RUGBYINTERNATIONAL.NET

 

‘GETTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT’

THE GAME OF RUGBY IS RAPIDLY EXPANDING WORLD WIDE. THIS WEB SITE'S MAIN FUNCTION IS THE RESEARCHING, COLLECTING, COLLATING, RECORDING AND UPDATING OF INTERNATIONAL RUGBY RESULTS AND RECORDS

July  2007

Web sites I recommend this month

 

WHAT’S NEW?

All news-archives in the menu are now up to date (15.07)

 

Updated 29.07.2007

Scroll down for the latest news

Latest Results (Last two weeks)

21.07.2007

New Zealand 26, Australia 12 in Auckland (Bledisloe Cup & Tri Nations)

Namibia 42, South Africa Amateur 34 in Windhoek (Friendly)

Botswana 31, Mauritius 11 in Gaborone (CAR Castel Beer Cup, Div.2, South B)

La Reunion won v Swaziland in Gaborone (CAR Castel Beer Cup, Div.2, South B)

 

19.07.2007

Mauritius 17, La Reunion 12 in Gaborone (CAR Castel Beer Cup, Div.2, South B)

Botswana 46, Swaziland 0 in Gaborone (CAR Castel Beer Cup, Div.2, South B)

 

18.07.2007

Cambodia 26, Laos 16 (Asia Nations Series, Div.6)

Indonesia 28, Brunei 15 (Asia Nations Series, Div.6)

Nigeria 20 Togo 11 in Lagos (CAR Castel Cup Div.2, North B)

Ghana 20, Benin 7 in Lagos (CAR Castel Cup Div.2, North B)

 

17.07.2007

Mauritius 41, Swaziland 12 in Gaborone (CAR Castel Beer Cup, Div.2, South B)

La Reunion 15, Botswana 6 in Gaborone (CAR Castel Beer Cup, Div.2, South B)

 

14.07.2007

New Zealand 33, South Africa 6 in Christchurch (Tri Nations)

Indonesia 11, Cambodia 10 in Brunei (Asia Nations Series, Div.6)

Brunei 17, Laos 16 in Brunei (Asia Nations Series, Div.6)

Nigeria v Ghana in Lagos (CAR Castel Cup Div.2, North B)

Togo v Benin in Lagos (CAR Castel Cup Div.2, North B)

 

11.07.2007

Indonesia 17, Laos 3 in Brunei (Asia Nations Series, Div.6)

Cambodia 30, Brunei 8 in Brunei (Asia Nations Series, Div.6)

Togo 21, Ghana 10 in Lagos (CAR Castel Cup Div.2, North B)

Nigeria 36, Benin 6 in Lagos (CAR Castel Cup Div.2, North B)

 

07.07.2007

Australia 25, South Africa 17 in Sydney (Tri Nations)

Kenya 22, Cameroun 19 in Younde (Africa Cup, Div.1, North A)

Ivory Coast 16, Tunisia 14 in Abidjan (Africa Cup, Div.1, North B)

Uganda 21, Zambia 5 in Lusaka (Africa Cup, Div.1, South B)

Madagascar 30, Zimbabwe 29 in Harare (Africa Cup, Div.1, South A)

Coming Up

04.08.2007

England v Wales at Twickenham (RWC Warm-up friendly)

 

ADDITIONS AND ALTERATIONS TO THE FIXTURE LIST

 

ELGIN CUP KENYA v UGANDA-Now August 11.(28.07)

 

AUGUST RWC WARM UP TESTS (15.07)

04.08.2007

England v Wales

 

18.08.2007

Italy v Japan

Canada v Portugal

 

25.08.2007

South Africa v Scotland

Argentina XV v Belgium XV

 

JAPAN V ASIAN BARBARIANS (11.07)

 

“This will be a night game to christen the news lights at the ground.

 

On July 5, the JRFU announced the 28-man Asian Barbarians squad. Japan record cap holder with 79 caps, Kobe centre Yukio Motoki (35) will one of seven Japanese legends to line up with players from across the Asian region to face Japan. Veteran Yamaha halfback Wataru Murata (39) with 41 Test appearances will once again team up with Toyota’s Keiji “Super Boots” Hirose (34) who has 40 Test caps of his own at flyhalf. Korea, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, China, Chinese Taipei, India and Sri Lanka are also represented.

 

 The team will be coached by Jarrod Gallagher (IRB), who commented that there was a lot of appeal about the side made up of players from across the region including Japanese veterans and other players with Hong Kong Sevens and New Zealand NPC experience.

 

The squad will assemble in Kota Kinabalu in provincial Sabah, Malaysia for camp from July 19~23. This will be followed by pre-match preparations at the Japan Union’s Tatsumi no Mori training ground in Tokyo from August 7~9.”

 

Thanks to Ian McDonnell, RiJ Newsletter Vol.4, No.28

 

 

CASTEL BEER AFRICA CUP DIV.2, NORTH POOL A (28.06)

This tournament, held in Burkino Faso, appears to have gone ahead. The finals results are as below but the preliminary match results are as yet unknown.

 

1st-2nd-Burkino Faso 10, Mali 0

3rd-4th-Niger 54, Chad 0

 

Report so far thanks to ‘Quentin’ from FIRA-AER forum

http://www.lefaso.net/article.php3?id_article=21728&id_rubrique=5

 

Missing Results but no dates yet.

Mali 32 - 0 Chad

Mali 10 - 6 Niger

Burkina Faso 36 - 0 Chad

Burkina Faso 8 - 3 Niger

http://www.fira-aer-rugby.com/forum2007/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2336&start=45

 

World Cup Web Sites-try these

http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/index.html

 

 

LATEST NEWS

 

COUNTRY LIST UPDATES (29.07)

The following country lists have been updated. Go to alphabetical order at the top of the page.

 

Argentina   England   Finland   Hong Kong   Ireland   Ivory Coast   Korea   Malaysia   Pakistan   Senegal   Singapore   Thailand

 

RUGBY IN JAPAN (RiJ) Vo.4 No.30

 

MATCH DATA SHEET UPDATES (28.07)

The following international rugby fixtures now have a match data sheet available in the fixtures lists. There will be a short delay before the data sheets are loaded to each country’s fixture list.

 

7 October 2006 Finland v Bosnia-Herzegovina (Updated)

21 April 2007 Luxembourg v Bosnia-Herzegovina (Updated)

12 May 2007 Thailand v Pakistan (New)

26 May 2007 Ivory Coast v Senegal (Updated)

26 May 2007 Argentina v Ireland (New)

26 May 2007 Slovenia v Finland (New)

27 May 2007 Hong Kong v Korea (New)

2 June 2007 Argentina v Ireland (New)

 

ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR TUSKER ELGON CUP

Kenya v Uganda August 4 (Now postponed to Aug 11)

July 25, 2007

 

It is all systems go as the national team stepped up training for the return leg of Tusker Elgon Cup tie to be played on August 4 at the Rugby Football Union of East Africa ground.Three players have been called up to the squad. They are Impala centre Paul Sadat, Mwamba utility back Humphrey Khayange and Mean Machine forward Wilson K'Opondo. They will fill the gaps left by Naphtaly Bondo and Mark Emitati who have left for the USA and Australia.

 

The Kenya team played a build up match against current Kenya Cup League leaders Kenya Harlequin on Tuesday at the RFUEA ground. They resume training on Thursday, Friday and Sunday at the RFUEA ground before playing another build up match against Nondescripts next Wednesday at the Agricultural Society of Kenya Jamhuri Showground from 5 pm.

 

Coach Michael 'Tank' Otieno will have a good idea of who to field against Uganda after the training session on Sunday. The team shall be named on Wednesday after the match against Nondies.

 

During the build up match against Quins on Tuesday, the coach and his two assistants Edward Kinyany and Charles Ngovi had a chance to try out some of the moves they would like to use against Uganda. KCB scrum-half Peter Mutai who sustained a cut in the league match against Nondies at the weekend was rested with Impala

scrum-half Moses Kola stepping in.

 

Against Quins, Kenya only stamped their authority in the last quarter after a good spell by the league leaders who exposed the weak defence. The coach stated as much. "We need to work on our defence, ball retention and rucks. Our backs are still not as fluid as expected. They can play much better," Otieno observed.

 

The coach and his technical bench know that it will take a lot more effort to overcome a 19-point deficit against Uganda to reclaim the Elgon Cup. "Uganda is strong all over. They have a good pack which has nearly perfected the art of ball retention. They are on a roll and we begin from 19 points down. They know it will not be easy but I am satisfied with the preparations," Otieno said.

 

Wangila Simiyu, the team manager urged sponsors to chip in. "This is a big match and the players need a motivation in every little way," he urged.The players will be released to their club sides for the Kenya Cup league matches on Saturday. "The league has reached a crucial stage and we do not want to be blamed for anything. It

is up to the players to decide what is important. Any match practice is welcome," Otieno observed.

 

In the meantime, the Africa Rugby Confederation (CAR) Africa Cup semi-finals have been postponed to September. CAR are still evaluating the bids from the semi-finalists.

 

 Released by KRFU Media and Communications krfu@iconnect.co.ke

 

BOTSWANA WINS TOURNAMENT (24.07)

Botswana won the CAR Castel Cup Division 2 South, Pool B tournament with a good win over Mauritius..

http://www.gov.bw/cgi-bin/news.cgi?d=20070712&i=Gabs_hosts_rugby_tourney

21.07.2007 Botswana 31, Mauritius 11

http://www.lematinal.com/fullstory.asp?folder=sports#5

http://www.gov.bw/cgi-bin/news.cgi?d=20070723&i=Vultures_win_cup

21.07.2007 La Reunion won v Swaziland

19.07.2007 Mauritius 17, La Reunion 12

19.07.2007 Botswana 46, Swaziland 0

17.07.2007 Mauritius 41, Swaziland 12

http://www.mauritiusrugby.mu/about_news.php

17.07.2007 La Reunion 15, Botswana 6

 

CAR CASTEL CUP DIV.2, NORTH B (24.07)

The winner of the North Pool A competition was Burkino Faso. Burkino Faso will meet the winner of this pool to determine the Northern champion. Two southern pools are also operating. Tanzania won South Pool A whilst South Pool B gets underway this week. Tanzania will play the winner of Pool B. The teams being Swaziland, Botswana, Mauritius and Reunion. Eventually the North winner will play the South winner in a grand final.

18.07.2007Nigeria 20 Togo 11

18.07.2007Ghana 20, Benin 7

14.07.2007 Nigeria v Ghana ?

14.07.2007 Togo v Benin ?

11.07.2007 Togo 21, Ghana 10

11.07.2007 Nigeria 36, Benin 6

http://allafrica.com/stories/200707130124.html

 

THIS WEEKEND 21 July

 

21.07.2007

New Zealand 26, Australia 12 in Auckland (Bledisloe Cup & Tri Nations)

New Zealand claimed both the Tri Nations Trophy and Bledisloe Cup after defeating the Wallabies at Eden Park on Saturday.

 

Reviews

http://www.planet-rugby.com/Story/0,18259,3562_2606026,00.html

 

Namibia 42, South Africa Amateur 34 in Windhoek (Friendly)

Namibia began its final Rugby World Cup preparations with a convincing win over the South African Amateur side on Saturday. The Namibians will also play a South African Student side.

 

Reviews

http://www.planet-rugby.com/Story/0,18259,3818_2610860,00.html

 

Botswana 31, Mauritius 11 in Gaborone (CAR Castel Beer Cup, Div.2, South B)

 

La Reunion defeated Swaziland in Gaborone (CAR Castel Beer Cup, Div.2, South B)

 

ARFU Div.6 TOURNAMENT, BRUNEI (20.07)

Indonesia wins the tournament.

 

11.07.2007

Indonesia 17, Laos 3

Cambodia 30, Brunei 8

Defending champions Cambodia too good for hosts

http://www.bruneitimes.com.bn/details.php?shape_ID=36336

 

14.07.2007

Indonesia 11, Cambodia 10

Brunei 17, Laos 16

 

18.07.2007

Cambodia 26, Laos 16

Indonesia 28,Brunei 15

 

Indonesia wins ARFU Div 6 2007 Rugby Union tournament

 

Match report from William Ryan of the IRFU

 

Indonesia Rugby Beats Brunei 28 – 15, Wins Borneo Cup and Asian Nations Series Competition

 

The Indonesian Rhinos defeated their hosts, Brunei , late Wednesday to sweep the International Rugby Board (IRB) sponsored Asian Nations Series Division 6 Tournament. The final performance was very satisfying for Coach Ismail with the team running in three tries by Hastono, Smalberger and Andarias Safiembolo with three penalties and two conversions from Kirk Aditya Arundale.

 

The action-packed game was watched by a large crowd including the Indonesian Ambassador and an enthusiastic group of cheering Brunei-based Indonesians.After dominating the first 15 minutes, the Rhinos opened up a 21 -3 lead at half time through powerful forward drives and penetrating backline moves. The Rhinos line out play improved tremendously and although being under pressure in the scrums the backline tackled strongly to deny Brunei any advantage.

 

The second half was played in torrential rain but the Rhinos adapted to the conditions, closed the game up and kept the hosts under pressure with a deep kicking game. Despite a brief spirited comeback from Brunei, the Rhinos were always in control and the result was never in doubt. Fikri Al Azhar, of Bandung , the team’s Captain, was elated with the win, saying “Alhamdulillah! This is a great reward for us, our hard work has paid off, we are so proud to see Indonesians playing rugby and winning at the international level.”

 

The national team, sponsored by Thiess Indonesia and Standard Chartered Bank, had previously defeated Laos (17 – 3) and last year’s victors Cambodia (11-10) in the annual tournament for developing nations in SE Asia .The team included players from Kalimantan, Java, Bali, Halmahera, Papua and Sumbawa . Indonesian nationals also joined the team from as far away as England and Dubai . By beating Brunei, Indonesia was also victorious in securing the first annual Borneo Darussalam Cup, which recognizes both cooperation in the sport of rugby and the peaceful relations between the two nations, which share the island of Borneo (with Malaysia).

 

The team had international help. The Singapore Rugby Union’s Development Manager, Ismail M. Kadir, acted as head coach, with the Australian former ESPN/Star Sports commentator, Justin Sampson, as his assistant. Mark Manderson ( Scotland ) and Alan Nye ( England ) were tour managers.The tournament coincided with the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) meeting of the 26 Asian rugby playing nations, including Japan , Malaysia and China . At the Brunei meeting, an Indonesian representative was elected to the Executive Committee of the ARFU. A new tournament structure for Asia, tentatively titled the Asian Five Nations, which Indonesia will participate in at a tertiary level, was also approved.Koji Tokumasu, a Japanese Rugby Union delegate present in Brunei , noted “In a short time, Indonesia has developed far beyond what anyone could have expected. We are quite pleased to see the great nation of Indonesia take its place among the rugby playing nations of Asia .”

 

Indonesia ’s bid to host the next year’s tournament was approved at the ARFU meeting and the competition will take place in July 2008 at a facility to be named in Jakarta .

 

Please contact IRFU through their website: http://www.indonesianrugby.com/ with any questions.”

 

I was unable to get this link to work. Thanks to ‘Cappelan’ from FIRA-AER

 

RUGBY IN JAPAN VOL.4 NO.29

 

KENYA SENDS A STRONG BID FOR CAR SEMIS (16.07)

July 13, 2007

 

                 The Kenya Rugby Football Union has sent a strong bid to the Africa Rugby Confederation to host the Africa Cup semi-finals in August. An 18-page document sent to CAR details Kenya’s ability to host the continent’s premier 15’s rugby competition in which the top 12 countries compete.

                  Kenya qualified to a historic semi-final after narrowly beating Cameroon 22-19 in Yaounde on July 7 to finish top of North Pool A with maximum points. In the semi-finals, Kenya has been drawn against Madagascar. The CAR Rules sent November last year indicate that the winner of North Pool A would play the winner of South Pool B. The winners of Cote d’Ivoire and Uganda are the winners of North Pool B and South Pool A respectively. It is the central location and quality of Kenya’s bid which has spurred interest among the other three semi-finalists who are also hoping to stage the finals.

                   According to the bid document, Kenya has proposed that the teams arrive on August 3 with the semi-finals on Sunday, August 5 at the RFUEA ground. The play-off and final shall then be staged on August 11. The bid’s other strong point is the organizational structure which has been planned by the KRFU complete with six managers in different categories such as security, marketing, grounds, logistics, media and medical. “KRFU has a team of experienced professionals who have been able to match the high standards required,” said Frank Sabwa, the KRFU Secretary.

                  Kenya has in the past hosted top competitions. In 1987, Kenya hosted the All Africa Games in which rugby was a demonstration sport. In 1993, Kenya hosted the Rugby World Cup qualifiers which had Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Arabian Gulf.

                  Since 1996, Kenya has successfully staged the Safari Sevens which is Africa’s Premier 7’s competition and this year, CAR used the event to rank African countries in the shorter version of the game. Kenya also hosted the Rugby World Cup 7’s qualifiers in 2000 and the CAR under-18 championship in 2003.

                   In the past two year’s, 15’s rugby has been on the rise with Kenya reaching the second round of the Africa Cup for the first time last year. “We have already made history by reaching the semi-finals which is no mean feat in a strong Pool which had Cameroon and Morocco,” acknowledged Fred Ollows, the KRFU Development Manager. Kenya has floored World Cup-bound Namibia, Tunisia and Morocco.

                   There is a compelling bait for the three visiting teams who are invited to sample Kenya’s world-class hotels and tourist attractions immediately after the semi-finals when they have a five-day lull to plan for the play-off and final. A typical excursion will be a drive to Nakuru and back or visit the nearby Nairobi National Park.

 

 Proposed schedule

August 3, 2007: Arrival

August 5, 2007: Semi finals

Cote d’Ivoire v Uganda        2.15 pm

Kenya v Madagascar            4.15 pm

August 11, 2007:

Play-off                            2.15 pm

Final                                4.15 pm

 

 Released by KRFU Media and Communication krfu@iconnect.co.ke

 

See also http://allafrica.com/stories/200707110096.html

 

TANZANIA WINS CASTEL CUP SOUTH POOL GROUP A (16.07)

MAYOTTE RECORDS FIRST INTERNATIONAL WIN

Email from Jengo Imara, Tanzania RFU.

 

Arusha, 1 July:  This year’s hunt for the Castel Cup, Africa’s second division championship, kicked off in Arusha last week, as Tanzania hosted Mayotte and Rwanda in the South Pool Group A Tournament. Burundi had been scheduled to participate as well, but withdrew several days before the first match, due to financial constraints.

 

Rwanda’s squad turned up two days later than expected, forcing a second revision to the week’s schedule. Originally planned as the tournament finale, the first match featured Tanzania against Mayotte, with the home team narrowly prevailing, 18-11. The Twigas, defending Castel Cup champions, scored three tries and one penalty to Mayotte’s one try and two penalties.

 

Tanzania did not have it easy. At the break, the teams were tied 8-8 after Mayotte came twice from behind in a physical, sea-saw battle. Justin Trappe, who was yellow carded in the second half, drew the first blood for the hosts by kicking over a penalty in the fourth minute.

 

Mayotte fly-half and captain Sebastien Alcaide drew level by slotting a penalty in the 17th minute. Tanzania went ahead again when massive prop Boaz Magege barged over in the 25th minute. But Mayotte responded before the break with a try by winger Said Ahmadi in the 31st minute.

 

In the second half, Tanzania centre Fred Kibisu raced over for Tanzania’s second try in the 58th minute, restoring the lead at 13-8. Alcaide pushed his team within 2 points with a penalty in the 61st minute. But winger Aart Koster cushioned Tanzania’s lead with a try in the 63rd minute. The home team hung on to win with Trappe still in the sin bin.

 

On Thursday, Mayotte bounced back by overwhelming Rwanda 58-0, recording its first international victory since entering Castel Cup competitions several years ago.

 

The Silverbacks were no match for their much larger, mostly French opponents. Mayotte led 17-0 at the half and had a field day in the second period, when Rwanda was reduced to 14 after their flanker and captain Janvier Bunani was red-carded in the 66th minute.

 

Sebastien Alaide scored first in the fourth minute by stroking over a penalty. Eightman Fabrice Gaudet scored a try in the eighth minute and Alaide converted for a 10-0 lead. Two minutes before the break, Julien Blazy scored the second try for Mayotte, which Alaide converted.

 

Eight minutes into the second half, Rwanda centre Marcel Koko was shown the yellow card. Mayotte then went into overdrive, scoring seven tries. Scorers included Maxime Meunier, Philippe Dupuy, Cedric Despalle, Eric Landmann and Cyril Faure.

 

On Saturday, Tanzania started its seven first-match reserves against Rwanda, winning easily 53-6. The Twigas now advance to the South Zone final, and will face the winner of the Group B tournament to be held in Botswana later this month.

 

2007 Castel Cup South Pool Group A Tournament Fixtures:

June 26: Tanzania 18 Mayotte 11 (Referee Nicholas Gachoya)

June 28: Mayotte 58 Rwanda 0 (Referee Chris Okumu)

June 30: Tanzania 53 Rwanda 6 (Referee Nicholas Gachoya)

 

Point Summary:

1. Tanzania: 2 wins (8), Bonus point for Rwanda match (1); Total points (9)

2. Mayotte: 1 win (4), Bonus points for Tanzania and Rwanda matches (2); Total points (6)

3. Rwanda: Total points (0)

 

RUGBY IN JAPAN (RiJ) NEWSLETTER VO.4, NO.28

 

THIS WEEKEND 14 JULY

 

14.07.2007

New Zealand 33, South Africa 6 in Christchurch (Tri Nations)

Reviews

New Zealand’s comfortable win over South Africa will set up a Bledisloe Cup and Tri Nations showdown with Australia next weekend in Auckland.

http://www.planet-rugby.com/Story/0,18259,3551_2498829,00.html

 

Previews

New Zealand requires a good win and all bonus points in this match. The clash with Australia, which is looking a likely Tri Nations final, is looming and the Aussies are in with a sniff of a chance following their impressive win over New Zealand two weeks ago.

 

Indonesia 11, Cambodia 10 in Brunei (Asia Nations Series, Div.6)

Review

A narrow win over last year’s champions Cambodia virtually ensures Indonesia the champion’s title for this year. They meet Brunei in Wednesday’s final round.

http://www.bruneitimes.com.bn/details.php?shape_ID=36675

 

Preview

This match looks like the tournament decider following both Cambodia and Indonesia recording impressive wins on Wednesday. Cambodia hosted this tournament last year, won all its games comfortably. The Cambodians defeated Indonesia 30-7.

 

Brunei 17, Laos 16 in Brunei (Asia Nations Series, Div.6)

Review

Brunei sneaks in.

 

Preview

Brunei defeated Laos in this tournament last year 32-17 to record its first ever international rugby victory

 

RUGBY IN JAPAN (RiJ) NEWSLETTER VO.4, NO.27

 

 

 

KENYA COMPLAINS OF BAD TREATMENT IN CAMEROON (10.07)

 

            The national rugby team has complained of bad treatment while in Cameroon for an Africa Cup match which they narrowly won 22-19 in Yaounde on Saturday 7th July 2007.On Arrival in Yaounde last Friday, the team was delayed at a police roadblock for three and a half hours because they did not have entry visas. The Cameroonian personnel at the roadblock asked for $150 per person. The players and officials were only allowed after the team manager Wangila Simiyu promised to ask for the funds from Nairobi. This was at about midnight.

            On Friday, Kenya got assistance from the Kenya Airways Station Manager – Mr. Njuma - in Yaounde. He facilitated the issuance of an entry visa at $110 per player. Despite all these problems, the players kept a cool head. Kenya was also taken to a murrum pitch to train on Friday. “We refused and returned to the hotel,” the team manager said. This was the only time that Kenya was given an opportunity to train. Simiyu said that Kenya was initially denied a chance to train at the match venue on the eve of the match. “We were only taken there after insisting that it was a requirement but even then, that was late in the evening,” he said.

             As if this was not enough, Kenya Harlequin hooker Vincent Ong’era who was left behind and travelled on Friday was put on the next plane back after being denied an entry visa in Douala so that he could travel to Yaounde. He stayed at the airport for 24 hours before being flown back. Cameroon Rugby officials did not help resolve the visa hitch.

              On the match day, the Cameroon rugby officials did not send transport to take the team to the match venue. “We hired seven taxis to ferry the players,” Simiyu said. This was almost the same treatment Kenya got in 2001 during the Rugby World Cup qualifiers. Commenting about the match, Simiyu said that Kenya was trailing by three points with two minutes remaining on the dial. It took the initiative of Innocent Simiyu, Mark Mshila and Horace Otieno to win the game. Simiyu drew four players and passed the ball to Mshila who joined in the attack. He unloaded the ball to Otieno who powered over the line despite being tackled by Cameroon players.

              Injury and fatigue is the main worry for coach Michael ‘Tank’ Otieno. Paul Oimbo, Edwin Alubaka, Daniel Kiptoo need time to recover from injuries while Simiyu is fatigued despite playing a very good game. Mutai who worked tirelessly behind the scrum got a standing ovation from the sizeable crowd when he was substituted in the second half with Moses Kola. The Cote d’Ivoire officials and Togolese match commissioner did not escape the wrath of the Kenyan officials. “I have not seen anything like it,” Simiyu acknowledged. He admitted the match was physical. “Cameroon relied on brute strength rather than a structured approach,” he observed.

 

The team returned home on Monday morning.

 

 Released by KRFU Media and Communications krfu@iconnect.co.ke

 

TURKEY BUILDING TOWARDS MEMBERSHIP OF FIRA-AER (10.07)

http://www.fira-aer-rugby.com/article_detail.php?article=538

 

SAN MARINO BECOMES 44th MEMBER OF FIRA-AER (10.07)

Just a little behind the news on this item. Tiny San Marino gained its membership on 16 June this year.

http://www.rugbyclubsanmarino.com/default.asp?id=2007&id_n=2441 (in Italian)

 

COUNTRY LIST UPDATES (10.07)

The following nations have had their list of results updated. Go to alphabetical listings at the top of this page.

 

Barbarians (UK) RFC   Canada   Czech Republic   Fiji   Ireland XV   Malta   New Zealand XV   Norway   Poland   South Africa   Wales

 

MATCH DATA SHEET UPDATES (08.07)

The following international rugby fixtures now have a match data sheet available in the fixtures lists and on each country’s fixture list.

 

19 May 2007 Portugal v Czech Republic (New)

19 May 2007 Poland v Malta (New)

25 May 2007 NZ Maori v Canada (New)

26 May 2007 Fiji v Japan (New)

9 June 2007 Australia v Fiji (New)

16 June 2007 New Zealand v Canada (New)

 

PORTUGAL GAIN ANOTHER WARM UP MATCH (08.07)

Portugal has gained another Rugby World Cup warm up match at the end of July along with proposed tests against Canada and United States in August. London Welsh will play the Portuguese side in London.

http://www.planet-rugby.com/Story/0,18259,3551_2466562,00.html

 

THIS WEEKEND 7 JULY

 

07.07.2007

Australia 25, South Africa 17 in Sydney (Tri Nations)

Australia won by 8 points. I predicted Australia by 24.

 

Reviews

The win to Australia was a wonderful send off for veterans Gregan and Larkham who were playing their last game of test rugby on home soil. It was a close win and Australia very nearly suffered a humiliating defeat against the ‘B Box’. The South Africans scored two intercept tries within minutes of the start of the game, leading 17-0 at one stage. Australia clawed their way back to 10-17 at halftime. Australia took control up front in the second half with the game looking safe at 25-17 with minutes to go. A break out by South Africa in the dying seconds almost, but for a wrong option, resulted in a try. Australia failed to get a crucial fourth try and a bonus point, much needed with the All Blacks in site in two weeks. South Africa will move on to New Zealand for their second away game next Saturday.

 

Previews

Australia breathed new life and fire into the 2007 Tri Nation’s series last weekend with a 20-15 win against the All Blacks. South Africa arrived in Sydney without 20 of their top players all resting before the Rugby World Cup. The head would say beware a wounded South Africa side labelled the ‘B’ Box who will push the Aussies for a full eighty minutes. The heart will say that Gregan and Larkham, playing their last test matches on home soil, will carry all before them, play the blinder of a lifetime and sweep the ‘B’ Box well away, setting up a mighty clash with the All Blacks for the Tri Nations trophy.

 

LAST FIVE ENCOUNTERS

09.09.2006 South Africa 24-16 in Johannesburg (Tri Nations & Mandela Cup)

05.08.2006 Australia 20-18 in Sydney (Tri Nations & Mandela Cup)

15.07.2006 Australia 49-0 in Brisbane (Tri Nations & Mandela Cup)

20.08.2005 South Africa 22-19 in Perth (Tri Nations & Mandela Cup)

30.07.2005 South Africa 22-16 in Pretoria (Tri Nations & Mandela Cup)

 

GWC Rugby Rankings: World Table-Australia 1st, South Africa 7th

 

Teams

 

Australia

15 Julian Huxley, 14 Mark Gerrard, 13 Stirling Mortlock (captain), 12 Matt Giteau, 11 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 10 Stephen Larkham, 9 George Gregan, 8 Stephen Hoiles, 7 George Smith, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 Dan Vickerman, 4 Nathan Sharpe, 3 Guy Shepherdson, 2 Adam Freier, 1 Matt Dunning.

Replacements: 16 Sean Hardman, 17 Al Baxter, 18 Hugh McMeniman, 19 David Lyons, 20 Phil Waugh, 21 Scott Staniforth, 22 Drew Mitchell.

Coach: John Connolly

 

South Africa

15 Bevin Fortuin, 14 Breyton Paulse, 13 Waylon Murray, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 JP Pietersen, 10 Derick Hougaard, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Bob Skinstad (captain), 7 Pedrie Wannenburg, 6 Wikus van Heerden, 5 Johann Muller, 4 Johan Ackermann, 3 Jannie Du Plessis, 2 Gary Botha, 1 CJ van der Linde.

Replacements: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Eddie Andrews, 18 Albert van den Berg, 19 Jacques Cronjé, 20 Michael Claassens, 21 Peter Grant, 22 Jaco Pretorius.

Coach: Jake White

 

Kenya 22, Cameroun 19 in Younde (Africa Cup, Div.1, North A)

Reviews

http://www.kenyarfu.com/

 

Previews

This is a crucial match in this tournament. A Kenyan win would place the East Africans into the final tournament ahead of the fancied Moroccans.

 

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS

21.09.2002 Kenya 18-13 in Yaounde (CAR North 2

24.11.2001 Kenya 40-15 in Nairobi (WCQ Africa Rnd 2)

 

GWC Rugby Rankings: Africa Table-Kenya 4th, Cameroun 13th

 

Ivory Coast 16, Tunisia 14 in Abidjan (Africa Cup, Div.1, North B)

Preview

The winner will take all in this African section of the tournament. Both teams has 4 points with the Tunisians a 4 point difference. The winner will go to the finals tournament.

 

LAST FIVE ENCOUNTERS

07.03.2004 Ivory Coast 8-3 in Abidjan (CAR Div.1, North A)

25.05.2002 Tunisia 13-8 in Abidjan (WCQ Africa R3, North; CAR North 1)

12.05.2001 Ivory Coast 47-0 in Abidjan (Africa Champ., North)

28.04.2001 Drawn 11-11 in Tunis (Africa Champ., North)

26.10.1993 Ivory Coast 19-16 in Tunis (WCQ Africa)

 

GWC Rugby Rankings: Ivory Coast 9th, Tunisia 11th

 

Uganda 21, Zambia 5 in Lusaka (Africa Cup, Div.1, South B)

 

Reviews

http://www.monitor.co.ug/sunday/sports/spt07088.php

 

Previews

Uganda’s win over Namibia 2 weeks ago places it in a strong position to overtake the Namibians on the points table and head for the finals tournament.

 

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS

13.09.2003 Zambia (v Uganda U23) 44-17 in Lusaka (CAR Div.2, South, Final)

11.08.2001 Uganda 21-12 in Kampala (WCQ Africa 1A)

 

GWC Rugby Rankings-Africa Table: Uganda 2nd, Zambia 7th

 

Reviews

http://allafrica.com/stories/200707040133.html

 

Madagascar 30, Zimbabwe 29 in Harare (Africa Cup, Div.1, South A)

 

Previews

A win to Madagascar will sensationally eliminate the highly fancied South Africans from this tournament.

http://www.thezimbabweindependent.com/viewinfo.cfm?linkid=13&id=10942

 

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS

12.08.2006 Drawn 22-22 in Bulawayo (CAR Div.1, Group D)

29.08.2004 Madagascar 23-18 in Antananarivo (CAR Div.1, Pool B (South 1)

19.07.2003 Madagascar 21-0 (default) (CAR Div.1, Pool B)

02.06.2002 Zimbabwe 52-3 in Antananarivo (WCQ Africa R3, South; CAR South 1)

03.08.1988 Zimbabwe 66-15 in Nairobi

 

GWC Rugby Rankings: Africa Table-Madagascar 6th, Zimbabwe 8th

 

 

THE ROAD TO THE SEMI FINALS-CONFEDERATION OF AFRICA RUGBY (06.07)

 

Africa Cup 2007

It is crunch time as top teams vie for qualification for a semi-final berth in the Africa Cup, the Premier Africa Rugby Confederation championship which is balanced on a knife edge ahead of crucial matches on Saturday.

 

Only Senegal who has lost two matches in North Pool B is out of the equation. Arithmetically, the rest have a chance of reaching the semi-final.

 

In North Pool A, any draw in Yaounde will see Kenya top the table. A loss by seven or less points will see them tie with Morocco on five points each. The tie will be broken by points difference. Kenya narrowly defeated Morocco 23-19 in Nairobi on July 23. Four changes have been made in the team which was due to travel to Cameroon on Thursday evening.

 

In North Pool B, Cote d’Ivoire and Tunisia are on four points each. With Senegal already out of the equation, the two top teams have an equal chance of making it to the semi-final. Tunisia who edged out Senegal 11-6 in their last outing have their backs against the wall against Cote d’Ivoire. One similarity is that the bulk of players from both teams ply their trade in France.

 

Zambia could spoil the party for the red hot Uganda Cranes who floored Namibia 20-19 in Kampala on June 23. An outright win for Uganda will see them top the South Pool A and knock out the World Cup-bound Namibia.

 

When the CAR competition committee awarded Madagascar the match against South Africa Amateurs, the race for the top spot in South Pool B was opened. Zimbabwe could do South Africa Amateurs a big favour by beating Madagascar in Harare. A draw would favour Madagascar and a loss by seven or less points will see the stalemate broken by points difference.

 

Africa Cup log

 

 North Pool A

 

Team

P

W

D

L

F

A

Diff

Pts

Morocco

2

1

0

1

36

29

7

5

Kenya

1

1

0

0

23

16

7

4

Cameroon

1

0

0

1

6

20

-14

0

Results

May 26, 2007: Morocco 20 Cameroon 6 (Casablanca)

June 23, 2007: Kenya 23 Morocco 19 (Nairobi)

July 7, 2007: Cameroon v Kenya (Yaounde)

 

North Pool B

 

Team

P

W

D

L

F

A

Diff

Pts

Tunisia

1

1

0

0

11

6

6

4

Cote d’Ivoire

1

1

0

0

12

10

2

4

Senegal

2

0

0

2

16

23

-7

2

May 26, 2007: Senegal 10 Cote d’Ivoire 12 (Dakar)

June 23, 2007: Tunisia 11 Senegal 6 (Tunis)

July 7, 2007: Cote d’Ivoire v Tunisia (Abidjan)

 

South Pool B

 

Team

P

W

D

L

F

A

Diff

Pts

Namibia

2

1

0

1

101

30

72

6

Uganda

1

1

0

0

20

19

1

4

Zambia

1

0

0

1

10

83

-72

0

Results

May 26, 2007: Namibia 83 Zambia 10 (Windhoek)

June 23, 2007: Uganda 20 Namibia 19 (Kampala)

July 7, 2007: Zambia v Uganda (Lusaka)

 

South Pool A

 

Team

P

W

D

L

F

A

Diff

Pts

SA Amateurs

2

1

0

1

40

29

11

5

Madagascar

1

1

0

0

21

0

21

4

Zimbabwe

1

0

0

1

8

40

-32

0

Results

May 26, 2007: SA Amateurs 40 Zimbabwe 8 (Bloemfontein, SA)

June 23, 2007: Madagascar 21 SA Amateurs 0 (Antananarivo)

July 7, 2007: Zimbabwe v Madagascar (Harare).

 

Press release from Paul Segombe, CAR

 

MADAGASCAR V SOUTH AFRICA AMATEUR (06.07)

STATEMENT

RE: POSTPONED MATCH BETWEEN MADAGASCAR AND SOUTH AFRICA  AMATEURS 23.06.2007

After receiving submissions from both  FRM and SARU concerning this fixture, the Competitions Committee  asked both  FRM and SARU to talk to each other in view of  rearranging the new date for the match.

Whereas  SARU was willing to travel to Antananarivo  to play on 30th June or 14th July, FRM was not keen and instead cited Regulation number 5.3.2  of the Africa Cup.

The  Regulations  states;   

Match Postponement
 
Should a Union request to postpone a match, such Union shall lodge such request to CAR not later than 21 days before the date of the match in question.

Since SARU's request for a postponement  was only received by CAR on 8th June, 2007. This is 15 days before the match day.

The Competitions Committee has therefore made a decision to award the match to Madagascar. Madagascar get 21 points(three converted tries) 4 match points. 
 
Signed

Paul Sigombe
CAR Development and Competitions Director