Similarly (albeit with slightly tighter budgets) the bona fide fan needs to explore the diversities of his diet, so that he too can function effectively come game day. Prior to delving into the intricacies of a true supporter’s regimen, we have to examine the term “game day”. It can be slightly misleading and warrants a spot of explication, especially as the actual game takes place in a given time slot on a specific day, however that entire day would inevitably be dedicated to and encapsulated by “THE GAME!” This routine unavoidably becomes a ritual and to steer clear of a logistical nightmare, careful planning is at the order of the day.

No self-respecting hostess decides on the dinner menu on the day of the banquet. There’s simply way too much to consider – the guests’ preferences, their likes/dislikes, allergies, repetition of previous meals etc. – to merely “wing it” and hope for the best. Equally true of the feast to be devoured by the guest(s) accompanying the fan around his one-eyed idol while taking in the ambiance of bone crushing tackles, scull fracturing bouncers or seemingly unmake-able putts.

The planning starts quite a while prior to kick-off/tee-off or first punch/pitch thrown in a little place commonly referred to as the “men’s retail heaven” a.k.a the liquor store. The days of simply popping down to your local boozer to pick up some “spook & diesel” that should theoretically last the whole of the afternoon, has come and gone. Nowadays the loyal troops prefer to start things off nice and slow with a couple of cold ones. At this particular juncture things are best enhanced by potato chips, dips and off course the obligatory “BILTONG FRENZY.”

All of the above is required to set the tone and gently funnel (excuse the pun) proceedings through the pre-match shenanigans to a place of utter relaxation. A few strategically placed Jaegermeister shots to settle the nerves and the customary darts game will now ensue. Boerrie rolls (prepared on the first fire of the day) should now be within a cat’s whisker of being ready for consumption.

At a glance it would seem that the lining for the first half is all set, but only a rookie would forget to sort out the fire (the second of the day) for the half time BBQ RIB feast. Rookies can usually be spotted closest to the ablution facilities, due to a lack of experience in the Jaegermeister department.  At this stage things are generally improved by the spotting and claiming of the seat with the best view, the closest proximity to the liquor and the truest route to the afore mentioned ablution facilities.

As the game draws to a close, the general consensus is top up your drink and move outside for the lighting of the third and final fire of the day. This period is generally characterized by in-depth discussions about what went wrong or songs of praise for the seemingly victorious team. The beers are now mostly abandoned in favour of the hard stuff that will have the majority of the unit crying in regret the following day!!

All in all things should have come together nicely and if there was no animosity due to instances of unnecessary “fisty cuffs” GAME DAY rituals should remain intact.

It’s no diet, it’s a lifestyle, folks!!

A. Waldeck

Pic: travelblog.portfoliocollection.com

A classic scenario would be if the queen of the manor has been nagging you for weeks to weed the garden path before an intended dinner party. You have had numerous chances to comply in the weeks leading up to the suarè, but has neglected your spouse’s pleas. Now on the actual day of the shindig, you’ve allocated just enough time to watch the game, shower, get dressed and play “host with most” to her friends from book club with their socially awkward husbands, with whom you have less than nothing in common. Your significant other has just had her hair done and the result is less than she expected, far less. You’ve noticed the dead rodent on her head, yet has cleverly refrained from mentioning it, but it has not escaped you that she’s very aware of the hairdressing fiasco.

Typically, she’s more than just a tad annoyed at… well everything and everyone, so you think it best to steer clear. In that moment (of not getting the fight she’s desperately looking for) she remembers the front garden path and starts grilling you about the weeds. She knows full well that the chances of you doing it this instant, are better than that of Paris sharing her angel dust, but she demands that you get up and do as you were told (weeks ago). Naturally, you say that you’re not doing it NOW and that you’ll get to it next week.

Upon hearing this, madam proceeds to the garage to fetch the Round Up and some tools and heads for the front yard, carefully pausing “slab-bang” in front of the TV, perfectly obscuring your real-time view of the best move of the match. She looks you straight in the eye and in her most unapproving voice explains to you that she’d have to do the chore anyway, since you’ll probably just stuff it up like you’ve done with the toaster, kettle and lest we forget the brand new ceiling fan SHE bought, because YOU said “it’s not hot enough this year to warrant getting a new fan”. You try to attest that none of those incidents were your fault, but before you realize it, she starts bowling in-swinging yorkers at your stumps. Classic stuff like, “If you were a real man…” is closely followed by “any man worth his salt…” and of course the supposed TKO of insults aimed at a male ego, “my mother has said numerous times how I could not have chosen a bigger loser to marry.” WHAT?! Okay, okay, now she has your full attention.

Keep calm buddy, take a deep breath and aim for the kill zone. You look her up and down and calmly deliver your retort. “Please put a cap on love, we don’t want the all the dogs going ballistic chasing the dead squirrel on your head!” GAME OVER!! In more ways than one, actually. She’ll almost certainly realize that her hair looks like the dog’s breakfast and can’t possibly risk  being seen like that. Next step is developing an instant migraine and cancelling the party. She’ll give you the silent treatment and probably only speak to you again the next day, so it’s bonus-points time all around.

Until the next time, that is!

A. Waldeck

Pic: technorati.com

“The national selectors and I will therefore be keeping a close watch on the performances of our teams and, in particular, those of the individual players who will form the nucleus of our squad to face the Lions,” the Bok coach, Peter De Villiers, said.

“As usual, we expect the competition to provide a platform for players on the fringes of Springbok selection to stake their claims.

“This is an exceptional year for our rugby and we hope to match it with exceptional on-field performances.

“A tough four months lies ahead and I would like to wish the five SA teams a successful and rewarding Super 14 campaign,” De Villiers added.

South African squads:

Bulls: Heini Adams, Bakkies Botha, Jacques Burger, Marius Delport, Fourie du Preez, Jaco Engels, Burton Francis, Rayno Gerber, Bryan Habana, Francois Hougaard,  Wayne Julies, Zane Kirchner, Werner Kruger, Derick Kuün, Bandise Maku,  Tiger Mangweni, Victor Matfield, Akona Ndungane, JP Nel, Wynand Olivier, Dewald Potgieter, Jaco Pretorius, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Danie Rossouw, Pierre Spies, Gürthro Steenkamp, Wilhelm Steenkamp, Deon Stegmann, Morné Steyn,  Pedrie Wannenburg.

Lions: Cobus Grobbelaar, Doppies la Grange, Jano Vermaak, Louis Ludik, Heinke van der Merwe, Jaque Fourie, Franco van der Merwe, Earl Rose, Anton van Zyl, Willie Wepener, Jannie Boshoff, Willem Alberts, JC Janse van Rensburg, Gert Muller, Henno Mentz, Ashwin Willemse, Michael Killian, Jannes Labuschagne, Chris Jonck, Hans van Dyk, Shandre Frolick, Todd Clever, Siegelaar  Allister, Lawrence Sephaka, Dusty Noble,  Thiliphaut Marole,  Ligtoring Landman, Okkie Kruger, Divan Kotze, Barry Goodes.

Cheetahs: Hennie Daniller, Danwel Demas, Corné Uys, Jacques-Louis Potgieter, Fabian Juries, Meyer Bosman, Tewis de Bruyn, Frans Viljoen, Juan Smith, Heinrich Brüssow, David de Villiers, Nico Breedt, Kobus Calldo, Adriaan Strauss, Wian du Preez, Richardt Strauss,  Wayne van Heerden, Hendro Scholtz, Sarel Pretorius, Bjorn Basson, Kabamba Floors, Trompie Nontshinga, Piet van Zyl, Riaan Viljoen, Jean Botha, Flip van Der Merwe, Bees Roux, Jonge Nokwe, Bevin Fortuin, Hanno Coetzee.

Sharks: Skipper Badenhorst, Nikolai Blignaut, Jacques Botes, Deon Carstens, Keegan Daniel, Jean Deysel, Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Alistair Hargreaves, Ryan Kankowski, Tendai Mtawarira, Johann Muller, Skholiwe Ndlovu, John Smit, Steven Sykes, Albert van den Berg, Monty Dumond, Adrian Jacobs, Chris Jordaan, Rory Kockott, Waylon Murray, Odwa Ndungane, Ruan Pienaar, JP Pietersen, Francois Steyn,  Riaan Swanepoel, Stefan Terblanche, Ross Cronje, Justin Downey, Luzuko Vulindlu.

Stormers: Andries Bekker, Wikus Blaauw, Gcobani Bobo, Schalk Brits, Schalk Burger, Tonderai Chavhanga, Bolla Conradie, Jean de Villiers, Dylan des Fountain, Dewaldt Duvenhage, Schalk Ferreira, Adriaan Fondse, Deon Fourie, Peter Grant, Conrad Jantjes, Ricky Januarie, Francois Louw, JD Moller, Brian Mujati, Pieter Myburgh, Sireli Naqelevuki, Morgan Newman, Luke Watson, Percy Montgomery, Nick Koster, JC Kritzinger, Hilton Lobberts, Joe Pietersen, AJ Venter, Duanne Vermeulen.

Source: rugby365.com

A joint delegation from SARU and the International Rugby Board (IRB) met sports minister Mr Makhenkesi Stofile and deputy minister Mr Gert Oosthuizen in Cape Town as part of an information-sharing session. The IRB delegation included president Mr Bernard Lapasset and chief executive Mike Miller. SARU were represented by president Mr Oregan Hoskins, Mr Mark Alexander (deputy president) and Mr Rautie Rautenbach (vice president).

SARU is bidding to host either the 2015 or the 2019 Rugby World Cups and is seeking government support for the bid. Interested unions will make their presentations to the IRB in May and a decision on the hosting nations for both tournaments will be announced on July 28, 2009.

“We were delighted with the meeting and very pleased with the government’s expression of support for the South African Rugby union’s bid,” said Mr Lapasset. “A tournament of this size – the third-largest sporting event in the world – is not possible without a close partnership between the government and the rugby union and we were impressed with the enthusiasm and the support the government offered.”

The IRB delegation shared research on the enormous economic impact of hosting a Rugby World Cup – estimated to be worth as much as R28bn – as well as the importance of the government and rugby joining hands in the bidding and hosting process.

“The meeting surpassed my expectations and I was very heartened by the minister’s attitude,” said Mr Oregan Hoskins. “His attitude augurs very well for us and I left the meeting feeling that this was a very important moment for our bid.

“The minister stressed that the infrastructure will be in place at the stadiums and across the country and that, as South Africa is a rugby-mad country, that they would be delighted and honoured to host the World Cup.

“It would be a significant moment to host the tournament on the 20th anniversary of the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, an event which did so much to assist in the growth of nation-building in the country.”

Source: sarugby.co.za

According to a report in Afrikaans Sunday newspaper Sondag, Steyn has emerged as the major target of French club Racing Metro on their trip to South Africa next month and has been offered “one of the biggest contracts ever in rugby history” to make the move to France.

Steyn has apparently not signed anything yet, but according to Sondag’s information he is the only Springbok who is still looking overseas after the recent contract offers from SA Rugby.

SA Rugby’s player of the year Jean de Villiers, has reportedly said no to a massive offer of almost R4 million per season from Irish province Munster. Steyn’s contract offer is said to be in the region of R4.5 million per season.

SA Rugby yesterday announced the names of 19 players who signed contracts, but confirmed that CJ van der Linde has not signed a contract by the deadline on Saturday.

Steyn’s agent Gerrie Swart meanwhile admitted the young utility back has been approached about the contract.

“He hasn’t signed anything yet and will look at the offer with the same careful consideration and the knowledge of both SA Rugby and the Sharks. Frans needs to discuss the offer in his own time with his family and must then take a decision that will have all the implications considered,” Swart said.

Steyn accepted his contract with SA Rugby and has been contracted until the end of October at the Sharks.

The contracted players are:

Sharks: JP Pietersen, Adrian Jacobs, Ruan Pienaar, John Smit, Bismarck du Plessis, Frans Steyn, Tendai Mtawarira.

Lions: Jaque Fourie

Free State Cheetahs: Juan Smith

Blue Bulls: Fourie Du Preez, Victor Matfield, Pierre Spies, Bryan Habana, Danie Rossouw, Bakkies Botha

Stormers: Conrad Jantjes, Enrico Januarie, Jean de Villiers, Schalk Burger

Source: sport24.co.za

Pic: mg.co.za

The 26-year-old was injured in the final moments of Perpignan’s 13-13 Top 14 draw with Stade Français on Saturday in front of 79,122 at the Stade de France.

The All Black had kicked his team level with a penalty two minutes from time after they had trailed 13-3 with just eight minutes remaining.

Carter’s appearance against the Parisians marked his return from three weeks on the sidelines with a strain to the same Achilles tendon.

The French club signed Carter on a lucrative six-month deal but he has played just five times since arriving in December after being part of New Zealand’s victorious ‘Grand Slam’ romp across Europe in November.

Details on the extend of the injury to his left ankle have yet to be confirmed, but club spokesman Benoît Brazè admitted that Carter has pulled on Perpignan’s famous blood and gold jersey for the last time.

“He has suffered a partial tear to his Achilles tendon – an injury that could keep him out of action for up to six months,” he said.

“Carter’s run with Perpignan is now over.

“It’s a big disappointment for him and also for the club.

“He has our support and the best possible medical help at his disposal.

“Our doctors and those of the All Blacks will now be put in contact to decide whether he will be operated on in France or elsewhere.

“At the moment he is in plaster and resting up at home.”

Carter’s deal with Perpignan is worth €700,000 (£615,000), which would have worked out to around £35,000 a match had he stayed fit until the end of the season.

But he now departs the scene after scoring just 45 points in 361 minutes of rugby.

Source: planetrugby.com

Pic: dailymail.co.uk

“I don’t know how to measure my side,” said Rudy Joubert, former Springbok assistant coach and a World Cup winner with Pienaar in 1995 when he was the Boks’ technical advisor.

He has just moved to Potchefstroom where he coaches the national champions NWU Pukke who lost to a last-second penalty (32-31) in last year’s Varsity Cup semifinal.

“We have oodles of talent, but not much experience at the back. However, there is so much character that I’m confident,” he said, lauding the structures put in place by former coach Matthew Proudfoot, who is now with Western Province.

Losing 2008 finalists Ikeys (UCT) were determined to do well, but coach John Dobson admitted it could be difficult.

“We caught the guys somewhat unawares last year,” he mused. “We were young and we were too light to get into forward battles and decided to run everything wide. Fleckie (former Springbok centre Robbie Fleck), did wonders and will be back this season.

“We’re hoping for the best and will follow the same approach this year,” promised Dobson.

Champions Maties, who won the 2008 final on the stroke of the hooter when they beat Ikeys, have been working hard.

“The players now know what awaits them,” said coach Chean Roux, former Stormers No 8 and Maties coach. “They seem very determined, but we’ve not been doing anything different from last year.”

Tukkies, who lost in the semi to Maties after extra time, have been working hard and new coach Freddie Grobler is confident that the many player gains could again see them surprise the fancied sides.

During the season 74 black players took part in the competition; an average of 7.03 tries were scored per match by players averaging 21.2 years of age; and the semifinals saw 155 points scored with one semi being decided by the final act of the match and the other going into extra time, emphasising the excitement of the Varsity Cup.

A huge two months of Monday nights awaits.

“Our extensive research has shown that the public want to watch ‘Monday-night football’; the students are back at their universities after weekends away and they want to grab an ice-cold beer and watch their teams play some entertaining rugby on Monday nights,” said Pienaar.

The University of Free State (Shimlas) and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) will officially kick off the 2009 Varsity Cup at the Groote Schuur Rugby Fields in Cape Town on February 2 at 14:45, before the Ikeys-Maties match at 16:45.

At the Fanie du Toit Ground in Potchefstroom the Pukke will meet Tukkies, while the University of Johannesburg will play Tshwane Univesity of Technology (TUT).

All four matches in Round One will be televised live on SuperSport, with a total of 19 matches (including the play-offs) set to be televised in the tournament. That means a minimum of two matches will be televised live every Monday evening.

Source: sport24.co.za

Pic: supersport.co.za

According to reports the new laws – described as draconian and which were innocuously delivered by Stofile and his department in December when leadership of most sporting bodies were on annual leave – were withdrawn late on Tuesday.

As ridiculous as it sounds, the bill would enable the sports minister to decide on individual selections in specific positions for any representative South African team.

Apart from the questionable timing of delivery of the bill to sporting bodies and the equally ridiculous limited time for comment, it was only published as a supplement to the existing law on sport and recreation.

However, according to the Afrikaans daily newspaper Beeld, a highly-placed source revealed that the regulations were set to be withdrawn, as they are apparently illegal.

Some of their proposed rulings that would have been implemented are as follows:
* No selection process is valid unless national trials have been held where each athlete who qualifies is given a chance.
* Management cannot receive national colours, with the exception of coaches. Motivation needs to be given for assistant coaches.
* Only South African passport holders can receive national colours, so players like Tendai Mtawarira and Brian Mujati cannot represent SA.
* Teams need to be chosen at least 30 days before any international competition and need to be sent to the Minister for approval.
* The Minister has the sole right to award national colours and to take them away or refuse them.

The bill would also have included a contradictory clause that would prohibit government from interfering with team selection, but there would have to be motivation as to the selection of certain players.

South African Rugby Union president Oregan Hoskins on Tuesday had already expressed his opposition to the proposed bill and took a stance that would have placed SARU on a collision course with the government over these draconian laws.

“SARU has instructed its attorneys to review the regulations and will discuss their findings with its stakeholders before deciding on a final position for the submission,” Hoskins said in a statement on Tuesday.

“We are concerned about some of the proposed regulations, but will discuss those internally before making our submission,” Hoskins added.

Deputy Minister of sport Gert Oosthuizen denied the aim was to interfere in sport however.

“We just want to prevent someone that runs onto a rugby field for a second from getting national colours. That is not interfering,” he said.

Source: rugby365.com

Meyer, who arrived at Welford Road at the start of the season, has returned home to South Africa to be with his wife’s parents, who are both seriously ill.

Club chairman Peter Tom had originally set last Sunday as the date to resolve the matter by, but chief executive Peter Wheeler has said Meyer has asked for more time.

Wheeler went on to stress that the club would not rush their head coach in such testing circumstances.

“I have spoken to Heyneke and his situation is still very difficult from a medical point of view,” Wheeler told The Leicester Mercury..

“I have said to him, ‘let’s give it another week’. If that is helpful to him, that is what we will do.”

Wheeler said that the Tigers board would discuss the way forward at next week’s scheduled meeting.

“We will, hopefully, have all of the information in place by then and be able to reach a decision,” he said.

“I have said to Heyneke that I will speak to him this weekend because we have got plenty on our plate this week (Tigers play the Ospreys in the Heineken Cup pool decider).

“I have tried not to have any gut instincts and try to deal with it in the correct way.

“Heyneke is very aware of doing the best thing for the club but he obviously has to put his family considerations in the picture too.”

Forwards coach Richard Cockerill remains in charge for the foreseeable future, and will lead the Tigers’ bid to reach the last eight of the Heineken Cup against the Ospreys this weekend.

Source: planetrugby.com

Pic: skysports.com

Percy Montgomery will get a chance to return to the Stormers No15 jersey in the absence of the injured Springbok fullback Conrad Jantjes and Schalk Burger will be out for another week with a foot complaint, otherwise the team looks a close replica of the one likely to start the Super 14 campaign against the Sharks on Valentine’s Day.

Duane Vermeulen, the star loose-forward newcomer from the Cheetahs, will start in the No7 jersey, with Francois Louw being entrusted with the task of taking over Burger’s openside duties for this match.

“As you know, in our side the No8 is the openside,” joked Erasmus, who has often expressed the opinion that numbers on the back mean little to the loose-forward configuration.

“Francois will have the job of doing most of the work of the openside flanker in this game, but they will help each other out and do a bit of both.”

Vermeulen is normally a No8, so it is interesting to see Luke Watson retained at No8. What will be even more interesting, however, will be to see what Erasmus does with his selection once Burger is fit again.

As anticipated, Erasmus is giving Tongan Alipate Fatafehi, who apparently showed some good touches in an opposed practice session against UCT last weekend, a chance to show what he can do in a match situation.

“He went over on his foot in the session against the Ikeys, so he did not get a big chance to show us what he could do, but he showed enough to suggest we should take another look at him. The Saracens match is a big opportunity for him for if he does well we will keep him on our books for the Super 14 season,” said Erasmus.

If nothing else, the Stormers should not lack for size at wing this season, for the Saracens game will also be used as a chance for Nick Koster, normally a loose-forward, to show his paces on the wing. Sireli Naqelevuki will start in the No11 jersey, but Fatefehi and Koster will be used there later in the game, with Fatefehi also covering fullback.

There was a suggestion that Naqelevuki, like he did last season, would move into the midfield in the second half, but Erasmus confirmed that Dylan des Fountain was the back-up outside centre for this game.

Stormers team: Percy Montgomery, Tonderai Chavhanga, Gcobani Bobo, Jean de Villiers (captain), Sireli Naqelevuki, Peter Grant, Ricky Januarie, Luke Watson, Duane Vermeulen, Francois Louw, Andries Bekker, Adriaan Fondse, Brian Mujati, Schalk Brits, JD Moller.

Reserves: Deon Fourie, JC Kritzinger/Schalk Ferreira, Wicus Blaauw, Hilton Lobberts, AJ Venter/George Earle, Pieter Louw, Bolla Conradie, Joe Pietersen, Dylan des Fountain, Alipate Fatafehi, Nick Koster.

Source: supersport.co.za

Pic: legerity.wordpress.com