South African business icon Raymond Ackerman presented the Springboks with their match jerseys in Bloemfontein on Friday.

The Springboks host the Wallabies in a Vodacom Tri-Nations Test at Vodacom Park tomorrow.

Ackerman, the founder of Pick n’ Pay, praised the team on its comeback victory last week and wished them well for the forthcoming match.

“It took enormous courage from you to come back the way you did last week,” he said.

Ackerman spoke of some of his setbacks in life – in sport and business – and told the team that it was important to bounce back.

“I know what its like to take reverses. It’s different for you guys because your setbacks make the headlines. To come back from 14-0 down needed something special and it was amazing. If you have passion, guts and focus you will always find a way to make a success of what you do.”

“Whatever you do in life keep your head in the clouds but your feet on the ground. I wish you well for tomorrow, it will be a hard game but I believe you will win,” Ackerman said.

Springbok coach Peter de Villiers says there remains room for improvement following last Saturday’s come-from-behind 44-31 win over Australia in a Vodacom Tri-Nations match at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.

De Villiers was addressing media in Bloemfontein ahead of the Boks’ final Tri-Nations match, also against the Wallabies, at Vodacom Park on Saturday.

“We have yet to achieve anything,” de Villiers said.

“It was nice to get the win because it changed the mood in the change room and also put smiles on the faces of our fans again. But we still have a lot of work to do,” he said.

The coach singled out defensive organization as one of the areas that needed attention during the week.

“We have a brilliant defensive system in place,” he said. “When we analyse defensive lapses we have to look further than missed tackles or mistakes that are made by individuals. We have to look at what events in the play led to that situation. It could be that the opposition was quicker on attack than we anticipated or a that player was out of line in the defensive pattern.  The Wallabies put us under pressure and forced us into mistakes. We have to go back and look at what we can do to better deal with that pressure”.

De Villiers added that the players attitude would also be an important factor in this weekend’s Test.

“The win has changed the mood in the camp and the guys need to build on this from a mental and physical point of view. This is where a positive attitude towards the match will be very important. The Wallabies are world class and we will have to have the right attitude to beat them again, especially on attack”.

De Villiers praised his team for their spirited fight-back in the Loftus Test.

“To come back from 7-21 down showed the character of this team. I am pleased that we did not go into defensive mode towards the end of the match and showed a willingness to attack until the end,” de Villiers said.

Meanwhile, the Springboks are waiting on news on the availability of three injured players – Butch James, Jannie du Plessis and Flip van der Merwe – who underwent scans in Bloemfontein on Monday morning. All three missed out on the Monday training session and news on their condition is expected from the medical team on Monday afternoon.

In the afterglow of the Springboks fine victory over Australia last Saturday (44-31) BlitzBokke.com would like to pay tribute to all three our Springbok Centurions. Click on their names to view their full SARU profiles:

1. Percival Colin Montgomery

Springbok number: 651

Provinces: Western Province (1997) Newport, Wales (2004) Natal (2005) Perpignan, France (2008)

2. John William Smit

Springbok number: 691

Provinces: Natal (2000) Clermont -Auvergne, France (2008 )

3. Victor Matfield

Springbok number: 705

Provinces: Griqualand West (2000) Blue Bulls ( 2001 )

Nothing says Bok Pride more than the Springbok Honours Board that was updated today:

The SA Rugby Honours Board was updated today (Pic: Springboks on FaceBook)

BlitzBokke.com’s tribute to Barney (Video: Mike Jansen)

The 16 International Test centurions:

1. George Gregan (Australia) – 139

2. Jason Leonard (England 114, British and Irish Lions 5) – 119

3. Fabien Pelous (France) – 118

4. Philippe Sella (France) – 111

5. George Smith (Australia) – 110

6. Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland 103, British and Irish Lions 6) – 109*

7. John Hayes (Ireland 102, British and Irish Lions 2) – 104*

8. Gareth Thomas (Wales 100, British and Irish Lions 3) – 103

T9. Stephen Larkham (Australia) – 102

T9. Percy Montgomery (South Africa) – 102

T11. David Campese (Australia) – 101

T11. Alessandro Troncon (Italy) – 101

T11. Ronan O’Gara (Ireland 99, British and Irish Lions 2) – 101*

T11. John Smit (South Africa) – 101*

T15. Chris Paterson (Scotland) – 100*

T15. Victor Matfield (South Africa) – 100*

The Springboks made today’s Tri-Nations test against Australia a fairytale for local (Pretoria/Blue Bulls) Centurion Victor Matfield when they beat the Wallabies 44-31 in the penultimate Series game at Loftus Versfeld.

Bok Centurion No. 3 Victor Matfield (Pic: SARU)

The so-called “curse of the Springbok Centurion” was broken for Matfield (No.3) when the Boks overcame the Aussies tonight.  Previous Springboks Centurions Percy Montgomery (no.1) and (last week) John Smit (No.3) both managed to end their 100-up games with losses.

South Africa scored five scintillating tries on their way to a 44-31 win over Australia in an exciting Vodacom Tri-Nations match played at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

Scorers:

South Africa - Tries: Juan Smith, Gurthro Steenkamp, Pierre Spies, Frans Steyn, JP Pietersen. Conversions: Morne Steyn (4), Butch James. Penalties: Steyn (2), Frans Steyn.

Australia – Tries: Drew Mitchell, James O`Connor (2), Dean Mumm. Conversions: Matt Giteau (4). Penalty: Giteau.

After the match, BlitzBokke.com‘s selection for Man of the Match was indeed confirmed as Francois Hougaard and needless to say, we’re well chuffed with that!  Well done Hougie!

Francois Hougaard (Pic: SARU)

Mooiskoot Victor!  (Pic: SuperImage.co.za)

Victor Matfield will be confronted by 30 000 “look-a-likes” when he runs out at his beloved Loftus Versfeld in a special tribute on his 100th Test cap on his home ground on Saturday.

The South African Rugby Union has manufactured 30 000 Victor Matfield masks to be distributed at the turnstiles for fans wear in a show of support for one of Pretoria’s favourite sons. The hope is that all supporters will be wearing theirs when Matfield runs on to the field just before 17h00 on Saturday.

Bok Centurion number 3 Victor Matfield with number 1, Percy Montgomery (Pic: Christiaan Kotze)

Tickets for the match are still available from Loftus Versfeld and at Computicket priced at R350 (South Stand and behind the posts) and R450 (Eastern Stand).

“It is a very special coincidence that Victor should win his 100th cap on the ground where he has led the Vodacom Bulls to so many titles and we thought we had to mark the occasion with some significant gesture,” said Johan Prinsloo, CEO of the South African Rugby Union.

“This is a novel idea but I’m sure that the public of Pretoria and all Springboks fans will want to turn out in their numbers and join in this initiative to visibly demonstrate their appreciation for a modern great of the game.”

Matfield has run out for the Pretoria team in more than 150 matches and captained them in half of them as the team has enjoyed a modern golden age, claiming the Vodacom Super Rugby title on three occasions in the last four years.

In addition he has been part of three of the Bulls’ hear decade-long run of success in the Absa Currie Cup and even curtailed a spell in France to return to the Springboks and Bulls.

“This is a very proud day for Loftus and all our supporters,” said Barend van Graan, CEO of the Blue Bulls Company. “To have our captain win his 100th cap for the Springboks on his home ground makes it an unbelievable occasion for us and we will be making our own special presentation to Victor in due course.

“I would urge all our very loyal supporters to join us at the field on the day to roar the Springboks to victory in only the way that a Pretoria crowd can, as well as being present to share one of the greatest days of his career with our captain.”

In another unique feature of the day, popular former player Toks van der Linde will become the first Springbok to be the on-field anthem singer.

The former prop will be joined by professional singer Karen Ferreira in a rendition of Nkosi sikelei’ iAfrika.

As his Springbok room-mate Kobus Wiese would say: ” Alles van die beste, Rooma!” (All the best, roommate.)

John Smit‘s former coaches at Pretoria Boys High, Paul Anthony and Jannie Biddulph, presented the Springboks with their match jerseys on Friday ahead of today’s Vodacom Tri-Nations Test against the All Blacks.

Biddulph and Anthony coached the Boys High First XV when Smit was captain in 1996.

The Bok skipper plays his 100th Test today (Saturday 21 August 2010), only the second player to reach the milestone after Percy Montgomery.

Biddulph currently resides in Dubai where he is in real estate whilst Anthony is the current Blue Bulls Under-19 coach.

Anthony, a former SA Schools and SA Under-19 coach, spoke about the importance and significance of schools rugby and how big matches have an impact on a players attitude.

“I don’t need to motivate you guys,” he said. “At this level you don’t need to be motivated. But, go out there and capture the passion of those big school games that you have all played. When you pull that jersey over your head, think about that feeling and what it meant to you. You have to put your bodies on the line and show a hunger to succeed“.

Biddulph handed jerseys to the reserves and backs whilst Anthony presented the forwards’ jerseys.

In response, an emotional John Smit said: “The whole week I have tried to put the 100th game in the background and make sure the team interest comes first.  “It is a great honour but there are times when the milestone is less significant than the people who played a role in getting you there.”

Earlier Smit addressed media at his weekly Press Conference with the 100th match the main focus.

“There have been many highlights and also some low points but the successes have more than made up for the disappointments,” he said.  “It is fantastic to reach 100 Tests and even more special to be playing the game against the All Blacks.”

John Smit’s school-boy coaches Jannie Biddulph and Paul Anthony (screen-grab from Supersport.com)

The Chris Burger Petro Jackson Players’ Fund commemorated its 30th anniversary in style in Johannesburg on Tuesday night when almost R1-million was raised for the victims of serious rugby injuries at its Bell’s Night of the Stars Rugby Extravaganza held at Montecasino.

Rugby fans dug deep during a two-hour telethon broadcast live on SuperSport when they phoned through over R728,500 in pledges to members of the Springbok squad who once again showed their commitment to the Fund by manning the phones.

Jean De Villiers man the phones on Tuesday evening’s event

In addition, an amount of R226,000 was raised in an auction of sought-after memorabilia and lifestyle items – the most that has ever been raised during this part of the evening. A raffle raised an additional R23,600.

A rugby ball signed by the crew of the film Invictus, including director Clint Eastwood and actor Morgan Freeman, was sold for R40,000.

In addition, Quadriplegic Association of South Africa national director Ari Seirlis donated an educational bursary to one of the Fund’s recipients.

“I would like to thank everyone who attended the banquet and to those fans who phoned in to pledge some money towards the Fund,” said Chairman Morné du Plessis. “We couldn’t have asked for more and it made the occasion of our 30th anniversary all the more special.

“I would like to thank the Springbok team for their continued involvement; sponsors Bell’s, whose support has never wavered in all the years they’ve been a part of the event; media partners 94.7 Highveld Stereo, who helped us spread the word of the banquet and telethon; as well as SuperSport for their generous support which consisted of a two-hour live TV broadcast and everything that goes with such an ambitious production.”

The Fund was established in 1980 by Du Plessis after his teammate Chris Burger broke his neck and later died playing for WP. The event was attended by Burger’s daughter, Esmaré.

Also present were numerous past Springboks as well as former All Black wing John Kirwan, who is an ambassador for the New Zealand Tourism ahead of next year’s Rugby World Cup.

Former All Black John Kirwan, flanked by Joel Stransky and Ray Mordt

The Night of the Stars also saw the launch of longtime Fund trustee Pat Tebbutt’s book The Samaritan of South African Rugby, a comprehensive history of the Fund since its establishment 30 years ago.

“It’s been quite a journey to record the history of the Fund,” said Tebbutt. “It’s been a labour of love and a story that needed to be told.”

“The Bell’s Old Scotch Whisky Team has been involved in raising money for the Chris Burger Petro Jackson Players’ Fund for the past decade and the latest Bell’s Night of the Stars was another incredible chapter in our association with them,” said Dominic Malan, marketing manager of Bell’s Extra Special Old Scotch Whisky. “The evening was a fantastic success and proved yet again just how passionate South Africans are about rugby and just how caring they are about those who have been injured playing the game.”

Springboks Jean De Villiers and Schalk Burger supports the Chris Burger Petro Jackson Players Fund

The South African Women’s rugby team leaves on Sunday for the IRB Women’s Rugby World in Surrey, England determined to improve on their previous performance at the world event.

An inexperienced South African team made its World Cup debut four years ago in Canada and the team finished bottom of the twelve teams.  Since then, the team’s overall performance has shown an upward curve, especially since the appointment of Denver Wannies as coach.

Former Emerging Sevens & current SA Womens coach, Denver Wannies (Pic: SA Rugby)

The former Emerging SA Sevens coach has placed a heavy emphasis on continuity and conditioning and his team has won all four matches this season, all played away from home.

The SA squad to England includes nine players with previous World Cup experience and Wannies also picked eleven of the twelve players who last year helped the SA Women Sevens to reach the semi-finals of the first Sevens World Cup for women in Dubai.

SA Women’s captain, Mandisa Williams, one of the nine survivors of the 2006 campaign, said the players were burning with desire to improve on their poor showing in Canada.

“We have a coach and management team who have worked very hard to get us into the proper condition for such a demanding tournament. We really want to wipe away the memory of a poor effort in Canada and we realise that we will have to be at our best in every match,” explains Williams.

SA Womens skipper, Mandisa Williams (Pic:SA Rugby)

South Africa shares Pool A with three-time Women’s World Cup winners New Zealand, Australia and Wales.

The team open their campaign with the most difficult of assignments, against champions New Zealand on Friday, 20 August. The other matches are on Tuesday, 24 August against Wales and then they face Australia on Saturday, 28 August.

The 2010 SA Women’s Rugby World Cup squad is (in alphabetical order):

Backs: Aimee Barrett (Western Province, fullback), Saloma Booysen (Eastern Province, scrumhalf), Lorinda Brown (Eastern Province, centre), Phumeza Gadu (Eastern Province, wing), Zenay Jordaan (Eastern Province, flyhalf), Charmaine Kayser (Eastern Province, centre), Yolanda Meiring (Blue Bulls, fullback), Zandile Nojoko (Eastern Province, fullback), Fundiswa Plaatjie (Border, scrumhalf), Cherne Roberts (Western Province, scrumhalf), Daphne Scheepers (Eastern Province, centre), Ziyanda Tywaleni (Border, wing)

Forwards: Nolusindiso Booi (Border, lock), Nedene Botha (Western Province, prop), Cynthia Motloung (Golden Lions, flank), Laurian Johannes (Western Province, prop), Portia Jonga (Border, prop), Cebisa Kula (Eastern Province, prop), Dolly Mavumengwana (KwaZulu-Natal, lock), Nombulelo Mayongo (Free State, flank), Onicca Moaga (SANDF, lock), Lamla Momoti (Eastern Province, flank), Cynthia Poswa (Western Province, hooker), Donna Sidumbu (Eastern Province, hooker), Namhla Siyolo (Eastern Province, eigthman), Mandisa Williams (Border, flank).

Team Management: Denver Wannies (head coach), Orna Prinsloo (team manager), Rhudolph Gerber (assistant coach – forwards), Kayalethu Malotana (assistant coach – forwards), Denzil van Heerden (conditioning coach), Tanushree Pillay (physiotherapist), dr. Jacoba Lindique (team doctor), Anthony Heugh (technical analyst), Rayaan Adriaanse (communications manager).

While reading JJ Harmse’s article yesterday (George to lose Sevens status?) I was reminded of one of my own on the issue penned in early July (Can Sevens fill the Cape Town Stadium?)

JJ obviously has the “inside ear” as he is based back home while BlitzBokke.com relies mostly on the official releases that hit our inboxes every day.

SARU yesterday confirmed that their contract with the Southern Cape town of George to host the South African-leg of the IRB Sevens World Series ends in 2010 after this season’s event.  They also stated that the IRB has extended SARU’s right to host a local event from 2011 to 2014.

The George Sevens after 2010 is in limbo (Pic: Alex Booysen)

On Wednesday, the SARU Executive Council decided to “invite tenders from all 14 provincial unions.”

This decision will obviously have the operators of the newly-built 2010 World Cup Stadia rubbing their hands with glee.  Hosting an international event such as the IRB Sevens World Series that comes with broadcast exposure and thousands of traveling fans is not to be scoffed at and I’m sure most of them will, via their provincial rugby union, put in a tender.

SailStadeFrance’s Morne Du Plesssis stated in a recent interview on 567 Cape Talk, that they would like to develop a Cape Town Sevens much like the successful and very popular Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens. However, the key word here is “develop” and we hope that SARU offers the event to a union for more than one season.

This will allow them time to develop it into something akin to the rest of the World Series events.

Here are some of the new (and upgraded) 2010 stadia that could host the SA Sevens:

However, they would need time to develop this kind of atmosphere:

SARU’s national rugby safety programme – BokSmart – will host its fourth and final regional public information session at the Southern Sun Grayston Hotel in Sandton at 18h30 to explain, among other topics, new rules that require all coaches and referees at all levels of play to have completed a BokSmart certification process.

BokSmart recently concluded regional workshops in Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.

The session is free and all members of the public are welcome.

BokSmart has conducted more than 506 rugby safety workshops across the 14 South African rugby unions with a total of 11023 referees and coaches having been certified since its launch in July 2009 to date.

The public information session which will be held in Johannesburg will be led by BokSmart Project manager Dr Wayne Viljoen and include:

* Dr Jon Patricios talking about concussion in rugby;

* Ian Klopper, from EMT, will discuss the issue of on-field head, neck and spinal injury management;

* Clint Readhead (SARU Medical Manager) will deliver a presentation on what is needed at rugby hosting venues for safe games to take place and

* Dr Mike Posthumus will chat about preventative strength and conditioning for rugby players with a special focus on the head and neck areas.

The focus behind these regional public information sessions is to increase the awareness of rugby safety issues in the general public.

There will be five presentations conducted at the information session in Johannesburg and members of the public will have the opportunity to interact with the specialists after each presentation.

What: BokSmart Public Information Session (Gauteng)

When: Monday, August 16, 2010

Where: Southern Sun Grayston Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg.

Who: Dr Wayne Viljoen, Dr Jon Patricios, Ian Klopper, Clint Readhead, Dr Mike Posthumus