: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus has named 37 players to take on Australia in the first two Rugby Championship matches. These take place at Ellis Park on 16 August and at Cape Town Stadium on 23 August. Erasmus said before the 55–10 win over Georgia last weekend that they would select a more tried and tested squad to face Australia. This comes after experimenting in the first four games of the season, where seven players also made their debuts. The Bok coach also invited three young guns, who were members of the triumphant Junior Springbok World Rugby U20 Championship squad – Bathobele Hlekani, Cheswill Jooste, and Haashim Pead – to train with the group during their two-week conditioning camp in Johannesburg starting on Sunday 27 July, to orientate them into the Springbok culture. Newcomers included The five players who earned their first Springbok Test caps in July are Ethan Hooker (utility back), Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Boan Venter (both props), Marnus van der Merwe (hooker), and Cobus Wiese (utility forward). Meanwhile, Bath prop Thomas du Toit has been granted a compulsory two-week rest as agreed with the Premiership, although he is eligible to be called up at any stage should the need arise, while No 8 Jasper Wiese is currently serving a four-week suspension, ruling him out of this squad. A handful of players, in turn, have been released to their respective franchises to build up game time in the Currie Cup, although a few of them have been placed on standby for the Wallaby Tests. The standby players are Lukhanyo Am (centre), who missed the July Tests due to a knee niggle, Faf de Klerk (scrumhalf), Makazole Mapimpi (wing), Salmaan Moerat (lock), Evan Roos (No 8), Neethling Fouche (prop), and Vincent Tshituka (flanker). 'It's always challenging to reduce the squad, especially given how the expanded group of players put up their hands during the Incoming Series, but we always said we would select a smaller, more manageable squad during the Rugby Championship,' said Erasmus. 'This group includes several experienced players and a few younger guys, who grabbed their chances in the last few Tests, so we are pleased with this squad for the first two matches.' Erasmus elaborated on the composition of the squad, saying: 'We probably have three players who can cover each position, which is important in this competition, so it was a thorough process to narrow down the group to 36 players. 'One of our key pillars as a team is to build squad depth, and there is no better way to see what some of the younger players are capable of than to expose them to some of the top teams in the world.' Of the young guns invited to train with the squad for the next two weeks, Erasmus said: 'We are tremendously proud of the Junior Springboks for winning the World Rugby U20 Championship and we were thrilled to see the talent coming through the junior ranks, so we opted to invite three of them to join us to expose them to our structures and the standards required at top international level. 'We believe this camp will benefit them significantly, and we are excited to see how they slot in and train with us. Springbok squad for the Rugby Championship Tests against Australia: Forwards: Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Verblitz), Jean-Luc du Preez (Bordeaux Begles), Eben Etzebeth (Sharks), Vincent Koch (Sharks), Siya Kolisi (Sharks), Wilco Louw (Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi (Sharks), Franco Mostert (Heat), Ox Nche (Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Bulls), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Lions), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), RG Snyman (Leinster), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Marco van Staden (Bulls), Boan Venter (Edinburgh), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls), Cobus Wiese (Bulls). Backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Andre Esterhuizen (Sharks), Aphelele Fassi (Sharks), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers), Ethan Hooker (Sharks), Jesse Kriel (Eagles), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Willie le Roux (Bulls), Manie Libbok (Stormers), Canan Moodie (Bulls), Handre Pollard (Bulls), Cobus Reinach (Stormers), Edwill van der Merwe (Sharks), Morne van den Berg (Lions), Grant Williams (Sharks), Damian Willemse (Stormers).
IOL News
a day ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Western Province aims to reclaim Currie Cup glory without their top players
Brok Harris will be in the coaching box when WP face the Bulls in their Currie Cup opener on Saturday in Cape Town. Image: BackpagePix Western Province is dead-set on righting the wrongs of last season's Currie Cup as they look to establish a more settled squad throughout the tournament this year. Their senior United Rugby Championship (URC) players won't be involved in the competition as they start preparations for the new European season. Still, the Cape side will look for a settled squad that can take them far in the competition after limited success last year that had supporters in the Mother City worried. A marker will be laid on Saturday and the coaches will see exactly where the team is when they face the Bulls at the DHL Stadium in the Currie Cup opener. Plenty of hard work being put in in by the DHL WP coaches and their extended squad as we keep building towards the Carling Currie Cup. 🔵⚪️ #wpjoulekkerding — WP RUGBY (@WP_RUGBY) July 3, 2025 Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Forwards coach Brok Harris confirmed they will not have players going in and out of the team, while they've also tapped into the WP club rugby system to test some promising amateur players. Those players will be committed to WP for the duration of the competition. 'The club players we identified will be part of the entire campaign; it won't be a thing of in and out or a two-week kind of thing,' according to Harris. 'They've worked hard and have been pushing even for guys who don't have a contract. There is a possibility for them to play for contracts even. There is a lot at stake. We have the likes of Carlo van Greunen (a lock from Paarl), Brendan Venter and Erhard Lambrecht (both Helderberg), and De Wet Marais.' The Carling #CurrieCup wall of champions keeps changing. Four years. Four different winners. Who claims it in 2025?#WhereChampionsRise | #PremierRugbyRealPassion — The Carling Currie Cup (@TheCurrieCup) July 21, 2025 Harris added that they are bracing for a massive game against the Bulls. Of course, he will be in the coaching box this time, but he recalled his debut in the North-South derby back in 2006. 'You think inter-varsity is big, but then you get to the North-South derby in the Currie Cup, and you find you don't get bigger than that. It was next level. For these guys, it will be a great experience. 'It will be challenging playing against old Stormers like Nama Xaba (Bulls captain), Junior (Pokomela, flanker), Marvin (Orie, lock), and Lizo (Gqoboka, prop). There are a couple of them who have been in our environment. However, we can only control what we can and stick to what we've been training. 'We look forward to the challenge they will bring. This season, we will keep on fighting for the jersey, whatever comes our way. We will go out there and give it our best.'
