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