Here’s the video of Ard Matthews (from Just Jinger fame) destroying the South African national anthem – Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika. Ras Dumisani who previously shocked the nation with his rendition of the anthem breaths a sigh of relief! He’s now not the only singer to have cocked up the national anthem in public.

Update: Ard Matthews has already apologised -

“Seriously, I am utterly devastated by tonight. This was a HUGE honour for me and I could not be more embarrassed and sorry…”

Jacques Nienaber might be the most recent addition to the Bok fold, but he wasted no time in telling the senior players what he expects of them. The newly appointed defence specialist made no bones about the fact that missed tackles need to be owned up to. He expressed the need to defend as a team and to cultivate an environment where players like to tackle and make contact.

He was speaking to a local Cape Town newspaper and stressed very strongly the amount of pressure weak defensive structures place on any team. “By missing one tackle, you place a huge burden on you fellow players, who now have to do your job as well as their own” the fresh-faced, thirty-eight year old said from the Boks’ headquarters in Durban yesterday.

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First choice centres who don’t penetrate defensive systems, locks and loose forwards that camp in the backline and a national captain who can’t even make his union’s starting line-up – these are but some of the nightmares that should keep Peter de Villiers up at nights. However, the national coach seems to be more than satisfied with the state of S.A. Rugby and says he is sleeping like a baby. A baby ostrich, with his head firmly buried under ground possibly, seeing as things are not where they have to be with a World Cup tournament less than 65 days away!

The Stormers’ crushing defeat at the hands of the battered and bruised Crusaders in Cape Town last Saturday did little else except to underline the desperate state of the level of the game in the Republic. Jean de Villiers and Jacque Fourie (widely regarded as the centre pairing for the RWC) had a horrid time of it; between trying to restrict Sonny Bill Williams, fighting their own forwards for possession in the backline and trying to look for some inkling of direction from Peter Grant!

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South Africa rugby players Chiliboy Ralepelle and Bjorn Basson have been suspended after failing doping tests following the international against Ireland.

The South African Rugby Union said in a statement Monday that the players tested positive for the banned stimulant methylhexaneamine after the 23-21 win at Ireland on November 6.

The players can still have their “B” sample tested.

The World Anti-Doping Agency recently loosened the classification of methylhexaneamine, beginning next year, to the “specified stimulant” list, which covers drugs more susceptible to inadvertent use and can carry reduced penalties.

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Springbok coach Peter de Villiers has stuck to his winning formula by making only one change to the team that won against Ireland.

De Villiers drafted in Frans Steyn to the outside centre berth to the team that beat Ireland 23-21 in Dublin on Saturday. Zane Kirchner drops to the bench while the replacement looseforward position will be confirmed later in the week.

Here is the team (name, province, age and number of Tests):

Deon Stegmann will make his debut for the Springboks against Ireland on Saturday, along with Patrick Lambie if Jean de Villiers is not declared fit. The bench will also include two uncapped players.

The team shows eight changes (nine if De Villiers is unavailable) to the one which ended the Vodacom Tri-Nations against Australia in September.

The six definite survivors are Bryan Habana, Morne Steyn, Pierre Spies, Juan Smith, captain Victor Matfield and Jannie du Plessis. A seventh, Francois Hougaard is on the bench, while an eighth in Frans Steyn will only join the squad after the Ireland match.

Stegmann, 24, comes in for Schalk Burger in the No 6 jersey. Burger suffered a broken rib in the Absa Currie Cup final and withdrew from the tour party.

The 20-year-old Lambie – man of the match in the Absa Currie Cup final after a two-try, 25-point haul on Saturday – is on standby to replace Jean de Villiers at inside centre if he fails to recover from his groin injury.

South Africa v Ireland – Aviva Stadium, Dublin, 6 November 2010

15 – Gio Aplon (Vodacom Western Province, age: 28, caps: 9)
14 – Bjorn Basson (Vodacom Blue Bulls, 23, 2)
13 – Zane Kirchner (Vodacom Blue Bulls, 26, 10)
12 – Jean de Villiers/*Patrick Lambie (Vodacom WP/The Sharks, 29/20, 63/0)
11 – Bryan Habana (Vodacom Western Province, 27, 66)
10 – Morne Steyn (Vodacom Blue Bulls, 26, 21)
9 – Ruan Pienaar (Ulster, N Ireland, 26, 43)
8 – Pierre Spies (Vodacom Blue Bulls, 25, 37)
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The injury to Butch James might just be the opening for Peter Grant to play flyhalf for the Boks on the Grand Slam tour at the end of the year.

It was confirmed this week that a shoulder injury has proved worse than expected for veteran Bath pivot James, almost certainly keeping him out of the Bok picture for a tour in which his experience of — and suitability to — British and Irish winter conditions would have been a very handy asset indeed.

That would have been especially so because the Boks intend resting incumbent No 10 Morne Steyn, among other overworked senior personnel, for the trip.

Precocious Absa Currie Cup talents Elton Jantjies and Patrick Lambie ought to be strongly in the running for squad selection if their current sparkling form continues, but the Bok brains trust will presumably want either (or both) of them to be accompanied by a much more senior figure in the key position as well.

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