South Africa made it two out of two on their British tour on Saturday by narrowly beating Scotland 10 – 14 on Saturday, after the Scots led 10 – 0 at halftime.

“For the second successive week it was the home coach who felt his team had played the better rugby and deserved to win, and Scotland’s Frank Hadden had even more right to do that here than Wales’ Warren Gatland did a week ago.

Scotland led 10-0 at half-time and were pressing for a try in the final minutes as they launched wave after wave of attack at a tired Bok defence. On a day where both kickers missed attempts at goal, it was Scotland who conspired most against themselves by fluffing no less than four shots at the posts.

It was not supposed to be this close against a Scottish team that now drops to ninth on the world rankings after this defeat, and which is at a low ebb at present. Just seven days ago the same Scotland team played the All Black second stringers and lost by 30 points, and much was made before this game of the fact the Scots had not crossed for a try at home in 14 months.

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Ricky Januarie have replaced Fourie du Preez in the starting XV for the Sprinbok game against Scotland on Saturday. Du Preez injured a quadriceps muscle in training yesterday. Januarie’s place on the bench has been taken by utility forward Danie Rossouw.

It’s not often that 2.01 m tall Bok vice-captain Victor Matfield gets to look up to someone. That is exactly what he did when the Springbok team crossed paths with the WWE SuperStars at Cardiff Airport on Sunday.

The American wrestlers had touched down in the Welsh capital just as the Bok squad was getting ready to fly to Edinburgh on the second leg of its end-of-season Northern Hemisphere tour.

As the excited Bok players were spotting their favourite wrestlers, man-mountain Kali stopped to greet them and have his picture taken. He made the pride of South Africa look small in comparison.

Matfield, a tower of strength in the Bok second-row, was dwarfed by the seven-foot giant who chatted briefly before moving off to the waiting bus.

Kali was amongst more than 30 wrestlers in the group. The Bok players who are keen followers of the WWE action on TV back home were in awe as the many well-known characters passed by.

Source: sarugby.co.za

Pic: ramanindia.blogspot.com

An intercept try by Jean de Villiers saved the World Champion Boks from a humiliating defeat against Wales on Saturday, with the experimenting by Peter de Villiers with Ruan Pienaar and John Smit having gone pretty smoothly. The Springboks won 20 – 15, with the halftime score 13 – 3.

“De Villiers’ try, converted by Ruan Pienaar, made it 20-3 with 28 minutes to go – 28 anxious minutes for the Springboks as replacement flyhalf James Hook slotted four penalties, Jaque Fourie was yellow-carded after the Boks had received a general warning for killing the ball at the breakdown and Smit spent a few minutes off the field having a cut on his nose stitched up.

Fortunately, though, the Welsh did not possess the necessary skill or accuracy to really make the Springboks pay and they were able to survive a scrappy performance to get their tour off to a winning start.

After opening the scoring with a superb try, completed by Adi Jacobs, as early as the fifth minute it did not seem as though the Boks would have too much trouble putting the Welsh away, especially when Ruan Pienaar, who had converted the try, added a penalty to make it 10-0 after just eight minutes.

However the Boks did not kick on against a team having their first outing since losing two tests to South Africa in June.

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The Springbok team chosen by Peter de Villiers to face Wales on Saturday, 8 November 2008 in their 23rd test meeting since 1906 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff is as follow (number of tests in brackets):

1 Beast Mtawarira (7)
2 Bismarck du Plessis (19)
3 John Smit (captain) (78)
4 Bakkies Botha (52)
5 Victor Matfield (77)
6 Schalk Burger (46)
7 Juan Smith (52)
8 Pierre Spies (16)
9 Fourie du Preez (42)
10 Ruan Pienaar (24)
11 Bryan Habana (43)
12 Jean de Villiers (43)
13 Adrian Jacobs (18)
14 JP Pietersen (21)
15 Conrad Jantjes (21)
Reserves:

16 Brian Mujati (9)
17 Gurthro Steenkamp (18)
18 Andries Bekker (10)
19 Ryan Kankowski (4)
20 Ricky Januarie (31)
21 Frans Steyn (24)
22 Jaque Fourie (39)

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Luke Watson, the controversial son of SA Rugby has been given a date next month to appear in front of a South African Rugby Union disciplinary hearing.

“In a brief statement it was confirmed on Wednesday that the DC hearing into an alleged breach of SARU’s code of conduct by Watson has been set for November 11.

“Attorney Nape Dolamo has been appointed as the presiding judicial officer by Judge Lex Mpati, Chairman of the SARU National Judicial Committee,” the statement said.

This follows the report on his melodramatic outburst, in which he claimed that he felt so nauseated by wearing the Springbok jersey that he wanted to vomit on it.

Another claim he made was that “the problem with SA rugby is that it is controlled by Dutchmen”, whilst Watson also suggested that SA rugby is “rotten to the core” and that “the men who sit on my left and right of me in the change room despise me for who I am”.

Watson has since blamed the media in announcing his decision to “withdraw” his right to selection in the Springbok team for the year-end tour.

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Peter de Villiers surprised quite a few experts by calling up Earl Rose to Bok flyhalf position instead of WP flyhalf Peter Grant. Luke Watson also withdrew himself from the squad before the team anouncement.

“Free State Cheetahs flank Heinrich Brüssow is the other debutant.

South African squad:

Backs: Jean de Villiers (Western Province), Fourie du Preez (Blue Bulls), Jaque Fourie (Golden Lions), Bryan Habana (Blue Bulls), Adrian Jacobs (Sharks), Conrad Jantjes (Western Province), Enrico Januarie (Western Province), Jongi Nokwe (Free State Cheetahs), Odwa Ndungane (Sharks), Ruan Pienaar (Sharks), JP Pietersen (Sharks), Earl Rose (Golden Lions), Francois Steyn (Sharks).

Forwards: Andries Bekker (Western Province), Bakkies Botha (Blue Bulls), Schalk Burger (Western Province), Heinrich Brüssow (Free State Cheetahs), Bismarck du Plessis (Sharks), Ryan Kankowski (Sharks), Victor Matfield (Blue Bulls), Tendai Mtawarira (Sharks), Chiliboy Ralepelle (Blue Bulls), Brian Mujati (Western Province), Danie Rossouw (Blue Bulls), John Smit (captain), Juan Smith (Free State Cheetahs), Pierre Spies (Blue Bulls), Gurthrö Steenkamp (Blue Bulls.

Brüssow (22) and Rose (24) were named among 28 players for Tests against Wales (November 8), Scotland (November 15) and England (November 22).

The inclusion of Rose in a team that has no specialist flyhalf is a major shocker – even more so if Rose’s very poor form in the Super 14 and Currie Cup this year is taken into consideration.

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