Author: Stephen Kisbey-Green

The first match of the Guinness Pro14 to take place on South African soil kicked off on Saturday 16 September 2017, when the Southern Kings went down to Leinster in Port Elizabeth by 10-31. In a cold and wet Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, the Irish side looked at home after a strong second half performance. In the first half, the Kings managed to stop the Leinster attack, and hold them off of their line, only conceding a single try, and scoring a penalty of their own. Both teams looked hungry in the first half, with the King’s Masixole Banda scoring…

History was made on Saturday 16 September 2017, when the Southern Kings played host to Irish club, Leinster, in the first ever Guinness Pro14 match to be played on South African soil. The Kings came into the match after previously losing their first two Pro14 matches 57-10 and 32-10 against the defending champions, Scarlets, and Connacht respectively. The conditions on the day seemed to favour the Irish visitors, as the cold and wet weather is synonymous with the Emerald Isle. Despite the cool conditions, the early afternoon kick-off promised to be an exciting first outing in South Africa for the…

Update #17 Leinster are given an attacking scrum inside the Kings’ 22m. They manage to crash the ball over the line, however it is held up. the final whistle sounds. Fulltime: Kings 10-31 Leinster Update #16 Try for the Southern Kings after a brilliant run, scored by Jacques Nel. Ntabeni Dukisa slots the conversion from in front. Kings 10-31 Leinster Update #15 Another try for Leinster as Dave Kearney crosses over in the corner off another set move from the lineout. Cathal Marsh misses the conversion from out wide. Kings 3-31 Leinster. Update #14 Official crowd attendance…

With the Southern Kings recently axed from Super Rugby, along with their Bloemfontein counter-parts, the Cheetahs, many have speculated what the future holds for these South African franchises. Over the weeks since the decision to axe the Kings and Cheetahs was made, the most prominent rumours have been that the Kings and Cheetahs will take part in the European Pro12 competition. In fact, the rumours are so strong that all that is needed now is an announcement to be made in order to make the move official. Celtic rugby, which is the association of Irish, Welsh, Scottish and Italian Rugby…

The opening round of the 2017 Castle Lager Rugby Championship got underway on Saturday 19 August, as South Africa took on Argentina in Nelson Mandela Bay stadium. The match kicked off in good mid-August late afternoon conditions, with the windy city living up to its name. Earlier in the day, New Zealand had already taken on Australia in Sydney at the ANZ Stadium, where the All Blacks proved why they are still world no. 1 by dispatching the Wallabies by 34-54, despite a second half comeback from the hosts. South Africa were looking to emulate their Kiwi counterparts in what…

World Rugby announced on Wednesday that South Africa’s premier domestic competition, the Currie Cup, will align with the Northern Hemisphere as they trial the recently-announced law amendments. The modifications that will be trialed in the Currie Cup will affect primarily the ruck, tackle and scrum areas of the game. The following are the approved law amendments from World Rugby that are being placed into affect: Law 20.5 and 20.5 (d) Throwing the ball into the scrum No signal from referee. The scrum-half must throw the ball in straight, but is allowed to align their shoulder on the middle line of…

The long awaited announcement of two South African teams’ involvement in the Guinness Pro12 was released on Tuesday 1 August by Celtic rugby. The Southern Kings and the Free State Cheetahs, who were recently axed from Super Rugby, will join teams from Wales, Scotland Ireland and Italy in a newly reformatted and renamed Guinness Pro14 that will commence in September 2017. The new format will consist of a two-conference system, with seven teams in each conference. Each team will play the other six teams in their conference twice, one home and one away, and then play each team in the…

The Springboks rounded out a highly successful Incoming Series with a third win in three weeks over France when they ran out 35-12 victors in Johannesburg on Saturday 23 June. This historic victory marks the first South African win over Les Blues in Emirates Airline Park over the long history between the two sides. The South Africans attacking prowess has been the flavour of the series over the past few weeks, however in the third test, it was their defensive capabilities that ensured the home side would walk away victorious. The Springboks maintained a solid tryline, not allowing…

On Saturday 24 June, the Springboks took on France in the third match of the Castle Lager Incoming Series at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg. The Springboks, who came into the match as the firm favourites after winning the first two matches of the three match test series. This would be the first match that South Africa has won over the French in Johannesburg. The Springboks suffered an early setback before the match kicked off, with influential skipper, Warren Whiteley, being ruled out during training with a groin injury. In his absence, lock Eben Etzebeth was given the captains…

Update #24 The final hooter sounds and the ball is chipped into touch. Fulltime: SA 35-12 FRA Update #23 Try for South Africa, as Rudy Paige goes over the line from a lineout on the French 5m. Jantjies converts. SA 35-12 FRA Update #22 With less than 10 minutes left, Andries Coetzee is denied a try as he is ruled to be held up by the TMO. Update #21 The Springboks clear their bench with Frans Steyn, Rudy Paige and Dillyn Leyds replacing Jesse Kriel, Francois Hougaard and Raymond Rhule respectively. Update #20 Replacements for the…